The Dubrovnik Foreign Circle held their annual Christmas party last night in an international party. Members from all over world gathered in the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik hotel and brought an international feel to the festivities in the city. Along with a prize draw and festive cuisine the circle also sang Christmas carols in English, German and Croatian.

“We have had an excellent 2016 in which we have raised much needed funds for charities in the city. I want to thank you for your support and wish you all a safe and merry Christmas,” commented Christiane Mandukich the president of the Dubrovnik Foreign Circle.

The Dubrovnik Foreign Circle’s mission and vision is to actively serve the community by providing services that contribute to the health and vitality of the greater Dubrovnik Region. The organization’s goal is to provide friendship and understanding between its members and the Dubrovnik community at large by organizing cultural and social events. The Dubrovnik Foreign Circle engages in fundraising activities for the benefit of its community projects.

Balloons and clown, elves and Dance Studio Lazareti, Linđo, Christmas songs, a lot of cakes - that is a short description of Cake Party that will be held on Saturday from 11 am on Stradun, just around Orlando. 

Traditional ninth, humanitarian and fun party for children as well as older fans of sweet will be a delight to visitors who will have the opportunity to show their generosity. By purchashing the voucher of 15 kuna they will enjoy cakes and help the Association of multiple sclerosis Dubrovnik-Neretva County. This association is known to the public - it has a transporter that, except that it is used for the members of the Association, helps immobile tourists to visit Dubrovnik cultural and historical sights. Association needs wheelchair, so we need to join forces and help them get this essential tool!

We are proud to be the part of the sweetest party this year. Don't miss the chance to try our cake this Saturday, at 11 am.

For a complete arrangement of the first phase of the Lapad Coast reconstruction - from municipal harbor Batala to the building of the Faculty, City of Dubrovnik provided 18 million kuna in the budget for 2017. Work on the first phase of reconstruction can begin immediately after the adoption of the budget and the completion of the tender procedure and be carried out next year. You can see how the Lapad Coast is supposed to look like in the video simulation. Project includes widening the road, sidewalk on both sides of the road, new parking sites and infrastructure and landscape arrangement in the whole area.

I was more than ready to leave home at 18. By the time I was a senior in high school; I couldn’t stand my hometown anymore and was itching for a change. I never really second guessed my decision to move to Chicago, because in America it’s normal to pack your bags for college and start a new chapter. Leaving was of course an adjustment, but it was always something I knew I needed to do.

In America, parting ways with home is seen as a necessary part of growing up. To say “he’s still living at home in his mom’s basement” somehow became synonymous for being unsuccessful, and our culture seemed to follow along.

Coming to Croatia was the first time I truly saw this cultural norm turn upside down. I noticed as most of my Croatian classmates were in their mid to late twenties, attending college while still living at home. Most of them had jobs of their own to pay for college and other living expenses. Most were still living in the house they grew up in. Many had never left.

It seems in Europe that living at home is much more common and even more so in Dubrovnik, perhaps. Of course, I have friends in the United States who live at home but the majority left for good. While some studied or worked elsewhere in Croatia or Europe, many young adults in Dubrovnik seem to always come back.

I have experienced this cultural contrast while living with my boyfriend and family for the past several months. I’ll admit it: at first it felt strange for me to be living at home again. I missed having my own space. Coordinating cooking, sleeping, and car-sharing schedules with other family members was new to me. But as I became warmer to this adjustment, I began to understand and respect this culture custom.

It’s very important for people in Dubrovnik to be close to family. Even those that moved elsewhere express they will surely return to start a family. Thus, Dubrovnik’s cultural roots run deep with locals. Living at home truly takes a lot patience and coordination from all family members, and it’s not always the easy solution.

But honestly, it seems many young adults don’t have much of a choice, even if they wanted to leave. It’s difficult to establish yourself in Croatia, which is why many people don’t move until after getting married. Living at home is often a stepping-stone in order to build financial stability.

