Imagine Russia and Spain as parents, and Serbia as their child! American professor and musician Roli has been living in Serbia for over ten years and keeps sharing his hilarious yet touching impressions of the people and culture here. From his first night in Skadarlija, where a guy in a café asked if he was American and told him a story about NATO bombings, to living in a small house without running water or electricity, Roli has experienced Serbia as a land of contrasts and warmth.
According to him, Serbs are like a child of Russia and Spain — a mix of Slavic seriousness and Mediterranean charm. They have Cyrillic script, Orthodoxy, rakija, and that relaxed, slower pace of life that Americans from big cities find hard to understand. Roli tried to master Serbian language, but the seven cases confused him so much that he gave up and now uses a simplified speech — he still sounds like a foreigner but at least can get by.
The best things about Serbia? Hospitality, barbecue, and a laid-back atmosphere. Roli even organizes gastronomic trips and festivals, and he got engaged to a Serbian woman, hoping to get citizenship soon. He notices that people in smaller Serbian towns are similar to those in his small American town — more relaxed, kinder, sometimes conservative.
But it’s not all rosy — Serbian cases were a nightmare for him, and he still misses the American pace of life. Still, he learned to say “jebga” — the best Serbian word that helped him become more relaxed and straightforward.
This American proves that Serbia is not just a country for tourists but a home for those who want to feel the true Serbian soul. So, could you survive seven cases and Serbian barbecue? Or have you already given up? Share your thoughts, maybe Roli still has something to learn from you!
