B. Djordjevic
He has not yet visited all parts of the city: Dejan near the Historic Port of Berlin
Dejan Sekulic has been living in Berlin for almost two years with his wife Milena and sons Matija and Mitar. As he says, he is far from Belgrade’s Dorcol where he grew up, but now much closer than the previous 25 years, so they use every opportunity to “jump” to Serbia with his family. His journey to the German capital took him through the United States, Mexico, Venezuela and London, where he worked as an engineer, an expert in geophysics.
After graduating from the Faculty of Geology, he accidentally received a scholarship for postgraduate studies in Houston in 1995 and decided to study and work there for a year. Dejan’s plan was, like many colleagues from the faculty, to leave and return soon.
Football with compatriots in Houston
– I wanted to leave, finish my postgraduate studies and come back. It never occurred to me to stay there. My departure “across the pond” took place quite spontaneously, there was no time to think, let alone prepare. This, of course, has its price, because nostalgia for leaving one’s homeland is rarely bypassed. I didn’t really have the desire to leave, but I didn’t want to miss that opportunity either. That’s how I ended up in Houston, which only came to life a little after the Second World War, because of the discovery of oil. Today, it is the fourth largest city in the United States. The Serbian community in it is numerous, and during my stay, in the mid-1990s, we celebrated the centenary of the Serbian Orthodox community in Houston. There were many nice gatherings with our people, and on Wednesday we traditionally gathered to play football – Dejan recalls.
At the end of the 1990s, he completed his postgraduate studies and got a job, but then the NATO bombing began, which thwarted his intention to return to Serbia.
– I also hung out with Americans and people from other countries. The attack on our country did not go unnoticed, and among my American friends there were those who apologized to me for the brutal war decisions of the White House, directed against my country. A friend, a lawyer, confirmed to me that what was offered to Serbia and Montenegro in Rambouillet was legally completely unsustainable. I met many people who were very knowledgeable about everything that was happening. Then somehow everything changed. I got a permanent job and the opportunity to travel to Mexico, most often to the province of Tabasco, where geophysical research was conducted.
Dejan next to Olmek’s head in Tabasco
In Mexico at home
In 2002, his business took him to Villermoz, Mexico, the capital of the state of Tabasco.
– It was a lot of fun hanging out with new acquaintances. Since I have always been a fan of archeology, I took the opportunity to visit many famous and unique sites in Latin America. The city where I lived was the center of the Mexican oil industry. Mexicans are very communicative and always in the mood to socialize and have fun. For the most part, I felt right at home. Spanish was not an unknown language to me, because a couple of years before that, at the invitation of a friend, I visited Mexico City. I liked it so much that I immediately started teaching Spanish at the university. Although I did not speak Spanish perfectly, I did not have any problems, everyone accepted me well, after all, as before in America – says our interlocutor.
Dejan adds that there were no people in Villermosa, as there are in Mexico City, or Vera Cruz. After a while, he started thinking about whether to stay in Mexico. Through the new company he moved to, he managed to get an American green card, exactly on the tenth anniversary of his arrival in the United States, on January 25, 2005. After arranging his stay, Dejan wasted no time.
– In May of that year, I went to a new job, in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. The difference between Mexico and Venezuela is great. Seen from Europe, the whole of Latin America seems monolithic, but I am convinced that there are differences between these two peoples, such as between the Italians and the Norwegians. There are big differences in culture, behavior, food.
Serbian on the streets of Caracas
There is also our church in Caracas, where Dejan made many friends, and he is still in regular contact with many.
– Of course, I had friends among the local population, and one of them later came to my wedding in Belgrade. The Serbian community in Venezuela is numerous. Some immigrated even before the Second World War, and many came during the 1990s. It is not even uncommon to hear Serbian on the streets of Caracas. Some are employed in the oil industry, there are those who run restaurants and discos, and there are those who do jobs that can cost them dearly. In the search for drug traffickers and dealers, the police are brutal, and sometimes even innocent people end up in prisons, where extremely harsh conditions prevail. The staff of the Embassy of Serbia in Venezuela is doing its best to help and make it easier for our fellow citizens if such problems happen to them.
