Fred's blog entries have just started to be very compelling for me.
On the 8 of January 2006 he finally set foot on Croatian ground. I'm not pulling your leg this time around.
Anyway, after the first two days in Zagreb, he realised he was suffering from a culture shock. Everything was so much smaller, the language was intimidating and he hadn't seen any black person since he arrived.
While reading his entries about the above mentioned, I was able to relate to them. When I first came to Graz, I didn't experience a culture shock (thank's God), but everything was so unfamiliar to me.
Still, as much as I can comprehend the feeling of unfamiliarity that captured him, I cannot see why he had to be so sensitive. Let me illustrate- He whinged that there was no bread, no trashcans and not much of a gay scene in Zagreb in comparison with America.
Exactly this constant complaining is what cannot enter my lovely head. I mean, when you come to a foreign country, you have to let go of your past and adjust to the culture of your adopted country as good as you possibly can.
It is the classical case of step out of the shadows and you will grow, or remain part of them and you will shrivell like an old leaf.
My sincere advice to anyone who plans to stay abroad for a longer period, or even live there is- carry the memory of your home country in your heart while adapting to a new country.
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