Aah! Bura is no joke! Fellow early expat here. I'm living in Zadar. From my experience, Croatia is the most underrated country in the world! Beautiful natural and historical places, amazing sports teams, and friendly people. Oh, and it's half the price of Italy 👌
I just NEVER get used to Bura! (We've had it for two days right now, and I'm done with it!) Croatia is lovely, indeed! And yes, much cheaper than Italy - haha! Stay safe and healthy down there in Zadar! (We've been down there on vacation, and really loved it!)
The addiction to nicotine is really strong. Without nicotine, smokers would realize they're just starting a fire and sucking in the smoke. What's kind of funny though, when sitting by a campfire and the smoke blows on a smoker, they'll get out of the way of the smoke. I guess because campfires don't contain nicotine? lol
@@damirdrljaca8881 Oh yeah... well to us non-smokers people who smoke stink worse than old sneakers after a 10 mile run, so I hope it's only a matter of time before they ban smoking in all public places. You wish to stink up the place around you, do it in your home, thank you very much. Ugh... disgusting habit!
Just try watching your fav movies with Croatian subtitles. My, now, aunt is Swedish. She got fascinated with Croatia when she was 26 and learned it in 3 years (I'm talking about the level of FLUENCY). She is 34 now and she knows words that I as a native speaker don't (exotic animals that don't even have English names, she already knows them). It gets easier, just keep on trying. Now some advice for Miloš. Ostavi je usred autoputa negdje i vidi kako ce se snaci. Morat ce propricati. To je savjet moje ujne. Nemoj joj ovo prevest neka se namuči. Sad su mi susjedi povratnici iz Kanade, i zamolio me susjed da mu naučim djecu hrvatski, jer se boje pricati. I WAS SO ENTHUSIASTIC, I WAS LIKE: I've been speaking English as far back as I could remember, I am off to college, I can do this! Plot twist. They're from Quebec and only speak French. 💔💔 That was a blow to my ego. Much love from Mostar🇭🇷❤🇺🇸
Yes, a lot of people smoke in this part of Europe, but 85 to 90% of the population is far from the truth. It might seem to you coming from a society where smoking is very frowned upon, which is fine, but less than half of the population smoke. Still a lot, but not as many as you think. Also, the law regulates that the owner of a bar can decide if they want to have a smoking or non-smoking establishment. If they have a mix, the smoking and non-smoking sections need to be separated.
I am Croatian and I disagree with that. Dont know where where you get your statistic. Croatia has a 3rd highest pecentage of smokers in Europe. Your statistic probably lists entire population of 4.2 mil. There is NO way only half of ADULT population smokes (which is still a lot comparing to 12-15% in America). Just go out any Friday or Saturday night. You will have an extremely hard time finding ANYONE not smoking. People smoke in their cars, bars, in front of their kids, its everywhere. Just take a longer bus ride (3 hours or more) and look how many people go out and smoke during breaks. Smoking is Indoor and outdoor unfortunately. Also how many bars do you know that have the non smoking section?
@@Miki....................233 Are you really basing your "research" on going out on a weekend? There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that 85% to 90% of the adult population is smoking, no matter whatever your experience is. And what the hell are you talking about that there are no sections? You can have an only a smoking bar, but it has to be stated and if there is a non-smoking section, it HAS TO BE divided with ventilation. Stop projecting.
@@frishki ofcourse I am basing it on everyday life experience. I never said I was using research by the way. Whether you go to someone's house, whether it's in the bar, or elsewhere . What the hell am I supposed to base it on? When was the last time you were in a bar that had a separate section? Seriously? I'm yet to be in one, and I go out alot, pretty much every weekend. I'm not projecting, an enormous part of population smokes. Are you saying that when you go out and you look at every table at least seven or eight out of 10 people do not smoke, gimme me a break. I'm literally the only non smoker in my entire group of friends or at least I was up until recently when people stop smoking because of other people getting sick. A group of 10 to 15 people going out and I was the only one NOT smoking.Very rarely another friend would be there that wasn't a smoker. Same thing whenever you going to someone's house, really anywhere. So yes you're damn right I'm basing it on everyday life experience. If your experience is different please do tell. How many of your friends do not smoke, if you are lucky enough to have six people out of 10 in your group not smoking, I envy you. I truly doubt that's the case. If it is, you live in a bubble. The fact remains, way more than 50% of adult population smokes.
Ruka RUki RUkama LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! yes Croatian girl here, born in Ontario Canada BUT learned Croatian BEFORE English because of my parents, and i am glad they did this !
I think it's always good to learn other languages! My dad spoke only German around his parents when I was a child. I learned a lot of it, but then forgot some when my grandparents died and my father stopped speaking it. However, it DID make it a lot easier for me when I took German classes in school. I consider myself "conversational" in German, but definitely not fluent. Once you're in your 40's, it's really hard to learn a new language! (Hence my problems with Croatian!)
@@melaniay5521 Yes! It's so true! In the US, cigarettes are highly taxed and cost a lot of money. PLUS, when I was a kid, there were MASSIVE anti-smoking campaigns - and they worked! Now in the US, smoking is considered dirty and unattractive. You have to hit in both spots - the cultural mindset AND the wallet!
It could change, in Australia for an average packet of 20 cigarettes, you pay around $30. That's like 140kuna for a single packet! If the prices went up, less people would do it because smoking would become a luxury.
Smoking is political issue so now everbody talks against it. I am not saying is healthy but alcohol,which is 1000 times worse for your body and is huge social issue is considered good thing..sugar..worse than anything.. my late father smoked 3-4 packed a day and lived 87 years. I don' have space here to put all info but smoking is one of many many bad things but far from the worst,yet we only hear about it. Politics. Hate it.
As an expat in Panama, I love that they make it almost impossible to smoke here. Croatia otherwise looks like a wonderful place. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Bura winds can be up to 300km/h when they're really bad. That's about the same as hurricane winds you get in the US when they are ripping trees and houses apart.
Shocking. You don't think about those kind of things, so this was a very informative, fun video! And thanks for the 300km/h fact, cro508. Ques: With that happening, how did all the buildings stand for so many centuries?
Cause they built them with stones(old buildings) and concrete(modern buildings). Usually Bura is 150-200km/h, 300 is extreme and not so often but even then buildings and houses stands still.
I like the fact that people still have a choice to smoke in Croatia. Smoking has been demonized as a distraction from the things that really cause health problems in our food chain and lifestyles. Croatia is one of the cleanest countries we have lived in and if people choose to smoke you can always find a place to be a non smoker.
Yeah, but smoking is still disgusting. It should be demonized even if it was perfectly healthy. Namely, people who smoke smell like an ashtray to us non-smokers. Even if you shower 3 times per day, as soon as you light a cigarette that horrible smell gets into your clothes and hair... Ugh! It's really disgusting! I don't know why anyone would choose to smell like that.
@@TheNapchop Sure, but smoking is much worse. When you light a cigarette in a bar, you stink up the whole bar. No amount of garlic or perfume can have such an effect. Furthermore, people who smoke in addition to smelling like sweaty feet also make others smell bad for hours - and they are also poisoning others. So it's in every possible way much, much worse. I have no problem if someone wants to smell like stinky feet, but when they spread it to others, it's just uncultured.
@@maryjacobson2372 All these replies assume I smoke in bars or get in your face. Not true, I try to avoid situations where I might upset anybody. It's like religion. Your non smoking doesn't bug me. There's far worse damaging your lungs than my smoking. Check some of the chemicals you use to clean your house.
oh this is nothing, before 90s all stores had to be closed during sundays and holidays, i miss those times, people had to plan ahead, organise food and went to nature beacuse everything was closed.
Bura is healthy... Although I am Croatian I came to Croatia when I was 16 and since then I live here. I will never get used to Bura, but even my friends say who are born here say the same hahahha but it is definitely better than Jugo. When we have Jugo everyone goes nuts. But Bura in summer is a blessing. I am glad our stores ain't open 24/7 ...but I do understand that it is sometimes frustrating that you have to go sometimes outside of your town/city to get something but hey it could be worse. I am a non smoker... but Europe was always more open about it...even though it is bad. But we have laws around Europe that in certain places smoking isnt allowed.
