20 маленьких рассказов о жизни за границей

1. Plans and Beer

Luka: "Guys, I don’t know about you, but I feel like this year in Belgrade is going to be a total reset for the IT scene. I can smell a massive shift coming."

Marko: "Luka, you smell a revolution every year. The reality is inflation, Vračar rents are hitting the ceiling, and electricity is going up. We need to stay grounded."

Sara: "All the raises and revolutions don’t mean a thing if we stop seeing each other. The main thing is to stay a team and not let the 'hustle' culture swallow us whole."

Ivan: "Listen, before you dive into deep philosophy—let's get another Capricciosa and a round of beers. An empty stomach ruins my intuition, and honestly, my logic too."

Luka: "I’m just saying, remote is the new norm. Next year, we might be holding this meeting from three different corners of the world."

Sara: "Fine, but only if we get together in person at least once a quarter. A screen can’t replace your guys' sense of humor."

2. The Balkans as an IT Bridge

Marko: "I heard the Germans are opening two more dev centers here. Seems we’re still their best 'value for money' option."

Luka: "It’s not just that. We’re a bridge. We understand the West, but we have that Balkan resourcefulness for when everything goes south."

Ivan: "They can open as many as they want, as long as they don't bring that rigid '9-to-5-no-breaks' mentality. I need the freedom to grab a coffee when my brain stalls."

Sara: "I care more about bosses learning that we’re humans, not just resources in Jira. These corporations are seriously lacking empathy."

Marko: "Statistics show that happy developers produce 20% fewer bugs. So, your empathy has a very specific price tag, Sara."

Luka: "There it is: Marko just quantified happiness. That’s the recipe for 2026!"

3. Sarma and Technology

Ivan: "Guys, the sarma won this year. If my year is even half as good as this sarma, I’m signing up right now."

Luka: "Sarma is a classic, but look at how Belgrade is changing. You’ve got Asian street food on every corner now, new people everywhere—Russians, Ukrainians, Indians... The city has a new energy."

Sara: "I’m so glad the cosmopolitan spirit is back. It’s important that everyone—our returnees and foreigners alike—feels at home here."

Marko: "Returnees are key; they bring those 'best practices' from abroad. It drives up our market value."

Ivan: "That’s all great until they schedule a meeting at 8 AM London time. At that hour, I’m only physically present. My brain is still on standby."

4. Lisbon vs. Belgrade

Sara: "In Portugal, people are so chill. They work to live. Sometimes here we live to work. We’re missing that balance."

Marko: "It’s easy for them; they have the ocean. But hybrid work is changing things here too. We’re finally realizing you don’t have to sit in an office to be useful."

Luka: "My vision: Lisbon in the winter, Belgrade in the summer. Work for a global company, spend where your heart is. That’s freedom."

Ivan: "I just need stable Wi-Fi and my paycheck on time. Where I’m sitting is secondary—though a sea view wouldn't hurt, let's be real."

Sara: "And let's not become just avatars. I don’t want our friendship reduced to Slack messages and 'thumbs up' icons."

5. Sprints and Life

Marko: "Forecasts say the market is going to explode again next year. We need to position ourselves early."

Luka: "I feel we’re entering a phase where authentic ideas will be valued over just churning out code."

Ivan: "I just feel a new backlog waiting for me on Monday. Sprint after sprint, life passes by in tickets."

Sara: "That’s why you have to pull the handbrake, Ivan. Burnout isn't a myth; it happens to the best. Friends are here to remind you to close the laptop."

Marko: "That’s why I plan my vacations three months in advance. The calendar is sacred."

Ivan: "Just pass me the mulled wine. I’ll just plan the next hour; it’s easier that way."

6. Past Fails

Ivan: "Remember three years ago when I tried to make Russian salad and put so much salt in it that it was inedible?"

Sara: "Oh, Ivan, you looked so miserable, you almost cried over the bowl. We almost felt bad making fun of you... for about two minutes."

Luka: "That was a classic 'bug in production.' But Ivke is the king of the hotfix—he immediately ordered BBQ for everyone."

