Moving to Croatia for a year

[Apple cut]

Zolt,
There is ever growing trend of Croats ( good and smart ones ) resorting to cheep, shithouse statements in order to vent there frustration.
There is no doubt that Croatia has enough problems to make many by exporting them in bundles.
Problem is, many of this people haven't got real picture of the real world outside there border lines.
There primary source is mainstream media, and therefore, it is almost fictional.
Often, they compare this fictional world with there own, and results are there to be seen.

College "Freelancer" is experienced, smart and educated person.
If you are making genuine enquiry, what purpose does statement like his serve? None.
Anyhow, best of luck what ever you do!

[freelancer]

Zolt kaže:

Firstly, nobody is a dickhead, please don't insult and taunt...

Secondly, Freelancer, why are you off? You can still express your opinion and answer my posts. Don't be angry, I apologized before because I read your comment in a bad way. Buddy, im 20 years old, Im moved away from my home at the age of 17 to live in my own apartment while I was studying and working at the same time in a city which there is more population than Croatia, I think i can manage the situation if somebody in Croatia wanna rip me off, I have been in a lot of difficult situations that I could solve by myself, because in Barcelona there are many dangerous people and the criminality is extremely high, unfortunately I can assure you that. Im not stupid and I know that every country has the ''habit'' of cheating the tourists. I'm a very confident person because I practice martial arts since childhood combined with other sports, Im not afraid. Sorry I've bored you telling my life.


Apple cut thanks for your support, but the insults are not necessary
Something else?

I am not OFF because of you. I just do not want to be in discussion where someone is dickhead.
Honestly, I do not telling you nothing against you as person, your character and history, gender, etc... I just want to express my right feeling that Croatia is much overpriced for service offering. I am not saying about criminals at all. I love my Country a lot. But trust me at every corner when they will see young stranger with a ''bit'' of money, they will try to sell you balls instead of kidney (Croatian Phrase). And please send me PM after get back home. And good luck...

Ciao...

[Don Calo]

if u want someone respect you ....learn to respect others this is not english speaking forum its croatian .. so learn smth and come again .
i did same thing when i was in spain so you can do the same. i dont give a fuck how hard are you etc things u say in posts before ..with that attitude u re goin to have problems in split and dubrovnik for sure so listen' bitchy as usual' and go in gay paradise called zagreb . associate with foreign students and u can get shared room for 150-200 euros .
hasta luego chico

[Zolt]

Don Calo kaže:

if u want someone respect you ....learn to respect others this is not english speaking forum its croatian .. so learn smth and come again .
i did same thing when i was in spain so you can do the same. i dont give a fuck how hard are you etc things u say in posts before ..with that attitude u re goin to have problems in split and dubrovnik for sure so listen' bitchy as usual' and go in gay paradise called zagreb . associate with foreign students and u can get shared room for 150-200 euros .
hasta luego chico

?? When i've been disrespectful? I've respected all people

Which attitude? I don't know what i've done wrong.

You didnt learn anything when you went to Spain because nobody says "hasta luego chico" I don't know why you are so exalted. Calm down, I respect you and everybody.

[Don Calo]

Zolt kaže:

?? When i've been disrespectful? I've respected all people

Which attitude? I don't know what i've done wrong.

You didnt learn anything when you went to Spain because nobody says "hasta luego chico" I don't know why you are so exalted. Calm down, I respect you and everybody.

that s what i am speaking about , see nobody give a damn about ur martial arts or that drama spanish attitude also this is not english forum so yes you are disrespectful .go to trip advisor and get ur information .

[bitchy-as-usual]

Just dont listen to them. They wont help. Several people offered you help. If you need it just send private message.

I hope someone will say something smarter

[Don Calo]

mi isto imamo čudan mentalitet jer najvažnije nam je da o nama dobro misle stranci, a to što mi mislimo o sebi manje je bitno. no oni odu u jesen, a mi ostajemo sami sa sobom i bez njihove love...a i ta lova nije nešto jer naši uvijek potroše više...
smisno i zalosno u istu ruku

[Ibiza]

Please disregard those pessimist posts, they are too frustrated by life because nothing is given to them so they should work for it, but don't feel like it... or just trolling.
Croatia is one of the safest countries in the World, so no worries on that side (many westerners I have met envy us on that). You can find plenty of people who love life, not always looking at the dark side or having closed mind by dividing people on "them" and "us" like in the post above.
In general, people are burdened by the crisis and the policy, which is no wonder we get bombarded with such news from all sides, but smart ones avoid it...

