Serbia and Montenegro, the last two republics to constitute the rest of former Yugoslavia. And eventually they fell apart. Montenegro gained independence from Serbia. Serbia was left as the last warrior to fight for nothing. It was probably the logical sequence of events, but for me it was sad.
I remember sitting at the Republic Square in Belgrade, waiting for the results of referendum on Montenegrin independence, and listening to people who discussed how they wished Montenegrin the faith they deserved after winning it. I would probably have thought the same if I haven’t lived in Montenegro before I moved to Serbia. It was so disturbing and I was very shaken, not so much because of their separation, but because of evil comments and the lack of understanding between suddenly two different nations. And I was born in Bosnia, in its capital. Due to the twist of faith I got to love all three now independent countries equally.
I think that there’s no nation sharing the same religion and living in such a small area which tend to separate so much like Serbs. I am Montenegrin, or I’m the Serb from Montenegro, and I’m the Serb from Bosnia, or I’m the Serb from Serbia but I can’t stand Montenegrin Serbs who do not declare as Serbs. Too complicated to describe.
These two now different nations developed such a hatred that it could be physically felt. Montenegrin are rude and disrespectful, they are lazy and ignorant, whilst Serbs (from Serbia) are tight-fisted and rigid. The reasons for not going to the Montenegrin coast during summer season are not only linked to the lack of capacity and underdevelopment of Montenegrin coast or their rudeness and carelessness, but also to the hatred which developed meanwhile.
All of a sudden, I need to give excuses for going to Montenegro, as if I was going to hell. On top of it, how can I dare to say that I enjoy it there? I do, and can you please excuse me for that?
I can spot all the traits in Montenegrin that drive Serbs (from Serbia) mad. And they drive me mad too. At least they used to while I was living there. However, there are so many things that I like about them. Likewise, there are so many things that I don’t like about Serbs from Serbia, and the Serbs from Bosnia as well. The latter was hard to accept, but I had to. As I was born during the glorious days of ex-Yugoslavia in Sarajevo, I thought that all Bosnians were so relaxed, fun-loving and easygoing like the citizens of Sarajevo. But I was wrong, and I found it out only years after the war had broken out when I spent some more time with the people from other parts of Bosnia. It came as a shock to me.
So, I started thinking why we can’t just accept differences and respect each other. Who can say that Montenegrins are utterly bad? They can be pretty nasty, but they can be the best of humans. Trust me! If they get to love you as a friend, and it’s not easy to earn that status, they will be there for you till the rest of your days. They don’t talk a lot. They can be sometimes very inflexible and intolerant. Yet, if they respect you as a person, you can always count on them. I lived long enough in Montenegro to develop such friendships. Oh, how worth they are to me!
And, if you can excuse me, I really love Montenegrin nature. So small, but so ecologically rich. Some places are just amazing. And Boka Kotorska Bay! It will never cease to delight me! I find it magnificent! The place where I spent the worst and the best days of my childhood. The place where I can’t stop going! It’s like a drug! This is my opinion, my feeling, my reasoning. Maybe I’m not right! Maybe I’m too emotional at times, but I tend to take the best from people and places! I suggest you to do the same! At least stop judging.