I've been almost everywhere and I've seen a lot of beautiful places but there's only one I always come back to. If you check the World map, you'll find a small black stain called Serbia. Sometimes people don't have any clue where it is, sometimes they think of it as a part of Russia (Siberia), sometimes they guess Serbia was a part of Yugoslavia.
People who suffer from draft, a disease unknown to the rest of the world, are Serbian.
I love to come here for so many reasons. First, I love to visit all my family and friends even if I don't have enough time to visit all of them. My time here is so messed up even with the schedule prepared in advance. Very often I look at the watch and I need to say "sorry pal, your time is up". I feel like a celebrity in my surround when my neighbors gather around me.
I love the food because it still has some taste even if I'm leaving with some extra pounds. All of these people try to feed me like I don't really know what the food is. I'm seriously thinking about writing a warning on my forehead: "do not feed me!". Going from one visit to another I forget that I don't manage to have any lunch at home with my family and that is something I'm waiting for all this time.
Serbia is the world in itself and we do the things opposite and, of course, better than the rest of the World. For example: we were singing and celebrating at public during the unfair NATO bombing in 1999., conducted by USA in order to overthrown the regime. Even if they destroyed all our bridges and most of the country, we keep the dignity and a revenge to kick their spoiled American asses at a sport field. Serbians are very proud of the national achivements and a they are able to brake a brend new tv only because our compatriot Novak Djokovic is loosing a game. Who else in the Universe does this?!
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| Photo: D.Savic; The Old Bridge, Novi Sad, 1990. |
All Serbian ceremonies are very much alike with a toast and a lunch served for almost hundred of people and it's very hard to tell weather is a celebration or a grieving occasion.
Rakija is the most precious Serbian heritage, always and everywhere present. Prepared at our backyards, it's one of the thousand reasons for Serbia's struggling to join The European Union.
Food, as an important part of our tradition, is different from the north to the south of Serbia.
Central west part provides the fresh cow and goat cheese for whole Serbia. Since the unproccesed cheese is not very popular where I live, I'm looking forward to sneak here at the city market full of dairy products, a little bit smelly for someone who didn't get used to it. I always take my time choosing the cheese and enjoying this smell. The percentage of fat these cheese contain is not labeled so the tasting is the only way to find it out.
If you go south you'll find the best barbique with no artificial sauces and the best kind of pepper necessary for preparing the most famous Serbian spread AJVAR. If you are from Serbia it will be a shame not to have it in the fridge, so last year I got down to work and made it on my own.
I come from northern part, Province of Vojvodina where people are not in a rush, come what may. They walk slowly, they talk slowly, even The Danube River takes its time flowing through Vojvodina. With this innate manner of taking my time I often miss the train in New York or stay without available seat. Music of tambourines reflects the lifestyle of Vojvodina: tough guys are working at the fields and staring at the beautiful women... In case they don't gain the love of women they are going to drink all the supplies made for the whole year.
Vojvodina is rich in with weat therefore gluten allergic people should be very careful when traveling trough Vojvodina. It's obvious why I look like a well done donut after only two weeks spent here. Bread always gets along with meat so we don't lack in homade prociutto, ham or saussage, either. Vegans may also stay hungry here.
Novi Sad is the capital of the Province and the most pleasurable place in the world. It's not too big, actually it's a size of Centarl Park, with two main streets of the downtown it's impossible to take a walk and not to meet anybody. Every time I come from New York it looks even smaller and I get the feeling I can cross it in two easy steps. It might be small but with four official languages spoken here: Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak and Ruthenian doesn't seem to be just a town of some province.
There's no place on Earth where I feel more comfortable and more relaxed then here.
I have to admit that it's not easy to fit in here, people from Novi Sad do not accept somebody from outside easily and do not like the change a lot but once you get into their pawns they won't let you out.
The city flourishes every summer when the Festival of music "Exit" is held at the city fortress until early in the morning with an afterparty at the city beach "Strand".
A self proclaimed Cathedral in downtown has shaped my future meeting my husband here ten years ago.
I like to nourish myself with the good theather performance rather than with sausage so my friend Visnja, an actress, makes shure I get the best seats for one of her performances.
Unfortunately, it's an election period therefore city facades are spoiled by political propaganda. Also, back at the time, former mayor of Novi Sad disgraced the city replacing the authentic cobblestone with some cheapest kind of a stone-bed and got away without a proper sentence such as a public hanging.
I grew up on the other side of Danube, in Sremska Kamenica and, according to the songs and stories, people are the most difficult to deal with. I think my husband would agree to this stereotype. Generation of my grandparents that had built up this place is slowly going away.
I attended one and only elementary school in the village having the same teacher my parents had had. On the way to school I needed to walk, there was no school bus to take me there. As a child I used to play outside, there was no computer games or traffic because this place was like a big playground. Thirty years ago, my only duty as a child was to buy beer and cigarettes for my father. Fresh air from Fruška Gora Mountain always gives me the energy enough to keep going.
I live far away now, in a country totally different from Serbia but moving away helped me to realize how much I love Serbia. I still read books in Serbian because it's the only language emotionally accepted to me. I still hang out with Serbian people in New York because we share a special kind of "Serbian humor". Traveling around I feel like ambassador of Serbia, promoting it everywhere. If only one of all people I've met around the World, comes to visit Serbia, my mission will be completed!
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