Serbian student who predicted Kosovo as Syria wants to study in Pristina

He says he heard much about Kosovo, but says he knew nothing about this country. He says to have imagined Kosovo as Syria, but as soon as visiting, he says he is surprised for the good.

The student from Belgrade says there is a plan: he wants to make commander” in Pristina.

Below, follow the overall interview given to Kosovo Radio.

Radio Kosova: You are a very rare case with the connection you have with Kosovo, with Albanians. You were born in 1990, so by the time there was war in Kosovo you were a child, you had information. How did you decide to get in touch with the Albanians, to overcome the hostilities, especially what happened in 1999?

Tomislav Perushiq: I can say that I've been hearing about Kosovo almost all my life, but I didn't know anything about Kosovo or Albanians. I was often nervous to hear the name Kosovo, that I constantly heard about it, except Kosovo, Kosovo. And I told myself what's in Kosovo so interesting, I didn't understand.

Then, when I was in America for the first time I met Albanians. I was even ashamed that I knew nothing about Albanians. Even though we're neighbors. I only heard bad things and only heard that Kosovo is Serbia.

Radio Kosova: Where did you hear that?

Tomislav PerushiqIn the media, in school, in society, on the street, in the neighborhood...

Radio Kosova: So. Were you too young to face this propaganda?

Tomislav Perushiq: Since I was nine years old, I've been following the news, that they were everywhere only for Kosovo. There was nothing else, that was the Kosovo war at the time. And I didn't know before that my parents didn't want to tell us what was going on.

Radio KosovaBut what about war?

Tomisla PerushiqYes, yes. But you can avoid these things because at school everyone talked about politics. It is very common, politics is a subject for both young and old.

Radio Kosova: Did you make a difference with what Kosovo policy says as long as you're coming month after month?

Tomislav Perushiq: I've never had prejudiced against Albanians, but not for anyone. I thought of Kosovo as Syria today when I first came here. But I was surprised when I came to see how modernised Kosovo is, how many young people there are, very active, more than in Subotica. I'm from Subotica but here it's different. I'd love to come to Kosovo.

Radio Kosova: But you're coming month after month, even telling me you have a plan?

Tomislav Perushiq"Yes, I'm here for months and I have a plan. I like to master in Pristina. Next year I will come to Pristina for the master after finishing the faculty in Belgrade. I am very sure to come to Pristina, that Pristina is a good place. I think Kosovo is a good country not only for Albanian, that I haven't started learning language because of language, but because of the people, because of communication with Albanians, that I want to know Albanians better, since I didn't know anything about Albanians.

Radio Kosova: Tomislav, when coming to Pristina, is it also up to Kosovo Serbs or only Albanians?

Tomislav Perushiq: Generally, Albanians. I have many societies here with Albanian girls and boys, but I have met some Serbs at the seminar. I've talked to them, they have different views than me.

Radio Kosova: What view do they have of prejudice?

Tomislav PerushiqYes, it's biased, but not all. I've also met with many girls who were very open-minded, but in general I think they don't want to talk to Albanians about being afraid. But one thing I've noticed is that when they realize that I study Albanian, they immediately start talking about politics, which is not the case with Albanians. When I talk to Albanians, they talk about other things and then politics comes later.

Radio Kosova: So, youth in Serbia is politicised, of what are they afraid of not communicating with Albanians, and why are you afraid?

Tomislav Perushiq: I'm not afraid I've never been prejudiced, and maybe because I grew up in a mixed family. We are Serbs, Croats, Hungarians.

Radio KosovaSo you're not a hundred percent Serbian, maybe genetics?

Tomislav Perushiq: Yeah, yeah, maybe (and Tomislav laughs).

Radio Kosova: Is your mother or your father Serb?

Tomislav PerushiqMy mother is a Serb.

Radio Kosova: So Mother s'pass has influenced me to change...?

Tomislav PerushiqNo, no, not my mother has never been prejudiced, even though her family is a little more biased, little or much so now, that we talk too much in the family about politics on this subject.

Radio Kosova: What does your mother say you're coming to Kosovo a lot?

Tomislav Perushiq: I'm often asked what my mother says when I go to Kosovo, that people who have prejudice can't believe I come to Kosovo often, but I tell them, my mother says good ways. She always supports me.

Radio Kosova: Does the coming mother like her every month in Kosovo?

Tomislav Perushiq: Yes, she certainly wants me to go more to her in Subotica than in Kosovo, but she is agreeing with my choice.

Radio Kosova: Let's go back to retrospect, when you were a student in America you decided to meet the Albanians and what was that moment?

Tomislav Perushiq: After living with different communities in Queens, I've met Mexicans, Italians, Chinese and others, I thought only Albanians haven't met, although in some cases I've met anyone but, we've just talked a little. I didn't even know about Albanian culture. I didn't know anything about language and I just decided to meet them. So I found it, looked up on the internet, that it's close to Kosovo's anniversary day in February, and I asked that there must be a party and I went and found one in Queens. I went there, heard Albanian music for the first time, heard Albanian. I went to another party in the Bronx and met many Albanians, we talked about many things. I was even embarrassed to say I'm from Serbia, that I didn't know how they would react knowing it's a sensitive issue. So, I told you, I'm from Subotice, from Vojvodina. And I decided to learn Albanian, not because of my job, that I had no plans to learn it at college, and I started with some basic words.

