Introduction

First of all, this is only my opinion and point of view, you may agree with it or not - nor hard feelings. Personally, I can list WAY more cons than pros when it comes to this subject, since I don't really like living here, but I decided to keep things balanced in order to avoid sounding too depressing and repetitive (I am sure you've already heard a lot of negative things about Serbia and its people mostly through media). So here I am going to talk about 5 pros and 5 cons when it comes to life in Serbia. I have to admit that my con-posts are probably going to be slightly longer than pro ones for the reasons just mentioned. Although it's true that Serbia isn't the best country in Europe to live in, I find there are certain things that make this country nice in its own, unique way, as I believe, is the case with every other country in the world.

PRO #1: Geographical location

Since you're reading this blog I assume you already know where Serbia is situated. When I'm abroad and talk to foreigners about this, they often don't know where Serbia is located or what the capital city is. I find this odd, since I believe at least Europeans should know where the rest of european countries are located (I wouldn't be that surprised if I asked someone from Asia, but someone from Europe, pfff, come on, you gotta know this stuff hehe!).

Serbia on the map of Europe

So, I'd say Serbia has a very good geographical position, and is surrounded by many interesting countries, which had proven to be both good and bad during our history. But looking at this today, I think it's more than positive. Europe is known for its richness and variety when it comes to culture and all those pretty european countries you've heard about are really at the tip of our hand. In our vicinity are beautiful countries like Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, etc. Also, the Adriatic sea is just few hours away. So my point is, if you want to travel somewhere in Europe from here, it really isn't that far away!

But due to low life standard, Serbs usually travel to less expensive countries during summer, such as Greece, Montenegro and Croatia. During winter, we usually stay within the borders of our country, but if someone decides to travel, their destination will 90% be some mountain resort in Serbia - Kopaonik, Tara, Zlatibor...

One girl from Azerbaijan once said to me that for me it is easier to move to some other, wealthier country and make my life better. To her, it is slightly more difficult. So that pretty much sums up what I'm trying to say. Although Serbia is not such a great country when you compare it to other european countries, it still has some advantages in comparison to many countries in the world.

The benefits of our geographical location reflect in the climate too. Serbia has temperate climate, with mild summers and mild winters, so you can really enjoy all four seasons. In recent years, things are somewhat uneven, winters don't last that long, and summers can get quite hot. But anyhow, I'd say that here we have the best of both worlds. Plus no tornadoes, earthquakes or tsunamis, so I guess that must be a plus as well, eih?

CON #1: Low life standard

Serbs generally compalin about the quality of life here and they have a good reason for doing so. When you compare serbian life standard to standard of all other european countries, I am sorry to say this, but we are really in the bottom. Also, if you compare Serbia to most of ex-Yugoslav countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia) things aren't looking any better either. I use to say that we aren't any different than other countries in Europe in terms of resources and land, but that the problem lies in the people who are leading this country. But lets not get too political, shall we?

Income comes always first to mind, when discussing life standard. Money has become such an important part of today's society that almost every aspect of our life is controlled by it. The amount of money we earn affects the way we live, think, behave and most important, they way we feel. I'm guessing that's why older Serbs are so negative and passive most of the time. But about that, later.

Now lets see, the average serbian salary is around 200 euros (if you're lucky you'll have up to 400 euros, but anyway, that still wouldn't be enough to make a proper living here). Keep in mind, that there are people who earn even less than 200 euros. The biggest problem is that salaries and prices aren't coordinated the least bit. When it comes to prices here, they rarely make sense. Some products even cost more than in Austria or Germany. How is that even possible?

Every dinar counts... (dinar = serbian currency)

On top of all that, every month prices slowly go higher and higher and those are always the prices of the most important and basic groceries, such as bread, flour, sugar and other needfull things (at least needfull to most people) like gas, electricity, cigarettes, etc. While salaries, of course are staying the same. This leads to a situation where you spend all of the money just to satisfy the basic needs and pay for the flat and other bills and thus cannot or rarely can afford to actually enjoy life a little and spend some money on yourself. Most of our parents usually had to sacrifice a lot so we could have a decent schooling, medical care, etc. because those things aren't for free. And while working nonstop in order to secure us a decent future, they are left wth almost no free time for themselves and their needs. I think that's what defines a low life standard.

