Life has taken me truly far from the village where I grew up and my current life has little to do with the life I lived as a child. I left my childhood village and county at the age of 18, returning occasionally, but even that became very occasional after my father's death. Still, my brother and my friends connect me with this early stage of my life. I am happy that those who were important to me then, when I was a young girl, and with whom I spent my time are still close to me now. Four of my closest childhood friends are now reading this blog and I am happy I have found a way to hopefully keep them with me, when we are so far away.
Tanja was my best friend from my earliest childhood. We spent days playing with dolls, later reading, playing, sharing all the important moments like birthdays, but also stealing every free moment to be together. Today we understand each other as if it was all yesterday, even though our life paths were different, as were our life choices. Now in our early fifties we are both alone and we each have a daughter. In her early life, Tanja lost her husband in a tragical car accident. She has never forgotten her husband, and by choice she has stayed alone ever since. Tanja directed her enormous positive energy to her daughter and her job. I am very proud of her successes and the work of the Head of one big Croatian Institute. Tanja has been inviting me for years to spend my holidays in her apartment on one of the Croatian islands, and I am endlessly looking forward to our future holidays.
My friend Miro with whom I shared a bench in primary school, stayed in our childhood county. Miro is not only my friend but also my brother's friend, and he was a close friend of our dad until my dad's death. In his wonderful home, which he shares with his beloved wife Klementina and two already grown children, Miro is a truly happy man. Life was not always kind to him, we have that in common, but he chose a smart woman who loves him and who supports him in everything. I really like to visit Miro, we always share everything that happens or has happened to us always accompanied with an excellent lunch or dinner. Miro is a farmer who grows potatoes, and this job in a country like Croatia is difficult and stressful. However, he finds time for the boy in him, enjoys music and recently bought a motorcycle, that he uses to explore Croatia with Klementina.
Renata was my closest friend in part of my childhood and early youth. We shared everything, first secrets, first loves, went to parties and dances together, enjoyed music. For a few years Renata and I were the only women in the brass band, we both played the clarinet. That playing now seems almost unreal to me, the memories are beautiful. In the last 5-6 years, after a break of about 15 years, I became close with Renata again and since then I have spent part of my holidays in her home. The rapprochement was instantaneous and whenever we talk to each other the closeness between us is completely natural, life has separated and changed us, but we have remained the same towards each other as we were in those old years.
Renata has a wonderful husband and two great children, their daughter lives with her husband and son in America. Now in her older years, my Renata has also become a world traveller and spent a large part of last year in Chicago. She is also an administrator at the police station in the city where we went to high school.
My friendship with Lidija dates back to our earliest childhood and began spontaneously, with mutual understanding and respect that never seems to have disappeared. Unlike Tanja, who is a year older than me, and Renata, who is a year younger, Lidija, like Miro, is my generation. We went to the same primary school together, and in part of high school we shared the same class. My smart, beautiful, and calm Lidija was in a way a competition for me in those years, but in the most positive sense possible. We were both excellent and encouraged the best in each other. Although I have lost the most to Lidija in my life travels, I am happy that we have recently reconnected. I take this opportunity to tell her that I missed her and to feel that my life is richer now that she is back in it. Lidija is a teacher of mathematics in a primary school in Zagreb, she, like me, has a daughter whom I unfortunately know little about, but I believe we will make up for it all.
Dear friends, I am very happy to still have you in my life. Let’s stay together, despite the geography.
Love,
Kristina
Friday, February 5th, 2021
Prijatelji iz djetinjstva
Zivot me odveo uistinu daleko od sela u kojemu sam odrastala I malo me toga veze za zivot kojim sam zivjela kao dijete. Iz tog sam kraja otisla jos sa 18 godina, povremeno se vracala, ali I to se jako prorijedilo nakon tatine smrti. Ipak, za djetinjstvo me vezu moj brat I moji prijatelji. Sretna sam sto su oni koji su mi tada, kao djevocici bili bitni I sa kojima sam provodila svoje vrijeme jos uvijek tu. Cetvoro mojih najblizih prijatelja iz djetinjstva sada cita ovaj blog I radujem se sto sam nasala poveznicu kojim cu ih nadam se dodatno drzati uz sebe, kad smo vec daleko.