Marko: "The fact is, you’ve improved since then. Now you’re the master chef of the group. Pure 'continuous improvement'."

Ivan: "I learned from my mistakes; that’s the best testing environment. If you can survive your own Russian salad, you can handle any legacy code."

7. Belgrade as a Meeting Point

Luka: "Belgrade is like the confluence of the Sava and Danube—a place where all currents mix. I love the chaos."

Marko: "That’s why we have so many foreign developers lately. Migration stats are clear: we’re becoming a regional hub."

Sara: "As long as we don't lose that Belgrade soul—the fact that we’re direct and we 'click' with people instantly."

Ivan: "Come on, once I take them for burek at Trpković, they’re officially one of us. Food is the universal language."

Luka: "Exactly. Food, coffee, and our 'lako ćemo' (we'll figure it out) attitude—that’s what keeps people here."

8. Freedom and Gigs

Sara: "I’ve noticed people are just 'burnt out' this year. Everyone’s exhausted by the news and crises."

Marko: "That’s why freelance CVs are booming. People want control over their time; they don't want a toxic manager breathing down their neck." Luka: "It’s evolution. We’re breaking the old frames. A person isn't tied to one chair for 40 years anymore."

Ivan: "In reality, half of them just want to work in their underwear at home and never see their boss. And I totally get them."

Sara: "It’s just important that we don't become lone wolves in all that freedom. Humans are social beings, for God's sake."

9. What Do We Really Want?

Ivan: "Let’s be real, no corporate jargon: what do you actually want next year?"

Marko: "A stable project, good hardware, and for no one to change the requirements mid-sprint. Clean accounts, long-lasting love."

Luka: "I want to work on something that actually matters. I want to feel like my code has a purpose, not just filling someone’s pockets."

Sara: "I want a team that supports each other. Where we can say 'guys, I’m just not feeling it today' and nobody rolls their eyes."

Ivan: "And I want to lose five kilos, go to the beach three times, and have my phone not ring after 5 PM. Is that too much to ask?"

10. AI and Future Fear

Marko: "The EU is bringing in new AI regulations. It’s going to be a compliance nightmare for us devs."

Luka: "It might slow things down, but ethics have to exist. We can’t just let bots rule the world."

Ivan: "Just tell me what I can and can’t copy from Stack Overflow so I don’t end up in jail because of some bot."

Sara: "It’s important that technology remains a tool, not a replacement for human conversation. Manipulation is easy, but the consequences are hard to fix."

Marko: "Regulations are slow, tech is fast. It’ll be an interesting race next year."

11. Our Little Team

Sara: "Looking at you three, we’re like a mini version of an ideal company. Everyone has a role."

Luka: "I’m the one 'selling fog' and talking about the year 2030."

Marko: "I’m the one asking, 'Bro, who’s paying for this and how much RAM does it eat?'"

Ivan: "And I’m the one who actually codes it in the end while cursing both you and the client, but it works."

Sara: "And I’m here to remind you that you haven’t called your mom and that you should drink a glass of water between those two beers."

Luka: "A perfect team. Cheers to us!"

12. Belgrade-Style Paella

Ivan: "Luka, this paella is killer. Seriously, you could open a restaurant if the keyboard ever gets boring."

Luka: "The secret is the spices I brought from Spain, but also our water. It has that Belgrade 'zing'."

Marko: "Looking at the ingredients, this is a top-tier 'low-carb' choice if we ignore all this rice. But hey, it’s the holidays."

Ivan: "For me, the best part is that it’s a one-pan meal. I hate washing a mountain of dishes after cooking."

Sara: "This smells like the sea and our long talks on the beach. You can't put a price on that."

13. To Leave or To Stay?

Marko: "What do you think, will more people be packing for Berlin next year or moving back to Belgrade?"

Luka: "I think the era of mass departures is over. Now people travel, work from anywhere—the borders are in our heads."

Sara: "Many come back because they realize nowhere has this warmth. There, you’re always a 'foreigner'; here, you’re a 'neighbor'."

