Two reporters from the EUG media team said they were captivated by the always smiling, polite, and well-dressed people of Croatia, the Licitar hearts, and the ‘clearest, most beautiful sea in the world’.
Deborah Daniela Echeverria Farrera has just finished her studies in international relations in Mexico City. Her native language is Spanish, she speaks fluent English, and as of December, she is also learning Italian. She volunteered at last year’s European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, and after returning home, her first course of action was to sign up to volunteer at the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016. Her trip from Mexico to Croatia took three entire days; she hopped from one plane to another four times and spent an unplanned day in London waiting for her luggage. In the end, she was able to join the media team in Zagreb.
‘During my studies, I gained experience in managing social media accounts and I’m using that knowledge here at the Games. Along with Urška Debenjak from Slovenia, I’m working hard to convey the general impressions and atmosphere among athletes and volunteers on Facebook and Twitter. We are here for any questions and we also follow the participants’ posts. The journalists send us short reports and photos from the field and thanks to that, we are able to do online coverage of all the different events taking place in numerous locations at the same time.’
She learned to say ‘bok’ and ‘hvala’
Deborah spends most of her time in the editorial office, which is responsible for creating content for the official EUG website. According to her, the media team is always in good mood, from the first meeting in the morning to the last published story in the evening. As far as Croatian goes, she learned to say ‘bok’ (hi) and ‘hvala’ (thanks). From her Croatian colleagues she often hears ‘dobro'(okay), which they use to signify they understand each other. She got the impressions that the Croats were active and hardworking people.
‘You’re always smiling and you just can’t rest, you love keeping busy. You start feeling irritated when you have nothing to do, so you always manage to keep busy. I have yet to meet a tired and lazy Croat. Maybe they exist, but they’re certainly not present here at the Games.’
She described Croatian boys as very polite.
‘They approach girls in a likeable way, cute even. They always offer to buy us drinks and although they’re interested in getting to know us, they also give us enough space. They’re not annoying.’
Increasingly impressed with Croatia
Together with other volunteers, Deborah saw Zagreb’s city centre and she was fascinated by the Upper Town, Tkalčićeva Street, and St. Mark’s Church. She also got some souvenirs for her family, such as magnets, postcards, and Licitar hearts. She used one free afternoon for a trip to Ljubljana in Slovenia, and one of these days, she also plans to visit Rijeka.
‘When Mexicans travel to Europe, they usually visit Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, and Austria. Still, Croatia is gaining popularity as Europe’s brand new tourist destination because of its beautiful beaches and a clear sea.’
When visiting a new place, Deborah mostly looks forward to the local food and cinema. Tonight, along with other girls from her team, she is going out for a dinner and a movie at the Europa Cinema.
Tamilla Khamitcaeva came to the Games from the far away Russia; she had to take two planes to finally get to Zagreb. This journalism student, who is graduating soon and working an internship at her local TV station, said volunteering for the media team was a priceless experience. Her friend Helena urged her to come to Zagreb after she, much like Deborah, volunteered at the Games in Baku. Tamilla signed up to volunteer last year and six months ago, she started learning English intensively. We met up with her a day before her departure, just after she had bought some souvenirs for her family and clothes for herself.
A tie and a scarf for the family
‘I’m glad I was able to find so many great things on sale. I got myself a new wardrobe and I’ll surprise my family with a tie and a scarf from Croatia. I’m very impressed with the Croats’ fashion sense, the women and men here are very stylish.’
Since Russian and Croatian are both Slavic languages, Tamilla was able to understand her Croatian colleagues without much problem. She said that the greetings are the same as in Russian and she was particularly impressed with the Croats’ patience and manners.
‘Croats are very polite. Even when the stress is high, you always make an effort to be polite with the people you’re speaking to and you try hard not to offend them. I was impressed with your high motivation and the fact that you never seem to stop smiling. I particularly liked our relationship with our mentors, the media team’s professional journalists, who would take time to sit with us after every report to point out its good and the weaker sides. I learned a lot from this experience and I will always remember it.’
‘I have to return home.’
While in Zagreb, Tamilla visited the Museum of Illusions, the Museum of Torture, and the Museum of Broken Relationships. Since she is not a big fan of historical museums, Tamilla was impressed with a wide offer of museums with alternative content, which cater more to the young. She also visited Rijeka and she loved the sea there.
‘Croatia has the most beautiful sea I’ve even seen; it feels almost transparent, you can see all the way to the bottom. I was told that since Rijeka was a port city, the sea here would be murkier than in some other places along the coast or on the islands. I can’t even phantom that. I just have to return one day and see it for myself!’
Although our volunteers come from all around the globe, they all agree on one thing – Croatia is definitely worth visiting. Although Tamilla had to leave, Deborah will continue to enjoy all that Croatia and its people have to offer.
The girls have made some great memories during their stay and we here in Croatia are likewise enriched by getting to know our charming guests.
