I decided to cycle a round-trip in Serbia. Serbia has no ocean. I do need 1 to 3 days in the big blue. In this case, Serbia has a lot of hot springs so I thought it would do.
Sometimes in Serbia there were touristic places. And some places, at the end of a village, where I was alone.
And some places, at the end of a village, where I was alone.
Anyway I went to a middle size city called Pirot. I just wanted to circle the big mountain on the edge. I started from Pirot late in the afternoon. Soon there was only nature: I loved it.
It was late and nothing flat to put my tent on. And I noticed some enormous refugee camp. These camps are always out of town: nobody wants to have “these criminals” around. Although they are like you and me and they want to live in a peaceful country.
I went to see a guard to ask him if I could put my tent at the entrance and I would leave very early in the morning. Since he couldn’t talk in English, an Afghani called Zaki was around and made the translation. The answer was no: only refugees could stay here. I should return to Pirot and rent a room over there. And the guard returned to his office.
Zaki told me in secret that I could stay at his place and all the family would welcome me. So I made a big detour and I came to their container at the end of the camp. No guard should know about it.
Zaki told me in secret that I could stay at his place and all the family would welcome me.
When I took a shower with the new towel, shampoo and soap that his wife Lina gave me, they made the dinner according to my vegetarian wish. The 4 daughters and we 3 had a nice evening: we had conversations about the difference of their life in Afghanistan and now their awful experiences since they were traveling to escape the Taliban.
We were in the same country: me visiting and they wanting to go somewhere peaceful and quiet where the children could have a future. We spoke a lot on that night.
When I left early in the next morning, we had exchanged telephone numbers and promised each other to stay in contact. I made a round trip on the mountain and came back home some days later.
Since then Lina, Zaki and the children live in Germany. The parents work, the children go to school where they are excellent students. I have visited them several times with a great pleasure.
We are a family now.
We are a family now.
Thank you sharing this story. It’s beautiful. It shows the 1-1 connection for humanity is more powerful than governments!
Beautiful heart-warming story. Thank you.
So moving and emotional…with a good ending.