Immediately after the introduction of measures against the pandemic, Lidija and Branko Brnović decided to temporarily move with their daughters Vjera and Đina from Podgorica to Oblun, a hamlet in the village of Briđe, near the Skadar lake.
Oblun is also the name of the hill above the village where the Brnovići have a family estate, so the neighbors from the village call them Oblunjani. Nearby is the Kosmač monastery, Bolje sestre water spring and other sub-lake springs, better known as the eye.
From Briđa there is a view of the area of the former Montenegrin capitals, Žabljak Crnojevića, Balšića town above Ponar, and the medieval fortress of Vojislavljevića Oblun. This ecological oasis is a favorite station of rare bird species. Nearby is the elementary school in Barutana, as well as the memorial complex to the fallen fighters of Lješanska nahija, authored by Svetlana Kana Radević.
Family documents bear witness to Brnović's donation for its construction, and finally, a broader understanding of the importance of this cultural and historical treasure comes through its recent reconstruction. That's why Lidija and Branko recently joined the regional project "Heritage Walks and Talks" ("Walks through stories and heritage"), in order to bring domestic and foreign tourists closer to the cultural, historical and natural heritage of this region.
How to make a decision to stay in the countryside
And just when the majority of fellow citizens were forced to shut themselves in their apartments due to the corona, the Brnovićs had the privilege of moving from an apartment in the city to a family house with a yard and a view of the lake. Although, with mixed feelings. Branko, like most small entrepreneurs in the field of forwarding and other services, almost lost his job due to the drastic reduction in the traffic of people and goods. After the non-existent tourist season, it became clear that the situation could not be much better before the summer of the following year.
"Children who were removed from school desks and directed to TV and online space, and whose politicians stole their "live" September gathering, with teachers and friends (because the elections were more important than their education and socialization) found themselves in a very unusual situation , and none the less, we adults were not spared situations for which we did not have too many explanations. The younger daughter, who entered the first grade of elementary school, still has not met half of her classmates. I, accustomed to a minimum of eight hours of peace and solitude during the day , which are necessary for me to carry out consulting work, most often writing endless reports, in front of employers I behave as if I don't have a family, and with children as if I have no business obligations. I soon came to terms with the fact that work will come second, because I am not the superwoman on the cover for whom good organization is the key to success. Moreover, I consider it a common ploy by women to justify their business success to patriarchal society, which is not recognized for them, if they are not primarily excellent wives and mothers," our interlocutor Lidija tells us in one breath, wondering when someone asked a man how he manages to reconcile work and taking care of his wife and children, even during a pandemic?
Therefore, the story of Brnović is not much different from the stories of most average families in Montenegro during 2020, but perhaps the way in which they were able to respond to extraordinary circumstances is different. The first step in the response to the pandemic was to move into the old family house, on Oblun, with all the known "basic Montenegrin crisis package of supplies" which, as a rule, includes flour, oil and sugar, and in the case of this exceptional family, a pile of books, records, gramophone, guitar, board games. One packet was full of organic seeds of different varieties of vegetables, and they bought medicinal herbs and herbs from a local producer.
Arriving in the village, these hard-working people planted a few hundred seedlings of immortelle, lavender, lemon balm, mint, heather, oregano, and when it warmed up a bit, they added flowers. Soon, their first garden was created, on one of the numerous terraced meadows, which their ancestors made centuries ago, precisely to create arable land on the scarce, karst soil. On such a land, raštan certainly succeeds every year, but since Lidija is Vasojevka, there is also a marital misunderstanding regarding the method of preparation.
Namely, Oblujani believe that apart from meat, only potatoes can be added to raštan; no carrots or god forbid something else! In addition, of course, Vasojevka immediately planted an organic apple, even though she was told several times that there is no water in Briđe like in Andrijevica, and that the fruit trees should be sprayed non-stop because of pests. It turns out that the apple is resistant, or that spite can serve as an extremely strong pesticide. The Brnovićs then gave several meadows to a family from the village for sheep grazing, and in return they received manure, which they used for the garden and vineyard.
A return to nature as an eternal inspiration
"Observing the development of seeds to fruit, waiting for the rain, then the sun, and at the end a lunch of stuffed zucchini, potatoes and several types of fresh salad, with mint and wild rosehip juice, that experience when you pick the fruits of your labor was really special for us too. and for our children", Lidija enthusiastically conveys her impressions to us, adding that the girls were more occupied with animals: turtles, a dog and cats, of which there are nine, each of which little Đina gave names to.
