I DISRESPECTLY disagree!!!!! Albania and Montenegro are FUCKING HEAVEN!!!! 1. Women - No Purple hairy Jabba the Huts in Yoga pants walking around. Women came up to me and asked me out! So much better. They wear the Italian fashion Zara and wear makeup and look amazing. 2. Housing - I can BUY A HOUSE!!! YOU CANT DO THAT IN THE US!!! You can buy an apartment in Saranda for like 20 to 30k. Bankso you can get apartments for $10k. 3. Albanian is so cheap you can go to the beach eat at fancy restaurants for nothing. 4. Crime - you can't walk in US at night. You will die. My grocery store was shot up in a mass murder. 5. People- people are nice and helpful! They aren't snarky like the this nasty Leftist shifty people. Albanians love Americans. 6. Cycling- skhoder is great for cycling everyone rides a bike. US people are trying to murder you on the bike. 7. Trustfulness - you can trust people and it is much better. The HELL with the west. Go to America it is a shit place tried of it
here in india a lot of people go to the west to become a doctor or engineer there so they can live like a king with that western salary once come back here every once in a while
@@ramp597 Yes, thats the dream in the Balkans, hustle in Germany/Austria/Switzerland and come back on vacation or eventually with a comfy pension to flex
As someone living in Brazil, let me attest it's not really that different here. The biggest advantage you have over us is that you can move to Germany a lot easier.
@@vinz4066 Make a politically incorrect joke there and see what happens, hold the wrong views and see what happens. Germany has gone down hill, it's authoritarian and is becoming a third world country because of the migrants along with Britain, France, and most other countries in Europe and West as a whole. Hard pass on that.
My father is from the Netherlands. He emigrated fully to Skopje 20 years ago. He doesn't have a residence in the Netherlands, and pays taxes as if he were a macedonian citizen. I never understood why he threw away his living standard and doomed me to live and education here. ALRIGHT EDIT: it's been more than a year since I wrote this comment, someone recently replied and brought me back to it after I'd forgotten about it completely. I'm a bit older now, met new people, experienced more etc. and my perspective has changed a bit. I know my father prefers the more easy-going mentality here, the friendliness of the people here (be it genuine or for some other motive which isn't uncommon unfortunately) and frankly I understand why he'd like it here. I still think emigrating fully wasn't exactly smart considering the state if this country in 2024, but then again, the Netherlands isn't exactly great either in this day and age. Honestly every country on this planet is dealing with the same issues - low pay and inflation. The Netherlands is absurdly expensive, it's inhumane. Here in Skopje, the average salary is 500€ and rent a minimum of 200€, groceries and clothes cost the same as in the west. How we live here with these saleries? Short answer - we don't, we just barely scrape by. Despite that I am grateful for growing up here, it's shaped who I am and given me a unique perspective on the world. To some people who asked, ja ik spreek nederlands (dan niet perfekt maar toch best goed voor iemand opgegroeid buiten Nederland), en ik ben nederlands burger. I speak both macedonian and ducth fluently. A bit unrelated but to the chauvinistic repliers to my comment I just gotta say, please spend your time on something more productive, because truly there are better things in life than spending your life writing north monkeydonia and west bulgaria in youtube replies. I have nothing against ordinary greeks, bulgarians and albanians who mind their own business, are genuine and are just enjoying the beauty of life. I couldn't care less about the name of the country I live in and wether some guy who lived thousands of years ago was greek, he can be gypsy for all I care, or how closely my language is related to another. If you respect me as a person regardless of my nationality, I will respect you too. Cheers ✌️
I met an Australian (with Serbian parents) who moved to Serbia to live the "good life" because he bought a property in Australia and made money by renting it out. That's what lots of Australian Balkans do. They invest into the Australian property market then go live comfortably in Europe.
That's a great idea! But, who manages those properties? Do they pay an agency, or did they leave adult kids behind to take care of problems that arise with owning real estate?
@@life.in.the.slow_lane This was more than 10 years ago but for some they use real estate agents and others just let their family members handle their properties. These were rich people who owned restaurants or had good paying jobs.
@@abraxadabra4224 I can relate. I miss the food, friends and family and better weather but I don't have the money to invest in properties. Also healthcare is better in Australia and safer too.
I am the Canadian who lives in Serbia which you speak of :) Having lived here for 4 years, learning Serbian, and leaving the illusion of Belgrade/Novi Sad to live in a village, I've definitely learned all of the bad things about life here, and I could definitely explain 100 reasons to someone why they should NOT live here. That being said, there is no comparison if you ask me. You are surrounded by real people who just want to live a real life. I would not consider for one second moving back to Canada, as it is not the same place that it used to be - a lot of the issues you described in this video are also present (if not worse) over there. It has become a society fit only for the ultra-rich, whereas in Serbia, you can hope to live a normal life with a normal salary. Life in Serbia on an average salary sucks. Life in Canada on an average salary (assuming you are young and have no assets to your name) is impossible unless you are digging yourself hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Before you reply with something like "Yeah on western money it's good", please understand that for my first year in Serbia, I made below the national average salary and had zero savings. So yeah, the Balkans suck, but so does the entire world nowadays. The only difference is that in the Balkans, you are surrounded by people who understand how bad things are and try to live their life regardless. Maybe it's because of how recently they were under extremely hard times, idk. My advice for anyone in the Balkans - go spend a year in the west, you will either find happiness and stay, or you will be happy with a newfound appreciation for your homeland. Pozdrav
Similar situation here, I am born in Bulgaria but was raised in Canada. I look at what I want from my future and I see that Canada can offer me a modestly comfortable life with high living standards. Bulgaria can also offer me a modestly comfortable life but slightly lower living standards. However, considering that both my parents are planning to move back and that my moral values don't fit into Canadian society, I am seriously thinking of moving back myself. On top of that, I wholeheartedly disagree with Canada's tendency to tax every penny out of your possession and the exorbitant real estate prices that essentially make you a slave to a company your whole life so you can pay off your debt. You finally have some good work experience and make some good money... government takes half!! With the other half, you pay off your half-million 3-room apartment, over 25 years. And god forbid if you need those services you are being taxed on, say you require medical attention... stay and wait 16 hours in the emergency room with two broken wrists. On top of that, my (future) kids will be taught in school that it is perfectly normal to change your gender and that visible minorities have been and still are victims of imperialist white supremacy. I am so glad that every time I apply to a company, I am asked whether or not I am a member of a visible minority, if I am a member of the LGBTQI+ community and if I identify as a woman. I am certain that these companies have my best interest at heart by asking me these questions. No. Just plain no. I am tired of this bullshit victimhood ideology of the west where everyone is a victim. People are more real in the Balkans, at least more than they are in Canada in my opinion. That being said, Bulgaria isn't without its flaws, and I am fully aware of that. But I cannot understand why everyone living there seems to believe the west is some sort of miracle land where life is pretty and beautiful. No. It's just as shitty, if not more.
@@ts9749 1000% on everything you said - yeah, it is shit in the Balkans, but this is a certain type of shit which I can deal with - Canada is just beyond by comprehension at this point
I was at a club with a few of my friends and there were some clueless French guys try to hit on every single girl there and they were rejected every time. Poor souls.
Bro, I'm Bulgarian, and your idea of the Balkans is very different from mine, especially when it comes to dating and people's mindsets. Unless you're moving to a forgotten by god village, no one will gossip about whether you're dating a foreigner. In any case, foreigners are very well accepted, and mixed couples are not condemned at all. Also, we have things in the shops that come with a lot of variety and quality, and anything that you might meet abroad. My friends from Dubai told me they love shopping in Sofia more as you can find cheaper and better quality things. Lol, not sure wtf with the store example you have... It's not the case at all, especially for bigger cities. Agree on other points, though, such as bureaucracy, corruption, etc.
ifrc this dude is from a pretty small city/town in serbia, so it would probably be pretty different from a capital city like sofia in terms of dating, mindset, & goods available. sofia does have incredible shopping, can't lie. hardest drip in the balkans, i saw a 12 year old in a full philip plein tracksuit smoking a cig on vitosha one time 😂
@@theghoulboyofficial Fair enough, everyone's reality is different. But he shouldn't be generalizing a whole massive & diverse region, based on his experience alone. There are also very developed and not corrupt countries in the Balkans, where almost none of his points apply. Has he been to Croatia, for instance?
Well i can say for the dating is kind of true it's because yeah a relationships with foreigners are a bit more understood however you'll still see bigots judging you and gossiping about you regardless yet the dating is still verry hard. And also about the corruption and bereaucrasy is verry accurate. Even though Sofia and Plovdiv are the worst offenders and majority of the people are moving there it's because shopping is kind of better but not entirely. I've been in several malls and stores in Germany and you'll find out quickly how much of difference shopping can be. And don't make me start explaining how garbage the bulgarian mindset can get.
@kristijanceple6026 you can not move to Saudia Arabia even if you are an "Arab" you can not Iranians are nationalists mostly so you will find hard times in trying to communicate with them so your only choice is the glorious emirate of Afghanistan
I think we need a Balkans/Caucasus crossover. I really appreciate your content so much and I'd like to see Caucasus content in your style, even from your balkan perspective.
10:26 my parents both are from Bosnia and Studied in Sarajevo and I remember them telling me that they had several professors that would purposefully just fail the class because they felt like it
this is very true, literally through my entire school life, now currently in uni, professors still do this. i nearly failed an elective course on my first semester like a month or two ago because my professor refused to put in my grade for my seminar paper i did. these professors literally brag about not doing their job and failing students. not all of them though of course, theres loads of lovely professors ive met and still have and do everything in their power to help
yeah my dad told me that a teacher did that too when he was in uni , 8 students found him at the metro (this was in 93 i belive) put him in a trash bag beat him and left him unconscious in a public toilet , he never failed anyone after that
It depends what you want in life. I have 2 Bosnian uncles. One is very focused on staying where he is from, near his ancestral home, keping to his valley. The other wanted more from life, to see what was over the horizon. Now he lives in Chicago in USA. Both have happy and unhappy times in life. Both experianced the war, both learned different lessons from it. I myself, want to see the world, meet different people from new places.
As a graduate of Babes-Bolyai I can agree with much of the points. BBU is the top rated university in Romania for some time now, however, they have 27 faculties and not all of them have the same rigour. And regarding the professors, I had a similar experience. One time a professor of mine asked me a question during an exam, and downgraded my grade because he anticipated that I would respond something different, although my answer was correct and I provided evidence. P.S. the response had nothing to do with my speciality, neither did the question. The professor was minister of education in Romania
Once a famous Bulgarian-Serbian actor said: "It's a privilege to live on the Balkans." At least it's not a boring place to be - one day it can be a fairytale, the next day - a nightmare. One of the best channels I've ever followed! Cheers from a gastarbajter in DE.
Its actually more often than not a fkin nightmare,unless you live in the few big cities,but even then it could easily turn into a nightmare because of a drunk driver,a lazy Bureau worker which can waste both of your days off,cant speak for other Balkans,but in Bulgaria most people work on average 60 hours a week with no bonus payment past the 40,you can get beaten up from groups of retards that do drugs constantly because they dont like the way you dress or look etc.,chilhood bestfriends may stab you in the back for 50 euros and act like they never know you,like 80% of the people i knew since kids are now addicted to METH,Weed and Spice,almost nobody works any legit job or dont work at all And if you end up having a job,90+% your boss will act like you are subhuman slave and talk shit to you and your coworkers Its a literal shithole,and nobody ever cares to be a better person and make it better,people who believe it is fun,are the people who never had to live here for more than a month
Education in the Balkans is unironically great bro my family moved to america and for most of my high school experience I have been running off of stuff I learned in 6-8th grade in Macedonia
American here, living nearly 15 years in Romania, raising a child with a wonderful wife. I think it would be awesome if we could have a chat about this. In general I pretty much agree with everything said here but I think we could go into some much deeper detail!
@@NomPrenom1 I saw 2023 coming, all the way back in 2008. And I wanted children, and I wanted to raise them in an environment I would still find familiar 15 years later. It so happens that Romania is very familiar to me, but the US has gone through a cycle of change for change's sake to such an extent that it's really unrecognizable to anyone who's been away for a long period. My wife is pregnant with our daughter, and I can look forward to raising her with: - A woman who has starved with me and thrived with me, putting our fortitude as a family above any short-term thinking. - A community that's largely conservative and at the same time very loving. - A family that understands delayed gratification and weathered hardship with immense strength. - Friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin for all these years and I would gladly call my daughter's uncles. - A legal system that will treat her just like anyone else, not elevate her.
