Eastern Croatia

UGA Study Abroad in Croatia
Park in Zagreb


May 19
We visited the city of Jasenovac where we toured a WWII concentration camp museum. This was quite a disturbing and somber experience. The museum has recently been renovated and does a phenomenal job of honoring the lives that were taken in the concentration camp. Every aspect of the museum was very well thought out and includes much attention to detail, such as the smell resembling that of the camp; the displays located near the floor so visitors must bend down to see them which shows respect for the deceased; and there were many video accounts of the tragedy that help the visitor feel more of what these people must have gone through in the camp. Most of the death that occurred in the camp was from blunt trauma but disease was rampant and also claimed many lives.

The owner performing for us in Lonjsko Polje

From Jasenovac we enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal on a farmstead in Lonjsko Polje. The owners have won several awards for their contributions to rural economic sustainability, which is a huge economic issue Croatia is facing. Ninety five percent of tourism in Croatia is on the coast, so the continental portion of Croatia is in dire need of economic influx. We enjoyed petting the animals and talking to the owners who gave us a full tour of their historic home.
From Lonjsko Polje, we continued east to Osijek, where we were able to observe the change in scenery to lush, agricultural fields of grapes, corn and other cash crops. From the bus, we also observed the large number of Croats tending their fields manually. However we did see several tractors that were also used to raise the crops. This eastern area of Croatia is the "bread basket" and produces the agricultural goods for most of the country.

May 20
After spending the night in Osijek, we proceeded to Vukovar, where we were able to see the massive devastation of the recent war in 1991. The city of Vukovar was under heavy fire during the war because it sits on the Danube River which forms a border between Croatia and Serbia. The remaining bullet-splattered buildings can almost tell the story without any words. This war left thousands of maimed and disabled war veterans and innocent citizens. Although the country is making some strides in accommodating persons with disabilities, it has a long way to go. We observed many uneven roads with few ramps that would make traversing the city for anyone with a physical disability quite difficult. As a result of the recent war, the Croatians have learned a great deal about trauma care and are well advanced in the area now. In the next post, we will tell all about our visit to the Zagreb emergency room. Because the war is of recent history, many Croats are unable to talk about it and have not been able to move past the intense pain of the travesty. This makes the rebuilding process quite a slow endeavor.
We visited the sight of a large massacre of over 200 innocent hospital patients, doctors and nurses. This was another very somber moment for us as we tried to imagine the atrocity of such ethnic warfare and genocide.

Visit to the villages

Since our arrival in Croatia, we have had the opportunity to sample life in both the big city and in the small villages. The city of Zagreb is modern and bustling, with tastes of a typical European city. There are flower markets and vendors throughout the multiple city squares, outdoor cafes which are always heavily populated, and fruit and vegetable markets with every imaginable variety of produce available. Unlike most American cities, you will not find health clubs or gyms, and you will rarely see people jogging on the streets. This is likely because, walking is the primary mode of transportation in the city. We were told by some of the locals that the mountain behind the city is one recreational site and that people often bicycle, hike, or jog there.
On Day 3, we visited several villages in Zumberak, a mountainous area about an hour's drive from Zagreb. This area in particular, is a site of intensive study by The University of Zagreb and The University of Georgia. Many of the towns here are experiencing negative population growth and some actually have zero population. Most of the remaining citizens are elderly and continue life in the traditional way, by farming and raising cattle. The young people have to leave the villages to attend school and generally, do not return to take up the trades of their relatives. As Croatia strives to gain membership in the European Union and to become a recognized tourist destination, there is also a strong push to preserve culture and tradition. As such, the UGA and UZ cooperative are hoping to promote sustainable economic development in rural regions through tourism that focuses on the history and culture of the Croatian countryside. There are other issues centered around giving the current citizens of this region access to needed services, such as health care, and this of course, will need to be addressed before bringing large numbers of visitors to the area.
Crystal cutting is one trade that is a major source of income, both from tourists and locals, in Croatia. We visited a small factory that better resembled a house, just outside of a small town. We were able to observe 2 men practicing their trade and carving crystal into glasses and bowls on a machine that looked similar to a key-cutter. They worked by the light from the windows and wore no respiratory or ear protection, despite the heavy concentration of dust in the room and shrill noise given off by the carving machines. We did see the workers take a break for about 20 minutes, but one wonders how often this happens during the course of a work day.
We briefly toured Mrzlo Polje, a beautiful, mountainous area where the University of Georgia is planning to establish a study and research center for students and faculty. Interestingly, this area is on the border with Slovenia, which has already gained admission to the EU. There are issues with illegal border crossings here since there are no strongly organized border patrols. There is also an issue involving sex trafficking across the Balkans and EU states, again, as a result of inadequate border enforcement.
After our day of touring, we were fed at a vineyard in the wine country of Zumberak. There we experienced Croatian hospitality first-hand. It was clear to us, that food is one of the most important ways to convey welcome in the Croatian culture. We were greeted at the door with drinks, cheese, and a freshly baked loaf of bread. The food was cooked in front of us and our meal consisted of several courses, including soup, salad, meat and potatoes, and dessert. The atmosphere resembled a large, family gathering, more than a restaurant setting and it was of the utmost importance to our hosts that everyone was well-fed.
The day after we returned to Zagreb, we visited the medical school at The University of Zagreb and learned about the training process for physicians in Croatia. Students enter medical school immediately after high school, following completion of an entrance exam. Medical school coursework is generally completed after 6 years, including an internship (similar to a residency in the U.S.). Most medical students however, go on to specialize, which requires another 6 years of coursework. Public health education is a part of the medical school coursework. Most physicians in the country practice in a public setting, such as a hospital or medical clinic and only a small portion go into private practice. The universities in Europe, including The University of Zagreb are currently undergoing the Bologna Process, which will provide a curriculum and time standard for Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees. This will allow schools in Europe to be more competitive with higher learning institutions in England and America and will allow students'' credentials to be recognized in any European nation.
We also visited the Stampar Institute, which is the major institution of public health in Croatia besides the Ministry of Public Health. There we briefly learned about the structure of the public health system in Croatia, which is basically a socialized system. Health insurance is mandated for all citizens, and generally provided by employers. For those who are not employed, there is a social program similar to Medicare that provides care. It was apparent to us that the health care system of this country is still very much in transition, as Croatia is still working to refine its policies and infrastructure. Public health though, is an important part of the structure. Stampar himself, for whom the Institute is named, believed that an investment in the health of the population is an investment in the economic future of the country.

