Love will Find a Way in a Foreign Country

The arrival of this foreign woman got people gossiping the moment they heard of her. People smile to make the day of others feel good in return make themselves feel unhappy and feeling disappointed in living their lives. The first visit to the neighbour’s house felt strange to Jane; she walked 500 meters and to the next house to introduce herself to the friendly faces in the village. A small community where everybody knows everybody else. At that time, Jane didn’t know how to speak the foreign language, this led to misconceptions, misunderstanding and a loss of touch in her to communicate with people living in the far end of the southern part of Croatia.

A change forced Jane with no time to laugh to feel good again pushed her into a corner in a room filled with local people talking aloud and she, in the middle of their chats, but nothing from her was said to the loud-speaking people. A smile and a nod in return to make everything feel normal when deep down she did not feel herself as happy.

The atmosphere didn’t give a happy moment as she had hoped for instead her thoughts were wrong of happiness in this foreign land.

Local people are not happy people, but under their false pretences, for Jane to think they are happy and friendly, this showed Jane their behaviours from a different perspective and a chance to find a way in my time to see who are those she can mingle within the village.

Chapter 1

Village Adjustments

Jane entered the house, smiled and shook their hands in a warm welcome and felt the warmth as she sat on a homemade juice. It was time for a quick and short conversation, but Jane was no part of these conversations.

Speechless, she sat there while everybody else in conversations boredom drove her insane for an hour in the noisy room.

Jane heard laughter and loud voices and smiled when others smiled to make the moment feel happy for everyone. In all this time she wanted to get out of those houses to avoid such lonely moments and couldn’t bear to stay any longer there.

Nevertheless, John continued his conversations and Jane looked on in the room in the hope to leave soon.

Everything Jane let herself believe hurt her and destroyed a good moment.

Disappointments and false hope for a better life fooled the plans she had in her past and held what she thought would be a better life in a foreign place.

Every day happy moments felt like a dream in a new environment and a new place didn’t sink in until a year passed by living in the village.

New people came into Jane’s life and left without much memory so she continued each day in the hope of a better life.

A positive woman lived a life she had no idea of and had no family to confide in of the many issues she had faced in a foreign place. In this time Jane remained positive in a new lifestyle.

Neighbours intervened to pressure Jane in speaking a foreign language.

Families in the village were curious to meet Jane newcomer in the village and of a different race and culture got the local people immediately interested.

In each moment she felt the new surroundings, a struggle to put up within the village of Dunave that opened a part of her that she had not felt in the past.

A new place and different people she met each day encouraged everyday activities at home and at the seasonal job she had worked for the four seasons at a local hotel.

Jane left without a plan as to what her life would be and at that time it seemed a good idea to go along with the move to Croatia.

Days passed from living in a village alone for most of the day and not knowing what to do next.

Documentation extended for six years to obtain Croatian citizenship and passport.

These were stressful, frustrating moments and this caused many unhappy days for Jane.

Life changed from easy to hard and to an ongoing struggle in the Balkan region where every day felt harder and harder and grew into a struggle for Jane.

While she wished she had everything as in the past, Jane felt living in this foreign place was tougher and a challenge. Life in a different country felt strange and fun at the same time.

People felt they were right by her and she sensed their interference bothered her tremendously, if only they could see the issues that were flaring up in her marriage. The one-sided problems weren’t understood nor were it fair to feel the pain as she had at that time of her life.

Life in a small community has proven to Jane that she could live a healthy and well-maintained lifestyle without fear and to be free as a bird.

Safety is a priority and this part of her life is living in a foreign country like this one where she feels freedom, and no one can put a price on that.

The day Jane made up her mind to leave her country was that day she began a journey to another life. No one knew how Jane would survive a different way of life and neither did she know, but with determination to get there and do it for herself and her family she had to do it.

Jane had no idea where she was going to and what she would do there for the money, but she knew it was for her and John and to be free from the violence that increased rapidly and led them to this situation.

Love will find a way and love did find a way for both to continue this new journey.

Jane made the bold move to live in Croatia, a small country and to experience a new lifestyle.

