BARBARA DRUMMOND: Alright, this is Shelley Drummond. With Milan, Mirela,
Gabriella, and Anna will be laughing probably occasionally...(laughs)MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
DRUMMOND: ...in our interview. And this is for the Immigrants of Bowling Green
Oral History Project. And we're at the home--and how do you say your last name? Colakovic?MILAN COLAKOVIC: Exactly. That's right.
DRUMMOND: Colakovic, okay. We're at the Colakovic's.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You'll learn fast.
DRUMMOND: (laughs) Getting there. Um, so where are you from exactly? In Bosnia?
(baby sounds)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Banja Luka.
DRUMMOND: Banja Luka?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: I've, I've...talked to someone else who's from Banja Luka. I'll
remember later. Um...MILAN COLAKOVIC: Many people came over her from Banja Luka.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: From Banja Luka?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Many families.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: Do you, do you know them all? A lot of them?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, yeah.
DRUMMOND: Hmm, okay. Tell me a little bit about Banja Luka then.
1:00MILAN COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
GABBY SMIT: Don't look at me.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, Banja Luka is a big town. Probably right now, I
really don't know how many people, but...in '90, '92, '94 Banja Luka was about, between 250 and 300,000 people. It's a big town. And...(laughs) our memory from that town, you know, many years ago. Great memories. But during the Bosnia War it's bad memories. But uh...basically that's a nice town. (baby sounds) Something like, I really can't compared. Like uh, I went in Nashville--probably like Nashville. Between mountains, on one side, and nice valley on the opposite 2:00side. And nice river called Vrbas. That's like something, like uh, you know, (indeterminable) like uh, like (indeterminable) river. Something like that.DRUMMOND: Okay.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And uh, over there there are many factories. And uh, you know,
we used to have all that. University. Many high schools, you know. Also everything what people need. Like uh, many restaurants, hotels, place to go out (baby sound) like a cafe. And uh, (baby crying) like uh sports. Especially for Bosnian people, soccer. 3:00DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And uh, you know, basketball teams. And you know, everything.
You know it used to be very, very nice town and people but, overnight, overnight the Bosnia War start. (indeterminable) Why? What knows. That's a short, you know, about Banja Luka.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, it's most beautiful town, but...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Used to be--I also want to tell you, mostly the population was
like in percent, you know, like mostly about 35% Serbs Orthodox, about 35% 4:00Muslims, and about 30% uh, Christians, Catholics. And so many groups, you know, ethnic groups like Gypsies and--but they are, you know, just a little bit. (baby sounds)DRUMMOND: Were you surprised um...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: About what?
DRUMMOND: When you, you said that overnight it completely changed. The town
completely changed.MILAN COLAKOVIC: We are not surprised. We was not surprised. We was
disappointed. Because we were expecting something like that. Couple of years before. People was talking about that and we were expecting a war. And we were disappointed. But, who care about us...over there? 5:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs) Yeah, not here.
(00:05:02)
DRUMMOND: People here. Maybe, maybe, maybe we'll all be surprised. How about
your home? In Banja Luca? Describe--tell me about what it was like.SMIT: It was an apartment.
DRUMMOND: Your house.
SMIT: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: An apartment?
SMIT: Yeah.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. It was a big building with many apartments. Like 50 or,
between 50 and 100.SMIT: It had three floors.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
SMIT: One building. There was like um, a set of buildings and it's like one
place. It's like set of buildings. I don't know how there were, I think were eight buildings. But they have even numbers like two, four, six, and on. (baby sounds) Until 16.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: And they had, I don't know how many apartments in there. In just one of them.
6:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: I think 12.
SMIT: Some of them had 12.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Mhmm. About 12.
DRUMMOND: What did you do? As a job there?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: I was a sales...associate.
SMIT: Sales clerk.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Like, (laughs) like here.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I had a very nice job compared to over here. But it's uh, you
know, only part of history. I worked in a hospital, about 20 years. In the laboratory, like a microbiologist.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: But, you know it's very different between European and
American. You know, especially for medical treatment. Measurement you know and, you know everything is different. And when I get here my European diploma, 7:00especially my English is bad. And I start, you know, like everybody. Like dishwasher-type loader or something like that. Right now it's different.DRUMMOND: Yeah?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: After three years.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: A lot of people I have talked to have had this same experience. They
have common--gone to work at Eagle. But a lot of people were involved in the medical profession.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I, you know, I finished medical university in former
Yugoslavia, in Belgrade, in 1974. But that's, (laughs) I tell many people that's like a joke. Your diploma is for trashcan.SMIT: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's true!
