Croatia, My Choice: A Family Drawn Back to Its Roots

He was born in Belgium, she in Argentina. They lived in different countries, spoke several languages and experienced different cultures, but life eventually brought them both to Croatia. Claude Grbeša had three great wishes—to return to a free Croatia, marry a Croatian woman and work in Croatian diplomacy. Adrijana arrived in Zagreb from Buenos Aires in 1992, initially planning to stay only briefly. She planned to stay for a month. She stayed.

Today, after a life spent between Croatia, Belgium, Argentina, Switzerland and France, their family is once again turning toward its Croatian roots. They want to restore their ancestors’ old stone house and, one day, spend part of their lives in the peace and quiet of the Dalmatian hinterland.

Their life story is part of the “Croatia, My Choice” series—a series about people for whom Croatia was not always the place where they were born, but became the place they return to.

From Belgium and Argentina to Croatia

Claude was born in Liège, Belgium. His mother arrived in Belgium when she was just 15, while his father had previously worked in the mines in the Netherlands. For his parents, starting a new life in a new country was not easy.

“It wasn’t easy for our people when you didn’t know the language of the country or how to find your way in that environment. But, thank God, they managed very well.”

Claude is grateful to Belgium for welcoming his parents. It was the country where he was born, where he made friends and studied, and he considers it his second homeland.

“I think it’s a great richness for all those Croatians living abroad to have that dual sense of belonging—to have two cultures,” he said.

Adrijana Grbeša, née Ostojić, came to Croatia from Argentina. She was born in Buenos Aires, while her parents came from Herzegovina and Metković. She grew up in a large family, with seven brothers and three sisters.

“I had a lovely childhood. Although I had many Argentine friends, I mostly spent time with Croatians,” she said.

She planned to stay for just one month

In Buenos Aires, Adrijana worked as a biology teacher at Piaget School. She wanted to come to Croatia and see what was happening in the country she had heard so much about from her parents. She requested one month of unpaid leave.

Her director told her at the time:

“I have a feeling you’re not going to come back.”

She was right.

“And here I am. I stayed. I stayed,” she emphasized.

Her arrival in Zagreb, however, was not quite what she had imagined. She arrived in winter, and the fog and grey weather made a strong first impression.

“It seemed to me that Zagreb was completely grey,” she recalled.

When she told her father, he was offended. His love for Croatia was so strong, Adrijana says, that criticizing the homeland was simply not allowed. Over time, she came to understand his feelings.

Buenos Aires and Zagreb—two completely different worlds

After the vastness of Buenos Aires—a city that is almost constantly alive and has around 14 million inhabitants—Zagreb seemed small and quiet to her. It was wartime, so cafés closed around 10 or 11 p.m., and shops closed even earlier.

Her brother Mario, who was already in Zagreb, left her the phone number of Dvojka pizzeria on Nova Ves, which delivered pizzas.

“That saved us,” she said.

It did not take her long to discover the peculiarities of Croatian dialects, either. At Dolac Market, one of the market vendors told her:

“Zemite si malo sireka.”

At the time, Adrijana had absolutely no idea what the woman was saying.

Life in Europe also required adjusting to the climate. In Argentina, she was accustomed to warmer weather, so the European climate was quite challenging at first. Over time, however, Croatia became her home.

Croatia brought them together

Claude and Adrijana met through a project called “Task Force,” in which young Croatians from Canada helped people in Croatia whose homes had been destroyed during the Homeland War. As a law student, Claude took part in charity events and worked to help Belgians understand what was happening in Croatia.

“We tried to raise awareness among Belgians and spread the truth about what was happening in Croatia,” he emphasized.

The project had a strong impact on the people it was intended to help.

“It meant a great deal to our people, especially the elderly. They felt tremendous support,” he added.

Adrijana ran the project in 1994. That was when she first met Claude. When he returned to Croatia in 1997, they met again. They were married soon afterward.

They said their fateful “I do” on August 8, 1998, on Visovac.

“So, there’s a connection there with my part of the country,” Claude says.

