AMERICAN WOMAN SHOCKED BY BALKAN HABITS

Helena Sula, an American who moved from the United States to the Balkans—specifically to Montenegro—shared several things that left her stunned.

PHOTO: B92

She was particularly surprised by certain aspects of life in Montenegro, which she discussed on TikTok, where she has a significant following as an influencer and blogger.

She shared her experiences with her followers, expressing shock over several cultural habits, including the fact that smoking is allowed in nearly all indoor spaces, alcohol is widely consumed—especially rakija—and much more.

Smoking and Rakija

"It's honestly hard for me to accept some of these things. The most shocking thing is that people here still smoke a lot—and indoors. People smoke literally everywhere. Inside, outside… wherever you go, someone is smoking. In the U.S., I don’t even know anyone who smokes. I know it depends on the location, but in Montenegro and generally across the Balkans, people smoke everywhere and it’s completely normal," she said, adding that it’s also surprising to her that some people in Montenegro drink rakija before their morning coffee.

"How is this even possible in Montenegro?"

Helena also expressed surprise that there are no McDonald's, Starbucks, or even Apple stores in Montenegro.

"Those stores simply don’t exist here, which I find interesting. But you can find places that serve ćevapi on every corner. Honestly, they’re delicious. I'm not a huge McDonald’s fan, but sometimes you just want to take a drive and grab a Diet Coke through the window. But that’s not an option here. Also, there’s no Diet Coke at all—only Coke Zero," the American said.

"People really believe they’ll get sick from air conditioning"

"People here genuinely believe that air conditioning causes colds. They really think they can get sick from it. They talk about it all the time. They say they got sick from the air conditioner in a hotel room while they were in America," Helena said, adding that she also can’t believe how people don’t greet each other in the streets.

"When you walk past someone on the street, no one looks at you. No smiles, no nods. You just don’t exist. Simply put—no one cares."

"I’ve never seen anything like this before"

Helena was also taken aback by how traffic works in Montenegro.