Photo: Carlus Koopman/Shutterstock

15 Signs You Were Born and Raised in Yugoslavia

Student Work Food + Drink Entertainment
by Andreja Jernejčič Nov 2, 2015

1. You still keep navy blue hats titovka and a red triangle scarf hidden somewhere in your room. And you were so proud when you got a chance to wear it for the first time.

2. You still remember every single word of your promise you gave at the age of 7 when you became a member of Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia: Danas kada postajem pionir, dajem časnu pionirsku reč da ću…

3. Former Yugoslavian Relay of youth 25th of May still seems like a holiday to you. Or at least you think Štafeta mladosti should be a holiday today as well. Because youth should be celebrated no matter the regime, right?

4. Your favourite breakfast is Kinder Lada. Your favourite juice is still Pingu and king of pates is Kekec pašteta.

5. You begged your mom as a child to buy you gum. You can still remember the Čunga lunga or Bazooka gum taste and you still buy some of those just to remember the good old days at school.

6. The project of your childhood was called Životinjsko carstvo. Actually you still keep that old sticker album somewhere with stickers of animals. That sticker album Životinjsko carstvo was your main encyclopedia as well.

7. You participated in shopping trips in Trieste where your parents bought coffee, chocolate, jeans, and washing powder. You also remember your aunt smuggling whiskey in your baby sister’s car seat.

8. Your father took you to Trieste with the legendary Yugo car. Or maybe your parents owned Zastava 101 or Fićo.

9. You remember the feeling when you had 100 dinar in your pocket and you felt like millionaire.

10. Your favourite childhood memories are holidays to the Adriatic sea. You had your first summer romance on the Croatian seaside.

11. You proudly participated in the Olympic Games in 1984 in Sarajevo. It was the event of your life and you own at least one item with symbol of those winter Olympic Games, the little wolf Vučko.

12. You still get a bit nostalgic while watching old Yugoslavian movies. Some of your favourites are Bitka na Neretvi, Sutjeska and Ko to tamo pjeva.

13. You now play cartoons to your children such as Bojan and Pčelica Maja. And you play to your teenage child old Yugoslavian rock bands such as Zabranjeno pušenje, Plavi orkestar and Parni valjak.

14. You were never fan of Coca cola, because Cockta is the drink of your youth.

15. Santa Claus is not the one who brings gifts to your children at Christmas. They have to wait for Deda Mraz on New Year’s Eve.

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