American Expat in Serbia: What I Miss About the USA

Many folks will say ” Charles, You are an American in Serbia for over 6 years now. What do you miss the most about the USA?”. If I had to make a list of things that I miss about my life in the US, it would look something like this:

1. Being on the same continent as your family and old friends

It’s very hard to be away from home when a tragedy hits. I’ve been unable to attend the funeral of an old friend, the funerals of some family members and the funerals of some of my friends’ family members. I’ve also missed some very important weddings, birthdays and reunions all while living 8k kilometers from home. I get cheap airline tickets because of my job, but 600 euros is still a lot to shell out when you live in Serbia. That amount nearly covers 4 months of my rent and bills.

2. English language–

It’s not always easy being an American expat in a country where English isn’t the native language. There are times when I get so absolutely frustrated with myself for not being able to explain some simple thing to someone. It’s annoying to have to buy a newspaper and slowly translate the meanings in your head. The same is true with listening to the radio or news broadcasts. It’s also tough to be sitting on a bus or waiting in a line and not being able to fully “shoot the shit” with the person next to you. When I’m sitting in a public place, I tend to let Serbian language blur together but the second I hear an English conversation, my ears perk up and I find myself eavesdropping on them. It’s my fault for not being fluent at this time, but i’m working on it.

3. Mexican food and convenient fast food places

I absolutely adore Tex-Mex cuisine. It’s different from the authentic Mexican food that I had while living in Mexico for 1.5 years as it’s more aimed at American taste buds. There isn’t much that can beat a chicken chimichanga smothered in cheese sauce with a nice margarita and nacho chips. We have very few Mexican restaurants in Serbia. They are pretty good, but the taste just isn’t the same. I also miss having an unlimited supply of fast food places like : Wendy’s, Subway, Taco Bell, Burger King, Rally’s, and the buffet places like Denny’s, IHOP, etc. Serbian rostilj is super duper in taste and quality, but I like being able to eat a different fast food place each day. That’s what us fat folks enjoy .

4. Clothing that fits

Serbian people don’t have an issue with obesity. The vast majority of the population is always out walking around town, riding bikes, and not just sitting on their butts eating junk food. That being said, it’s hard for a chubby (200lb) guy like myself to find shirts  that fit. I can walk into 5 or 6 different clothing stores and find very few shirts that will comfortably fit me. The fashion over here is slim fit EVERYTHING! Slim fit looks good on those who have a six pack, but it doesn’t on those of us with a barrel. It’s also annoying to buy pants in most of the stores here because the legs are way too tight and they have limited length sizes. You can’t usually find 29″ or 30″ with a size 34 waist. You have to buy them longer and bring them to a little store for a lady to cut them and hem them up. I had the same problems in Mexico. When you complain to a Serbian or a Mexican about it, they think you are nuts or just plain lazy. I like to buy something that’s ready to wear, not something I have to have altered.

5. Free public toilets

If you are from the US, you are probably scratching your head at this one. You take for granted the ability to stop at any fast food place or public toilet and go without paying a silly fee. It’s not like it’s a lot of money, but it’s the principle of the thing. You must purchase something at McDonalds in Serbia so you can get a restroom code to open the door. If you go to the bus station or any other public toilet, you must pay some Gypsy person 40-80 dinars to use a filthy bathroom.

With all that being said, I would still rather live in Serbia. It’s a more cheerful,lively, fun, relaxed and enjoyable place. It doesn’t matter how small the town is, they have outdoor cafe after outdoor cafe, large walking streets for pedestrians only, people walking and biking at all hours of the day or night, quality food, nightlife that goes 24/7 Mon-Sun, beautiful people, and no strict laws on smoking and drinking in public.

Do you like me so much that you feel like donating? I do accept tips! 🙂 Everyone has told me for years that I should put a donation button on my blog, but I think it makes you lose credibility. I’ve been talking about Serbia for nearly 7 years and have only done it out of love, but if you are so dead set on giving me a tip, I promise I’ll use it wisely. 🙂  My Paypal is charlesserbia@gmail.com. 

