LIVING IN MONTENEGRO IN CORONA TIMES

A few days ago I woke up very early; a good night sleep has become an exception in these turbulent corona times. I went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and through the window of our apartment on the sixth floor, I perceived a strange bright light. From the balcony I saw a huge full moon illuminating the city and the mountains. Yes, it was the „supermoon“!

What is a supermoon? It is a full moon that appears around 15% larger than a typical full moon due to it being closer to Earth. Life in corona times has become a roller coaster ride, but people all over the world – even under lockdown – could at least share this rare joy. And it became clear: out there, in the outer space, nothing has changed….

Even under lockdown there are a lot of small moments to savour. Paul and I try to collect them as much as possible: each afternoon we watch a slide show on TV testifying of all the journeys we have made in the previous years: Cuba, Indonesia, Australia …. but also all those magnificent places in Montenegro, Albania and other Balkan countries. We enjoy the memories and recall the beautiful moments. Each day we cook together and we let our phantasy play, combining different recipes. And there are enough movies to watch and books to read. The daily contacts with our children are precious to us, and we are lucky to enjoy the sun on our balcony in the afternoon. Each evening at 8 PM I join the inhabitants of our street in applauding for the medical staff. The corona days are slowly passing by and nobody knows when we will be FREE again.

It is not easy to stay at home, but we have to, as we belong to the high-risk 70+ group. So we obey and respect the obligatory instructions, recommendations and warnings. Believe me, we have not had any physical contacts during these weeks and we highly respect social distancing. Although we can order many food products online, we have to go to the supermarket once a week. Who would ever think that this „excursion“ would be a top event for me? Yes, a great adventure indeed! Equipped with a (home-made) mask and gloves, we drive to „Naš Voli“ and  stand in line before 8 AM. Everything is well-arranged there, but yet I am afraid of those young people who do not respect the 2 m (or is it 1.5?) distance and hurry to take their stuff from the shelves as quickly as possible.

From time to time, we go to our property between Rogami and Pričelje, a rather isolated place on the Zeta river. Nobody else enters that plot of land, except for our friend Mladen, who has already started cultivating our little garden, cutting the grass and cleaning up the place – in our absence of course. He has planted potatoes and onions, „raštan“ (collard), parsley, and soon we will also have tomatoes, green salad, peppers, beans, eggplants, etc.

And there is the Zeta river, always green, blue, emerald – the colors change depending on the weather. Wild flowers are blooming on the land and along the banks of the river: snake’s heads (Fritillaria meleagris), wild orchids, anemones …. The rosemary is flowering with beautiful purple flowers and the old cherry trees show their white blossoms. Sparrows are chirping and I hope that the swallows will be back soon and reconstruct their old nest in the corner of the terrace. Colorful lizards run away and hide among the rocks, butterflies and bees can be seen everywhere…

I cannot live without nature and that’s why I enjoy these little things so much. Now that hiking, traveling, roaming around with our camper is not allowed any more, I am so glad to have this little paradise on the Zeta river, which gives us the feeling that we are literally embraced by nature.

By the way, I remember how it was ten years ago, when I could see turtles, water snakes, herons, dragonflies and frogs here … and the river used to be full of fish in those times. Swallows built their nests around the cottage and I enjoyed seeing the little ones peeping out.

But in the last few years, many animals have disappeared. There are local inhabitants who drive very fast (although the maximum speed is 50 km/h only), barbecues with shouting children and loud music, factories and farms along the Zeta river that cause pollution. It was such a pleasure to hear that the Zeta river has become a protected nature park a few months ago! And maybe the corona virus – with all its horrible consequences – will have one positive aspect: nature will find its way back to equilibrium.

I will never forget the story that was once told to us by an Aboriginal in the Australian outback. His name was Graham and he took us to Lake Mungo, one of the most impressive places I have ever seen. And by drawing circles in the sand, he tried to explain us the philosophy of the Aboriginals: Life does not have a beginning and an end, nature is eternal. Everything in nature is moving in circles that are growing wider and wider. Nature is in perfect equilibrium and white men who try to change the natural environment make big mistakes and they will certainly have to pay for that in the future….

This was just a story from a far away country. Maybe something we have to take into account when everything gets back to normal. But nowadays, we have to cope with the challenges of the corona virus. We are bombarded with new developments each day, each hour, and we don’t know what to expect. We all ask ourselves: What will happen tomorrow? We are afraid and helpless.

I would just like to recommend you: Follow the instructions for social distancing. Wash your hands. Pay attention to your feelings, don’t ignore them. Limit your news consumption to certain times of day. Use the phone, Skype, and FaceTime to connect with family and friends.

And don’t forget: these corona times can also be an opportunity. An opportunity to grow, to learn new skills and to explore your talents.

Take care of yourself and stay safe!