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The experience at Azbukum was one of the best experiences of my life. The professors always had time for me and were more than patient while they explained difficult concepts of the Serbian language. All the instructors were highly educated...

John Eshbrook,
USA

Azbukum Ambassadors

Azbukum's Ambassadors are our associates and students who cordially decided to answer the questions of a potential participant, speaking from their own Azbukum experiences. If you are interested in their Azbukum exprience, please do not hesitate to contact them.

For the rest of information regarding Azbukum programs, schedule or registration, please contact the Azbukum Centre..
 

Azbukum Ambassadors for 2017.

Rosa Zamitto Schiller, Italy

To understand the deep meaning of my approach to Azbukum, I have to recall my situation when I arrived in Serbia: I was totally alone in an absolutely unknown country, with not a single word that I could understand or say.

Then Azbukum and Natasa took my hand and, step by step, took me to this point where I stand now – completely able to understand and speak „quite“ fluently a very difficult language, very far from the languages that I knew... And by learning Serbian I did not get only Serbian. Now I am able to understand Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, and some words in Slovakian, Czech, Polish, and Russian. Strange, but proven :-)!

Azbukum was and still has been a real beginning like „a, b, c“. A „real Azbukum“ for me means a means to understand the country, not only the language. A first step to try to integrate myself in the society, to understand culture, tradition, way of life. And a „dress code“ of Azbukum was friendship, smile, colors, light.

Thank you so much for all your help.

I ❤ Azbukum
I ❤Serbia
I ❤ professors and friends in Azbukum
I ❤ Natasa

I wish you excellent steps and more and more success.



Paul Hovda, USA

After living for years in Venezuela and learning to speak Spanish there, I came to Serbia with the expectation that I would teach myself Serbian. I got off to a good start, acquiring a basic functional level of the language. But after a couple of years of this I became increasingly aware of my limitations in the language and felt like my progress in learning Serbian had slowed dramatically. It was at this point that I contacted Azbukum to see if they would be willing to help me out. From the first e-mail response I was impressed with their professional and thorough approach to language-learning. They found a group for me at my level at once and by the end of the week I was sitting in my first Azbukum language class.

I have been learning Serbian with Azbukum ever since, first in a group context, and now in a one-on-one setting to help me fill in the "holes" that my self-teaching has left. I really appreciate their flexibility. The professional yet fun and relaxed environment is a great combination for acquiring language, and I would highly recommend Azbukum without reservation to anyone wanting to learn the Serbian language.



Камила Шишка, Poland

I came to Azbukum with a desire to improve my knowledge of Serbian. I had already had my university diploma in the Serbian language and literature (and I knew that it would not be easy to find the job in that field) when I came to Azbukum. I just wanted to get the language better – everyday spoken aspects.

From the very first moment I know that Azbukum is the place for me. Azbukum offers not only interesting classes, but also trips and visits to places of interest, socializing with people from all over the world, and fun.

Professors are always positive with students, treating them as partners and helping them, being professionals all the time. Classes are not boring. My only regret is that time flies so fast there.

To anyone interested in learning or improving Serbian, or knowing more about Serbian culture, life and customs - I recommend Azbukum with no hesitations



Thomas Kerscher, Germany

Although I had quite some prior exposure to the Serbian language, things started to come together and make sense only once I joined Azbukum. The atmosphere and learning environment at Azbukum are friendly, welcoming and relaxing. Azbukum put together a learning program for me which perfectly met my needs and remained responsive to my development at all times. The teachers are true professionals, extremely competent at teaching Serbian to foreigners, passionate about what they do, committed to me making progress and equipped with a good sense of humor. They have also had a great way of keeping me motivated and helping me to stay on track when addressing the more intricate issues of the Serbian language. For me, each lesson has been a discovery. Azbukum is definitvely a great resource for both beginners, advanced learners and anyone interested in the Serbian language.



Azbukum Ambassadors for 2016.