Thanks for watching! Hahaha - I will NEVER like Bura - it scares me to death sometimes! I tried to be specific and say that some things weren't a "Hate" for me - just an inconvenience - like not being able to get things easily, but of course it's not a deal breaker for me - I'm here in Croatia! haha! :-) Europe is so bad with smoking. It's not just Croatia. I love it when I'm in the States and can go to a bar without smelling gross, AND being able to breathe! Thanks again for watching - have a great day - stay healthy and safe out there!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler I know. I watched so many videos of Americans in Europe. Some things are weird to me though. Many said that our windows are weird to them 😅😂 But I do understand that it is difficult to get used to stuff that are really different in your own country. I have a question. The people who are working in stores during the night, are they paid more for that time? My father smokes and one of my brothers. It is bad when I say that I am used to it. Some of my friends smoke as well. I mean if thes want to who am I to forbid them, but I always try to sit outside if the weather allows it or in cafes which have a great ventilation or many windows 😅 so we can open a little bit and get some air. Although it is very bad but I rather have them openly do it than having a stigma about it. Idk...but I guess it is easier to teach the kids about it how bad it is when there is no stigma about it. Idk if that makes sense 😅😂 I would have never imagined that the USA is so anti smoking. Thanks. Stay safe and healthy too 😊
@@Niki91-HR Haha - maybe with the windows they mean the lack of screens? (In the US almost everyone has screens on their windows to keep the bugs out.) As to the people working at night in the stores - I have to say I'm not sure what they get paid. I think they get a little bit more? I believe it's more for people whose scheduled function better if they work at night, OR it's a second job for them, and they need that second job to have hours that don't interfere with their day-time jobs. When I was a little kid going to school in the 80's, there was a HUGE push to stop smoking everywhere. We had special speakers come in to school every year, showing us black lungs, and explaining that smoking kills. I do think it really worked. There is not a lot of smoking in the US, and smoking in general is definitely stigmatised. It's looked at as something that is shameful and dirty. So even people who do smoke tend to do it in secret. And that's just the atmosphere that I was raised in. I can appreciate and understand that not all cultures are like that, so I don't think of European smokers as dirty, but I still HATE smoking, no matter who does it. (I also was never tempted to even try smoking during the teenage years, because I already knew I wanted to be a singer at that point, and knew it was bad for my voice.) Thanks again - hope you'll continue to watch our other videos and subscribe to our channel! :-)
@@JenTheSingingTraveler thanks for the response. Some of them said how we open the windows is weird to them 😂😂😂 I tried what a cigarette tastes like when I was 15 just to see what people like about it. I inhaled to much and coughed half an hour till I got enough air to breathe and I knew I wont be a smoker. XD I just found out about you. I will def check out more 😊
Honestly people who give you hard time about your ability to speak croatian are rude. Miloš would know that in our country we are aware how hard croatian language is. Now smoking part. I smoke but I also avoid closed places where many people smoke. It should be illegal. I'm not kidding. If it bothers me and I smoke I can't even imagine how much it bothers non-smokers. Miloš was right about going out of the bar and smoke if you can't control yourself.
Thanks for watching and thanks for your response. I don't see the smoking situation getting any better anytime soon, unfortunately. THanks for your support!
If it was up to me i would ban smoking. I used to smoke for 8 years, it's a terrible, addictive and expensive habit. Quitting smoking was really the best thing in my life
I don't like something, so everyone else should be banned from doing it. /slowclap And you people wonder why censorship and totalitarianism is slowly creeping up on the west.
@@viktoritd.6989 pa kako je krenulo mogao bi i ja za njima jar sva moja generacija se iselila (skoro) pa više nemam sa kim ni na kavu otići...prije su bar preko ljeta dolazili ove godine su okrenuli ploču pa su ljetovali u španjolskoj i grčkoj ....PS. Koliko god ti (ja) bio sretan ovdje ako je nemaš sa kime to podjeliti jebeš onda takvu sreću ....kao Pale da dobije euro jackpot a sam je na svijetu ....koji će mu qrac ta sva lova jel tako ili nije ? Viktor Rogić ?
Jen. I am of Croatian decent. US born and currently living in the Philippines. I have dreamt of living in Croatia my whole life. No I am 52, and after the the last 18 months, I feel the time is now. Can you recommend a good source to help me with the transition. Bill.
I just returned from Croatia. I was seeking residency but thought about the smoking in the winter. I know some folks would find that silly, but I cannot stand it either. I am from California where smoking is so rare in public that you never think about it. But, I will return to Croatiabecause I love it. I enjoy your videos 😊
Thanks for watching! I'll be honest, nothing prepares you for the smoking - it's so bad. At least in summer, things are mostly open, so it's not as oppressive. (Although it can be really bad when you're enjoying a nice meal on a lovely terrace, and the table next to you lights up while you're trying to enjoy your food. It's terrible.) But if you want to go out to have drinks in the winter time to a bar? Forget about it. You can't breathe.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler I was living on Ugljan so was often in Preko for the ferry. The cafe bar there is nice and open but if someone sat next to me with cigarettes, I would get up and move. The servers always thought this was funny when they suddenly couldn't find me. Still, I think of returning everyday. You are lucky to be able to come and go. I will look forward to more videos. 😊
Most of those negatives listed I experience living in the US. Accessibility to goods, the hurricane force winds, the smoking indoors is also more of a thing here in bars. I live in Wyoming 🤣 we have two small grocery stores. That's it. You have to go into the nearest city and hope you can find it there If you need it in a timely manner. The wind here is not a joke either. Neither are the Thunderstorms and Hail Storms. Dining closes at eight, don't even try to go out on a Sunday.
As you know, the US is HUGE - so there are a LOT of differences from place to place and state to state. I can only speak to where I've lived in the US, which is the Northeast. With lots of access to many things at all hours. It sounds like Wyoming is more like living in a small European town. Thanks for watching! :-)
Crikvenica is a cute town. I often spend summer holidays there or the nrarby Selce. It's cool that your husband is from Crikvenica. I never met anyone from there. Always thought it doesn't have a single permanent resident for some reason :)
Being from Croatia it is fun to watch these kind of videos :) I agree with you about smoking, and I guess you know this, there is even the law which forbids smoking inside of public places but it is impossible to enforce it. Pub and coffee shop owner are not even trying cause they don't want to lose customers because here it is normal to smoke when you are out for a drink and socializing. When it comes to language I don't mind if foreigners don't know it, we know it is hard so it is not right from me to expect you to learn it just like that :) Yeah, and beside 7 cases, nouns and verbs also change ending depending on your gender, o for males and a for females. Sometimes I imagine Croatian without cases, like it is in English, and it could work of course, it would be perfectly understandable, but it just doesn't sound right, I guess we are just used to it but I think it also adds to the richness of the language
If there's a law for not smoking in public places, then inspectors should visit those places. First offense 2000 euros, second offense 5000 euros , third offense close the place for the season. People wouldn't like it , but changes are necessary and you have to enforce them .Smokers don't understand this but that's too bad
I agree, but they've just quite enforcing the law and let it continue as it was. It is literally smoke screen in reverse, government thinking is we will let you smoke to avoid pissing you off while we rob you of everything else 🤣🤣
@@bayridge3569 Exactly. And the fear of losing customers is dumb. Only 27% of people in Croatia smoke, so they are in fact losing more than 70% of their customer base thanks to catering to uncultured smokers who don't mind stinking up the place for everyone else.
I loved this video, I’m moving to Croatia with my husband next year. I’m very excited but also very nervous, but I do think you and I can agree. The Croatian men are wonderful. My husband included! Haha
a little trick for learning languages-try thinking in that language and try pronouncing(when no one is around) just to hear yourself and you'll see how things slowly start to get better.it worked for me for german and italian..
Luckily, the pronunciation part is easy for me. (All those years of an opera background/training and singing in different languages.) It's that damn grammar that does me in! Grrr! Thanks for watching!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler I also have strugles with grammar and I am from Croatia which makes it shamer for me. I am doing good with padeži but plusparperfekt and simular things are big problem for me when I need to recognise them in sentence.
