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How Do You Say Compromise in Croatian?

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Photo by  Jackson Simmer  on  Unsplash Throughout my 18 years in Croatia, there are generally three ways I've dealt with the cultural differences I've encountered:  Completely accept the new culture's way of doing things. Coffee culture comes to mind. Completely reject the new culture's way of doing things. The draft is a prime example. Make some sort of compromise.  This post is about one of the compromises I continue arguing with myself about making. It still causes a degree or two of tension in my mind when it comes up. In fact, I sometimes end up talking to myself (in English) while speaking (in Croatian).  Since a year or two after I moved to Croatia, I have worked towards learning Croatian as well as I can. There have certainly been ebbs and flows, mountains and valleys, but the progress has generally looked like the sort of economic growth chart a company would strive for. But there's one thing I have to - and often do - push against when it comes ...
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Road Music

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  "Pick up your feet!" That was my grandfather's tongue-in-cheek demand everytime we would approach a toll booth somewhere in the Buffalo, NY vicinity. (Go Bills!) Of course he was referring to the buh-bump, buh-bump the tires made on the grooved pavement to pursuade drivers to slow down. The image of my own feet dangling down, causing the car to make that noise often made me laugh.  Later in life, when I had my license, whenever I inadvertantly moved toward the shoulder of the road, the highway would rumble and groan warning me to stay in my lane.  It turns out that this technology can be used not only for the purpose of safety, but also for art.  I was in northern Hungary last week, on my annual retreat , when I encountered something I had never seen before. My first inclination was to (literally) steer clear of it. But later, I drove the same road again and experienced this:  I'm not sure what speed I was supposed to drive in order to hear the tune in its id...
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Have I Ever Told You About Parking Lots/Spots In Croatia?

One of the reasons I update this blog is to inform those who come after me. Some of the things I've experienced in Croatia have taken me completely by surprise. For example, I had no idea it was so beautiful here . Have I mentioned the hospitality ? And who would have thought you might have to pay to use the facilities? Now it's time to add parking lots to the list of things that have taken me off guard. I've been at fault for 2 car accidents in my 12 years of driving. Both happened in Croatia. Both occurred while driving slower than 3 MPH. And both car accidents were in a parking lot. Now, I realize I  am the one at fault. Not Croatia. I understand that. And I've taken full responsibility. But if you are an American driver who learned how to park at Wal-Mart, just know that things are different here. Parking often involves sidewalks - two tires on, two tires off. Parking is often very hard to find. The lines are extremely narrow. Your car will get...
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