@@NomPrenom1 Transylvania yes. If Romania falls, I will fall with her. Too old to run anymore, and I am much better connected in this country than in the US. There's always something we can do, however unpleasant it may be, to recover our patrimony. Și da, este patrimoniul NOSTRU, având în vedere că am petrecut atâția ani cu voi în momentele cele mai întunecate atât cât și în momentele cele mai glorioase. If there's one mantra I've lived with in Romania, it has always been: Perfer et obdura, dolor hic tibi proderit olim. Pe patient and endure; someday this pain will be useful to you. We will endure. I am confident we will. And those around me who don't, I will drag kicking and screaming to better days whether they like it or not. This is where we fight, this is where we stand. I am too old to run, but also old enough that I have fended off the cowardice of my youth that made me not fight ;)
good for u! your one of the smart ones who moved out early, but now the pasportbros is a thing so many moved out from USA for a traditional wife. The funny things is that somehow it makes me proud knowing the women in my country are so seek out.
With regards to the choice of consumer goods and services, I’d say Romania has gotten at 90% of the standard of Western Europe, and I’d assume EU Balkan states are the same or better. When I left the country and moved to the UK in 2015, typically Western products like peanut butter and “American bacon” weren’t available in supermarkets, Starbucks and H&M had only opened in my hometown in the previous two years, and the choice of restaurants was either Romanian, Italian, fast food (McDonalds or Shaorma) or maybe Serbian (I’m from Banat). Oh, and almost nobody shopped online because they were afraid they would be scammed. Now every single fad western product is available in the supermarkets (agave syrup and quinoa?), my city has Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and many other styles of restaurants, and hipsters drink locally brewed craft IPAs. And every Romanian teenager on tiktok buys their Nike Jordan 1s and Bape hoodie online. The Balkans have come a long way…
@@justhair17 I assume Hungary has always been a few years ahead of Romania in Development. As a kid, I remember my family and many others doing monthly trips to Mako or Szeged to buy groceries from Hungarian supermarkets because they were cheaper and of higher quality. And maybe Romania was/is a few years ahead of Serbia, as a regular fixture in the parking lot of the shopping mall in Timisoara was a bus bringing in Serbian tourists from Vršac and Novi Sad to shop there
As a Polish person who was born and raised mostly in Sweden I kinda lived through this when moving back to Poland. Having said that though I have visited the balkans 2 times in my life (as most polish people do), and I have to say that living in Serbia, Bosnia or Montenegro is appealing to me. The mindset and general vibe just felt so right when I was there.
Westoid here. Family moved from UK to BG in 2007 when it joined EU and I've spent several years, living and working there. This video is so so right. When I tell people I lived there, I'm always met with "aww that's so cute, it's soooo cheap and it's so beautiful... Better way of living" and I look at them and go "haha, it's not easy, believe me". We moved to a village and it was a massive culture shock and I've grown to see that when I first moved over, I moved with rose tinted sunglasses. Now, I see it as a Bulgarian see's it. It's sad, but at the same time, wouldn't have it any other way.
@@nikolakirichev Of course they do, just as someone from a big city dreams of living in a village. Everyone thinks that that which he doesn't have, is better than that which he does have
@@pulemyot1337 Personally, I've experienced both and I still prefer the village option. But it can go both ways depending on the circumstances and what you as an individual need.
all down to expectations. if you expected conveniences of the west in a poorer country you set your expectations wrong. that being said you get way better bang for your buck in bulgaria than expensive uk
Yo, I've lived in BG too, and I'd get a cultural shock moving to a village too. There's usually a very stark difference between town and village here, mostly.
You nailed it on most things. However I'd like to add some things that I think you didn't get right. 1. Dating - the fact that balkan people don't want to date foreigners because their family might gossip. This is true, however I know many people in my circle who got married with someone from a western culture and that person is very much accepted in the family. Another thing to mention is, that balkan people find foreigners to be interesting and very much like to spend time with them and show them the wonders of the balkans. Older people enjoy a lot to get a foreigner drunk and show them "how real life, real food, and real alcohol is". For example people in Romania are quite hospitable with foreigners and do want to offer them a great experience. 2. Healthcare system - yes, the healthcare system most of the time is broken - however the conditions in Romanian hospitals have increased dramatically, things are modern right now, and even if you don't get everything cover still the prices are very cheap compared to the western countries. I know many people coming from the west to get their teeth done in here, because most of the medical personal is highly qualified and the prices are drastically cheap compared to the western countries. The private healthcare is top notch, is more expensive than the state's healtcare, but way cheaper than west. 3. Education system - There are lots of western students coming in Romania to get a medical degree because the medical university (especially Victor Babes from Cluj) are very very good and at a very affordable cost. With 3k a year you can get your medical degree that is recognized in all western countries. However I can't say the same for the rest of the universities. Excepting these points, I think you are correct about everything else. The best situation you can have is being a balkan making a western salary and living in the balkans. As an immigrant you will always be perceived as a foreigner, and there will be people trying to screw you. But the safety you get, the good living standard and great friends you can find in here, I think is worth the risk.
I had a couple folks tell me in Bulgaria (where I met a lot of great people in my five days of travel) that natives actually tend to be nicer to foreigners than their fellow countrymen.
And the dating foreigners thing is true of a lot of cultures. My cousins from China (I'm half-Chinese American) made comments when I was dating an Indian girl
I am a westoid living in the Balkans. I like it here and I noticed it is impossible to convince a guy from the Balkans that the Balkans is actually a cool place. In their mind, Germany is the best place ever (and of course, they never went or lived there).
"germany is the best place ever according to balkans" - are you hinting people in the Balkans speak the official language of Germany: Turkish? I doubt it...
I was in Germany for half of my life to work there but my family got themselves in debt and we are back in bulgaria now living day to day because jobs here aren't good like me being a construction worker with a big family i ain't getting much money honestly it's a miracle how we bay the water and power bills plus the low internet that costs 50 to more if you don't pay it for a long time also i am living in a small village in the middle of nowhere and the nearest city is 15 kilometers away
@@panchevpenyo6483 yes, this is unfortunately a problem. Jobs need to pay more in Bulgaria. Only a few sectors that pay well, like IT in Sofia/plovdiv. I hope your salary can increase, or maybe take matters into your own hands and start a company? hang in there bro!
My ex was Macedonian so I’ve stayed there for quite a bit of time and also in Serbia and honestly I really liked it. We aren’t together anymore but I’d like to go back.
LOL she tried to coerce you into marriage so she can be proud at her group of friends and family that she married a foreigner She would definitely cheat on you after all that self admiring of her was over but of course maybe I am wrong
@@riton349 Well with the exception of Molavia they are Slavic, Moldavia they are Romanian but what they have in common it is one of the cheapest place to live in Europe they where under communism for 40-70 years. I do would like to visit Poland one day.
I live in Romania and I like it here, especially when the pandemic came, we were some of the few that escaped the madness! I would never move to the West! Make it work with whatever you have, wherever you are! 🤗🤗🤗
It's kinda funny that Westoid Conservatives's Balkan dream is so delusional that this Yter needed to do the Balkan Version "Japan isn't like in ANIME".
I moved to the U.S. in the late 90s and never adjusted to life here. I never cared for wealth, driving expensive cars, buying brand names, or other things people have here more readily available than in the Balkans. I'm sometimes afraid to admit that so that people won't think I'm ungrateful! Moving to the U.S. saved my life in a way, but I had problems making friends. After over 20 years, I still don't have any American friends. I was educated here, and have a college degree from here, but I feel emptiness when I talk to people. But if I talk to people from the Balkans, regardless of their ethnicities, I feel twenty years younger! There is something about people from there-their honesty, their openness, intelligence, humor, passion, and curiosity, that I love! I know I will return to the Balkans at some point. The only thing that keeps me here right now is the fact that my kids are still young. Once they move out and go their way, I will have no reason to stay here.
I live in the Balkans and I feel totally the opposite Happy for you, however - if u think that would make you happy go for it and enjoy life, with money and the right mentality the Balkans CAN be a blast if you pick the right place to live (and dont pick trouble with politicians or football fans)
The "Space Wars" off brand lego at 11:26 belongs to me! I posted it to reddit like 6 years ago and forgot about it, I was so bloody shocked to see it in a TH-cam video! I still have it, and I can prove it to you if you want. :D
In Bulgaria, healthcare is more like I sure as "hell-don't-care". They act like you go to them to disturb their bliss. And then they can't do anything to help you.
@@gizemlikisi6213 Uhhh... Health insurance would cover most of it, so long as you've either paid it as "self-insured" or you're actively working, in which case a flat percentage of your salary is deducted for the public health insurance and that amount depends on the contract-stated salary by your employer. Now, about the health workers' response... It's the Balkans. A lot of outdated file handling, lack-luster modernization with digital systems, lack of doctors because salaries are shit and some people's "i don't care" attitude means that you will probably have to wait for seemingly pointless reasons, but you will be seen to and I don't think it'll be hours. Depends on the severity of the trauma.
I am a westerner and when I was younger I spent a whole year in the Balkans and quite frankly it was the best year of my life! As I get older, retirement in the Balkans is a definite possibility. Obviously, with my western pension lol
@@mickeymouse1697 LOL at least Bulgaria is a real country unlike “ north macedonia “ which is really just half Albanian half Bulgarian. I would be embarrassed to call myself macedonian.
The part about needing an extra suitcase to bring back goodies from the Balkans hit me on the spot, as we used to do a similar thing to that, but replace the suitcase with a Balikbayan box full of sweets, clothes, etc. Yes, it's a Filipino thing.
oh hell naw man💀 living in argentina is like living in serbia but with 10000000% of inflation and you don't even have any close decent country to move. stay away from latam unless you earn in dollars or euros, you'll be rich even with $1000 lol @@bib4eto656
The thing i like the most it that i live a great life here by almost all standards, but can still complain that I'm living in the Balkans lol. It's great.
6:37 absolutely so true. I'm an Italian 18 years old guy and I loved a Serbian girl (I actually still love her). We loved each other for basically 2 years and everything you explained it's true. We first have been friends for 1 year and then fell in love. She has such huge family values and at the mere insult of her mother, she gets aggressive and defensive. In a nutshell, I was walking with her and her brother around the streets of Belgrade on our own and they were talking about how my mother looks her age or older. The moment I said that her mom also seems a bit older than her age, also to imply that she's wise, they both got absolutely mad. They started talking in Serbian between each other, sort of took me to the restaurant where our parents were and left me there completely alone. The moment I was back in the hotel, she texted me to insult me and my entire family and whole genealogical tree and to tell me how disappointed she was. I had to apologize pretty much in front of her, her brother and her cousin, who's not even involved in this, for what I've done and only then they forgave me, somehow, completely ignoring that they insulted my mother and I didn't really care about it but whatever 💀. Not only that but she also has a traditional view of a relationship of the guy always initiating stuff. And yes, it took quite a while before we finally met in Montenegro for 10 days for the second time all by myself (first time was in Belgrade just for three days where there was also my family so that they could get to know each other), in her second house, and get to finally start doing relationship things. How unfortunate that I ended up disrespecting her family just because I wanted her to take me to the airport on the 10th day when I was leaving (the fact that we loved each other was a secret to both her and my parents) while she kept saying "no" and her whole family felt like I was ignoring their presence and putting her on a pedestal. She eventually lost feelings because of all of that and she aggressively admitted how she's not sorry for making me become depressed and making me become mentally and emotionally unstable and just left me like that (which confirms their stigmatisation for mental illnesses). Now we're on some sort of break because she felt "trapped" by me and we didn't text each other in almost a month even though for her it's not really a break, her intention was to "have an eternity of peace" and she even told me "I wish you never loved me". Man, I still love her but Serbian women drive you crazy 😩. And yes, we were hiding the fact that we loved each other because they're conservative and her parents already explained her that they'd hate her if she moved to Italy to date someone, so yeah, I saw how it's not appealing at all for them to see their daughter dating a foreigner, especially if this foreigner still doesn't live in their country, EVEN THOUGH her parents love Italians because they visited it several times but anyway.
the fuk man? your 18 years old, wtf do u know about love? move on and stop complaining. and yes! I approve of her and her parents act. parents should protect their children, especially women or else they will end like those in the West (for the streets)! Also, from the entire post u made, u sound like a little girl, no wonder she dump u. My best advise for u, is learn a thing or two, man up and move on!
