Where I’m From: Berane, Montenegro
Current Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Favorite Balkan Song: Don’t make me choose…
But my top three at the moment are:
Vratio Sam Se Živote by Kemal Monteno
Za Esmu by Bijelo Dugme
Neka Noćas Dođu Svi by Tony Cetinski
Favorite Balkan Dish: Mantije and Reforma Torta
1. Can you start off by telling us a little bit more about yourself?
I was born in a town called Berane in Montenegro, as were my parents and theirs before them. Every time I go back, when the car turns on this one specific street and I am looking down towards the city, my heart relaxes just a bit and finally exhales. My mom thought she’d never leave it, my dad knew he always would. They were married two weeks after dating (typical 90s Balkan style) and shortly after they had me they were given the choice between Canada or Australia and they chose Canada, chasing the ‘American dream’ as most did.
They stayed long enough for my brother to be born here, then they decided to go back to Montenegro to see if they could live life there but ultimately (and permanently) decided to go back to Canada just as I was about to start first grade there. So I am currently located in the Toronto region, as a postgraduate student trying to find my way in this vast world. I have a deep passion for all things art, travel, and beauty and I want my life to reflect that. Canada has become my home away from home and I am grateful to live in such a progressive and inviting country. My parents gave up a lot and I am forever proud of their strengths.
2. What was it like growing up in Canada as an immigrant? Feel free to share any challenges you faced.
We were lucky enough to come as immigrants rather than refugees because we came after the war(s) in 1998, but I would say the challenges were obviously similar to the rest of the Balkan diaspora. Mainly, the language and cultural barrier that my parents faced and still sometimes face today, the xenophobia that comes with that, and islamophobia (although perhaps not as bad as it is back home) and just being away from family and the atmosphere you grew up in.
Both my parents are university-educated people, but translating that education here was difficult at best. My dad, a computer engineer, delivered pizzas for 2 years on a bike until he was able to have his degree transfer over and have his language skills improve. My mom was never able to get her biology teaching degree transferred/accepted here so that is something that always bothered her and the job search was always on and off; considering being a stay-at-home mom was also a whole lot of work, she was finally able to find a ‘textbook’ job in 2017!
I guess as most immigrant children, growing up and questioning your place in the world, trying to belong, but always feeling stuck in this weird ‘no man’s land’ between where you were born and where you grew up and how to live away from the big familial setting our parents knew (this is probably the one thing we will forever have missed out on, but the bonds are still there, thankfully). Having to explain every time where Montenegro is, or how I can be both white and Muslim, and how complex both our culture and past are while trying to make people understand that we don’t belong to the west nor the east is a bit frustrating at times. Over the years, I have come to embrace every part of my history and not have to justify it to anyone, while also being really excited to educate when people genuinely ask.
Overall, we try to focus more so on all the positive outcomes of every aspect in life, otherwise it would be a very glum way to live, don’t you think?
3. Have you found that your Balkan heritage has always remained at the forefront of your life or have you had times where you’ve tried to hide parts of yourself in order to “fit in” with everyone else?
Pretty much, yes. My parents were adamant about keeping many aspects of our heritage alive and as we grew older, my brother and I also wanted to keep it alive. Speaking English at home was prohibited, we always had to talk with our relatives, observe various events and holidays, listen/watch ex-Yugo movies, shows, music and we always tried to seek out various Balkan stores within our region (that we still go to today).
My parents basically treated it as if we were still living over there, just in Toronto. At one point they even tried to teach us Montenegrin Cyrillic but we didn’t want to because we were young and impressionable, but I ended up teaching it to myself three years ago because I wanted to further connect. We also go back home every two years in the summertime so that has also helped retain our ties to our culture even more. Anything we learned about Canadian/North American pop culture and behavior was within the school environment or outside activities because our parents didn’t know anything about said culture. I never found myself hiding parts of who I am (thankfully) but like I mentioned previously, it gets a bit frustrating when I have to justify my background to people who choose to be ignorant about what religion is/the history of our land. Today, my heritage is still at the forefront of my life and I feel like one of the only representatives of Montenegro/Sandžak because there aren’t many of us here (I guess the history degree comes in handy) 😛
4. Tell us more about your passion for art history. How did you become interested in the subject and eventually obtain a degree in it? Also, do you have a particular favorite historical structure from the Balkans?
I have always loved anything art-related, and I was very vigilant about taking art courses all throughout primary and high school. I literally took every art course available in high school (and it was a lot of fun) and I’m still in contact with my art teacher years later. That is also where I developed my passion for art history and I loved how both academic and creative it could be. From then on I have been trying to get into a position that would help me mesh the way art history is taught for broader educational purposes without losing the so-called ‘artistic’ background. Art History is a very diverse and multi-layered field as I learned from my time at UofT.
I specialized in Medieval and Baroque architecture along with the Italian language/cultural studies. Plus, I would say the Balkans’ medieval history is a very rich one. From religious to secular spaces, it’s a very rewarding era to study. I also however dabbled a bit in modern Balkan art for my Masters and I ended up writing one of my favorite papers, which I have linked HERE if you’re interested in the works of Bogdan Bogdanović and time in art.
5. We also saw that you are a makeup artist specializing in lashes and brows, when did you develop a curiosity for makeup?
To me, makeup is just another art form and therefore my curiosity for makeup has always been there. Makeup allows one to create all sorts of things, temporarily and that is so fascinating. It can also be therapeutic and mental health is just as important as physical and this is just one way to aid that. I worked in the cosmetics retail field for a few years, did a lot of freelance work and eventually decided I wanted to add the lash and brow services to my arsenal because they compliment makeup. With covid restrictions this has unfortunately slowed down but I still practice and post makeup I do on myself and old clients (@lelobeauty_ on IG), and I hope to get back to it soon! I also have a very exciting project in April that I am thrilled to work on. If there is a chance that I could combine my academic degrees with my love for makeup into say makeup for TV/Film, specifically period pieces, that would be one of my ideal careers!
6. How do you believe that we (as diaspora) can continue to keep our culture alive for generations to come?
Definitely engaging in the community whether that be through local centers within religious or general communities or especially, now, online (as long as it is a positive and safe space). For example, I post a lot of Balkan content on my TikTok @lelosuniverse and noticed that even beyond getting engagement from Balkan people, I also get a lot of ‘outsider’ engagement. It’s an excellent platform to educate or simply make our heritage known! Within the home space, language, food, and understanding our complex pasts is important and if possible, visiting back home always helps.
I spent 10 years in Bosnian folklore, along with my brother (KUD Merak Toronto-specifically dancing and singing) and that was one of the most rewarding things we did that helped us stay engaged in the community. Folklore exists in many forms and it’s one of the most accessible things we can carry over to help keep the culture alive. Despite all the complexities within our Balkan community, it’s so important to continue keeping our culture alive by even simply word of mouth, because we are already so vastly spread across the world.
7. Anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
Sure! If anyone is looking for a good Balkan oldies playlist, check out mine! 15+ hrs worth of music HERE.
I also have an Amazon Handmade and Etsy page and any support would be appreciated!
If you have a request for a specific Balkan flower or symbol let me know and I can make it for you!
TikTok: @lelosuniverse
Beauty Insta: @lelobeauty_
Art Insta: @lelocreates_
Personal: @lejla_pepeljak
Other than that, if anyone is ever in the Toronto area and needs Balkan recommendations, feel free to contact me. And finally, a massive thank you to Emina for allowing me the space to tell a bit of my story and for doing such a wonderful job with Balkan Bred. Hvala puno, pozdrav 🙂