I Know A Man Who Can…
Anything is possible in the Balkans. If there is something you want, someone can get it for you. If you need something doing, someone can sort that too. In even the smallest circle of friends, people can often bicker over who would be better suited to get the task done. If one person cannot help you, they usually know someone who can, and they will happily make recommendations. Like ripples in a pond, the circles of influence spread wide around you.
Networking is such a buzzword, as if the concept of spreading your net widely and helping each other was discovered by business gurus and social media types. But it is not a new idea. It is a core concept in all relationship-based cultures where family and friends still hold great importance. Cultures such as those that still thrive throughout the Balkans.
Networking comes so naturally to people in the region that they do not even recognise it as anything out of the ordinary. It is just how things are done. It is life. I have seen friends volunteer their support in a quite altruistic way. Anything is possible & nothing is too much trouble. Yes, it is a given that you will offer similar assistance if they need it, but it is not seen as being indebted to anyone. One of the base morals in the Serbian culture is to provide help if you can, to share and support each other whenever possible. For me, coming from a culture where family ties have been eroded over decades and it can often seem that everyone is out for himself, this open-handed principle can be rather refreshing.
Coupled with this comes an almost uncontrollable urge to please. I have noticed that many among my friends are quick to offer a helping hand when they can. Although many of them are students or unemployed, they will go out of their way to make things possible. In my visits to the region, I have been loaned places to stay and even a car for a fortnight. Friends have driven me long distances, as they were eager to make my stay more memorable, and I have shared some wonderful evenings being treated like a king in their homes.
As an example of this hospitality and the extended network that most people in Serbia enjoy, I recall a time when my friend and I were invited to meet the father of a mutual friend in Belgrade. Her family owned a traditional restaurant and bar in the city suburbs. Arriving by taxi, we were greeted at the door by her father and brother, before being ushered to a table already heavy under the weight of Serbian appetisers and drinks. Obviously we were wined and dined to the limits of our constitution, and any attempts to decline another drink or an extra portion of the house specialities fell on deaf ears.
What happened next was most enlightening. Over the course of our two-hour lunch, we met the great and the good of the community. Quite literally, we were introduced to a local police chief, a doctor, a shop owner, a professor, an author and a contact from a leading Belgrade football club. All of these were good friends of the family, and some were even telephoned to come to the restaurant to meet us. Dutifully, they came when summoned. When it was our time to leave, the father called another friend – a taxi driver.
While this this occurrence might have been quite extreme, it summed up the extent of the network that many people take for granted in Serbia. Without a second thought, most people many call on someone who can help with almost any situation. And if they don’t have someone in their immediate circle of friends, they can usually make contact with someone only once removed. In Serbia, if you cannot do it yourself, you usually know a man who can.
Marcus Agar has been commissioned by Wannabe Magazine to write a series of reports. Click to read in Serbian or for an interview in English or Serbian.
No comments yet.
Be first to leave your comment!