{"id":172619,"date":"2025-03-24T14:57:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T12:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=172619"},"modified":"2025-03-24T14:57:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T12:57:21","slug":"it-was-horrible-under-nato-bombs-but-i-found-freedom-the-famous-canadian-writer-has-been-living-in-serbia-for-35-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/it-was-horrible-under-nato-bombs-but-i-found-freedom-the-famous-canadian-writer-has-been-living-in-serbia-for-35-years\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIT WAS HORRIBLE UNDER NATO BOMBS, BUT I FOUND FREEDOM\u201d: The famous Canadian writer has been living in Serbia for 35 years!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201cThis country will give you everything you wish for. A rather extravagant statement, but it&#8217;s true,\u201d says Alan Fraser, a well-known Canadian pianist who moved to Serbia in 1990, then Yugoslavia, to study piano, but stayed forever because of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After his studies, he worked at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and later founded an institute where he still teaches his unique piano playing technique. However, as he says, he is most proud of marrying a Serbian woman. In an interview for the YouTube channel \u201cAttic life,\u201d he shared what life in Serbia looks like for a Canadian, how learning Serbian changed his way of thinking, and how he found freedom in our country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cSerbs see the world differently\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to language, he admits that only after learning Serbian did he realize how much language can shape a person\u2019s soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLanguage shapes the soul of a nation so much. The Serbian mentality and way of thinking are not so linear. Plus, there\u2019s that famous \u2018inat\u2019\u2014there\u2019s no English word for it, but it\u2019s such a deep concept. Serbs truly see the world differently,\u201d says Alan, explaining that the hardest part of learning Serbian was the frustration he faced, as in larger social gatherings, he initially felt like a small child who couldn&#8217;t speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cSerbs know how to rest and enjoy life\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the biggest cultural shock, he admits it was the fact that Serbs know how to truly relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn Canada, we have a small country house, called Kepek, on Prince Edward Island. In Serbian, it\u2019s called \u2018Put za Ejvoni.\u2019 A small community of 50 cabins, with 20 of them belonging to my relatives. In the summer, we all have fun together. And that\u2019s it\u2014we go back to work. However, when I came here, after some time, I realized that Serbia is like Kepek, but all year round. This is their life\u2014it\u2019s not just a vacation period. Serbs always have time for coffee, they know how to take a break from work and enjoy life,\u201d he says, adding that for him, as a Canadian with a strong work ethic, this was quite a shock:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI thought they were lazy, but no, they\u2019re not lazy\u2014they just know there\u2019s a certain rhythm to living a civilized life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What it\u2019s like to live in Serbia since 1990\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RynB2HSftN0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cI regret not realizing it sooner\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>He explains that he found Serbian family traditions particularly interesting, though at first, they weren\u2019t entirely clear to him\u2014especially the moment when a newborn comes home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI knew that bathing a baby in the evening meant it would soon go to sleep. However, here in Serbia, that process is part of a ritual. The mother and father gather, enjoy time with their baby, enjoy bathing and playing with it. It\u2019s a true and strong tradition. It\u2019s a moment of bonding. And I was just a dumb Canadian overwhelmed with work, so I would tell my wife, \u2018OK, you bathe the baby, I have work to do.\u2019 She accepted it, but today I regret missing out on that. It\u2019s a Serbian tradition that is truly beautiful,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked whether Serbs treat him differently now that he\u2019s also a Serbian son-in-law, he responds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes, they treat me really well, they love Canadians. But when they hear that I\u2019m also a Serbian son-in-law, that\u2019s when the real excitement starts. They immediately say, \u2018Oh, so you\u2019re Serbian,\u2019\u201d he says with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cI found freedom here\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most important thing he found in Serbia, besides love, is freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFreedom. When I came here, many told me that Serbia would give me everything I wished for, and it turned out to be true. I found myself in a unique situation, and I understand why many want to leave\u2014everyone thinks there aren\u2019t many opportunities here. From one perspective, it does seem that way, but as a scholarship student in my youth, when I arrived, I had the freedom to work and create whatever I wanted, and I still have that freedom today. So, yes, maybe salaries here aren\u2019t the best, but there is no country where you have as much time as you do here\u2014and time is the most valuable resource,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He reveals that he knows many people who have moved from Canada to Serbia, and a large number of them have decided to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cIt was