DRUMMOND: Really?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
SMIT: Here they didn't even ask. Because I finished, I was about in 3rd grade
when I left from Bosnia, then I came to Croatia. I've been there my 4th and 5th 8:00grade. And in Croatia they didn't even ask about my 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade. And here they didn't even ask about my school. Like what happened in school in before. They just like started going on and on.DRUMMOND: You talked a little bit about some of the things that are different. I
mean do you feel like there really is anything different? You said the measurements...MILAN COLAKOVIC: You said, you know, (baby sounds) you understand that
especially here, I think measurement like uh, you know, compared like decimal, you know. Like millimeter, meter, something like that. That's different, inches, foots, you know. Miles. And also in medical treatment, big difference. I went, I went in a medical center in Graves Gilbert Clinic, and like voluntary job, you know. To try to, like the phlebotomy center, something like that. And I saw 9:00(laughs) big difference. Because I know how the looks like over there. In former Yugoslavia. In Europe. And I saw that's (indeterminable) in America. It's a big difference.DRUMMOND: What, what were they doing?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, we in Europe, we late, we late in the medical program
compared to America. Probably about 20 or 30 years.DRUMMOND: Oh, okay.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's it.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I'm not concerned because I'm not guilty for that.
DRUMMOND: Right.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I have to go, I know my opinion about that. If I lied. To get a
real job in a hospital somewhere, I have to go probably couple of years in university, you know. To learn new things. American. Because I don't need those 10:00things from Europe. That's here for nothing. It's too old.(00:10:16)
DRUMMOND: Okay.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's it.
DRUMMOND: Do you want to do that?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: No. No. In my age, and I got...(laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: ...three kids. I'm, you know, I'm responsible not only for
feeding my family... (laughs)DRUMMOND: Right. (laughs) That's all.
(everybody laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: If you want to give me a bit credit, probably about $50,000...
(everybody laughs)
DRUMMOND: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I want to go in school.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: It's too big family.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, I was asking somewhere for credit, you know, for my
school. For something like that but, ooh, nobody is interested for that. And I'm unable to change anything. I want to go in the school, but in the meantime...someone have to care for my family.DRUMMOND: Right.
SMIT: Yeah. Work.
11:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: All day.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Work. That's it. Alright now I got much better job, you know. I
met, I met a lot of people. I'm working right now for WKU and...I'm not concerned for...DRUMMOND: Where are you working right now?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I'm working right now at print shop in Supply Services building
on Big Red Way One, you know. For Western Kentucky University.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: For Xerox, you know, where I working.
DRUMMOND: Okay. I know.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like uh, account associate. I change my profession but...
(everybody laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And you know, I'm satisfied. (baby sounds) I don't need
medical, you know, right now. In my age I don't have the time. My brain is, you know, full.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Full. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Not too old for school...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs) I'm joking.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: But you know, I have other problems. With feeding family. To
pay many bills, the obligations, and you know. I'm not interested for school 12:00right now. I'm interested for fishing.(everybody laughs)
DRUMMOND: Me too.
(everybody laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: You like fish?
DRUMMOND: Oh yeah. I was just--you know what a striper is?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: What's that?
DRUMMOND: A striper, it's striped bass. They're big...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: A striped--
(everybody exclaims)
DRUMMOND: I, just Saturday. I went fishing with my dad.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Where are you going in fishing?
DRUMMOND: I was in Virginia with my father.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Oh, in Virginia.
DRUMMOND: Do you here then?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I specialized, especially, but I'm only fishing, going fishing,
you know, on little creeks.DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Clear water. Not, you know.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Like Barren River or something.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And my, you know, my...(baby screams). Best fish for me is only
trout. Especially (baby screams) a rainbow trout. And I net over there in Scottsville, speckled trout. You know what's that? 13:00DRUMMOND: Uh-huh, okay.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: With a red color, you know, red. And I went couple of times in
Scottsville, five miles, you know, from Scottsville. On uh, Concord Creek. That's a little creek with clear, cold water. And I, I caught...DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: ...all the time, probably four or five, you know, rainbow
trouts. And one time, just only one time, one speckled trout.DRUMMOND: Oh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's it.
DRUMMOND: It's fun trout fishing. It's fun.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's nice treat.
DRUMMOND: Yeah. So, tell me about how you made the decision to come to the
United States.MILAN COLAKOVIC: Hmm.
DRUMMOND: Or that day...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: It's hard to say. Would you like to talk about that with my wife?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Because of hard time in Bosnia. At war five years. That's enough.
14:00DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: I think, I can't do anymore.
DRUMMOND: Yeah, yeah.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And I was craving peace and some country like here.
DRUMMOND: And you, did you choose the United State? Over the rest of Europe?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Yes, we did.
DRUMMOND: Why did you choose the United States?
SMIT: We heard--
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: First reason because of peace.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Many, many years.
SMIT: Chances in the future.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Especially for our kids' chances for the future, you know.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes. For everything.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: For them to go to school. To finish university. My son, my daughter...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: For happiness. Just good life.
