“They are looking for a Norwegian language teacher in Uzice.” So says one of the posts on “Skandinavistika” Facebook group. Founded in 2007, Skandinavistika has served as an informal alumni association for all the people who have ever studied Scandinavian languages and literatures at the University of Belgrade. The creator, Ana Morokvasic, who has been taking good care of the page says that the initial idea was to have a place to exchange relevant and interesting information about these countries, useful language and literature resources, photos from trips to Scandinavia and the like.
Thanks to her devotedness, the group has grown into a platform for also sharing different information about scholarship opportunities in Scandinavia, job ads for people who speak Scandinavian languages in Serbia; people who are interested in learning Scandinavian languages use the group to find potential teachers and vice versa, and teachers have an opportunity to find interested Scandinavian languages students.
Her love to Norway dates back to 1995 when she went for an exchange programme in the US and got two Norwegian girls as her best friends. “My first Norwegian friends taught me my first Norwegian words and unintentionally planted the seed of inspiration in my mind that I should consider studying Norwegian when I go back to Belgrade in 1996.” This is exactly what happened. Later on, she was lucky to get few scholarships and live in Norway from 2003 to 2012 on a student residence permit which also allowed her to work part-time.
At her internship with Migrapolis, a fellow intern was Iram Haq, the actress-turn-film director who ten years later went on to receive the main prize for her film „Jeg er din“ (I am yours) at the Belgrade International Film Festival – FEST.
When asked what fascinates her the most about Norway, she says the atmosphere of egalitarianism, acceptance and tolerance on all levels of society. “I felt accepted, appreciated and loved by the people.”
“Furthermore, Norway Norwegians have (in general) remained modest, grounded, rational and reasonable people, even after gaining all the wealth from exploiting the North Sea for oil and being able to live in the „great welfare carefree bubble “,” she added.
It seems that Norway provides a never-ending inspiration for Ana. Her dreams are still related to Norway and include writing a blog about her life in Norway, turning it into a book and also making a documentary, all of which she would like to dedicate to her loving family, who selflessly supported her and played an important part in her Norwegian saga.
