FISH OUT OF WATER: Understanding Different Cultures While Working Abroad
By: Milena Stancati
Just over a month ago, I boarded a flight to Split, Croatia, leaving the comfort of my New York City teams and workspace to embark on a yearlong adventure with Remote Year. I was fortunate to be selected as one of the 22,000 professionals who applied to participate in this amazing program, which provides the opportunity to spend a year working, traveling and living in 12 different cities throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. During my travels, I’ll be blogging about what it’s like to be a “fish out of water,” offering ongoing insights on adapting to cultural and lifestyle variances.
In Croatia, it’s apparent the culture has been influenced by their six neighboring countries and, although they don’t like to admit it, their friends across the Adriatic Sea in Italy as well. Croatians are well-known for their relaxed attitudes, family-oriented lifestyles and fondness of food. As you would imagine, there is a lot of pizza, pasta and fish. Fishing happens to be one of the most popular occupations in Croatia and I had the opportunity to join a local family on a boat for a day to catch, gut and grill my own meal. Where I do feel more fit for survival through this experience, I may stick to having someone prepare the fish for me.
When looking at the country’s economic situation, it’s no surprise that people choose to live their lives so simply. Croatia has suffered years of economic recession and currently has an unemployment rate of about 15 percent, which is quite high for a developed country. Because there are no jobs, many young professionals are emigrating to other countries for a better chance at a career. For those who remain, having a “job” has taken on a much different meaning.
Born in the U.S and working in New York City, a career is pretty much all I think of. I spend most days looking for the opportunities to expand my knowledge and skillset so I can grow professionally (one of the important reasons I’m participating in Remote Year) so that I can have a lifelong career doing something I’m passionate about. But for many Croatians, having a career is simply not possible. Instead, they take what is available, mostly working in tourism and service related fields, to support their families.
During my stay, I saw the impact this has had on the culture. People just seem generally happier in Croatia, and it’s because they have more time to focus on their relationships. Families have dinner together every night, phones and computers are not their only source of communication and people congregate in the sunshine to enjoy espresso, pastries and good company. Rather than being grateful for their success, they are more grateful for simply providing for their families and having the time to spend their days with them.
With this observation, I’ve learned to be more grateful for the job I have, career path I am on and opportunity to travel and work in tandem. I’ve also learned that it is important to be where I am in the current moment and embrace what’s happening around me. It’s easy to get caught up trying to control the uncontrollable to feel better prepared. At any given moment, a conversation can be more valuable as a learning experience than remembering to send an email at the end of the night. I am grateful to have met the people I’ve spent time with in Croatia and I hope to carry with me the mindset that “more” isn’t the only way to find happiness.
Milena Stancati is a Marketing + Business Development Manager for Allison+Partners who is currently spending one year working, traveling and living in 12 different cities throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