Just date a nice Italian girl bro save yourself the headache. I don't care how good looking she is she sounds like a cunt if a girl insulted my mother I'd slap her across the face and leave her.
Fantastic content. I grew up with many Serbians in Canada. So indirectly I absorbed the culture. I like that Serbia is traditional. Looking forward to visiting.
@@LivingIronicallyinEurope Hey János! I really appriciate that you made videos about Hungarian history as well, and I have 2 questions: 1- Will we see more videos about Hungary? 2- Do you think (based)Hungary is (based)Balkan?
In south bulgaria where I live a lot of englishman bought houses so they enjoy the sun in the summer. Problem occurs when they leave in the fall and local gypsies invade during the winter. So when the guys from england come back in the spring they find their houses ransacked. This regularly happens to bulgarian or any people here as well so you can imagine.
Bro you made a few good points in the video but the thing about friendliness of people in Balkan i completely disagree with. I lived in Serbia and across the Europe and I can confirm to you that finding friends is sooo much easier in Balkan and also finding a girl for one nightstand or for long relationships is also extremely easy in Balkan countries. In Germany for example people are not so active outside, and they make parties more privet with a smaller group of friends so It's just generally harder to meet new individuals and to make an opportunity for your self to find new friends.
Everything, except the low quality of products available at grocery stores and supermarkets and for hobbyists. I've no clue about others, but it's as far from truth as it gets, in Greece. May be not that much variety of brands of hobby products, but the quality is top notch (since they're all imported). However, saying this about food is ridiculous. He mentions all that at 11:10
Janos my Balkan brother. I liked your video. I think you nailed it. Saw it all so you get closer to your dream of moving away from the misery that Balkans is
My uncle emigrated to Canada in 1990 with his wife and son. 30 years later, he and his wife retired and decided to return to live in Serbia. They didn't last a whole year and moved back to Canada.
Westoid here, living in the southern US, what you describe sounds a lot like how southern culture works in some ways. More southern people are getting government checks than would actually admit it, for example. Being a convert to Orthodoxy, I have some church friends who have thought of trying to expatriate, but I have had to tell them that we are still Americans to them, guilty by association, no matter what religion we are 😂
As a former Catholic, what made you want to convert to orthodoxy? They share way more in common with each other than protestant Christian sects. They're literally just separated twins lol, since the great schism of 1054. It was just too closed minded and dogmatic too me growing up. It condemns idolatry in the 10 commandments, but yet Catholics and the Orthodox church have a whole "pantheon" of saints. Was also way too ritualistic. Too each their own though! I believe in God, just in my own way now.
@@Clos93 slightly weird that you apparently browsed my comment history but anyway, there are more important differences than you’d think, especially a deeper spirituality available to the laypeople. Its a cliche with ex Catholics to resort to Asian spirituality or paganism to get a real in-depth spiritual life going, but I think they wouldn’t do this if more of them knew about their separated twin.
@@Clos93 I don't think you understand Catholicism or Orthodoxy if you believe these sterotypes. This way of thinking is pretty heretical similar to Iconoclastism. People don't worship saints like gods. There's a big difference between respecting somebody vs worshipping them This ritualistic aspect is more cultural than anything else. Catholicism adopted practices in order to assimilate and spread peacefully across the Roman empire and later other pagan peoples since the time of Peter the disciple.
My mom is from Croatia. Actually it was Yugoslavia back then. It was a trip growing up, one day my family was Yugoslavian and the next we were Croatian. Stability? Yeah we totally have it. edit: Guys, don't think about it too much. I was a really little kid during the war. That was just my understanding of it back then.
What are you on about? Croatian is ethnicity so your mother was always Croatian and always will be. To be Yugoslavian was merely a citizenship, just as English, Scottish and Welsh are all British, but there's clear difference between them. BTW, in case you have missed it - independent Croatia exists for 33 years now, member of EU, NATO, Euro currency zone and Schengen area. In Europe that is as stabile as you can get. Rest of former Yugoslavia (save Slovenia) are whole different story.
Sure westerners might have a too romanticized view of the Balkans. But to think 'moving to Germany' as if it is some sort of promised land, is also an illusion. Not in a million years would I move back to Germany. Overpopulated; salaries aren't that great, among the highest taxes in the world, weather is sh#t; people are sh#t; the cities are dirty and not safe for women. There are plenty of valid reason those 'silly Westies' are looking at 2-3 world countries as alternatives.
Oh man! I laugh so much every time I watch your videos. Originally from Bulgaria, but living in Norway in last 16 years, I can totally relate. However, your way of presenting the information is hilarious :D "Romanian best hospital! :D :D :D
Too late already moved here 😱😱. Jokes aside I have a western sized revenu but I make my money as an investor/trader so it makes more sense to live in a cheaper place with low taxes (10% capital gains in Bulgaria where I live). Balkan cities have a lot more greenery than the west and life overall seems more free. Under most circumstances it only makes sense to move to the balkans if you have foreign money (exception for IT, find an IT job you will live like a king, they make more thsn doctors or lawers)
Hungary has a GDP of $22k and the price level is 25% - 40% less than in most Western European countries. Many people actually move to Hungary to make a living and believe-it-or-not Hungary is encouraging workers from wherever they can find them because it is industrialising at a fast pace.
@@taboulefattouch4744 yes that ist quite visible in Austria actually. Here in Vienna many Young hungarians come to study. Years ago they Most likely got a Job and stayed in Vienna after University. Now I see most of them actually returning after they graduated. But I think people without higher education are not so lucky (Like everywhere?)
As a serb living in Switzerland ever since i was born i kinda have the wish to go live in serbia again aswell (im 23 right now) your right the standards are lower but imo the people are more relaxed and everything goes slower and not so srict imo and i love that
I left Serbia and was living abroad for a year, then I realized I hate Western way of life and ppl only carring about their own ass so I came back, idk how can ppl live their whole lives having maybe two friends and that's it, such a shitty, lonely life 😑
@@Мєтодипоискатєљ Yeah, but young person like the one above, can come here just to live and spend, or to buy himself a job position, here they dont respect and offer almost any person good job nor here (In cities outside of Belgrade and Novi Sad) we have companies that are built to employ young and well educated people. if we had proper and most importantly equal development in entire country we would be probably much better place to live than Switzerland or some of the other Balkan countries.
@@nenadpopov3601 how do you generally make friends in Serbia? I'd love to have some serb friends :P Honestly, though, there are some companies in my field with good salaries and offices in Serbia, so I've considered moving there sometimes. I'm just a bit concerned about the whole Kosovo-Serbia thing..
Yeah, I'm a German that has been living in Greece for 20 years. There's loads of reasons not to live here and the economic crisis wasn't fun at all. But I love living here.
@@bluedoggo483 I'd never have moved to Athens. My husband wanted to in the beginning and I said he could move there and come visit me on the weekend here in Rhodes 😁 Life on an island is a completely different thing, because we have such easy access to the sea and nature in general. You can also just leave your car unlocked and you get quickly from A to B. I like Athens as a place to visit, but after I had lived in Rome for 8 years I knew I didn't want to live in Athens. I'm not a friend of traffic jams 😁
I lived in Serbia for 6 months, I thought healthcare was chill, I was on acid at the zoo in Belgrade and got bit by a golden sahara cat and they sewed me up for dirt cheap. When you are on the tram and pass the bombed out police headquarters some old guy might yell at you though. If you go to a club in Kosovo and say ur American, you will be treated like they're your BFF, and by that I mean drive you around, drifting through the streets wasted as they take you from club to club, smoking a pack of cigarettes at each until the sun rises. Sarajevo and Mostar are just fucking beautiful as can be. People are brutally honest. Love the Balkans.
amazing, just amazing (also about the dating scene in the balkans, idk how a slav got married and had kids with an albanian but that somehow happended, and I'm the by-product of this)
I once saw a documentary on this very subject. It turned out that Albanians were much more willing to marry Macedonians than vice-verca. I guess Albanians are much more open minded.
@@bigozimak Albanians are pretty friendly actually. I’m from Hungary and it can be easy to befriend someone from the family running the local Albanian bakery
On the topic of education,it is common for teachers do also tutor the students in exchange for money,like if you dont understand the subject during class,you may pay for extra hours where the teacher tries to explain stuff to you one on one,but it can lead to teachers not doing their job correclty on purpous,so that their students pay extra to pass
That's factually incorrect. In Vojvodina Province in Serbia teachers in high school are not allowed to give private lessons to their school students (they can only give them to students who they don't teach at school in order to avoid a system of shadow bribes in return for higher test grades).
@@taboulefattouch4744 In Vojvodina Serbia,yes,but in Romania,it's not the case,and I'm sure that romania isnt the only exception,as corruption makes everything possible in the balkans
It might be that we are just an exeption, but since I moved to Denmark from Croatia I realized the healthcare system is pretty similar in quality. The rooms are much better in Denmark, but at least in Croatia they won't postpone your hernia operation appointment that you waited for 6 months bcs the doctor's shift ends in 15 min.
What you describe as a prime balkan experience is exactly what living in Panama is like. Well, everything except for universities being the best lol. Still, I'd love to visit someday.
I live in Hungary and I went to the hospital a couple months ago because my ear was hurting. I waited for 4 hours after I got there to finally a doctor look at my ear and then wash it out with water. in just a day my ear got infected but by that point we were already in a different county and my ear hurt like a bitch. after about 1 week it got unbearable so we had to go to the hospital again but in Veszprém ( a different county) where they discovered that it was infected because of the water they washed it out with. they gave me perscription for some eardrops which in the end solved my problem. But the moral of the story is, if you go to a hospital in Hungary the only thing youre gonna get is a free bazdmeg.
@@whenyourbraingoesnumb az egyik ismerősömnek rosszul forrt vissza a karja mert elbaszták a gipszelést és szó szerint újra kellett törni a könyökét hogy kijavítsák.
as someone who lives in south america, i notice that we have some similiarities with y'all. almost everything covered in this video is sonething that i related to. the only differences are that people here are a bit more friendly to foreigners, too friendly i'd say. and some values, although it depends a lot in where you are here, the more urban areas tend to have more liberal ideals, specially in Brazil (where i live) PS: come to brazil please.
Big cities are pretty liberal here as well, just westoids overlook that while they never go out of the touristy old town of the big city to actually see the country
The thing about meeting foreigners and friendliness is only true in some remote villages and with older people. We younger ones that live and got higher education are almost completely as any other citizen of foreign country, we know at least 2 languages, and are in flow with latest "trends". Only thing that are most of us still against and find it offensive are "new age" trends like to accept homosexuals, trans and other gender related stupidity, and some other unique behaviors which is not common. If any person is acting and doing "normal" things which we used to (drinking, watching sports, tv shows, social games etc...), there is no problem being friends and courteous to them. There are a lot of foreign students i am seeing here in my town, mostly black and Indian people, but there are other foreigners, and i and rest of people i know absolutely have no problem with any of them.
on the topic of the sort of "people here stick to their friend circles" thing, while i can attest to that it seems like mostly an urban thing. down in the timok valley (bor, rudna glava, majdanpek etc, generally any sort of tighter knit rural community) i've always found that people are a lot more sociable and prone to talking to absolute strangers you can go to a vašar to buy some flea market tier shit and come back knowing like 10 more people than you did beforehand
I still remember hurting my leg (Summer vacation in Serbia) and we went around in different hospitals and they couldn't help me, until my father had enough and just bought me to a private clinic which solved the situation under an hour. Though I must say Serbia is definitely better in terms of social life, while Western Europe is better in terms of money. Best case would be to get the salary from the West while living in Serbia.
Don't forget the food - Serbia is foodies' Nirvana! I'm 70, 45 yrs abroad, retired and living in LA. The only reason why I'm not returning to Serbia is the climate. I'm spoiled and can't take the winter in Serbia anymore!