 

Top 10 Things I miss About Living in Novi Sad, Serbia

 

It’s only been two months since I left Serbia, but i’m already missing a few things. I’m spending the summer on the island of Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts with 8 of my Serbian students to see how they work and to make some money. One of my students from Novi Sad was even featured in BLIC for his awesome  summer experience. My return flight to Serbia is scheduled for Sept 17th when I fly from NYC to Amsterdam to Belgrade. I’ll be back just in time for the world’s largest work and travel conference which will be held in Belgrade. Work and Travel Group is one of the two representatives from Serbia who will be organizing this massive event. I’ll be giving a presentation to over 600 representatives from work and travel offices all over the world.

The boys and I are constantly discussing what we miss the most about Serbia so I thought i’d throw together a quick list of the things that I miss about Serbia. Let’s get started:

10. Srpski Sir

I’m a big fan of cheese and Serbia is home to lots of it! We have a lot of cheeses here, but the homemade stuff you find in Serbia can’t be beat. I know an American who flew to Serbia to do a documentary on cheese. From Pirot to Zlatibor to Sijenica to Vojvodina, they have awesome cheeses!

 

9. Living alone in my $130 mo apartment 

 

I moved into my own apartment when I was 17 and only had a roommate once in my life. It’s very difficult to go from living alone to living with 6 others. I have my own room, but feel so uncomfortable having so many others in my house. You don’t know when you can use the washing machine, bathroom, when you can cook and how quiet you must be. I pay $800 a month here in Nantucket for this accommodation, while my little apartment in the heart of Novi Sad was only $130 a month.

 

8. Pekara

Who would think you would really miss a bakery? Well….. I sure as hell do. In Serbia, you are never more than a few blocks from a bakery filled with fresh burek, jogurt, and bread. You can’t go wrong with a 100 dinar slice of burek on your way to work.

 

7. Trafika

 

We have a lot of 24/7 stores throughout the USA, but not here on the island of Nantucket. The 24/7 trafikas in Novi Sad really had me spoiled. If you needed a soda, chips, sweets or phone credits at 4 am, no problem. The stores close at 10 here so if you forgot something, too bad.

 

6. Ajvar

 

The first time I tried this stuff, I hated it. That was back in 2010 and now it’s one thing that I eat on a daily basis. You will find many Serbians growing lots and lots of peppers. They use them to prepare one of the most delicious condiments on the globe. You can find it in some American stores, but nothing beats the homemade ajvar that my friends bring me each fall.

 

5. Sasa Matic 

Sasa has turned into one of my favorite Serbians.   This man has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. It took me a few years to get into the Serbian folk music scene, but i’m there. My favorite songs are : Kad Ljubav Zakasni, Nadji Novu Ljubav, Kralj Izgubljenih Stvari, Samo Ovu Noc, Reskiraj, Poklonite Mi Nju Za Rodjendan and almost anything else that comes out of his mouth. I listen to him each morning and on my IPOD, but miss hearing him in the bars and kafanas. My buddy is going to do his best to meet me with him.

4. Nightlife

 

The USA has some great nightlife in certain places, but not 7 days a week like you can find in many parts of Serbia. They just recently passed an ordinance in Novi Sad that has limited the hours, but it still beats Nantucket. The Serbian people like to party and you will find the bars full  Mon-Sunday. That’s not the case here. I like to go out for a few beers after work, but many of these bars in Nantucket close at 11 or 12. The majority are almost empty after 10pm through the week. The crowds give me a burst of energy and keep me from feeling like an alcoholic. 🙂

 

3. Prices

 

You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to go from Serbia to Nantucket which is one of the most expensive places in the USA. My average meal in a little restaurant is around $40. That usually includes a couple beers and main course. The beer is $7 in the bar that I like to go. A Serb, Macedonian and I went to this little bar by my house the other night. In one hour, we had a bill of $134!!  In Novi Sad, I could go out and have an amazing time on 1,000 dinars. Horus Nargile Bar is my daily hangout. I can smoke a nargile, drink a shot of rakija, two beers and still be under 1000. Living in Serbia with American money, can’t be beat.

 

 

 

2. Serbian summer festivals

Serbia is home to some of the best festivals. They have Belgrade Beer Festival in Belgrade, Guca Trumpet Festival, Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Nisville Jazz Fest in Nis, Rostiljada in Leskovac,  and many many more. There is always something going on during the Serbian summer months.

