Expats in Zagreb: Meet Sonja, a Russian Whose Family Chose Croatia for a Fresh Start
I met up with Sonja for a cup of hot tea on a rainy day and my first impression was that she is just a typical 20-year-old Zagrebian student with maybe a hint of a different accent. But behind that little hint hides an interesting story.
Sonja, now a pyschology student, left the hectic life of Moscow and moved to Croatia almost seven years ago. As if that weren't enough, her family chose a small Croatian coast town Rovinj for a fresh start. Her father who already visited Croatia and loved it here opened up a tourist agency in Rovinj, and that was the beginning of a new life in Croatia for their family.
Image credit: Sonja Borisova
Hard beginning & overcoming the language barrier
When they moved, Sonja started 7th grade in Croatian school which she remembers as a very stressful time since she didn´t speak a word of Croatian. ''I remember teacher asking me - what is your name - and I didn´t have a clue what she is telling me!'' – says Sonja. ''I was very angry with my parents and desperate to go back to Russia and live with my grandparents. Everything that I knew was there. All my friends and family and I just wanted to go back, but my parents didn't let me, so I stayed in Rovinj. I eventually learned Croatian pretty quickly because I had to. Everyone around me spoke it, and no one knew how to speak Russian, so you pick up the language very fast.'' She also said that the fact that Russian and Croatian are both similar Slavic languages helped her a lot. Even today there are words that she doesn´t understand at first but she connects their meanings to Russian, and most of the times she gets it right. Although, talking is still a lot easier than writing, she jokes.
Image credit: Sonja Borisova
Differences between the two countries
''There are a lot of different things, but as a culture in the whole, there are also a lot of similar things too. You can really see the common Slavic background in both cultures. In general, I would say that Russian people are little more reserved and cold while Croatians are very open and generally have much warmer personality.'' – says Sonja. Also, a funny thing she noticed is that people here in general really don´t like winter and cold weather. ''Everyone is always complaining how cold it is or how they can't wait for summer which is funny to me because I sometimes really miss the real Russian winter and snow, especially during holidays. I love to spend New Years celebrations in Russia because of that winter atmosphere. This year I stayed in Rovinj with my family, and the feeling was just not the same for me.''
Life in Zagreb
For her, the biggest shock when she moved to Croatia was moving from a huge city like Moscow to a little town of Rovinj. ''I felt like no one really understood what it's like for me to live in Rovinj. Outside the tourist season, the city is empty, and there are not many places to go and hang out with your friends so I couldn't wait to come and study in Zagreb.''
When it comes to living in Zagreb, Sonja says Zagreb is a far better match for her than Rovinj. ''I love everything about Zagreb. You can feel it is a big city, the mentality of people here is very similar to Moscow, there is always something going on, and I met a lot of amazing friends in the past two years of living here.''
Image credit: Sonja Borisova
Some shortcomings
When I asked Sonja about any negative aspects of living in Croatia, she only mentioned the fact that even though she has a permanent Croatian residence which should allow her all the same rights that Croatian citizens have she still has to pay full scholarship for university, as she still doesn't have citizenship. It is not really fair because university sholarships in Croatia are free for all first time university students. ''You first have to apply three times for permanent residence and then you can apply for citizenship. So, this means that until I get citizenship I have to pay full university scholarship and I can't enter EU countries without a visa which is not the best, even though I should technically have all the same rights as Croatian citizens.'' – Sonja explained to me.
Plans for the future
''I don't really know if I will live in Croatia forever, but one thing is certain, I will not go back to Russia for sure.'' She says that for now, her goal is to finish the university and then see what she will do next. ''There is still a lot of time for that kind of decisions. For now I am enjoying the university life in Zagreb with my friends and boyfriend.''
Header image credit: TZGZ, Davor Rostuhar
Author: Darija Ilić