@Broxxy P&T They love the food. They say the meat is top quality. The city has beautiful parks almost like a forest. Her daughter attends an international school which they really like. There is little traffic. What else you need to like the place!
1:30 From the US - my parents' apartment building's super was a Bosnian who fled during the 90s. And there was also this Bosnian family that lived down the street when we lived in the suburbs. They seemed to be doing well for themselves, even having the proverbial white-picket-fence.
Healthcare is the reason why i turn super anxious. I went to Czechia which does have better healthcare than the balkans, but I've never felt so anxious about getting in an accident. So when I returned to the Netherlands I was very relieved
What many people do not think about is that it is different when you make a Holiday or you move somewhere. I travelled a lot in this countries and yes with a Western salary, you can afford quite a lot, when compared to Western european countries. But when you move there you will also need to earn some Money somewhere. And then if you are not a Manager, or Higher in the hirachy in a company or you have a Cashflow from outside of the country (or Just rich like Andrew Tate) you will have a Problem to maintain your standard of living. But for sure if you have Cashflow from outside the country, like renting out real estate in the West or you inherited a lot of Money, 2nd world countries are attraktive, simply because you can afford more. Thats also the reason why a lot of German Pensioners move to the Balkans.
10:40 STORY - happend to me as well ._. got failed by my teacher that was the main professor for the subject I was specialising in. the bitch proceeded to say mkay, write something down... i got passed to next year, woman there said: ''i didn't passed you? wtf you doing here.'' proceeded to have a 3 months long argue back and forth only to realise they hoped for extra cash from my peasent ass. lesson? Fuck that shit I can draw arts without college too :'D #fakultetazadizajn #jebovas
Hi Janos, Westoid in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia here. Much as I enjoy your wit and sarcasm I disagree with many of your talking points and I find most of them don't apply to Serbia (they may apply to Romania and Greece but I know for a fact they also don't apply to Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkiye which are countries I am familiar with) : 1) Only Romania, Greece and Turkiye have high income tax rates of "around 40%". The good news with Greece and Turkiye is that most people find a way to reduce or even avoid them (more tricky in Romania because of more strict surveillance and sky high penalties for tax dodgers). In other countries in the Balkans income tax rates vary from 5% for very low income brackets to 25% for the mega rich. 2) Mental Health issues are very welcome as far as I can see because half of the population is in fact mental (most in a good way). On a more serious note people in the Balkans are rarely on prescription medication (unlike the US, UK, etc.) so no I don't see a problem here. 3) Dating is the same as anywhere else in the world. I find employees in the food and beverage industry to be friendly in the Balkans (not only in Serbia) so I am not sure where you got your ideas on this front. 4) Private Healthcare including Dentists is insanely cheap (even cheaper than in India, Thailand etc.) I can't comment on public healthcare as I never used it and am not entitled to use it but from what I heard waiting times are.not long at all because there is an oversupply of doctors and nurses (especially in Vojvodina). 5) Education in the West is a joke so I doubt it can be much worst here (not bothered to be honest). 6) Products and services are as good or better here compared to Western Europe. I am a healthy eater and I love to buy organic seasonal produce which I get from the stalls at the farmer's market in.the center of Novi Sad. Sure some stuff is missing, ie. biological unfiltered olive oil, bio pesto sauce of high quality, parmesan aged in the correct way etc. but for those I fly to Italy once every few months to stock up. The great advantage of living here is you can buy superior quality produce directly from those who grow them, ie. 100% real, unadulterated and fresh honey directly from the honeycomb, wine from the vineyard (not the best in the world but at least it is chemical and preservative free), non-gmo corn that is so juicy and yummy that you will never boil it but eat it right away... Janos baby this is the worst video you ever made because it is factually incorrect. I suggest to edit it as it is perhaps representative of your life in a mid sized Romanian town, not for the Balkans as a whole.
You will love it. I moved from Scotland five years ago, best decision I made. I don't feel like a lot of what he said in this video applies to Bulgaria
So wait.. Hungary is part of the Balkans too?! And we are also Eastern Block, Central Europeans and Formal Slavs. This is so very nice. Thank you so much. Now I feel like I belong somewhere.
You can sleep easy tonight knowing that we are not in-fact related to the the Balkans, and those who include us in such maps are simply bad at geography.
Real Balkans is south of Sava and Danube rivers and east of Adriatic coast. Continental Croatia and Dalmatia for example are not Balkans, but Bosnia is. Vajdaság/Vojvodina is not Balkans but Serbia south of Belgrade certainly is.
@@Harahvaiti Continental Croatia??? Whut. So out of the Carpathian Basin and under it, stuff is Balkan. Still. Now that Hungary is mentioned as such, I wanna be a formal Balkaner.
I'm a serbian who lived in the USA for 22 years. I decided to move back home to RS(bih) and I've never been happier in my life. Western world was a mental drain for me, and drugs are attractive because the majority want to 'check out'. I 'checked out' mentally, physically, and moved back to the balkans
Great vid, greetigs from HU. Not sure if Hungary is a part of that Balkan story, but what do you think? (Have been inly one Balkan country, and that was Croatia, but would love to visit more)
Go to the Ironic Shop and get the new Bulgaria shirt right now ➡theironicshop.com/
First to answer!
New video idea, history of Romania👉
I DISRESPECTLY disagree!!!!! Albania and Montenegro are FUCKING HEAVEN!!!!
1. Women - No Purple hairy Jabba the Huts in Yoga pants walking around. Women came up to me and asked me out! So much better. They wear the Italian fashion Zara and wear makeup and look amazing.
2. Housing - I can BUY A HOUSE!!! YOU CANT DO THAT IN THE US!!! You can buy an apartment in Saranda for like 20 to 30k. Bankso you can get apartments for $10k.
3. Albanian is so cheap you can go to the beach eat at fancy restaurants for nothing.
4. Crime - you can't walk in US at night. You will die. My grocery store was shot up in a mass murder.
5. People- people are nice and helpful! They aren't snarky like the this nasty Leftist shifty people. Albanians love Americans.
6. Cycling- skhoder is great for cycling everyone rides a bike. US people are trying to murder you on the bike.
7. Trustfulness - you can trust people and it is much better.
The HELL with the west. Go to America it is a shit place tried of it
my dude thinking that the US and other western education focuses on "higher thinking" is the funniest shit you ever said
As a romanian thank you for including the hat
If you're moving to the Balkans with a western salary then you'll have a lot of fun
True
here in india a lot of people go to the west to become a doctor or engineer there so they can live like a king with that western salary once come back here every once in a while
@@ramp597 Yes, thats the dream in the Balkans, hustle in Germany/Austria/Switzerland and come back on vacation or eventually with a comfy pension to flex
Yes look at all this German pensioners in Bulgaria. There Standard of living is higher then it would be in Germany.
My reason for wanting to move back to RO
As someone living in Brazil, let me attest it's not really that different here.
The biggest advantage you have over us is that you can move to Germany a lot easier.
Germany sucks though, I'd rather live move to Brazil than Germany.
@@ImperialSenpai how so?
@@ImperialSenpai I'm pretty sure you don't.
@@ImperialSenpai
Nah Germanys alright. A bit overhyped but defenetlie good.
@@vinz4066 Make a politically incorrect joke there and see what happens, hold the wrong views and see what happens. Germany has gone down hill, it's authoritarian and is becoming a third world country because of the migrants along with Britain, France, and most other countries in Europe and West as a whole. Hard pass on that.
My father is from the Netherlands. He emigrated fully to Skopje 20 years ago. He doesn't have a residence in the Netherlands, and pays taxes as if he were a macedonian citizen. I never understood why he threw away his living standard and doomed me to live and education here.
ALRIGHT EDIT: it's been more than a year since I wrote this comment, someone recently replied and brought me back to it after I'd forgotten about it completely. I'm a bit older now, met new people, experienced more etc. and my perspective has changed a bit. I know my father prefers the more easy-going mentality here, the friendliness of the people here (be it genuine or for some other motive which isn't uncommon unfortunately) and frankly I understand why he'd like it here. I still think emigrating fully wasn't exactly smart considering the state if this country in 2024, but then again, the Netherlands isn't exactly great either in this day and age. Honestly every country on this planet is dealing with the same issues - low pay and inflation. The Netherlands is absurdly expensive, it's inhumane. Here in Skopje, the average salary is 500€ and rent a minimum of 200€, groceries and clothes cost the same as in the west. How we live here with these saleries? Short answer - we don't, we just barely scrape by. Despite that I am grateful for growing up here, it's shaped who I am and given me a unique perspective on the world. To some people who asked, ja ik spreek nederlands (dan niet perfekt maar toch best goed voor iemand opgegroeid buiten Nederland), en ik ben nederlands burger. I speak both macedonian and ducth fluently.
A bit unrelated but to the chauvinistic repliers to my comment I just gotta say, please spend your time on something more productive, because truly there are better things in life than spending your life writing north monkeydonia and west bulgaria in youtube replies. I have nothing against ordinary greeks, bulgarians and albanians who mind their own business, are genuine and are just enjoying the beauty of life. I couldn't care less about the name of the country I live in and wether some guy who lived thousands of years ago was greek, he can be gypsy for all I care, or how closely my language is related to another. If you respect me as a person regardless of my nationality, I will respect you too. Cheers ✌️
*Northmacedonia
🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷
Well, you can appreciate living standars in Netherlands now.
Probably couldn't stand being near Belgium anymore. It's a severe challenge for all of us dutchies on the daily.
Having to speak Dutch or living in Monkeydonia...tough choice
@@venepskeuten9206 Belgium is better than netherlands
I met an Australian (with Serbian parents) who moved to Serbia to live the "good life" because he bought a property in Australia and made money by renting it out. That's what lots of Australian Balkans do. They invest into the Australian property market then go live comfortably in Europe.
That's a great idea! But, who manages those properties? Do they pay an agency, or did they leave adult kids behind to take care of problems that arise with owning real estate?
@@life.in.the.slow_lane This was more than 10 years ago but for some they use real estate agents and others just let their family members handle their properties. These were rich people who owned restaurants or had good paying jobs.
Yeah, I'm Serbian Living in the UK...Thinking of maybe doing the same. I'm fed up of sh!tty food and weather!
@@abraxadabra4224 I can relate. I miss the food, friends and family and better weather but I don't have the money to invest in properties. Also healthcare is better in Australia and safer too.
@@abraxadabra4224 hehe that realistic descriptions of UK made me chuckle 😆😂
I am the Canadian who lives in Serbia which you speak of :)
Having lived here for 4 years, learning Serbian, and leaving the illusion of Belgrade/Novi Sad to live in a village, I've definitely learned all of the bad things about life here, and I could definitely explain 100 reasons to someone why they should NOT live here.
That being said, there is no comparison if you ask me. You are surrounded by real people who just want to live a real life. I would not consider for one second moving back to Canada, as it is not the same place that it used to be - a lot of the issues you described in this video are also present (if not worse) over there.
It has become a society fit only for the ultra-rich, whereas in Serbia, you can hope to live a normal life with a normal salary.
Life in Serbia on an average salary sucks. Life in Canada on an average salary (assuming you are young and have no assets to your name) is impossible unless you are digging yourself hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Before you reply with something like "Yeah on western money it's good", please understand that for my first year in Serbia, I made below the national average salary and had zero savings.
So yeah, the Balkans suck, but so does the entire world nowadays. The only difference is that in the Balkans, you are surrounded by people who understand how bad things are and try to live their life regardless. Maybe it's because of how recently they were under extremely hard times, idk.
My advice for anyone in the Balkans - go spend a year in the west, you will either find happiness and stay, or you will be happy with a newfound appreciation for your homeland.
Pozdrav
Sve ste u pravu.
Julian i must visit your mom
Similar situation here, I am born in Bulgaria but was raised in Canada. I look at what I want from my future and I see that Canada can offer me a modestly comfortable life with high living standards. Bulgaria can also offer me a modestly comfortable life but slightly lower living standards. However, considering that both my parents are planning to move back and that my moral values don't fit into Canadian society, I am seriously thinking of moving back myself.
