As a teenager right out of grade school, Dr. Viktoria Basham was looking forward to an adventure. She set her sights on attending Washington and Lee University, a relatively small school nestled in the mountains of western Virginia. While the majority of American high school graduates would consider going to college an adventure, it wouldn’t quite equal up to Basham’s unique experience.

You see, Dr. Basham was born in Bulgaria and lived most of her teenage life there. She hadn’t stepped foot out of the country until it was time to come to the United States to study at Washington and Lee University. To put it simply, Dr. Basham was an international student heading straight into unknown territory; a thought that might frighten anyone inexperienced in international travel and lacking knowledge of American culture. 

Frightened or not, Dr. Basham packed one suitcase filled to the brim with clothing, school supplies, and other personal belongings, and started her journey to America, leaving all she was familiar with behind. It was not until I sat down with Viktoria and heard her story that I truly began to understand the gravity of her situation and what transpired after she arrived at Washington and Lee University.

After arriving, she said that she stayed closed up in her dorm room for the first two weeks of classes, stating she did not feel like she was able to connect with anyone. From our conversation, I gathered that the lack of connection was not from not sharing commonalities with others, but rather the cultural disconnect/differences between Bulgaria and the United States of America.

One difference is the way one uses formal communication to connect with elders and/or people in positions of power. Another noticeable difference would be that American’s, typically, are more individualistic, as in they are encouraged to pursue their own personality. Whereas Bulgarians, historically, have typically stuck together as a family unit, similar to collectivism, just on a smaller family scale (Hofstede Insights). The last difference I cover is power distance, the internal acceptance that people in power will stay in power, and the people at the bottom of society will remain at the bottom due to lack of representation and/or say in the decision-making process (Bjørge). Learning about and understanding the differences in cultures are two totally different concepts, that I now realize and value the importance of. By talking and sharing stories with one another, we are able to connect in a way that doesn’t threaten our opinions and allows us to see life from a different perspective (Baum, Beyond Labels). I hope to share this newfound understanding of cultural differences by studying and comparing real-life experiences/examples provided by Dr. Viktoria Basham and myself.

Formality, as stated above, is a communication style that shows large amounts of respect towards people in positions of power. I asked Dr. Basham for her opinion on how formality plays a role in communication in Bulgaria, and how it may differ from that of the United States of America. She said, “people from my generation are kinda moving away from that super formal mode of communication.” Dr. Basham also commented that when she has taught cultural communication in the past, she has shown that there are many ways one can show respect or disrespect nowadays.

“Whether you start an email with Dr. Basham or Vicki, I’m not gonna take that as a sign of disrespect, but again I come from a generation where we’ve moved away from a lot of that stuff,” she commented. I asked Vicki how her parents or grandparents would react to being addressed in a less formal manner.  She responded by saying that the way you address your elders directly correlates with the amount of respect one has for an elder and that “that’s a big thing, that’s a sign of respect.”

In the United States, I feel that the younger generations are also using formality in communication less and less. A study was conducted by Anne Kari Bjørge that attempted to determine if students from high power distance cultures were more likely to choose a formal greeting than those from low power distance cultures. Bjørge’s results found that Bulgaria, and seven other countries, ranked number one in the likely hood that a student would send a formal greeting to their professors. In contrast, the United States ranked thirteenth. This goes to show that formality is a much larger part of Bulgarian culture and communication than the United States. 

American’s pride themselves in their individualistic personalities. I asked Dr. Basham, in Bulgaria, do people take pride and show off their personalities or are they more reserved? She commented that Bulgaria “is much less individual-focused,” than America. Considering that Bulgarians are not as individualistic as Americans, I asked if she would consider the culture to side more with collectivism (the idea of moving as a unit, your self-worth is directly related to the family’s reputation and/or outward appearance). “We’re not looking at a utopian socialist idea,” she commented. “It’s more about, especially on the family level, the family stays as a family pretty much from day one until the end.” I was confused by this response, so I asked if she could clarify her answer. She then provided the example that sometimes, there will be multiple generations living under the same roof. Each member of the family helps and contributes to the rest of the family’s success. This example helped me better understand the family dynamics of Bulgarian culture by showing me a different family structure than my own. 

Hofstede Insights offers a country comparison tool that allows one to select different cultures and compare the similarities and differences. When comparing Bulgaria and America, the individualism rankings couldn’t be more drastic. At the higher end of the scale, America ranks at 91%, while Bulgaria ranks at 30%. In the United States, family dynamics differ depending on the family. However, American’s value individualism, which makes each of us different in some regard. While some homes are similar to Bulgaria, as in they have multiple generations living under one roof, not all are the same. It’s a common practice in America to leave the home at eighteen and start to develop an identity apart and away from one’s family. This is where the two cultures differ. By listening to Dr. Basham’s stories, I was able to better understand individualism and collectivism and the roles they play in the different cultures.

This last difference plays a huge role in the dynamics of a country and a people. Power distance, as described above, is the internal acceptance that people in power will stay in power, and the people at the bottom of society will remain at the bottom due to lack of representation and/or say in the decision-making process of a country or culture. Dr. Basham mentioned that, in Bulgaria, it is very common for people who have little money and power to stay poor and powerless. “That’s pretty much how it’s going to keep going, that power distance is not going to change,” she said. I asked her why she felt that way and she responded, “because all the younger people are leaving the country.” She said that it isn’t like when an American starts with nothing and makes their way to the top. “It’s not about how much effort you put into your work or job, or whatever,” she said. “It’s not about how hard you keep pushing, you’ll always be working in that giant distance between you and those in power,” she concluded. As Dr. Basham stated, in the United States, one has the chance to start with nothing and make their way to success. Though, it isn’t the same in Bulgaria, which I would have never known previously without hearing Vicki’s story.

Whether or not we are similar or different, we are all human. No matter how hard we fight it, or study it, or try and change it, we will always be related through that connection. We may not address one another with the same amount of respect, or formality. We may choose to project and/or represent ourselves differently depending on our geographical location. There may even be a massive difference in how we govern and/or view our political leaders. However, at the core of it all, we are all the same in the ways that truly matter. However, to be able to see this for yourself, one must be able to put their opinions and prejudices aside and listen to what others have to say. Noa Baum once participated in a Ted Talk where she talked about the importance of listening to other people’s stories. “When we open up to the story or experiences of another, things begin to shift,” Baum stated. We all possess the ability to feel compassion, empathy, and remorse. All it takes is time, a place, and someone’s stories to listen to. Open your ears and you may be surprised by what you hear.