We breathed as one, lived on watermelons: Memories of a Japanese woman who helped rebuild Ulcinj after the earthquake

I remember a man searching for something in the rubble in a cloud of dust, moving stones and rubble from a collapsed family home. He was very unhappy, his face was contorted with pain. I silently watched that terrible scene, not knowing how to help. I thought he was looking for money or gold, but the man's face suddenly lit up. It was obvious that he had found what he was desperately looking for. It was neither money nor gold - in his trembling hands he was holding only an old family photo...

That scene from the Old Town in Ulcinj after the catastrophic earthquake of 1979, as she tells "Vijesti", deeply shook and remained etched in the memory of the then twenty-four-year-old Japanese woman. Miho ShimizuShimizu then found herself in Ulcinj as part of the Youth Work Campaign, in which students from all over the then Yugoslavia also participated.

She didn't hesitate when she heard in Sarajevo, where she was studying the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that students were being sought to help in coastal towns in Montenegro that had been hit by an earthquake - she packed her essentials and stood among the first in line. She didn't know where Ulcinj was, it didn't matter to her at the time, people needed help on those hot days...

After 47 years, Shimizu found herself in Ulcinj and the Old Town again this summer. This time as a tourist.

"Ulcinj was built like all cities in the world. However, something remained the same, especially the people, their kindness and hospitality," says Shimizu while with her husband Michitaka and owner of "Palata Venezia" Gani Resulbegović sitting on the terrace of that hotel in the Old Town.

Pointing towards the sea and Otranto, she adds that she is enchanted by the view.

"You're probably wondering where I came from in Yugoslavia and Sarajevo that summer of 1979," he asks in our understandable language and continues the story...

She was born in 1955 in Nagoya and graduated with a degree in history from the University of Tokyo.

"When I was supposed to do my graduate work, I said I was interested in the history of Bosnia. No one knew where Bosnia was, but my professor told me: 'If you want to study that, first write and go there directly.' That's when I saw an ad for a Croatian language course in the newspaper," she remembers how it all began.

She first came to the former Yugoslavia in the summer of 1978. Then she participated in a summer Croatian language course for foreigners.

"I fell in love with the Balkan mentality so much that I lived in Zagreb as a private student from the fall until June of the following year. I was supposed to return to Japan after three weeks, the duration of the course, but my parents supported my intention to stay longer and sent me money, even though they didn't even know where Yugoslavia was, let alone Bosnia," she recalls.

Then she moved from Zagreb to Sarajevo.

“At the end of 1979, I also took the exam for a scholarship from the Yugoslav government. From 1980, I spent a year and a half in Sarajevo as a scholarship holder. So, a total of three and a half years of my mid-twenties, I spent living in the former Yugoslavia,” Shimizu says.

By the time she moved from Zagreb to Sarajevo, Montenegro and its coast had already been hit by a devastating earthquake.

At the first invitation, she decided without hesitation to participate in the summer work action. She arrived in Ulcinj by bus, the tent on Velika Plaza was large and didn't look like much, but Shimizu didn't care - she knew why she was there, she was on a mission of solidarity, humanity...

"A huge tent set up on the shore, on the Big Beach, was our accommodation, and together with students from all over Yugoslavia we helped clear the ruins of the Old Town and repair the roads. It's been 47 years since then and I don't remember many details, but I will never forget how much I looked forward to the daily brunch, I think at 10 in the morning. We had an hour break, we would get juice, coffee, we talked, made arrangements... I can't forget the long conversations until late at night with the students who came from Slovenia and Macedonia," she recalls.

The then “Borba” reported on July 26th of that year that on July 9th, a brigade-sized “Hurray for a new Ulcinj” was heard in Ulcinj.

In addition to the “Boško Strugar” brigade from Ulcinj, the “Boro and Ramiz” brigades from Pristina, “Ivan Cankar” from Vrhnik, “Bora Marković” from Belgrade, “Antun Cvetković” from Nova Gorica, “Jovan Kecman Čedo” from Knjaževac and “Bratstvo-Jedinstvo”, student dormitories from Yugoslavia, also arrived in the city.

"The foremen carry out all tasks on the route and in the settlement with great responsibility. Their awareness of solidarity and discipline in every job is astonishing," the text said.