"I would talk about each cat for hours. Maza, of course, likes to be petted, Claw to spread her claws and scratches, Donut is chubby... and so on until number 9. The girls spent most of their time playing, walking, riding bikes and studying Vjera, otherwise a fifth-grader, started an online school with her classmates for children who need help with their studies. It is clear that she is more interested in social studies, but she likes to ride her bike around the village and be near the lake," proudly Lidija explained to us the habits of her girls.
Lidija, as she says herself, has always thought so, and now she has confirmed that staying in the countryside can really be healing, especially for sensitive, introverted souls and perfectionists.
"There is always something being done and produced in the countryside, says Lidija, considering that it is easiest to observe the plants you plant as they grow, bloom, then you harvest the fruits and make something from them again... Even if you do nothing, nature renews itself. In such an environment, you feel that your life and everything you do is just a part of the story, and that good things will happen even if you don't involve your fingers in everything. It is enough that you exist, next to your loved ones. I, staying in nature, learned a lesson about perfectionism , today I believe that it is about striving for something completely unnatural, because a split pomegranate, a lumpy potato, a wormy apple - those so-called mistakes are actually marks of quality".
Our hostess also convinced herself that there is much more room for creativity in the countryside than in the city, and in conditions where everything is "at hand". When something is missing in the village, people first think about how to make it themselves, or fix it. It does not occur to anyone to immediately think about buying a new product.
Even Brnović's daughters, guided by this trend, learned to recycle their wardrobes and make summer ones out of winter. Lidija also says that the children really enjoyed being in the countryside surrounded by nature, mostly due to the fact that the family is finally together, for the first time in a very long time. Until the beginning of summer. Since they spent the spring alone, between the furuna and the gramophone, hanging out and creating a handful of unforgettable memories, the summer passed in family birthday celebrations.
When the measures against the pandemic eased, a family of relatives and friends entered their lives, also Brnović, and especially their children, with whom Vjera and Đina spent their days and became so close that in the end, they did not want to return to the city. And while the little ones played carefree throughout the summer, the older ones, in addition to socializing, also worked on the restoration of the common infrastructure; roads, old boundaries and walls around the property, a common pool for children, etc.
In addition to socializing with family and friends, Lidija organized several outdoor business meetings in the countryside, to the general delight of her colleagues, which certainly had a positive effect on her colleagues who spent most of their time in offices and under masks.
In October, with the start of school, the children returned to their school duties, and the grown-ups Brnović to their usual private and business pace. Fortunately, the village is only a few kilometers away from the city, so they can still spend relaxing weekends in Oblun, but as Lidija told us, they have big plans for the future.
However, Lidija notes that the brake on the village's development is not "only" the lack of basic infrastructure: roads, electricity, water (the school in Barutana only got drinking water last year!), Internet coverage, but the lack of vision.
"We, as a society, have determined that our villages perform a function from prehistoric times; that is, only the production of food in the traditional way, along with the exploitation of forest and water resources. And in fact, our interlocutor is categorical, it is of key importance to preserve and improve the heritage I think that we owe the villages the improvement of the knowledge of newer generations, and I hope that soon a highly qualified workforce will turn to rural areas, to keep pace with Europe and the world, develop the concept of "smart" villages, modernize production and processing technology, improve marketing and placement domestic products and services, strengthen the association of the local population into cooperatives, clusters, social enterprises and their active participation in decision-making processes of importance for rural development".
Brnović also hopes that we will succeed in reconstructing and innovating the traditional tourist product, in order to attract environmentally conscious tourists and visitors who are interested in a longer stay in the countryside in the off-season.
Here, above all, he is referring to the type of foreigners whose nature of work allows them to work from home, or from anywhere in the world, the so-called. digital nomads. These foreigners would rent houses in Montenegrin villages.
According to our interlocutor, the legal framework should also be arranged in such a way as to follow the development and social needs of the village, e.g. that the construction of new, environmentally friendly buildings and the performance of economic activities in rural areas proceed smoothly.
"This could include, in addition to innovative planning documents, the transfer of land and abandoned buildings to the interested population in order to solve the issue of housing, start and increase domestic production of food and other products, and provide ourselves with a dignified life and work. In this way, we might could return children to village schools and meadows, because one of the most beautiful childhood memories of our generation are not expensive gifts, but dirty knees and injured knees from playing".
"Finally, it is necessary to recognize the achievements in the field of architecture, art and other aspects of culture that are connected to rural areas, or to re-establish those connections, in order to break the chain of social exclusion and neglect of the importance of the enormous human and natural potential that we have in the countryside". Brnović concluded with the conviction that better times are coming for our village.
Bonus video:
