It has been almost a week since I arrived in Croatia and the things we have learned and experienced thus far have been immaculate. There are many things that I have learned not only in regards to the economy, as my program is studing Intermediate Macroeconomics, but about their culture here. To first begin, the real country name for Croatia is Hrvatska, hence the title of the blog post. When speaking with one of our tour guides, she is uncertain of where Croatia came from, but her best guess is that it was something other people could pronounce. Another thing that has come to shock myself and many students is the length of meals. In Croatia and most European countries, lunch and dinner are usually two to three hours long. Lastly, we have come to see that Croatia is cheap in comparison to the United States; this has been fantastic for as students we feel we can partake in more without having finances be an issue.
Experiencing all these new things has been such a blessing especially with the wonderful group I am traveling with. Dealing with such culture adjustments and language barriers are difficult at times, but here in Croatia it has not been bad for the people are so nice and many have very good English. I have loved making new friends while embracing the culture and learning from the Croatians how to treasure time with others.
Some of the highlights of my trip so far have been a presentation at the Croatia National Bank, a visit to Pula’s arena, a boat ride on the coast in Pula, and visiting the fresh farmers’ markets.
Right now we are on a bus to our next destination Dubrovnik, Croatia, and I am eager for what is to come!