DRUMMOND: How about the day that you left?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
DRUMMOND: If you want to talk about it.
SMIT: (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: No, that's, that's like a movie. For right now we'll talk very
shortly, only a couple of words about that first of all. We have had a problem with government because about many military and paramilitary forces over there. 15:00And especially me because, because I'm man.(00:15:12)
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I, I need to be a soldier. (baby sounds) But I don't want to do
that. And many, many peoples is good peoples over there. And Serbs, and Muslims, and Catholics they help us. And we, you know, like secret overnight across the border. And we (laughs) that's it, you know, thats--something like, like a movie.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: In dreams.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Scary movie. (laughs)
DRUMMOND: So tell me. What was it, I mean, what was it like to--I mean, what did
you pack up with you when you came? What decision, what did you bring? Were you there with them at that time?SMIT: No.
DRUMMOND: You probably shouldn't be.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: We sent, already sent middle daughter and our daughter,
Manuela, she's right now with her boyfriend. We sent two years, one year and a 16:00half before. From Bosnia. You know. To be in a safe place. But, we have had a problem, me and my wife...MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Across the border. Especially me. But, that's like, like an
action movie.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
(everybody laughs)
DRUMMOND: Well did someone help you, get across?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Yes, yes.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Many people help us and...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: ...and happy end.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's good.
DRUMMOND: Was it just you or, were there um, other people with you?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: No. We, we were along. Because it's too dangerous with a big
group of people, it's too dangerous. We was alone. (laughs)DRUMMOND: By car or by train?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Bus.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Bus.
DRUMMOND: Bus?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And we already--
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Walk...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Many buses and walk through the tree across border and
17:00something like that. (laughs)MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Overnight. Looks like funny right now.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, now it's funny. (laughs) But...
DRUMMOND: Very scary.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, very scary.
DRUMMOND: What did you, so what did you carry with you?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Just only...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Nothing. Just like...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Just a couple of suitcases.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: It's too heavy to carry anything. How can you?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Too heavy.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Only, only, you know, necessary things. And some, some money,
you know. For--not enough.DRUMMOND: Photos, or? Momentos from your family?
SMIT: Some of them.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Not too many, but...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Pictures or something like that, but...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Very important.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: We have had, again a problem. We lost, when we came over here,
we lost...MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Memories.
18:00MILAN COLAKOVIC: Not we, but you know, TWA?
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Company? They lost one of our luggage with our memories. All
the bills and stuff like that from our family was lost. And they already paid us $600 for that but, you know. We don't have anything like memories. Like pictures, you know, many, you know...Like uh, bracelets and necklace and something like rings and family memories, you know. (baby sounds)MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, like picture of my father and his father and...
DRUMMOND: On the plane?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And also many documents, you know, many important documents
about some ownership and uh...MIRELA COLAKOVIC: School, and everything.
SMIT: I'm sorry they lost it, but I cam like two years, or a year after them.
19:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: A year after.
SMIT: And I like didn't lose anything. So I kept a lot of memories. Some of them
I couldn't bring with myself it was like too much luggage and everything. And I actually left some of them there. And I could bring like a little bit of it and I'm glad I did because it reminds me of everything there.DRUMMOND: Which border did you cross into...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Between Bosnia...
DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And Croatia.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Croatia.
DRUMMOND: And Croatia.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: So you flew out of Croatia.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes. From Split.
SMIT: That's Croatia.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Yeah, we flew over there from Croatia, from Split to Italy, to
Roma. And from Roma across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. And from New York City to St. Louis, Missouri. 20:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: From St. Louis, Missouri we slept over there and in the morning
to Nashville, TN, and Bowling Green.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
(00:20:05)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, that's like a little, Banja Luka and Bowling Green.
That's B-B.(everyone laughs)
DRUMMOND: Yeah. How did, how did, how did you end up in Bowling Green? Did you
choose it or did you know somebody here?MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes, we know somebody here.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: We have a friend. (baby sounds) And she came before us, I
think. Maybe 10, 11 months.DRUMMOND: And so she told you to come here?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: What did you expect it to be like here?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Ask her.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs) I don't know.
DRUMMOND: (laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: I expect big, big city like Nashville and Louisville, maybe.
But, I like now. I'm happy here. I like Bowling Green. 21:00DRUMMOND: What about you? (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, when I came over here I was uh, I told you, I was a
little disappointed because it's, everything was new for me. And I didn't know nothing. Also I couldn't speak any English words, you know. I didn't know, just nothing. I was refugee and I had to work very hard job all the time, you know, like a dishwasher...And that used to be like, everybody. And right now, it's particular now because I introduce many nice people. I know everything about Bowling Green. And uh, after three years I'm also, my second job, I'm delivery driver for Five Star Express. And I know all Bowling Green area and surrounding 22:00area. Like American!MIRELA COLAKOVIC: He know everything.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And right now that's easy for me.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And I'm, right now I'm not concerned. We are making enough
money for life. We can pay all bills. We have enough money for life, for food, for go out sometimes. We got three cars. Nice home. And that's it! That's good. We are, right now we are satisfied. You know, different, very different, you now.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And we have great children. We have four--
DRUMMOND: What year--Oh, how many children?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Four.
