Seeing the good in things over the bad can be difficult. It is often easier to find the bad than the good in things. Perhaps because what’s bad is more impressionable.
On Friday I had a call with a colleague in Vancouver. When asked, how I liked Croatia and what it was like here I had difficulty quickly coming up with anything that was positive. My first instincts were to say what I knew to be different and those were negative. It saddened me, because I do enjoy being here.
Over the weekend I got to thinking. Why can’t I come up with “good” aspects of living in Croatia. It’s not that I can’t come up with them. It’s that I don’t remember them. The bad things that I notice here happen often and leave a lasting impression on me. I am also very fond of my home in Philadelphia and might just be trying to find reasons why I shouldn’t like living in Zagreb as much as I do.
So, I hope to be posting more good things that I find and better comparisons than I have been sharing with family and friends in the States thusfar. Here is one to start…
The people of Croatia are very, very proud of their country. Sure everyone has something to say about the government, the state of affairs, relations with other countries, and ridiculous laws, but when it comes to a Croatian winning something, the whole country talks about it and celebrates it.
When Croatia won the Davis Cup in Tennis, there was a huge celebration in the main square. Thousands of people gathered to celebrate the and cheer the tennis players for their great victory as they returned from Slovakia.
When dinamo (Zagreb soccer team) wins soccer games, residents cheer, scream and shoot guns into the air.
When Janica Kostelic would win a metal or place first in some race, I could hear the people upstairs jumping up and down and banging things in joy.
And when some Croatian folksinger or filmmaker won awards for their contributions, all the TV channels and newspapers had something to say about it.
After the celebration, you will keep hearing about the great event in newspapers on television and from passers-by for days.
The U.S. is quite big, and it’s hard to say that the entire country celebrates in joy when a U.S. citizen wins some award or places in a sport. There’s no real window into those types events around the country. Our mass communication mediums don’t find these types of events worth mentioning pages because they won’t sell papers or commercials. But I can comment on a local level. Most big local events do get recognition and celebration, but it’s no where near the caliber of here. It lacks the luster and true pride.
