I have just been to the village doctors surgery, today it was busy and we were 10th in the queue. after 20 minutes the doctor came out, looked around and called me by name into the surgery. the woman at the front of the queue protested and went in the office, only to be turfed out by the doctor.
not only was this embarassing but unfair.
It does nothing for building relationships with village people, when we are treated differently and given preference, is this behaviour national or just in the villages. its not nice.

That's interesting - I used to get the exact opposite when I went to see the endocrinologist at the Balchik polyclinic - I quite often used to arrive first, but end up waiting three hours because she took everyone else before me. Problem solved when I went to the endocrinologist in Dobrich - patients taken according to when they got there and a better specialist as well.

I have found I am massively discriminated against in Balchik by the Police, the Courts, EON, water people.... the list goes on. This does not apply to Dobrich or virtually anywhere else in the country, just Balchik where I live.

I can see how this would make you feel starlite I think I would defiantly have felt the same but I would like to add that if it had been me I would have insisted on waiting my turn and that way it would have shown the locals that I was human just as they are and maybe this would have done your street cred better to :Drink:but its a difficult situation to find yourself in and you dealt with it how you thought best and thats all you can do.

there is little or no english spoke in this surgery, we did pause and gesture that this lady was next and she protested, but she got the wrath of the doctors temper. there does seem to be a power base in the village, the kmet and the doctor everyone else is subordinate ( but not expats). bulgarians do not question authority, but when they do, ouch. I dont know how you win this one, if you take a stand they punish the bulgarian.

starlite wrote:

I dont know how you win this one, if you take a stand they punish the bulgarian.

I don't think that's true at all - I as a non-Bulgarian, I have complained about my treatment in the polyclinic at Balchik. For this I have had tongue lashings and more than once been physically pushed about by doctors and specialists.

I am talking of the experience in this village, which is quite true, i asked if this behaviour was national and clearly its not by your experience. would be nice to hear of other peoples experiences in bulgaria.

Maybe I should have emphasised this applies only to Balchik in my experience and that's what the "
not true"
relates to. I don't doubt you have had dissimilar experiences in your village.

We have found the queuing system quite strange.

At the Doctors there never seems to be a queue, maybe that's because the Bulgarians get there when he opens so they can be first. Us we are laid back;
go when its nearly time to close :oops:

At the polyclinic it was a different story. The gipsies just tried to jump in front of everybody in the queue but the Bulgarians just put them in their place and then made them go last just for their cheek.

But basically there is no system or courtesy at all here But according to Jacqui that's the way it is they have had their days of queueing in the days of Communism when there was no bread or this or that

Generally speaking everyone gets on well in our village. HOWEVER, there is always someone..... One of our bars has been almost totally taken over by some Brits. It started when they were allowed to smoke on a 'no-smoking' table where some old boys had sat for yonks. Then their dogs were allowed in. Its got so bad that now hardly any Bulgarians go in this bar which is the main bar of the village. They prefer to go to the smaller ones now. Also, when our biggest village shop gets a delivery which needs sorting and pricing, any shopping villagers wait outside until its done. Today, along comes a Brit for his packet of cigarettes - totally unaware of the queue outside the shop. enters and buys his cigarettes and leaves. This we find totally annoying and does not give Brits a good name. Yes its up to the shop owners, but what is it with these arrogant Brits????

This is a very sad situation but I think some Brits like to lord it up and give the impression that they are better than the Bulgarians who to be honest will always be better thank a lot of the Brits in Bulgaria, the problem is that this give all of us a bad name and lets be honest it also sends out the wrong signal to the Bulgarians who are looking to make a quick few leva when the Big Brit comes along like lord of the manor and treats others like he owns them what does this say

Over here in Turkey they don't like queuing either, a visit to the supermarket means that you have to stand guard over your shopping at the checkout otherwise they creep in front of you. They don't like to queue at the doctors or the banks either. Us Brits have been brought up with queueing, I can remember doing it with my mums ration book after the war to buy meat and sweets, Maynards Wine Gums were only 6 old pence for a quarter of a pound. Good old days - I think not!

I found this too once when I visited Cyprus I was in at the checkout waiting and a Cypriot just waled straight past me to the front and the checkout then served them it was almost as though I wasn't there

oh we had this at a mac donalds in tenerife, there was only one line, then the second line opened and the lady at the back went straight to the front, she was confronted but said , i know understand, yeah right.

Nice one Bernie

We were in Kaufland about 5-6 months ago loading up the belt (as you do). Our stuff had moved down to the check out girl. When there he was Mr Suited and Booted jumped in right in front of me. Me well I mean I'm a shrinking Violet, not. So I turned to the boss and said "
Look at this cheeky bar steward he's got a friking cheek"
or words to that effect. Which is not me as I do not swear. Really wound me up he did, big bloke as well.

Well he turned on me, I thought this is it eye in a sling coming up.

Then he said in perfect English "
I'm very very sorry"


Well when he went we fell about laughing. Just go's to prove they know that they are doing the wrong thing

Queueing is a very British thing but Brits do queue jump too in Britain. However, its not a normal thing in most other countries. Its up to you to make sure you don't let others push in front of you and generally speaking I have noticed that it works just as well. I can't remember ever being in a situation where there has been a disagreement amongst waiting customers. Tolerance is the answer which I have in spades for the Bulgarians, but none for the Brits in Bulgaria who cannot fit in.