Montenegro - not Thailand Bashny.Net

via news.ptaah.org.ua
(lots and lots of letters about an interesting country)

It so happened that the last five months I was working and living in Montenegro. I used to live in the Moscow region, worked as an engineer-leader in the small but successful Russian companies, and many others are sometimes thought of a better life. A better life in my mind appeared in the form of a small house in the mountains, close to the sea in a place where there is always good weather, friendly people, good ecology and measured life. But the road to a better life seemed difficult - 20 years of the mortgage on an apartment in Moscow, then 10 years of savings on a house in the mountains, so when there was a chance to skip all this and just try to dream, I had no doubt.

It has been enough time to understand a little of the Montenegrin reality, but there is still contact with the homeland and the freshness of perception, so I hope that my observations can be regarded as completely objective. I must say that life in Montenegro in moderate doses (several months) may be a therapeutic procedure for the inhabitants of almost any Russian city.





Next there is a fork - or it seems that he was in the swamp, or how to Vladimir Vysotsky - finds another home. But let us leave the lyrics for personal blogs and look at the situation through the eyes of freelancers. I have taken as a basis for an interesting post about Thailand and decided to compare with your impressions. In Thailand, I was a tourist, and I understand that the author goes too far, though, but many things adequately sets.

Internet

First of all, it should be said that I came to Montenegro to launch a new internet provider, who must ensure that tourists and new buildings of the country wireless mobile Internet technology WiMAX. If we compare with the wishes of the author, we can say that the Internet in Montenegro as bad in Thailand, 50 Mbps is nowhere offering - a maximum of 30 Mbps, which can be connected in just a few buildings business capital - Podgorica. If, however, to be realistic, we can recall that 10 years ago such a channel in Russia had only a big city five years ago - a large company, and today only the residents of big cities in the crowded panel high-rise buildings. In the cities of Montenegro, you get a connection via ADSL speeds up to 4-6 Mbps on daunload and up to 512 on apload. In the suburbs - 2000/512 for WiMAX, in the tourist areas fast but quite expensive 3G. With this you can live and work.

Climate

The climate in Montenegro is diverse and far more comfortable than in Russia. In the winter there is no snow, but there are strong rains. In winter, about the same as the summer in St. Petersburg in the summer capital of the intense heat. From the first day I arrived in June to set the temperature 32 degrees, which ranged between 30 and 40 degrees until mid-September. Happy saving air conditioners, but at night rather unpleasant. One important point: only 10 km from the capital, in the valley of Lake Skadar at night the temperature in the heat drops to a comfortable 27 degrees, in the mountains or by the sea temperature rarely exceeds 29 degrees, which makes a stay at the sea paradise pastime. Local residents have long adapted to this climate, in July and August becomes the capital of the desert. Many institutions are going on vacation for 30-40 days, almost all of its membership. Personally for me 2 months of heat from the sea, more pleasant than 6 months, frost and snow on the black Ring Road.

Offices and apartments

To work as an office is more important than climate. With offices all fine, because the construction and design of European companies involved. In the capital, is constantly building new homes and offices. The starting price of rent for office EUR 300 apartments from 200 euros. After renting in Moscow beetle Kapotnia enough not only for offices and apartments, but also on a daily coffee.

On the coast, strong seasonal factor. In winter, most of the houses are empty, and in the summer they are very expensive to beat the lost income. However, the contract for a year, you can get good conditions.

These offices on the first line of a new prestigious quarter will cost you 100 euros per square meter. meter per year.



Work

The average salary in Montenegro - 500 euros. If you stick your ass Moscow aplomb (and it would have to do to take root in the local community) is the money you can get for any specialty. Given the steady growth of the Russian diaspora will demand teachers, radio and television, marketers, translators, managers of tourism. It is no chance to find a job for drivers, salesmen, bankers and accountants. Local successfully employed in numerous public institutions - is generally a problem for all the countries of southern Europe. Therefore, Montenegro is much easier than in Thailand to find employment for spouses, in the end, during the tourist season there is always a temporary job.

At the same time, understand that Montenegro is a beautiful country for a comfortable spending money and hard for them to earn the exception of business. And the last point is perhaps the most important of all. If you can find the sales of their products among the foreign company or among the tourists, then the procedure of opening and running a business requires a lot less effort than in Russia. There are companies that open their offices in Montenegro. All of the complexity and risks are reduced to spending small amounts of money. However, we must not forget that this is not the offshore and the European country with the bureaucracy and high taxes.