 

 
1. Rostilj

You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve dreamed of a big mixed meat platter with kajmak. The boys all miss the hell out of their meat. The first thing I’m going to do when I return on Sept 17th is hit up this great kafana in Belgrade for a big mixed meat platter! If you haven’t had Serbian rostilj, your life sucks.

 

 

 

U.S.A. vs Serbia…… Stop Lights

My friend picked me up at Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, Serbia back in 2010.

There were a few large Serbs and my scrawny ass crammed into a little red Yugo. We were on our way to my buddies house in a little village around Zrenjanin, Serbia. We stopped at a red light and were talking about pure randomness when I saw the light turn from red to yellow and then to green. I found that so strange. The stop lights in the USA go from red to green.  I asked my buddies why they have the yellow before the light turns green. They thought my question was silly because they assumed all traffic lights were that way. 🙂 The more I live here, the more I think it’s a good thing. The VAST majority of Serbian automobiles are manual transmission while the VAST majority of American cars are automatic. The hardest part of driving a manual car, for most people, is getting it into 1st gear without killing it. Maybe the yellow light gives you that additional few seconds to get your car into gear without creating delays. It would also allow you some sort of break from staring at an “endless” red light. It might also allow you to shut your car off and save gasoline.

My opinion? Serbia wins this battle! 🙂

 

Serbs #1 in the World in Highest Self-Esteem?

I always knew that Serbs were proud people, but I was shocked to see the results of a Bradley University study! They conducted a survey in 2005 that surveyed over 17,000 people in 59 different countries. Serbs have every right to be proud people! The USA ranked 6th, just below Estonia and just above Turkey. 🙂  Who would have thought that Japan would end up last? Here is the link to the full article….http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20050927/whos-number-1-in-self-esteem

I am proud to say that most of my best friends are Serbs!!!

 

USA vs Serbia… Presidential Elections

I have had a few political posts in here. It is a taboo but it is a very important year for both countries. It is the season to re-elect or elect a new president in the USA and Serbia.

The USA is based on a two party system. It is made of two main parties.. the Republicans and Democrats. There are other parties but they are usually not contenders in our presidential elections. A few examples are Libertarian party, Green party, Socialist party, and back in the 90’s, the Reform pary was really making a run with Ross Perot taking on Bill Clinton and George H.W Bush.

The two party system is far from perfect! You are given the choice between two parties that are made up of extremist elements. You have to try to appease large masses of people. Let’s look at me, for example… I am a liberal Democrat that supports social programs, unions, religion out of politics, minority rights, universal healthcare, a woman’s right to chose, etc… I don’t like the anti-death penalty, extreme animal rights activism, extreme anti-gun policies of my party. This forces voters into supporting a candidate and a party that has opposing views and causes major polarization! It’s like the old saying ” i am voting for the worst of two evils!”

The United States is a very divided country. We have extreme right wing nuts, the Tea Party…. and we have extreme lefty nuts, me! hhahaha… If you take a look at the last three presidential elections you can see just how divided we are! They were very close to 50% of the electorate supporting one candidate and 50% supporting the other one. The USA uses the electoral college to select our president. That is a strange method that causes it to trump popular vote. Al Gore won the popular vote for president in 2000 but lost the presidential election because of the electoral college. The electoral college is the system the USA uses to elect its president. It is based on the population figures of each state. With that info, the states are given a number. That figure then allots that amount to the winner of the popular vote of that state. Here is an updated chart showing the total votes for each state…..We are currently the only country to use this outdated system.I feel it is time to eliminate the electoral college and allow the PEOPLE to decide!

