Ana is originally from Vojvodina, Serbia, and was born on June 16, 1977. Her name day is July 26
Ana works at AT&T as an agent for residential technical support in Bratislava, Slovakia. She just received her Doctorate if Science Degree.
Her e-mail addr
ess is uher.ana@gmail.com
Ana stayed with the DeMumbrums, Ogdens, Gelvins, Blyths, Kellers, Parks and Lachs.
While she was here she wrote: “I grew up in a region named Srem in the province of Vojvodina in Serbia, famous for growing watermelons and honey-melons. During the summer the farmers would load up their tractors and cars with melons and drive them to the surrounding towns for trading. They would holler, “MELOONS” so that everyone could hear and stop thep and buy one. Sometimes you could negotiate with the sellers and make a good deal. As everybody likes melons people invite friends or our relatives or neighbors to share in this sweet vegetable with us. Usually we put that big melon into the freezer or into the well to cool. And then we eat that melon in slices shaped like the letter U. Thy look like big smiles, and you have to have your mouth wide open to make your own big smile. Of course you can use a knife, but it is more fun without it. This is time of sharing would not be complete without ice cream, and the bonding and sharing makes our lives worthwhile.
Now I have moved. I am far away from home. I live in the big city of Bratislava and people are different there. They usually buy smaller pieces of melon, ones which are not even close to being as sweet as our melons. We have abandoned this time of sharing. People don’t buy thinking of others. We have moved ot another level of living. More and more we have become individuals. Yes we like ot have some friends, but at a distance, especially over facebook. There we think we can share EVERYTHING. Especially if it is for free. But we are still lonely.
I look back on that time of sharing our watermelon and ice cream with our family, friends and neighbors, and I wish I could capture that time. If I could relive it. I wish that the time that we used to have, the time of sharing, had never passed. But time doesn’t stand still. As we see, almost everything in life changes . . .our needs, our wishes, our surroundings, our friends, our work . . and we grow older. However what we need to keep in our lives is the sense of being one with each other, and being one with God, just as Jesus was one with us and his father.
I feel blessed that I have now this time in Whitehall, to share experiences with you. Just as I remember my summers at home, I will remember all of you, and this church, our worshiping together. What I have learned from you, I will carry with me whatever my future holds.