DRUMMOND: Four?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: What are their names? Other than Gabriella.
SMIT: Anna.
DRUMMOND: Anna.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Dragan.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Dragan.
DRUMMOND: Okay.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs) And Manuela.
DRUMMOND: Manuela.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
SMIT: Want me to write it down for you? (laughs)
DRUMMOND: Okay.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: She's oldest.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: She's right now, I told you she's with her boyfriend. (baby sounds)
23:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And she, she's right now uh, three months along with her pregnancy.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: Oh really?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And our son Dragan, he's 21.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: He's Western Kentucky University student and...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: He's 20. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Okay, to be exact 20 years and 6 months.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And also, he working right now on Three Springs Road, you know.
DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: In (indeterminable) restaurant.
DRUMMOND: Yeah, I know that place.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like uh, cook. Not like me, dishwasher.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Because he worked before in Toot's, Toot's Restaurant. Like a
kitchen master.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: He knows everything about cooking. That's like a part-time job.
First of all, he's Western Kentucky student. He want to be a surgeon.DRUMMOND: A surgeon?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Mhmm. Probably, I talk with him, he have to go probably about
ten years. 24:00SMIT: He said 15 more years. Ten more years if he wants to be a doctor and 15
more years if wants to be a surgeon.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Oh my god. (laughs)
SMIT: And I have to um, I don't know how many years to be a lawyer. Through law
school. Like, 15 or 20 years.(everyone laughs)
SMIT: That's going to be a lot.
DRUMMOND: So you got to keep working.
(everyone laughs and exclaims)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And Anna.
SMIT: Oh yeah, and Anna!
MILAN COLAKOVIC: We talked about that and I talked with my family. With her and
with Dragan. And they have to go in the school. They must and they expecting a great future. They must be rich people. No hard workers, you know, tobacco growers or (laughs) something like that. And that's it. And they like school. They are so smart. That's my opinion about my kids. And after when they get done 25:00with school, with university, we also expecting a big help.(everyone laughs)
(00:25:15)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's it! They have to get back something for us!
(everyone laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: A big house.
SMIT: I heard, I heard that while you go through law school, you have like a
training that they pay you for it. But, you go to court, you actually defend people, but they pay you for it. And you like, go to school and go to work at the same time. And that's great.DRUMMOND: Yeah. (phone rings) Here, I can put this on pause. Alright we are
back, and Milan is going to tell us a story of during the war.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's not like a story. That's something like uh, funny. Funny
story. During the Bosnian War, me and my wife's brother, (indeterminable), we 26:00don't want to go in the military forces because, you know. I don't know why, I thought it's a big stupidity. That's my opinion. Many people, many people over there they have had a different opinion. And I disagree. And many time I dispute with those people about that. But that's second thing. And uh, I don't really know. I can't remember. It used to be probably in 1990...MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Three...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Three or four.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And military forces, they working all the time and picking up
people. If you want--no, no problem!MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. Every house and every apartment.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You can expect they checking all doors and all apartments. And uh...
27:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Basements...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: If they find you, they pick you up, and you have to go to
forces. That used to be probably uh, time like that, probably about three or four months. Why, I really don't know. And me and her brother, we must to be in a secret place. And it's a funny story. They, all the time, policeman (indeterminable), like uh, military police, they watching all the windows and doors, and you know. And uh, (laughs) I dressed up her clothing, you know.DRUMMOND: (laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, like a woman. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And over my head a shawl, you know. The glasses, you know.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And dresses. All dresses.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like, like a woman! I went on the balcony and, you know, on the
28:00porch. Like a woman! Couple of days. (everyone laughs) Because I have to go to take a fresh air, you know.DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I was in basement and something like that. That's like a funny
story. (laughs) And she told me for me and for him, "You're like nice girls!"MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. (laughs)
DRUMMOND: (laughs)
(baby cries)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And nobody recognized us like mens.
DRUMMOND: They never recognized you?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Never and...
