Guinea pig generation – The test run

English students, 2nd year now

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Moving to Zagreb was a fairly big adjustment to all but definitely a step in the good direction. The city is very calm and has a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Of course the weather was a bit of a surprise to some who saw proper snowfall or had a snowball fight for the first time in their lives. The only big challenge for us in Zagreb proved to be the language barrier. The simple fact that you will need double the time to get anything done because the lady in the office dealing with foreign resident’s papers might not actually speak english for instance. This of course being a Murphy moment since most people here have a very good level of English and willingness to communicate and help.

Since we were only 7 international students in the whole University we greatly depended on each other both in our studies and outside of uni making us a tight group. The University and all who had contact with us there have been immensely helpful and welcoming with our inquiries ranging from “Whats an OIB?” through “How do I apply for an exam?” down to even “Where should I find a dentist?”. Literally everything was new for us but at the same time we ourselves posed an entirely new experience and a challenge to the professors. All the hand-outs and presentations had to be translated and the lessons had to be held in a completely different language. In the end all professors made an immense effort, some even taking extra English lessons and checking materials with their teachers. Of course a slide slips in here and there in Croatian but according to some professors its basically the same language so it doesn’t really matter anyway. It was and to some extent it still continues to be an adjustment to both sides. One that poses numerous challenges but is at the same time balanced in its rewards. We still come across new aspects of our University and we definitely have a lot left to discover in Croatia; and so the adventure continues!

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