And Shimizu also remembers how the brigadiers, during their rare breaks, enjoyed Štoj watermelons.

"We ate so many watermelons in Štoj, I don't know if we could have eaten anything else," he says with a smile.

He remembers well an old woman who always sold lots of watermelons near the tent.

"I would look at them every day and want to buy one. A few days before the end of the campaign, I plucked up the courage and bought one. It was very sweet and delicious and I shared it with my friends. The next day, when we returned from work, there was a huge watermelon in front of our tent. I thought I should pay for it, but the old woman said she didn't know anything about it and absolutely refused to accept any money. On the last day, I gave her a blue T-shirt that I had received in the work campaign. She was happy and even today when I see watermelons on the street, I remember the old woman and that time," she says.

While going to work, she encountered black people on the streets of Ulcinj. For Shimizu, this was completely unusual and confusing.

“At first, I didn't know where they were from in Ulcinj. Later, they told me the history of the city and the black community. Then I also learned about slaves, pirates, and Cervantes in the Old Town. It's so impressive for a small town,” she says.

Wars and devastating earthquakes, the story goes on, bring with them the same thing - victims and ruins.

"That's why the scene from the Old Town after the earthquake remained particularly striking to me. After everything he had lost, in the ruins of his home, the man was looking for only memories, so that he wouldn't be forgotten," he says.

Before Ulcinj, Shimizu and her husband visited Podgorica, Cetinje, Kotor, and Budva.

"We traveled quite slowly and relaxed, but I am very sorry that we have to return to Japan on July 9th. I am only now beginning to understand the rich diversity of Montenegro, and especially to feel the specific interest of Ulcinj. I would really be happy if we could stay a little longer. However, I must say that my impression may be a little different from that of an ordinary tourist," she says, alluding to her first stay in Ulcinj.

She adds that she decided to come to Ulcinj again with her husband after 47 years.

“My husband is also Japanese and loves to paint, play traditional Japanese instruments, visit old archaeological sites, collect antiques, watch birds during his morning walks, and enjoy wine, jazz, and classical music in the evenings. We have it all here. We have traveled to various parts of the Balkans together, but this is the first time we have spent 25 days in Montenegro,” she says.

They had an unforgettable experience in Cetinje, he adds.

“This peaceful, green, small town, rich in cultural heritage, left a strong impression on us. I was particularly moved by the story of the icon of the Virgin Filermosa, which has been a spiritual support for many people for centuries. We also visited the eco-tourism village of Oblun, between Cetinje and Podgorica. We spoke to the young owner, whose dedication deeply touched us. I believe that the time of mass tourism, of large groups arriving on huge ships, is over. In the future, tourism will play an important role in being able to provide an environment that renews human feelings and everyday life, much more personal and humane,” he says.

In Kotor they stayed at the Bizanti Palace, and in Ulcinj at the Venezia Palace.

“These two stays have once again encouraged me to “travel through history”. The maritime cities of Montenegro are extremely attractive to me today. They have a city elite, different from the usual holders of power. Families like the Bruti and Bruni were very wise and lived successfully in the Mediterranean world of the 16th century. Their wisdom, their way of resolving conflicts, their care for prisoners, their contribution to the citizens still live on in this diverse city today. I would like modern politicians to be able to learn something from them,” says Shimizu.

The stay at the "Venezia" Palace was a special experience for the couple.

"We really like it here. The first impression is as if we have stepped into a museum complex. And indeed, such a small space with sculptures of Cervantes and Cvij, the Pirate Museum and the Bey's Tower, as if it were telling the history of the city itself. I would like to be a student and spend a few months from autumn to spring and get to know the seasons of Ulcinj, which I do not yet know," she says, emphasizing that, like many tourists, she would like to return to this country and this city again. She thanks Resulbegović, who offered the couple a free seven-day stay whenever they wanted for all the following years.

"I am 71 years old today, and a lot has changed in the former Yugoslavia, in Japan, and in the world. I know there are different opinions, but I believe that the Yugoslav social experiments of that time provided young people with an immensely valuable "real education". I think that summer in Yugoslavia and Ulcinj, I received great life advice. Thank you Ulcinj and thank you to the people of the former Yugoslavia," Shimizu said.