Serbia is not in Russia!!!!!!

It is really sad that so many people have no idea about this great little country in the Balkans! Many of my friends back home thought I was going or am living in SIBERIA!!! They are spelled similarly  but are veryyyyyyy different! Siberia is located in Russia. Serbia is a beautiful country located in the Balkans. The world wide media has destroyed the good name of Serbia and its people. Many of those that have heard of this little country only hear the negative propaganda like “serbs are cannibals” “serbs hate everyone that isnt serb” “serbs commit genocide on a daily basis” “serbs are terrorists” or you hear only about Slobadan Milosevic, Ratko Mladic etc…. the REAL side of Serbia and its people do not get broadcast in the mainstream media!!!

Here are some interesting facts and figures on Serbia…..

• 34,136 sq mi or about the size of Indiana
• population .. approx- 8 million
• capital and largest city is Belgrade with 2.5 million people
• located on the almost the same longitude as Chicago, IL so it has all four seasons
• #1 exporter of raspberries in the world
• “heart” of the former country of Yugoslavia
• located north or Greece, West of Bulgaria, South of Hungary and East of Bosnia in the Balkans.
• currency is the dinar… current exchange rate $1=79 dinars.. it pronounced like “deener”
• was controlled by the turks for 500 years
• has been ruled by kings , communism for 40 years and now a democracy
• 85% of the population is Orthodox Christian
• it has two autonomous regions… Kosovo and Vojvodina
• Kosovo is the heart of Serbia and its Orthodox religion but is recognized as an independent country by many but not me
• Vojvodina is the northernmost region and is nicknamed “land of 26 nations” because it has many immigrants living there
• NATO went on a 3 month bombing mission over Serbia…starting in the spring of 1999
• birthplace of scientific genius Nikola Tesla (actually he was born in modern day Croatia but he is a Serb)
• very athletic country .. home of 4 time world champion water polo team and European swimming champion and volley ball champions.
• birthplace of NBA legend Vlade Divac and over 25 NBA players
• home of #1 tennis player Novak Djokovic
• only country in the world to celebrate SLAVA (explain in later)
• make a fantastic homemade brandy called rakija out of fresh fruits like plum, apricot, peach, apple… it is very strong
• one of the few countries that has 2 Christmas celebrations (dec 25th and Jan 7th) and 2 new years celebrations (Jan 1 and Jan 14th) this is due to the use of a different calendar.
• home of YUGO automobile… no longer in operation
• English is required in primary school and the majority of population under 30 speak fluent English
• all high schools are specialized toward your college major or occupation. they take testing after 8th grade and make a “wish list” of their career occupations and based on their results , are placed into whatever high school they qualify for…. exp… medical, economic, agriculture, music…..
• two alphabets.. one is latin and the other cyrillic. Cyrillic is the official alphabet and all legal and govt papers are in cyrillic
• has hills, fertile soil in the north, beautiful landscapes and has the Danube river run through it
• borders 8 countries .. 9 including Kosovo
• free medical care
• has a high unemployment rate… around 25% compared to 9% in the USA
• has a GDP of $79 billion dollars compared to USA-$14.5 trillion
• per capita income approx $7,000 USD compared to $49,000 USA
• beautiful women, awesome food, friendly and hospitable people that will welcome anyone into their home!