This website isn’t about me – it’s a tribute to Croatia and to the Croatian people… my people. Some posts will undoubtedly be more personal than I’d like them to be, but I think the context will be necessary to show things from a human perspective. This isn’t an exercise in narcissism, but my attempt to help people find quality information about Croatia, Croatian people, and Croatian products. I’m not writing from the perspective of an expat or a digital nomad or even an expert. I’m writing from the perspective of a proud third generation Croatian American with dual citizenship. Unlike some members of the diaspora who grew up bilingual with šljivovica in their baby bottles, I regretfully didn’t fully understand or connect with my roots until my mid 30s. My familiarity with Croatia didn’t come from accidental family indoctrination – learning the language, my citizenship, my Croatian connections were all the result of hard work, surrounding myself with good Croatian people, and – frankly – a lot of luck. All of this, by the way, at the chagrin of my husband. He’s more supportive that I could have ever imagined but finally insisted on an intervention and I’m now allowed a maximum of 15 hours of klapa music per week. But I would like to point out that he’s the one who often instigates early Saturday morning, rakija-fueled Croatian music video marathons.
My goals are to: help people better understand Croatia and Croatian culture, to promote responsible and authentic traveler experiences, and to amplify the voice of proud Croatian entrepreneurs in Croatia and around the globe. Croatian food and wine products are among the best in the world and, in my opinion, often exceed those of their better-known neighbor across the Adriatic. Similarly, Croatia sometimes has reputation for political stagnation (if not corruption) and a customer service and work mindset that is a relic from pre-1991. While some of that that may be true, my experiences and memories instead revert to the incredible warmth and hospitality of countless Croatians who’ve welcomed us, helped us, treated us, and made me ever-increasingly proud of my roots. This and future posts are a tribute to Miro, Miki, Sanja, Jasmina, Dortea, Snežana, Žana, Antonija, Nathalia, Doris, Ivan, Pero, Bartol and countless others who’ve positively changed the trajectory of my life. Hvala puno!