Must say that you are extremely polite with you list of what you hate. I lived there for 8 years and will give you some other things that truly pull the blood from under your nails. 1. Bureaucracy, bureaucracy and again bureaucracy. Croatia is still a country where the state lives by the principle of total control. They want to control every aspect of people's lives, so the list of permits, documents etc that you have to fill in, submit and wait eternally for an answer is immense. That would not be too bad if they would simply hand you a list of items you need to bring, but ......................no, that is not how it goes. You go for a permit or something else and they will tell you, Ok, we need document A. So you go get document A and when you show up they go: 'ah, but it needs to be notarized' So off you go to the notary for a stamp. Back to the office and there answer is: 'Right, so now we need document B' And you can start all over again. But when you ask for a list of everything you have to bring they just smile sheepishly and say: 'no, that is the way we do it here, if you don't like it you can go back to your own country'. Drives you mad. 2. The second thing I hate is the complete dishonesty of roughly 90 % of the people. They will smile at you, pretend that they like you, they want to help you, but in reality all that they want is to get their hands on your money. If they would actually work for it then that would be OK, but.....................they want the money without doing anything whatsoever. There is a saying in Croatia and that is that if you pay a company or worker upfront....................most likely you will never see that person again. They will take the money and run. If they would do it with customers it would be so so, but they will do it with absolutely anyone. I have seen brothers steal from each other, I have seen parents steal money from their children, it is disgusting and there seems to be no limit. They will literally do anything to get their hands on the money. If they can financially benefit from it, they will do it. 3. The lack of initiative with the majority of the people. Croatians (and a lot of other former east block countries) are not known to think. The state thinks for them, so they avert any responsibility. Calling a company to ask for the price of product X is most likely going to end as follows: 'I am sorry, but my boss is not here, I am not allowed to give you the price. You can come to our store and talk to the boss when he is here'. They truly expect people to get in their car, drive 300 km to get the price of a product that you need. Now with the larger companies (Bauhaus, Pevec, Metro and IKEA) having an online webshop it is a bit easier, but all the smaller companies still work with this principle. If you have the idea of ever opening up a company in Croatia, because you have an amazing product that you think has a market in Croatia................think again. Everyone will tell you they love the product, they would like to sell it, but.......................they won't sell it unless one of the main competitors is selling it as well. It sounds ridiculous, but that is the way they think. We would say: 'sure, I will sell it, but I want to have exclusivity in this and this area. In Croatia they don't think like that and the large competitor ? He will ask you money for listing your product, in other words you have to pay them in order to get your product on the shelves. 4. The notary. Croatians are nuts about the notary, they actually go more times a day to a notary than to the toilet, it is ridiculous. They are trying to change it now, due to their entry into the EU, but it goes slow. If you want to live in Croatia be prepared to go to the notary at least once or twice per week (if you work there). 5. The corruption. Corruption is rampant in Croatia and if you are a tourist you won't notice it that much, but if you want to run a business there it is horrendous. They can hold your permits for as long as they like because you did not pay the inspector enough money or because someone else want to have a slice of the pie as well. Be prepared for that. But the good part of Croatia ? It's stunning nature, the food, the nice weather in the summertime, the thousands of islands, the crystal clear water and the ancient villages and cities. Now you may think that I am extremely negative since I am a foreigner and had a bad experience.........................not really. My wife is Croatian, I obviously met her when I lived there. Now we live outside of Croatia and she goes back to Croatia once a year, but it is not for the pleasure of being in Croatia again. Actually she likes it as a tourist, but the moment that she has to get some official papers she feels that choke hold again, realizes that time has stood still and that the same idiots are still sitting in the same offices doing still the same stuff to drive you mad. She has now stated that she will only go back to Croatia in case of an emergency, otherwise she won't go there anymore. And that tells you a lot what living in Croatia can be. I have also lived in Italy for 6 years and for me that was the best time of my life. Croatia on the other hand qualifies as the absolute worst years of my life and I have lived in many countries, Croatia is on the top of the list as worst place to live.
Bura is a strong cold northeast wind, very healthy! Here in western Istria, there hasn't been a real strong cold bura this winter, nor ice, that's why there are still mosquitoes that barely fly. A real bura or low temperatures immediately kill all these insects.😄
Claudia Dannettell My mother-in-law lives in our apartment when we are away on tours. So Tiger’s grandma moves in and takes care of him - he is very spoiled! 😻
As a non-smoker I can understand the annoyance with smoking everywhere. You see, it's hard to find the perfect measure of things. Unlike the USA which is the most heavily regulated country I've been to, Croatia is (still) quite free ! Sorry if this comes as a shock to some people. But it may have gone to the other extreme, maybe we need more regulation in this particular matter. Then again, how to find a true measure of things...once you start banning people from stuff, where does it end !
I think it really needs to come down to public health. For example, when someone smokes, it effects ALL the people around that person. So in the US, you can go to a bar and enjoy a drink, and you can breathe. It's a wonderful thing. Smokers can still smoke - they just have to go outside where they don't bother the other people. :-)
I passed out SSLC in 2009 and in 2012 completed 3 years diploma with some backlogs.After which I had a 4-5 years of experience in civil engineering field. I willing to do any other types of job please conect one employer
Interesting observations Jen. Yeah, some more convenience stores open 24x7 would be handy... You waaay exaggerate the proportion of the population smoking. But, yes, smoking is allowed in most cafes and bars and carries no social stigma. Don't worry about not speaking good Croatian. But, perhaps it would be a good idea to take a formal crash course - languages with complex inflection are hard to acquire "by ear". BTW, kudos for stressing the name "Dubrovnik" correctly, Jen - almost no native English speaker does!
I actually would really like to take a Croatian class, but we are only really in Croatia for any kind of real quality time in February and March; and there are no classes in our small town. (Then we are on the road working April- October (with an occasional week here or there in between tours back in Croatia), then in the States Nov-Jan.) I wanted to get a Croatian tutor, as I learn better with some structure, but that's something Milos and I have yet to agree upon. Haha! Anyways, thanks for watching!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler What, no hunky tutors around you, eh? :o) Yes, I forget that you travel for a living. Perhaps some online course, like this one: www.unizg.hr/homepage/learn-croatian/e-learning-course-of-croatian/ ?
I'm much more interested to find out how you're being accepted by the locals, and by that I mean have you made any personal true friends that are Croatians? Coming from an English background and now living in the Czech Republic, I can say this is the most challenging aspect to find love and belonging or acceptance. I think this is the big question people ask or want answers to.
I do have some friends I've met through, or indirectly through, my husband. In a small town with no expat groups, it's very hard to make friends. People are welcoming and polite, but there's not as much of a connection. But now that covid shut-downs are over, I'm back on the road traveling a little over half a year, so I'm not really IN Croatia all that often as a result. Just about three months a year. I still feel the expat difficulties, but am not around enough for it to become really difficult.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler Yes, this has been my experience with living in Europe, although I will say age matters a lot. In my 20's it was much easier. I have all but given up trying to make friends with Czechs. That's not to say they're typically rude. They're usually polite, absolutely not as welcoming as Croatians. I just get the feeling they're not that interested in sparking up friendships with foreigners. So as a result, starting from next year, I intend to travel around a bit in the South of Europe to areas with strong expat communities and spend at least 1 month of the year out of the day to day of feeling somewhat socially shunned.
@@blahdiblah2169 YES - cities/places with big expat communities are a whole other story. When I was living in Vienna, there was a really strong expat group, with lots of regular meet-ups. It was easy to make friends pretty quickly. It was great! But VIenna is a major city, and so different from a small town.
You can't smoke in bar or restaurant ether here in SLOVENIA only outside even vapeing is prohibited so stupid my vape smells like cherry and mentol or exotic fruits
Im allmost certain that the picture a 1.40 is from Drašnice,and 50 meters above is my grandfathers and grandmothers house :) i use to swim there for days and months when i was a kid....
It was on a day-trip to Brela beach - we went to the nude beach above town. A bit further up the coast than Drasnice. It sounds like you have some really wonderful memories! Thanks so much for watching!
I absolutely agree that the gun culture is a HUGE problem in the USA. I'm a liberal, and am in support for very strict gun control. However, this video is about an expat's life in Croatia, not my life in my home country. Thanks for watching!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler I just think your issue with smoking here is the least of the problems ordinary people face. It can easily be avoided by not visiting smoking places. You might not be aware of the fact that Croatia tried to completely ban smoking but changed its position in this because lots of cafes were going out of business. Even trying to divide places into smoking and non smoking areas failed. My point is sometimes tourists or occasional visitors don't share or are aware of the more realistic problems Croatian people face. Sometimes it can feel like a fairytale or a good country to live or visit but not to live in year after year
My mother is from zagreb and smokes like a chimney.....my grandmother also smoked until her last breath. I'm planning on becoming hrvatska myself, I have the negativity already. I'm not looking forward to the smoke though as I too hate smoke.
In the U S when I had my children they only hear the F word , so smoking is better than hearing bad words so please don’t complain & think that your country is the best
when it comes to the language....Croatians change word endings but in English there are many rules and every rule have an exception and also spelling!! definitely challenging....people say fink but write think....they say fought but mean thought....very confusing....they say free but mean three....:-0
Of course not. But our job for six months on the road leading tours is constant 15-17 hour days, with not weekends or holidays. Then the holiday season is like having 3 full time jobs at the same time. We are absolutely grateful for those 2-3 months off each year. No complaints at all!
