Маленькие разговоры о различии менталитетов сербов и итальянцев

5 Conversations About Differences in Mentality: Serbs vs. Italians

1. Working Hours and "Dolce Vita"

   Serbian Colleague (Marko): I watch our new colleagues from Milan. At exactly five o’clock, the pen drops from their hands, and they’re gone. Respect!

   Russian Colleague (Dmitrij): Yes, I’ve noticed. They are very precise with working hours. In Russia, we often stay longer at work.

   Marko: Same with us! But Italians—they live for dolce vita—the sweet life. Work is important, but it’s not the most important thing. Life is outside, in the sun, with friends.

   Dmitrij: So, work is there to live, not the other way around?

   Marko: Exactly! We Serbs are somewhere in the middle. We love to enjoy life, but our conscience bothers us if we don’t work enough.

   
   

2. Loud Speech and Gestures

   Russian Colleague (Ana): I heard Maria from Rome talking on the phone yesterday. I thought she was arguing with someone!

   Serbian Colleague (Jelena): (laughs) No, no, that’s just how she normally talks! Italians are passionate; they gesture a lot and speak loudly. It’s part of their charm.

   Ana: Where we come from, that’s rude. If someone speaks loudly, we think they’re angry.

   Jelena: Oh no, for them, it’s a sign they’re excited and they care. We Serbs also like to gesture, but they’re world champions at it. Their hands talk almost as much as their mouths.

   Ana: Interesting. I’ll have to get used to this "drama."

   
   

3. Coffee: Quick Espresso vs. Long Sitting

   Marko: Come on, Ana, let’s go for coffee. I’ve got a half-hour break.

   Ana: Great, let’s go! I saw the Italians yesterday—they drink an espresso standing up in one minute and go straight back to work.

   Marko: Yeah, that’s their caffè al volo (coffee on the go). They drink coffee to get energy. But us Serbs? We drink coffee to sit and chat.

   Ana: So for them, coffee is "fuel," and for us, it’s a "social event"? Marko: Exactly! Our coffee lasts at least half an hour, with a conversation about everything. That’s the essence. We don’t rush.

   
   

4. Attitude Toward Rules and "Getting By"

   Dmitrij: I don’t understand. The new software has clear rules, but Paolo always finds his own different way to do the task.

   Jelena: Ah, that’s their creative chaos. Italians see rules as "suggestions," not laws. They always look for a way around them if they think there’s a better or faster way.

   Dmitrij: Procedure is very important for us.

   Jelena: It’s important for us too, but we have our own expression for it—snalaženje (getting by). Both Serbs and Italians love to "get by." It’s our southern trait. We think we’re smarter than the system.

   Dmitrij: So it’s a battle between creativity and the system?

   Jelena: Exactly! Sometimes it’s useful, sometimes it’s a disaster! (laughs)

   
   

5. Family and Mama

   Ana: I look at the photos on Francesco’s desk. Out of five photos, four of them are of his mother.

   Marko: (nods) Of course. Mamma (Mom) is sacred in Italy. She’s the center of the family and the center of the world. Whatever you do, Mama must approve.

   Ana: Family is important for us too, but this seems much stronger.

   Marko: It is stronger, trust me. For us Serbs, the mother is also an important figure, but Italians have taken it to a higher level. They joke that an Italian man never grows up—he just finds another woman to take care of him like a mother.

   Ana: (laughs) Sounds both sweet and a little scary at the same time.