Why Croatian? – Zašto hrvatski?

From the magazine HRVATSKI! 2/2024: Special topics – Posebne teme

FOR GOD´S SAKE, WHY THE CROATIAN LANGUAGE?

This essay by Mr. Herbert can be found here in the blog on English. Compare the Croatian and the English versions of this interview by opening the magazine HRVATSKI 2/2024 on page 61.

What could be nicer, more excising and more interesting than being able to communicate with people in another country in their native language?! Read what Mr. Herbert has written on this topic.

Hello! How crazy do you have to be to start learning a foreign language at an advanced age after learning several languages? A little bit, I think. For what reason? Because languages are exactly what connects people. And it´s fun to learn them.

Enthusiasm and passion are part of it, like salt and pepper in a good soup. What could really be nicer, more exciting and more interesting than being able to communicate with people in another country in their native language?! Just a wonderful story. I have been interested in a very specific language for a very long time. “Croatian“. A lot of time, actually too much time, passed before I actually thought about it and started to deal with this language. But why, for heaven’s sake, Croatian when many people in my country think that all Croatians can speak German?! At least some or even many actually can speak German. Of course, German tourists in Croatia think and expect that anyway. That is clear. Wherever Germans appear, German must be spoken. That’s how it should be. But that’s the least you can expect, right? Typical thinking again. At Easter in Zagreb… cars with German license plates in every traffic jam, on every street corner, in almost every courtyard entrance. As far as the eye can see. Sure, you immediately feel confirmed in the above sentences and think that you are on vacation in Federal German States. But the reality is different. “D” on the outside, “HR” on the inside.

But now, one at a time. This is how you find out why I chose Croatian, this language that is not easy, or let’s say, it´s difficult.

In the 1970s, my young wife and I, I was still young at the time (hard to believe), lived and worked in Stuttgart. One of the first colleagues my wife met was the pretty Dušanka. So for the first time I thought that you had to be able to communicate in Croatian. But I ask you not to get the idea that I might have fallen for Dušanka. For heaven’s sake, no! Although, she was actually a sweet Croatian beauty. That can be said. However, we soon lost sight of her and also out of mind. Away. So I didn’t have to think about Croatian anymore.

My wife changed jobs and, as life goes, she got a new Croatian colleague. No wonder, with around 250,000 Croats living in the Stuttgart area. Another pretty, sun-drenched, always slightly cold, but always very, very lovable Željka. Željka, with her mother and brother moved to Stuttgart as her mother married a Swabian.

And as is sometimes the case with mother and daughter, Željka undoubtedly had the same idea and also fell in love with a brave Swabian. Erich was also an engineer at Mercedes, which wasn’t inconvenient from a traffic perspective. Whenever we spent time with these new friends, which was very often, we had wonderful, totally happy, even super fun evenings together.

Immer gab es bei Željka und Erich zuhause zum Abschluss für die Seele traditionell einen – na was wohl – Šlivovic. Oder gar zwei oder drei oder…. Die Mahlzeiten bei ihnen waren stets super lecker, denn Željka kann wunderbar kochen, Kuchen backen, sowieso. Željka ist heute noch die beste Freundin meiner Frau und die liebste Freundin unserer Familie. 

Due to the ongoing Croatian influences, it was of course inevitable that we got to know one of the good restaurants with Croatian food in Stuttgart. Now it’s time to start with Croatian… wishful thinking…

At the time, however, we officially knew little about Croatia. Until then, my wife and I actually only knew Yugoslavia, which we called Yugo. And we only knew that from hearsay. The language belonging to this country was Serbo-Croatian. And this country was ruled by the Duce. Stupid irritation! No, of course not! This was the pre-war and war Italian (an Italian from the time before and during the Second World War). In Yugo there was Tito. And this Tito’s policies ensured that we West German citizens could and were allowed to travel to his country on vacation.

But now quickly back to the food. I’m getting hungry. What is that? Ćevapčići, ražnići, pljeskavica. “I only understand train station” (a Germain saying), “or rather locomotive”. Sh, ch, dsh, cc…

Sometimes there is also a strangely named rice. Dubček or something like that. Oh, man! Now I didn’t have my thoughts fully under control again. That was, wait a minute, that Czech president. Wasn’t the rice called djuvec rice? Whatever. Sometimes we ordered this and sometimes another dish. The obligatory coleslaw and definitely onions were always served. Without these two ingredients nothing worked (there was no dish).

