I arrived in Zagreb on September 3rd, 2012 after a long flight from Chicago with a layover in Germany. Needless to say that the first few days here were a blur of jet-lag and sleep while my body adjusted to the new circadian rhythm. Luckily for me I received fantastic hospitality from my girlfriends parents which helped significantly with the transition.
Now that my body was adjusted to Croatia my legal status had to be adjusted as well (if I didn't want to be deported). I had received my temporary residence permit a few days prior to leaving America, but sadly there was still a considerable amount of bureaucracy ahead. Zagreb has a well-developed public transportation system consisting of Buses, Street-cars (Called Tramvaj. j = y for pronunciation!), taxis, and also trains to neighboring cities and countries. I used this transportation system while navigating the necessary steps to fully legalize my presence in Croatia, which culminated with obtaining my O.I.B. (personal identification number). Needless to say that this was a bit of a hassle (involving going back to the administrative police station 5-6 times and many many stamps), but compared to what I have heard about residency procedures in other countries (USA...) it could have been much worse.
Health insurance is also a requirement for foreigners living in Croatia, luckily it is provided by the state for a reasonable monthly rate. Once one has their O.I.B. obtaining health insurance is a simple matter of filling out a form and taking it to the right place.
Next on my list of tasks was seeing about learning Croatian and possibly continuing my education in a masters program. Enrolling in the Croatian class at the University of Zagreb is really quite easy, the program is called Croaticum (google the name to find more info!). This multiple-semester high-intensity series of language classes seemed to me to be the best way to learn Croatian expediently, and at around $725.00/semester (must be paid in Kunas(the local currency)) it is less than what most American college students pay per class. Registration required a copy of my passport, my O.I.B., and 2 special sized passport photos (these are smaller than passport photos used in the US) that I got at a local Photo-copy store for 10 kuna (about $1.65).
Enrolling in a masters program at the University of Zagreb turned out to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. As the University system in Croatia is different than what I was used to in the States, whatever University that I decide to try to enroll in will have to translate my bachelors degree into their system. This is apparently a bit of a process (Croatian bachelors degrees only take 3 years but have a more focused and rigid curriculum (no Gen-ed classes)), requiring multiple documents translated into Croatian (some of the translations must be done by an 'official' Translator which costs money). There is a separate process for getting your degree translated only for professional use that goes through the Croatian Ministry of Education. I have little information on this at the moment, and plan to update as I go through the process. That I would have to have my degree translated into Croatian never occurred to me before I left, though it makes sense that they would want to be sure of my qualifications and experience.
All in all my stay here in Zagreb has been good, I have enjoyed good food, the pleasant atmosphere of Zagreb (I would describe as a bit more laid-back, smaller version of Vienna), and the hospitality of my girlfriends family.
No comments:
Post a Comment