It is really sad how campaigning has evolved. They have states labeled as red for solid Republican, blue for solid Democrat, purple for swing state or a state that can “swing” either way. This causes politicians to avoid some states all together and battle for only a few states! It also causes lots of voter apathy. People on the West Coast can see how the elections results are going and they might call the election before the polls close in every state! Its STUPID!!! I think the press should be banned from reporting results until a few days later after ALL votes are counted! This would create more excitement and make you feel like your vote actually counted. I have many friends in Illinois that don’t vote. They say “what makes the difference? they are already saying so and so will win!” ughhhh

This 2012 election has been narrowed down to two candidates. Democrat incumbent Barak Obama vs Republican Mitt Romney. Obama has my vote, hands down! Romney is an out of touch millionaire from Massachusetts. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, dodged the military by joining a Mormon mission in France, oh yeah… he is a Mormon! I am not religious and don’t care if he is a Hindu but the Mormons scare me! They believe that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri, that God lives on a planet next to the sun, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, that blacks are dark skinned because God is punishing them… ENOUGH SAID!!! He scares me!!! 🙂 Obama isn’t perfect but look at the pile of shit that was on his plate when he took over this country in 2008!!!! We had the “bailout” that the Bush administration put into place but Obama gets “credit” for! Yes, he did support it but stop blaming him for  dreaming it up! He took over a country that was bleeding jobs , housing market tanking, auto industry one step from bankruptcy, two wars, etc… It was far from heaven! Obama took the reigns and made “some” lemonade with those lemons. He was the first president in decades that was able to see the passage of universal healthcare, ended the war in Iraq, saved the US auto industry from bankruptcy.. now GM is boasting record profits, gave the order to kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, signed equal pay for women act, ended the crazy “dont ask dont tell” policy, ended the Bush policy of “WE DONT TALK TO OUR ENEMIES”, etc… He has disappointed me in a few areas. He has continued to fund and up the troops in Afghanistan, he has not closed Guantanemo Bay prison, etc. I know I will hear a lot of B.S from this but that is my view and my opinions.. We all have opinions and that is what makes the USA a great place! We can disagree in a friendly, respectful way. This is where I feel Serbia has a problem!

Serbia is a country that uses the multi-party system of government. This form of government has many parties that must form coalitions to win and create policy! One single party cannot achieve victory alone! I like this in the sense that it creates unity and keeps the RADICAL elements of any group at bay! It brings most issues to the CENTER where they belong! Back home, Congress and the Senate are voting for most bills along party lines. This form keeps that from happening and allows many things to get through in a timely manner!

Serbia just held its elections last Sunday. Boris Tadic, the current president of Serbia, resigned in March to force a consolidation of all elections in May. They had 13 people on the ballot for president. Tadic came out on top with 26.2% of the vote. The next closest challenger was Tomislav Nikolic of the Serbian Progressive Party with 25% of the vote. The only other candidate to get double digits was Dacic of the Socialist Party. Serbia requires a run off election if the candidates don’t receive a certain %. They will face each other on May 20th! Tadic has been in power since 2004 and has faced Nikolic three separate times.

The biggest difference I have noticed between the USA and Serbia is the ability to discuss politics politely. I am not talking about the entire Serbian population. I have MANY friends that are support their candidate and are open minded but in general there is a lot of STRONG opinions here. My Facebook page page is a good example. I have around 4000 Serbian buddies from around the world! They are very, very diverse in their beliefs. I have many people who side with the Chetniks , many that align themselves with the Partizans, many who think Boris Tadic is a Godsend, many who think he is the worst thing that has ever happened to Serbia, many who think Seselj and the Radicals are patriots, many who think he should be in Hague for life, many who support Vojvodina independence from Serbia, many that think its HORRIBLE, many who despise the thought of Kosovo independence , many who say its time to recognize it…. WHEW!!!!! I have posted a few pictures of Tadic, Tito, etc and the comments went BRUTAL!!! I have had many friends drop me for posting a picture and many friends drop me because they were insulted by the rude comments of other Serbs and told me that I have too many radicals on my page.

The other insane thing about Serbian election season is  the amount of stickers that they post on walls, windows, posts, everywhere they will stick!! They don’t stick up just one! They have a whole wall full!! One day you might walk past a wall in the center of the city and its covered with pro-Tadic stickers. The next day you walk past and its covered over with Radical party stickers. It wouldnt be so bad if they were a two party system but they had 12 candidates on their presidential ballot!!! hahahaha.. You can tell how many of these stickers are around town. I was watching this crew of workers scraping layer upon layer off of a window in downtown Nis. What a waste of time and money!!!! We don’t see this in the USA. There are signs that are stuck in peoples yards, some billboards but most of ours are tv, newspaper, radio etc! If the politicians would spend this money on the citizens or Serbia or programs to better society they could do a lot of good instead of throwing millions into these stickers that will have no effect on voter outcome! SAD! 😦

 

USA vs Serbia….. Comparing holidays….