So put of touch with reality people who are clueless about the real problems of a country since they are rich enough to turn a blind eye to corruption.
You seem to be a lovely person. Thank you for this. When I visited different countries I just accept their culture when am there. Is their culture - that’s why am visiting bc is not like mine🤣
Thanks so much for watching! Visiting another country is totally different than living in one. No matter where you go in this world, to any country, there will be things you really like and things you don't like. :-)
Ur husband is AKA Ivan Smoje and many other fake profiles in facebook . You are Lucija Stella ? Yugoslavs spreading hate around 😂 Your husband name is Miloš lol
Jure Grubisic So are YOU this Ivan Smoje who keeps using our photos to post under online articles??? We have already reported this person to the police for using our photos and likeness illegally. We will give the police your name as well, since you seem to know a lot about this. I have already made a screen shot of your name. If you’re not the guilty party, you have nothing to fear - otherwise, if it’s you, they will have more information against you.
Also - we didn’t even know about my photo being used for someone named Lucija. We will be reporting that to the police as well. You seem to know far more about these fake profiles than we even do, which makes you the prime suspect. We are far too busy in life to deal with these things, but your information actually helps. I assume your UA-cam name is the real one so we will be giving your name to the police as well just for them to check if you have anything to do with it.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler No i am not him or she lol. He or she is been using your pictures for like a year already. Iv been seeing that name with profile picture of you 2 on it commenting the every possible croatian news portal for a while now from politics to sport. Its not just Ivan Smoje and Lucija Stella i think. Iv seen other names too but not so freequent like Ivan Smoje so i cant remember the names.
11:14 Omg I am shooked. As a Croat I thought that was normal. I am mind blowed right now and I hate when someone is smoking near me bc I have sensitive eyes
Yes, in many states in the US, you are not allowed to smoke in the car when children are present, because it's considered abuse. So you can imagine my shock when I see Croatians smoking around their children!
Great video summarizing some of the major aspects of living in my country! Although it would be great to say something more about other, continental half of the country, equally amazing and interesting on it's own, and without bura winds! ;-) Don't worry about learning Cro. lang., it'll come naturally with some practice, listening of domestic people and with time, without any pressure. And by that time, there should be no problems in communication with Croats since many of us do speak quite good English. Yes, smoking is nasty and unhealthy habit of many Croats and, in my opinion, it should be definitely banned at the all public places! But I'm not actually sure about 85% of smokers in country? Although there's surely high percentage of them, I think that this number is more around 50% or even less, which is much compared to the western countries, but less than it's in some other parts of the eastern Europe. At the end, I wish al the best for you and your husband! Greetings from Slavonia!
@@bayridge3569 No, he doesn't. We travel for work, so animals are not allowed. But my mother-in-law takes care of Tiger when we are both on the road. He gets spoiled by his human Grandma!
Difference......agression.....you get into a fight in a bar in Croatia screams blood tears......no matter who winns and who loses you wake up with a black eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you get in to a fight in a bar in America screams blood tears.....no matter who winns and who loses IF YOU ARE LUCKY TO WAKE UP....ten people are dead at the scene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd say the Zagreb mall is pretty decent - closer in style to an American mall. Anyway, I wouldn't say they suck, they're just different. :-) Thanks for watching!
Maybe you are fortunate enough to have a talent for language. Maybe you were in one place and could concentrate on learning. Why would you be so critical? Now that you know Polish, perhaps you could work on your manners.
I find that Croatia is a great place to recover from consumerism.
Sounds good ❣️❣️❣️🌠🌠
10 years ago maybe but now???????
good thing about Croatia... you don't have your typical Mcdonalds, burger king, wendy's, KFC... at every corner.
Actually we do have a lot of McDonalds and we have Burger King and KFC.
@@julijanakizivat2666 I never saw Burger King in Croatia but I saw only one KFC. Mc is in every bigger city.
for me it is also interesting that someone from USA can talk about poison , 90 % of their food is poison
@@melaniay5521 You have Burger King in Split in Mall of Split.
@@julijanakizivat2666 but not at every corner...in Split you have to go to the malls to see mc donalds , KFC or Burger King.
Aah! Bura is no joke!
Fellow early expat here. I'm living in Zadar. From my experience, Croatia is the most underrated country in the world!
Beautiful natural and historical places, amazing sports teams, and friendly people. Oh, and it's half the price of Italy 👌
I just NEVER get used to Bura! (We've had it for two days right now, and I'm done with it!)
Croatia is lovely, indeed! And yes, much cheaper than Italy - haha!
Stay safe and healthy down there in Zadar! (We've been down there on vacation, and really loved it!)
Zadar is awesome
Especialy if you're wet. One bura blow, and you're gonna have back pains for weeks :)
A lot of czechs go to Croatia on vacation, me and my mom go there mostly for the clear blue sea and national parks
Croatia's seas are some of the most beautiful in the world! Thanks for watching!
I'm Croatian guy and I also HATE smoking.
I hate it so much that I leave the room as soon as someone light up the cigarete.
It's a shame - you shouldn't have to be the one who leaves, ya know? But yea, it's the worst part about Croatia.
Same for me. .
The problem is not in the smoking the problem is you are a bunch of pussies 😂 have a nice day y'all
The addiction to nicotine is really strong. Without nicotine, smokers would realize they're just starting a fire and sucking in the smoke. What's kind of funny though, when sitting by a campfire and the smoke blows on a smoker, they'll get out of the way of the smoke. I guess because campfires don't contain nicotine? lol
@@damirdrljaca8881 Oh yeah... well to us non-smokers people who smoke stink worse than old sneakers after a 10 mile run, so I hope it's only a matter of time before they ban smoking in all public places. You wish to stink up the place around you, do it in your home, thank you very much. Ugh... disgusting habit!
Love Croatia my mum met my Croatian dad there 56 years ago on Opatija - holiday romance my favourite place
What a wonderful story! So romantic! :-)
Thanks so much for watching!
Just try watching your fav movies with Croatian subtitles. My, now, aunt is Swedish. She got fascinated with Croatia when she was 26 and learned it in 3 years (I'm talking about the level of FLUENCY). She is 34 now and she knows words that I as a native speaker don't (exotic animals that don't even have English names, she already knows them). It gets easier, just keep on trying. Now some advice for Miloš. Ostavi je usred autoputa negdje i vidi kako ce se snaci. Morat ce propricati. To je savjet moje ujne. Nemoj joj ovo prevest neka se namuči. Sad su mi susjedi povratnici iz Kanade, i zamolio me susjed da mu naučim djecu hrvatski, jer se boje pricati. I WAS SO ENTHUSIASTIC, I WAS LIKE: I've been speaking English as far back as I could remember, I am off to college, I can do this! Plot twist.
They're from Quebec and only speak French. 💔💔
That was a blow to my ego.
Much love from Mostar🇭🇷❤🇺🇸
I'll make sure Milos reads this! :-) Thanks for watching! :-)
Some people are better than others in learning different languages and that's a fact .Watching movies with subtitles is a great way
Haha! Tvoj savjet bi mozda imao smisla da prakticki svi Hrvati ne govore Engleski.
Yes, a lot of people smoke in this part of Europe, but 85 to 90% of the population is far from the truth. It might seem to you coming from a society where smoking is very frowned upon, which is fine, but less than half of the population smoke. Still a lot, but not as many as you think.
Also, the law regulates that the owner of a bar can decide if they want to have a smoking or non-smoking establishment. If they have a mix, the smoking and non-smoking sections need to be separated.
I am Croatian and I disagree with that. Dont know where where you get your statistic. Croatia has a 3rd highest pecentage of smokers in Europe. Your statistic probably lists entire population of 4.2 mil. There is NO way only half of ADULT population smokes (which is still a lot comparing to 12-15% in America). Just go out any Friday or Saturday night. You will have an extremely hard time finding ANYONE not smoking. People smoke in their cars, bars, in front of their kids, its everywhere. Just take a longer bus ride (3 hours or more) and look how many people go out and smoke during breaks. Smoking is Indoor and outdoor unfortunately. Also how many bars do you know that have the non smoking section?
@@Miki....................233 Are you really basing your "research" on going out on a weekend? There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that 85% to 90% of the adult population is smoking, no matter whatever your experience is. And what the hell are you talking about that there are no sections? You can have an only a smoking bar, but it has to be stated and if there is a non-smoking section, it HAS TO BE divided with ventilation. Stop projecting.
