Why I Love Living in Serbia
Active Shooter Drills — My daughter came home a couple of
months after beginning Pre-K in Boston at the International School of Boston (ISB) crying. She was asking why they would come to shoot us. It took us a while to figure out what she was talking about, but she had her first active shooter drill. We explained it was
like a fire drill; it would probably never happen, but they have to teach you what to do if it does. They don’t have those drills in Serbia. Why you ask? Because there has never been a school shooting in Serbia
Apartment/Location — I love our apartment. It would probably be 1.5 million in Boston and close to 2 million in NYC, but we were able to pay it all off with the money we made from selling our apartment in Boston. We live in a great area of Belgrade, ten blocks from the Parliament and the Center of the City, between two huge farmers’ markets and restaurants. We have three balconies, the long one has a grill that faces east, and the sun shines in the windows all winter long. Even during the dead of winter, if the sun is out, you can sit there with a light jacket. Half a block away, we have a park where I walk and watch the dogs play. There are three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths (great to have when living with a wife and daughter), a large living room with a dining room table for ten, and a custom-made aquarium. I got exactly what I wanted in my kitchen and office thanks to http://www.birovia.rs/en/home/ and our friends Goran and Jelena. I can’t think of a better place to live, and Ella loves her room. What more can you ask?
Food — I have come to enjoy Serbian food, whether home-cooked or out, in ways I never imagined. I was going to go through a list here, but I realized it would take up to much space. I will post more detail about the different foods in the future.
Restaurants–We live in a beautiful area of restaurants just a few blocks away. However, throughout Belgrade and Serbia, you find 100s of excellent restaurants. Everything from classic Serbian to “expensive” white table cloth dining, and I say expensive for Serbia it is. A fixed price menu is rarely over $50-$60 compared to well over $200 in the US. My blog reviews many of the restaurants we have experienced, so hopefully, that gives you a start. If you come to Serbia, I hope you try a few rustic Serbian Restaurants.
Friends–one of the things that I appreciated is that I have so many friends here. Some had visited us when we lived in Boston, and others we regularly saw on our visits. Now we can see them whenever we want. When you know a Serb, you have a friend.
Rikja–The national drink of Serbia. Fruit Brady is usually made from plum but can be made with apples, apricots, and quince. A potent liquor that almost every Serb has a source for homemade (moonshine) Rikja, though there is also an industrial version that you can buy at any liquor store. I have grown fond of it after a slow start. You refer back to my earlier post on Rakija which also has other references.
Butchers–We had butcher shops when I was growing up, but there were fewer and fewer. In Belgrade, there is one usually within a half of a kilometer.
Market–There are markets all over Serbia. There are three within walking distance of our apartment. Most are outdoor farmer market type settings, though, over the years, there has been less and less local product sold. You can buy everything from fruits and vegetables to fish, meat, clothes, and home products here. Use to be all the stalls were filled, many of them from local farmers on the weekends. There are fewer and fewer of those. One of the markets is now in a fancy indoor building with elevators. Still, this is where you get many things you need for everyday life.
Prices–Most goods and services are much cheaper in Serbia than in the US. I bought an iPad Pro recently at the same price as the US, which is true of most electronics. They do have some things, such as appliances that have cheaper brands. Most of our appliances were bought from a company in Slovenia. Where you get the significant savings is in food and labor. Food overall is much less expensive. Dinner out is at least half of what it would cost in Boston. A good beer, for example, is less than a dollar. Repairers and other services are cheap as well. A haircut is $5.00. I usually give them $10.00, and they freak out. Of course, Medical service is free for the most part; even buying medication cost about as much as the co-pay in the US.
It has been a great few years living in Serbia, and I look forward to the lifetime experience of living in a different culture from where I spent most of my life.