when you are coming from a small eastern european country, and especially from one that is not perceived so well in the world like Serbia is (so basically that little that people usually know about us is crap), then you are not surprised about different steretypes and prejudices people might have about you or your people.
– Some of them think that Serbs still live in communism (most of them don`t know that even when we were a communist country, we were in far better situation then other countries from the “eastern bloc”);
– Some of them think that Serbia is still completely destroyed from bombing and that we still (!?) have occasional gunfights in Belgrade (I wonder whom did we try to shoot at in Belgrade – unless they think about WW2);
– Some of them think that we hate everything and everyone, especially muslims (a guy from the dorm where I live here in Istanbul actually asked me why I came to Turkey if we hate Muslims so much that we hunted them in Bosnia and Kosovo!!! – I laughed and told him to watch not to turn his back to me, or else… :));
– At the airport in San Francisco they checked me thoroughly and even used those little papers (which are used to determine trails of gun-powder in your luggage – usually by rubbing your suitcase) on my hands!!! – it`s ok if they think that we are a terrorist threat to the US, but do they really think we make bombs with bare hands? we have technology, dude! 😀
anyways, I could go on listing all the stupid things I heard about my country and my people, but I guess you get the idea already… What this post is really about is what I heard last night from one german trainee here in Istanbul…
So, her friend was traveliing Eastern Europe and he told her about this weird thing Serbs have – old ladies in the streets are selling “hand-made, self-knitted” CONDOMS! And not only that he heard about it – he actually saw it! Well, WOW! I was trying whole last night to imagine how “hand-made, self-knitted” (whatever this means) condom looks like, and no luck… (can you imagine coming to an old lady in the street, taking off your underwear for measuring, then choosing the model from the catalogue etc. :D)
But good to know that my country is not only famous by Milosevic, Karadzic and Mladic, but condoms too… Durex, beware of the Serbian Grand-moms!
ha ha ha
I heard a lot of stories about Serbia but this one is the best so far… I like your comments as well, how the whole process [measuring, etc.] would look like if it was existing, of course :))
You should definitely post this at http://serbs-in-the-world.blogspot.com
Cheers.
bORIS
Hahahaha this story made me laugh out aloud :)))
Thank you for making my day just a little bit brighter.
The other day I made a joke about ‘having traffic lights in Bosnia’ can you imagine someone actually asked me: “Really, since when do you have them?” … my reply: ouch!
When I was in Singapore people pretend to know a lot about your country and then I come to a situation where I introduce myself to this top management boss of this company and he asks me where I am from, i reply: Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He looks at me, smiles and says: really? Both countries?
Sometimes I think it is even better these people don’t know anything about the Balkans since the stereotypes, specially amongst the W. European countries are awful.
Please people come and find out for yourself!!!
Thanks a lot again, I love this post.
Hmm… knitted condoms… something to think about…
Cheers
Merima
dudes…it’s “nakurnjak”!! 😀
…i guess there’s no english word for it. but it’s ment to keep you work during the long, cold serbian (or Balkan,if you preffere) winter.
It’s always good to read your posts.
Hugs from Croatia
aaaaaaaa, nakurnjak it is then! hahahahaha, completely forgot about that!
Next time I`m in Serbia I`m gonna look or these grandma`s and make one for me… Also, I guess I can create a website and sell them online… hmmm, not a bad idea at all… Perhaps even copyright it and brand it with Made in Serbia…
This time next year… 🙂
And Vesna, you could update you blog too… miss your sarcasm 🙂
I could…but usually, i write blog only when i’m in a really crappy mood. That’s where all the sarcasm comes from 😉
And lately I’ve been feeling great so there was noo need to get all the negative energy out.