DRUMMOND: And your brother, too?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And that's a funny story because I have had like a woman in my
life. (everyone laughs) I didn't choose that, but I had to do what I had to do.DRUMMOND: Yeah, yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
DRUMMOND: Do people talk about things here? Now? About the war in Bosnia now? Do
29:00they still dispute, or?SMIT: Sometimes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, right now we are working all the time. My wife, my
son Dragan, Gabriella, and me. We don't have time to uh, to any dispute with anyone. Last time I went in Brickyard, probably two months ago with my wife, because we are working all the time. I'm working straight, every week, five days straight, 14 hours. Eight hours for Western Kentucky, six hours for Five Star Express. You know. And I don't have time to meet anybody. And also I don't want to talk about that. You know, that's a terrible story.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's uh, remember, you know...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: I don't like to remember war.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: We are looking in the future for nice life, you know.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes, yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: For vacation, for fishing, for drinking, dancing. We don't want
30:00to talk about that.DRUMMOND: Well tell me about the dancing. Do people get together for parties
here and dance sometimes?(00:30:05)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes. Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: We went with our friends...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: We like to dance.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: ...to American parties. With (indeterminable).
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know. And we met Mr. Jake (indeterminable) and his wife,
Marie. And we dancing, drinking, you know, and something that used to be very dancing.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: We dancing Bosnian dance, and....
MILAN COLAKOVIC: But that's dance music, you know. Jumping like monkeys.
(everyone laughs)
DRUMMOND: I've been to a party where people, where everybody was singing and it
was amazing.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Bosnian songs?
DRUMMOND: Yes, yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: How do you like that?
DRUMMOND: I loved it, I was amazed. I couldn't believe it. There was one guy who
31:00was, he's young. And somebody said that his mother--and they old. Old somebody. I asked, I said, "Well what are these songs?" And he said, "Those are old Yugoslavian songs."MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: It was beautiful. In one room everybody's dancing disco and in another
there was this stuff going on.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Bosnian...
DRUMMOND: Yeah, it was great.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I want to tell you, I think-- I mean my opinion about former Yugoslavia.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And, right now I'm in 50 years, my age. And uh, when I get
young, probably between 25 and 30 years, we have had over there a very nice life. I know that. In uh, when President Tito died in 1982, people starting with 32:00dispute first. And after that with fighting. Because of nationalities. Because of different opinion. Because uh, about ownerships. Because, you know, about revenge from Second World War. You know. And you know, that's many, many things. That's a long story. But I told you, we have had a very nice life. Like right now in America, many places for dancing. We have had two cars. And you know, holiday home. We rent every weekend somewhere out of town. And singing and drinking and dancing all the time. Until 1982. After that, start with--I talked about that. And also inflation. No money, nothing. You know, no food. You know, people was mad. And war. 33:00SMIT: The only thing I regret about here is you can't go to disco unless you're
21 or 18.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs) Yeah.
SMIT: I've been um, once when we were crossing the border. I think...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Mhmm.
SMIT: Yeah, that's the town called when we were crossing, like between two
things. I don't know what (laughs) because I was like small. So um, and I had to spend the night, my sister had to spend the night at like this lady's house. And she did. And I spent the night at these two girls' house. They are, they have been wonderful to me. And one night we all went to disco. And we were dancing. There's no drinking in there. And there were like just Coke's and everything. And people like, were dancing, and I came here and I was like, "I want to go 34:00dancing." My mom was like, "You can't!" I was like, "Oh god!" I was like, "I want to go dancing!"DRUMMOND: It's hard for a lot of, for a lot of people.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: It's a big difference.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes, it's a big difference.
DRUMMOND: And now that you've got a college now and, now there's a lot of, a lot
of people from Europe here. And all of them have...MILAN COLAKOVIC: And different for traffic, you know. Traffic signs, traffic
rules. And also, I can't, I can send her right now--you have to go to buy me one package of cigarette and one bottle of vodka. And she can, over there she can buy that because I'm her dad, I gave her money. And she can buy that for me!MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: Right.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: But here, no!
SMIT: Over there, I just like, go and just like go and just like buy it. I was
like--and they don't even ask, "Is it for you, is it for your mom, is it for 35:00your dad?" Or whoever. I mean, they're like, in Croatia I haven't, I've been like, very, very small. So I haven't like, I don't have so many memories from Banja Luka but-- (tape cuts out)(00:35:06)
SMIT: When I like, go to the store, everybody is like--I buy cigarettes, and
everybody's like, "Oh, it's for your aunt." Or, "Oh, it's for your uncle." Because they like, already know about everything--they know everything about you.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: And it's like we're very friendly. And here, I've been like a little
scared. Every time I go out, I don't know if somebody's going to come to me say, "Hey, you got a pack of cigarettes." I'd be like, "I don't know you." 36:00DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: "I don't know you. Why should I give you anything?"
DRUMMOND: Yeah.
SMIT: And there, when somebody comes over, "Hey, can I have I drink? Can I go
like, to your house to get a drink of water?" "Yeah, sure. I know you. Go." (baby sounds) I mean I've--everybody knew me. I was like--how was, how old was I when everybody all was yelling, "Hey, it's Gabby." I was like three.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Three or four.
DRUMMOND: Yeah.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: Were you with your sister in Croatia at the same...
