Rosilind Jukic, author of A Little R & R, is an American married to a Bosnian living in Croatia. She is a busy mom of an 18-month old livewire with another child due in October. She blogs about her passions: God, family, and healthy living.
When she's not chasing her toddler and writing, she also sings, plays piano and crochets.
Vist her blog~
jukiczr.blogspot.com -
Interview questions:
1) Tell us who you are and what makes you you. My name is Rosilind and I am a work-at-home mom. Being a Christian, wife, and mom is what makes me me. I say Christian, because my faith is interwoven into every aspect of my life and influences everything I do from day to day; and being a wife and mom is what I've always wanted to be. In grade school when other kids wanted to be firemen, policemen, doctors and nurses my highest aspiration was to be a wife and mommy. Neither were easy roads, I became a wife for the first time at 34 and a mom at 36. But, I take such joy and pleasure in both and wear both titles with the highest honor!
2) Share you family with us and 1 thing you Love about them and why. My husband's name is Zlatko (Zlah-tkoh), he is Bosnian/Croatian and came to Croatia from Bosnia with his family as a young teenager during the war as a refugee. Their city was bombed and later given to Serbia in the Dayton agreement, so his family has remained here in Croatia since then. Together we have one son and another on the way (due in 2 1/2 months). Robi is 18 months old - lively and joyful and investigates everything. One thing I love about my family is that we know how to love and have fun. We do both with abandon and I think that's what makes us strong and secure in one another. We love deeply and never take ourselves too seriously.
3) Do you have any pets? Sadly, no. We are renting an apartment, and so we're hesitant about having one. Our dream is to buy a home, and we plan to promptly thereafter get a dog.
4) As a American how did you end up in a different country and why did you stay? Will you ever come back to America to live and if not why? Oh - these are some of my favorite questions to answer! In 2004, I decided to pack up what I could of what I owned and move to Croatia as a missionary to assist my misssionary-sister and her Croatian Pastor-husband in their church. I had visited the year before and really saw a need here, and I just couldn't seem to get away from the feeling that I needed to come back. When I came, I came with the intention to stay and never look back. It was hard for my parents, and I had no idea what I was in for. It wasn't easy in the beginning - in fact, it was downright hard. But, that decision is what kept me from running back "home" when it got hard. I was determined to see things through - and I did. I don't see returning to America in my future. The day I accepted my husband's ring was the day that I knew that going back was no longer an option. And I was ready to take that step and close that door forever. If he ever decides he wants to move to the States, I'll follow him. But, I am happy in my life here and have fully adjusted to Croatian life.
5) Where is your parents and how do they fill about where you live and why do they fill this way? My parents live in Oregon. They are happy for me because I am doing what I am called to do as a Christian and as a person, and I have found love and a life that brings me joy, but I know they struggle with having two daughters and soon-to-be-six grandkids over here.
6) We see you have a blog can you tell us why you blog and how long you have had it and if you willever stop blogging. I started blogging in 2004, but I started seriously writing a year or so before that. Funny thing - in school I hated writing. But while facing a difficult time in my life, I began to experiment with writing - songwriting, poetry, and just getting thoughts down on page. That's when I wrote my one-and-only good song and my first (and yet unpublished) book. In 2004 I began experimenting with blogging and writing in various places, but after my son was born in 2010 I began seriously blogging. I decided to use it as a way of helping my family keep up with Robi - but it quickly morphed into what it is today - a conglomeration of mommy/Christian/health/recipe/and-just-whatever blog. *grin* I blog because I have a million-and-one thoughts roaming around in my brain, and I must get them out. Everyday I find things to write about: a favorite recipe, a household tip, something I've read in the Bible, a profound thought I want to expound upon, or something silly one of us has done. If people read what I write it is just the cherry on the icing for me. And I could no more stop blogging than I could give up my right arm (and I"m right-handed. lol!). Writing is like breathing to me.
7) What is your favorite thing to blog about and your least favorite? Ohhhhhh....I have so many favorite things to blog about - but my most favorite thing to blog about is my crazy, zany, silly boy. I just wrote a post: 12 Things I Learned From Robi, which are really 12 silly, crazy, messy things he does around here to keep his poor 7 1/2-month pregnant mommy on her toes. I don't know that I have a least-favorite thing. If I don't want to blog about it, I don't. That's the joy of having my own blog - and not being constrained by other people telling me what I have to write about.
8) As a adult did you as a child ever think you would live somewhere other than America? I had absolutely no idea. In fact, as a teen, I travelled with my dad to Europe. He is a pastor and he had some speaking engagements in Poland and the Czech Republic. Well, by the time we returned home, I was adamant that I'd never live in Europe. Furthermore, when my sister married in 2001, she married here - in Croatia. We all piled on the plane to attend (I was her maid-of-honor). The only thing I enjoyed was the wedding, and strongly announced that I'd never return to Croatia. Ever! And God had the last laugh, because here I am. And loving it!
9) What did you want to be as a child? I wanted to be a wife and mommy. I thought both would be so easy to acheive. Little did I know the road that lay ahead of me. But both occupations were well worth waiting and fighteing for - and the hard road I travelled to get here only made me what I am today - and helped me to appreciate both roles so much more!
