The Pros and Cons of living in Montenegro — Oksana Bulgaru
Moving abroad is a big serious decision that can be challenging in so many ways. Don’t move to another country just because of a beautiful picture you saw in a magazine or on social media or just because you heard so many stories about how beautiful and nice the country is. Unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes and did some serious reading, you won’t know if this country suits you and your needs.
Here I want to tell you all about my personal experience on the pretty and not so pretty things you should consider before moving to Montenegro for a long-term. Let’s start with the positive things.
Pros.
Nature and ecology. I’m a mountain and a sea lover and a looking at one or even both of them every day, was a huge “must-have” personally for me when we chose to move abroad for long-term. Montenegro has such rich and green landscapes and its wild beauty is the most precious treasure. The country’s name in the local language is “Crna Gora” which means “black mountain”, due to the dark green, nearly black, pine trees covering the mountains. Most of the country’s territory is covered with mountains, running all the way from the north to the south, where they meet the Adriatic Sea.
Safety. Montenegro is a safe country to be living in or visiting it. The only concern can be during high season in the touristic areas regarding pickpockets. I feel completely safe walking the streets even when it’s already dark, but of course, nobody canceled the common sense.
The climate. Montenegro has a mild climate, warm sunny Mediterranean on the coast and with snowy winters on the north. The coast is warm all year round, with slightly rainy and windy winters, but still with sunny days. We chose Montenegro because we wanted to live by the sea and to have this warm winter, without a few months of snow and freezing temperatures.
The residence permit. As there are a few ways to apply for a temporary residence permit, you can choose which one is suitable for you. We obtained it by opening a firm here, which for us, freelancers, was the best option. The whole process is very easy, as long as all your papers are in order, quite quick and all went smooth for us.
Language. Being able to express yourself when you are abroad is very important. Moreover, when you plan to live in a new country. And for us, speakers of both Ukrainian and Russian languages, it was quite easy to learn the language of our new home during our previous visits. The local language, (as the locals call it) Montenegrin, is quite similar to the Serbian language. If you are an English-speaking person, it would be rather complicated to deal with daily needs, although possible. The younger generation speaks English, but don’t expect too much.
The food and groceries. The food here is quite different and delicious. You can have a good meal in a restaurant for a good price, as well as you can cook at home from the freshest products that you can find at local markets and grocery stores. There are a lot of quality imported goods, as well as locally made products on a high standard: lots of fruits and vegetable from local farmers, as well as meat, cheese, and other goods.
And now its time to move to the less pleasant part. Cons
Smoking. In Montenegro, people smoke everywhere and by everywhere I mean like EVERYWHERE. The smoke in cafes, restaurants, on the beaches, in cars, trains, in houses. A few years back, the government introduced a ban on smoking in public places, especially in cafes and restaurants. After that, the locals stopped sitting in the cafes in the evening, and the owners resented, there was no profit. Then it all came back. At first, I thought that the law has been canceled. But it appears that they’ve found a way to bypass. Instead of fining the smokers, the authorities decided to fine the restaurants where smokers are hanging out — a certain amount for every square meter. How clever. Everyone is happy except the non-smokers.
Stray animals. Many countries have problems with stray dogs and Montenegro is no exception. Countless amount of cats and dogs are on the streets of Montenegro, and it causes distress to the local people and the tourists as well. Most of these animals were once loved and cared, and just because they grew up and don’t look as “cute” as they used to be when little anymore, they are thrown away. In addition, the biggest problem is that there are no shelters for their needs and because they aren’t neutered and spayed — they are becoming more each year. They say that spaying is a big “sin” but they see no sin in throwing away at the dumpsters kittens that are a week old. The locals don’t know even the basics of how to behave with pets, how to treat them, how to train, how to play etc.
Garbage. People are not highly aware of ecology in Montenegro. You can see the result of trash everywhere especially along the roads and the countryside after the storms — plastic bags on the trees, plastic bottles and other. In the touristic areas, there are not enough trashcans, therefore during high season, you can see a lot of trash around the small cans that are installed. There is no such thing as separate waste.
These are the things that I found troubling and the things that make me happy. I don’t intend to make you think the best or the worse of Montenegro, this is my experience and I just want to share my thoughts. Actually, I pay attention to these specific things in every country that I live in and visit.
Lets’ make the world a better place for our own future. What makes you happy and what would you like to change in your city/country — let’s discuss in the com
Originally published at https://oksanabulgaru.com on August 9, 2019.
