Tanja was seduced by Belgrade, Livia by Belgradian

Thinking of living in Belgrade? Wondering how is the life in the capital of Serbia?
– Especially for us foreigners who have ended up building our new lives in the White City.
Read here!

I was being interviewed by a local newspaper Politika about living in Belgrade.
I viewed the White City through a foreigner’s eyes: What to keep, what to change, what do I love and despise.

I promised to translate this article for those who don’t know Serbian language, but at the beginning I was too busy and finally I forgot the whole thing. This was already two years ago. Oops, sorry!
But here it is, this is living in Belgrade, how is the life here, for us strangers at least.

Enjoy!

Finn Tanja Mikkola and Brazilian Livia Bjeloglav moved to the Serbian capital out of love

They both came to Belgrade from the end of the world.
One from a place from which is difficult to find in the north, the other from the point from which, if you go a little west, you’ll find the east.
They have never met, but they are connected by the capital of Serbia.
Finn Tanja Mikkola and Brazilian Livia Bjeloglav are among the foreigners who made this city their own.

Livia was brought to Belgrade by love for a Serb and Tanja was seduced by the city.
She came for the first time in June 2016, with her fiancé, intending to stay here for two nights.
They ended up staying five days, postponing a meeting with a friend living in Sarajevo with whom they planned to spend Tanja’s birthday in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Later, they returned to Belgrade for a month, then for three, and finally decided to leave Finland because of the White City.

(We were actually living a nomadic life when we settled in Belgrade, but I translated as it’s written. Also, Serbs refer to their capital as “him”, but I use a term “White city” not to confuse foreign readers.)

Livia came to Europe to work for a software company in Germany.
She met the head of her Belgrade representative office, Milan Bjeloglav, at a gathering in Budapest. After three months, they got engaged, and after another three, in December 2013, they got married.

Today, the 35-year-old is the mother of Isabella and Lara, by education a mechanical engineer, she was once engaged in a hard and responsible task on the oil platform in the Amazon.
Livia is now importing women’s clothing from Brazil and trying to create its own brand.

Tanja doesn’t change her vocation, she just expands it.
A photographer and author of several blogs, today she, together with her fiancé, is writing a book about Serbia, which she wants to present in a light different from the way it is often shown abroad.
As an entrepreneur and lecturer on marketing, the 45-year-old also helped establish group tourist tours, wanting as many people as possible to experience Belgrade and Serbia first hand.

(Original text says I’m a former entrepreneur, but I’m still one.)

What do you like most about Belgrade?

Tanja:

A lot! But most of all … I would say that there is beautiful architecture, relaxed atmosphere and kind, friendly, caring people.
It’s easy to make friends here. Something happens in this city every day.
To be honest, I’m too lazy to take part in all this, but I like the idea of ​​being able to go to a jazz club, an exhibition, gastronomic events every day … This city lives on!

Livia:

People hang out, they are not alienated and locked in their four walls. Contacts are spontaneous and everyone can find for themselves what they want. I love Belgrade markets, the neighborhood where I live because we hang out with our neighbors and the kindergarten is close to us. These are all small things that mean life.

What bothers you and what would you change?

Tanja:

I love the old architecture in Belgrade and I am terribly saddened to see so many beautiful old buildings being demolished and replaced with new large glass and steel buildings.

In my native Finland and in many places in Europe, such mistakes were made 50 years ago.
It took us a long time to realize that they could not be replaced, that those old buildings were gone forever. Now we regret breaking them.
That is why I really beg that the people of Belgrade understand the uniqueness of their city and protect its architecture.
Now I can’t do much about it, just to photograph those beautiful buildings and I hope that all of them will not disappear.
Even one of them that I photographed in April for the “Applied Nostalgia” project has already been demolished.

Livia:

I don’t like the fact that people are nervous, there is tension on all sides, both when I wait in line at the post office and while driving a car. In Brazil, people are smiling and more relaxed, everything is easier. Belgraders must take more care of the cleanliness of the city.
It bothers me that there are not enough parking spaces and then you see vehicles parked on the sidewalks, green areas.
I would love more bike trails. I can’t ride a bike from Banjica to Ada without it being risky.

What is the first thing you say to people when they ask you about Belgrade?

Tanja:

That this is one of the safest capitals in Europe, probably in the whole world. Prejudices … The problem is that the only news that people read about Serbia is from the war.
Not much has been written since. That is why people do not know what to expect and that is why I want to tell them about today’s Belgrade and Serbia.

Livia:

I am thrilled by strong family ties. I have never experienced cordiality, kindness and attention to children and pregnant women anywhere in the world – those little details bought me.

Where do you take guests who come to visit you?

Tanja:

To name just one place, it would be the Belgrade Fortress. Everyone loves watching the sunset over the Sava!
Take a walk around Dorcol, visit the terraces on the tops of buildings, like the one that is among my favorites, the jazz club “Sinnerman”, where you can’t find an entrance unless someone introduces you the place.
And, of course, I refer them to Serbian cuisine in one of the many Belgrade restaurants.

Livia:

We take guests to the fortress, to Skadarlija, Beton Hall, Ada and Avala. Everyone likes cycling on Ada and they are thrilled with Tara and Zlatibor.
I am in love with the natural beauty of Tara.

What would you transfer from your hometown to Belgrade, and what from Belgrade to your homeland?

Tanja:

The sea? I know I may be asking too much (laughs).
Since I grew up between the big lakes and later lived by the sea, you have to realize how much I love this city when I left my waters for it to live deep on land.

My friends from here complain about public transportation and, yes, it is not as good as where I lived in Finland. I don’t think it’s that bad here, but I have the privilege of living in the Old Town and I can get everywhere on foot. Metro might be a good idea.
And to keep this city as it is!
But please preserve the old buildings.

Livia:

I would bring Brazilian food, fruits and vegetables here.
And music and samba.
I am not a fan of Serbian cuisine. It may sound crazy, but I don’t like kebabs. I can eat prebranac, gibanica, paprikash…
I would take interpersonal relationships, warmth and cordiality and attention to Brazil in the form of gifts, some little things that people bring when they come to visit.
This was also adopted by my parents who now bring gifts to friends in Brazil.

How do you comment on the fact that people are leaving here en masse?

Tanja:

I don’t think I have the right to comment on someone leaving for any reason.
After all, I am also a foreigner here, a person who left my home country where the standard of living is high.
I completely understand that some people are just trying to make their dreams to come true, to improve their lives.

However, many feel that they have to leave in order to find a better standard of living.
Salaries in Serbia are de facto low compared to most European countries, and I would not blame those young, educated people for leaving.
But I would like people to stay to develop this country, if they only saw the possibilities in the future.
The grass is not always green on the other side of the fence and there may be disappointments…

Livia:

My husband went to Germany after his studies, and he worked in America and Canada.
But as soon as he got a chance to come back, he took the opportunity.
There are so many young smart mathematicians, engineers, IT experts here who could resurrect this country.
Every time I hear someone go belly up for bread I feel sorry.

The article “Tanju je zaveo Beograd, a Liviju jedan Beograđanin” was originally published in Politika on Saturday, 04.01.2020 by Daliborka Mučibabić

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