New members of the Croatia forum, introduce yourself here

Hi, my name is Laura. Two of my children are 1/4 Croatian, and both of them went to visit Croatia. They raved about the beauty of the country and Zia Road at Yucca Street warmth of its people. I am an American-trained Registered Nurse, and would love to practice in Croatia. I do not speak the language but I want to learn.

I currently live in Dubai and i'm moving to Either Zagreb or Varazdin in February. I'm croatian my hubby is Pakistani and our dog is maltese we are 24 years old and would love to make some new friends there!

Hy, i'm Croatian, from Zagreb, we currently live in Malta almost one year, my country is beautiful and I am proud.

Welcome to Varazdin... if you come.  We used to be 24 too, a long time ago.

Rib

Hello....How are up right here alls co-membership on this site.....Will,im newly living here in croatia-pula togethere with my husband citizen in this country too......Im from Asia philippines but spend my life time working in middle East about 7years and travelling right after finished my study......I've been working in Medical Company,Home for an medical serviced,hospital......I'd called myself a Caregiver,Babysitter and even can do work as a secretary known to progress some documents to work on....Now,here still learling my new languages crostian and norwegian for a purposed......Base on what knowlegde i got how stricky crostia to get even part time work,i intirely have a couraged to rigestered here with hope to get even part time job becouse of my language...just dont want to set home and waste time........i dont have a child yet thats why dont want to spend my time for no reason....for me time is gold....Some people says language are obstacle to get what standard plan we had...yes if u just sat on bed and do nothing....but throw back on my 1st day in middle East.. yes...not easy but i did tried while working arabic are difficult one bcoz thier alphabet are diffirent just takes time to learns.....In life the best weapon for me is patient and being person who has strong couraged.I write much...God blessed all☺

Hello or Dobre Dan??????????
I am from the US, been living here about a week! Have a great apartment for May and June, but I am looking for something long term, somewhere within 5 minutes walking of the old city, for year round. I made the mistake of buying a condo on the ocean in Mexico before actually living there a while, so a rental here would do me just fine while I decide if this is a permanent move.

Things I want to do in this two months - and YES, I do need help.
1. Find an art, drawing, painting class
2. Take a short conversation course in Croatian
3. Find some Croats who would like to interchange conversations, first in English, then Croatian, so we can both practice. ON THE RIVA, for coffee and fun!
4. Find a recording studio, some local musicians interested in backing me up, helping me, teaching me, this will be my first try. I really would like to put together a local band to play for tourists on the RIVA at cafes. My expertise is marketing so I think if we find a place to practice and can put some songs together (and I KNOW what people want), we will have no problem finding a place to perform (maybe only for tips at first! - gotta become valuable assets before we can get paid! - We can also sell our CD's! I have a business background. In fact, I'm a business consultant. THINK TANK BUSINESS CONSULTANTS!
5. Meet other expats as soon as possible.

So, I'm here now, all set up, ready to rock and roll. Contact me at travels4essense - gmail. Coffee on the RIVA?

Cheers!
Morningstar

Hi Lyrian,
I am new to Split, too. Only one week. We could meet for coffee on RIVA? Talk about Split.
email me
travels4essence gmail

Hi everyone,

Moved to Croatia (Hvar) 9 years ago!  Still enjoying it, but found winter on Hvar a bit too quiet and long.  Spend the winters abroad, but spent my 1st winter in Split this year and really enjoyed it.  I am a Canadian - both parents Croatian, so I speak the language which makes life easier.  Split is growing, more active in the winter with restaurants opening and staying opened all year and not just over the 'tourist' months and has the beauty of the climate and seaside with all the conveniences a city offers.

One thing I do find a bit difficult is that I like to go out to dinners, etc., but due to the economy for locals, going out to restaurants is a luxury many cannot afford or find it too frivolous.   Checked the forum and see most people are in northern Croatia - Istria- or in Zagreb.  Just saw a post from 1 person that is in Split now, so if there are others....speak up!