horrible being under those bombs\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a Canadian who was in Serbia during the 1999 bombing, he admits he was under tremendous pressure\u2014which he only realized when he returned to New York during his tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe bombing started on March 24, and by March 29, I was already on a train to Budapest\u2014not because of the bombing, but because I had a concert in New York. However, when I crossed the border by train\u2026 I just realized how much pressure and tension I had been under the whole time. It was horrible being under those bombs. You knew you were somewhat safe because they were relatively precise strikes, but the overwhelming tension we all felt was always there. I remember how it all hit me when I crossed the border,\u201d he recalls, adding that he stayed in the U.S. and Canada for the next two months\u2014but now regrets it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s much worse watching the ones you love from afar than being with them in the middle of whatever is happening. When I said goodbye to my friends, I casually said, \u2018See you soon,\u2019 but my friend Igor replied, \u2018If we\u2019re able to.\u2019 I thought, \u2018Oh, come on, what are you saying?\u2019\u2014and then, the next moment, a bomb exploded. The explosion was so powerful that you couldn\u2019t tell if it was a kilometer away or much farther. That\u2019s when I realized he was right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cMan, these people are so repressed\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, after nearly 35 years of living in Serbia, when he visits Canada, he has only one thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMan, these people are so repressed, what\u2019s going on? They\u2019re as tense as if they have a cork in their mouths. Spit it out already! But after two or three days, that\u2019s it\u2014I\u2019m home, I\u2019m where I belong,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cI\u2019m more Serbian than I think\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As someone who, after so many years, holds dual citizenship\u2014Canadian and Serbian\u2014when asked whether he feels more like a Canadian or a Serb, he answers honestly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have to say, I still feel like a Canadian. No doubt, I live in Serbia, you\u2019ll hear me speak Serbian, I have Serbian friends, I understand Serbian culture\u2014but I still feel like a Canadian. However, the people I spend time with always tell me, \u2018Alan, you\u2019re more Serbian than you think.\u2019 I don\u2019t see it, but they do. And if that\u2019s true, I\u2019m fine with it, because that means I\u2019ve finally broken free from Canada\u2019s straitjacket,\u201d he concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/vucic-on-the-hot-welcome-in-nis-i-am-to-blame-for-the-police-not-reacting-more-sharply-in-the-protests-we-will-respond-more-harshly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">VU\u010cI\u0106 ON THE \u201cHOT WELCOME\u201d IN NI\u0160: I am to blame for the police not reacting more sharply in the protests, we will respond more harshly!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/novak-released-a-video-unlike-any-serbia-remembers-zlo-depicts-all-our-tragedies-from-war-to-the-canopy-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">NOVAK RELEASED A VIDEO UNLIKE ANY SERBIA REMEMBERS: \u201cZlo\u201d depicts all our tragedies, from war to the canopy! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/the-topic-is-too-sensitive-belgian-festival-canceled-the-screening-of-the-film-about-the-jadar-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">\u201cTHE TOPIC IS TOO SENSITIVE\u201d: Belgian festival canceled the screening of the film about the Jadar project!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/today-we-celebrate-mladenci-many-beliefs-are-associated-with-the-day-of-the-holy-forty-martyrs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">TODAY WE CELEBRATE MLADENCI: Many beliefs are associated with the day of the Holy Forty Martyrs!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/a-hundred-years-before-vuk-this-manuscript-is-the-first-collection-of-serbian-folk-songs-and-a-german-wrote-them-down\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">A HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE VUK: This manuscript is the first collection of Serbian folk songs, and a German wrote them down!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/a-fate-more-tragic-than-drama-heres-what-the-real-kostana-of-bora-stankovics-work-looked-like-photo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">A FATE MORE TRAGIC THAN DRAMA: Here\u2019s what the real Ko\u0161tana of Bora Stankovi\u0107\u2019s work looked like! (PHOTO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: Blic, <strong>Foto<\/strong>: Printscreen YouTube \/ Attic Life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThis country will give you everything you wish for. A rather extravagant statement, but it&#8217;s true,\u201d says Alan Fraser, a well-known Canadian pianist who moved to Serbia in 1990, then Yugoslavia, to study piano, but stayed forever because of love. After his studies, he worked at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and later [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":172620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[5759,5553,501,113,1034,5760,1650,15,5761,3306],"class_list":["post-172619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-serbia","tag-alan-fraser","tag-drustvo","tag-kanada","tag-srbija","tag-srpska-kultura","tag-stranci-o-srbima","tag-stranci-u-srbiji","tag-video","tag-zemun","tag-zivot-u-srbiji","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172642,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172619\/revisions\/172642"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}