10) Can you tell us how it is different than America and why it is different? Oh - where to start? Everything is different. But I think the greatest difference here is living in the aftermath of mulitple wars - or should I say an entire history of war after war. It has affected everything from the economy, which is always on the brink of collapse, to the people's tough exterior built to withstand loss and destruction. In many places life is lived with a mingling of grenade-pocked buildings built right next to fresh new homes. It's just a thread that runs through their life - and PTSD has literally touched every home. It's something that I struggle to comprehend, having never lived through a war on my soil. And their history seeps into the present. War affected industry, resulting in a need to import most goods, which translates into businesses paying customs and import taxes, all costs that are passed on to the consumer which results in high prices and a very high cost of living. War causes deep emotional scars resulting in a massively high rate of alcoholism among young and old alike. And yet the Croatian people are resiliant, determined, and very strong. They have fought their way through harsh regimes and strong-armed governments to the freedom that they have today! I admire their strength and determination! They are warm, loving people and their history is fascinating! And if you've never visited this country you are missing out on so much. Croatia is a lovely country, whether we are talking about their rolling, lush, green hills, the flat farmlands of corn and wheat, or their rocky, olive tree lined seasides that boarder the bluest sea you'll ever see! All this is mingled with the past and present that live together as if they were born together. Historic buildings dating back to the Roman Empire - 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C. - stand alongside newly constructed apartment buildings. It is fascinating how past and present have come together in such an incredible way!!
11) What are some of the things you miss over there? Certain foods? Movies? Stores? So. Many. Things. Taco Bell (yes, I do miss Taco Bell) and REAL Mexican food (although, I have learned to make awesome Mexican food from scratch). Walmart - or any inexpensive stores, Starbucks, Crunchy Cheetos, Pop Tarts, avocados year round....or any fruits and veggies out of season year round, for that matter. I would love to have access to Netflix, Craig's List, inexpensive baby gear, and GARAGE SALING!!!!
12) Will you ever move back to America and if not why not? No, there are no plans. I would never ask that of my husband. Making a move like this is literally means to uproot your whole life - your past, present and future - and transplant it into another culture, with another lanugage, and a totally different way of life. It is harder than one would think, and to make such a huge life change, one must be very ready for all of the difficulty that is involved.
13) As a Blogger I am sure you follow other Blogs who is your favorite and why? I think one of my favorite bloggers is Adriel over at The Mommyhood Memos (http://themommyhoodmemos.com/). Her and I have many things in common, and I find myself often reading her blogs and thinking to myself, "She is echoing my thoughts - even before I thought them!!!" She is a gifted writer and I throroughly enjoy reading her posts.
14) Can you tell us how you feel raising a child there and do you think it is better or worse for a child? Raising a child anywhere is a challenge. I think the greatest challenge raising a child here is knowing that one day there will be struggles because of the difference of faith. Without going into much detail, faith here is strongly interwoven into every facet of life, especially their culture and identity. I have watched other children in school face great challenges, and even bullying, because of difference in faith. So, we have a great job ahead of us in preparing our children to face these challenges with grace and strength of character so they do not grow bitter and withdrawn. And yet I know that any child, no matter where they are, will face hardship while growing up. I guess no place on earth is better or worse for raising a child; if the child has a loving and secure home they can live in the worst place imaginable and still come out alright. Every parent these days has a great task in preparing their children for hardships that previous generations have never had to face - rampant immorality, drugs, alcohol, and expectations of a perfect body image - all this combined with the normal challenges we all faced with playground bullies. These are tougher times for kids, and as parents we struggle with preparing them for these and other challenges so that they are not damaged emotionally. It's a daunting task, and I hope and pray that we do our job well!
15) What one item would you share with someone who is thinking of moving to a new Country? Why? First, I'd say, do your homework. Learn about the history and culture of that country. It will go a long way in endearing you to the people. Second, be prepared to humble yourself. You will make language mistakes (even in English-speaking countries, dialect differences are enormous!), you will misunderstand things, and feel pretty stupid sometimes. If you are learning a new language, be prepared to feel like toddlers speak better than you; this will literally challenge all the self-worth you ever had as you struggle to say the most elementary things (like: "I need to use the bathroom" or "I'm hungry"). It's like being born all over again - only as an educated adult. But, be sure to surround yourself with a great support system at home to help encourage you when things get hard. After the "honeymoon" period, you will face some depression and maybe even despair. But, that will pass. If you make it through those times without giving up you will be able to fully embrace every bit of that country as if it were your own! Like a runner, you have to face the "wall" and break through it. A support system will help tremendously - people you can "dump on", during those hard times who will not think less of you for ranting and who will bend a listening ear and then cheer you on to better days. Lastly, I'd encourage those who plan to move to a non-English speaking country to make learning the native language a #1 priority. Learn it and learn it well. Although the local people may speak English as a 2nd laguange, you will find a deeper and more satisfying relationship with them when you learn to speak with them in their laguage. You will earn a deeper respect, and you will also grow to know and understand their culture better through their language. (sorry, that was like 3-4 things, but they are all vitally important)