Hello.....Nice to heard your inviting me for having coffee @RIVA ......this time got a busy days doing some work..Hvala

Hey everyone,

I'm, coming to  split from august 2nd, for (at least) three months. I'm coming solo, so would love to make some new friends while I'm there. If anyone wants to meet up, drop me a line

Cheers,

Robert

Hey friends, I just discovered this forum.
I moved from the U.S. to Croatia in February of 2015 on a whim. I didn't know a single person or anything about the culture or language, and have no previous ties to Croatia or the Balkans in general. I felt like my life need a change and since I've been in Zagreb, I have loved it. The only thing is my self-teaching of Croatian comes slowly and I haven't made many friends. Otherwise...I am at home here and love every moment.
Cheers
Sarah

Hey my name is Alex and I am currently on a 6 year around the world trip with my GF. We will be visiting Croatia and living in the region of Istria for three months. We will be there from August through October. We both write a travel blog inpursuitofadventure.org. We are looking to learn about the culture and the cuisine of the Istria region of Croatia. I am also looking for a harvest job.  Any kind of help would be appreciated.

I have several relatives in Croatia, from Selce all the way up to Pula.  My grandmother's name was Loncaric and I finally found them after the war in the 90's.  My mother had died and I had no way to contact anyone however there was a girl from Croatia waiting tables at one of our casino's and I recognized the accent so I approached her and found out she had just arrived in the States, we invited her to the local Croatian Club and became friends.  Some  one who could speak and write Croatian translated the letters I still had from when my mother died.  I then had someone write to the relative that had written the letter and found my family.  My grandfather came over to the states before WW1 and was a miner in Montana, his father wrote and told him about a lady that worked for them in Birbir where they had a winery, after several letters, my grandfather's dad brought her to the States and they married.  My Great Grandfather returned to Birbir where he died. His name was Anthony Barisich.  I have a Degree in English from St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY and have never used it as I had several other jobs and 3 kids to raise.  I am since divorced, and will be moving to Croatia with or without a job, however, I am on Social Security and need to make some money to supplement it as it does not go far.  Many people think that the US is a rich country, however on Social Security that is not the case at all.  I found this site tonight and wanted to establish myself so hopefully I will find work to assist me financially in moving to Croatia.

you are a brave person and that is exactly what I plan on doing in the near future.  Most people speak English there as well as Croatian so just keep trying and a friend will show up.  Also try the coffee and internet cafes they always have something going on.

Hello, i'm Johny, and i'm a local hero in Austria

Hello All:

My husband & I are visiting Croatia in October with the idea of retiring there.  We are from the US & would love some information on temporary visas.  Also, we would love to meet with someone in Split to talk to about the move rather than reinvent the wheel ourselves.

Thanks, Mary

Hi. I am Vaibhav from India. I come for business frequently in Croatia. Is there anybody in Zagreb,Croatia this week!

Hi.
I am from India working in Croatia. I am interested in friendship and networking.
Thanks

Hi,

We're looking to come and visit Croatia soon with a view to move there permanently.  Currently living in Spain and have been expats for many years.  Any thoughts or tips on where to start looking, as we've never been before, would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hi, I don't know if our story will help, but here it is.
We live in Cuenca, Ecuador at 8200 ft. It is hard on us but most of all I am a fisherman's daughter, so I miss the sea. Fortunately, my husband agrees that it is time to move to the sea. Due to our limited retirement funds we have to live in a country that has a low cost of living. But our criteria is not restricted to that, we need a place we can and want to explore. We want to explore Ecuador, but it is so isolated here it is only by bus on treacherous mountain roads that you can get anywhere. Then, with our family living in the Seattle area it is costly to get home, both in time and expense. Lastly, my old feet need a break so I need to be swimming or biking, not walking.
We had planned a trip to see our kids this past summer and in May Brian me to see how much more it would be to go to Croatia. My grandparents on my dad's side are from Mali Losinj, Croatia and we have wanted to visit for years. It is our 45th anniversary next year so that was our goal. But Brian asked about it this year. So, to my surprise, I found out it costs more to come to go from Cuenca to Seattle and back as it is to go fly from Seattle to Europe (Milan, train to Venice, ferry to Pula, rent a car and investigate is how we went) during the most expensive time of year! Taking less time to do it. There is always a long layover traveling from Cuenca.
So, because we knew we wanted to live close to beaches, not within walking distance, a bus ride will do, we kept to the coast. We drove from Pula to Rijeka then down to Zadar taking the coast highway to Senj then the A-1 into Zadar. We stayed two days in Rijeka then over night in Zadar then two days in Split. On the second day in Split we knew we could live there. Then back to Zadar over night. We took the coast highway up to Otok Krk and on down to Mali Losinj for two days.
Leaving Mali we caught the northbound ferry at the north tip of Cres and stayed in a wonderful little place near Plomine. The next morning we drove to Rovinj for two days then back to Pula. When we got to Pula we knew we would be relocating to Croatia.
We had an idea of what we wanted - swimming, oxygen and history. We we found was a wonderful people and a wonderful place to live. We've decided on Split so we arrive in April, 2016. We are eager to begin our new life there and we've done so much research my eyes hurt. LOL
Good luck to you. I hope you find what you're looking for.