[Vesper Arlene]

Zolt,
You're not disrespectful at all, some are just venting out and at other Croats, actually. Their own attitude is what's bothering them. People are, well, more open about their own personal frustrations here. Luckily or not, the forum.hr population does not exactly corelate with the general population of Croatia. At least I believe so. Every place has it's little quirks and specific features, it's not ideal. Croatia is much safer in general than people would like to believe, and no, you won't get ripped off at any corner. I find it very sad that some people find Zagreb boring so I choose to think that they just don't know it as well as they should. And I'm the one diagnosed with depression, among other things. lol
I'd suggest you go for the neighbourhoods that border with the center of Zagreb if your decision is already made. You'll have a more genuine experience of the city and how it breaths, meet more young and interesting people, avoid the tourists&tourist traps and the prices are more reasonable. Martinovka, Kruge, Vrbik, Trnje, Trešnjevka, maybe Jarun. Explore your possibilities. You're always connected to the center&the rest of the city, you have all that you need just a few meters away.
Plenty of gym's, sports clubs, martial arts clubs and classes here so you can keep up with your training and almost all of them will be pretty close to your whereabouts. Basketball and football are also often practiced in elementary school and highschool backyards by local amateur teams made of friends and neighbours. Joining in might be a good way to find new friends and opportunities. Some neighbourhoods have their own competitions and there were a few amateur 'matches' played for a humanitarian cause, I believe.

The younger population parties mostly around the Jarun lake while there is a variety of age groups in the center. The city has it's hidden gems everywhere though and I'm sure you'll find something which suits you and your preferences. Almost everyone speaks English so you should have very little if any problems with communication.
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FFZG) has Croatian classes though I think they're not the only choice. To find more information on jobs for foreigners I think it would be best to search some of the expat blogs, they are more experienced in that area and I'm sure they will want to help you out as well.
I would, however, advise you to have a Croat help you with finding an apartment and communicating with the landlord for the first time or to try to find an apartment to share with a roommate. That goes for wherever you choose to live.
Hope I helped a little as well, good luck

[LexMoloch]

Find a flat in Dubrava or Kozari Bok neighbourhoods in Zagreb, they are the safest and a total bargain! You also get to meet some of the most authentic and friendly locals.

Jokes aside, I wish you all the luck here and wholeheartedly recommend the coastal region over the capital city - one of the larger urban centers in Dalmatia will suit you fine, you'll probably be "more at home" there. Croatia is a great country to visit, especially because you can get out of it at the end.

[IknowIcan]

When it is out of summer season, I dont see any better option, but living in Zagreb. An apartmant for a single pearson(30-35m2) you can find already for 200€ and for 300€ you can find one new, modern and nice looking.
Zolt, you can PM me for all questions about finding a place in Zagreb. I know how hard it is to move and start living in a foreign country.

[Zolt]

Ibiza, thanks for your comment it's helpful and hopeful. If Croatia is as safe as you say, I'll envy you, but in the good way, because here everybody have to be aware 24h a day of pickpockets, robbers, latins street gangs... etc. I need to take a breath and be calm

Vesper, you are very kind. I repeat it again, I meant no disrespect to Croatians at any time.
I've copy&pasted your comment, there are many useful things. I'll send you a private if I need something, thank you for taking your time!

LexMoloch, I'll look for that too, sounds pretty good. I know that Croatia is a great country to visit, that's why I want to spend a year there, also because everybody always goes to the same countries (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, U.K..), I've been in those countries and I want something different.

IknowIcan, thanks for your support, I'll PM you if I need more help! THANKS

Many users are helping me a lot via PM, Im very grateful and as far as i can see, croats are very good people.

Regards

[goldentip]

Zolt, come to Rijeka. It is a big city at the sea. Rents are less expensive than in Zagreb. There is also a lot of tourism and shipyards so you could find a job. People in Rijeka are a mixture of Italians and Croats and foreigners are welcome here always. Italy is close also and Slovenia so you can travel. Zagreb is more expensive than Rijeka and has colder winters with lots of snow. I lived in Zagreb and now I live in Rijeka and it is much better than Zagreb. Also, Zagreb is only one hour and a half drive from Rijeka. Ljubljana - capital of Slovenia is also one hour and a half drive from Rijeka. I speak Spanish too. If you need help in Croatia and advice you can contact me in Spanish also. Cheers !

