The Bridge INTELLECTUAL RESULT IO 16 (8) | Page 35

3.10
National identity – Am I proud of my country?
Ana Štaba - Croatia
Croatia is a small country in Central and Southeast Europe with a coast on the
Adriatic Sea. It is bordering with Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia,
Montenegro, Hungary and Italy on the Sea. Its culture is mix of Islamic, Mediterranean
and the western culture. Capital city is Zagreb. It contains twenty counties with Zagreb.
Our president is Kolinda Grabar Kitarović.
Throughout history, Croatia has gone
through a lot and has been in many ensembles. Finally, in 1991 Croatia declared
independence. As all the countries have their bad and good sides so has mine.
Some of the problems in Croatia are high unemployed rate and financial issues. A
lot of people, especially the young ones, are leaving the country because they cannot
find the job they studied for or the payment is too low and conditions are too bad. They
are searching for better life. Most of the time people from Croatia are going to
Germany. This also leads to big financial problems. Croatia is unfortunately in big dept.
Furthermore, Croatia is known for its conservative “Balkan” mentality. Some people
tend to be rude and act immaturely on sports competitions.
However, if you get to know Croatians, most of them are actually nice and friendly.
Also, Croatia has a beautiful and rich nature that attracts a lot of tourists. We have
eight National parks from which one of the most famous one is Plitvice Lakes. Croatia
is one of the countries with the most cultural and historical heritage under the protection
of UNESCO. It has lot of historical buildings such as Pula Arena, the walls of Dubrovnik
and so on. Coastline is full of islands and it is one of the most beautiful and most
appealing part of Croatia. We have one of the cleanest and finest Sea. Educations is
also one of the positive sides of country. Croatian people invented tie, Slavoljub
Penkala invented pen, Nikola Tesla was born in Croatia and Dalmatian dog is also
from here.
In conclusion, no matter of the bad sides of my country, I am proud of being a
Croatian. I am trying to look at all the good sides. I think that it is important for young
people to cherish the tradition and respect the land of their fathers. Croatia may have
flaws, but so does every country. I will carry Croatia in my heart, especially my small
birthplace. No matter where I go, I will always find my way back to home.
35