Isabel Airas, Germany

I started to study Serbian with Azbukum in September 2015. We had just moved to Belgrade due to work and it was clear to me from the beginning that I wanted to learn the language. I started with absolutely no knowledge of Serbian and finished classes in the summer 2016 on the level B1. My main teacher throughout the time was Milica. We have spent so much time together and she basically knows me in and out. She has been very professional, very patient and fun to be with at the same time. I again and again was impressed with her knowledge of grammar issues and her experience in teaching this complicated language. Azbukum also has been very flexible regarding time schedules and classes, always trying to serve my needs. I started with individual lessons, later they found a group for me and at the end I took again individual lessons. I definitely can recommend Azbukum to all of you. It is a great place to improve your Serbian, get to know people and learn about the country and its culture.



Joao Fonesca, Portugal

I came from Portugal to Serbia to live and work 11 months ago, without any prior learning of Serbian. Heard all sorts of advice like: "Serbian is too dificult...", "Don't worry...I know someone who is here for 5 or more years and can barely say more than a couple of sentences", "Why are you even trying to learn Serbian!??" etc. Azbukum and its staff quickly proved wrong all of those negative assumptions. As soon as I started going to Azbukum classes, slowly but steadily, I began applying what I learned from classes in buses, restaurants, neighbourhood, at job etc. Right now, I can proudly say I can already express myself most of the times, watch serbian TV, read newspapers, listen to radio etc. All thanks to the quality of teachers and teaching materials, social events and trips organization, flexibility of schedule and, the most important, love for the language.



Azbukum Ambassadors for 2015.

Georgie, 22, England

I came to Belgrade to improve my Serbian, after studying it for a year in England. I had already learnt all the grammar but I needed to practise my speaking. This is why Azbukum was the perfect choice - I was able to practise speaking for several hours at a time with a native Serbian and even after one week, I had improved a huge amount. We talked about a range of interesting topics and I learnt a lot from my teacher about Serbian culture. Lessons were relaxed and productive. I had a great experience at Azbukum; the staff were friendly and helpful, my teacher Milica was wonderful and I met other students of Serbian who I became great friends with. I will miss my classes at the school and of course Belgrade, but there is no doubt I will be returning to this beautiful city very soon!



Ali, 20, Syria

My experience in learning Serbian language in Azbukum was very successful, beneficial and interesting. My family & I had a 6 week intensive course last summer. We were really amazed by teachers' dedication & patience. They helped us to overcome the huge difference between our Arabic language & Serbian through their new techniques & approaches. All the team in Azbukum has showed great respect & created a sense of community & belonging in the classroom. They were amazingly enthusiastic, caring, accessible & warm: we could go with any problem or concerns to them.we were able all of us to make a good progress, we can write small paragraphes, understand & start social conversation. What is more important is that we can read cyrillic easily and we've already enrolled in their online course to keep on.

One thing we will never forget is all the trips we had to heavenly areas in Serbia and ofcourse the wonderful cooking sessions we had.

I'd like to thank all the team in Azbukum for their honesty & supports: Bojana, Natasa, Katrina, Julia, Milica & Tania.

Finally, I do recommend for those who tend to learn Serbian language to try Azbukum and enjoy this educational& social great experience



Jaakko, Finland

I live in Finland where you can’t learn Serbian anywhere at all. Luckily I found Azbukum, which had a really good way to seriously learn the language: I cannot enough recommend the pattern of taking first a skype course, then coming to Serbia for a month, and after that back with the skype lessons. Just dropping to a new country with no knowledge of the language would not be too useful, but this way it works even though I’m pretty much completely abroad. The Skype lessons are very effective way for progressing with the language, not just maintaining your skill.

The teachers both in Belgrade and Novi Sad are excellent, in every way. I made many good friends during my course, both teachers and other students, as well as a guide of some excursions Azbukum organized.