[Xanthe]

A useful link for approximate calculation of living costs (in Rijeka, but you can select any city).
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...a&city2=Rijeka

[ivkaa]

You can contact them to help you with your choice http://www.dubrovnikforeigncircle.com/

Or you can read http://www.englishmanindubrovnik.com...ovnik-english/

https://www.facebook.com/EnglishmanInDubrovnik

[Zolt]

Ops, sorry, i hadn't read those posts.

All the information is useful, I've kept all the links. A lot of users sent me PMs recommending me Rijeka.
I'll check more information about this place because at first, Rijeka didn't attract me at all, but many people is commending it, seems a good place but im from a big city and Rijeka has few people, maybe it would be lonely and boring for me. I want not too much crowd and not too less, intermediate.

Thanks for your kindness.

[crótach]

I was born in Zagreb and honestly, I would recommend you make a base somewhere on the coastline. Split sounds just about perfect.

I prefer Istria, but that's really up to you. Someone suggested Rijeka - that's a nice place to base yourself in Istria.

Split is in the middle of the coastline, has a healthy rental market and you stand a chance of getting a seasonal job in the tourist industry even without knowing croatian.

Zagreb is a dirty, depressive old town, that gets empty in the summer and dull and grey in the winter. There's a world of a difference between continental and coastal Croatia.

It's enough to go to Zagreb for a weekend, check out the sights and come back somewhere nicer and cheaper.

If you're going to spend a year in Croatia I'd suggest you make some contacts and plan what to do. Finding a job might be more difficult, but you can always volunteer or join clubs based on your interest and meet people that way.

You have a healthy attitude and that's the most important asset for having a good time, the rest will work itself out.

[Zolt]

crótach kaže:

I was born in Zagreb and honestly, I would recommend you make a base somewhere on the coastline. Split sounds just about perfect.

I prefer Istria, but that's really up to you. Someone suggested Rijeka - that's a nice place to base yourself in Istria.

Split is in the middle of the coastline, has a healthy rental market and you stand a chance of getting a seasonal job in the tourist industry even without knowing croatian.

Zagreb is a dirty, depressive old town, that gets empty in the summer and dull and grey in the winter. There's a world of a difference between continental and coastal Croatia.

It's enough to go to Zagreb for a weekend, check out the sights and come back somewhere nicer and cheaper.

If you're going to spend a year in Croatia I'd suggest you make some contacts and plan what to do. Finding a job might be more difficult, but you can always volunteer or join clubs based on your interest and meet people that way.

You have a healthy attitude and that's the most important asset for having a good time, the rest will work itself out.

Thanks for your recommendation buddy. Is Zagreb so grey and sad as you said? Im confused, many people told me the opposite. I don't know what to do now because Split attracts me a lot too, Regika isn't one of my main options at all but a lot of users are recommending me this one.

Osijek and Makarska are stunning and beatiful as I could check, but maybe those places are too quiescent (?)


Thanks

[Ibiza]

crótach, you might be born in Zagreb, but you obviously have not been in Zagreb or Croatia for long time.
I've been born and living in Split for 30 years and past few in Zagreb and I've been into real estate business in both cities.
Split is ok if you don't mind smaller cities. Split doesn't have healthy real estate market, it's almost non existent... and it's more expensive than Zagreb in every way, not just realty. Most will rent only to students so they have empty apartment during summer for tourists.

Zagreb is alive in any time of year, while in Split you can walk from center to another end on Friday night and meet 5 people because "omg it's cold, only +10°..." while in Zagreb nobody cares if it's below 0°.

Yes, you might find job easier in Split for 3 summer months, but what for the rest of a year... Zagreb has many international organizations which are constantly hiring and tourist are around city most of the year.

[Trixy85]

Hi Zolt, I saw you wrote that you were thinking about Osijek.
Well, as a local all I can say is NO NO NO

Osijek used to be a gorgeous town, full of people, things to do, places to see..
Today it is dead – you cannot see people smiling at the street, well you cannot see people at the street at all!
Osijek is depressing, it kills your spirit.. People have no jobs, no money, no hope.. I moved, couldn't stay any longer..

So, choose Zagreb or Rijeka, they are the best Croatia has to offer!