Everything made her feel sad and had no leverage on anything she decided for herself. Years later when she had coped with obstacles and the never-ending bureaucracy she moved on with an open mind.

At some point, the nightmare of the documentation had to stop and when it finally worked out, Jane felt it was time to move on with her life and to live the life she has created for herself.

Jane has adapted and adjusted to a new environment and when life got tough, she lived through it. As life got smooth, she felt the load lifted off her shoulders.

Stars started shining and when Jane saw the light at the end of the tunnel, she realized it was time to move to the next step.

Chapter 2

A New Beginning

Jane decided to tear down the old life and begin a new life in Croatia.

She woke early as she always did but lately, couldn’t sleep. Summer felt hotter than usual.

Too much to think about. There’s no point in lying down and dwelling in the past.

Jane got up at five-thirty as her eyes opened, she felt awake and upbeat for anything that came her way.

Memories flooded her mind as she awoke that morning and had to gather her thoughts to understand the enormity of what had happened and of what she had to do to feel good again.

Jane sat up, stretched, feeling the bones that ached, the sharp pain in her knee did not get the better of her movements.

She reached out for her gown and got up from the bed as quick as she could to feel energetic for the day.

Quietly she walked across the bedroom as always stepping over the old board that hasn’t been moved for days and shut the door behind her.

John was not home.

The many days spent apart didn’t bother Jane, he had gone to Brazil on a business trip.

A plan she had for that day and had to go on with it before he came back, it felt wrong, but it had to be done.

In late August the sun rose over the mountains as she could see from the kitchen door. The Cyprus trees are straight and tall, filtering the orange sunlight.

The end of summer in Croatia will dry up the environment.

Jane could already feel the chill in the evening air.

Autumn is on its way and it feels colder than normal in this Mediterranean climate.

Age got hold of the normal duties performed daily, and this prompted the desire to tell the truth of the body aches felt on that morning when Jane got up from the uncomfortable mattress.

It was a lie to return to his hometown and the truth won’t be told even if she wanted to know he wouldn’t say a word of it.

Jane made herself tea every morning and sang two songs on the radio.

At this time, she learned about the war in 1991, Serbia and Croatia war that destroyed the region and killed many people from the village. People had tears in their eyes when stories from the war were told.

The whole time she heard the stories and tried to understand it moments felt sad and difficult for the locals to move on from this terrible experience.

Years passed by in this gentle, honest place she lives in that every inch of it made with care for life.

Jane and John have lived through the struggles for decades.

Children have bounced up and down, holding on to the couple and excited as they were, Jane knew a lot has changed in this life.

It was worth building up again, but the expenses got bigger and she was helpless in this life.

In the beginning, she felt everything had been taken from her.

Jane didn’t like it here, she struggled and tried to make the moment feel good, but deep down, she couldn’t handle the negative moments presented from the village lifestyle.

Here she was trying to make everything feel good for the family and Jane hated it.

She had to live here, and Jane didn’t understand this life in the village.

John felt the sunshine on his face and looked at Jane in dismay.

Her husband kissed her and stroked her cheek.

They had no money and without money, not much could be done to make their lives worth living in a foreign country.

It remained a secret for a long time and nobody saw the false pretences.

The unhappiness caused family life to turn upside down.

White lies grew too big lies, this did not give either an opportunity to face up to their responsibilities.

She had forgotten nothing, nothing from her past slipped from Jane’s thoughts.

The secrets every family kept were too much to bear for her.

A new day and she felt the sunshine through tall Cypress trees. Jane walked through the kitchen waiting for the tea to brew.

Jane learned the heart of patience, long ago, having babies in this difficult time would slow things down.

A few things needed mending at the house and the small kitchen did not give her a good feeling to stand in all day.

Occasionally, she would sit in the sitting room and cook a meal in the small kitchen with a netted window.

Nobody felt at home in this foreign life.

A mistake had been made walking back from the village to get on a bus back to town.

That night felt cold and Jane hurried to the bus while her friend walked behind her.

Nothing changed in the routine Jane had for herself and the long ride on the bus was uncomfortable and a waste of money.