SMIT: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: So...Well, where do you go to buy, like your food and...um, to get
special food? Or do you, do you still eat Bosnian food? Do you still cook it?(some laughs)
SMIT: It's mostly the same.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: We have beef...(laughs) It's, I mean like, it's, there's some
food that Americans don't know about and then some food that we don't know 37:00about. That somebody else cooks it. So, we like share stuff. Like, get to know each other a little bit better. When somebody brings something over we're like, "What is that?"(everyone laughs)
SMIT: Like, "Try it!" And it's like, "Oh, I like it! Give me a recipe for it!"
DRUMMOND: What is the stuff--now I've had this from um, from the Golden Key. Um, ajvar?
SMIT: Ajvar.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Ajvar.
DRUMMOND: Ajvar? Okay ajvar.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs) Yes.
DRUMMOND: Okay. I've had that. Do you eat that?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: That's the--he told me that was Bosnian. It was good! I like it.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's very spicy and very nice.
SMIT: I've ate it here, but I don't know what y'all call it. Um, in school. I
don't know, I forgot.DRUMMOND: Are you sure? (laughs)
SMIT: Yeah, it's the same.
DRUMMOND: It was?
SMIT: Yeah. But is has, I think it has sour cream and that.
DRUMMOND: Okay.
SMIT: Because I've ate it, I know I've ate it in uh, Bowling Green Junior High.
38:00For lunch, one time. One time I was like, "I want to try that." And I was like, "Oh my god, it's the same!" It was like, just like a sandwich thing.DRUMMOND: Well do you--(baby sounds) Do you buy food at--(baby sounds) Do you go
to like Kroger, or um, do you go to the Golden Key much?MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, we have a couple of different places.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: If we want to go to buy food. Because, you know, that's like degree.
DRUMMOND: Right.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know. We start with the (laughs) cheaper.
DRUMMOND: Okay.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And like, last one is Kroger. And we have to go first in uh, Aldi.
DRUMMOND: Okay.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: On Campbell Lane.
DRUMMOND: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: It's cheap and that's mostly of stuff. We already bought in
Aldi. And after that, (laughs) uh, next station is Walmart. It's uh, you know, 39:00in Walmart we can buy some, like, for example French bread.DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know. Very hot bread. Something like Bosnian.
DRUMMOND: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Compared. And also some meat and uh, probably like a coffee.
And it's cheaper. Than in Kroger. And like last one, we are going in Kroger and buy some nice stuff. Because you know, merchandise in Kroger, from my opinion, is the best. But it's expensive. We, we have, you know, Kroger Plus Card.DRUMMOND: (laughs) Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know. But (laughs) I know everything about Plus Card.
DRUMMOND: (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Right now, I am American. But if we want something like uh,
(baby sounds) (indeterminable) meat, or something like uh, special meat. Especially we like pork. Ribs and pork meat. Country style. That's the best in Kroger. And also uh, some--the other stuff you know, I can't remember right now. 40:00It's also for uh--What's the name for that meat? Uh, meatloaf.(00:40:21)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Meatloaf.
DRUMMOND: Meatloaf.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Meatloaf.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: (indeterminable)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: I like that.
SMIT: We've had that.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And also for like, for grill. You know, grill skewers with
meat. You know, skewers with meat.DRUMMOND: Yeah, kebabs.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Yeah, kebabs!
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Shish kebabs. Yes. It's, it's expensive.
DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, get some shish kebabs, about six, seven, eight, ten
dollars, one piece. You can buy in Kroger, you know, big bag with everything for that.SMIT: You can just buy meat and...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: It's very--it's the best quality.
DRUMMOND: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And that's, you know. Aldi, Walmart, Kroger. (laughs)
41:00DRUMMOND: They have a lot of stuff in Walmart. I've been surprised when I went
there. A variety of things.SMIT: Yeah. There's clothes, there's cigarettes, there's food.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Shirts. Everything.
DRUMMOND: How about holidays? What do you celebrate?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Christmas.
DRUMMOND: Do you celebrate Christmas?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
SMIT: New Year's.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: We like Christmas. New Year...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Easter.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And Easter.
DRUMMOND: Easter.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: Are you Orthodox, or?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: No, Catholic.
DRUMMOND: Catholic.
SMIT: Catholic.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: So your holiday calendar pretty much meshes with the holiday calendar...
SMIT: Pretty much.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, it's 25th December.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's the same thing like...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Christmas.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like we used to have.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And Easter. Same way, in my country...
SMIT: We don't have Father's Day.
DRUMMOND: (laughs) No?
SMIT: We don't have it.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: We don't have Father's Day, yeah.
SMIT: We have...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And Mother's Day.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: We have Mother's Day like...
SMIT: Women's Day. It's actually for all women--actually for all girls or women...
42:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
SMIT: Gender, females.