That leads me to another thing I would like to praise a little: the commitment for the wellbeing of the students everyone in Azbukum showed was exceptional. For example, as I’m a historian and there were two other students interested in history as well, a tour to the military museum and the Belgrade fortress with a historian as our guide was organized just for us.

As I do need and want to keep up with my Serbian, I will definitely return to Azbukum.



Azbukum Ambassadors for 2014.

Irem Girmen, Turkey

Signing up for classes at Azbukum is one of the best things I've done for myself while I was in Belgrade. This was my first time in Serbia and I had no prior knowledge of Serbian. I had classes 5 days a week for 3 months and it was definitely the highlight of my day. I had two teachers rotating every other week. They taught me a lot... about everything! They were always curious about what I wanted to know and were willing to change the schedule accordingly. Both of the teachers were very coordinated though they never taught together. I like to think that I befriended both of the teachers by the end. We would have conversations about living in Belgrade, they would give me tips on what food to try and where to see, and even what medication to buy when I had a flu. Azbukum made living in Serbia easier for me on top of teaching Serbian. Now I can read in Cyrillic and have simple conversations with people, like asking directions or shopping. It was a good experience and I definitely want to continue improving my Serbian!



Alexandru Todi, Romania

Learning Serbian was a decision that I don't regret any second. And part of this is due to the great team from Azbukum! For a non-Slavic speaker, Serbian language can be tricky, but in the multi-cultural environment from Azbukum with, dedicated and gifted teachers it alllook so easy!



Mathias Schmuckerschlag, Austria

It has been a pleasure and joy to become an Azbukum ambassador. I have already been in Novi sad last year, and again this year, both times because of the great School of Azbukum, that I like very much. At Azbukum you have the possibility to learn Serbian language in a very pleasant and relaxed way, and this kind of teaching makes the school a unique place! Of course I'm looking forward to come again, and in between I am taking Skype classes on weekends to make further progress. And I enjoy them a lot!



Azbukum Ambassadors for 2013.

Father Arsenije/ Fernando Vasquez Bravo, Mexico

Thank you Azbukum for your tremendous help in my learning of the Serbian language. This has made my stay in Belgrade more pleasant because I was able to speak with many people and in doing so got to better know Serbian people and their culture. I most warm-heartedly thank the school for their effort and patience in my learning the language.

Thank you



Peter Groh, Norway

During the fall of 2013 I learned the Serbian language in the private school of Azbukum located in Novi Sad. Since I am hard of hearing I decided to take individual lessons and thus became a single student paired up with a very professional and kind teacher. The program was intensive and well-organized. Now I can better communicate with friends in Novi Sad. Azbukum School and their way of teaching language is something I can most cordially recommend to all who wish to learn the Serbian language.



Johannes Rueger, Germany

Hello everyone, my name is Johannes.

I took an advanced course of Serbian with Azbukum in Belgrade. After two years of living in Serbia, I realized that I was not able to improve my language skills on my own. Azbukum first presented me with a test to establish my level of knowledge and then provided me with a learning program which perfectly met my needs. Through the course of about three months, my command of Serbian went from B1 to C1. I finished the course with a test and am now much more assure of myself, all in speaking, listening to and writing in Serbian - the latter actually leading to me being a columnist for a Belgrade daily.

I highly recommend the courses at Azbukum for both beginners and advanced learners and can say only the best about their staff, management, learning atmosphere and design of program.



Azbukum Ambassadors for 2012.

Katharina Hintriger, Austria

Ask the Ambassador

If I had to describe learning Serbian at AZBUKUM - Center for Serbian Language and Culture in just one sentence, it would be: ‘It is simply a pleasure!'

Culture in just one sentence, it would be: ‘It is simply a pleasure!' In school, I was always the type of student whose 'mood scale' dramatically dropped right before language class. But this time it was completely different. I looked forward to going to class. I was always curious about what I was going to learn next. I was excited to use the things I had learned, discovered, and understood while studying the Serbian language and the Serbian culture.