She knew the moment she put pen to paper of her thoughts everything would spill out easier in truth.

A single tear rolled down her cheek and she sat up straight in good posture.

The house shabby in its contents and doors marked with paintings did not feel welcoming to Jane.

Chapter Three

John

It was a mistake. He shouldn’t have come back to his hometown.

Nothing looked the same, nobody welcomed John back home in his birthplace.

John sat alone in a corner of the local pub trying to not look out of place as he felt.

Returning to the old neighbourhood was one issue. Meeting here he had been crazy to suggest it, but he had not known where to go in this place.

The old stream bar was always there, and people often had meetings there.

Other older pubs there were not there anymore.

John flexed his painful arms from inside to out and checked his watch again.

He rubbed his eyes and stretched out on this long wait for that old friend to pop up at the pub.

On some days he felt better than others and on this day he felt impatient.

He was tired of sitting there for two hours and needed to go back home to lay down.

Siesta time was creeping up. Sitting at the pub felt like a waste of time and energy.

Forty years ago, he was a boy. This pub was the roughest in the area and that told him something has changed here.

At one time Yugoslavian soldiers drank there.

A soldier was killed there and buried under rocks close to the pub.

There was nothing John didn’t know about this place about the dark history, dark corners, slutty women, and of the happy life he had there.

The strong smell of tobacco, urine and mold in the pub disturbed John’s taste of a drink.

Sewage stench created an unpleasant taste in the beer he had at the pub.

The plain surroundings appeared strange to John.

A different barman who had a grown beard wasn’t friendly to serve up a beer with John.

The hours passed by and drink after drink and small chats to the barmen did not make the long wait to feel bored.

She arrived later than usual; John stared at Cathy face to face after forty years to meet a long-lost friend John loved that about her.

Cathy’s blue-grey eyes stared at John that gave her a classy appearance.

At the bar, people stared at the couple.

Cathy was surprised to see John make a comeback to his hometown.

It’s not the same, everyone’s gone from this place.

Younger people have left the country.

John wasn’t familiar with anyone anymore.

He felt he didn’t belong back home.

After a few beers, John hoped to walk around the area but feared the dark streets.

He wished to be home and not at the pub.

Cathy didn’t know the reason for John to see her after all these years.

Her eyes filled with tears when John told her he has an illness.

He came back home to leave his remains there in his birthplace.

Cathy put her arm around John to comfort the man she once had a crush on and drew his head onto her heaving shoulders.

She cried softly and silently, it occurred to John Cathy was the only person he had to where he had come from.

As he hugged Cathy, he realized he didn’t know her anymore.

He had tried for years to put this behind, to go forward in the life he had in a foreign land he had promised himself.

The night ended with a sweet kiss.

A new start for the next day: a walk on the street as John wanted to feel the fresh air breathing down his soul.

He walked and walked as he liked to do, wondering about his past life in the village.

John could walk for hours, no one was bothered where he was at.

He had gone by the war bunks and along the bridge to the old stream passed the abandoned ruins houses.

But he could still remember how it felt all those years in his childhood memories.

Men picked through the rubble, women strayed while he looked on and thought of the past tears rolled down his face.

It was quiet otherwise one wall against the corner of the road.

As a child, he thought of how his father and he walked through the village. He held on to his father’s pants to not get lost in the crowd as his father walked on chatting with other men.

The cotton sleeve of his shirt, frayed, his small pale fingers curled up from the cold weather were memories of John’s childhood years.

War was dark and John was away from home at that time.

John felt a weakening pain in his chest.

Chest infections bothered John for years and he avoided the doctor.

It was time for John to see the unhappiness he had caused his family.

Jane didn’t bother to sit around and dwell. She quickly made friends and settled in through the struggle that lasted a long time.

Tears every day led to heartaches and yelling at each other.

Jane went out to a bar with acquaintances and had a fun day. It rained steadily while Jane sat with an acquaintance and shared her problems with this person.

Against all odds, Jane worked the hardest to achieve her goals in writing a book of her love story from her birthplace of her adoptive country, Croatia.