On the other hand, tourists from other countries seem to really enjoy their time here and it's quite understandable why. To them, everything here seems so hilariously cheap. But the situation here is a harsh reality for someone who earns just 200 euros a month.

Needles to say, a lot of people are unemployed or live on the border of poverty and the government seems not to care at all. Well, in the end they are the ones who prosper from all this. It seems like everybody are trying to rob and rip you off somehow, and it is accepted as common behaviour. Like people have come to terms that they live in this vicious cycle and just gave up. In poor countries like Serbia, money is of great value and if you have it, you can do pretty much anything (corruption).

PRO #2: Nature - a way to escape

Serbian countryside

Outside of serbian cities, lies a rather different picture. I think Serbs should practise going out in the nature more often, because it's the best way to relax, but it isn't really common here unfortunately. In the place I live (a small municipality of Belgrade) I get these weird looks when taking a walk in the forest. Why is that so strange to people here, I'll never understand. Maybe it's just me? Or maybe Serbian people have distanced themselves so much from the nature that they've forgotten how beautiful and calming it is? Oh well...

If you look at Serbia as a whole, from north to south, you'll notice how the landscape varies and changes from plains and pastures to high mountains and canyons. For nature (and especially mountain) lovers, this really is the place to be. There are also numerous lakes, caves and waterfalls scattered throughout Serbia and even a few sandy terrains in nothern region Vojvodina. Serbia has in total of 6 national parks and handfull of other nature reserves and protected sites, which is quite a number I'd say.

Shumadija - region in central Serbia, named after the forests that once used to cover the largest part of its territory

Lazar's canyon in eastern Serbia

Not to mention how many mountains there are, all the way through the central, western, eastern and souther part of Serbia. Five of them are declared as national parks - Frushka Gora, Tara, Kopaonik, Zlatibor and Shar mountain. The 6th national park is Djerdap National Park, and it occupies the Djerdap gorge, that is (now comes the fun fact) the longest breakthrough gorge in Europe. And it's beautiful! At least from what I've seen from pictures. I have never visited it, but I'd love to do it one day, since that is one of those special, one of a kind places in Serbia - a must visit for sure. Serbs most often go to Kopaonik and Zlatibor, but to me Tara and Shar mountain seem the most appealing of all national parks. On Shar mountain there are many glacial lakes, and that is the only place in Serbia where they can be seen. Citizens of Belgrade mainly choose lower mountains that are situated near the capital, to escape from the crowd and relax over the weekend: Avala, Kosmaj and Frushka Gora mountain.

Avala mountain and its viewpoint (not far from Belgrade)

Glacial lake on Shar mountain (southern Serbia)

There are so many routes across Serbia you can take by bike or foot on your own or if you prefer, you can join some of the many sports associations and spend your free time roaming in the wild. I was thinking about joining one mountaineering association in Belgrade and explore our nature a bit more. I said earlier that people here have kind of distanced themselves from the nature, but there are also many, many people who are really into sports and outdoor activities, you just have to get to know them and I think these associations are the best place for that.

Speaking of mountains, at the foot of many serbian mountains, lie dozens of thermal and mineral springs. My only complaint to Serbia would be: Why aren't you using this great potential? We have over 200 mineral springs of which only 10% have been used and trasformed into spas. There are more than 40 spas in Serbia, but it's not like people outside of Serbia are talking about them or planning to visit. In this case, it's all about the quality, not quantity. It's not that we don't have any high-quality spas, it's just that they haven't yet reached the level of famous euopean spas, like Karlove Vari or Vichy. In the future, we should definitely rely on Serbia's natural advantages and treasures, invest in them, because their potential is obvious, and promote Serbia in a new, healthy kind of way, not only that of night-life and greasy food.

