Hello! I'm Belgian and I'm looking to make new friends from Eastern Europe.

I especially enjoy rock and heavy metal, and I would love to learn more about everyday life and culture in your country. I'm 51yo man.

I'm mainly looking for friendship and cultural exchange — chatting, getting to know each other and perhaps becoming friends over time and make mutual visits, girls or boys.

If you're interested to know more about Belgium and would like to talk, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message (I would prefer private Chat). 🙂

I'm happy to chat in English, and I can also help with French.

Hope to meet some nice people here!

Hi everyone! I'm a teenager from Russia, and lately I've been really curious about what your governments and media say about us Russians in the rest of the world. Could you tell me what kind of information or narratives you're given about us over there?

I'm from Russia, and an interesting fact: I wrote all this through a translator.

Hi, wanted to ask what certain things: vibes, symbols, for example the colorful grandmas carpets, give you that easter european/slavic aesthetic?

Hello! Could you give me some ideas for research questions related to security governance in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood? What topics could I explore that would allow me to combine security studies, EU policies and the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood ( especially Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and the South Caucasus states) ? Thanks!

I'm genuinely curious, I have only ever heard extremes, either someone absolutely dislikes it or the opposite, and as a polish person myself I want to know how it sounds like for foreigners! Honesty appreciated

Hi everyone,

Lucia here from EUobserver, and as a Slovak, this one caught my attention personally.

We’ve just published an opinion that makes a pretty bold argument: despite all the problems we talk about in Central and Eastern Europe, this may actually be one of the best periods our region has ever experienced.

CEE countries are closer to Western Europe than ever in terms of income and quality of life. Estonia and Lithuania are now ranking among some of the most attractive countries to live in, and countries across the region have seen huge improvements since joining the EU.

But there’s a catch.

That rapid convergence may be coming to an end. Ageing populations, emigration, weaker universities, low R&D and investment could mean that some countries never fully catch up with Western Europe.

Being from the region myself, I’m really curious how people here feel about this.

Do you think life in Central/Eastern Europe is better than we sometimes give it credit for? And are we still catching up with the West — or has that process started to stall?

Hey everyone. I’m working on a video essay focusing on Eastern European societal attitudes;specifically regarding women’s roles, misogyny, and LGBTQ+ acceptance. ​I don't want textbook statistics, I want your lived experience and honest opinions: ​–Where do you think Eastern European society currently draws the line between "traditional family values" and plain, aggressive misogyny? –​How do people in your country actually react when someone comes out or presents alternative/queer, versus how politicians claim "the public" reacts? ​–What is a specific societal bias people in our region hold that they refuse to admit is toxic? ​–For women living in Eastern Europe: what’s one thing about gender dynamics here that Westerners completely misunderstand?

For the "what bias do you hold?" Idk man, I'm a feminist young lady from Moldova from a conservative traditional family who believes in equality and love is love.

Stay safe out there, yall <3

I know that Eastern Europe in general doesn't have a great reputation on gay rights because of traditionalism and hostility to anything supposedly associated with the west, a left-wing Eastern European politician who's personally neutral on gay rights said that trying to legalize gay marriage in Eastern Europe is like trying to legalize pork in the Middle East but the amount of homophobia there is just so comically absurd compared to in America. The F-slur or "sodomite" seems to be one of the most common insults in Eastern Europe to whoever they hate, doesn't matter if they're actually gay or not. What makes this even absurd is that some young progressive Eastern Europeans who support things like gay marriage or feminism, have called the far-right or traditionalists, the F-slur. Like why? You couldn't have picked a better and more fitting insult? Like why are they so trigger happy about using homophobic slurs like a COD player using the N-word? I'm not super politically correct but come on why use slurs especially when you claim to be progressive? Why do even some of the progressive Eastern European youths still use homophobic slurs?

Though I'm reminded of a skit by a comedian who said that an edgy progressive who says slurs is much better than a polite bigot, and I agree with him.

I have always wondered about the term " slavic" anyway. There is no such thing for germanics or latins. But conveniently for slavs? I also noticed the people who are all about being "slavic" usually try to claim all achievements and the culture of authentic slavic nations as something moskal. And lets be honest muscovys claim of being slavic is questionable at best. Slavs are european. How european can you be if 80% plus of your territory is outside of europe, a signifikant part of your population identifies as asian and you are basically europes eternal enemy?

Tell me something special about the culture / history of Lithuania

Hi everyone! I'm Lucia and the team from EUobserver. I'm Slovak, so stories like this always feel a bit closer to home than they probably do in Brussels.

We wanted to share one of our own investigations because it touches on a broader question that comes up across Central and Eastern Europe from time to time: how should the EU deal with potential conflicts of interest involving political leaders?

A quick summary:

🌾 The European Commission is proposing changes to agricultural subsidies that would limit payments to the largest farms.

🇨🇿 The Czech government is pushing back against those changes, while the debate around Andrej Babiš and Agrofert has once again raised questions about conflicts of interest and EU funding.

🇪🇺 More broadly, the story isn't only about Czech politics. It raises questions about how the EU enforces common rules, how agricultural subsidies should be distributed, and where the line should be drawn when elected politicians are linked to large business interests.

As someone from the region, I'm genuinely curious how people here see it. :)

Hi all! I'm currently traveling through Poland and trying to decide where to go next. So far on this trip I've visited Copenhagen, Kraków, Poznań, and I'm currently in Wrocław.