A Taste of Croatia

Today is our fifth day in the beautiful city of Zagreb which is located in the northern Croatia. So far experience has far exceeded any of our expectations. Each day we have a different agenda and we have seen everything from high fashion busy urban life to mountain villages with a population of 16. We (the students) observe these environments and analyze the environments from the perspective of each of our areas of interest. It has been a very eye opening experience to observe another culture and see the public health implications on their society versus our own.

The city has a rich history and has gorgeous architecture. It is an interesting balance of contemporary architecture and with well preserved historical buildings. They are making huge efforts with much success to revitalize their country from the hardships faced in recent years.

Life in Zagreb is relatively relaxed. It is definitely a busy city, but the locals do not go too long before taking a break to sit at a cafe and drink espresso with a friend. It is not uncommon to see students and business people at cafes in the middle of the afternoon. We were told by a local that 'we are not as carefree as the Italians, but we are definitely more laid back than Germans.' There are outdoor cafes literally every few hundred yards and they all stay busy. The night life in Zagreb is very lively as there are many students and young adults in the city to go to the local bars and clubs. Smoking and alcohol use is very prevalent in all age groups in Croatia and this is perpetuated by such a highly social environment. As with most places in Europe, smoking is allowed pretty much anywhere and that definitely takes some getting used to.

Zagreb has a very dense population and while there is heavy traffic in the city, the majority of people walk everywhere they need to go during the day. This helps answer the question of why so few people we see have weight problems. Food is a major part of the culture here and it consists very heavily of meat and potatoes (not to mention the other three courses that they bring) and we were slightly perplexed as to how people stay so thin. After talking to our resident Croatian expert, Tihanna, we learned that physical appearance is very important to most in the city (we quickly picked up on that because we looked like complete bums compared to everyone else) and people are very active due to the fact that they walk everywhere. Statistics are showing, however, that with increased urbanization in the area, obesity is becoming a problem.

The food that we have been able to experience so far has been wonderful! As I mentioned, bread, meat and potatoes are the menu of choice, but all the ingredients are very fresh and they get a good balance of fruit and vegetables in the other courses. We have learned that Croatians are obsessed with making sure you are never hungry, thirsty, or uncomfortable in the least. They really take pride in treating guests like royalty.

Upon initial observations and a little bit of research, the main health problems this society faces are CVD, cancer, and traffic accidents. The first two make sense due to the incredibly high smoking rate and alcohol use and the heavy traffic in the city with little presence of law enforcement explains the traffic. The use of mopeds is increasing and they seriously complicate traffic issues.

There is so much to report on and we are going to try to break it up to not overwhelm you with information. In the next posts we will tell you about our visits to nearby villages and try to illustrate how huge the divide is between rural and urban life in Croatia. We were all blown away by what we saw. We will also have pictures soon!!

Thanks for reading and let us know if you have any questions.

Let the fun begin...

We have all arrived safely to Zagreb and have begun to learn our way around the city. Visit our page soon for the first post on the public health perspective for the city and to see our experiences here. Thanks!

Croatia

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