There are trips that entertain you…
There are trips that educate you…
And then there are trips that completely shift the way you see the world.
My recent journey through Germany and Serbia did exactly that — and what hit me the hardest wasn’t the experience abroad, but the shockwave I felt the moment I returned to Canada. The contrast was so sharp, so unmistakable, that I had to document it here on my travel and journal site.
This is my honest, unfiltered reflection — the kind you’ll never read in a polished travel magazine.
🇷🇸 Serbia: The Country That Felt More Alive Than I Expected
Let me start with Serbia, because that’s where the real transformation happened.
Serbia didn’t just surprise me — it woke me up.
There’s a rawness and intensity in Serbia that you can’t fake:
- People look you in the eye.
- Conversations feel real, not scripted.
- There’s warmth, humanity, and directness.
- Strangers interact like they’ve known you for years.
- The energy hits you immediately — bold, masculine, alive.
Walking through Belgrade, you don’t feel like a ghost floating through a polite society. You feel present, grounded, connected to the environment and the people around you.
There’s nightlife, noise, laughter, arguments, passion — all the things that make a city feel human.
It’s messy in the best possible way.
🇩🇪 Germany: Structured, Respected, Predictable
Before Serbia, I spent time in Germany — and as expected, I loved it.
Germany is:
- efficient
- clean
- organized
- respected
- prestigious in the Western mindset
When you tell someone you went to Germany, the reaction is automatic:
“Oh wow, nice! Germany is amazing.”
Even people who’ve never been there have already assigned it a high status.
But Germany and Serbia felt like two opposing energies:
- Germany: structured and polished
- Serbia: raw and emotional
Both great in their own ways, but the second one awakened something deeper.
🇨🇦 Returning to Canada: From Full Color to Grayscale
Landing back in Canada after Serbia was honestly a shock.
It was like going from a high-volume, high-energy environment to a muted, padded, ultra-regulated one.
Suddenly everything felt:
- too quiet
- too polite
- too distant
- too cold (socially and literally)
- too orderly
- too emotionally flat
People keep to themselves.
No eye contact.
Minimal energy.
Interactions feel scripted.
It’s like the volume of human life has been turned down.
I didn’t notice this before Serbia.
Only after experiencing the intensity of the Balkans did I fully understand how emotionally sterilized Canada has become.
⚡ The Social Reactions Told Me Everything
Here’s where it gets interesting.
When I mentioned that I had been in Germany, the reaction was instant:
“Germany? Nice!”
“Germany is beautiful.”
“Very good choice.”
But the moment I said Serbia, the vibe completely changed:
- Confusion
- Judgment
- Concern
- Curiosity mixed with disbelief
Some people even asked:
“Why Serbia?”
“Is it safe?”
“What’s even there?”
All questions rooted in Western media portrayals from the 90s.
Most Canadians haven’t traveled outside the safe, pre-approved Western circuit. Anything outside of that triggers uncertainty.
Germany = high-status Europe.
Serbia = “unknown Europe.”
The difference in reaction was honestly night and day.
💵 The Currency Moment That Said It All
Here’s the part that really hit me symbolically:
No bank or currency exchange in Canada wanted my Serbian Dinar.
I tried everywhere.
Responses were:
“We don’t deal with that currency.”
“We’re not allowed to take it.”
“It’s not internationally traded.”
And just like that, the Dinar in my pocket went from money → souvenir.
It was a perfect metaphor for how Western countries view Serbia:
Outside their system.
Outside their interest.
Outside their economic hierarchy.
Not good, not bad — just invisible.
🔥 Why Serbia Felt More Human
Here’s what I realized:
Serbia operates on a human frequency.
Canada operates on a system frequency.
Serbia is:
- emotional
- expressive
- communal
- spontaneous
- intense
- alive
Canada is:
- polite
- reserved
- regulated
- comfortable
- predictable
- muted
One is fire.
One is ice.
And having experienced both back-to-back, the contrast hit me harder than expected.
🌍 Travel Doesn’t Just Show You New Places — It Shows You Your Old Ones
This trip taught me something important:
Sometimes the real shock isn’t where you travel to…
It’s what you notice when you come back.
Serbia challenged my assumptions.
Germany impressed me.
Canada made me reflect.
Each country has its strengths.
Each has its flaws.
Each has its energy.
But Serbia?
Serbia surprised me in a way I’m still processing.
And the reactions I got when I returned to Canada only made the contrast sharper.
This experience was too powerful not to document — and who knows, maybe someone reading this will rethink what “travel” truly means.
Because the real journey doesn’t end when you land at the airport.
It ends when the place you return to finally feels different.
