"Discussing with my colleagues a few months ago, I said that my move to the countryside seven years ago turned out to be an excellent decision, especially during the current epidemiological situation and the first lockdown, which caught us."
Our hostess, Dejana Ponoš, welcomed us with these words, adding that back in 2013, when after her divorce she had to make a decision about where their small household, consisting of two-year-old Sofi and her, would continue their lives, thousands of things and questions buzzing in his head. She then decided to build a house in the countryside. She made the decision together with her parents, and they agreed that the construction of a new family house, with separate apartments for their two families, is completely logical and functional.
"That's how Sofi got her own corner and "palace with a wooden vault" (we often quote Branko Ćopić and Hedgehog's house), she grows up in nature, surrounded by plants and animals. We call insects pets, and it often happens that we fall asleep with a buzzard in the living room in the summer", this proud mom is emotional and adds that her grandparents are in the apartment next door, so all her childhood Sophie has her own room to play at home, and one the entire living room occupied by toys, because grandma always knew how to say "well, it doesn't matter if guests come, she's my grandchild and she has to play"
Our interlocutor points out that people who live in the countryside deal with adversity differently and have a special kind of psychological stability.
"Immediately, for example, points out Ponoš, one must learn that one hailstorm or too much sun can destroy grapes, no matter how much effort you put into them. That's why some things simply cannot be controlled, and therefore it is necessary to bring potential stress to a reasonable limit. Also, Ponoš adds, if you live in the countryside and haven't bought everything you need in the city, by the time you next go to "civilization" you will be left without the necessary things, so next time you will make a reminder and shop for everything you need".
The house of the Ponoš family in the countryside has its own vineyard, fruit trees, and even 24 planted olive trees. A lot of work is needed to maintain all that, and as Dejana says, her father, Sofi's grandfather, puts in the most effort, who tirelessly takes care of everything.
"As we are originally from Dalmatia, we had the desire, and later the climatic characteristics of this area made it possible for us, to plant certain autochthonous, Dalmatian, types of vines and olives in our yard. A few years ago, we brought a pitar from our aunt from the Šibenik hinterland. lavender, and then we transplanted it further to surround the whole house. However, it seems that it is not true that lavender protects against mosquitoes, we still have them," adds Dejana and points out that for friends and personal use they even designed wine labels and grape brandy that they produce themselves.
"That's how the white wine got the name Skradin, after my mother's birthplace, and the red Iskra, as a brand from Danilovgrad. My sister, our frequent visitor and wine bottling assistant, is responsible for the idea and its implementation. However, as Sofi prefers citrus fruits, the first going out into the city, after the lockdown, we used it to buy lemon seedlings, for which grandfather, with an excellent sense of space and planning, found an excellent place, right under the window of Sofia's room. In the leeward side. We also used that stay in the city to buy a bicycle for grandfather gift, which turned out to be an extremely good decision".
Despite the fact that there is really a lot of work around the house in the countryside, if, like Dejana, you inherit the golden hands and creativity of your parents, the living world in your yard will only become more diverse and of higher quality. Thus, a vine that does not give a good enough yield needs to be replaced with a new one in time, is the rule of Dejana's father, just as it is necessary to monitor all the changes on the plants in order to always be able to meet the challenges of preserving the quality and maintaining everything that is planted and bears fruit. However, if you, as a Ponoš family, are sufficiently well organized in terms of your life in the countryside, and regardless of the already mentioned distance from Podgorica of 12 km, and from Danilovgrad 7 km, you do not necessarily have to feel alienated from civilization. "However, adds our interlocutor Dejana, perhaps the hardest thing for us is when something is accidentally forgotten at home or at work, so I have to return, or when I have to pick up Sofia, take her to some extracurricular activity and bring her home." In solving these problems, family meetings and agreements helped them, so now they share the responsibilities according to their possibilities.
The educational staff of adults, in the Ponoš family, always finds a solution. Baki's biggest regret today is that she didn't learn to drive earlier, so today she could take part in picking up and dropping off Sofia. Nevertheless, they still arrive like this, and when necessary, they use, as they say, well-organized public transport, which they currently avoid due to the epidemiological situation. Taking everything into consideration, they also decided that Sofi attends school in Podgorica, because they are bound by work to the city and the daily connection between Komunica and Podgorica. Such a decision, for them, was completely logical, regardless of the fact that there is also a village school and well-organized transportation for students.
The village of Ponoševim, in addition to all of the above, offers mostly peace and quiet, which strengthens and enables moments that no city can provide. Aware of this, in this family, and how they know how to take advantage of the benefits obtained from staying in the countryside; although sometimes they are not fully aware of it. The best example of this statement is certainly the summer situation that arose during one afternoon and the socializing of our interlocutor Dejana and her daughter Sofi, during which, playing association, the girl, explaining the imaginary concept, pointed out that her mother has something she cannot do without, which Dejana did not immediately remember she had no idea, so Sophie helped her by explaining that it was about their house.
"And it's true, says Dejana, those are our 4 walls SophieSunshine showroom, a place where we grow and develop, build our own characteristics, creativity, mutual respect, tolerance, non-judgment of other people and respect for other people's needs. Under our roof, in two apartment, four members from three generations live in the same yard, and there are also our numerous pets - some guard the house, some are for cuddling and meowing, and some give us homemade eggs... And let me not forget, we only miss optical internet, and we also have frequent problems with the equipment, due to bad weather, which, truth be told, is quickly removed by the teams on duty", our interlocutor is honest.
And as the coming months will be marked by works on the main road Podgorica-Danilovgrad, we are sure that the Ponoš family, like all their neighbors, will eagerly await the completion of the works, believing that this way their village will be better connected to the city.
But, as they are territorially tied to the municipality of Danilovgrad, Dejana tells us, they recently established a new tradition.
"Every other weekend when my daughter is at home and not visiting her dad, we go to Danilovgrad and there we have a spiza, hairdresser, coffee, vet, as well as our favorite visit to the sculptures in front of the Art Colony. We have everything and everything is close by. And if you ask us what else would we add to all this, then it must be that small, blue board with a number, a board from the city streets, which we will proudly hang on the gate of the Ponoš farm. We are really proud that we built our home right there, especially because it is a little those of us who are lucky enough to live in the realm of wild Danilovgrad bars and tame Dalmatian olives".
The car as a place for small family meetings
"The new village, Komunice, for which Dejana decided, is located 12 km from the Preko Morača part of town, which is approximately a 10 to 15-minute drive to her work, once Sofia's kindergarten, and today to school. Dejana and Sofia's driving time most often they spend time singing, talking about a wide variety of topics, and they also concluded that the car is sometimes a great place for small family meetings, or just for collecting and defragmenting thoughts. After the time together, spent driving, each of them begins a part of the day filled with obligations and responsibilities Every evening they are together again, and that means it's time to hang out, read, enjoy Harry Potter experiences, or make earrings for mom."
A unique village experience
"In our yard, it's magical to follow all the seasons, the changing colors of the leaves, the ripening of fruits... However, my favorite season is summer... Without the bright street lights, advertisements and neon, the country nights are different and the stars are brighter, especially in the summer. Instead of traffic noise, we are lulled to sleep by screeches, and we are awakened by the chopping of wood... we rest intoxicated by the smell of cut grass and enjoy the raking of fallen mulberry leaves... All these sounds, colors, smells... are just a unique experience that a village can provide provide. We don't want to change that".
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