At first, it seemed very difficult, not to read, that the standard language is not as difficult as dialect and speech. I have learned in Kosovo that at our branch in Belgrade, we only learn the standard language. We have a very good card with very good professors, and we only have the program in standard language.

Radio KosovaBut you're closer than your tongue, your clock is with an eagle, your eagle bag. What else have you got with the eagle?

Tomislav Perushiq: I got my wallet with eagles...

Radio Kosova: What is happening to you, do Serbs in Serbia or Kosovo stigmatize you, or call you a traitor, have you calculated that, have they ever called you a traitor?

Perfuq: Surely, there is one, but no one can tell me something personally, that my society in Serbia respects me even if they think otherwise. The guys who think otherwise don't talk about this, don't tell me, don't sell me propaganda...

Radio Kosova: Do authorities question you that you are very often going to Kosovo, you have been linked to Albanians, that this is what happens?

Tomislav PerushiqYes, they ask. I'm just happy to say, I have a lot of friends, they look at the fb, they see my pictures. I always put pictures on the fb...

Radio Kosova: Why did you put your name on Facebook Tomislav Lulzim Perushiq?

Tomislav Perushiq: This is due to a friend from Mitrovica, Gent. He told me that as he is coming to Kosovo so often, you have to have an Albanian name. And so I decided for Lulzim.

Radio KosovaDo you want to apply for citizenship, do you care?

Tomislav PerushiqYes, I do. If we moved here to Pristina or any other city in Kosovo, I will probably get it for work. Although I now have three citizenships.

Radio Kosova: Three citizenships?

Tomislav Perushiq: Serbia, Croatia and Hungary.

Radio Kosova: Does Serbia's constitution allow three citizenships?

Tomislav Perushiq Yeah, allowed... nobody asked me if I had them.

Radio Kosova: Are there some ultra-nationalist Serbs, have they ever threatened you, ever write on fb?

Tomislav PerushiqNo, not personally. But I had an incident. We were watching a Kosovo documentary film in Belgrade and there was an extreme organisation and they were protesting, then they left after 15 minutes and one of them stayed to watch the movie. He cried out that Kosovo is Serbia when at one point my friend laughed.

Radio Kosova: You believe that Kosovo is different from what nationalists call, that Kosovo is Serbia?

Tomislav Perushiq: It's quite different.

Radio Kosova: Are you able to tell the truth about it when you go to Serbia?

Tomislav PerushiqI don't talk about politics everywhere.

Radio Kosova: Not for politics, but for things you see every time you're in Kosovo?

Tomislav Perushiq: I'll tell you if they're interested, if not then I can keep talking... that I can't speak without the subject being opened.

Radio Kosova: Tell me something straight about Tomislav... you keep the clock and the eagle bag even when you're in Serbia?

Tomislav Perushiq: Of course, the bag and the watch.

Radio Kosova: Who gave you this watch?

Tomislav Perushiq: I bought it in America.

Radio Kosova: Are they visible symbols, watching people?

Tomislav Perushiq: They're just looking at them, because I don't keep these things to provoke people. I just like them. I want to change people's status and attention. I think even if I show what I'm doing in Kosovo, as I'm going through, I think people have to see that it's not what they're talking about.

Radio Kosova: Would you rather influence to change the reports between the two peoples by coming to Kosovo or by staying in Serbia?

Tomislav Perushiq: Now it's important for me to come to Kosovo and tell you through the fb, through other things what it's like in Kosovo, but I think it's important to stay in Serbia even a little bit, even though I've been in Belgrade for three years now. I'm also the activist of a non-governmental organisation “Women in black”, and we're protesting, we're in comas for wars during the 1990s, we're dealing with it. We don't talk much, but we're trying to tell you what happened and try to change.

Radio Kosova: Do you believe it will change?

Tomislav Perushiq: I'm personally trying, that I don't promote Albanian culture during the protests, but I do it myself in college, in society, everywhere.

Radio Kosova: Have you managed to convince any other Serb of your generation to come to Kosovo and see that here is another reality of political propaganda?

Tomislav Perushiq: We have many seminarists now, who have seen me as well through the fb coming here and the photos, that I have a good time in Kosovo, in Mitrovica or Prizren and elsewhere, and I think I have an impact on them. I have societies that want to come to Kosovo but not themselves, that they are darering to come to me alone that the main thing, the main barrier is language, because they don't know Albanian. Here it's different, young people and old people speak to me Serbian when I'm here, especially those in Mitrovica.

Radio Kosova: I'm glad you're going to be a part of the change and the new generation to change the hostilities that are quite long and deep, especially what happened during 1999...

Tomislav PerushiqI think it's possible to live together. Those who say otherwise I just disagree. My experience is quite different. I don't even want to hear about it when someone tells me we can't live with Albanians. We can co-exist with Albanians.