So, after meeting this nice but horridly ugly friend of mine, we travel to his apartment? Condo? Not sure how to describe it as it seems like a place his family has lived for a while, it is in the middle of the city, and isn't like any place I've ever lived. It, like most of the buildings in Zagreb, was several hundred years old. There were three families that shared one communal bathroom, which was a common thing apparently. It took a lot for my American sensibilities to get used to.
I was impressed by the city and its history. Coming from a country with a much shorter history and a city that only dates back to about 200 years ago, Zagreb seemed ancient in comparison. Nowhere in America are you going to find a medieval castle after all. Their public transportation was a lot like the cable cars of San Francisco, and even though you were supposed to pay to ride it, I found that most people chanced it and just got on without a ticket. They would only check the passengers every so often so to most people, it wasn't worth it to buy a ticket. Seems like a horrible way to run a public transportation system.
I also found out about a culture that I'd had little knowledge of before by Croatian visit - Gypsies. They are considered the outcasts of society in Zagreb, as they are in most parts of the world. I felt sorry for them at first, then found out why they got such a bad wrap. Gypsy children about five years old with their hair shaved into mo-hawks would stand on the street corners and sing, dance, or play an instrument. These kids were by themselves with no supervision and they often were more of an annoyance than anything. They were known to vandalize property, pickpocket, and steal. I was warned to look out for them early on. I think it's only fair to point out though that all my information came from the biased point of view of the Croatians in the area, and I really have no idea how the gypsies lived or what their culture was really like.
One thing that stunned me about Croatian was the rate of unemployment. Most young people didn't work, or go to school, or really do anything. I had to wonder where all their money was coming from. Their parents? A trust fund? For my Croatian friend he got money from his father, who seemed to support the entire family. It seemed that the reason there were so many unemployed people was that they were all looking for a job in their field, not just a job to support the family. Apparently one person working per family was enough. When I asked why they didn't just get a job in order to earn money while they wait for the "right" job to come along, they just looked at me like I had suggested they sell body parts for money. I knew that not every culture had the same values and sense of duty Americans did, but this was incomprehensible to me. It wasn't as if they were roughing it either. I don't know where the money to purchase food, clothes, and the multitude of action figures and posters I saw in his place came from, but somebody was footing the bill for it.
My experience with Croatian food was not as bad as one would expect. Most of their cuisine was made up of meat, bread, and spices in one variation or another. I didn't see many fresh vegetables. The food was pretty good, but it seemed to me that it would get old eating the same type of thing day after day. Their take on western food was not appetizing. Pizza consisted of a flat crust with what appeared to be a teaspoon of sauce spread over it and thinly sliced deli meat on top. Gross. McDonald's was, as you can probably guess, not our version of the food. It tasted different - not worse, not better, just different. But comparatively, it was hella expensive. And you had to pay for condiments separately. Can you imagine if they tried that here in the states? Charging people for their ketchup packets would not go over well. No wonder they stick to spiced meat wrapped in bread most of the time.
My movie viewing experience was also very different from what it is here in the States. There's no stadium seating like we use in American movie theaters, so it makes it more difficult to see. You buy your ticket and received an assigned seat; you can't just sit wherever you want. And the movies are shown in their native language with Croatian subtitles. I chose to see an American film, naturally, so that I could understand what was going on. I can't for the life of me remember what film I saw though. I was probably too interested in what was going on around me to pay attention.
Unfortunately I no longer have pictures of my visit. I have no idea where they went. That sucks because I'd love to have them now to help me remember things...as long as none of the pictures had the crypt keeper guy I was with in them. I don't know if I'll ever want to go back there though. It was a fun experience and really eye-opening for a young, naive college student but I can't see it having much in the way of tourist appeal. After that visit though my communication with crypt-keeper guy waned. It wasn't just because of his looks though. I couldn't get over the fact that he didn't have a job, nor any intention of getting one anytime soon. He wanted to visit the U.S., but would never have the money to if he didn't get a job. His country seemed so poor, but no one seemed to want to work. The cultural difference was just too great for me. They obviously valued different things in life, and I just couldn't get over that. I think I've grown a lot since then and I hope that, if faced with someone so different again, I'll be a more understanding.
