Back to Basics

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you could just get away from it all? Well, two years ago, Claire Dryden, her husband Rune and son Isaiah did exactly that. We talk to her about her new life and find out if the reality of living a foreign country has met up to her expectations.

By Camilla Kaas Stock

What made you decide to move to Bulgaria?

- We now live in a village outside Bulgaria's old capital, Veliko Turnevo. We were living in Nottingham and didn't feel very happy there. It didn't seem like a good place for Isaiah (now eight) to grow up, and because I travelled a lot when I was younger, I always knew that I didn't want to stay there forever.

- I was working nights as a restaurant manager, while my husband worked days. It didn't leave much time for family life. We had decided it was time to move on and when a friend showed us a picture of his house in Bulgaria, I said to my husband that I wanted to change our lives and move there. So we visited Bulgaria to have a look at properties and fell in love with the place. We spent the next 14 months saving up as much money as we could, then packed our bags, got in our car and drove down here! A year later, our second son, Kalin, was born.

Is your new life here as you imagined?

- No, not really. I came out her without any clear idea of what I would do. I thought the money would last a lot longer, but even though it is much cheaper to live here than back in England, it's not as cheap as you would think. I guess I imagined myself in the village making jam but, like anywhere, you need money to live. So, a year ago, we started up a furniture shop called Sylvan Mebel, with my sister-in-law Fern and her husband Alex, who have also moved out here. The shop is doing very well and although I have to work hard, I still have much more time for family life than I used to.

How does your new life compare to your old?

- It was a bit tough during the first few months, but now I love my life here. It is so much more relaxed and I find the people very friendly. I don't even mind the cold winters, I feel much more in touch with the basics of life. Yes, of course the fact that everything takes so much longer can be frustrating, but you learn to adapt. Now Isaiah can run around the village and play, instead of sitting glued to the TV. Actually, we don't even have one. He is getting a childhood much more like mine was. He is also coping very well with school here, although he struggled with it in the beginning.

So is everything rosy here?

- No, not at all. The rigidness of things here can be hard to take. Bulgarians are used to doing things a certain way, and can't see that there are other, better ways. I have also struggled a bit with the language, but I can now master the basics. I still can't hold a deep conversation, but I manage. Also we have had a lot of trouble with builders here. We bought a house that needed a lot of work but, two years later, we haven't gotten very far. After getting mucked around, we had to put it on hold for a while. So my advice to anybody who buys a rundown house here is to ask around before employing anybody, otherwise you can very easily be ripped off.

Is there anything you really miss?

- No, but Rune is finding it a bit hard. He used to work as a musician back in the UK and also did a lot of charity work, and he misses that aspect of his life. But he is working on developing those things here, too - he is running a percussion workshop this summer, so that is good.

Do you think you will stay here?

- Yes, definitely. Both our mothers are moving out here now, so we will have more family around us than ever before. My advice to anybody who is thinking of relocating here is... go for it! Whatever your age. Now, I am not saying that Bulgaria is for everybody, but if you don't set your expectations too high and learn to chill out, then life here can be very good.