{"id":217110,"date":"2026-08-27T19:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T17:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=217110"},"modified":"2026-08-27T19:08:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T17:08:52","slug":"american-becomes-a-zemun-local-because-of-what-the-serbs-taught-me-my-outlook-on-life-completely-changed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/american-becomes-a-zemun-local-because-of-what-the-serbs-taught-me-my-outlook-on-life-completely-changed\/","title":{"rendered":"AMERICAN BECOMES A ZEMUN LOCAL: \u201cBecause of What the Serbs Taught Me, My Outlook on Life Completely Changed\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

American Gabriel Sofi lives in Zemun, socializes exclusively with Serbs, and reveals what life in Serbia has taught him about family, community, and friendship.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When someone moves to another country, the easiest thing is to find people who speak the same language, share similar habits, and are going through the same experiences. American Gabriel Sofi, however, decided to do exactly the opposite after arriving in Serbia. He did not want to get to know Belgrade through a circle of foreigners, but through people who were born here, their families, customs, and everyday lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says that approach completely changed his experience of living in our country. Today he lives in Zemun, his friends are Serbs, he has been a guest at a slava, a wedding, and a baptism, and his neighbors already recognize him when he walks down the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On TikTok, where he posts under the name \u201cgabriel.sofie.coach,\u201d he also explained why he believes many foreigners deprive themselves of the true experience of the country they have moved to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll My Friends Are Serbs\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Serbia was one of the first countries Gabriel visited outside the United States, apart from Canada. When he began building a life here, he did not want to remain in the so-called \u201cforeigner bubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of socializing exclusively with people who, like him, had come from abroad, he made an effort to get to know the local population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 I don’t have a single foreign friend here. All my friends are locals. All my friends are Serbs \u2013 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those very acquaintances opened the door to a completely different experience of Serbia. He was no longer simply a foreigner visiting the city and its famous sights, but a guest at family gatherings and events that hold an important place in local tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He thus had the opportunity to attend weddings, baptisms, slavas, and birthdays and see firsthand what everyday life in Serbian families looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He Didn’t Wait for Someone to \u201cIntroduce\u201d Him to Society<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel, however, emphasizes that such closeness with people did not happen overnight. He believes that anyone who wants to get to know the environment in which they live must also show interest themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 I met people simply by making an effort. I live in a local neighborhood. I don’t live at all in the part of the city where foreigners gather \u2013 the American explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He chose Zemun as his home, and life in that part of Belgrade brought him one of the feelings he values most \u2013 that he is no longer a complete stranger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, he became a familiar face in the neighborhood, so people greet him as he walks down the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 It’s really great when you live in Zemun, like I do, and now you can walk around Zemun and people recognize you and greet you \u2013 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He Learned One Thing in Particular from Serbs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

However, it was not just the socializing and customs that won him over. Gabriel says that life in Serbia changed his perspective on interpersonal relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What impressed him most was the importance placed here on family and people in one’s immediate surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 One thing I learned from Serbs is that family and community are everything \u2013 he emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That very sense of connection is something that, according to his experience, he does not find to the same extent in America today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 There is so much that can be learned here about family, but also when it comes to communication and dedication to other people. Serbs really taught me a lot about that \u2013 Gabriel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why he also has clear advice for those planning to leave their country and continue their lives somewhere else. He believes that a real move is not just a change of address, but also a willingness to get to know the society one is entering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Socialize with the local population. Let your friends be locals. Get to know their way of life \u2013 he urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serbs Delighted by His Story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel’s account attracted the attention of social media users, and messages of support soon began appearing beneath the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many liked the fact that the American did not try to adapt life in Serbia to the habits he brought with him, but instead decided to get to know the country through its people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Life begins outside your comfort zone \u2013 one user wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others simply wished him welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Bravo and welcome, good man! \u2013 reads one of the comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source<\/strong>: Kurir; Photo<\/strong>: Prinscreen Tiktok<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American Gabriel Sofi lives in Zemun, socializes exclusively with Serbs, and reveals what life in Serbia has taught him about family, community, and friendship. When someone moves to another country, the easiest thing is to find people who speak the same language, share similar habits, and are going through the same experiences. American Gabriel Sofi, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":217111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1346,2242,113,5761],"class_list":["post-217110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-serbia","tag-amerikanac","tag-obicaji","tag-srbija","tag-zemun","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t