I can now say I’ve had a taste of both sides of this cultural phenomenon. But is one better than the other? Comparing leaving home in America to living at home in Croatia is like comparing apples to oranges. Both have completely different cultural and economic complexities, so to look at Croatia through an American lens is nothing but ignorant.

I’ve heard echoes in Dubrovnik that Croatia is a nation of “mama’s boys”. Yes, I do know both men and women who are very close to their mothers in Croatia, which I think is a good thing. Yes, I know several people have their moms doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning for them. In retrospect, I know many Americans whose parents coddle them just as much, even when they live outside the house. I’ve seen several Croatians who are extremely successfully and self-sufficient while living with their parents. So, to assume everyone who lives at home is a mama’s boy (or girl) seems to be a false narrative.

Every time an American raises an eyebrow when I say my boyfriend still lives with his family, I find myself growing more defensive. Not just for his sake, but also for the culture they haven’t taken the time to understand.

Through my time in Croatia I’ve somehow gained a new appreciate for my hometown I was so eager to get out of. It’s made me appreciate my roots and how important my family is to me. For the first time in five years, I’ve started to miss living at home myself.

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Alexandra Schmidt, also known as The Mindful Mermaid, is a globetrotting writer and travel blogger, who finds her self always coming back to Dubrovnik. She was raised in St. Paul, Minnesota and later moved to Chicago to study at Loyola University. She first came to Dubrovnik when she studied at Dubrovnik International University, and has returned to Dubrovnik several times since. She’s a mermaid-obsessed yogi, who passes her time playing guitar, exploring the great outdoors, and planning her next adventure. To find out more about Alex, you can visit her website or Facebook page.
www.mindfulmermaid.com
www.facebook.com/themindfulmermaidblog

November proved to be a bumper month for Dubrovnik tourism. A combination of the milder weather, more flight connections and increasing festive events has attracted more tourists to Dubrovnik in off-season.

A grand total of 26,511 tourist arrivals were recorded in November in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County which is an impressive 33 percent increase when compared to the same month last year. And in November the county achieved 72,592 overnight stays, an increase of 34 percent compared to November 2015.

From the beginning of 2016 to the end of November the county has seem 643,683 tourists arriving, which again is an increase this time by ten percent.

The most numerous tourists in the Dubrovnik – Neretva County have been from the United Kingdom, followed by tourists from Germany, Poland, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, the United States and Italy.

The biggest Christmas tree in Dubrovnik got covered with snow yesterday, just after the festive stands. It brought that special winter feeling and great joy to the children who immediately run to the tree to see the ''snow'' falling. Snow is maybe fake, but the winter magic is real.

Today, the 6th of December, marks one of the darkest pages in Dubrovnik’s long history. On this day 25 years ago the Serbian and Montenegrin forces launched an artillery attack on Dubrovnik, killing six people and wounding sixty.

It was the heaviest bombardment on the city during the Homeland War and some 650 shells fell onto the historic Old City of Dubrovnik damaging or destroying over half the buildings in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rockets and mortar shells crashed into the city as the bombardment lasted for 12 hours. The Imperial Fortress on the top of the Srd Mountain was attacked relentlessly; however the aggressors were defeated by Dubrovnik’s brave defenders.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of this horrific act, an act that will always be remembered.

Stand up comedian, musician and filmmaker Kenny Sebastian has recently published a video on Youtube called ''That time I went to Croatia'', featuring Sarah Jane Dias, Varun Thakur and Abish who sadly didn't make it to Croatia. Video is funny, relaxed and full of beautiful scenes from Croatia.

First they visited Zagreb and the famous Museum of Broken Relationships and then they came to Dubrovnik. They had fun on Lokrum but their favorite part was Game of Thrones City tour, which was led by Dubrovnik tourist guide Iva Nikolic, who is also part of the video. 

- They were really great and funny. The video doesn't really show how much fun we had, that is one of my favorite tours this year. Great number of Indians in the tours that I led after heard about them, so this is truly a great promotion for our City – Iva commented.
Don't miss it!