How did you end up in Dubrovnik?
My father is from Zagreb and when my parents divorced he left Canada for good and came back to settle in Zagreb. Three years ago I got back in contact with my father and I decided to come and visit him in Zagreb. I remember coming to Croatia when I was a child but I can’t really remember much about those visits. We got along so great that we started to research for an American university for me close to Zagreb. At first we didn’t really think about Croatia we were looking at universities in Austria. Then when we heard about the ACMT (American College of Management and Technology) in Dubrovnik it sounded perfect for me. Firstly I would get an American diploma from RIT University which is a pretty strong diploma and secondly the college taught in English. I decided straight away that this was for me; it all happened a bit out of the blue. After I found the college I went back to Canada to tell my family and friends that I was leaving and moving here.

What do you miss about Canada?
A lot, I think when you move to another country for some time you really see in perspective what you liked about your home. I really miss the diversity of restaurants and just being able to go to a shop and buy what you need without having to run around to various shops searching high and low. I think it really opened my eyes coming here.

What would you miss about Dubrovnik if you ever moved back to Canada?
This is really a stress free town. I had a lot of problems due to stress in Canada and I visited doctors there and even took medication. When I came to Dubrovnik the first word I learnt was “polako” which means take it easy or slow down. I really love this way of life. Although I have to be honest it took me some time to adapt to this slower way of living. At first it was stressing me even more when I saw how laid back people were. When I first came here to live I carried on my speed of life from Canada and then I said to myself if you can’t beat them join them. So I became a stress free local. I also love the homemade rakija (local grappa) a lot of people are surprised by that but I really love the taste. I like all of the homemade foods and drinks here. The food tends to be very light here, most people don’t eat fast food and there isn’t a McDonalds in town.

What was a cultural shock for you when you first arrived in Dubrovnik?
The popularity of religion was a little surprising, my father is a very strong Catholic. Back home in Canada we have an open line mentality. If you’re religious fine if you’re not fine, people don’t tend to discuss religion. I remember going to a church for the first time here it was a shock. It was completely full we had problems with finding somewhere to sit. The strength and togetherness of families here was also something new. At the beginning I ended up having lots of fights with my family just because I wasn’t involved in the decision making process. When they would decide to do something or go somewhere they would automatically include me without really asking me. Croatia is a very family orientated country and I really like that. It takes some getting used to but now I love it. In Canada things are not the same. If you have problems with your son or daughter there you just kick them out. But here I haven’t seen any young person in that situation. If you have a problem with your parents you’ll work it out or go to a friend or another family member and they’ll welcome you with open arms. One more little shock here was the amount of gossip. I never liked gossip and when people start to gossip around me I always ask them to change the topic.

What advice would you give to someone coming to Dubrovnik to live?
Honestly, I wouldn’t advise anyone to just come here straight away and move. They have to come here for two or three months or even more to get a good feel for the way of life here, then to move after that period if they feel comfortable. I have one personal example, my brother came to live here from Canada but he can’t adapt and he’s going back to Canada. I guess it all depends on the person and what you want out of life. So I can’t really say be careful about this and that it’s down to your own personal outlook. One thing I would say is that during the winter Dubrovnik can get very lonely. The few discos that are in town are completely dead and the cafés and restaurants close up. So in the winter I concentrate more on my studies and I’m not drawn to go out into the nightlife. If you’re not able to adapt there’s no point in moving.

How good is your Croatian?
The first year I came here I didn’t even try to learn Croatian, and to be honest it took me a while to even want to learn. Everyone at my college speaks English and my friends in Zagreb tend to be half American and half Croatian so obviously they speak English. Then last summer I decided now is the time to start learning and I went to a language school in Zagreb to study. At the end of my studies I got a diploma in Croatian language but if you don’t speak Croatian you lose it. Now I understand pretty much everything but it’s still not so easy to speak. I can watch the television and read a newspaper, if there’s a word I don’t understand then I look in a dictionary or ask my roommate to help me.

Can you compare life in Canada and Croatia?
It’s very hard to compare the two countries or even two cities. I think if you come from another city in Europe that it would be easier to make a comparison with Dubrovnik. Even though they say that Montreal is the most European city in Canada the feel I completely different from a true European city. How people act, how people talk and their shopping habits everything is just so different. Here people tend to be less interested in consumerism than in Canada. In some ways this is reliving as you don’t have to think everyday what am I going to do or buy, you can just go with the flow and take it easy over a coffee with your friends. I think it’s great that people here want to interact rather than just go and buy stuff. People go shopping for what they need and then go for coffee, or go for lunch and just out with your friends. Shopping in Canada can become your way of life and people always are buying the latest products or fashions.

Do you have any funny stories about your time here?
Well, here the cars are completely different from Canada, they tend to be a lot smaller. Sometimes I would see these little cars and I wasn’t sure if they were for show if someone was actually driving it. One time I was laughing at this small car when the owner came walking up the road. Maybe people could think that I’m really a snob but I’m not it’s just really weird to adapt to these little cars.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m really not sure where I’ll live or work in the future. I would love to be in Zagreb and also in Canada. I have a boyfriend in Zagreb and he really wants to see Canada. I am caught in the middle my family is here but my life long friends are in Canada. As much as Dubrovnik is beautiful I’m pretty sure that I couldn’t live here after I’ve finished my college. I’m not really interested in working in tourism so Dubrovnik doesn’t offer me much else. Although in Zagreb the story is completely different and there are much more opportunities especially for younger people. I really like Zagreb you have everything there. The city is growing so much and when a place is growing it’s much easier to find a good position than in a country like Canada which is already fully grown.

Source: Dubrovnik Times