Frank's been in Bulgaria for a little over a year, working as a pre-accession advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Waters. Although he's always been impressed by the natural beauty around him, he's looking forward to his departure at the end of the year.

Coming from Ireland, Frank Clinton sees a lot in Bulgaria that reminds him of home - 30 years ago.

"In many ways, the countryside is not that different," said Frank. "Bulgaria has problems Ireland had when it embarked on the road to the European Union."

This is precisely what brought Frank to the country last July. The Environmental Protection Agency he worked for back home has a close relationship with Bulgaria's Ministry of Environment and Waters. As Bulgaria continues to align its legislation with that of the European Union, it needed some foreign help.

"We felt we could usefully contribute," said Frank. "There are a number of parallels we can draw on. We felt confident enough in the project and could see how Ireland made progress to EU accession."

Although he's settled in somewhat, Frank's arrival was less than smooth. "I didn't have any friends or contacts - it was a peculiar experience," he said, adding he often found it intimidating to find his way around. He also caught Bulgaria at a particularly hot time of the year. "Coming from Ireland, I'm not used to heat waves. It was a bit of a shock." Frank adjusted after the first few months, and quickly made a wide assortment of friends from inside and outside the expatriate community.

Although Frank has found his time in Bulgaria extremely rewarding from a professional point of view, he finds himself looking forward to leaving the country - most likely by December. "Bulgaria is beautiful, but it has a long way to go before it's a beautiful place to live," he said, explaining that he has found many things in this country difficult to accept.

"As a foreigner, I'm often viewed as an opportunity by unscrupulous people," he said. "I'm constantly ripped off by taxi drivers. I don't even argue anymore - they just rip me off and I pay."

He's also been unendingly frustrated by the level of bureaucracy in the country - something which hampered a recent visit by some friends from Ireland. "The regulation of foreigners is an asinine piece of legislation. My friends had to spend half a day to register with the police for a four day visit. It's an unpleasant experience for foreigners to cope with."

Frank's frustrations multiplied exponentially last May when his apartment was broken into - something he's sure he was targeted for. Although the police arrived, and appeared to be making progress, nothing ever came of the investigation or the $10,000 worth of stolen possessions. "While you're here to do some good, your reward for your contributions is you get robbed," he said. "It's cast a shadow over my experience in Bulgaria."

But what bothers Frank the most is how things like this are just shrugged off in the country. "The manner in which people accept this as normal, I find unacceptable." Fortunately, some of Frank's experiences have been more pleasant. He learned to ski earlier this year, something he had never done before. "I'm likely to return to Bulgaria at some point in the future to ski. I can use it as a way to return and stay in touch with friends," he said.

Once the hotter months are over, Frank intends to do some more hill walking, something he really enjoys - especially in Bulgaria. "It's remarkably beautiful," he said. "The mountains are incredible. They're a resource that hasn't begun to be exploited - the potential is huge."

Frank also loves the wine in Bulgaria, and the cost of living, but he finds himself missing his friends back home. "I still feel quite isolated. I have many friends here, but it's not the same as back home," he said.

"I also miss the food. I haven't adjusted to the Bulgarian diet yet." In his free time, Frank enjoys sampling Sofia's many Irish pubs, although he said there are no true Irish pubs outside of Ireland. "Murphy's is the most similar to a real Irish pub, but Flannagans is nice even though it's not a traditional Irish bar."

All in all, Frank is left with mixed feelings about Bulgaria. Professionally, his visit has proven quite successful. "I learned a great deal and contributed a great deal. I had a really nice staff and it was satisfying to see them learn and take up ideas."

However, on a personal level, Frank feels he never really settled in and the burglary pushed him even further away. "I really wanted to leave after that. It took all the good out of it."