DRUMMOND: Uh-huh. How about Thanksgiving?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: No.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: No, we don't have Thanksgiving.
SMIT: I was born on Thanksgiving and when I came here uh, I was over at my
friend's house one time. Like, some, some, I think it's like three days before my birthday. And she was like, "So, are you celebrating Thanksgiving?" I was like, "What?" (laughs) It's like, it's sometimes it's on 25th, sometimes the 26th. And I'm born on 26th. And I was like, "That's my birthday!"MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs) Yes. Same day.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's only in America, Thanksgiving. Nowhere.
DRUMMOND: Have you been celebrating it since you've been here?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. Yes.
43:00SMIT: Pretty much, yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Right now we are, we are...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Celebrating everything.
DRUMMOND: Uh-huh.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like--
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Like American people.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Especially, you know, turkey for Thanksgiving. (bell sound)
(everyone laughs)
DRUMMOND: You like that?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Yes, turkey best.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
(baby talking)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Pumpkin and everything. We like that.
SMIT: That's good.
DRUMMOND: Tell me about your mother and father. Or your mother and father, too.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: My mother's still living in Bosnia.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And my brother. And I expect her this year.
DRUMMOND: To come here?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes, to come here. And I can't wait.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: We already sent (baby cries) everything...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: And everything. And I hope so. But, we'll have Christmas with
my family.DRUMMOND: Her, and her brother? And your brother?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
DRUMMOND: For visit or to...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: No.
SMIT: To live.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. Like immigrant. Like we are.
DRUMMOND: Yeah. How...are they going to be staying with you?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes. Yes.
44:00SMIT: Now, everybody's--when I call, like on holidays or something, everybody's
like, "I'm going over to my grandma's house." Well, now I'm going over to my grandma's house.(everyone laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: So what have you told them to expect?
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Well I told, I told everything.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Bad and good.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I talked with my, with my mother-in-law and I told her--she's
like, you know, 65. You can't expect to get to retire over there. And you don't have to be worried about that. But, I talked with her brother. He's like now, 44-years-old. You can expect to work all the time.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You can't do it. Can you imagine that? No! He can't. Because,
you know it's different situation over there. But I told also him you, you need only two (baby screams) (indeterminable). You know. (laughs)DRUMMOND: (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Tell, tell her.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: What?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: About two clothing for your brother.
45:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes, nightgown and uh...like uh...how do you say for...
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And, and you know...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Clothes for working.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: For working.
(everything laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah. And nothing more.
SMIT: Work clothes.
(00:45:05)
(everyone laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Because all the time you have to work, get home, take a shower,
and sleep.SMIT: Mostly overalls
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And then nothing, you don't have any other, you don't have any
other nice, you know, clothing for get out. You don't have time for that. And he told me stuff like that.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: You can expect that.
DRUMMOND: What would you like to see happen in Bowling Green? In the next 10, 20 years?
SMIT: Have discos!
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
DRUMMOND: Discos? (laughs)
SMIT: I mean they can--teens can get in.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
(laughs)
SMIT: Only teens. I mean from teens, and...maybe only teens. That'd be good.
DRUMMOND: That would probably be smart.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: I, I thought about that, you know, before. And I talked with
46:00many people, you know. And around campus and the university. And they expecting, you know, Bowling Green probably next, between 10 and 20 years, like uh, town about three--at least two times, probably three times bigger than right now. Probably about 100,000 people. Because they expecting--I really don't know. That's like a program. For future, like uh, big crossing. Highways, interstates here. And that's...MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, yeah
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's what I heard around.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: (indeterminable)
DRUMMOND: Would you like different kinds of stores, shops, cafes?
SMIT: Malls.
DRUMMOND: More malls? (laughs)
SMIT: I mean there's only one mall.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: More cafe. Like uh, Brickyard. Or something like that.
(baby sounds)
DRUMMOND: Coffee shops, and...
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
SMIT: Mostly people who are very mature about making decisions. Because I've
47:00heard a lot of people, they're, they committed suicide or murder or, I don't know. I hear it on the news all the time.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: And to actually kill yourself is not a very smart decision because you
never know what might happen in the future. So...And to kill somebody else, you know, what's going to happen to you?DRUMMOND: You spoke really good English when you got here, right?
SMIT: Yeah, that's what she said.
DRUMMOND: So you were, it was really easy for you to go to school.
SMIT: Kind of. They have different things here at school. They have, they don't
have harder school. We have much, much harder school. We like, have--our high school starts our, like--okay we have, we don't have--we have elementary school until eight grade. 48:00DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: And then we have high school. In only 12 years, you have to like decide
what your life's going to be. And then after those 12 years, you go onto your career or job. And in those 12 grades, you have to like, work really hard. And like support, like, every, your every decision. But here when I came, I finished 6th grade here, and then move onto the 7th. And here in 6th grade I've like, I've like remembered everything what I learned from 4th grade there. And from 5th.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: So. It was like kind of easy, kind of hard.
