Name: Mike Hennessy
From: Tipperary, Ireland
Age: 37

Mike's been living in Bulgaria for the past eight years, slightly longer than originally intended. He's presently exploring interests in the realm of property development and is in no rush to leave the country in the foreseeable future.

Mike Hennessy came to Bulgaria in 1993 on a two-year assignment for DHL. Eight years, a wife and a daughter later, he's thinking about buying a house.

"As the years go by, it gets easier to live here," said Mike, recalling that things weren't so pleasant when he first arrived. "Sofia really wasn't a beautiful city," he said. "It was dirty, and all of the buildings were run down - over the years, that has gradually changed."

Mike, who worked for DHL for four years as a finance manager, met the woman who would become his wife in 1995. She was in Bulgaria working for a Dutch clothing company, looking after production. The two married in 1997 and founded the Rainbow Clothing company.

Mike was soon hired by Regis Hotel Corporation as a project manager for the reconstruction of the Radisson Hotel, a contract which expired about two months ago. Since then, Mike's turned his interests towards assisting in the development of other hotels in the Balkan region. "I'm working on a project in Belgrade on a hotel that is still state-owned. I'm working on bringing in investors and developing it - I'm pretty optimistic about it."

The eight years Mike has spent here has allowed him to witness the interesting changes which have occurred in Sofia over time. "There were very few restaurants and no places to go," he said. "And there weren't many cars around. It used to take me 10 minutes to drive across town to work."

But despite any of the downsides he encountered along the way, Mike's always been happy in Bulgaria. "A lot of people used to say to me `How do you live up there?' I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I used to live in London - I hated it."

Mike's always been pleased by the country's friendly environment and the people he's met - in fact, Bulgarians remind him a lot of Irish people. "They like to socialize, they're friendly, and they're easy to get along with," he said.

The same can be said of the foreigners Mike's crossed paths with, especially when he first arrived. "The expat community was quite small. It was a lot of fun - everyone knew everyone else."

If there's been one negative aspect of Mike's time here, it would be the food, something he still hasn't adjusted to. "I've never really grown to love Bulgarian food. It's probably been the only downside of living here. When I go on vacation, I probably put on a couple of kilos."

Mike's been fortunate enough to head home about three times a year, but he's never really found himself homesick. "I don't have the desire to go back right now," he said. "I like to go back for vacations - I've seen a lot more of the country since I've been away."

Part of the reason Mike isn't so eager to leave is the business he and his wife started has been doing quite well. "There were a tough couple of years, but now it's pretty successful. As soon as you start a business, it makes things more permanent.

"It's easy to walk away from a job, but not a business when it's making money."

And although he's been here for quite some time, Mike admits his Bulgarian isn't where it should be. "It's been laziness more than anything else," he said. "I kept thinking I would only be here for another year... then only for another six months...

"I understand quite a bit and I have quite a vocabulary, but putting it into sentences is difficult."

In their free time, Mike and his wife head down to Greece to unwind. "People know me in restaurants, I've been going there for so long. It's like going home for a weekend."

This is part of the reason Mike's grown content in the region. "Geographically, it's perfect," he said. "In the wintertime we do a lot of skiing, in the summer there's Greece and Turkey.

"For the moment, I'm quite happy to be here."

Mike's unsure what the long-term future holds for him, however, and doesn't spend too much time worrying about it. "When I retire, I'd like to move somewhere where it's warm all year, and there's a golf course nearby."

That was another setback during Mike's stay in this country, until the establishment of the Golf Club Air Sofia in Ihtiman last summer. "It's not the greatest course, but it's great to get out there every week."

Outings like this, and spending time with the expatriate community in general, has grown into a big part of the reason Mike and his wife are so content. "Both of us really enjoy living here," he said.

"Our friends here are friends we will have for life."