The Balkan Charm
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Milena is 25 years old Polish girl, who is passionate about Balkans. She used to travel to Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia. She holds a Master degree in Balkan languages with specialization in Serbian. Last year she went for the 4- month scholarship to Belgrade. What was her impression about the Balkan countries? Why you decided to study Balkan languages?
This field of study has always seemed to be interesting and original. That was even before I found out, what exactly are these studies about. I hoped, that I would get not only knowledge, but also precious experience, I would do something different, than a majority of students and most of all, I would travel a lot around the Balkans. My field of study, as it turned out later, was very exotic and brought me a lot of pleasure, many adventures and nice memories.
How popular is this field of study in Poland?
Nowadays this field of study becomes more and more popular. You can study Balkan languages at almost all Polish universities. I can tell you, how does it look like at the University of Gdansk, because I study there. In 2007, when I was in the beginning of my “Balkan adventure” two relatively big groups of Balkan languages have been created: first was focused on Serbian language and second one on Croatian. After finishing a bachelor, just five of us decided to study master there. Unfortunately, last year a group for master studies hasn’t been created. The main reason was a lack of candidates. I cannot understand, why it happened. Maybe because of no prospects for a job connected to this field of study? I guess there are also some other reasons.
Why did you choose Serbia and Serbian language as a main specialization?
Just by coincidence. I wanted to join the Croatian group, but finally, with one friend of mine, we decided to choose the less popular Serbian group. I have been getting involved with Serbian language for five years in this way. This link still exists, because now I study PhD at the Faculty of Languages of the University of Gdansk. My doctoral thesis will be probably connected with Serbian linguistics.