I’ve met many different people as I’ve traveled around the world; and although each culture is vastly different, one thing remains the same.
All people want to be seen, known, and loved.
Serbians are no exception to this and as I met and became friends with many locals in this country, it dawned on me that the people here are the same as my Cambodian, Thai and South American friends, they just want someone to listen and understand them. I discovered this through two separate occasions bringing cherished conversations.
I was in Mrcajevci, Serbia on an evening walk, with my friend Sarah, when we were stopped by a family sitting in chairs around a small plastic table in their front yard. They called out “hello!” to us and invited us in to join them. A few family members spoke some English, but the conversation was a mixture of Serbian and English words and laughs, as we muddled through the language barrier together. They offered us a shot of rakia, a popular Serbian fruit brandy, and brought us out some of the best cake I’ve had on the race. We sipped the rakia together and chatted about their lives in Serbia. The family explained to Sarah and I that they wanted Americans to know they are not “barbarians” here in Serbia. We assured them we do not think that, and that we have only respect and admiration for the Serbian people. The reason they feel this way stems back to bombings that occurred there just twenty years ago. In the 1990’s, the American led NATO collation dropped bombs over Serbia, and the family I was sitting with experienced this first hand as they sat in that very yard and watched the night sky light up. They painted the picture of this night to Sarah and I and we were astounded to hear the fear they experienced in that exact location, twenty years prior. Our new friends still carry the pain from that evening and hearing their stories gave me a very real perspective of what life in this part of the world has looked like. They told us these stories so we could really see them as people and not just members of a country that’s been tucked away in our history books.
Half way though the month, I left the little village of Mrcajevci to spend the remainder of March in Belgrade. While in Belgrade, I built relationships and spent time with many locals around the city. One man stood out to me though, and I was so impacted by the time I spent with him. His name is Jugoslav and I met him in a park where he was sitting on a bench, sipping a beer and looking out over the water. For work, Jugoslav plays his guitar and sings on street corners all over town. He’s lived a very colorful life and my friend Jenny and I had a chance to hear his stories as we sat on the bench with him and chatted for a few hours. He told us his dream is to go to Vegas because he loves the idea of a city that never sleeps. We encouraged Jugoslav, telling him that he has a lot of life left to live and so much to give. Although he struggles through many moments of despair, because he doesn’t always have a bed to sleep in or know where his next meal is coming from, he carries a joy. Most people pass him without a thought, and that day Jugoslav just wanted to be seen, heard, and known.
To my huge excitement, I ran into Jugoslav again the day before I left Serbia. He was on a street corner in the city jamming out with his guitar. He sang me two farewell songs, (I tried to sing with him, but it wasn’t pretty) and we had the chance to say a proper goodbye before I left. My friend Jaivie snagged a video of this moment, shared below!
Whether it’s America, or 6,000 miles away in Serbia, the lessons I’m learning on this journey are the same for all. People want to be heard, we want our lives to matter and deep down we all desire to be loved. Thankfully, all of this is already available to us ~
“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Romans 8:31-32
“What is the price of two sparrows – one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid, you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:29
All my love! <3
