Dear international student teacher, with love from Zagreb

11/20/2022

My first visit to the Dolac market in Zagreb, Croatia. The market hosts local farmers and vendors selling fresh produce and handmade goods, including smiley spoons!

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At the end of my student teaching experience, I was required to write an advice letter to future international student teachers from my university, so I thought I would share it with you. This letter uniquely combines reflection and advice to international teachers and specific travel tips for Zagreb, Croatia. Enjoy!

Dear future international student teacher,

First of all, congratulations on taking the leap to embark on this exciting, unique adventure! You will leave the United States with an open mind, curiosity, and endless questions; you will return with an overflowing heart, a more diverse perspective on teaching and living, some answers, and more questions. Student teaching abroad pushes you to think outside everything that you have learned about teaching: what is the “right” way to teach and be with students, and what you wish the United States might do differently.

The first few weeks, culture shock will hit hard. You will be surrounded by café bars and bakeries selling fresh pastries. Get a pastry on your first day! Your life will never be the same (I highly recommend the chocolate croissants). You’ll realize how Croatians take things slow, enjoying four-hour-long conversations over just one shot of espresso. You’ll struggle to learn Croatian, a language that is moons away from English, so you’ll practice whispering street names under your breath to learn pronunciation.

You’ll be shocked to hear your school day ends at 12:30 and think, “how can I ever go back?”. You’ll question everything your teachers do in the school, but then remind yourself to remain objective and learn about cultural differences with grace. You’ll build relationships with students (who will always struggle to remember your name) that are special and heartbreaking to let go of. You’ll pinch yourself everyday on your walk to school, even as it begins to feel “normal.”
Before you pack your suitcase, keep these tips in mind:

Bring an umbrella! It rains every week, especially in November. Your morning walks can get soggy very quickly.
Don’t pack as much as you think you need. Try to save space for souvenirs, gifts, and other trinkets you find along the way. My favorites include a painting of a local flower shop and a traditional table runner. You can do laundry at your apartment or Airbnb, and it’s ok to rewear clothes! Plan for weather between 35-70 degrees (layers!).
Consider your travel before and/or after the trip. Will you be backpacking across Europe for a few weeks? Will your family visit you and take an excursion? Or will you stay in Zagreb for your entire stay? This influences how much you pack, the transportability of luggage, and type of luggage you bring.
Pack some boots or warm shoes. The teachers will think you are nuts for wearing Birkenstocks and a winter coat in 50 degree weather (coming from a true Minnesotan).
Leave with some spare Kunas or local currency. That way, you won’t need to exchange money when you arrive.
Pack something from home to give to your CT and supervising teacher. And PACK IT IN YOUR CHECK BAG! My colleagues and I bought Minnesotan jam at MSP, and we had to toss it at the Paris airport. :(
Fellow edTPA struggle bussers: bring a binder with evidence from your focus students and any work samples you think you may need. Unfortunately, many afternoons will be spent working on the edTPA. Make sure you have everything you could possibly need before you go since you will submit abroad!

Now, we’ll get into the part you read this letter for: the food and cultural experiences. First, if you are not a coffee drinker, you will convert while you are here. Coffee is central to Croatian culture, and is a common avenue for conversation or reconnecting with friends and colleagues. My mom –a strict mocha drinker– and Jane –previously tolerant of coffee– now gladly enjoy cappuccinos and lattes (with sugar, of course. . .they have to start somewhere).

Some of our go-to coffee places include:

Vivas bar (free wifi, chill work spot, and funky musical covers of American songs)
Cat café Zagreb (for the cats, fun specialty drinks, and festive decorations)
Jolie Petite Pâtisserie (for the cakes and atmosphere!)
Fliteraj (for the flavored lattés if you desperately need your vanilla latté or mocha)
Quahwa Zagreb (chocolate cookie latté, comfy arm chairs, and incrediblely reserved study spaces) and La Turka (traditionally served Turkish coffee and kind staff)
Bread Club for the best croissants in Zagreb (also try the chocolate hazelnut pastry!)

Outside of coffee, I have two dinner places to recommend: one for pasta and one for traditional Croatian food.

Capuciner Spagheteria for cheap but excellent Italian pasta (all dishes under 10 euro!)
Konova dido san has outstanding, savory Croatian food served on traditional Croatian tablecloths; even better, they play Croatian music with lantern light!

On the afternoons –after drinking delicious coffee and filling up on savory pasta– visit one of the many museums in Zagreb! It is unbelievable to think of the kinds of museums they have here, including the Museum of Broken Relationships, the Museum of Hangovers, and the Chocolate Museum. Each of these are a good time! There isn’t any other city with these oddly specific museums. . .it helps give Zagreb its charm.

There are many other things I could ramble on about Zagreb, but I’ll leave that for you to discover. Take advantage of your free time to get out, walk, explore, and be present in a different city! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so treat it as such. I’ll end this letter with a message my dad told me everyday in elementary school: “Have fun, learn a lot, and ask good questions!”.

With love from Zagreb,

Meghan

Previous post: A journal entry from Croatia

I was surprised to find how quickly six weeks flew by. It still feels like yesterday when I first arrived in Zagreb, tried my first pastry, and ate my first Croatian meal.

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