I have been to many places and experienced very unique and unforgettable moments. Holidays and traditions are two things that I always find interesting.  I thought it would be worthwhile  to list the majority of holidays that are celebrated in the USA and Serbia.

The United States of America is a country that is broken into 50 states and each has their own laws and implementation of holidays. We don’t have national holidays in which every employee receives mandatory days off. It is only mandatory for federal employees. Each state sets their own holiday schedule based on local customs. They have their own state holidays.

Federal holidays…….

1. New Year’s Day– Jan 1st…..celebrates start  Gregorian calendar new year
2. Martin Luther King Jr Day…..3rd Sunday in Jan- Birth of civil rights leader
3. President’s Day– 3rd Monday in Feb….. combination of Washington and Lincolns birthdays
4. Memorial Day– Last Monday in May…..honors those killed in our many wars
5. Independence Day– July 4th….. celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence
6. Labor Day– First Monday in September…..celebrates the workers and labor movement
7. Columbus Day– 2nd Monday in Oct….. discoverer of USA… some states celebrate Indians instead
8. Veterans Day– Nov 11….. honors all veterans and the end of WW1
9. Thanksgiving– 4th Thur in Nov…..traditionally celebrates thanks for autumn harvest .. turkey dinner
10. Christmas – December 25th…..celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ

Other informal, traditional or religious holidays celebrated in the USA…..

1. Epiphany– Jan 6th…..celebrates baptism of Jesus , manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles..etc
2. Mardi Gras– Feb or March varies……. french for FAT TUESDAY or last chance to eat fat before Lent
3. Groundhog’s Day– Feb 2nd…..groundhog is released to predict more winter or start of spring
4. Valentine’s Day– Feb 14th…..celebration of love and romance.
5. St Patrick’s Day– Mar 17th…..celebration of Irish culture… wearing green and drinking green beer
6. April Fools’ Day– Apr 1…..day of playing tricks and pranks
7. Palm Sunday– Sunday before Easter….. celebrates Jesus entry into Jerusalem.
8. Good Friday– Fri before Easter…… commemorate crucifixion and death of Jesus
9. Easter– Sunday after Good Friday…..commemorates the resurrection of Jesus
10. Earth Day– Apr 22nd…..celebration and recognition of our environment … pick up litter etc
11. Arbor Day– Last Sun in April….. celebration of our trees.. most people plant trees on this day
12. May Day– May 1st…..in US , celebration of Spring and organized labor
13. Cinco de Mayo– May 5th….. in USA celebration of Mexican culture..  don’t confuse it with Mexican Independence Day, that is on Sept 16th
14. Mother’s Day– 2nd Sunday in May….. Celebration and appreciation of your mother
15. Flag Day– June 14th…..commemorates the adoption of the USA flag, in 1777
16. Father’s Day– 3rd Sun in June…… celebration and appreciation of our father
17. Women’s Equality Day– Aug 26th….. celebrates adoption of 19th amendment and marks the day of protest in 1970, when women protested nationwide for equality
18. Patriot Day– Sept 11th…..commemorates the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 01
19. Constitution Day– Sept 17th….. celebrates the adoption of our constitution
20. Rosh Hashanah– Sept or Oct varies…… Jewish celebration for beginning of High Holidays and Hebrew calendar new year.
21. Yom Kippur– Sept or Oct varies…..Jewish celebration … known as “Sabbath of rest”
22. Halloween– Oct 31….. originally celebrated the end of Celtic year but also eve of All Saint’s Day.. kids dress in costumes and go door to door for candy and snacks .. if they do not receive any.. they do tricks on the homeowner… like take a bar of soap and smear on windows and throw toilet paper in the trees
23. Election Day– 1st Tuesday in Nov….. observed by federal and state in applicable years… voting
24. Black Friday– Friday after Thanksgiving…… start of shopping season… the busiest shopping day of the year
25. Hanukkah– Dec varies….. Jewish holiday commemorates rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd century BC
26. Pearl Harbor Day– Dec 7th……day to remember the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese  Dec 7th, 1941
27. Immaculate Conception Day– Dec 8th….. commemorates Virgin Mary being kept free from sin…
28. Christmas Eve– Dec 24th….. night before Christmas… almost every business is closed
29. Kwanzaa– Dec 26th- Jan 1st…..African American holiday celebration
30. New Year’s Eve– Dec 31st….. Last day of Gregorian calendar year….

