Among the many voices that recently, through song, greeted the medieval Rmanj Monastery in Martin Brod near Drvar and warmed the hearts of those present, the voice of Brazilian Maira stood out. She has been a daughter-in-law of Drvar for 13 years and considers this small town her first homeland.
“Drvar is my first homeland now because it is the homeland of my children. It doesn’t matter where you were born – your homeland is where you want it to be, where you are happy, and I am happy in Drvar. I love our life in the countryside and the way my daughters Sofija and Sara are growing up here,” says Maira, who, together with her husband Petar Pecanac, decided to come to the Drvar village of Zaglavica after living in Sao Paulo and Novi Sad.
Maira says she came to visit Martin Brod with a group of folklore dancers from Drvar, accompanying her nine-year-old daughter Sofija, who attends folklore classes. She emphasizes that through such gatherings she gets to know even more about the fascinating history, tradition, and culture of this region.
“My dad, when he visits us from Brazil, wants to learn a lot about Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). There is little good information, and the culture of all religions is important. He doesn’t know the language, but he wants to talk to people because they are history. You are history! Your voice and your life are what we need to hear,” says Maira as she hugs an elderly woman who approached to take a photo with her.
During her life in Drvar, Maira has mastered many skills and uncovered the secrets of local homemakers, such as making products from rosehip, cornelian cherry, and other wild fruits – and she is ready to keep learning.
She met her husband in Hong Kong
Maira and her husband Petar Pecanac, the first mountaineer from BiH to climb Mount Everest in 2007, made the decision to come to Drvar after living together in Novi Sad and her hometown of Sao Paulo.
“My husband Petar and I met in Hong Kong, working on a cruise ship. We traveled the whole world and together decided on Drvar. There was no hesitation about Drvar,” Maira points out.
As they watch their two-year-old Sara and nine-year-old Sofija grow up carefree in the home they built in the village of Zaglavica, at the foot of the mysterious Osjecenica, Maira and her husband Petar do not dream of the world and distant places – because, she says, they have already conquered their world.
“Petar is a photographer and designer. I work for a software company in the United States (U.S.) whose owner is from Serbia, doing English and Portuguese translations and marketing. Every day we are part of the world, and our home, first homeland, and whole world is – Drvar,” Maira declares.