DRUMMOND: Are there a lot of Bosnians in junior high?
SMIT: Yeah. Yeah
DRUMMOND: Are Bowling Green students learning Bosnian words, you think?
49:00SMIT: Yeah, they all ask me, "Can I, can I know this? Can I know that?" I was
like, "Yeah, sure." I was like, "Make a list and I'll write it for you."DRUMMOND: What do you think, what do you think will happen when they grow older?
Or, you know, after they leave high school? Do you think people will be learning more and more Bosnian?SMIT: Some people who want to, like, explore foreign countries will do it.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Anna.
SMIT: But some people who just like, want to like, go a one-way street, no like,
turnings, will just like, go for their own language. And just like go for it, don't even care about other people.DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: There's some people like that in my school.
DRUMMOND: Mhmm. (baby sounds) And there's also a lot of different, a lot of
people who speak Spanish, too? 50:00SMIT: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: Vietnamese?
SMIT: Yeah.
DRUMMOND: Cambodian? Do people join together as an international group? Or...
SMIT: We have ESL as like, English Second Language.
(00:50:02)
DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: And there's not like, only Bosnians, only Vietnamese, only Spanish. It's
like they all join together trying to learn only one language. (baby sounds)DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: And then when somebody asks you like, "How can you learn a language when
you already know yours?" I was like, "It's easy if you put your mind to it."DRUMMOND: Mhmm.
SMIT: There's some people like, "Oh, I don't want to learn. I don't want to do
this. I don't want to learn about--I want to go back to my country." And I was like, "If you did, I mean, if you knew that you have to learn English you wouldn't have to come here." I mean, yeah.DRUMMOND: Well, is there anything in particular that you would like to tell
people in the future? That you would want your great grandchildren to know about 51:00your life here? (baby sounds)MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like a message?
DRUMMOND: Like what?
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like a message?
SMIT: Like a message?
DRUMMOND: Yeah, like a message.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: (laughs)
SMIT: First go onto them. I will go last.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: That's for uh, generation in the future.
DRUMMOND: Uh-huh. (baby sounds) That's your message? Anna. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You can talk for her probably next two years.
SMIT: Mom.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: She's a real American.
DRUMMOND: Yeah.
SMIT: Your message.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: You know, I will not tell only for people in the future. Don't
fight with anybody. (baby sounds) You can, you can talk. We can't, you know, dispute about one thing. We can disagree about one thing and talk about that two hours, two days, two months, two years. Don't fight. And also don't any military action.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: Nothing else. That's, that's what I want to say. Because--you
52:00know, for my opinion, every war, it's a big stupidity. But, who cares about us? Nobody. Because we have to do, because you are chief military. And only peace. I want to tell you, I'm expecting Bowling Green area and uh, like Kentucky and all the U.S. Like uh, peaceful place for next couple of centuries. (laughs) That's it.MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yeah, just peace and love.
DRUMMOND: Peace and love.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Nothing more. (laughs)
MILAN COLAKOVIC: And drinking and dancing.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: I think that's enough.
DRUMMOND: And drinking and dancing? (laughs)
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: Yes.
MILAN COLAKOVIC: For what? For what? And you know, for what, weapons,
ammunitions, and killing, for what? That's what military, you know. I'm not 53:00military. I'm pacifist. (laughs)SMIT: My message would be, if you want to control your life as a one-way street,
you will never, like, have to turn around or look at the others. So if I ever have a daughter or anybody, I mean a husband, I would tell them that um, if you look at, if you just look at yourself and don't look at the others then you will be alone. And then you will start to hate people, and then you will start war. And if you--I mean if you like have, if you set your mind to it. If you set your mind on one thing, it doesn't hurt to go looking for other jobs, looking for like, some other people that can learn your language. Or you can learn their language. Like, just like, talk to people. Don't just like, hate everybody, don't even want to talk to them or something.MILAN COLAKOVIC: Like in Bosnia, you know. Because that's, over there used to be
54:00mixed marriages because of many nationalities. Different nationalities. Right now we are all of us, we are like people. Now, now, you know we have all, you know, all color of skin is the same. And also--and Orthodox and Catholics and Muslims and Vietnamese and, you know, Mexicans. And the other, you know, immigrants over there must be on the same surface, you know. Don't hate each other. We have to be besides each other. Because if we are besides each other, we can expect to grow up. And love each other.(00:55:00)
(loud bang)
DRUMMOND: Would you like to add something, Mirela? Is that enough?
55:00MIRELA COLAKOVIC: That's enough.
DRUMMOND: And with that, we will conclude the interview. Thank you very much.
MIRELA COLAKOVIC: You're welcome.