I almost forgot about it. Ayvar. Of course Ayvar, that too. My wife is still very enthusiastic about this fiery pepper paste, which of course we didn’t know at the time.

I can’t remember how many times we went there to eat. But I still know one thing: all the dishes, even if we could have ordered them with our index finger on the menu without Željka, always tasted excellent. We became addicted. There would now have been new reasons to finally start learning Croatian.

Once, it was just before the summer holidays, Željka and Erich said that they had decided to travel to baka (grandma) in Krčevo this year to spend their vacation there. I’m sorry, what?! Krtiischhschehwoo? Who, how, where, what is that? And what are you doing there all the time? Well, Krčevo, we learned, is a very, very small village near the Sava river. OK. Of course, we didn’t immediately know where it was. It didn’t sound particularly comfortable either. But you have to know that the very, very small village is actually called Veliko Krčevo. And veliko means big after all. But, there is also Malo Krčevo. So now we were a bit irritated.

However. That sounded like a village or agricultural adventure and therefore like haymaking, fruit picking, maybe cleaning up, even harvesting on a small collective farm in a communist country. And of course we would have had to spend the night there. That wasn’t exactly my ideal vacation. Furthermore, we don’t speak Croatian (then Serbo-Croatian).

What was I thinking back then? No, I don’t want it. That makes me insecure in an Eastern Bloc country, even if Željka is there. My stomach nerves are making themselves felt. Of course they would both go to the Adriatic coast, that was their argument for a wonderful vacation. Already better. But I was still suspicious of this Yugoslavia. So not with me for now. By nature, let’s say, I’m not exactly a vagabond in the world.

Željka and Erich went to Yugo again and again in the following years and other friends joined them who were actually enthusiastic about the landscape, the Adriatic coast and the good food. And above all, it should be very inexpensive there. Then my attention slowly moved in this direction.

Now I have to say that my wife travels everywhere straight away, adventurous as she is. There is nothing that can stop them, except for me. It just went well that we went on our honeymoon together by plane – I generally prefer to have solid ground under my feet. So it happened that she convinced me to travel, after we now had an “enormous” Croatian language vocabulary, which was exhausted in „Hvala“ „Molim“ „Dobar dan“ and perhaps „Doviđenja“, if not inland, then to Yugo on the Croatian Adriatic coast. There was no way we were going to starve as we already knew the names of the wonderful and rich Croatian dishes. And we wouldn’t die of thirst either. There was also the magic word pivo. Coca-Cola should be in there too. Oh wonder, it actually really existed. I kept the glass bottle with the Croatian inscription for many years

And so that nothing could go wrong and we both liked foreign languages, we immediately got a “Serbo-Croatian phrasebook”. Now we were excited by our curiosity about a very special attraction (we didn’t know the word highlight at the time) that everyone was talking about. In Yugo you can swim by the sea without any top or bottom, i.e. without swimming trunks or bikini, i.e. naked (!) (“mega” and “cool” weren’t part of our vocabulary at the time either). Well, if that’s not a special reason to travel there, then it’s your own fault. We “non-GDR citizens” didn’t know about naturist bathing.

OK. Let’s go to Yugoslavia. We packed our seven belongings into the small BMW 1601 and rushed along the motorway to and through Austria. Then across the Alps. It went over the Loibl Pass and the Karawanken (mountains between Carinthia and Slovenia, then Yugoslavia), if I remember correctly. And above all, a little slower. Strangely, the Karawanks did not sway that day. We knew this from the song “The Rose of Lake Wörtersee“.

But we now reached the former Yugoslavian border quite easily. She was getting closer and closer. Such a crap! I don’t like borders at all. And certainly not those that can be used to get to an eastern country. What you heard about searching, arresting and the like. My stomach – you already know – doesn’t like them either. His numerous nerves are raging. I feel sick. Doesn’t matter. We have to go into this unknown territory now. I want. And where there is a will, well.

The border guards look at us and our documents scrutinizingly and sullenly. I already knew it, especially me. Logical. I’m not imagining it. My stomach nerves are running at full speed. No, we don’t have anything to declare (especially not drugs, even if my hair is hippy-long) and hiding refugees would only have been interesting on the return journey. Then free passage. Border passed. I feel a bit relieved but at first somehow, let’s say, strange.