Ivan: "They come back for the food and family, and they leave for the salary and bureaucracy. Pure math, as Marko would say."

Marko: "In the end, quality of life wins. If you have a good salary here, Belgrade is one of the best cities in Europe to live in."

14. Wellness Marketing

Sara: "More and more firms are offering 'mental health' packages, yoga, and meditation. It’s nice that people are talking about it."

Marko: "Yeah, but it’s often just 'makeup.' They offer you yoga and then drop a deadline that requires 12-hour workdays. It’s hypocritical."

Ivan: "My place introduced 'Early-off Fridays.' That means more to me than ten yoga masters combined. Let me go fishing; that’s my meditation."

Luka: "The future is in trust, not benefit packages. The company that trusts you is the one you stay with."

15. Road-Trip Plans

Ivan: "Enough about work; let's talk about something nice. Where are we heading next year?"

Luka: "Andalusia, one month. Laptop in the bag, coffee in the plaza, and just taking it easy."

Sara: "I’d go back to Porto, to feel the smell of the river and hear that fado music again. Time really does move slower there."

Marko: "I’m going to Stara Planina first. I want to turn off my phone, see some cows and forest. I’ve had enough of airports."

Ivan: "I’m down for anything where the internet is 5G and the BBQ doesn't cost half a paycheck. We could do a road trip through Serbia; some of those ethno-villages are brutal."

16. DevOps is the New Black

Marko: "I hear everyone is moving into DevOps now. They say that’s where the big numbers are."

Ivan: "I’ve already started learning; I don’t want to be stuck just 'painting buttons' in frontend. Gotta future-proof."

Sara: "For me, it’s important that even in those technical depths, we don’t forget communication. What good is the best system if no one in the team talks to each other?"

Luka: "The new year will demand people who know a bit of everything but adapt quickly. Flexibility is the new stability."

17. Adulting and the Luxury of Meeting Up

Ivan: "When you think about it, we only managed to meet up as a full group three times this year. That’s become a serious luxury."

Sara: "It’s scary how responsibilities eat us up. That’s why these moments are the most important; that’s what counts at the end of the year."

Marko: "I’ve done a retrospective in my head. We’ve all progressed; nobody stayed in the same place. That’s success."

Luka: "The key is that we don’t change as people. As professionals, you can change as much as you want. See you in the spring—that’s a deal."

18. The Belgrade Mix

Ivan: "Belgrade feels more and more like Berlin to me, but with better weather and fewer rules. A crazy mix."

Luka: "It has the energy of a city that never stops. Southern blood, Western business."

Marko: "If they’d only fix the public transport, it’d be perfect. But hey, you can’t have the best coffee and a punctual tram."

Sara: "For me, it’s about the fact that the bakery lady still says 'enjoy it, son' (prijatno, sine). That’s the smell of Belgrade that Berlin and Lisbon don't have."

19. The Big Picture

Marko: "What do you think, where will Serbia be on the IT map in a year?"

Luka: "If we stop complaining and start collaborating more, we’ll be top-tier. We have the talent; we just lack a little self-confidence."

Sara: "And a little more solidarity. Let's not just look at our own pockets, but help those who are just starting out."

Ivan: "Fewer bureaucratic counters, more digitalization, and normal prices—that’s my wish for the country. The rest, we developers will fix ourselves."

20. Baklava or Tiramisu?

Ivan: "It’s the end of the night; we need something sweet to seal the deal. What’s it gonna be—tiramisu or baklava?"

Sara: "Baklava! It’s the smell of home, childhood, and those big family lunches. It’s soul food."

Luka: "I’ll take the tiramisu. It pulls me toward Italy, toward new travels and things we haven't even planned yet. We need some of that 'dolce vita' energy."

Marko: "I don’t care, as long as I don’t have to be the one counting calories tonight. Ivan, you order; you’re the practical one."

Ivan: "I’m ordering both! Why choose when we can have it all. Cheers to the New Year, to Belgrade, and to being even better next year while staying exactly who we are!"

All: "Cheers!"