Everybody was trash talking about Serbia, and these foreigners defended it. They really taught us something important

People of Kosjeric found out over social networks that a world gathering of "rainbow" hippies is being held in the nearby village Razana, well known for parties where they are consuming narcotics, naked. Innate hospitality turned in a furious anger when they found on a Facebook invitation a one of a kind guide through their country and the city, which is under a very bad shadow, and the locals have a ban - while the gathering is active, they are not allowed to visit that part of their own village!

They told an American that he will be slaughtered in Serbia, but he came nevertheless to Ziza and Ivan and he noticed that the guests are leaving 200 dollars in tips (PHOTO)

In the "guide", Serbia has been described as Wild West where foreigners can break the law as they please. The participants of the "rainbow" were advised to come to Razana in hiding, in order to avoid contact with vulgar locals.

- We don't want locals here, they will tell everybody... And the cities Pozega, Uzice, and Valjevo are full with "junky" teenagers... That is why we will have people who will guard the camp all the time - written in the unsigned text in the English language. 

Foto: Shutterstock

The author is advising the readers to bribe the police, to hide marijuana in tea bags, and he is giving a lecture about the stagnancy of Serbia because we didn't legalize "The Jesus plant".

- If you have cannabis, don't smoke it where they can see you. Smoke it in a forest... Some officers can be bribed and they will probably let you go since you are tourists... Learn Serbian words like "hvala" (thank you), "dobar dan" (good day), and "pomoz Bog" (with God's help). That will impress them. In the case when you get caught, prepare 10 or 20 euros. Police often take a bribe, wages are small, the government is corrupted, so have bills of 50 or 100 euros on your person - the guidelines.

UNEXPECTED SURPRISE 

Who is coming from the big wide world to forbid Serbs entrance into their own villages, the locals wondered and they headed to Razana, to find out what it is about.

Instead of intoxicated campers and security, they found a clear meadow and a neat camp, with doctors, engineers, and artists from Europe, Portorico, Alaska, Israel, Madagascar, China... 

Foto: Axel Åsander

That wasn't a "rainbow" hippy camp, they found entirely different gathering. 

In five weeks, around 130 foreigners rejuvenated this village and made the summer beautiful for its locals. Solid friendship connections were intertwined under the forest slopes of Razana, thanks to the family Maksimovic, which happily welcomed the guests.

- It is very nice to live with these young people. We put Serbia in the first place, we tried to leave the best impression about our country, and some of them even asked around to buy a house here. The older the better - Slavica told Telegraf.rs and added that this mutual love for nature crushed all language barriers.

Foto: Milan Božović

Each day Maksimovic family had one of a kind "presentations" for their guests and they returned to their countries with stories about making brandy, preparing jams, trimming of goats and colorful rugs that were made by pregnant women.

Foto: Axel Åsander

- We are a traditional family that nurtures domestic work. I am a veterinarian, and they were amazed that my animals are on freedom. They were just saying "liberty, liberty"! And I couldn't believe it - they were picking plums with us! A girl from the center of Paris is not ashamed to pick plums, and you can hardly find youth in Kosijeric that still wants to work! Nathan from the Netherlands, a fisherman on the Norwegian sea, and his girl Anali were in the plum plantation and they behaved like adults here, here with us in Serbia. Our old village house is "beautiful, krasivaja, belle" to them - she adds.

Foto: Milan Božović

She liked Jakob from Finland very much.

- They are very independent and they become on their own at a young age, but I always said that family comes first. Youth from Scandinavia are very cold, but a little love and attention can soften them. Jakob asked me twice to adopt him. He is my second son, we agreed on that and it will remain so as long as I shall live - Slavica said.

Foto: Milan Božović

Due to a lot of reasons, they didn't speak of politics, in all languages, but...

- We would like to thank the French for Arnaud Gouillon and a girl from Italy because their army is guarding our monastery Decani. She cried like a river. When we saw that they know nothing about it, and they would like to know. They were very shaken by the things they heard from us - Slavica's brother Slavisa adds.

BREAKUP OF "RAINBOW" AND "THUMBS" 

The gathering was initially supposed to be a meeting of "rainbow" and a group of hitchhikers, who are traveling around the world with their "thumb", and they are looking for happiness each year in some other country.

The disputable text was broken by the agreement because the hitchhikers didn't agree with the claims about Serbia. 

Foto: Fejsbuk/Hitchgathering 2018

- Some of us were really angered by this text because we were here before. We said "that is not Serbia, what you are saying is complete "b*llsh*t". We argued on the forums and we decided to come on our own - Ros (30) told Telegraf.rs, hitchhiker from New York. 

He returned to our country after five years.

Foto: Axel Åsander

- As soon as I crossed the border, I felt happiness. We all crossed a long distance to be here, and that says a lot about a country. The family that takes you in as if you were one of their own, beautiful tradition, unusual hospitality, and not to mention brandy, cream and ajvar - that is something I never felt anywhere else in the world - Ros explains.

Hitchhikers are looking where to go each year. They chose Western Serbia spontaneously, they heard about Razane. They bought food from the locals, they would help them on their land or with cattle, they would go walks around the mountains, or to the slopes. They say - they received much more than they expected.

Foto: Axel Åsander

The meadow for the camp was well trimmed, and at the end of August, when the camp was over, they left it as it was, without a single paper. This time it was organized spontaneously, the camp should really become alive next year, the hosts from Razane hope so. Kosjeric is well known as one of the favorite destinations of foreigners, where Art camp was held for many years.

THE DISPUTABLE TEXT WAS WRITTEN BY A SERB? 

When you read the text more carefully, you can't help but wonder - was it written by a Serb? Parts about Kosovo, our school system, house on Divcibare the author mentions, lead you to think that someone of our own presented the story. And that Serbia and our tradition was defended this time by foreigners. 

(Telegraf.co.uk / Dunja Savanovic / d.savanovic@telegraf.rs)