But then it will be wonderful, you can’t complain about that. And it’s getting more and more beautiful. At this point in time, we don’t know exactly where we are. In Slovenia or Croatia. Sounds better than Yugoslavia. In any case, we reach the Adriatic coast in the evening without any incidents. Magnificent sights and views!

But where are we staying tonight? My stomach suddenly complains again. His nerves even more so. My wife can stay almost anywhere. It is the pole that brings us peace when things get tight. That feels good. We can make it as far as Rijeka that day. Then it’s over. What feels like a hundred thousand curves are killing me. What happens next when we head south?! I’m young and fit, but I’m also completely exhausted now. Just sleep.

We look for a place to stay and I think it was a motel. My stomach didn’t betray me. The room is, well, how should I put it? The sleeping alcove in the guardhouse at the German Army wasn’t so bad.

So that we don’t have to spend the night alone, we get a few unknown “multi- and multi-multi-centipedes” or whatever at night. They quickly climb up and down the wall. At this point and when I see this, my dear wife is no longer quite so calm and relaxed. Now it’s my turn, the man in the house, so to speak. “Slap!” At some point we fall asleep. The next morning, we actually experience it, we drive on rather unrested and after a tour of Roman traces in Pula.

We changed plans and chose Rovinj as our destination. Which we are about to put into action. We immediately liked Rovinj with its sights, the harbor and the church on the mountain ridge. We are delighted with this little town. After a short search, we also found a nice and spacious private room with use of the garden – i.e. a lounge chair on the lawn – with nice people.

We would like to talk to people in their language. But we just can’t understand or speak them. So the desire that had been dormant in me for so long to learn Croatian arose again. Unfortunately, when we were home after the holidays, this desire disappeared again due to everyday life or comfort. But first we are still here and enjoying the holidays in the most wonderful Adriatic weather.

However, bathing naked is another matter. There is only one beach in the naturist campsite. So we two lovers (we had been married for three months!!) are looking for a stretch of beach where we can do “nudism” almost all by ourselves.

A few years later we traveled to what was then Yugoslavia twice more, first with our first little daughter, and then later in the early 1980s with our two daughters. We then bought a caravan for ourselves in 1987 and found our true love for many years in neighboring Italy. Croatia fell behind. Sad, unfortunately! This was particularly due to the Balkan wars that have since ended.

We certainly haven’t forgotten Croatia. In the meantime, as a sprightly retired couple, now equipped with a motorhome, as one should, we have already spent our holidays in Croatia four times. Once also with 50% of our grandchildren, the two younger ones and their mother. At this time two years ago, the grandchildren were 3 and 5 years old. It was endless fun.

You can still remember it very well and are still raving about the holidays from two years ago. Together we will visit, among other things, the Kamenjak nature reserve with the wonderfully picturesque rocky coast and the wonderful views of the opposite coast.

The little ones are secretly allowed to drive the motorhome very, very comfortably on Grandpa’s lap on the nature reserve road (more of a dusty track in the desert, but wonderfully adventurous) and are bursting with pride. We missed the dinosaur footprints. Unfortunately.

Now there are no more excuses! I have now firmly and unshakably decided to learn the language of the people in this country.

My wife and I have now gotten to know almost the entire south/southeast mainland with many highlights, beautiful historical cities such as Zadar, Šibenik, Primošten, Trogir, Split and Omiš, as well as the island of Krk. Dalmatia with its southernmost city Dubrovnik fascinated us.

The Krka waterfalls, the Plitvice lakes, the Cetina gorge and so on are adventures and natural beauties that are unparalleled. To list and describe all the sights and the wonderful places, mountains, rivers, gorges and lakes would go beyond the scope. Croatia is, we can’t put it any other way, a fantastic country with wonderfully open and hospitable people. You have to experience it for yourself.

I was now able to share my first language skills with people and was just as excited and proud as my grandchildren when driving a motorhome. The country has grown close to our hearts and we would like to recommend that everyone get to know it. Not just when chilling on the beach at the campsite. That’s not it. That doesn’t do the country justice. And it would be a shame not to experience the great impressions.

We will come back. To Croatia. We would also like to get to know the north/northeastern part of the country. We have already explored the beautiful capital Zagreb. My stomach (after many years it has calmed down) wants that too, just because of the food. And I will continue to learn Croatian diligently and with commitment. It’s fun. And because I can! Može!