Misc info……

Many states have their own holidays. Here are some interesting observances……

• California and Ohio celebrate Rosa Parks day… she is the African-American who refused to sit in the back of the bus and led to major civil rights activity and reform
• Three states celebrate Susan B Anthony Day… she was a prominent figure in the women’s rights movement in the USA.
• California celebrates Cesar Chavez Day and two others mark it optional… he was a Latino farm hand that was essential in the creation of the National Farm Workers Association and Latino rights activist
• Only 12 states recognize Good Friday as a state holiday…..
• Nine states celebrate Confederate Memorial Day…..celebrates the lives of those killed fighting for the confederacy in the Civil War
• A few southern states celebrate Jefferson Davis Day…. it celebrates the birth of the Confederate States of Americas leader Jefferson Davis
• In my state of Illinois … we celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day…. he was a heroic, US military, cavalry officer that was born in Poland and helped defeat the British in the Revolutionary War. We celebrate it because of our large Polish community in Chicago
• Malcom X Day…. celebrated in California

Serbian holidays…….

I have only been in Serbia for 9 months but I have noticed one thing…. SERBS LOVE HOLIDAYS AND CELEBRATIONS!!!! During the winter months, there’s non stop celebrations… I work at many different schools and most of the time I would only have one or two kids show up for class because they would all be attending some kind of holiday celebration……Serbs don’t make a lot of money but you would never guess by looking at the menu!!! They throw everything at you but the kitchen sink!!! My favorite thing about attending many of the feasts was being able to take home some leftovers!!!! 😉 My buddies mom always sends me home with lots of goodies because I growl around and complain because I can’t cook!!! 🙂 hahaha…

Serbian public holidays……

1. Božić– Jan 7th…..  pronounced (bozhich) this is Serbian Orthodox Christmas… it is celebrated on the 7th of Jan because of the use of the Julian calendar.
2. Nova Godina– Jan 14th….. this is Orthodox New Year…
3. Dan državnosti Srbije– Feb 15th or 16th…… anniversary of the first Serbian uprising in 1804 and the first Serbian constitution in 1835
4. Veliki petak– varies….. Orthodox Good Friday… commemorates crucifixion of Jesus
5. Vaskrs– Sunday after Good Friday….. Orthodox Easter celebration of resurrection of Jesus
6. Vaskrsni ponedeljak– Monday after Easter…… Continuation of Easter celebration
7. Praznik rada–May 1st….. International Workers Day… celebration of labor
8. Dan primirja– Nov 11th… Armistice Day…celebrates the end of WW1

Additional holidays.……

Serbia is predominately Orthodox Christian but they have a large minority of Catholic and other Western Christian sects, a smaller Jewish and Muslim minority also…. Here are a list of holidays and observances given to them…..

1. New Years Day– Jan 1st…. celebration of the beginning of the Julian new year
2. Good Friday-varies…. commemorates crucifixion of Jesus
3. Easter– varies…… resurrection of Jesus
4. Easter Monday-day after Easter- continuation of Easter celebration
5. Eid ul-Fitr…. Muslim celebration of end of Ramadan
6. Eid al-Adha… Muslim celebration of “festival of sacrifice”
7. Yom Kipper…..Jewish holiday.. “sabbath of rest”

Additional working holidays in Serbia……

1. Sveti Sava– Jan 27th…..St Sava Day… he is known as the Patron Saint of Serbian schools.. all schools are closed on this day.
2. Don Secanje Na Zrtve Holokausta– Apr 22…..remembrance of those who died in the holocaust, WWII, and through genocide
3. Dan Pobede/ Dan Evropa– May 9th…. Victory Day or Europe Day..celebrates the defeat of the Germans in 1945 or the signing of the Schuman Declaration  of 1950… which called for an organization of European states.. similar to the E.U
4. Vidovdan– June 28th…… Saint Vitus Day…..remembrance of the Battle of Kosovo….
5. Dan Secanje Na Srpske Zrtve– Oct 21…. National WW2 Victims Remembrance Day… day to remember all the thousands of Serbs killed during German occupation

Last but not least…….