On top of that, I wholeheartedly disagree with Canada's tendency to tax every penny out of your possession and the exorbitant real estate prices that essentially make you a slave to a company your whole life so you can pay off your debt. You finally have some good work experience and make some good money... government takes half!! With the other half, you pay off your half-million 3-room apartment, over 25 years. And god forbid if you need those services you are being taxed on, say you require medical attention... stay and wait 16 hours in the emergency room with two broken wrists.
On top of that, my (future) kids will be taught in school that it is perfectly normal to change your gender and that visible minorities have been and still are victims of imperialist white supremacy. I am so glad that every time I apply to a company, I am asked whether or not I am a member of a visible minority, if I am a member of the LGBTQI+ community and if I identify as a woman. I am certain that these companies have my best interest at heart by asking me these questions. No. Just plain no. I am tired of this bullshit victimhood ideology of the west where everyone is a victim. People are more real in the Balkans, at least more than they are in Canada in my opinion.
That being said, Bulgaria isn't without its flaws, and I am fully aware of that. But I cannot understand why everyone living there seems to believe the west is some sort of miracle land where life is pretty and beautiful. No. It's just as shitty, if not more.
@@ts9749 1000% on everything you said - yeah, it is shit in the Balkans, but this is a certain type of shit which I can deal with - Canada is just beyond by comprehension at this point
@@JulianGalluzzo-h6w Thanks for your input. People here usually think of Canada as utopia.
I was at a club with a few of my friends and there were some clueless French guys try to hit on every single girl there and they were rejected every time. Poor souls.
It is so sad... man they could have been born in any other country, but they were born Fr*nch... truly heartbreaking.
huh, I thought girls would hit on westoids to escape this hellhole
@@redactedcanceledcensored6890 They're not that desperate.
@@redactedcanceledcensored6890 not even Balkan girls are desperate enough to accept the advances of a Fr*nchie.
@@redactedcanceledcensored6890 It’s pretty easy to emigrate to Austria or Germany from a Balkan country that is part of the EU
*Without the Balkans Europe would be boring 🗿*
Imagine being in France
I agree I like chaos
Being backward does not make you interesting.
@@drstevej2527 Yet here you are
and Austria would have far less cheap workforce...
Me who already live here:
Fine, i won't
Then to Germany it is
@@alexandrurod2182 imam brata u Bec ,ko ce samnom
@@borispaunovic965 moji roditelji kažu da ne idem s strancima bilo gdje.
@@matejtrupina1244 ma dodji slobodno imam bombone
As a Balkan I’m proud of being Balkan and love to our Balkan bro’s
Da frate hai sa facem o Uniune Balcanica!😂
Fără caterincă am avea potențial!
Bless you, gypsy ❤
Epic gamer moment.
You stole my tost
@@Hajde_budalla bless you too gypsy girl!
Bro, I'm Bulgarian, and your idea of the Balkans is very different from mine, especially when it comes to dating and people's mindsets. Unless you're moving to a forgotten by god village, no one will gossip about whether you're dating a foreigner. In any case, foreigners are very well accepted, and mixed couples are not condemned at all. Also, we have things in the shops that come with a lot of variety and quality, and anything that you might meet abroad. My friends from Dubai told me they love shopping in Sofia more as you can find cheaper and better quality things. Lol, not sure wtf with the store example you have... It's not the case at all, especially for bigger cities. Agree on other points, though, such as bureaucracy, corruption, etc.
Sofia is awesome 🙂
Bulgaria seems like a pretty chill place
ifrc this dude is from a pretty small city/town in serbia, so it would probably be pretty different from a capital city like sofia in terms of dating, mindset, & goods available. sofia does have incredible shopping, can't lie. hardest drip in the balkans, i saw a 12 year old in a full philip plein tracksuit smoking a cig on vitosha one time 😂
@@theghoulboyofficial Fair enough, everyone's reality is different. But he shouldn't be generalizing a whole massive & diverse region, based on his experience alone. There are also very developed and not corrupt countries in the Balkans, where almost none of his points apply. Has he been to Croatia, for instance?
Well i can say for the dating is kind of true it's because yeah a relationships with foreigners are a bit more understood however you'll still see bigots judging you and gossiping about you regardless yet the dating is still verry hard. And also about the corruption and bereaucrasy is verry accurate. Even though Sofia and Plovdiv are the worst offenders and majority of the people are moving there it's because shopping is kind of better but not entirely. I've been in several malls and stores in Germany and you'll find out quickly how much of difference shopping can be. And don't make me start explaining how garbage the bulgarian mindset can get.
This video convinced me to move to Afghanistan instead
what about Iranor Saudi Arabia tho?? Aint we forgetting some candidates here
@kristijanceple6026
you can not move to Saudia Arabia even if you are an "Arab" you can not
Iranians are nationalists mostly so you will find hard times in trying to communicate with them so your only choice is the glorious emirate of Afghanistan
😂😂😂😂
I think we need a Balkans/Caucasus crossover. I really appreciate your content so much and I'd like to see Caucasus content in your style, even from your balkan perspective.
Oh it's coming
@@LivingIronicallyinEurope Will you do a crossover with Caucasus youtubers like Gattsu?
@@LivingIronicallyinEurope Can you test how many "Armenian Genocide" fits in one TH-cam video?
The Caucasus is even more fucked up.
@@lollertoaster no need for the brackets though.
10:26 my parents both are from Bosnia and Studied in Sarajevo and I remember them telling me that they had several professors that would purposefully just fail the class because they felt like it
this is very true, literally through my entire school life, now currently in uni, professors still do this. i nearly failed an elective course on my first semester like a month or two ago because my professor refused to put in my grade for my seminar paper i did. these professors literally brag about not doing their job and failing students. not all of them though of course, theres loads of lovely professors ive met and still have and do everything in their power to help
@@xoriven Are you going to a government or a private one? Are the professors the same in private ones?
@@xoriven No wonder there's so much genocide going on in the Balkans, that would make me want to commit warcrimes too.
yeah my dad told me that a teacher did that too when he was in uni , 8 students found him at the metro (this was in 93 i belive) put him in a trash bag beat him and left him unconscious in a public toilet , he never failed anyone after that
@@c4_ro slav justice. 😂
It depends what you want in life. I have 2 Bosnian uncles. One is very focused on staying where he is from, near his ancestral home, keping to his valley. The other wanted more from life, to see what was over the horizon. Now he lives in Chicago in USA. Both have happy and unhappy times in life. Both experianced the war, both learned different lessons from it. I myself, want to see the world, meet different people from new places.
As a graduate of Babes-Bolyai I can agree with much of the points. BBU is the top rated university in Romania for some time now, however, they have 27 faculties and not all of them have the same rigour. And regarding the professors, I had a similar experience. One time a professor of mine asked me a question during an exam, and downgraded my grade because he anticipated that I would respond something different, although my answer was correct and I provided evidence. P.S. the response had nothing to do with my speciality, neither did the question. The professor was minister of education in Romania
Once a famous Bulgarian-Serbian actor said: "It's a privilege to live on the Balkans."
At least it's not a boring place to be - one day it can be a fairytale, the next day - a nightmare.
One of the best channels I've ever followed!
Cheers from a gastarbajter in DE.
Its actually more often than not a fkin nightmare,unless you live in the few big cities,but even then it could easily turn into a nightmare because of a drunk driver,a lazy Bureau worker which can waste both of your days off,cant speak for other Balkans,but in Bulgaria most people work on average 60 hours a week with no bonus payment past the 40,you can get beaten up from groups of retards that do drugs constantly because they dont like the way you dress or look etc.,chilhood bestfriends may stab you in the back for 50 euros and act like they never know you,like 80% of the people i knew since kids are now addicted to METH,Weed and Spice,almost nobody works any legit job or dont work at all
And if you end up having a job,90+% your boss will act like you are subhuman slave and talk shit to you and your coworkers
Its a literal shithole,and nobody ever cares to be a better person and make it better,people who believe it is fun,are the people who never had to live here for more than a month
Isn’t it „Gastarbeiter“ tho?
@@charlesleethesonandfathero14 Yeah, but I wrote it as a slang version in Serbian/Croatian language. Ironically, of course.
truth
Koji je to srpsko bugaraski glumac
Education in the Balkans is unironically great bro my family moved to america and for most of my high school experience I have been running off of stuff I learned in 6-8th grade in Macedonia
I think that speaks more to how low American education standards are than anything else
@@seenbefore2803 honestly yeah, American AP and dual enrollment (college level) classes are comparable to normal classes everywhere else in the world
@@wisewhale344 I know a Korean guy who took an SAT in middle school specifically because his teacher wanted to make fun of US education
You were never in Macedonia , Macedonia is in Greece , you are a Bulgar Tatar from VARDASKA
@@mickeymouse1697 And you are a clueless moron
it's ok i live in balkans 2: south america
Also known as the place where nothing happens
Isn't balkan2 south east asia?
South asia deserves the title of balkans 2
@@N________--_o_olol facts
@@patrlckballing Nothing ever happend January 8 in Brasilia, Brazil.
American here, living nearly 15 years in Romania, raising a child with a wonderful wife. I think it would be awesome if we could have a chat about this. In general I pretty much agree with everything said here but I think we could go into some much deeper detail!
@@NomPrenom1 I'm sure the reason is his wife stole his heart.
@@NomPrenom1 I saw 2023 coming, all the way back in 2008. And I wanted children, and I wanted to raise them in an environment I would still find familiar 15 years later. It so happens that Romania is very familiar to me, but the US has gone through a cycle of change for change's sake to such an extent that it's really unrecognizable to anyone who's been away for a long period.
My wife is pregnant with our daughter, and I can look forward to raising her with:
- A woman who has starved with me and thrived with me, putting our fortitude as a family above any short-term thinking.
- A community that's largely conservative and at the same time very loving.
- A family that understands delayed gratification and weathered hardship with immense strength.
- Friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin for all these years and I would gladly call my daughter's uncles.
- A legal system that will treat her just like anyone else, not elevate her.
@@NomPrenom1 Transylvania yes. If Romania falls, I will fall with her. Too old to run anymore, and I am much better connected in this country than in the US. There's always something we can do, however unpleasant it may be, to recover our patrimony. Și da, este patrimoniul NOSTRU, având în vedere că am petrecut atâția ani cu voi în momentele cele mai întunecate atât cât și în momentele cele mai glorioase.
If there's one mantra I've lived with in Romania, it has always been: Perfer et obdura, dolor hic tibi proderit olim. Pe patient and endure; someday this pain will be useful to you.
We will endure. I am confident we will. And those around me who don't, I will drag kicking and screaming to better days whether they like it or not. This is where we fight, this is where we stand. I am too old to run, but also old enough that I have fended off the cowardice of my youth that made me not fight ;)
good for u! your one of the smart ones who moved out early, but now the pasportbros is a thing so many moved out from USA for a traditional wife. The funny things is that somehow it makes me proud knowing the women in my country are so seek out.
With regards to the choice of consumer goods and services, I’d say Romania has gotten at 90% of the standard of Western Europe, and I’d assume EU Balkan states are the same or better. When I left the country and moved to the UK in 2015, typically Western products like peanut butter and “American bacon” weren’t available in supermarkets, Starbucks and H&M had only opened in my hometown in the previous two years, and the choice of restaurants was either Romanian, Italian, fast food (McDonalds or Shaorma) or maybe Serbian (I’m from Banat). Oh, and almost nobody shopped online because they were afraid they would be scammed.
Now every single fad western product is available in the supermarkets (agave syrup and quinoa?), my city has Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and many other styles of restaurants, and hipsters drink locally brewed craft IPAs. And every Romanian teenager on tiktok buys their Nike Jordan 1s and Bape hoodie online.
The Balkans have come a long way…
Yeah, pretty much same in Hungary, tho it has been like that for a while now.
@@justhair17 I assume Hungary has always been a few years ahead of Romania in Development. As a kid, I remember my family and many others doing monthly trips to Mako or Szeged to buy groceries from Hungarian supermarkets because they were cheaper and of higher quality. And maybe Romania was/is a few years ahead of Serbia, as a regular fixture in the parking lot of the shopping mall in Timisoara was a bus bringing in Serbian tourists from Vršac and Novi Sad to shop there
More people are being scammed online now, in 2023, than ever before.
All the “progress” is bad though, more Amerimut bs that tries to make us Commiefornians that are “fluid” and “experimental”.