Visas

If we compare with Thailand, the situation is much better with visas. As there is a stay up to 30 days does not require any effort, in addition to the registration cards (which nobody cares about, and is a way to get some money in the coffers to tourists). For automatic extension is required to travel abroad, for example in Albania, to the border of which 15 km by car. The process itself is so routine that remind important to put the necessary customs stamp, and then he can be lazy to do it. From the west it is more convenient to travel to Croatia.

In the Moscow embassy, ​​you can get a business visa for 90 days. And finally, you can draw in Podgorica privremeny borovak - working visa for a year. The process itself is quite confused, but doable. If you liked to play MMORPG quests, or you can even enjoy the process, imagine that everything happens in Elvish (Goblin) language. There are three stages, each of them about five pieces of paper to get a major piece of paper, which takes you to the next stage. At the same time, there are periods in which some papers burned, throwing you to the beginning. I tried to go through the procedure by means of authoritative advice and Montenegrins suffered every time fiasco. In the end, spat, I took an interpreter and made three days all by himself. Visa for family and children is given almost automatically the presence of your visa, but the whole set of papers to be doubled. And this is the way for about five euros per piece of paper. The total cost of obtaining a visa - about 100 euros per person of which 50 will be spent on health insurance.

The main problem to obtain a work visa - get an invitation from the company. If you open your company, then you can not become a director without a work visa. So uncomplicated way the state creates more jobs for its citizens lazy.

Socialization and integration

This is perhaps the most interesting and important point of our conversation. The unique contrast of Montenegro that the issue of attracting Russian inhabitants is approved government policy. After the war caused the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Montenegro was trapped between Croatia, where there are historically hostile to Catholics, Croatia and Albania inhabited by Muslims. Most sad facts of the war are enmity between Serbia and Croatia, which are united by a common language with ethnicity, but divided for centuries by religious principles. Muslims historically more tolerant of other religions, but have a higher birth rate, so their compact residence in one area leads to a change in the composition of the population and the emergence of problems such as the independence of Kosovo. Nevertheless, the national question in Montenegro is completely closed after the war, while in Russia it is, unfortunately, only opens.

Drawing on the Russian capital in the country and the people of Montenegro to protect its future.
Russian people in Montenegro support and feel in everyday life, and at the state and at the business level. It's all based on a profound interweaving of culture, history and related languages. All of this flavored European goodwill and genuine Montenegrin hospitality.

Oh, language - is another story! Without much effort after 3 months you begin to understand part of everyday speech. After 1 year can be attributed to, and after 5 years disappear completely trouble communicating. Many Slavic words in Serbian-Montenegrin language survived better than the Russian. For example the word "gate" means "door." "Opened the gates" - "opened the door". Reminiscent of something out of a fairy tale childhood? Another example of a more accurate use of words.
"Sunday" in Serbian - "week". And how then will be "week"? A "Week" in Serbian - "sedmittsa." Logically! "Fifty" will be the same in both languages, but "chetyredesyat" and "devyatdesyat" only the first time appear to be ridiculous. In fact, the word "ninety" most ridiculous than "devyatdesyat».

And of course deliver curiosities. Watermelon in Serbian is "melon." A "right" is - a "right." Ordering in a restaurant salad be prepared to receive the fruit, because they are called Serbian "voschi».

Personally, I feel a real pleasure listening to it in the company of ordinary Montenegrins who do not know English or Russian. In this language, even with the same Russian word stress falls on the first syllable. Once vosprimesh rhythm of the language, about a quarter of the words becomes quite understandable. The meaning of certain words or phrases clears up a few days later, when the brain finds a clue in older layers of consciousness.

Coming out of the shop, cafe or office, Montenegrins say a word to each other nicely. I do not know exactly how to translate it into Russian, but it's nice to hear!

Morals, Law and Police

The main feature of the Montenegrin society of its small size. The largest city by our standards - just a big village where everyone knows each other. Laws are reprinted from European circulars, nobody reads them and does not know, first of all, local attorneys and lawyers. In everyday affairs everything is decided on the basis of dating rather than efficiency. The supplier may genuinely offended because of what you would buy the cheaper and quality goods elsewhere. What we call corruption the word they call fellowship. Rivals meet in a cafe and discuss the information in Russia would consider the worst commercial secret. Very few police, there is almost no crime, since pointless crap in his village. These principles apply to the concept of crime, you can unload the aliens, but you can not touch their local civilians. As a result, for example, Montenegro is a transit country for drug trafficking, and drug itself is very small.