Thanks so much for your comprehensive reply, it's very useful and I wish you a happy life in Croatia.

It was great to be able to talk about it. Finding a way to move with extra luggage and not going broke was the trick. Brian needs leg room so we can't fly in economy. So we compared prices for flying one way first class (that would be free luggage too), with taking a ship across the Atlantic. All the luggage you want, leg room, and a vacation after the stress of the move. We found a wonderful travel agent in Houston on line somehow, and we are taking a Holland American ship for 300 less than it would have been to fly!
When we moved to Cuenca, we bought round trip tickets and forgot to get a refund for the return portion. It wasn't too much, thankfully, but it wouldn't be this time. This way we have two days in Rome where we arrive in Europe and then we'll take the train to Ancona and the overnight ferry to Split.
We can only hope we've thought of everything that could go wrong! We can't wait to find out.

Hi everyone! My name is Myla, from the Philippines. I am currently staying in Sibenik Croatia. I don't speak the language yet, so it's quite tough to go round and about. I am hoping to meet new friends in this site. Thanks so much everyone. Have a nice day ahead.

Hello,

My name is CRACKER! I have been in Croatia for almost 5 months and I have just decided to live in Zagreb. I'm from Logan, Qld, Australia. I hope to be here for at least a year. I don't speak Croatian but would love to meet people from any country, but if there are any Australians out there that would be great too.

Hi, I am running a non for profit organization in Zagreb, called an International Arts Centre.  We offer acting classes for kids, teens and grown ups on Saturday mornings in the centre of the city. We are also on the lookout for artists who would like to run workshops with us, in English. Take a look on our website iaczagreb.wix.com/my-stage or send us a mail at [email protected]. We are committed to providing English speaking arts activities for expats living in Zagreb.
Hope to hear from you soon!  Romana

HI everyone My name is Paul, I am looking forward to moving down to zagreb next june 2016. I have served for the mod fire & rescue service since 1977 spent operational tours in Bosnia and Iraq.
I fell in love with bosnia and croatia, whilst on tour with my work in 1999 and 2001,since then I just keep going back to zagreb what I call home.
My Croatian partner has 2 grown up children, and I have 3 grown up children,we have a 14 month little boy between us, all are loved so very much.
My Croatian language is little so hope to learn more when I retire there, and plans for my past time is to create english style  wedding car hire,and executive airport travel so I have brought a silver Jaguar xj6 executive to do the job.
i am so looking forward to moving to zagreb for good, but a little scared that not knowing the full facts and procedures of living there.
Any advice from anyone would be greatfully appreciated .
Thanks for reading this
Paul H

Hi all! My name is Lucija and my husband and I are planning to relocate to Dalmatia from the SF Bay Area during the summer by way of a couple months in Sarajevo.

We both have ties to the region—my father was born in a small village along the Neretva outside of Međugorje, left in his late-teens, and stayed in Vinkovci for a couple of years before settling in Canada. My husband is Bosniak from Sarajevo who spent many a year on the Makarska Riviera, but left for California during the war.

