Transcript
Jedan Miran Dan u Apatinu
U malom gradu Apatinu, blizu reke Dunav, živi žena po imenu Lina. Ona dolazi iz Kine, ali već nekoliko godina živi u Srbiji. Svakog jutra, Lina ustaje oko sedam sati. Prvo otvara prozor i gleda u dvorište. Voli kada je vazduh svež i kada ptice pevaju. To je za nju najlepši deo dana.
Posle toga, Lina pravi doručak. Najčešće jede tost, jaja i pije šolju kafe. Dok doručkuje, ona sluša srpski jezik na telefonu. To je njen mali jutarnji ritual i pomaže joj da poboljša izgovor i razumevanje.
Kada završi doručak, Lina obično šeta do centra grada. Putem prolazi pored male pekare gde ljudi stoje u redu i čekaju tople kifle i hleb. Pekare su joj zanimljive, jer u Srbiji ima mnogo vrsta testa koje nije poznavala u Kini. Ponekad kupi krofnu ili perecu i to je čini srećnom.
U centru često sreće istu baku koja prodaje cveće. Baka uvek kaže: „Dobar dan, Lina!“ A Lina se osmehne i vrati pozdrav: „Dobar dan!“ Iako ne razgovaraju dugo, taj mali pozdrav uvek joj ulepša dan. Oseća da je deo grada i da je ljudi prepoznaju.
Nakon kratke šetnje, Lina odlazi u supermarket. Kupuje voće, povrće i vodu. Sve radi polako, jer želi da čita svaku reč na pakovanju. Kada ne razume, fotografiše tekst i kasnije proveri u rečniku. Tako svakodnevno nauči nekoliko novih reči.
Oko podneva, Lina se vraća kući. Sprema ručak – ponekad kuva pirinač, ponekad povrće, a ponekad pravi nešto novo što je naučila u Srbiji, kao na primer pasulj ili gulaš. Uvek se trudi da napravi jednostavno jelo, ali ukusno. Dok kuva, sluša laganu muziku ili srpski radio.
Nakon ručka, Lina obično malo odmara. Nekada čita knjigu na srpskom, nekada gleda seriju sa srpskim prevodom. Važno joj je da svaki dan bar pola sata bude okružena srpskim jezikom. Nekada joj je teško, ali vidi napredak i to joj daje motivaciju.
Popodne Lina često šeta do reke Dunav. To je njeno omiljeno mesto u Apatinu. Vidi ljude koji pecaju, decu koja voze bicikl i starije ljude koji sede na klupi i razgovaraju. Ponekad sedne na klupu, otvori svesku i uči nove reči. Vetar koji dolazi sa reke uvek joj prijа.
Kada sunce polako počne da zalazi, Lina se vraća kući. Uveče uglavnom radi na svom poslu – piše tekstove, prevodi ili uči nešto novo. Pre spavanja, ona još jednom sluša malo srpskog. Ponekad napiše kratku rečenicu o tome kako je provela dan, kako bi vežbala gramatiku.
Pre nego što zaspi, Lina gleda kroz prozor. Ulica je mirna, kuće su tihe, a svetla polako blede. Uvek pomisli koliko je zanimljivo živeti u zemlji koja joj je nekada bila potpuno nepoznata. Iako je daleko od Kine, oseća da polako gradi svoj novi život. Dan po dan, reč po reč, sve joj postaje bliže i jasnije.
Apatin je mali grad, ali za Linu je dovoljno velik da svaki dan donese nešto novo. Nekada je to nova reč, nekada novi susret, a nekada samo miran trenutak pored reke. I zato se Lina, svakog jutra kada otvori oči, raduje novom danu.
Translation
In the small town of Apatin, near the Danube River, lives a woman named Lina. She comes from China, but she has been living in Serbia for several years already. Every morning, Lina wakes up around seven o’clock. First, she opens the window and looks into the yard. She loves it when the air is fresh and when birds are singing. For her, this is the most beautiful part of the day.
After that, Lina makes breakfast. She usually eats toast, eggs, and drinks a cup of coffee. While she has breakfast, she listens to the Serbian language on her phone. This is her small morning ritual, and it helps her improve her pronunciation and understanding.
When she finishes breakfast, Lina usually walks to the town center. On the way, she passes a small bakery where people stand in line waiting for warm pastries and bread. She finds bakeries interesting because in Serbia there are many types of baked goods she didn’t know about in China. Sometimes she buys a doughnut or a pretzel, and that makes her happy.
In the center, she often meets the same old lady who sells flowers. The old lady always says, “Good day, Lina!” and Lina smiles and returns the greeting: “Good day!” Even though they don’t talk for long, that small greeting always makes her day better. She feels like she is part of the town and that people recognize her.
After a short walk, Lina goes to the supermarket. She buys fruit, vegetables, and water. She does everything slowly because she wants to read every word on the packaging. When she doesn’t understand something, she takes a photo and later checks the meaning in a dictionary. In this way, she learns a few new words every day.
Around noon, Lina returns home. She prepares lunch—sometimes she cooks rice, sometimes vegetables, and sometimes she makes something new that she learned in Serbia, like beans or goulash. She always tries to make a simple but tasty meal. While she cooks, she listens to soft music or Serbian radio.
After lunch, Lina usually rests a little. Sometimes she reads a book in Serbian, sometimes she watches a series with Serbian subtitles. It is important to her to spend at least half an hour every day surrounded by the Serbian language. Sometimes it is difficult, but she sees progress, and that gives her motivation.
In the afternoon, Lina often walks to the Danube River. It is her favorite place in Apatin. She sees people fishing, children riding bicycles, and older people sitting on benches and talking. Sometimes she sits on a bench, opens her notebook, and studies new words. The wind that comes from the river always feels pleasant to her.
When the sun slowly begins to set, Lina goes back home. In the evening, she usually works—she writes texts, translates, or learns something new. Before going to sleep, she listens to a bit of Serbian again. Sometimes she writes a short sentence about how she spent her day, so she can practice grammar.
Before she falls asleep, Lina looks out the window. The street is quiet, the houses are silent, and the lights slowly fade. She always thinks about how interesting it is to live in a country that once was completely unknown to her. Although she is far away from China, she feels that she is slowly building her new life. Day by day, word by word, everything becomes closer and clearer to her.
Apatin is a small town, but for Lina it is big enough to bring something new every day. Sometimes it is a new word, sometimes a new encounter, and sometimes just a peaceful moment by the river. And that is why, every morning when Lina opens her eyes, she looks forward to a new day.