Local anecdote: every state has its mafia, and only Montenegro has its own mafia state.

It seems that the independence of Montenegro has only one reason - its leaders want less dependent on European justice. And, interestingly, the people of such a situation is quite satisfied. The police, as well as in Russia are busy with their chores, it is useless to seek help. But makes them, in turn, do not relate to ordinary citizens, and not endanger.

I was warned that for driving without headlights relies included a fine of 30 euros, but I did not know that use of the fog lamps of the same relies fine. One day, I was stopped by a policeman and friendly gestures explained that incorporate these lights are not allowed. Needless to say how sincerely I say "nice" goodbye?

Cars

With the car everything is quite simple. With a temporary residence permit valid for one year can buy any car and hang a temporary number. In the process of obtaining a residence permit next month about the car number will be invalid. When selling such a car with a local tax will require 5%. Whatever the price of buying a car, you can not sell it more expensive 5000 euros, because that is the solvency of the population. Prices of new cars a little lower than in Moscow. It makes sense to buy a used compact runabout, yes the same Logan or Sandero, which zapadlo leave a successful IT-person in Moscow. He immediately called Dacia.

Children's happiness

Montenegro is wonderful for small children. The local families of three children. Street children's playgrounds little, but plenty of game rooms. This again has the support of - summer is too sunny, too rainy winters, and game rooms are always comfortable, but you have to pay. In the capital's theater every week children go submission. Children everywhere love to watch over and even a bank account for the child is always there sweetie. Small children play in the streets near the houses alone in the forgotten days of the USSR.

In Podgorica, Budva and there are Russian schools and kindergartens. Russian school is opened in Bar. Certainly medicine and education for visitors will be paid and this fee is quite high by local standards, such costs in Europe. The quality of health and education corresponds to the status of backwater that had Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia.

Fly in the ointment

It may seem that Montenegro is an ideal country, but it is certainly not the case. It has its problems and difficulties, which did not immediately disclosed.

The difficulty of the first - the famous Montenegrin mentality
If you have agreed with the Montenegrin, and he said, "tomorrow", you are very lucky if everything will be done in two weeks. If you say "next week", it means never. I have not pay attention to the date and time of meetings. What would you agree, no matter what the level was not the person - most likely time for a meeting it will not come. After long and fruitful, as you think, you get up and talks to shake hands waiting for the start of operations. In fact, this is only one of the meetings, which absolutely does not mean anything. Such meetings may be three, five, ten - each of them accompanied by a two-hour sitting in a cafe and talk about life. You can find an explanation for such behavior in the climate. Before the advent of air-conditioning in the hot summer people we fell into suspended animation, and in the rainy season it was impossible to plan in advance what that activity, so everything happened spontaneously.

I know Russian, who could not withstand these ceremonies, just got up in a rage and went, but can not because ...

The difficulty in the second - is more important than private work
Jobs, Business for Montenegrin category transient and maloaktualnye. To name a small close-knit nation on earth heel is much more important to have good-neighborly relations. Opinion stupid important performance. Therefore, to be successful you need to establish personal relationships, this happens in the cafe. Actually in the middle of the day, 12 hours in all the tables in all the cafes are crowded, and the cafés are located in every home. It is not surprising that the real work is just bogged down in these ceremonies.

The difficulty of the third - the formation of
Local education is not as such. If the university receives a moron, then the output is a moron with a diploma and aplomb, but excellent marks. After all, in the formation of the same principles of its people. The only way to find local talent - take sensible graduate and teach him from scratch, however, lies in wait for you here next challenge.

The difficulty of the fourth - labor law
European socialism - before our eyes ruining the continent. The right of workers so well protected that issued the person in the state to lose any opportunity to punish him. All social payments are due to the employer. If the decree of the employee in Russia costs you trouble accounting, and payment is through the social security fund, here you have to pay out of pocket. The solution is the use of temporary contracts or black cash. However, in this case, there is no way to protect their investment in training. A vicious circle.

Not surprisingly, in a stagnant world economy such care leads to a huge youth unemployment. Large companies refuse to hire graduates, but willing to entice skilled professionals.

The difficulty of the fifth - the tax on Russian
Montenegro officially - a tourist country, the season is short enough so local objectively try to make the most money. Russian coming to do business in Montenegro without the knowledge of the local mentality look like tourists.










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