After Venezuela, Dejan moved to Europe, closer to Serbia.
– Sometime in 2010, my parents’ health was no longer ideal, so I agreed with my boss to move to work in London for a year, to be closer to mine. That year was still long, and during one visit to Berlin, I met today’s wife Milena. After the wedding, we go to live in London, where our sons were born. She is also from Belgrade and graduated in medicine. She could not get a specialization in London, so we came to Berlin, where the conditions are much more favorable.
A call that is not rejected
Corona protection measures significantly affected the initial coping in the German capital.
– I still find parts of the city that I can visit for the first time, but everything is closed. In London, we knew about fifty people from Serbia and Belgrade, while here, since our arrival, there were fewer opportunities for gatherings. I still don’t have a real picture of Berlin, and the main problem is that my German is bad and that I can’t get to know my colleagues a little better, because we all work from home.
In his mind, Dejan is often in Dorcol and goes there with his family whenever he can. At one time, he photographed the streets of this part of Belgrade in detail and plans to present them when the former city scenery falls into oblivion. After Houston, Wilhelmos, Caracas, London and Berlin, the desire to enjoy your hometown always reappears.
– While I was alone in Belgrade, I often came up to five times a year, and now we all continue together. We try to fly to Serbia whenever we can. I am in contact with many friends, they have called me several times to be a godfather. I gladly accepted that and have baptized many children so far, which I am very glad about.
The costume is still kept by: An active participant in the famous carnival
Dance in Rio
Our interlocutor also traveled to other countries in South America.
– I went to a carnival in Rio with a friend, and the second time we participated in it with a trained African dance and costume, which I still keep today. During my visit to Peru, I also visited the biggest archeological attraction in South America, the city of Machu Picchu. It was a unique experience, and the four-day climb was preceded by physical preparation in order to overcome numerous steps and endure the climatic condition at an altitude where the air is very thin. We were helped by members of the indigenous tribes who brought us tents and food. They only spoke Quechua, while they did not know Spanish. It was indescribable to experience the sunrise in this ancient city.
Eternal Kalemegdan
I have always liked Belgrade, as I do today. I often hear comments that it is no longer what it used to be, but I think that it is still a set for our youth and for the time when evening outings were our main preoccupation. Belgrade has its own content, a lot of the newly built has completed its image, but I do not mean shopping centers. When I’m there, I like to go to cafes, restaurants, on rafts. Kalemegdan and the lower town are the places where I spent my childhood.
Dedovina in Srbobran and Zrenjanin
– I saved my grandfather in Srbobran and Zrenjanin and I also always get there to see and talk to my relatives and neighbors. I am especially proud that there is still a flag in the church in Srbobran that my great-grandfather Zivko gave to that church 100 years ago. We still have the desire to visit some cities in Germany, but we will use the first opportunity to travel to go to Belgrade again – Dejan Sekulic points out.
In the Venezuelan part of the Amazon
Kusturica is a famous musician!
– Apart from being a beautiful country, Venezuela was quite rich until the eighties. After that, there was political instability, so now the former splendor can be recognized on the highways and shopping centers built at that time. People in Venezuela still know about Serbia, they are well acquainted with the war events of the 1990s. They heard about our best athletes, and one Venezuelan boasted to him that he met Emir Kusturica. It was at one of the No Smoking concerts in Caracas, when he talked to him for a long time. To my surprise, he only knew Kusturica as a musician, and it was only from me that he heard for the first time that he was first and foremost a celebrated film director – Dejan tells us.
On a boat in the middle of the window
Due to the impossibility to immediately realize a permanent work permit in the United States, he had to occasionally spend six weeks on a ship in the middle of the ocean, where geological research was carried out. They could not see the mainland or other ships during their stay. These ships were reached by helicopters. Far from the mainland of America, they did not have a TV signal, and the Internet was only occasionally available.
– Today, nothing is certain, so I would recommend to younger people not to get too attached to just one job.
In addition to a permanent job in my free time, I also dealt with real estate – says Dejan.
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