Tanja mi je bila najbolja prijateljica iz ranog djetinjstva. Provodile smo dane u igri sa lutkama, kasnije u citanju, sviranju, dijelile sve bitne trenutke poput rodjendana, ali I krale svaki slobodni trenutak da budemo zajedno. I danas se razumijemo kao da je sve to bilo jucer, iako su nam zivotni putevi bili drugaciji, kao I nasi zivotni izbori. Sada u ranim pedesetima obije smo same I svaka imamo po jednu kcer. Tanja je u ranoj mladosti u jednoj nesreci izgubila supruga kojeg niti do danas nije preboljela niti zamijenila. Ona je svoju energiju utrosila u svoju kcer I svoj posao. Jako sam ponosna na njezine uspjehe I posao ravnatelja jednog velikog Hrvatskog instituta. Tanja me vec godinama poziva na ljetovanje u njezin apartman na jednom od Hrvatskih otoka I tom nasem buducem ljetovanju se beskrajno veselim.
Moj prijatelj Miro, sa kojim sam dijelila klupu u osmogodisnjoj skoli, ostao je u kraju u kojem smo odrastali. Miro nije samo moj prijatelj nego I prijatelj mog brata, a bio je I bliski prijatelj naseg tate sve do tatine smrti. U svom divnom domu koji dijeli sa voljenom suprugom Klementinom I dvoje vec odrasle djece Miro je uistinu sretan covjek. Zivot ga kao ni mene nije mazio, ali izabrao je pametnu zenu koja ga voli I koja mu je podrska u svemu. Jako volim otici kod Mire u posjetu, uvijek uz izvaredan rucak ili veceru dijelimo sve sto nam se dogadja ili se dogadjalo. Miro je farmer koji se bavi uzgojem krumpira, a taj je posao u zemlji kao sto je Hrvatska tezak I stresan. Ipak on nalazi vrijeme za djecaka u sebi I jos jako uziva u muzici nase mladosti. Miro je nedavno je kupio motor, a voznjom na njemu je zarazio I svoju Klementinu.
Renata je bila moj najblizi prijatelj u dijelu djetinjstva I ranoj mladosti. Dijelile smo sve, prve tajne, prve ljubavi, odlazile skupa na zabave I plesnjake, uzivale u muzici. Nekoliko godina Renata I ja smo bile jedine zene u duhackom orkestru, obije smo svirale klarinet. To sviranje mi se sad cini gotovo nestvarno, uspomene su prelijepe. U posljednih 5-6 godina nakon pauze od nekih 15tak godina ponovo sam se zblizila sa Renatom I od tada provodila dio svojih praznika u njezinom domu. Zblizavanje je bilo trenutno I kad god se cujemo bliskost medju nama je potpuno prirodna, zivot nas je razdvojio I promjenio, ali jedna prema drugoj smo ostale iste kao sto smo bile tih davnih godina. Renata ima divnog muza I krasno dvoje djece od kojih kcer zivi sa obitelji u Americi. Tako je I moja Renata pod stare dane postala svjetski putnik I veliki dio nesrtene, prosle godine provela je u Chicagu. Ona je administrator u policijskoj postaji u gradu u kojem smo isle u srednju skolu.
Prijateljstvo sa Lidijom datira iz najranijeg djetinjstva I pocelo je spontano, medjusobnim razumijevanjem I uvazavanjem koje cini se nikada nije nestalo. Za razliku od Tanje koja je godinu starija od mene I Renate koja je godinu mladja, Lidija je kao I Miro moja generacija. Isle smo zajedno u istu osnovnu skolu, a u dijelu srednje smo dijelile isti razred. Moja pametna, lijepa I stalozena Lidija mi je na neki nacin u tim godinama bila I kompeticija, ali u najpozitivnijem mogucem smislu. Obije smo bile odlikasi I poticale najbolje jedna u drugoj. Premda sam Lidiju najvise izgubila u svojim zivotnim putesetvijama sretna sam sto smo se nedavno opet povezale. Koristim ovu priliku da joj kazem da mi je nedostajala I da osjecam da mi je zivot bogatiji sad kad se ona vratila u njega. Lidija je profesorica matematike u jednoj osnovnoj skoli u Zagrebu, ima kao I ja jednu kcer koju nazalost slabo poznajem, ali sve cemo to vjerujem nadoknaditi.
Dragi prijatelji jako sam sretna sto vas imam I sto nas zivot nije pogubio. Ostanimo zajedno, usprkos geografiji.
Voli Vas Kristina
Petak, 5. Sijecnja 2021.
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