Emigrants/immigrants
Posted by cosmodog732@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 27 comments
I'm one of those USAmericans with vague ancestry. My great-grandfather was an ethnic Serb, but he was born in Glina, Croatia, back when Yugoslavia still existed. He emigrated to the United States, and my grandfather was born there.
Question 1: Where do I begin to learn about Balkan history, culture, politics? Besides Wikipedia. I'll take book suggestions, news articles, language learning tools, your own experiences, anything at all. I'm curious, and I finally have time in my life to learn.
Question 2: If I do qualify for citizenship in Croatia or Serbia, as seems probable, should I go through that process? What's that life like in your country? Do you want immigrants there? Besides Great-Grandpa's stories, I don't think of myself as Serbian or Croatian. That would be silly unless I learn the language, live there for a long while, and actually integrate. Whatever my legal status, I'd be an immigrant. I've been an immigrant before, I'm an expat right now, and I like it, but I'll only go where I'm wanted or needed.
SwimmingAttention133@reddit
you'll do all of that just because you have a great-grandfather from Yugoslavia ?
Pigeonofthesea8@reddit
? So many Americans are desperate to leave in any way possible
HorrorsPersistSoDoI@reddit
overly greatly exaggerated
Pigeonofthesea8@reddit
Not at all.
sjedinjenoStanje@reddit
You can tell those by the fact that they identify as USAmericans or USians.
cosmodog732@reddit (OP)
Lol I live in a South American country right now, and got used to saying estadounidense, because Americano means the whole western hemisphere.
sjedinjenoStanje@reddit
The irony is there are two "Estados Unidos" in the world and only one with America in its name.
cosmodog732@reddit (OP)
I won't. I'm curious and I have time. I live outside the U.S. right no; my line of work means I can go anywhere. Maybe someday, if I have more reason than vague interest, I'll do all that. This is just curiosity about his life.
Professional-Fee-488@reddit
Why is that strange to you?
Pigeonofthesea8@reddit
My guess, He’d rather sneer at it if it were sentimental
chbb@reddit
If you have documents connecting you to the great-grandpa, some document showing him as a Serb (e. g. he was likely member of a Serbian Orthodox parish where he lived, or he baptized your grandfather in Serbian Orthodox Church), and sign a document declaring that you consider yourself to be a Serb, congratulations, you qualify for Serbian citizenship 🙂
theredcometofakagi@reddit
Is it really that simple to obtain Serbian citizenship? I have a friend who was born outside of Serbia and was able to obtain citizenship through his mother (she was born in the southern part of Serbia) and it took a while to get it.
chbb@reddit
Bureaucracy can be challenging in Serbia.
zoranss7512@reddit
You are not "balkan". You are American. If you want to learn about your serb heritage that's fine but "Balkan". Like Albanians from tetovo are balkan, what do you want to know about them?
User20242024@reddit
LOL In Serbia, we have now workers from Asia and Africa and many of them even do not speak Serbian, but they live and work here. You would be surprised hoe cosmopolitan society Serbia of today actually is. Nobody would really care if you are "immigrant" here.
Professional-Fee-488@reddit
You could check out Attic Life youtube channel, the guy interviews expats living in Serbia, and quite a few of them are Americans. There's many other channels run by your fellow countrymen living in Serbia, mostly talking about the cultural differences, standards of living etc. I'd say that's a good place to start for someone thinking about potentially moving to Serbia, or simply wishing to get informed about not just Serbia but pretty much all ex-yu countries as there's many similarities between us with regards to mentality.
cosmodog732@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
Red-Citron-56@reddit
For info on the Balkans:
I can recommend more, but these are some of my favorites. Let me know if you have more specific questions.
As for the dual citizenship, keep in mind that Croatia is in the EU and Serbia is not. Having citizenship from any EU country allows you to live and work anywhere in the EU.
The Balkans are an amazing place, but understanding it goes a long way in being accepted. Don't expect a US attitude, or a Western European, or an Eastern European.
cosmodog732@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I'll get to it.
Professional-Fee-488@reddit
Good recs, haven't seen the conversations with Milošević though.
ImamTrump@reddit
We get these folks once a week at this point. You guys gotta go ask your own families and go from there.
David_Aaron_Finck@reddit
Well, our countries are, more or less meant under similar names in the various chronicles of the Roman Empire, a lot of their archeological sites all over Former Yugoslava, so was my idea, to start with the Alexander of Macedonia, it's also one of the famous Balkan people. BTW, the current name Balkan is actually Turkish, named during the Ottoman period, the Bulgarian word supposed to be Helm, we from the 1 language zone Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia have the original word Hum. The history of the Balkan, or Hum, the name I personally prefer over the Turkish one, is huge, so the influence of various empires in architecture, food, culture etc. It's happened a lot, Wikipedia is maybe ok for the basics, if you want to do a bit more serious researches, I recomand to look the works of Dr. Sam Osmanagich, our archeologist, a bit controversial, but for the open minded people actually a very good and positive scientist, with very interesting points of view... About the citizenship, I have no reliable information, my mother took the citizenship of Austria, but it was only possible to do the exchange, so is also in Germany, but, like I said, maybe the US don't put you in the choice, there are countries that have the double citizenship legalised. Whatever you do, I wish you all the best, I think it's very noble to have the interest on the heritage of the area, where your ancestors coming from. Greetings from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 🇧🇦♥️🇺🇲
Gimmebiblio@reddit
Is Osmanagich really an archeologist though?...
David_Aaron_Finck@reddit
He is a real archeologist, I am not 100% sure, but I think, he made hes study in the US, he's business was or is in Huston. But, I know for sure, he is very good person, with good heart. Once the facilities visited, those near the Sarajevo, people returning year after year, I am asthmatic and in the tunnel underground facilities I was breathing like a healthy man, people with diabetes speaking about the normal sugar, even for a couple of days, without insulin... And a couple of strange symptoms more at the archeological site, If I get the opportunity to get a few free days this Sommer, I'll be back, to spend it there, I saw Novak Djokovic 2 or 3 times there, he makes things together with Dr. Sam.
Gimmebiblio@reddit
Ok, this all sounds very pseudoscientific and wacky to me. If anything made you feel better I'm happy for you though. Btw:
David_Aaron_Finck@reddit
I am pseudoscientist myself, methaphisicist, so I have no problems with things outside of the mainstream, I am, in the case of Dr. Sam focused on the results, as a man with a few health issues, I expired the effect on my own body and my methaphysic field, for me the prove enough, that the project is moving in the right direction, so I don't care about the negative publicity, I am not famous, so my research, but I experienced some sabotages and discrediting of my research for nothing, actually. BMO is the whole discrimination of us pseudoscientist by the mainstream lobbies only the prove that our works are on the honours right path, I don't blame anyone, they are so or so just employees of leading structures, without the decision about the own projects.
Imaginary_String_814@reddit
pseudoscience is dangerous, at least in the medical field.
Osmanagić also wrote,
cmon bro, i like that he boosts the tourism in Bosnia but thats about it.