July 15th, 2023
Finally, I’m excited to share my first blog post from Croatia! The main purpose of this blog is to keep my family and friends updated on my trip, express my thoughts and impressions of living abroad, and serve as a personal diary or journal.
I arrived in Kastela, a beautiful series of 7 villages located between the larger cities of Trogir and Split, on the stunning Adriatic Sea in Croatia, last Wednesday (July 5th). My Airbnb is situated in Kastel Novi, just a 5-minute walk from the ocean. During the past 10 days, I’ve had the opportunity to explore the area, embark on a snorkeling trip, attend an Expat Meet and Greet event, unfortunately dealt with a bout of food poisoning, enjoyed a music festival, indulged in countless swims in the sea, savored the local wine, relaxed at seaside coffee bars with cappuccinos ranging from 1 to 2.20 euros (and this morning, I discovered a place that serves them for only 1 euro!), explored the surroundings on a bike lent by my Airbnb hostess, shared multiple coffee conversations with my host family, and successfully managed my full-time job as a senior content developer with NatGeo Learning (hence the digital nomad lifestyle).
Living in a place where English is widely spoken, but not commonly between the locals themselves, presents a unique set of challenges. It can be both isolating and exhilarating at the same time. I’ve picked up a few, helpful words of Croatian:
- Good morning: Dobro jutro
- Hi/Hello: Bok (which I think is sort of like “aloha” – seems to mean just about everything)
- Thank you: Hvala (An American told me to sort of drop the “h” and make it almost like “fala” but not exactly to meet the local dialect, I’ve been sort of sticking with a soft H and vala at the end)
- Please: molim
In the local bakery (I’ll post a picture later, but trust me, they’re everywhere!), they have these amazing loaves of fresh bread priced at around 0.70 euros, along with the most irresistible chocolate croissants (I’ve limited myself to only 2 a week now – it’s a slippery slope). The bakery employee enters the total into the cash register, allowing me to read the price, as they tend to rattle off the amount so quickly that translation seems impossible. At the coffee bars, most of the waiters greet me in Croatian initially, but swiftly switch to English once I make my apparently lame response in Croatian.
Sitting in a cafe surrounded by people and not being able to understand their conversations is a peculiar experience. I find myself trying to decipher the meaning through gestures and facial expressions. Sometimes, I believe I have a grasp of what’s happening, but I could be completely off. In those moments, I’ve learned to embrace silence, allowing my thoughts to wander while soaking up the energy around me. And let’s be honest, enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with such a breathtaking view doesn’t necessitate understanding the conversations nearby, wouldn’t you agree?