@@frishki ofcourse I am basing it on everyday life experience. I never said I was using research by the way. Whether you go to someone's house, whether it's in the bar, or elsewhere . What the hell am I supposed to base it on? When was the last time you were in a bar that had a separate section? Seriously? I'm yet to be in one, and I go out alot, pretty much every weekend. I'm not projecting, an enormous part of population smokes. Are you saying that when you go out and you look at every table at least seven or eight out of 10 people do not smoke, gimme me a break. I'm literally the only non smoker in my entire group of friends or at least I was up until recently when people stop smoking because of other people getting sick. A group of 10 to 15 people going out and I was the only one NOT smoking.Very rarely another friend would be there that wasn't a smoker. Same thing whenever you going to someone's house, really anywhere. So yes you're damn right I'm basing it on everyday life experience. If your experience is different please do tell. How many of your friends do not smoke, if you are lucky enough to have six people out of 10 in your group not smoking, I envy you. I truly doubt that's the case. If it is, you live in a bubble. The fact remains, way more than 50% of adult population smokes.
@@Miki....................233 Calm your tits. What is it now? 90% or more than 50? Chose already.
I would say that the third of the population are smokers in croatia
Ruka RUki RUkama LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! yes
Croatian girl here, born in Ontario Canada BUT learned Croatian BEFORE English because of my parents, and i am glad they did this !
I think it's always good to learn other languages! My dad spoke only German around his parents when I was a child. I learned a lot of it, but then forgot some when my grandparents died and my father stopped speaking it. However, it DID make it a lot easier for me when I took German classes in school. I consider myself "conversational" in German, but definitely not fluent. Once you're in your 40's, it's really hard to learn a new language! (Hence my problems with Croatian!)
I agree for smoking, it's is really a bad habit in Croatia. Wish that could change.
Maybe it can. More advertisments and higher prices of cigarets.
@@melaniay5521 Yes! It's so true! In the US, cigarettes are highly taxed and cost a lot of money. PLUS, when I was a kid, there were MASSIVE anti-smoking campaigns - and they worked! Now in the US, smoking is considered dirty and unattractive. You have to hit in both spots - the cultural mindset AND the wallet!
Unfortunately the smoking is a European problem. In Italy is exactly the same and its sad.
It could change, in Australia for an average packet of 20 cigarettes, you pay around $30. That's like 140kuna for a single packet! If the prices went up, less people would do it because smoking would become a luxury.
Smoking is political issue so now everbody talks against it. I am not saying is healthy but alcohol,which is 1000 times worse for your body and is huge social issue is considered good thing..sugar..worse than anything.. my late father smoked 3-4 packed a day and lived 87 years. I don' have space here to put all info but smoking is one of many many bad things but far from the worst,yet we only hear about it. Politics. Hate it.
As an expat in Panama, I love that they make it almost impossible to smoke here. Croatia otherwise looks like a wonderful place. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Oooh! I love that! How wonderful to be somewhere where there's no smoking!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler Definitely! Me too 😊
Bura winds can be up to 300km/h when they're really bad. That's about the same as hurricane winds you get in the US when they are ripping trees and houses apart.
Shocking. You don't think about those kind of things, so this was a very informative, fun video! And thanks for the 300km/h fact, cro508. Ques: With that happening, how did all the buildings stand for so many centuries?
Cause they built them with stones(old buildings) and concrete(modern buildings). Usually Bura is 150-200km/h, 300 is extreme and not so often but even then buildings and houses stands still.
I like the fact that people still have a choice to smoke in Croatia. Smoking has been demonized as a distraction from the things that really cause health problems in our food chain and lifestyles. Croatia is one of the cleanest countries we have lived in and if people choose to smoke you can always find a place to be a non smoker.
Yeah, but smoking is still disgusting. It should be demonized even if it was perfectly healthy. Namely, people who smoke smell like an ashtray to us non-smokers. Even if you shower 3 times per day, as soon as you light a cigarette that horrible smell gets into your clothes and hair... Ugh! It's really disgusting! I don't know why anyone would choose to smell like that.
@@redknight4805 I feel the same about people who eat too much garlic or wear heavy musk perfumes.
@@TheNapchop Sure, but smoking is much worse. When you light a cigarette in a bar, you stink up the whole bar. No amount of garlic or perfume can have such an effect. Furthermore, people who smoke in addition to smelling like sweaty feet also make others smell bad for hours - and they are also poisoning others. So it's in every possible way much, much worse. I have no problem if someone wants to smell like stinky feet, but when they spread it to others, it's just uncultured.
@@maryjacobson2372 All these replies assume I smoke in bars or get in your face. Not true, I try to avoid situations where I might upset anybody. It's like religion. Your non smoking doesn't bug me. There's far worse damaging your lungs than my smoking. Check some of the chemicals you use to clean your house.
I'm Croatian and I approve this video.
Thanks for watching!
oh this is nothing, before 90s all stores had to be closed during sundays and holidays, i miss those times, people had to plan ahead, organise food and went to nature beacuse everything was closed.
Bura is healthy... Although I am Croatian I came to Croatia when I was 16 and since then I live here. I will never get used to Bura, but even my friends say who are born here say the same hahahha but it is definitely better than Jugo. When we have Jugo everyone goes nuts. But Bura in summer is a blessing.
I am glad our stores ain't open 24/7 ...but I do understand that it is sometimes frustrating that you have to go sometimes outside of your town/city to get something but hey it could be worse.
I am a non smoker... but Europe was always more open about it...even though it is bad. But we have laws around Europe that in certain places smoking isnt allowed.
Thanks for watching!
Hahaha - I will NEVER like Bura - it scares me to death sometimes!
I tried to be specific and say that some things weren't a "Hate" for me - just an inconvenience - like not being able to get things easily, but of course it's not a deal breaker for me - I'm here in Croatia! haha! :-)
Europe is so bad with smoking. It's not just Croatia. I love it when I'm in the States and can go to a bar without smelling gross, AND being able to breathe!
Thanks again for watching - have a great day - stay healthy and safe out there!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler I know. I watched so many videos of Americans in Europe. Some things are weird to me though. Many said that our windows are weird to them 😅😂
But I do understand that it is difficult to get used to stuff that are really different in your own country.
I have a question. The people who are working in stores during the night, are they paid more for that time?
My father smokes and one of my brothers. It is bad when I say that I am used to it.
Some of my friends smoke as well. I mean if thes want to who am I to forbid them, but I always try to sit outside if the weather allows it or in cafes which have a great ventilation or many windows 😅 so we can open a little bit and get some air.
Although it is very bad but I rather have them openly do it than having a stigma about it. Idk...but I guess it is easier to teach the kids about it how bad it is when there is no stigma about it. Idk if that makes sense 😅😂
I would have never imagined that the USA is so anti smoking.
Thanks. Stay safe and healthy too 😊
@@Niki91-HR Haha - maybe with the windows they mean the lack of screens? (In the US almost everyone has screens on their windows to keep the bugs out.)
As to the people working at night in the stores - I have to say I'm not sure what they get paid. I think they get a little bit more? I believe it's more for people whose scheduled function better if they work at night, OR it's a second job for them, and they need that second job to have hours that don't interfere with their day-time jobs.
When I was a little kid going to school in the 80's, there was a HUGE push to stop smoking everywhere. We had special speakers come in to school every year, showing us black lungs, and explaining that smoking kills. I do think it really worked. There is not a lot of smoking in the US, and smoking in general is definitely stigmatised. It's looked at as something that is shameful and dirty. So even people who do smoke tend to do it in secret. And that's just the atmosphere that I was raised in. I can appreciate and understand that not all cultures are like that, so I don't think of European smokers as dirty, but I still HATE smoking, no matter who does it. (I also was never tempted to even try smoking during the teenage years, because I already knew I wanted to be a singer at that point, and knew it was bad for my voice.)
Thanks again - hope you'll continue to watch our other videos and subscribe to our channel! :-)
@@JenTheSingingTraveler thanks for the response.
Some of them said how we open the windows is weird to them 😂😂😂
I tried what a cigarette tastes like when I was 15 just to see what people like about it. I inhaled to much and coughed half an hour till I got enough air to breathe and I knew I wont be a smoker. XD
I just found out about you. I will def check out more 😊
I’m going to Croatia next summer. I hope my vacation ends the way yours did!😁
Well you can if you are vacineted, just wondering did you go 🤔
Honestly people who give you hard time about your ability to speak croatian are rude. Miloš would know that in our country we are aware how hard croatian language is.