That didn’t seem like a lot of holidays did it??? I saved the best for last…. Serbia also celebrates hundreds of Slavas. That is the celebration of the families patron saint. It is called Krsna Slava in Serbian.I have tried to find the total number of saints but have never gotten a concrete answer. Slava is a very important celebration for Serbian Orthodox families. It has many wonderful, unique and traditional foods, songs, methods and decor… Here is a link to a Slava forum that can provide many answers and the ability to converse with those that have the knowledge on the subject!!! http://www.slavorum.com/index.php?topic=1001.0My experience was written about in a previous blog entry!!! My memories were of lots and lots of awesome food, traditional music, and the  bringing together of family and friends!! It is a must for all of you traveling to Serbia!! There are Slavas all year round but the best are in the Winter time!!!!

Both countries have great holidays and traditions!!!!! We all have more in common than our governments want us to think!!!! I wish I could bring all the Serbian kids to the USA and all the American kids to Serbia!! We would develop a life long love and respect for each others rich and beautiful traditions!!!!

I am not a religious fanatic and have very little knowledge in the details of many of these holidays. Please understand that before you leave me a bad comment because I didn’t fully discuss something! This is a blog not a book and I don’t want to bore people with the tiny details.

 

MONEY, MONEY!!!…. USA vs Serbia

Money is a subject we all enjoy!!! Most of us suffer from too little of it and others can’t get enough of it! Serbia has a very favorable exchange rate for Americans, Brits, Canadians, Aussies etc…. I have gotten a lot of questions about the currency that is used in Serbia. Here is a breakdown of Serbian currency compared to American currency. The figures are based on a current exchange rates for 02-24-12….

SERBIAN COINS

AMERICAN COINS

 Serbia uses the DINAR or RSD (Republic of Serbia DINAR)… pronounced like (DEENER). The USA uses the DOLLAR. Currently one US dollar = 81dinars.  The Dinar is available in the following coin currency……Here is a video that I did that shows the 1RSD to the 100 Dinar note.

1.  1 RSD coin= $0.01 USD
2.  2 RSD coin= $0.02 USD
3.  5 RSD coin= $0.06 USD
4. 10RSD coin= $0.12 USD
5. 20RSD coin= $0.24 USD

USA currency has a name for each. The small copper $0.01 is called a PENNY, the $0.05 cent is called a NICKEL, the $0.10 cent is called a DIME and the $0.25 cent is called a QUARTER.

SERBIAN BILLS

AMERICAN BILLS

As you can see there is a bill for the 10 dinar and 20 dinar also. Here is a video that shows all the bills from 200 Dinar to 5000 Dinar The exchange rate is broken down like this…..

1.    10RSD= $0.12 USD
2.    20RSD= $0.24 USD
3.    50 RSD=$0.61 USD
4.   100RSD=$1.22 USD
5.   200RSD=$2.45 USD
6.   500RSD=$5.13 USD
7. 1000RSD=$12.26USD
8. 5000RSD=$61.36USD

The picture of American currency shows the $2 bill that is no longer in production but can still be used in any transaction. I have always liked the USA money because it is uniform in shape and color and not too flashy and gaudy! Serbian money has watermarks and different sizes for the bills. It would be much easier to be blind in Serbia!!! 🙂

 

USA vs Serbia…..Snowstorm aftermath…

I have been in Serbia for a 7 months and counting…. I thought we were going to miss winter because it had been very mild!! A week and a half ago that changed for the worst!!! It started snowing and didn’t stop for three days!!! They said it was one of the worst snow storms to hit Zrenjanin in years.. They shut the schools down for two weeks. Zrenjanin has very few trucks, SUVs or 4X4 vehicles and it was very funny to watch many of them try to navigate these streets that had not been scraped or touched by the city! One of the funniest things I can remember seeing was a little Yugo that drove by with the rear wheel so packed full of snow that it wasn’t turning. It skidded down the road in front or me..