CON #2: Eating habits - meat, meat, meat

I finished my previous post with words 'greasy food', so let me just get on with that. To most of the people this isn't necessarily a negative thing, but if you happen to be a vegetarian or simply don't like eating meat that much, you're going to have a bad time here. Since I happen to fall under this category, to me serbian cousine goes under cons (I can beat that if you're serbian, you're probably rolling your eyes now), but as I said it is a rather positive thing to most Serbs and apparently tourists as well. Our traditional cousine is also one of our strongest brands when it comes to tourism.

So as you've probably guessed by now, main part of our cousine is meat (*cough* dead animals *cough*), served in every possible way. And most of Serbs seem to have a problem when you mention you don't eat meat (don't ever dare to use the unholy word 'vegetarian'). People here have some sort of aversion and prejudice towards those who don't like this kind of food and can often feel insulted or make fun of you. They just take it too personal I guess. Maybe they even think you're trying to brag about it and rub it in their face, which is rarely or never the actual case.

The average serbian family eats a lot of processed meat on every day basis. Processed meat of every kind is the most common grocery here: salami, sausages, pates (sort of a meat paste). So it is basically, meat for breakfast, meat for lunch and for dinner. But who knows what kind of stuff they put into all this and if that is genuine meat at all.

Most of the kids here have a bad habit of buying their breakfast in bakery stores, where they usually get pizza, rolled sausage, or some other kind of pastry. Or they buy our version of burger called pljeskavica. These burger stores are literally everywhere, in every corner. Pretty unhealthy way to start your day off...

Remember that saying 'You are what you eat'. So yes, food you eat greatly affect your health. In Serbia, people have a rather short average life expectancy and I assume it's mostly because of the way they eat. Also, they live a lot under stress and have many other problems to deal with, so the food is not the only thing to blame. And when people here get ill, they just grab the first medicine that has been transcribed to them by a doctor and drug themselves to death. They're not even trying to find the root of the problem and maybe consider changing ther eating habits.

Typical serbian street market - plenty of vegetables and fruit

Of course, I am not saying that all serbian food is bad. It's just these things that are being sold to us in stores. I haven't seen anybody here promoting fresh vegetables and fruit, only this processed foods. And we have plenty of wheat, vegetables and fruits that we're growing here in Serbia - corn, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, beans, peppers, plums, apples, peaches, cherries, apricots, strawberies, raspberries, you name it. As a matter of fact, Serbia is (one more fun fact) world's biggest exporter of raspberries. We also import all other kinds of vegetables and fruit, so you can say that food available here is quite rich and diverse. And all our people praise and crave is meat.

PRO #3: Love for sports

Ok, this one does not have to do much with me, since I don't really follow sport events these days, it is just the thing that stands out and often comes to mind when talking about Serbs - our apparent love for sports. Main reason why I've put this under pros, is because sometimes it can really unite us and spread so much positive energy.

The biggest representative and individual sport successes are almost always celebrated in the streets and squares throughout the country and athletes are traditionally welcomed by a crowd of people in front of the Parliament in Belgrade.

Here people generally appreciate sports a lot, especially football and basketball and you will often see dedicated kids training some of these sports from the very young age.

Welcoming of the athletes in front of the Parliament

We also have (if I may say) a glorious history in these sports (back from the time when we were still Yugoslavia). Here are some basketball facts for those of you who are not already familiar: Yugoslavia was considered the second super power in international basketball, just behind the United States. At the European championships in basketball, Yugoslavia won the gold medal five times (1973, 1975, 1977, 1989, 1991) and at the world championships in basketball, three gold medals (1970, 1978, 1990). Maybe it seems silly to you, but we still take great pride in all this after all these years. And then again in 2002. (when Yugoslavia consisted only of Serbia and Montenegro) we won another gold medal and once again were world champions in basketball. And then again in.. Ok, I got you, that's all! But maybe one day it will happen again who knows. We're still alive and kicking, watch out!

We have also won many important medals in other sports such as water polo, volleyball, handball, tennis... Most recent being that of young serbian football tearm 'Orlići', who won the World Championship last year. And probably one more victory by our tennis player Novak Djokovic or something, I can't keep up with this guy... He has been at the very top of the game for many years now and is probably our most famous athlete.

The Yugoslav basketball team with the title of world champion in 1990.