Now smoking part. I smoke but I also avoid closed places where many people smoke. It should be illegal. I'm not kidding. If it bothers me and I smoke I can't even imagine how much it bothers non-smokers. Miloš was right about going out of the bar and smoke if you can't control yourself.
Thanks for watching and thanks for your response. I don't see the smoking situation getting any better anytime soon, unfortunately. THanks for your support!
If it was up to me i would ban smoking. I used to smoke for 8 years, it's a terrible, addictive and expensive habit. Quitting smoking was really the best thing in my life
It is TERRIBLE! Congrats for quitting!
I don't like something, so everyone else should be banned from doing it. /slowclap
And you people wonder why censorship and totalitarianism is slowly creeping up on the west.
Crikvenica is beautiful. I lived 30 years in Krk and visited Crikvenica soooo many times.
Ma prekrasna je pogotovo zimi .....zato su Kirci postali Irci
@@djoletoro Ako ti ne paše,možeš i ti za njima.
@@viktoritd.6989 pa kako je krenulo mogao bi i ja za njima jar sva moja generacija se iselila (skoro) pa više nemam sa kim ni na kavu otići...prije su bar preko ljeta dolazili ove godine su okrenuli ploču pa su ljetovali u španjolskoj i grčkoj ....PS. Koliko god ti (ja) bio sretan ovdje ako je nemaš sa kime to podjeliti jebeš onda takvu sreću ....kao Pale da dobije euro jackpot a sam je na svijetu ....koji će mu qrac ta sva lova jel tako ili nije ? Viktor Rogić ?
Jen. I am of Croatian decent. US born and currently living in the Philippines. I have dreamt of living in Croatia my whole life. No I am 52, and after the the last 18 months, I feel the time is now. Can you recommend a good source to help me with the transition. Bill.
STA RADIS U TAJ FIL.
CUVAJ SE I BJEZI OD NJIH.
I just returned from Croatia. I was seeking residency but thought about the smoking in the winter. I know some folks would find that silly, but I cannot stand it either. I am from California where smoking is so rare in public that you never think about it. But, I will return to Croatiabecause I love it. I enjoy your videos 😊
Thanks for watching!
I'll be honest, nothing prepares you for the smoking - it's so bad. At least in summer, things are mostly open, so it's not as oppressive. (Although it can be really bad when you're enjoying a nice meal on a lovely terrace, and the table next to you lights up while you're trying to enjoy your food. It's terrible.)
But if you want to go out to have drinks in the winter time to a bar? Forget about it. You can't breathe.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler
I was living on Ugljan so was often in Preko for the ferry. The cafe bar there is nice and open but if someone sat next to me with cigarettes, I would get up and move. The servers always thought this was funny when they suddenly couldn't find me. Still, I think of returning everyday. You are lucky to be able to come and go. I will look forward to more videos. 😊
I totally agree Croatian language is hard
For native English speakers yes. We are on 4th category of 5. As my experience with not natives grammar is hard. Vocabulary is ok.
yes, it is ninth most difficult language in the world.
@@nandy178 I hear that Hungarian is the most difficult, and Mandarin.
Most of those negatives listed I experience living in the US. Accessibility to goods, the hurricane force winds, the smoking indoors is also more of a thing here in bars.
I live in Wyoming 🤣 we have two small grocery stores. That's it. You have to go into the nearest city and hope you can find it there If you need it in a timely manner. The wind here is not a joke either. Neither are the Thunderstorms and Hail Storms. Dining closes at eight, don't even try to go out on a Sunday.
As you know, the US is HUGE - so there are a LOT of differences from place to place and state to state. I can only speak to where I've lived in the US, which is the Northeast. With lots of access to many things at all hours. It sounds like Wyoming is more like living in a small European town.
Thanks for watching! :-)
I hate smoking as well here is Croatia.
Crikvenica is a cute town. I often spend summer holidays there or the nrarby Selce.
It's cool that your husband is from Crikvenica. I never met anyone from there. Always thought it doesn't have a single permanent resident for some reason :)
There's plenty of locals. They're in the center of town just like all the tourists, and you can find them at many of the local bars. :-)
Being from Croatia it is fun to watch these kind of videos :) I agree with you about smoking, and I guess you know this, there is even the law which forbids smoking inside of public places but it is impossible to enforce it. Pub and coffee shop owner are not even trying cause they don't want to lose customers because here it is normal to smoke when you are out for a drink and socializing. When it comes to language I don't mind if foreigners don't know it, we know it is hard so it is not right from me to expect you to learn it just like that :) Yeah, and beside 7 cases, nouns and verbs also change ending depending on your gender, o for males and a for females. Sometimes I imagine Croatian without cases, like it is in English, and it could work of course, it would be perfectly understandable, but it just doesn't sound right, I guess we are just used to it but I think it also adds to the richness of the language
Thanks for your insights and thanks for watching! :-)
If there's a law for not smoking in public places, then inspectors should visit those places. First offense 2000 euros, second offense 5000 euros , third offense close the place for the season. People wouldn't like it , but changes are necessary and you have to enforce them .Smokers don't understand this but that's too bad
I agree, but they've just quite enforcing the law and let it continue as it was. It is literally smoke screen in reverse, government thinking is we will let you smoke to avoid pissing you off while we rob you of everything else 🤣🤣
@@AleksandarGospic
I guess people will learn hard way sooner or later .Almost everything is done wrong, what else is new place is going down the drain
@@bayridge3569 Exactly. And the fear of losing customers is dumb. Only 27% of people in Croatia smoke, so they are in fact losing more than 70% of their customer base thanks to catering to uncultured smokers who don't mind stinking up the place for everyone else.
I gotta agree smoking sucks,I have hard time breathing next to smoke and I hate it.
I loved this video, I’m moving to Croatia with my husband next year. I’m very excited but also very nervous, but I do think you and I can agree. The Croatian men are wonderful. My husband included! Haha
Good luck with your move! And yes, I definitely agree about Croatian men! ;-)
Can I access my Amazon music library in Croatia? Or is Amazon limited there also?
That's a question I unfortunately cannot answer. I don't have an Amazon music library. It's worth a google search!
I'm living in Zagreb(capital city of Craotia).🇭🇷
Dobar dan! Thanks for watching! :-)
I mean the currency is also great haha, travelling from the UK and having money exchanged you feel rich lol
I can imagine! :-)
But is not det much as you think
a little trick for learning languages-try thinking in that language and try pronouncing(when no one is around) just to hear yourself and you'll see how things slowly start to get better.it worked for me for german and italian..
Luckily, the pronunciation part is easy for me. (All those years of an opera background/training and singing in different languages.) It's that damn grammar that does me in! Grrr!
Thanks for watching!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler I also have strugles with grammar and I am from Croatia which makes it shamer for me. I am doing good with padeži but plusparperfekt and simular things are big problem for me when I need to recognise them in sentence.
M
Da bura puse kao vrag...
hahahahahaah YES!
Must say that you are extremely polite with you list of what you hate. I lived there for 8 years and will give you some other things that truly pull the blood from under your nails.
1. Bureaucracy, bureaucracy and again bureaucracy. Croatia is still a country where the state lives by the principle of total control. They want to control every aspect of people's lives, so the list of permits, documents etc that you have to fill in, submit and wait eternally for an answer is immense. That would not be too bad if they would simply hand you a list of items you need to bring, but ......................no, that is not how it goes. You go for a permit or something else and they will tell you, Ok, we need document A. So you go get document A and when you show up they go: 'ah, but it needs to be notarized' So off you go to the notary for a stamp. Back to the office and there answer is: 'Right, so now we need document B' And you can start all over again. But when you ask for a list of everything you have to bring they just smile sheepishly and say: 'no, that is the way we do it here, if you don't like it you can go back to your own country'. Drives you mad.
2. The second thing I hate is the complete dishonesty of roughly 90 % of the people. They will smile at you, pretend that they like you, they want to help you, but in reality all that they want is to get their hands on your money. If they would actually work for it then that would be OK, but.....................they want the money without doing anything whatsoever. There is a saying in Croatia and that is that if you pay a company or worker upfront....................most likely you will never see that person again. They will take the money and run.
If they would do it with customers it would be so so, but they will do it with absolutely anyone. I have seen brothers steal from each other, I have seen parents steal money from their children, it is disgusting and there seems to be no limit. They will literally do anything to get their hands on the money. If they can financially benefit from it, they will do it.
