The little girl with pearls

Nikolina came to this country at the age of six …

Nikolina came to this country at the age of six and says it was her destiny. mbl.is/Ásdís

Ásdís Ásgeirsdóttir

In the 1990s, many people fled the terrible war in Yugoslavia, and some of them came all the way to Iceland. At that time, I was working as a photographer for the newspaper and was sent to welcome the group in Blönduós in June 1998 and capture the event on film. This group of 23 people, including women, men, and children, was well received there. The project was both interesting and joyful, but it was one June evening that we, journalist Sigríður B. Tómasdóttir, met the group in the town's community center and then accompanied the Popovic family to their new home at Mýrarbraut 16. The family included the father Zeljko, the mother Radmila, the son Bosko, eight years old, and the daughter Nikolina, six years old, who had come here to escape the war and seek a better life.

The reception was very good and well-prepared, and each family received fully furnished housing and support families. When the Popovic children, Nikolina and Bosko, saw their new home where they were given their own room, they beamed with joy. Little Nikolina was especially excited; she patted a new toy, blew a kiss to a new Icelandic playmate, and had a huge smile. The photographer pointed the lens at the little girl at the moment when she patted a new pearl necklace, and the childish joy was apparent.

Recently, I accidentally came across this old newspaper article that was a full page in Morgunblaðið on June 23, 1998. Almost three decades have passed and this event had fallen into oblivion, but was recalled when I saw the article. The first thing that went through my mind was: what had happened to the little girl with the dark curls, the little girl with the pearls?

It did not take long to find the young woman on Facebook. She was eager to meet me and reminisce about old times, but despite her young age, she clearly remembers the day her family fled war and moved to Iceland. They all still live here and have made a good living, but Nikolina is a pharmacist today. She sees herself as an Icelander with Serbo-Croatian roots.

Had the pearl necklace for twenty years

Do you remember the trip to Iceland?

“I remember we went to Belgrade and went to a park there. I also remember when my mother said we were going to Iceland, I asked her if I would finally get a desk so I could study,” she says.

Nikolina was very happy with her new room and desk.

Nikolina was very happy with her new room and desk. Photo from a private collection.

“I don’t remember much about the trip itself, but I do remember the bus ride from Keflavík to Blönduós. I remember tasting an apple svali (apple juice) for the first time and I thought it was so good that I drank three on the bus. It was the best thing I had ever tasted!” she says with a smile.

“I was six years old and I have some memories from that night. I remember first going to the clubhouse and having goulash, which was the best goulash I’ve ever had. I remember walking to the house and also when I saw my room and got to look at the stuff. I realized that this was stuff for me. And there I saw my desk and I was so happy,” says Nikolina.

“We got a semi-detached house that was fully furnished and the fridge was full of food. You can imagine the changes coming out of poverty and into this house. I remember thinking, ‘Am I dreaming?’” she says.

23 refugees from Serbia were welcomed in Blönduós. Here the …

23 refugees from Serbia were welcomed in Blönduós. Here the Popovic family is on their way to their new apartment, led by Guðbjartur Guðmundsson. mbl.is/Ásdís

Do you remember the pearl necklace?

“Yes, I had it for twenty years, but then it broke. I also got a jewelry box that was shaped like a heart and I still use it to this day. I refuse to throw away some of the things I got there. I still have a knitted hat from that time that I always wore. I won’t throw her away.”

136 / 5.000 Little Nikolina was overjoyed to receive a …

136 / 5.000 Little Nikolina was overjoyed to receive a pearl necklace, but various things awaited her upon her arrival in Blönduós. She had the pearl necklace for twenty years. mbl.is/Ásdís

All the children have survived

Nikolina says they have received a wonderful welcome. The two support families they were assigned helped them a lot to adapt to their new home. The group lived in Blönduós for the first year, but then most of them moved to the capital area, including the Popovic family who settled in Kópavogur.

“My parents still live in Kópavogur. My brother is an electrician today. I sometimes talk to my mother about how well we kids in the group have all survived. All the children have completed vocational training or university studies.”

Nikolina’s father was in a concentration camp during the war but was lucky to escape alive. He faced a fifteen-year prison sentence if he returned to his old village, for his participation in the war. So it was not an option.

After the war ended, the family did not want to move back, as there was a lot of uncertainty in the country after the war.

The family arrives at their home in Blönduós in June …

The family arrives at their home in Blönduós in June 1998. The father Zeljko opens the door and his son Bosko is at his side. Behind him, Nikolina and mother Radmila can be seen.

“They wanted to stay here in safety and didn’t want to tear us apart again,” says Nikolina, who after primary school went to the Women’s College and from there to study pharmacy at the University of Iceland.

“I got a master’s degree in pharmacy and today I work in the pharmacy at Costco. I chose pharmacy because I like helping people and I loved biology and chemistry,” says Nikolina, who considered going into medicine, but pharmacy came first and she doesn’t regret it.

Written in the Clouds

Nikolina’s parents wanted their children not to forget their origins, while at the same time wanting them to adapt to Icelandic customs.

“They made sure we kept our native language. My siblings and I had started speaking Icelandic among ourselves, but my mom and dad told us to speak Serbo-Croatian at home. In 2002, we started making annual visits to our town in Croatia and our old house, with my grandparents. Many of the houses were burned down, but not ours, although it was in bad shape after the war,” she says.

“Not everyone is as lucky as we are. I have often thought about where I would be today if there had been no war, or if my mother and father had not fled. I don’t know. My mother says it was fate; that it was written in the clouds. I am very happy here and couldn’t imagine my life any other way. I am very proud of this little girl; she has come a long way.”

Here you can see the old article from 1998.

Here you can see the old article from 1998.

Translation: Dóra Ósk Halldórsdóttir

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