We came to Split last summer for his daughter's wedding and decided we wanted to return on a permanent basis. We're looking to semi-retire and wind down a bit.

Cheers!

Hello Lucija~

I spent several weeks on Korcula a few years ago and dream of going back.  I now live in Sonoma County.  I'd love to talk with you on the phone before you leave for Croatia.    I'm not sure how to send a phone #/ email  privately on this forum.   I hope we can talk soon!

All the best,
Helena

Hi Helena! Thank you for reaching out--my mother lives in Windsor and my sister in Santa Rosa :-). Svijet je mali.

I can be reached via the email link on my about.me profile and look forward to connecting. about.me/lucijakordic

We are yet to visit Korčula and it's on our list.

Hi~

Desert blues, yes!   I'd love to connect - are you coming to Sonoma co. anytime soon?  I live in Petaluma...maybe on your way north?   

Best,
Helena

Yay, another Desert Blues fan!

I'm not sure when we are headed up that way since we are trying to off-load our earthly goods and townhouse, but it would be great to connect via phone or email in the meantime. Do you ever make it down toward Alameda?

Best,

--Lucija

Hello Lucija,

Hmm...I don't think I'll be coming down to Alameda soon.   Let's stay in touch about a visit.     If you send me your phone # - *.  I'll be happy to call you.   I look forward to talking with you.    It sounds like you're off on quite an adventure!

By the way, I've seen Tinariwan live several times.   Fabulous energy and music...I often feel like I'm on a camel gliding across the desert!

All the best,
Helena

We may have been to the same shows! They are magic. Good to find a kindred spirit. I'll send an email.

Hi, Everybody

I will be relocated in Croatia in a few month. I am french from Reunion Island. I travelled and lived abroad for many years and I am going to settle down in Croatia. It will be nice to meet new people..
Looking forward to it..

I have not introduced myself formally. Murray From Scotland. Lived in Trogir on the coast for nearly 18 years. Married to  a local girl in Trogir and have 2 teenage boys.
No Scottish lass could ever fill my wife's shoes. Thats for sure. My wife for example, will hang my underwear out using 2 pegs, iron them and even fold them. Wow. You dont get that in Scotland.

Hello all! I just arrived here from Prague, where my 90 day visa ran out. Plan to stay at least through the spring. Might end up just staying here and not going back to Prague. I'm originally from the US. Liking it so far. Getting used to the erratic and fast drivers here. Need to find out more about public transportation and where things are. I'm very near the ferry harbor.

Hi, I am happy to join the expat community in Croatia!

My wife and I are considering moving or spending considerable part of the year in Dubrovnik.   We are thinking of buying a house or apartment where we would live in the low season and rent it from June to September. 

We are experienced expats (Polish born Americans living in Germany) so we understand the challenges.  What we do not know is if in Dubrovnik we can find enough of community and cultural life to be based there from October until May.   Although we are multilingual, English is our preferred language.

While in Dubrovnik we would like to engage in projects on voluterly basis to give back to the community we join.   We have also sailing boat in Dubrovnik and are involved in promoting nautical tourism and training.

To get closer to our goal, we will be in Dubrovnik in early November looking for an apartment to buy.

We hope to hear from you about the expat life in Dalmatia and possibilities to engage in the local community.

Jarek & Jola

Hi Jarek and Jola,

I'm another water-sport loving person and just sent a PM to you.

My husband and I are eager to promote SUP as a viable activity and had a great time with a friend from Oakland who lead a tour close to Zadar and then came to visit us in Brela.

Hi Lucija, thanks for reaching out and pleasure to meet you!  We would love to hear more about your experiences of settling in Croatia.

We found Croatia thanks to sailing and cannot stop coming .  By the way, although we have never lived in the Bay Area, most of my years I worked (and still do) for Silicon Valley companies, so I am very familiar with the area.   

By the way we will be passing through Split on the way to and from Dubrovnik (evening Nov 1st, morning Nov 2nd or afternoon Nov. 4th.  We would love to meet for coffee.

Jarek and Jola