Rompighiaccio

If I tell you Novak Djokovic or Nikola Tesla, would you know which nation I am talking about? Serbia, a country located in the Balkans, a part of Europe that, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, has gone through a period of regression. While the rest of Europe sought to unite, my compatriots rediscovered nationalism and sought paths for separation.

My life began then and there. What is life? It’s an organic thing in constant evolution, but first of all it’s a miracle. Many little things have to intertwine to give life to a new human being. At the moment of birth, one is not aware of the circumstances. Those circumstances do not define you, but instead shape you emotionally and culturally, creating a solid foundation for your personal growth.

The city where I grew up was founded in the ’50s. It’s a small industrial town built around a military factory, it was thought to be self-sufficient. The educational system prepares you for life and work in the factory. You become a part of a chain that’s on a wheel that never stops.

When I was three, the civil war broke out in Yugoslavia, but as a child, I knew nothing about it. When the aggressor state is yours, the war usually comes to you in the end, if and when you lose it.

When I was five, my sister came along, but it was the time of the greatest inflation of a European state. This led to light restrictions, a lack of drinking water, and for some even difficulties in buying food. But those were the concerns of adults; we children were happy, always playing outside, free. You learn that the word ‘normal’ has many shades; for us, that was normal.

With the end of the civil war, everyday life returned. But it lasted only another 5 years, after which it was disrupted once again. It was a day in March. We were at school when we heard the loud sirens. The teacher took us to the gym locker rooms because they were underground. After a while, she let us return home. It was the first night under the air raids; we were all in the basements, neighbours prepared beds for us children, but no one slept that night. Even today, I still remember my heartbeat full of fear. The next day, we moved to our mountain house. When you’re faced with an overwhelming fear as a child, there are few things in life that can scare you.

To attend high school, I had to move. And after high school, I changed countries. During university, I had the opportunity to get to know myself better. Time alone allowed me to clarify my mind and my personal ideas. I had to learn to limit myself and understand what it means to be responsible for myself and my life choices.

All these and many other experiences allowed me to see life from many different points of view. I learned not to judge a book by its cover but always to better understand its content, its deeper meaning. We are all different, we even come from different parts of the world, but to be able to grow and always move forward, we must be united and have a clear vision of a better future for our children.