Are We in Belgrade Yet?

Author: Ilija Mićović

Soon after we passed the town of Šid we arrived to a dirt road and some cornfileds.  We were less than two kilometers away from the Croatian border.

We quickly started to unload our vehicles and joined several groups that were already there.  Then the first group of refugees came with a bus as we were setting up all the bananas, water bottles and snicker chocolates. One volunteer, from a different organization, upon seeing us carrying the full box of packaged wet wipes, told us that it was awesome that we brought wet wipes, because, as he said, “they really like those”.

As the first bus stopped, men and women, children, young people and elderly were coming closer to our small food and distribution point. They had pale faces, some exhausted from many days of wondering and walking. They were hungry too. One refugee asked me: “Are we in Belgrade yet"? I wondered about how informed some of the refugees were about where they were going? At that place they were only a few minutes away from Croatia, and one hour by car from Belgrade.

We witnessed some surprising and moving moments. We saw a father carrying a daughter in his arms. She had casts on both of her legs. She was not older then 6 or 7. Our team decided that we should use our van and couple of cars we had to transport that whole family to the border, plus a few more mothers, children and people with hurting legs. That became a rule from that moment onward. Mothers with little children would get a free ride to the border. Unfortunately we could help only a few families at a time.

As I was handing out bananas to those who walked by, one middle-aged man, with anxious expression on his face stopped for a moment next to me, as if to clear his mind. I smiled to him as I offered him a banana. He returned the smile as if to honor my effort, and a moment later continued to walk as anxious as he was only a few moments before. Did he worry about the unknown things ahead?

By the night hours we gave away almost all we had. As we started to worry a bit about who would take care of the refugees when we leave, a group of volunteers from the Czech Republic arrived. They brought strollers and things that would make transportation of young kids easier. And then more people come from different organizations to help throughout the night hours.

As we were leaving our post next to the cornfields near the Croatian border I thought about two young Syrian men whom we met two days earlier at the Hungarian border. The border was sealed and they could not enter Hungary. A couple of hours ago we met them again, but this time as they were about to cross the border into Croatia. They were very happy to see us, talk to us and laugh with us, at least for a moment. We event took a picture with them, and then they were on their way again, into the corn fields with the rest of their group, with many more walking behind and ahead of them. In the next fifteen minutes or so they would be in Croatia.

My intention is to continue helping the refugees. I will apply today to join the volunteers at the Depot Center, where immigrants in Belgrade can get free items, from food to warm clothing and hygienic necessities.

Ilija Mićović