Life between Zagreb, Geneva, Paris and Brussels

Their life together continued across different countries. Their first destination was Geneva, where they arrived with their daughter Matilda. Claude worked there at the Croatian Mission to the United Nations. Their son Jeronim was born in Geneva in 2000, while their second son, Karlo, was born in Zagreb in 2003.

After Geneva came years in Paris, followed by Brussels. The children grew up in different countries, learned languages and experienced different cultures.

“Growing up with a diplomat father was quite interesting because we had the opportunity to learn several languages, live in different countries and get to know the world better,” says Matilda.

The family also lived in the Croatian section of the European School in Brussels. There, the children learned Croatian as their first language and spent time with other Croatians from the diaspora.

Croatian identity was always part of the family

Although the children grew up outside Croatia, Croatian culture and identity were present in their home from an early age.

“Our parents spoke Croatian to us and taught us Croatian values, culture and traditions.”

Claude now speaks four languages—Croatian and French fluently, and English and Spanish very well. He says that, apart from English, he learned all of them thanks to his family.

For him, belonging to Croatia is not determined solely by where you were born.

“Blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes. I was born in Belgium, but something draws me to the place where my ancestors lived,” he emphasized.

Diplomacy and a special connection to the Holy Land

Claude fulfilled one of his childhood dreams—working in Croatian diplomacy. He is currently responsible for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and has once again taken up matters relating to the Holy See and the Order of Malta.

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem holds a particularly special place in his life. He joined the order in 2010, and after returning to Croatia, he took part in establishing the order in Croatia. Through his work, he has participated in projects connected with Croatian heritage and the Holy Land.

Blessed Alojzije Stepinac holds a special place in that story. He was a knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem during the Croatian national pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1937.

Claude also keeps various objects linking Croatia, Stepinac and the Holy Land, including a small cross from the Mount of Olives that Blessed Stepinac blessed at the Tomb of Jesus.

A Croatian legacy remained in Argentina

The family’s connection with Argentina remains strong. They preserve a copy of the magazine “Hrvatska Croatia,” published by Croatian emigrants in Argentina in 1947.

A Croatian legacy can also be found in the names of some Argentine rivers. After the Second World War, Argentina needed skilled professionals, including agronomists, and Croatian emigrants took part in various projects. Some rivers were given Croatian names—Cetina, Korana and Kupa. Those names have survived to this day.

Adrijana particularly highlights Argentina’s multiculturalism and the way different cultures have influenced one another there.

“People were proud to speak another language and to have another culture,” she said.

“Something draws me to that place”

Even after years spent living in different countries, Claude and Adrijana want to remain connected to the land of their ancestors. One of their shared plans is to restore the old stone house in the village of Grbeše, where Claude spent summers with his grandmother as a child.

“I have very fond memories of that area,” he said.

One day, they want to spend part of their lives there, in peace and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

“It’s a very peaceful place, without any industry.”

Their plan is to spend part of the year in Zagreb, part in the Dalmatian hinterland, and part in Kaštel Stari, where they also have a house. Claude already knows how he would like to spend his time on his ancestral land.

“I’d like to farm, have some animals—chickens and maybe a donkey,” he said.

“I would like to return”

The desire to return does not belong only to the parents. Their children are also thinking about Croatia.

“Of course, I would like to return to Croatia,” says one of their sons, who is currently studying law.

His sister would also like to live in Croatia one day, although she first wants to finish her studies and perhaps spend some more time living abroad.

For the Grbeša family, Croatia is therefore much more than a country where they would like to live today. It is a link between generations, family memories and the places their ancestors came from. Their story shows that home is not always the place where we were born. Home can be the place we return to, time and again, despite the years spent living in other countries.

And for the Grbeša family, that return is becoming increasingly tangible—in the restored stone house of their ancestors, among the Dalmatian hills, in Zagreb and among the people with whom they share the same sense of belonging.

Because, as Claude says, some connections simply cannot be broken.

“Something draws me to the place where my ancestors lived.”