My husband will be taking a trip to Serbia with our pastor in the next couple of months. We are trying to think of a gift(s) he can bring, whether to someone opening up their home, or even to the kids that are there. We don't have a lot of space in the suitcase or a lot of $$ to buy gifts. Any ideas??
I know this sounds bad, but I found while over there (in Serbia!) I found the kids and adults alike loved anything "American" especially candy and gum. The gum is a hit because they don't have anything long lasting or fruit flavored that's worth chewing. They liked the jellly beans/licorice (red) and bublicious type gum. Skittles, sweet tarts etc. Hope this helps!
K.
I used to run a student exchange program and the thing that the parents liked a lot was a subscription to Arizona Highways for the year their kids were with us. You can just take a few of magazines rather than a subscription, and if they are popular, you could send a subscription to the local church so they will remember hubby for a whole year after he leaves.
I love the idea of Bath and Body Works for the women!!! You can get the little miniature ones for $1 each if you look for the sales. I sent a couple of dozen of them to my daughter to use as farewell gifts to her students as she winds up her time as a college teacher in Spain. The stickers from Dollar Store are a great idea for the kids! Don't forget to get something that is appropriate for both boys and girls. I wonder if you could go to the local chapter of The Gideons and see if you could get a supply of New Testaments in the local language? Even if they already have a full bible of their own, a pocket sized New Testament would be a great gift.
Have a wonderful time on your trip and may God bless you as you do His work.
there are chewing gums in serbia. in fact, most foods that are here exist there.
their winters are freezing cold, so gloves, hats, scarves. you can also send perfumes. the cosmetics there is very expensive.
little wallets you can pick up at marshalls or tjmaxx.
they love silver jewelry as gold is very cheap there. let me know if you need more ideas. i have been to that region about a million times.
men: i never go wrong with tshirts from gap (yes they know american brands and gap seems to be a hit). i always get size L for men and either do stripes or one color but has to have the logo visible.
kids: they're right now into ben10, so little plastic watches for kids. girls these lip glosses, or little barbie jewelry sets.
most people there smoke: so at duty free shop i pick up a carton or two of cigarettes, marlboro lights and then give a pack here and there when i see someone smoking. cigarettes there are very cheap but they're fakes, and taste awful, and they know cigarettes in the states are original (yes, i know smoking is bad but you can't change an entire country. they all smoke).
once he's there he can go to a local grocery store and pick up a bottle of lozovica or shlivovica (it's an alcoholic drink). every household carries these, and it's considered a good gift when going to someone's home. or whiskey if you want to keep it international. this is a country that fought everyone in the region, so their economy is bad, but they still try to live like they're used to in 90s.
does he know a word or two of greeting?if not pm me i'll help out.
no i am not from serbia but know a lot about the region.
I had a friend who traveled to Africa several times on missionary trips. She mentioned that mini Bath and Body Works lotions, spray etc were great and took up a small amount of space. For the kids stickers were a HUGE hit., Dollar Store!
Many countries don't have peanut butter. But it's kind of heavy. So, I would say marshmallows. They are light to pack and very American. Other things would be postcards of various places in AZ or even a small (picture)book of AZ. Check out Arizona Highways website. Keychains, refrigerator magnets or even kitchen towels with a southwestern design. Stores that carry Arizona/southwestern items also have dreamcatchers which are great (make sure to get the info sheet explaining it) because they are unique, small and flat to pack. Also, these kinds of stores usually have Prickly Pear cactus candy. The Arrowhead Mall has a store that has this kind of southwest stuff downstairs by Macy's. Sorry, can't remember the name. When I traveled abroad and last year my daughter did, we brought gifts like these and they were appreciated. It can sometimes be hard to find things that don't say "Made in China".
For children, stickers and gum are a pretty big hit, I think. For adults, I'm not sure... Maybe some small candles or some sort of food item from where you live?
When I aws a kid I loved it when my neighbors would bring us back candy and gum from other places they traveled. They were candies that we did not have in the United States. Maybe the kids in other countries would like some American candy or gum? You could buy some t-shirts in different sizes that have the United States or Arizona on them. They have a lot of those out in the stores right now since it is close to Independence Day and a lot of tourists are traveling through our state right now being that it is summer. You could probably find some good deals on those. What about some United States or Arizona key chains or deck of cards or other touristy type gifts.