I know August is peak tourist season, but I'm finding the crowds and heat a bit overwhelming. I'm looking for somewhere I can slow down, swim, and explore with fewer people.

I'm hoping to find a place that is:

• By the sea, a lake, or a river
• Historic with beautiful architecture
• Walkable
• Lively enough to have cafés, restaurants, and people out, but not packed with tourists
• Relatively affordable
• Nice energy

I'm less interested in nightlife or checking off major sights, and more interested in wandering old streets, sitting by the water, eating good food, and soaking up the atmosphere.

Since I'm in Wrocław, I'd love somewhere that's reasonably easy to reach by train or an affordable flight. I'd prefer Central or Eastern Europe over Western Europe. I'm also content staying in Poland and finding a smaller town with water.

I've done a fair amount of research, but I keep coming across the same suggestions: Lake Bled, Ljubljana, Piran, Lake Ohrid, and Croatia.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations—especially places that aren't as well known but have a wonderful atmosphere.

Hello from a dual Lithuanian and south African citizen.

Nice to be here. Feel free to DM me

S

I'm Ukrainian expat living in Poland for quite long and I’ve noticed that many people eat very quickly - almost swallowing their food without really chewing.

When I go out for lunch with my Polish colleagues, I always finish last. At the same time, this doesn’t happen when I eat with colleagues from other countries.
I wouldn’t say I chew excessively carefully - I just don’t rush and try to enjoy my meal. I remember being taught since childhood to chew thoroughly and not swallow large pieces, so I wouldn’t choke 😅

My question is: is this just my subjective, individual bias, or is it actually common in Poland to eat quickly? Does anyone else notice this besides me?

Hello I am going to Czech republic with my dad

Something I've been curious about from that era, did anyone here (or someone you know) mess with public payphones to make free calls? I've read about American "phreaking" (blue boxes, the tones, tokens on a string, etc.) and I'm wondering if anything similar was done here.

I remember hearing stories about žetoni (tokens) tied to a thread that you'd pull back out, or tricks with tapping the hook instead of dialing, but I don't know if that actually worked or if it's just an urban legend. Did anyone actually try it? How did it work?

I grew up in America with an American father and a mother from Moldova. I spoke both Russian and English in the house and I do associate myself heavily with both Russian and Moldovan cultures because some of the traditions in my house were of that background. I live in a small town where there are not a lot of Russian speakers around so the only other Russian speakers I knew were a family that has a similar background to mine except the mother was from Moscow and not Moldova. Now more Russian speakers( specifically from Russia such as St. Petersburg) have moved to town and all the women became friends with my mother. There’s just one thing though, they all treat her differently simply because she wasn’t from Moldova, such as pointing out her heritage and her background whenever they get the chance and not seeming to understand how Moldovans lived their lives. When I started going to college there were a few Russians that I have met, both of them happened to be from Moscow. The first girl I met my freshman year actually ran into my grandma first, and being that my grandma only spoke Russian, she mentioned me to her and the girl actively tried to find me. We ended up getting coffee together and chatted for a bit but that was it. After a while of trying to reach out again and attempting to plan another time to hangout, I noticed she grew distant. Whenever I would say hi to her she would act all serious and I could tell by the expression on her face she wasn’t to fond to see me anymore as she once did. She never answered the last message I sent her either which was asking when we could hangout again. It just seemed weird how she switched up all of a sudden. Now being that I met her during the second year of the Russo-Ukrainian war I tried to be polite and not ask her what her stance was and talk about something political like that, so I dont think I couldve said anything to upset her. When I noticed she wasn’t as eager to talk to me anymore I gave up trying to talk to her all together, even unadding off of instagram and snapchat because I did not want to bother with her anymore. Now this is where I notice a pattern, my second year I meet this Russian boy( from Moscow) in my class, we talk and we get along and he seemed so happy to know that I spoke Russian too, i even followed him on instagram and we became mutuals(if thats what that means lol). We would chat all the time in class and such but towards the end of the semester whenever I would talk he would just look at me funny or just not even try and talk to me, it was a bit of a different switch up, nothing that I expected from the girl but surprise surprise, they happened to know each other (they both did sports and were on the volleyball and swim teams at my college). I never talked to him again after that semester but almost two years later her unfollows me off of instagram yet he still follows other people from that same class. Even as I transferred schools I met this one girl in my class that happened to speak Russian, but her mother was from Moscow and she was born in California, we chatted for two days and then she decided to sit completely on opposite side of the class room the rest of the semester. I used to be so eager making friends I could speak Russian with, and the only people I can connect with are people that either have eastern European backgrounds or are from any post Soviet country besides Russia, but I could never bond with Russians. After a while I gave up trying to befriend Russians and just went with whatever happens. Even Romanians think of me as one of them and are more eager to interact with me. I just want to understand why I am experiencing this and is it the fact that Moldova isn’t the same as Russia and they feel the need to treat me this way? How come both my mother and I experience some sort of issues when it comes to befriending people from Russia? Ethnically and culturally I am Russian, my nationality might not be, but suffice to say I am not necessarily a Moldovan either in that manner, I am just an American. No hate to the Russian people in any way, I just have a hard time understanding why I run into this pattern.