So if you happen to be a sports fan, you'll love Serbia and you'll have plenty of what to talk with people. The only negative thing in all this is that there is certain rivalship mostly between supporters of different serbian footbal teams and they can really cross the limits sometimes, fight, and cause riots and even end up killing each other. But that is not what sport is about, they're all empty-headed fools, who give football fans a bad name.

Nowadays, you cannot see kids playing outside that much, since technology kind of took over their free time, but in my time (childhood), we were all about playing outside, running, riding bikes, getting ourselves hurt and shedding a few tears ahah... Memories! I myself, even went to some sport competitions (high jump), during my primary school. And many of my friends from class were also good at sports and quite a competition to beat when we were having our annual school marathons. I remember wanting to train athletics at the time, but I gave up, since it was a bit of an expense for my parents. But I still have this passion left in me.

Childhood: playing 'lastiš'

And although I do not keep track of the latest sport happenings, sometimes I too get carried away and watch a football or basketball match with my family and find myself in the situation where I'm shouting 'Go, Serbia, go!'. It's just this positive wave of energy that consumes you, and that's what happens to people here when they watch sport matches, it brings the best in them. Even it it's for a little while.

CON #3: Inequality

This is a sort of a continuation of my first con post - low life standard. With the kind of standard like here in Serbia, you can expect many other social issues to follow, such as poverty, unemployment, inequality, and overall injustice towards people...

When walking the streets of Belgrade, the most noticable, at least to me is how inequal people are, mostly in terms of their earnings. There is also a certain inequality when it comes to gender and even ethnicity to some extent (this does not refer to all of the minorities here, only to Gypsies, who are one of the major ones).

When talking about gender differences, in Serbia you will rarely see women doing 'male' jobs and vice versa, for example women working as construction workers, policemen, bus/trolleycar drivers (trolleycar is the most common form of public transport in Belgrade, next to buses). I have only seen one female trolleycar driver and I must admit I was a bit surprised, because in our society that isn't quite 'expected' from a woman to be doing. I find the explanation for this in serbian traditionality, that is still widely present, even in cities.

Traditional serbian way of living is deeply rooted in patriarchal believes, where man is the head of the house and women are treated more like servants, than loving wives. Thus, they should only take care of the house and children and are not entitled to their opinion. This way of thinking has stuck to these days, even though we are not really paying attention to it, since it's been a part of our every day life for such a long time and is perfectly normal to us. So from a woman is still expected to be doing these lesser jobs, cooking, cleaning, selling stuff so they are pretty much underestimated from the beginning of their life. I find this rather negative and it bothers me how much Serbs refuse to change. Change in this case, means progress. Every wealthy society today is quite open-minded and prone to some changes (a.k.a. evolution) as the time passes by. To me it seems like serbian society has stuck in time. If you try to talk about this to an average Serb, he will say to you that all that is 'western propaganda' and that he will never accept it, bla bla. Not much you can do. I am no feminist or anything (I despise that term), I just find that all people should live in a sort of sinergy, encourage and help each other and not limit themselves by setting these silly boundaries.

Just an ordinary day...

Next, when talking about differences in income, they are immense. In one corner of the street, you will see old people - beggars sitting on the concrete, freezing and in the other corner young girls on high heels, all dressed up ready for shopping. Sadly, in Belgrade it is an ordinary sight. I have to rephrase the sentenced I used earlier, when I said that Serbia is a poor country. Well, yes and no. When you look at our citizens most of them are poor or live average, but then again, there are people who are rich and loaded with money. You will see them most often on television (which I don't watch), where they preach about their hollow personalities and lifestyle and brainwash others (those in poverty). Our politicians as well, are loaded. So it makes you kind of think, how can some people beg on the street while others drive in a limo??

Something is not right here, since there is enough money for everybody apparently, it is just not evenly distributed. But it will take ages and ages until the situation here turns for the better. Root of the problem lies in ourselves and if we do not make changes, no one will. But Serbs apparently refuse to take a look deep inside themselves and question certain things, since they are busy watching these 'starlets' taking their clothes off on TV. They rather choose to stay brainwashed, and brainwashed means obeyable and silenced forever and that's exactly what the rich want.