I am from a country that has large city trucks roaming the street the minute they hear of a snow storm. They start spreading salt and are ready to scrape the roads when the first snowfall begins. Here in Zrenjanin that is a different story! My street is a very commonly traveled street but it took them over a week to have it scraped clean!!! My boss at the school stated that “we are going to close the following week also to conserve electricity!” ahhahahah… The police will fine any citizen 5000 dinars if they don’t scrape their sidewalk or walkway. I witnessed many Serbs scrapping and helping each other push out and dig out their cars from snow drifts. One friend told me that the city was so far behind in payments to the last company that scrapped roads that they went broke.. It is now in the hands of a private company. In the USA , the government runs the crew under the “Department of Transportation”. 

 USA WINS!!!!! 

Those of us from the USA pay for our service through city, county, federal and property taxes but the service is so much better…

 

USA vs Serbia … Cost of obtaining a driver’s license

This one totally blew me away!! The United States of America has 50 states and each state has different laws that govern the rules and fees that apply. This comparison was based on my home state of Illinois. Keep in mind that Serbian yearly salaries are substantially lower than ours. This is an approx comparison of salaries based on the 2010 census:

Illinois per capita median income in last 12 months- $28, 782

Zrenjanin, Serbia.. this number is a higher than many of my friends but approx- 6,000E. You can see there is about a $20,000 dollar difference in income per year. The picture below is a Croatian drivers license but very similar to the Serbian old license..Here is the difference in cost of obtaining a driver’s license…..

1. Zrenjanin, Serbia..

• classroom part- 260E
• written test – 30E
• medical exam-35E
• driving test-30E
• license-30E

Total-385 E or $461.00

1. Illinois…

• Drivers education course is held in public schools and according to the latest Illinois State Board of Education rule PA 97-0145 that took effect on July 14th, 2011.. “the school may charge a fee not to exceed $50 unless a special hearing is called for an increase” so lets say – $50
• written test, driving test, eye exam and license- $30

Total- $80

THAT IS A DIFFERENCE OF $381!!!!!!!

That is a lot of money for a Serbian family!! That doesn’t include the HUGE difference in license plate fees and gas! I broke those down in an earlier blog …. see AUTOMOBILE OWNERSHIP under the PRICE DIFFERENCE tab…. 

USA WINS HANDS DOWN!!!!!

 

Are you a Serbian university student who would like to spend the summer working in the USA? The United States Department of State offers a 5 month, J-1 Visa for university students. This program can change your life! Check us out at “Work and Travel Group“. You can also read some of the stories of those who have been on the program at “My American Summer“

 

School bus….. USA vs Serbia

WOW!! One thing you really take for granted in the USA is the ability to take the school bus!! I HATED the school bus when I was younger because I was the first one on! It stopped at my house at 7AM and arrived at school at 8AM. When I was 16 and had my drivers license I was soooooo embarrassed when my parents made me ride the bus!!! They would do it as punishment.. I would tell my parents ” EVERYONE MY AGE DRIVES!!!”

 

Here in Serbia …. I just moved into a house with a Hungarian and a Serbian kid… They are 18 and in their final year of high school. They are both from a villages that are over 80 KM from Zrenjanin. In Serbia … people that live in small villages go to primary and secondary school in their village but are forced to travel to the closest LARGE city for their four years of high school…. One of my roomies family lives in a village that is 80km from here. They are forced to pay for a bus ticket each month. His family is unemployed and rely their grandparents for money assistance.. They are forced to pay $100 dollars a month for bus pass or pay for an apartment for him in Zrenjanin.   It is cheaper to have him live in Zrenjanin at $65 a month than travel back and forth to his village everyday!

That doesn’t sound a like a lot of money but imagine your family lives on $300 a month???!!!! That is over 1/3 of your family income!!!

My opinion is the school system in Serbia is flawed!! They force many struggling families to pay transportation costs or housing for their kids because they provide no high schools in their villages. In the USA they provide a school bus to children in the district! It is “free” and usually on time!

USA WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!