Happy Greek independence day 🇬🇷
🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
Alexander the Great was macedonian 🇲🇰🇲🇰🇲🇰
Косово је Србија (Kosovo je Srbija)
@@mbrrrrr 🗿
🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷
As a Polish person who was born and raised mostly in Sweden I kinda lived through this when moving back to Poland. Having said that though I have visited the balkans 2 times in my life (as most polish people do), and I have to say that living in Serbia, Bosnia or Montenegro is appealing to me. The mindset and general vibe just felt so right when I was there.
Wanna switch places?
Tbh, i think a Pole would have no trouble fitting in in Bosnia or Serbia, maybe try living here for a month or two as a digital nomad or some shit
As a Brit I'd love to live in Slovenia or Bulgaria for 6 months to a year... and then run back to western Europe and never go back
Visegrad Fembois think they can survive in the balkans, LMAO 😭
@@djocharablaikan8601 Oh no my bussy would be annihilated
Westoid here. Family moved from UK to BG in 2007 when it joined EU and I've spent several years, living and working there. This video is so so right. When I tell people I lived there, I'm always met with "aww that's so cute, it's soooo cheap and it's so beautiful... Better way of living" and I look at them and go "haha, it's not easy, believe me". We moved to a village and it was a massive culture shock and I've grown to see that when I first moved over, I moved with rose tinted sunglasses. Now, I see it as a Bulgarian see's it. It's sad, but at the same time, wouldn't have it any other way.
Meanwhile if there are any girls still living in villages here, I bet they dream of moving into a big European city 😂
@@nikolakirichev Of course they do, just as someone from a big city dreams of living in a village. Everyone thinks that that which he doesn't have, is better than that which he does have
@@pulemyot1337 Personally, I've experienced both and I still prefer the village option. But it can go both ways depending on the circumstances and what you as an individual need.
all down to expectations. if you expected conveniences of the west in a poorer country you set your expectations wrong. that being said you get way better bang for your buck in bulgaria than expensive uk
Yo, I've lived in BG too, and I'd get a cultural shock moving to a village too. There's usually a very stark difference between town and village here, mostly.
You nailed it on most things. However I'd like to add some things that I think you didn't get right.
1. Dating - the fact that balkan people don't want to date foreigners because their family might gossip. This is true, however I know many people in my circle who got married with someone from a western culture and that person is very much accepted in the family. Another thing to mention is, that balkan people find foreigners to be interesting and very much like to spend time with them and show them the wonders of the balkans. Older people enjoy a lot to get a foreigner drunk and show them "how real life, real food, and real alcohol is". For example people in Romania are quite hospitable with foreigners and do want to offer them a great experience.
2. Healthcare system - yes, the healthcare system most of the time is broken - however the conditions in Romanian hospitals have increased dramatically, things are modern right now, and even if you don't get everything cover still the prices are very cheap compared to the western countries. I know many people coming from the west to get their teeth done in here, because most of the medical personal is highly qualified and the prices are drastically cheap compared to the western countries. The private healthcare is top notch, is more expensive than the state's healtcare, but way cheaper than west.
3. Education system - There are lots of western students coming in Romania to get a medical degree because the medical university (especially Victor Babes from Cluj) are very very good and at a very affordable cost. With 3k a year you can get your medical degree that is recognized in all western countries. However I can't say the same for the rest of the universities.
Excepting these points, I think you are correct about everything else. The best situation you can have is being a balkan making a western salary and living in the balkans. As an immigrant you will always be perceived as a foreigner, and there will be people trying to screw you. But the safety you get, the good living standard and great friends you can find in here, I think is worth the risk.
I had a couple folks tell me in Bulgaria (where I met a lot of great people in my five days of travel) that natives actually tend to be nicer to foreigners than their fellow countrymen.
And the dating foreigners thing is true of a lot of cultures. My cousins from China (I'm half-Chinese American) made comments when I was dating an Indian girl
I am a westoid living in the Balkans. I like it here and I noticed it is impossible to convince a guy from the Balkans that the Balkans is actually a cool place. In their mind, Germany is the best place ever (and of course, they never went or lived there).
"germany is the best place ever according to balkans" - are you hinting people in the Balkans speak the official language of Germany: Turkish? I doubt it...
I was in Germany for half of my life to work there but my family got themselves in debt and we are back in bulgaria now living day to day because jobs here aren't good like me being a construction worker with a big family i ain't getting much money honestly it's a miracle how we bay the water and power bills plus the low internet that costs 50 to more if you don't pay it for a long time also i am living in a small village in the middle of nowhere and the nearest city is 15 kilometers away
@@panchevpenyo6483 yes, this is unfortunately a problem. Jobs need to pay more in Bulgaria. Only a few sectors that pay well, like IT in Sofia/plovdiv. I hope your salary can increase, or maybe take matters into your own hands and start a company? hang in there bro!
My ex was Macedonian so I’ve stayed there for quite a bit of time and also in Serbia and honestly I really liked it. We aren’t together anymore but I’d like to go back.
Since you don't have to be there long lol
@@가가리아 I spent months at a time there so I was there a long time. I agree there are a lot of problems also though.
*North Macedonian
LOL she tried to coerce you into marriage so she can be proud at her group of friends and family that she married a foreigner
She would definitely cheat on you after all that self admiring of her was over
but of course maybe I am wrong
@@rdeez5974Months? Lucky you, some of us aren't as lucky unfortunately
The Balkans is the Central and South America of Europe, I always wanted to visit Balkans especially Greece, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia.
What do you think BELARUS, MOLDAVIA & UKRAINE is in ur comparison?
@@riton349 Well with the exception of Molavia they are Slavic, Moldavia they are Romanian but what they have in common it is one of the cheapest place to live in Europe they where under communism for 40-70 years. I do would like to visit Poland one day.
visit hungary too!
@@fritzier5475 Sure I almost forgot Hungary, Kosovo, and Albania.
Imagine being New Mexican
You explained the dating thing so well, the westerners really don't know
As a fellow balkaner, i couldn't have said better. You hit all the check marks and were on point, good job
I live in Romania and I like it here, especially when the pandemic came, we were some of the few that escaped the madness! I would never move to the West! Make it work with whatever you have, wherever you are! 🤗🤗🤗
It's kinda funny that Westoid Conservatives's Balkan dream is so delusional that this Yter needed to do the Balkan Version "Japan isn't like in ANIME".
Went to Romania once, came out missing my wallet, car, and even my shoes.
Looking back on it, it could have been worse if I went to Albania
Not true Albania is much safer
@@invader7191 that's true, you can still continue your life without a kidney but without money you are screwed.
mustve been some tzigan shithole, sorry for your lose
In Albania you would go missing
Typical Romania moment
you have basically described what is like to live in brazil
and i am not even joking, there is a lot of similarities
Well, South America is in a way the Balkans as a whole continent.
At least there aren't far right westoids idolizing here
This must be the reason that I made good friends with Brazilians easily as a Hungarian
Yeah but they dating scene is far better and easier in brazil. Its possible to have a harem of wumen in brazil if you are very good looking or rich
accurate description of Argentina too lmao
I moved to the U.S. in the late 90s and never adjusted to life here. I never cared for wealth, driving expensive cars, buying brand names, or other things people have here more readily available than in the Balkans. I'm sometimes afraid to admit that so that people won't think I'm ungrateful! Moving to the U.S. saved my life in a way, but I had problems making friends. After over 20 years, I still don't have any American friends. I was educated here, and have a college degree from here, but I feel emptiness when I talk to people. But if I talk to people from the Balkans, regardless of their ethnicities, I feel twenty years younger! There is something about people from there-their honesty, their openness, intelligence, humor, passion, and curiosity, that I love! I know I will return to the Balkans at some point. The only thing that keeps me here right now is the fact that my kids are still young. Once they move out and go their way, I will have no reason to stay here.
I live in the Balkans and I feel totally the opposite
Happy for you, however - if u think that would make you happy go for it and enjoy life, with money and the right mentality the Balkans CAN be a blast if you pick the right place to live (and dont pick trouble with politicians or football fans)
Get out! We Americans don’t want you here! Go back to the balkans! Eastern balkanoid go home!
wow thats me ...
Balkan and Latino people are similar. Talk to them, they're lots of them in the USA.
The "Space Wars" off brand lego at 11:26 belongs to me! I posted it to reddit like 6 years ago and forgot about it, I was so bloody shocked to see it in a TH-cam video! I still have it, and I can prove it to you if you want. :D
Thanking for teaching this michigander about the amazing memes and history behind the Balkans. Extremely entertaining!
As a Canadian looking to spend this fall to 2024 summer in the Balkans this was great knowledge Nick
Hey, I'm a Canadian too. What was your experience like?
If any TH-camr deserves a million sub it should be you , each one of your video never disappoint ❤
This one disappointed because it is factually false.
In Bulgaria, healthcare is more like I sure as "hell-don't-care". They act like you go to them to disturb their bliss. And then they can't do anything to help you.
really dont they do anything if you really have a serious illness?
@@gizemlikisi6213 Sure, if your previously neglected or brushed off illness becomes a serious issue.
@@darkySp what if you go to emergency for example your arm is broken. will you wait for hours and nobody will do something?
@@gizemlikisi6213 Uhhh... Health insurance would cover most of it, so long as you've either paid it as "self-insured" or you're actively working, in which case a flat percentage of your salary is deducted for the public health insurance and that amount depends on the contract-stated salary by your employer.
Now, about the health workers' response... It's the Balkans. A lot of outdated file handling, lack-luster modernization with digital systems, lack of doctors because salaries are shit and some people's "i don't care" attitude means that you will probably have to wait for seemingly pointless reasons, but you will be seen to and I don't think it'll be hours. Depends on the severity of the trauma.
I'm from Croatia and it is a lot better living here then you depicted it. Especially in Slovenia for me it's better than Germany ( big cities)
Croatian brother let's go slavic nations 😎😎
Germany has changed a lot didnt it?
Slovenia and Croatia today are not in the same league as the rest of exYugoslavia and rest of the Balkans except Greece
@@Bufekana More like big powers including USA
True
I am a westerner and when I was younger I spent a whole year in the Balkans and quite frankly it was the best year of my life! As I get older, retirement in the Balkans is a definite possibility. Obviously, with my western pension lol
You are not a “westerner” you are a “ north macedonian “ living in some western country.
you are a Bulgar Tatar
And with a comment like that, your intellectual knowledge has the capacity of Micky Mouse. What a remarkable moron.
@@mickeymouse1697 LOL at least Bulgaria is a real country unlike “ north macedonia “ which is really just half Albanian half Bulgarian. I would be embarrassed to call myself macedonian.
@@invader7191 👑
I’m racist
just don't step on a land mine or get stabbed
They are earth.
*heaven on earth
@@justcallmehaterik i always feel like I’m going to get stabbed at least once in the next 4 years. Anyone else has this feeling?
Balkan is a shitty sausage.
The part about needing an extra suitcase to bring back goodies from the Balkans hit me on the spot, as we used to do a similar thing to that, but replace the suitcase with a Balikbayan box full of sweets, clothes, etc. Yes, it's a Filipino thing.
Enjoyable and enlightening video. Against your advice and judgement we will continue to our move to Montenegro in the new year from Australia. 🙂
Nothing warms my heart like that intro. Love from the rice balkan🙏🏻
I love how if you change the accent, clothing, and title, you got yourself a video about why gringos shouldn't come to Latin America.
His video is actually applicable to $hithole countries in Latin America such as Argentina, Ecuador and Honduras but not in any way to the Balkans.
But the question is, can Balkan people move to South America, and can South American people move to the Balkans? 😁
oh hell naw man💀 living in argentina is like living in serbia but with 10000000% of inflation and you don't even have any close decent country to move. stay away from latam unless you earn in dollars or euros, you'll be rich even with $1000 lol @@bib4eto656
thank you Janos for tricking the Westoids into not moving to the Balkans
we don't want to share our beautiful and perfect countries!!11!
All praise to Janos for protecting us!
The reason why I wanna go to Balkan is for my experience and interest. I simply love the culture, people, language and history.
Balkan is not a language. wtf are u smoking?
The thing i like the most it that i live a great life here by almost all standards, but can still complain that I'm living in the Balkans lol.
It's great.