3. The lack of initiative with the majority of the people. Croatians (and a lot of other former east block countries) are not known to think. The state thinks for them, so they avert any responsibility. Calling a company to ask for the price of product X is most likely going to end as follows: 'I am sorry, but my boss is not here, I am not allowed to give you the price. You can come to our store and talk to the boss when he is here'. They truly expect people to get in their car, drive 300 km to get the price of a product that you need. Now with the larger companies (Bauhaus, Pevec, Metro and IKEA) having an online webshop it is a bit easier, but all the smaller companies still work with this principle.
If you have the idea of ever opening up a company in Croatia, because you have an amazing product that you think has a market in Croatia................think again. Everyone will tell you they love the product, they would like to sell it, but.......................they won't sell it unless one of the main competitors is selling it as well. It sounds ridiculous, but that is the way they think. We would say: 'sure, I will sell it, but I want to have exclusivity in this and this area. In Croatia they don't think like that and the large competitor ? He will ask you money for listing your product, in other words you have to pay them in order to get your product on the shelves.
4. The notary. Croatians are nuts about the notary, they actually go more times a day to a notary than to the toilet, it is ridiculous. They are trying to change it now, due to their entry into the EU, but it goes slow. If you want to live in Croatia be prepared to go to the notary at least once or twice per week (if you work there).
5. The corruption. Corruption is rampant in Croatia and if you are a tourist you won't notice it that much, but if you want to run a business there it is horrendous. They can hold your permits for as long as they like because you did not pay the inspector enough money or because someone else want to have a slice of the pie as well. Be prepared for that.
But the good part of Croatia ?
It's stunning nature, the food, the nice weather in the summertime, the thousands of islands, the crystal clear water and the ancient villages and cities.
Now you may think that I am extremely negative since I am a foreigner and had a bad experience.........................not really. My wife is Croatian, I obviously met her when I lived there. Now we live outside of Croatia and she goes back to Croatia once a year, but it is not for the pleasure of being in Croatia again. Actually she likes it as a tourist, but the moment that she has to get some official papers she feels that choke hold again, realizes that time has stood still and that the same idiots are still sitting in the same offices doing still the same stuff to drive you mad. She has now stated that she will only go back to Croatia in case of an emergency, otherwise she won't go there anymore. And that tells you a lot what living in Croatia can be.
I have also lived in Italy for 6 years and for me that was the best time of my life.
Croatia on the other hand qualifies as the absolute worst years of my life and I have lived in many countries, Croatia is on the top of the list as worst place to live.
Bura is a strong cold northeast wind, very healthy! Here in western Istria, there hasn't been a real strong cold bura this winter, nor ice, that's why there are still mosquitoes that barely fly. A real bura or low temperatures immediately kill all these insects.😄
Bura was REALLY bad recently. I was glad I wasn't there!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler The strongest bura is around Velebit mountins, I think between Rijeka and Dalmatia.😄
Where does Tiger live when you are gone?
Claudia Dannettell My mother-in-law lives in our apartment when we are away on tours. So Tiger’s grandma moves in and takes care of him - he is very spoiled! 😻
As a non-smoker I can understand the annoyance with smoking everywhere. You see, it's hard to find the perfect measure of things. Unlike the USA which is the most heavily regulated country I've been to, Croatia is (still) quite free ! Sorry if this comes as a shock to some people. But it may have gone to the other extreme, maybe we need more regulation in this particular matter. Then again, how to find a true measure of things...once you start banning people from stuff, where does it end !
I think it really needs to come down to public health. For example, when someone smokes, it effects ALL the people around that person. So in the US, you can go to a bar and enjoy a drink, and you can breathe. It's a wonderful thing. Smokers can still smoke - they just have to go outside where they don't bother the other people. :-)
What’s so bad about the bura wind??
It's scary! Haha!
I feel like almost all of Europe smokes. It’s a huge cultural difference between the US. Portugal is very similar. Almost everyone smokes there too.
It's the worst part about Europe, and the best part about USA.
bura -wind-is beautiful natural music..you should love that part too
It's pretty scary if you ask me! :-)
I passed out SSLC in 2009 and in 2012 completed 3 years diploma with some backlogs.After which I had a 4-5 years of experience in civil engineering field.
I willing to do any other types of job please conect one employer
Interesting observations Jen. Yeah, some more convenience stores open 24x7 would be handy...
You waaay exaggerate the proportion of the population smoking. But, yes, smoking is allowed in most cafes and bars and carries no social stigma.
Don't worry about not speaking good Croatian. But, perhaps it would be a good idea to take a formal crash course - languages with complex inflection are hard to acquire "by ear".
BTW, kudos for stressing the name "Dubrovnik" correctly, Jen - almost no native English speaker does!
I actually would really like to take a Croatian class, but we are only really in Croatia for any kind of real quality time in February and March; and there are no classes in our small town. (Then we are on the road working April- October (with an occasional week here or there in between tours back in Croatia), then in the States Nov-Jan.) I wanted to get a Croatian tutor, as I learn better with some structure, but that's something Milos and I have yet to agree upon. Haha!
Anyways, thanks for watching!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler What, no hunky tutors around you, eh? :o)
Yes, I forget that you travel for a living. Perhaps some online course, like this one: www.unizg.hr/homepage/learn-croatian/e-learning-course-of-croatian/ ?
There is no smoking inside but you can smoke outside also can't smoke in car with kids greetings from sLOVEnia east europe
Im also from Croatia and would love to come to America
I'm much more interested to find out how you're being accepted by the locals, and by that I mean have you made any personal true friends that are Croatians? Coming from an English background and now living in the Czech Republic, I can say this is the most challenging aspect to find love and belonging or acceptance. I think this is the big question people ask or want answers to.
I do have some friends I've met through, or indirectly through, my husband. In a small town with no expat groups, it's very hard to make friends. People are welcoming and polite, but there's not as much of a connection. But now that covid shut-downs are over, I'm back on the road traveling a little over half a year, so I'm not really IN Croatia all that often as a result. Just about three months a year. I still feel the expat difficulties, but am not around enough for it to become really difficult.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler Yes, this has been my experience with living in Europe, although I will say age matters a lot. In my 20's it was much easier. I have all but given up trying to make friends with Czechs. That's not to say they're typically rude. They're usually polite, absolutely not as welcoming as Croatians. I just get the feeling they're not that interested in sparking up friendships with foreigners. So as a result, starting from next year, I intend to travel around a bit in the South of Europe to areas with strong expat communities and spend at least 1 month of the year out of the day to day of feeling somewhat socially shunned.
@@blahdiblah2169 YES - cities/places with big expat communities are a whole other story. When I was living in Vienna, there was a really strong expat group, with lots of regular meet-ups. It was easy to make friends pretty quickly. It was great! But VIenna is a major city, and so different from a small town.
I made a drinking game out of your video everytime you say CROATIA 🇭🇷 I drink usually drunk by the 2:00 mark
What about the living cost ?
I wanna go there!
Thanks for the info! Looking forward to visit Croatia in 2 months :-)
You'll have a great time!
Jen The Singing Traveler awesome!! My husband is a 3rd generation Croatian and he’s never been to Croatia :)
If you only spend 3 months a year in Croatia, why are you there in WINTERS ??
We work as tour directors on European river cruises. Winter is the off-season. :-)
You are better in learning language than some... just watch movies with croatian titles, or croatian movies with english titles
You can't smoke in bar or restaurant ether here in SLOVENIA only outside even vapeing is prohibited so stupid my vape smells like cherry and mentol or exotic fruits
Maybe to you. To us non-smokers it smells like sweaty feet.
I don't want to smell your menthol or fruit either.
Im allmost certain that the picture a 1.40 is from Drašnice,and 50 meters above is my grandfathers and grandmothers house :) i use to swim there for days and months when i was a kid....
It was on a day-trip to Brela beach - we went to the nude beach above town. A bit further up the coast than Drasnice. It sounds like you have some really wonderful memories! Thanks so much for watching!
Thank you for this video!
Thank you for watching! :-)
Hi i love your country thank you for this vidéo
Also the US has a far more deadly problem than smoking your gun culture. Can you please compare second hand smoke to a drive by shooting?
I absolutely agree that the gun culture is a HUGE problem in the USA. I'm a liberal, and am in support for very strict gun control. However, this video is about an expat's life in Croatia, not my life in my home country. Thanks for watching!
@@JenTheSingingTraveler I just think your issue with smoking here is the least of the problems ordinary people face. It can easily be avoided by not visiting smoking places. You might not be aware of the fact that Croatia tried to completely ban smoking but changed its position in this because lots of cafes were going out of business. Even trying to divide places into smoking and non smoking areas failed. My point is sometimes tourists or occasional visitors don't share or are aware of the more realistic problems Croatian people face. Sometimes it can feel like a fairytale or a good country to live or visit but not to live in year after year
My mother is from zagreb and smokes like a chimney.....my grandmother also smoked until her last breath. I'm planning on becoming hrvatska myself, I have the negativity already. I'm not looking forward to the smoke though as I too hate smoke.
