Recently, the photo attached to this article brought me back to my past and my life from 35 years ago. I was young and in love with a wonderful boy, Dejan. Dejan was my first great love and it still warms my heart when I remember how we loved each other.
Dejan graduated from the Mathematical and Informatics High School, probably the most difficult that was available to us in Bjelovar. Later, he decided to study mechanical engineering in Rijeka, a beautiful city in the north of the Croatian coast. I went to study in Zagreb and so we loved each other long distance for a while. I loved that he played the saxophone, which I still consider to be my favourite musical instrument. In society, Dejan was loved by many because he had, and I believe still has, a refined sense of humour. He would usually entertain people with his quips. I could take him wherever I wanted without fear that he might make a bad impression on someone, so I introduced him to my parents and overprotective dad.
I also remember Dejan's parents. Mama Lojzka would bring me coffee in bed in the morning. She was wonderful, and my mother once told me, "You will remember your Lojzka, you cannot find something like that twice in your life." And I remember it to this day. Dejan and I had one thing in common: we were true Yugoslav children. He is from a mixed marriage of a Slovenian woman and a Macedonian, and I am from a mixed marriage of a Serbian woman and a Croat. Today it is not popular to highlight being from a mixed background, but why should you be ashamed of it.
Life separated us. Dejan still lives in the vicinity of Rijeka and is the father of three sons. I live in Cambridge and I am a mother of one girl. And so, after several decades of not seeing each other, Dejan and I are in contact again. It makes me very happy that I can share my memories of Dejan with my daughter and friends. The same as this wonderful picture that Dejan recently sent me.
Kristina
Tuesday, June 11th, 2024
Moja mladost i Dejan
Nedavno me fotografija iz priloga ovom članku vratila u moju prošlost i život od prije 35 godina. Bila sam mlada i zaljubljena u divnog dečka Dejana. Dejan je bio moja prva velika ljubav i još mi je sad toplo oko srca kad se sjetim kako smo se voljeli.
Dejan je završio Matematičko-informatičku srednju školu, vjerovatno najtežu koja nam je u Bjelovaru bila na raspolaganju. Kasnije se odlučio se za studiji strojarstva u Rijeci, predivnom gradu na sjeveru hrvatske obale. Ja sam otišla na studij u Zagreb i tako smo se neko vrijeme voljeli na daljinu. Obožavala sam što je svirao saksafon koji i danas smatram najomiljenijim muzičkim instrumentom. U društvu Dejan je bio od mnogih omiljen jer je imao, a vjerujem ima i danas, istančani smisao za humor. Obično bi zabavljao ljude svojim dosjetkama. Mogla sam ga povesti kamo god sam htjela bez straha da bi na nekoga mogao ostaviti loš dojam pa sam ga tako upoznala i sa svojim roditeljima i prekomjerno zaštitničkim tatom.
U sjećanju su mi i Dejanovi roditelji. Mama Lojzka donijela bi mi ujutro kavu u krevet. Bila je divna i moja mi je mama jednom prilikom rekla “Sjetit ćeš se ti svoje Lojzke, takvo što ne možeš dva puta u životu naći.” I bome se sjećam do danas. Dejan i ja smo imali zajedničko i to da smo bili prava jugoslavenska djeca. On iz mješanog braka Slovenke i Makedonca, a ja iz mješanog braka Srpkinje i Hrvata. Danas to i nije neka referenca, ali zašto bi se toga stidjeli.
Život nas je rastavio. Dejan i danas živi u okolici Rijeke i otac je trojce sinova. Ja živim U Cambridgeu i majka sam jedne djevojke. I tako, nakon nešto decenija neviđanja Dejan i ja smo ponovo u kontaktu. Jako me to raduje i sretna sam da svoja sjećanja na Dejana mogu podijeliti sa svojom kćeri i prijateljima. Isto kao i ovu divnu sliku sto mi je Dejan nedavno poslao.
Kristina
Utorak, 11. lipnja 2024.
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