I’m a balkaner and I wonder everyday why people want to be in our culture. I love it but it’s exhausting.
You can do that as a tourist, don't be an idiot and destroy your life level of yourself and childrens.
Don't.
6:37 absolutely so true. I'm an Italian 18 years old guy and I loved a Serbian girl (I actually still love her). We loved each other for basically 2 years and everything you explained it's true. We first have been friends for 1 year and then fell in love. She has such huge family values and at the mere insult of her mother, she gets aggressive and defensive. In a nutshell, I was walking with her and her brother around the streets of Belgrade on our own and they were talking about how my mother looks her age or older. The moment I said that her mom also seems a bit older than her age, also to imply that she's wise, they both got absolutely mad. They started talking in Serbian between each other, sort of took me to the restaurant where our parents were and left me there completely alone. The moment I was back in the hotel, she texted me to insult me and my entire family and whole genealogical tree and to tell me how disappointed she was. I had to apologize pretty much in front of her, her brother and her cousin, who's not even involved in this, for what I've done and only then they forgave me, somehow, completely ignoring that they insulted my mother and I didn't really care about it but whatever 💀. Not only that but she also has a traditional view of a relationship of the guy always initiating stuff. And yes, it took quite a while before we finally met in Montenegro for 10 days for the second time all by myself (first time was in Belgrade just for three days where there was also my family so that they could get to know each other), in her second house, and get to finally start doing relationship things. How unfortunate that I ended up disrespecting her family just because I wanted her to take me to the airport on the 10th day when I was leaving (the fact that we loved each other was a secret to both her and my parents) while she kept saying "no" and her whole family felt like I was ignoring their presence and putting her on a pedestal. She eventually lost feelings because of all of that and she aggressively admitted how she's not sorry for making me become depressed and making me become mentally and emotionally unstable and just left me like that (which confirms their stigmatisation for mental illnesses). Now we're on some sort of break because she felt "trapped" by me and we didn't text each other in almost a month even though for her it's not really a break, her intention was to "have an eternity of peace" and she even told me "I wish you never loved me". Man, I still love her but Serbian women drive you crazy 😩. And yes, we were hiding the fact that we loved each other because they're conservative and her parents already explained her that they'd hate her if she moved to Italy to date someone, so yeah, I saw how it's not appealing at all for them to see their daughter dating a foreigner, especially if this foreigner still doesn't live in their country, EVEN THOUGH her parents love Italians because they visited it several times but anyway.
im so sorry man. I hope things get better for you
the fuk man? your 18 years old, wtf do u know about love? move on and stop complaining. and yes! I approve of her and her parents act. parents should protect their children, especially women or else they will end like those in the West (for the streets)! Also, from the entire post u made, u sound like a little girl, no wonder she dump u. My best advise for u, is learn a thing or two, man up and move on!
Just date a nice Italian girl bro save yourself the headache. I don't care how good looking she is she sounds like a cunt if a girl insulted my mother I'd slap her across the face and leave her.
Man, what you need is a Romanian woman. :)
Fantastic content. I grew up with many Serbians in Canada. So indirectly I absorbed the culture. I like that Serbia is traditional. Looking forward to visiting.
"the education is great"
Me (Hungarian), who had my desk set on fire:
Érettségi gyakorlás?
@@LivingIronicallyinEurope you speak hungarian? Cool
@@LivingIronicallyinEurope Valószínüleg
@@LivingIronicallyinEurope Hey János! I really appriciate that you made videos about Hungarian history as well, and I have 2 questions:
1- Will we see more videos about Hungary?
2- Do you think (based)Hungary is (based)Balkan?
@@fritzier5475 Yes & Yes
Greetings from Portland! Occasionally called “little Beirut” by some law enforcement agencies
I'm sorry for you.
"little Beirut" 💀
I really wanted to visit Portland at one point. I think I am far better off going to a Balkan country now days....
@@MrR2185 that would be wise. Portland is really beautiful from a distance. Not so much when up close
I accidentally had my video set to speed X2, and it made your intro sound CRAZY
In south bulgaria where I live a lot of englishman bought houses so they enjoy the sun in the summer. Problem occurs when they leave in the fall and local gypsies invade during the winter. So when the guys from england come back in the spring they find their houses ransacked. This regularly happens to bulgarian or any people here as well so you can imagine.
what if they try to break in while the residents inside? will the police care about it?
Bro you made a few good points in the video but the thing about friendliness of people in Balkan i completely disagree with. I lived in Serbia and across the Europe and I can confirm to you that finding friends is sooo much easier in Balkan and also finding a girl for one nightstand or for long relationships is also extremely easy in Balkan countries. In Germany for example people are not so active outside, and they make parties more privet with a smaller group of friends so It's just generally harder to meet new individuals and to make an opportunity for your self to find new friends.
As a greek person, I confirm the validity of this video.
Everything, except the low quality of products available at grocery stores and supermarkets and for hobbyists. I've no clue about others, but it's as far from truth as it gets, in Greece. May be not that much variety of brands of hobby products, but the quality is top notch (since they're all imported). However, saying this about food is ridiculous. He mentions all that at 11:10
“Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Visit the Balkans”
“Thanks for Watching”
Reason 2:Leave
Reason 3:buy "burek" and get some "rakija"
Reason 4: Leave!
YES PLS. Please go to the Balkans, so you can leave your empty countries so I can move in and start a better life
@James.P no culture = no bullshit
@James.P ok then the balkans have a bad life with an exception of North mscedonia and kosovo
@@the.nice.cock.documentary kosovo don't exist
@@the.nice.cock.documentary xD
Hoces li da menjamo pasos?
Janos my Balkan brother. I liked your video. I think you nailed it. Saw it all so you get closer to your dream of moving away from the misery that Balkans is
My uncle emigrated to Canada in 1990 with his wife and son. 30 years later, he and his wife retired and decided to return to live in Serbia. They didn't last a whole year and moved back to Canada.
Never laughed so hard at a TH-cam vid in a while. You have earned yourself a subscriber Mr. Janoš
Westoid here, living in the southern US, what you describe sounds a lot like how southern culture works in some ways. More southern people are getting government checks than would actually admit it, for example.
Being a convert to Orthodoxy, I have some church friends who have thought of trying to expatriate, but I have had to tell them that we are still Americans to them, guilty by association, no matter what religion we are 😂
As a former Catholic, what made you want to convert to orthodoxy? They share way more in common with each other than protestant Christian sects. They're literally just separated twins lol, since the great schism of 1054.
It was just too closed minded and dogmatic too me growing up. It condemns idolatry in the 10 commandments, but yet Catholics and the Orthodox church have a whole "pantheon" of saints. Was also way too ritualistic. Too each their own though! I believe in God, just in my own way now.
@@Clos93 slightly weird that you apparently browsed my comment history but anyway, there are more important differences than you’d think, especially a deeper spirituality available to the laypeople. Its a cliche with ex Catholics to resort to Asian spirituality or paganism to get a real in-depth spiritual life going, but I think they wouldn’t do this if more of them knew about their separated twin.
@@Clos93 I don't think you understand Catholicism or Orthodoxy if you believe these sterotypes. This way of thinking is pretty heretical similar to Iconoclastism.
People don't worship saints like gods. There's a big difference between respecting somebody vs worshipping them
This ritualistic aspect is more cultural than anything else. Catholicism adopted practices in order to assimilate and spread peacefully across the Roman empire and later other pagan peoples since the time of Peter the disciple.
@@Clos93 Veneration of saints is different than idolatry. Catholicism is superior anyways.
Coming from another Orthodox in America, I've had that same conversation with church friends before lol
My mom is from Croatia. Actually it was Yugoslavia back then. It was a trip growing up, one day my family was Yugoslavian and the next we were Croatian. Stability? Yeah we totally have it.
edit: Guys, don't think about it too much. I was a really little kid during the war. That was just my understanding of it back then.
Damn
That would be so cool seeing your country being founded.
@@belstar1128 The South Sudanese sure liked it
Yugoslavian? Tff hahahahahahah
What are you on about?
Croatian is ethnicity so your mother was always Croatian and always will be. To be Yugoslavian was merely a citizenship, just as English, Scottish and Welsh are all British, but there's clear difference between them.
BTW, in case you have missed it - independent Croatia exists for 33 years now, member of EU, NATO, Euro currency zone and Schengen area. In Europe that is as stabile as you can get. Rest of former Yugoslavia (save Slovenia) are whole different story.
Sure westerners might have a too romanticized view of the Balkans. But to think 'moving to Germany' as if it is some sort of promised land, is also an illusion. Not in a million years would I move back to Germany. Overpopulated; salaries aren't that great, among the highest taxes in the world, weather is sh#t; people are sh#t; the cities are dirty and not safe for women. There are plenty of valid reason those 'silly Westies' are looking at 2-3 world countries as alternatives.
Oh man! I laugh so much every time I watch your videos. Originally from Bulgaria, but living in Norway in last 16 years, I can totally relate. However, your way of presenting the information is hilarious :D "Romanian best hospital! :D :D :D
Too late already moved here 😱😱. Jokes aside I have a western sized revenu but I make my money as an investor/trader so it makes more sense to live in a cheaper place with low taxes (10% capital gains in Bulgaria where I live). Balkan cities have a lot more greenery than the west and life overall seems more free. Under most circumstances it only makes sense to move to the balkans if you have foreign money (exception for IT, find an IT job you will live like a king, they make more thsn doctors or lawers)
As a Austrian living in Vienna I can totally relate it.
Hungary has a GDP of $22k and the price level is 25% - 40% less than in most Western European countries.
Many people actually move to Hungary to make a living and believe-it-or-not Hungary is encouraging workers from wherever they can find them because it is industrialising at a fast pace.
@@taboulefattouch4744 yes that ist quite visible in Austria actually. Here in Vienna many Young hungarians come to study. Years ago they Most likely got a Job and stayed in Vienna after University. Now I see most of them actually returning after they graduated.
But I think people without higher education are not so lucky (Like everywhere?)
genius😊
i think working in bg is makes sense if you are coming from a poor country. in sofia, average income is like 1000 euros right now
As a serb living in Switzerland ever since i was born i kinda have the wish to go live in serbia again aswell (im 23 right now) your right the standards are lower but imo the people are more relaxed and everything goes slower and not so srict imo and i love that
Furthermore, our country needs young and educated people to come back more then anything. Especially when so many are leaving.
I left Serbia and was living abroad for a year, then I realized I hate Western way of life and ppl only carring about their own ass so I came back, idk how can ppl live their whole lives having maybe two friends and that's it, such a shitty, lonely life 😑
@@Мєтодипоискатєљ Yeah, but young person like the one above, can come here just to live and spend, or to buy himself a job position, here they dont respect and offer almost any person good job nor here (In cities outside of Belgrade and Novi Sad) we have companies that are built to employ young and well educated people. if we had proper and most importantly equal development in entire country we would be probably much better place to live than Switzerland or some of the other Balkan countries.
@@nenadpopov3601 how do you generally make friends in Serbia? I'd love to have some serb friends :P Honestly, though, there are some companies in my field with good salaries and offices in Serbia, so I've considered moving there sometimes. I'm just a bit concerned about the whole Kosovo-Serbia thing..
Yeah, I'm a German that has been living in Greece for 20 years. There's loads of reasons not to live here and the economic crisis wasn't fun at all.
But I love living here.
... im amazed how you have managed to survive greece 20 years in a row.
If you live in Athens, like me, then im really sorry for you honestly😂.
@@bluedoggo483 I'd never have moved to Athens. My husband wanted to in the beginning and I said he could move there and come visit me on the weekend here in Rhodes 😁
Life on an island is a completely different thing, because we have such easy access to the sea and nature in general. You can also just leave your car unlocked and you get quickly from A to B.
I like Athens as a place to visit, but after I had lived in Rome for 8 years I knew I didn't want to live in Athens. I'm not a friend of traffic jams 😁
@@helgaioannidis9365 ohh thats very good! So thats how you survived Greece😂. I would love to live in a greek island as well. Have a good week!