The smoke is the worst part. Otherwise, it's an absolutely beautiful country!
What did you say the name of this place is?
Crikvenica, Croatia
Spoon rest?! Use a plate or a seashell
With all respect, not the same. Hope you got your spoon rest, Jen, when you got back to the states.
In the U S when I had my children they only hear the F word , so smoking is better than hearing bad words so please don’t complain & think that your country is the best
Oh god, the US is definitely NOT the best. No place is “the best.” There’s good and bad things about all places! Thanks for watching! 🙂
I really enjoyed the video. Your husband is very handsome. You make a lovely couple.
Thank you! :-)
So true about the smoking everwhere 🤢
So frustrating!
Interesting... Some expat similarities with our lives here (convenience, anyone??) Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching, Amber! :-)
I think there are some caves available where you can move to. Oh I forgot they might be a little smokey in the winter.
Hahahah! :-D
Besides the smoking everywhere,,,,their excuses are more than stupid
Excellent video. Feel your pain re smoking.
Thanks so much!
Yes, smoking is disgusting!
You’re so adorable
Thanks so much! :-)
when it comes to the language....Croatians change word endings but in English there are many rules and every rule have an exception and also spelling!! definitely challenging....people say fink but write think....they say fought but mean thought....very confusing....they say free but mean three....:-0
To je ono kad se "th" čita, ne baš "f" ali neki glupavi glas, s jezikom da dodiruješ zube, ispljuvaš se dok ga izgovaraš xD
@@perocigla4425 ispljujes se
@@silviah2302 dobro haha zabunio sam se
Spoonrest a problem? use any small dish. Bye!
You're complaining about having 2-3 months off per year???
Of course not. But our job for six months on the road leading tours is constant 15-17 hour days, with not weekends or holidays. Then the holiday season is like having 3 full time jobs at the same time. We are absolutely grateful for those 2-3 months off each year. No complaints at all!
*laughs at the wind in irish*
So put of touch with reality people who are clueless about the real problems of a country since they are rich enough to turn a blind eye to corruption.
The only thing I hate is the lack of hot sauce and Chinese food, and the post office, everything else is the greatest
Yes! Chinese food! (Well, any Asian food, to be honest!) We eat lots of it whenever we're in the US. Thanks for watching!
The Post Office in the states isn't so great anymore.
You seem to be a lovely person. Thank you for this. When I visited different countries I just accept their culture when am there. Is their culture - that’s why am visiting bc is not like mine🤣
Thanks so much for watching!
Visiting another country is totally different than living in one. No matter where you go in this world, to any country, there will be things you really like and things you don't like. :-)
Would you like to hear some things we hate(your word) about annoying foreign residents?
If you actually watched the video, you'd know the ONLY thing I said I hated was smoking! :-)
I know.
Our hate is reserved for foreign "residents" from across Drina with beards and guns😀
Ok, but it’s not 50% off Croatia on the coast. All other things you said are pretty much ok, especially about smoking. It’s awful habit.
America hasn't been against smoking for very long. There are certain areas of the country where smoking is more acceptable.
That may be true - maybe in the south? Where I'm from, it's very much regarded as a dirty little secret that people hide.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler Agreed. I don't even know anybody who smokes anymore. Everyone who used to smoke quit. The rest are dead...from lung cancer.
I really enjoyed your video, Jen! Beautifully explained! Greetings from Buenos Aires!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! :-) Greeting from rainy Budapest! (Here working a tour.)
THANK FOR SHARING👏👏👍👍👍👍👍96
Thank you for watching! :-)
Ur husband is AKA Ivan Smoje and many other fake profiles in facebook . You are Lucija Stella ? Yugoslavs spreading hate around 😂 Your husband name is Miloš lol
Jure Grubisic So are YOU this Ivan Smoje who keeps using our photos to post under online articles??? We have already reported this person to the police for using our photos and likeness illegally. We will give the police your name as well, since you seem to know a lot about this. I have already made a screen shot of your name. If you’re not the guilty party, you have nothing to fear - otherwise, if it’s you, they will have more information against you.
Also - we didn’t even know about my photo being used for someone named Lucija. We will be reporting that to the police as well. You seem to know far more about these fake profiles than we even do, which makes you the prime suspect. We are far too busy in life to deal with these things, but your information actually helps. I assume your UA-cam name is the real one so we will be giving your name to the police as well just for them to check if you have anything to do with it.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler No i am not him or she lol. He or she is been using your pictures for like a year already. Iv been seeing that name with profile picture of you 2 on it commenting the every possible croatian news portal for a while now from politics to sport. Its not just Ivan Smoje and Lucija Stella i think. Iv seen other names too but not so freequent like Ivan Smoje so i cant remember the names.
We have already reported this to the police.
@@JenTheSingingTraveler Thats thanks for letting you know ? Wow you are crazy 😂😂 . Ill report you too. Maybe you are the one behind this after all.
U look like u r from Cro
11:14 Omg I am shooked. As a Croat I thought that was normal. I am mind blowed right now and I hate when someone is smoking near me bc I have sensitive eyes
Actually, secondhand smoke is more harmful than the firsthand
Yes, in many states in the US, you are not allowed to smoke in the car when children are present, because it's considered abuse. So you can imagine my shock when I see Croatians smoking around their children!
I agree with you about smoking. I am a non-smoker and sometimes I think I am the only one in Croatia 😁
We totally understand that feeling!
Great video summarizing some of the major aspects of living in my country! Although it would be great to say something more about other, continental half of the country, equally amazing and interesting on it's own, and without bura winds! ;-)
Don't worry about learning Cro. lang., it'll come naturally with some practice, listening of domestic people and with time, without any pressure. And by that time, there should be no problems in communication with Croats since many of us do speak quite good English.
Yes, smoking is nasty and unhealthy habit of many Croats and, in my opinion, it should be definitely banned at the all public places! But I'm not actually sure about 85% of smokers in country? Although there's surely high percentage of them, I think that this number is more around 50% or even less, which is much compared to the western countries, but less than it's in some other parts of the eastern Europe.
At the end, I wish al the best for you and your husband!
Greetings from Slavonia!
Thanks so much!
You lost me when you say you're too busy to learn or improve knowledge of the language. Come on.
tiger is so cute
Thank you! We think our kitty baby is adorable! :-)
@@JenTheSingingTraveler Does tiger travels with you wherever you go
@@bayridge3569 No, he doesn't. We travel for work, so animals are not allowed. But my mother-in-law takes care of Tiger when we are both on the road. He gets spoiled by his human Grandma!
If you want to come to croatia go live in istra it' is the best trust me people
I want to hear someone speaking Croatian
Maybe we'll make a video with Milos teaching folks Croatian!
Difference......agression.....you get into a fight in a bar in Croatia screams blood tears......no matter who winns and who loses you wake up with a black eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you get in to a fight in a bar in America screams blood tears.....no matter who winns and who loses IF YOU ARE LUCKY TO WAKE UP....ten people are dead at the scene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sad but true. The US has a horrible gun problem, and it's probably the worst thing about the country. It makes me terribly sad.
Nice couple and lovely cat 🐈
Thanks!
I like Bura
You can have it! Hahaha! :-)
85-90% of population DOES NOT smoke. Not even close.
Bravo Miloš! slažem se sa vama u vezi pušenja 🤢
It looks freezing cold
It was that day! Haha!
We are southeast europe
Haha - I go according to how my husband likes to refer to his country - it makes it easier at home! Haha! :-) :-)
I was born in Central Europe in Zagreb, I don't know who "we" refers to, but in the future just say I AM from Southeast Europe.
Croatia is in South Central Europe. South East is Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia.
😂😂 My parents were both born there. I have to agree about the shopping. The malls there suck. They just need more American stores there.
I'd say the Zagreb mall is pretty decent - closer in style to an American mall.
Anyway, I wouldn't say they suck, they're just different. :-)
Thanks for watching!
Dont come to Croatia, stay at home.
You've got a Croatian husband and still can't learn Croatian???? Huh? I learnt Polish with no support whatsoever!
That's great! Congrats!
Maybe you are fortunate enough to have a talent for language. Maybe you were in one place and could concentrate on learning. Why would you be so critical? Now that you know Polish, perhaps you could work on your manners.
Crime is very low