Serbia the country of the month

We have interviewed our lovely student Ana about her home country, Serbia.

Thank you Ana for giving us the opportunity to explore Serbia through your words.

What is the capital of your country? Which language(s) do you speak?

The capital city of my country is Belgrade, located in central Serbia. The wider metropolitan area has c. 2m inhabitants and represents economic and cultural centre of the whole country. In my country, the Serbian language is spoken, which belongs to the South-Slavic group of languages. As such, it is very similar to Bulgarian / Macedonian and practically the same as Croatian.

What is the food speciality of your country?

My country has very specific and famous dishes of national cuisine, which I love very much, some of them are:

1. Sarma – minced meat wrapped in cabbage
2. Cevapi – grilled minced meat
3. Ajvar - a condiment made principally from red bell peppers, eggplants, and oil.
4. Karadjordjeva snicla - a rolled veal or pork steak, stuffed with kajmak, and then breaded and fried
5. Komplet lepinja
6. Gibanica
7. Vanilice
8. Slatko

Can you briefly describe your country?

My country is extraordinarily rich in natural beauties, with northern province Vojvodina well-know in Europe for its fertile soil. Central and Southern parts are covered with many beautiful mountains, offering good hiking tracks, skiing and breathtaking views. Danube also flows through Serbia, making the country’s natural reserves even richer. The history of my country is also exceptionally long and well known, with first records dating back from 8^th century. Due to its geographic location, Serbia was often contested by regional powers, such as Byzantium, Ottoman, and Habsburg empires, having to often fight for its freedom. The rich history of my country is demonstrated in the best way by numerous old monasteries, churches, and fortresses. Serbia is famous as a sports nation, and despite its small size, successfully contents for top places in various sports. Novak Djokovic is the most famous Serbian sportsman, but Serbia also has successful water polo teams who won gold at the Olympics several times, as well as basketball players and football teams. Please see the stunning photos chosen by Ana at the end of this article.

Why did you come to UK? What do you like the most in London?

I came to London to learn the language better, as well as to spend more time with my good friends who live here. As someone who studies architecture, London has always attracted me. The size of the city, architecture, theatres, museums, parks... It is truly magnificent and looks like a place from a fairy tale. I am fascinated by the fact that in the morning I can go for a coffee by Thames while enjoying a traditional English breakfast, followed by a nice walk in Hyde park. In the afternoon I often like to go to Chinatown in Soho and enjoy the Chinese cuisine, after that I can go to Camden Town and meet a completely different world of hippie-like artists. What is even more special is that London is a multicultural city, providing me an opportunity to meet people from all over the world and their culture every day.