r/AskBalkans

Heey folks!

So, the question above👆🏻.

I guess it counts for both lying in your own country and abroad..or maybe you just know people that did this? What would be the reasons for it?

I personally met a few people that lied about this in our country and feel like they only did it to appear more interesting and "exotic" in their social circles...but i'm wondering how many people actually do this and what would be their reasons..also, if this might be more common for those living abroad.

in Serbia I've never really adapted to their way of culture or social interactions or many similar design choices which makes me stand out

I don't really party or listen to any Serbian music since in my opinion they all sound the same with the same instrumentals, and 99% is a love song, or some rap about money and girls (Baka prase,devito)

The way people dress like for example most kid's are wearing air max shoes or on winter the napapirji Rainforest jacket's, or the same male haircut I see literally everywhere either someone's hair is almost bald or they have a buzzcut, and with of course either a vape or a cigarette in their hands and the second they turn 18 they begging betting on derby matches (or well they not be 18 at all in some cases)

Everyone's hobbies I see are always sport related, it's always either football or basketball, or some karate/kickbox or gym

Now while that's fine I've never seen anyone who loves doing the stuff I love, like digital art or gardening or video game designing which makes it hard for me to talk to people. Same thing goes with video games, most people just only play multiplayer games like (Valorant, LoL, CSGO) I've never met someone who played anything else, like Elden Ring, God of war, etc..

Girl's are pretty much the same each story I open up on Instagram has a 15 second of them lip syncing to some random song while that one friend spams 25 comments of heart emoji's, saying how pretty she is, or a story where someone puts a poll for "trenutna" (aka you're entire dm page is you just sending pictures to each other) and I guess it's some way of getting hooked up I suppose,

and aswell as football my 2 closest friends, have so many pictures of partizan and crvena zvezda, pictures just framed everywhere, and they know each person's life or how they play and their weakness on the pitch, I'm sorry but I never understood that, from my eyes all I see is 22 overpaid people on the stadium kicking ball of air around for 90 minutes,

Not to mention how sexist people are, that people started shaming me, beacuse a girl picked up a. Heavy boiling pot of water before I did (I was on the other side of the kitchen while she was Infront of it)

Like what was I supposed to do? Run to the scene and yank the boiling hot pan out of her hands?

I don't fit any stereotype or blend in with any of the stuff normal Balkan teenage kids do, at least that's what's like around my city, and that's my experience with it

I normally don’t listen to turbo-folk, especially now that I live abroad. But now my heart is broken and I’ve been in a state of what psychologists limerence, and that is basically obsessing and fantasising about someone who doesn’t give a fuck about me and turbo-folk is the only music on my playlist.

I got the impression that this shitty type of Balkan music is guilty pleasure of many people who typically don’t listen to turbo-folk. For me it’s clearly the sign of desperation mode 😂😭

I have been wondering about this since the TV show got some traction outside of Bulgaria and was super successful here. It portrays the corruption in the region in a quite realistic way and the plot is engaging, and the acting is mostly great. It also has a really high score on IMDb.

The question pertains to people who at some point emigrated from the Balkans and later came back or just visited, getting to see the people they'd known prior to leaving. Were there any differences in how well you fit in their company and wider society?

Hey everyone,

​I was watching this recent breakdown by EU Made Simple on the EU's shifting enlargement approach, discussing the latest reports out of Brussels about gradual integration for candidate countries.

​We all know the standard routine: countries like Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and Serbia have spent 15–20+ years stuck in the waiting room. The "all-or-nothing" structure meant endless bilateral vetoes, voter fatigue, and promises that led nowhere while daily life didn't improve.

​The core shift being discussed:

​Early Single Market Access: Instead of waiting decades for 100% full membership to see any economic benefit, candidates get phased entry into parts of the single market as specific chapters and sectoral rules are aligned.

​Practical everyday perks first: Real changes like joining SEPA (cheaper/faster bank transfers), road transport facilitation, energy integration, and "Roam Like at Home" (similar to what Moldova has started tapping into).

​Foreign policy & standards conditionality: To keep market access, countries must stay aligned with EU foreign policy and rules; straying or backsliding can pause those benefits.

​Enlargement roadmap: The Commission is preparing actual target dates/timelines for frontrunners like Montenegro and Albania.

​Obviously, people in the Balkans have heard plenty of grand announcements before, but this is the first time Brussels is explicitly trying to break away from the dead-end binary model so people see actual economic benefits before full accession.