Heart and Soul

Last night we celebrated my cousin's wedding. She was married earlier in the year and her family threw her a party. We went to a great local restaurant in Lapad where we ate Prsut and cheese and lamb under the bell with all the wine you can drink. There was a band that was going from table to table and playing old Croatian songs. At times, the entire restaurant would sing along with their hands in the air, swaying side to side, feeling every emotion of the song. I don't know many Croatian songs but it didn't matter, I watched as they sang and swayed with them.

Out on the terrace, there was a large table of men. They were apart of a different party but when the band came to them, they sang the loudest. At one point, my other cousin and I walked out onto the terrace and all the guys from the table got up and started singing to us as we walked by. I don't think I have ever experienced anything like that before. Men in the states don't just break out into song as a girl walks by, of course I wouldn't mind seeing that happening at some point in my life. As we headed back to our table, the men, even louder this time, all got up and started serenading us all over again. I couldn't help but laugh. Some had their arms stretched out towards us, while others had their hands on their heart, singing as loud as they could. It was the most beautiful way to be hit on.

Later in the night, as the wine continued to flow, people began to dance. They danced all over the restaurant; not caring who saw them or if they were bad dancers, they just moved to the beat. They were laughing and dancing and singing. At one point, I got pulled into a dance with a guy I had never met before. We danced and he sang along to the song as I smiled. It was such a wonderful night. 

These people have so much heart and soul and it is evident in the way they sing their songs, how they dance, laugh, and speak. They are passionate and lively and when you are among them, you can't help but feel the warmth of these people. They always make life more interesting. There are times when, as an American, I just want to slap the crap out of them because they frustrate me so. Yet, as angry as I can get at these people, I can't help but love them. They are who they are. They don't apologize and they don't make excuses. You have to take them as they are and never try to change them, as if anyone could anyway. At the end of the day, they are the reason why I love this place so much and why I don't want to leave.