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Liberty 2156

A Letter from Abroad

By Nikola Maric

It has been a long, long time since I wrote you a letter. I was young then, just out of school, with a college diploma in my pocket, together with six Dollars and some change.  People around me spoke a strange foreign language which I thought I would never learn. A peculiar observation for a person who majored in German language and literature, is it not? What was I doing here, I asked myself?

Even now, I sometimes still ask the same question. It was not an adventure, not even a dream. Yugoslavia provided a fairly realistic chance for her educated people, all I had to do was to join the Communist party.  Job, chance for advancement, apartment, everything was there for those who were willing to tow the line. I did not.

Dear father, do you remember how many of my classmates drove fancy cars, became successful directors of promising enterprises, traveled the world? You could not understand why I left all that and chose to go to school again, struggled to support my family while trying to learn the new language here in America. You used to tell me that only poor and inept people went to America, those who could not succeed at home. My brother stayed at home, got married at eighteen, worked the land you acquired for us while working hard and saving money. He even bought a tractor or two, even a combine. Eventually, my nephew finished school and drove an Audi, became an envy of his fellow villagers.

That was some time ago. Just before the last conflict in Yugoslavia my sister-in –law found you outside the house, in front of a bench, your pipe still warm. You were dead at eighty nine, died at home, never needing a doctor or a hospital. I am sorry I was unable to be at your funeral. Was  it the distance, the money, I don’t remember which, but I just could not be there in time.  Soon thereafter my brother passed away, my sister, too. She ended up fleeing from Croatians. My nephew never returned to Croatia, it would be detrimental to his health to go back. You know why, I am sure. Your daughter–in-law also passed away, she is right there next to you and your son. I hear she sold the land we used to own. There is only a house left. My nephew is trying to sell it, but who is going to buy a house without the land?

Remember that beautiful orchard we called Tocak? We had over four hundred plum trees there, many sweet cherry trees, pear trees, a vineyard too. They tell me the mountain reclaimed all that now, nobody took care of it.

I am truly sorry we lost that beautiful homestead. It is nobody’s fault. We Serbs actually never belonged there. We were not welcome by the Croats. I understand that even Jasenovac is not sacred to them. They imposed a checker insignia on the monument there.

We made sure our family plots at the cemetery are taken care of. That is all we can do, dad. Even if I decided to return “home”, I have no home. If I were to go to Serbia they tell me I cannot be a citizen of Serbia! First, I was told, I would have to go to Croatia and obtain a certificate that I am not their citizen, and I do not want to do that. Besides, my wife tells me she has no desire to go there, and she was born in Serbia.

I guess I have to stay put. This is my home now, but your granddaughter is married and lives in Serbia, not Belgrade, real Serbia. She likes it there. She got disappointed in America. America helped NATO bomb Serbs. One of your grandsons lives in Belgrade, two granddaughters in Croatia, one in Banat, one in the Republic of Srpska, a new Serbian entity in Bosnia and Hercegovina.  It is a strange land, dad, you would not recognize it anymore.

I miss our old house in Slavonia, dad. Even though I had some terrible memories from there, there were also some happy moments, too. I am pretty old, too, dad. I may write to you again someday, but forgive me if I do not. I am thinking of you, all of you in that old Serbian cemetery on the hill, our family and our relatives. I am going to stick around a few more years. Interesting things have been happening in the world since you left.

...

Full article in printed Liberty

Штампа Ел. пошта

  • SPC
  • Dijaspora
  • Svetigora
  • Save Displaced Serbs
  • Srbi za Srbe
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