One of the things about Croatia that I love is the more relaxed attitude toward work. Kristian works 30-hour weeks, and that's considered full-time. People take long breaks for coffee. It's probably written in the Croatian constitution that everyone gets at least week at the seaside every year. Of course, salaries are small and people are poor. But working AS MANY HOURS AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN is not the cultural virtue that it is in the U.S. People here like to slow down and spend time with friends and family. If you "drop in" to a Croatian's house, even if she's a stranger and you're making a business call, she will drop whatever she's doing to make coffee and serve cookies...and you better not say you aren't hungry or thirsty!!
Of course, this easy-going, relaxed attitude is very annoying when you want something done. We have been without internet at home for two weeks. The tenant before us had the same kind of internet, and a guy came out to set up the modem and router. But at the main office, they can't be bothered to switch on our service. All they have to do is TURN ON THE DSL. It's guaranteed to be on within 30 days of us requesting service. Thirty days!! To make matters worse, they don't quit sending you a bill, whether or not you actually have internet. So we could be billed for a whole month of internet service that they didn't give us.
Since Kristian does freelance web design on the side, and I teach online, we both require internet for our jobs, and it's really a hardship not to have it. Croatia isn't like the US in that there's free wireless at every coffee shop, gas station, and fast food joint. There are a couple coffee shops in town that MIGHT have internet, but it's down as often as not.
Oh well, the 30 days will be up by the time we're back from the sea--we're leaving tomorrow--so at least the annoyance is almost over. But I was just thinking today....it takes about 1 day of no-internet-at-home for me to quit thinking "Croatians have such a healthy, balanced attitude toward work" and start thinking, "Croatians are so damned lazy!!!!" :D
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