In my opinion, AZBUKUM's crowning jewel is its people. Needless to say, they have a formidable knowledge and understanding of the Serbian language, but more importantly, they know how to teach Serbian. In addition, what stood out for me, as a foreigner, was their openness, their understanding of different cultures, their flexibility and their responsiveness to my strengths and weaknesses.

Unfortunately, my stay in Novi Sad was brief. But tremendously riveted by the Serbian language, I decided to continue an online course with AZBUKUM. I am very much looking forward to that.

For those of you deciding/who have decided to learn Serbian at AZBUKUM I can only say: 'Enjoy, speak up and have fun!'



Davide Gandolfi, Italy

Ask the Ambassador

Hi! I’m Davide and I live in Italy and I do business in the Balkans, but I’m studying Serbian mostly for my own personal pleasure.

I visited Azbukum twice in 2012, in total, three weeks of intensive courses which allowed me to quickly improve my level of Serbian, thanks to the great instruction I received at Azbukum.

Attending a language course at Azbukum is not like attending a traditional language course, instead it’s an all-around experience that allows you to enjoy many aspects of Serbian life, culture, history and tradition.

Nataša, Ivana, Biljana, Dejana, Nataša and all the other staff members will make you feel really welcome!

If you wish to improve your Serbian, I heartily recommend Azbukum! And please feel free to contact me to learn more about my experience there and what you can expect!



Bastien Abeil, Netherlands

Ask the Ambassador

Dear Natasa, Biljana and Ivana,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the three of you for all of your hard work and your support during my time at Azbukum. Indeed, I believe that in one week, I reached all the goals I set for myself before starting the course, namely, being able to communicate in Serbian with people who do not understand English (or French!).

I was very impressed with how the course was organized, which allowed me to take a maximum number of classes in a short amount of time. Also, I enjoyed the variety built into the course which allowed me to develop my reading, listening, and speaking skills, instead of just focusing on only one aspect, which would have been somewhat disappointing for me. Moreover, I was happily surprised to see that the available material (books, CD's) was developed in-house, which I had not expected.

I hope we will keep in touch in the future and I will try to drop by the next time I am in Novi Sad. I will warmly recommend Azbukum to any friend interested in learning Serbian.

Thank you again and best regards.



Previous Azbukum Ambassadors

Kamil Beffa, Paris, France

Ask the Ambassador

Good day.

I would like to express my gratitude for the remarkably well organized Serbian language course by the Azbukum Centre. I lived and worked in Serbia as a general director of Lafarge. I attended the Serbian language intensive course for a year. This program enabled me to communicate freely and quickly in Serbian, both in internal and external communication, taking even part in professional discussions. The quality of lectures is firstly recognized in various ways of teaching, dealing with everyday oral and written samples. What I have appreciated the most is flexibility in schedule arrangement in accordance with my business obligations. My professors showed great respect towards my relatively limited free time and worked with me along the weekends or in early mornings.

To all my colleagues coming to Serbia from abroad, I could sincerely recommend to join the same program only in the Azbukum Centre.

And I wish them all the best!

Kamil Beffa



dr Mile Tomici, Constanca, Romania

Ask the Ambassador

You have done more to spread the Serbian language and culture to the world than all the government institutions of Serbia that are obligated and paid to do the same job! Maybe it’s also worth mentioning that, aside from being experts of Serbian language and literature, you have made foreigners into strong friends of Serbs and of Serbia, and those friends talk to their colleagues, relatives, and friends about the wonderful times they spent in Serbia within the framework of Azbukum.

Mile Tomici, Serbian Language Department, Univertisty of Constanca, Romania (2005)



David Chapman

Ask the Ambassador

I studied for three months at Azbukum, Center for Serbian language and culture, in Novi Sad. My wife and I had a great experience and some of the best teaching possible. If you are interested in their program or details of what we did, don't hesitate to write.

David Chapman and Andre Bouterie, USA (2005)