@@bluedoggo483 να 'σε καλά Πάνο, καλή εβδομάδα και σε σένα 💗
I lived in Serbia for 6 months, I thought healthcare was chill, I was on acid at the zoo in Belgrade and got bit by a golden sahara cat and they sewed me up for dirt cheap. When you are on the tram and pass the bombed out police headquarters some old guy might yell at you though. If you go to a club in Kosovo and say ur American, you will be treated like they're your BFF, and by that I mean drive you around, drifting through the streets wasted as they take you from club to club, smoking a pack of cigarettes at each until the sun rises. Sarajevo and Mostar are just fucking beautiful as can be. People are brutally honest. Love the Balkans.
amazing, just amazing (also about the dating scene in the balkans, idk how a slav got married and had kids with an albanian but that somehow happended, and I'm the by-product of this)
I once saw a documentary on this very subject. It turned out that Albanians were much more willing to marry Macedonians than vice-verca. I guess Albanians are much more open minded.
@@bigozimak Albanians are pretty friendly actually. I’m from Hungary and it can be easy to befriend someone from the family running the local Albanian bakery
Just how?
On the topic of education,it is common for teachers do also tutor the students in exchange for money,like if you dont understand the subject during class,you may pay for extra hours where the teacher tries to explain stuff to you one on one,but it can lead to teachers not doing their job correclty on purpous,so that their students pay extra to pass
That's factually incorrect.
In Vojvodina Province in Serbia teachers in high school are not allowed to give private lessons to their school students (they can only give them to students who they don't teach at school in order to avoid a system of shadow bribes in return for higher test grades).
@@taboulefattouch4744 In Vojvodina Serbia,yes,but in Romania,it's not the case,and I'm sure that romania isnt the only exception,as corruption makes everything possible in the balkans
Its pretty rare imo. Sure, some teachers do it, but its the exception rather than the rule
@@aroma13That has started to die down, but it still exists
surprised you didnt mention the salaries honestly, the biggest reason why i hate this psych ward warzone i call home
It might be that we are just an exeption, but since I moved to Denmark from Croatia I realized the healthcare system is pretty similar in quality. The rooms are much better in Denmark, but at least in Croatia they won't postpone your hernia operation appointment that you waited for 6 months bcs the doctor's shift ends in 15 min.
What you describe as a prime balkan experience is exactly what living in Panama is like. Well, everything except for universities being the best lol. Still, I'd love to visit someday.
I live in Hungary and I went to the hospital a couple months ago because my ear was hurting. I waited for 4 hours after I got there to finally a doctor look at my ear and then wash it out with water. in just a day my ear got infected but by that point we were already in a different county and my ear hurt like a bitch. after about 1 week it got unbearable so we had to go to the hospital again but in Veszprém ( a different county) where they discovered that it was infected because of the water they washed it out with. they gave me perscription for some eardrops which in the end solved my problem. But the moral of the story is, if you go to a hospital in Hungary the only thing youre gonna get is a free bazdmeg.
Csolnoky kórház on top!!!
(Ott baszták szét a karomat)
@@whenyourbraingoesnumb az egyik ismerősömnek rosszul forrt vissza a karja mert elbaszták a gipszelést és szó szerint újra kellett törni a könyökét hogy kijavítsák.
@@fritzier5475 konkrétan ugyan ez történt velem, csak újratörés helyett elküldtek gyógytornára
@@fritzier5475 my god 💀
Two of my friends have gotten their phones and Airpod Pros stolen by staff even at nicer Honvédség Kórház in Budapest.
as someone who lives in south america, i notice that we have some similiarities with y'all.
almost everything covered in this video is sonething that i related to.
the only differences are that people here are a bit more friendly to foreigners, too friendly i'd say. and some values, although it depends a lot in where you are here, the more urban areas tend to have more liberal ideals, specially in Brazil (where i live)
PS: come to brazil please.
Big cities are pretty liberal here as well, just westoids overlook that while they never go out of the touristy old town of the big city to actually see the country
You can’t trick us to come to Brazil, Even with the huge carnivals.
The thing about meeting foreigners and friendliness is only true in some remote villages and with older people. We younger ones that live and got higher education are almost completely as any other citizen of foreign country, we know at least 2 languages, and are in flow with latest "trends". Only thing that are most of us still against and find it offensive are "new age" trends like to accept homosexuals, trans and other gender related stupidity, and some other unique behaviors which is not common. If any person is acting and doing "normal" things which we used to (drinking, watching sports, tv shows, social games etc...), there is no problem being friends and courteous to them. There are a lot of foreign students i am seeing here in my town, mostly black and Indian people, but there are other foreigners, and i and rest of people i know absolutely have no problem with any of them.
Sounds lovely! from greece
9:27 one of my sisters (cousin of an uncle from mom's side) went to study medicine in Hungary
before anyone ask, we live in Vietnam
on the topic of the sort of "people here stick to their friend circles" thing, while i can attest to that it seems like mostly an urban thing. down in the timok valley (bor, rudna glava, majdanpek etc, generally any sort of tighter knit rural community) i've always found that people are a lot more sociable and prone to talking to absolute strangers
you can go to a vašar to buy some flea market tier shit and come back knowing like 10 more people than you did beforehand
I lived in the Albania for a year, loved it. Beautiful country, great place if you have a Western income. Visited Macedonia. I also really liked it.
I still remember hurting my leg (Summer vacation in Serbia) and we went around in different hospitals and they couldn't help me, until my father had enough and just bought me to a private clinic which solved the situation under an hour.
Though I must say Serbia is definitely better in terms of social life, while Western Europe is better in terms of money. Best case would be to get the salary from the West while living in Serbia.
Man I'm from Bulgaria and I'm happy there
9:07 oh man... this soundtrack... my whole childhood...
Is that EU III soundtrack?
Hi, predominately balkan dna haver here, i love this video and your sense of humor.
1:30 my balkan blood:
"AJ RILI VANT TU CI, STATČJU OF LIBERTY."
AJ KEN NO LONGER VEIT TEJK MI TU JUNAJTED STEJC
@@imsurfingontheearthimasurf5975 I VIL TEJK JU TO JUNAJTED STEJC, DŽAST GIV MI JOR LIVER
Don't forget the food - Serbia is foodies' Nirvana! I'm 70, 45 yrs abroad, retired and living in LA. The only reason why I'm not returning to Serbia is the climate. I'm spoiled and can't take the winter in Serbia anymore!
My sister moved to Montenegro with her husband and daughter. They think Podgorica is a very peaceful city. They are very happy.
@Broxxy P&T They love the food. They say the meat is top quality. The city has beautiful parks almost like a forest. Her daughter attends an international school which they really like. There is little traffic. What else you need to like the place!
1:30 From the US - my parents' apartment building's super was a Bosnian who fled during the 90s. And there was also this Bosnian family that lived down the street when we lived in the suburbs. They seemed to be doing well for themselves, even having the proverbial white-picket-fence.
Healthcare is the reason why i turn super anxious. I went to Czechia which does have better healthcare than the balkans, but I've never felt so anxious about getting in an accident. So when I returned to the Netherlands I was very relieved
What many people do not think about is that it is different when you make a Holiday or you move somewhere. I travelled a lot in this countries and yes with a Western salary, you can afford quite a lot, when compared to Western european countries.
But when you move there you will also need to earn some Money somewhere. And then if you are not a Manager, or Higher in the hirachy in a company or you have a Cashflow from outside of the country (or Just rich like Andrew Tate) you will have a Problem to maintain your standard of living.
But for sure if you have Cashflow from outside the country, like renting out real estate in the West or you inherited a lot of Money, 2nd world countries are attraktive, simply because you can afford more.
Thats also the reason why a lot of German Pensioners move to the Balkans.
10:40 STORY - happend to me as well ._. got failed by my teacher that was the main professor for the subject I was specialising in.
the bitch proceeded to say mkay, write something down...
i got passed to next year, woman there said: ''i didn't passed you? wtf you doing here.''
proceeded to have a 3 months long argue back and forth only to realise they hoped for extra cash from my peasent ass.
lesson? Fuck that shit I can draw arts without college too :'D #fakultetazadizajn #jebovas
Hi Janos, Westoid in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia here.
Much as I enjoy your wit and sarcasm I disagree with many of your talking points and I find most of them don't apply to Serbia (they may apply to Romania and Greece but I know for a fact they also don't apply to Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkiye which are countries I am familiar with) :
1) Only Romania, Greece and Turkiye have high income tax rates of "around 40%".
The good news with Greece and Turkiye is that most people find a way to reduce or even avoid them (more tricky in Romania because of more strict surveillance and sky high penalties for tax dodgers).
In other countries in the Balkans income tax rates vary from 5% for very low income brackets to 25% for the mega rich.
2) Mental Health issues are very welcome as far as I can see because half of the population is in fact mental (most in a good way).
On a more serious note people in the Balkans are rarely on prescription medication (unlike the US, UK, etc.) so no I don't see a problem here.
3) Dating is the same as anywhere else in the world.
I find employees in the food and beverage industry to be friendly in the Balkans (not only in Serbia) so I am not sure where you got your ideas on this front.
4) Private Healthcare including Dentists is insanely cheap (even cheaper than in India, Thailand etc.)
I can't comment on public healthcare as I never used it and am not entitled to use it but from what I heard waiting times are.not long at all because there is an oversupply of doctors and nurses (especially in Vojvodina).
5) Education in the West is a joke so I doubt it can be much worst here (not bothered to be honest).
6) Products and services are as good or better here compared to Western Europe.
I am a healthy eater and I love to buy organic seasonal produce which I get from the stalls at the farmer's market in.the center of Novi Sad.
Sure some stuff is missing, ie. biological unfiltered olive oil, bio pesto sauce of high quality, parmesan aged in the correct way etc. but for those I fly to Italy once every few months to stock up.
The great advantage of living here is you can buy superior quality produce directly from those who grow them, ie. 100% real, unadulterated and fresh honey directly from the honeycomb, wine from the vineyard (not the best in the world but at least it is chemical and preservative free), non-gmo corn that is so juicy and yummy that you will never boil it but eat it right away...
Janos baby this is the worst video you ever made because it is factually incorrect.
I suggest to edit it as it is perhaps representative of your life in a mid sized Romanian town, not for the Balkans as a whole.
Been there done that for three months and it was fire!!!
Perfect timing, I'm moving from the Netherlands to Bulgaria in 4 days😁🇧🇬🇧🇬
Veel plezier 🙂 Ik zit er al en ga voorlopig niet meer terug
You will love it. I moved from Scotland five years ago, best decision I made. I don't feel like a lot of what he said in this video applies to Bulgaria
So wait.. Hungary is part of the Balkans too?! And we are also Eastern Block, Central Europeans and Formal Slavs. This is so very nice. Thank you so much. Now I feel like I belong somewhere.
You can sleep easy tonight knowing that we are not in-fact related to the the Balkans, and those who include us in such maps are simply bad at geography.
@@zephyrna6249 Oh, I know that. But it still felt nice to be included!
Real Balkans is south of Sava and Danube rivers and east of Adriatic coast. Continental Croatia and Dalmatia for example are not Balkans, but Bosnia is. Vajdaság/Vojvodina is not Balkans but Serbia south of Belgrade certainly is.
@@Harahvaiti Continental Croatia??? Whut. So out of the Carpathian Basin and under it, stuff is Balkan.
Still. Now that Hungary is mentioned as such, I wanna be a formal Balkaner.
@@Harahvaiti Dalmatia is 100% Balkans, geographically speaking...
I'm a serbian who lived in the USA for 22 years. I decided to move back home to RS(bih) and I've never been happier in my life. Western world was a mental drain for me, and drugs are attractive because the majority want to 'check out'. I 'checked out' mentally, physically, and moved back to the balkans
Nice vid bro 😂
Great stuff Dude. This Florida guy loves your stuff and humor
Great vid, greetigs from HU. Not sure if Hungary is a part of that Balkan story, but what do you think? (Have been inly one Balkan country, and that was Croatia, but would love to visit more)
Culturally yes Hungary is 100% Balkan
What part did you visit?
Hungary used to occupy a lot of Balkan land like Turkey, and they still hold similar feelings towards their neighbors
@@papanasicuafine You are 100% incorrect.
Hungarian here - not balkan. There are some superficial similarities of course because we border the balkans.
Also finally a new video I always enjoy them, and is there any plans for a stream tomorrow?
Yes. Will be streaming tomorrow
@@LivingIronicallyinEurope great, can’t wait