During a month-long stay in Dubrovnik, Croatia, I spent two full weeks interviewing the local people, trying to get the inside scoop on how Croatians practice self care…. How do Croatians define wellness?
You don’t walk down the streets of this city and find a slew of massage parlors or nail salons or even beauty shops though beauty is clearly a priority in this Dalmatian part of the country.
‘Wellness’ isn’t plastered on billboards across the city of Split and the once popular bath houses surrounding Diocletian’s Palace no longer exist in this immediate vicinity and you don’t see groups of people on their yoga mats, in any of the many spectacularly magical beaches, parks or public areas awaking to the day.
And so you can imagine my surprise when during a Croatian culture and language class I was finally introduced to a traditional Croatian term that seems to be the basis for how Croatians see and practice well-being…
Fjaka…
Fjaka???
And as my teacher defined it… It all made sense.
According to some Dalmatians, the definition of fjaka is a State of Mind when there is an aspiration for nothing and to do nothing. It is a common mistake to take fjaka as laziness, though unlike the latter, is a sublime state of mind and body to which humanity aspires.
In countries like India and elsewhere, fjaka is being achieved through long-term starvation and meditation. in Dalmatia it is simply a gift from God.
And it all made sense.
Croatia is not the home of a thousand Starbucks. (though it IS known as the Country of a thousand islands).
Whereas in American cafes you see people on their laptops or reading or talking loudly with friends or running off with their Venti Latte in hand, heading to work, Croatians (whose coffee sizes at best are comparable to a child-size ice cream cup), use the term ‘coffee’ as an invitation to sit, to connect and to chillll.
Croatia is not a frenetic country of busyness.
Croatia is not a fast paced metropolis… But rather Croatia, with four geographic regions that divide it, is a place to simply stop.
Stop the bustle.
Stop the frenzy. (unless of course their team is competing for a ‘football 
‘ championship!)
It has an intoxicating sweetness of cafe culture. It washes over you. In Croatia, life slows down and you click into the here and now.
Croatian’s live by CPT time (Croatian People Time) and they do unapologetically.
And so, for now my posts may be less frequent… Because I’m getting in where I fit in.
In the pace of a good honorary Croatian, I’m picking my phone up less and zoning out more as I look into the mesmerizing horizons of this magical country.