AFTER TWO DECADES IN AMERICA, ACO FULFILLS HIS DREAMS

"My soul and heart are finally fulfilled," says Aco Karanović, who returned to Svodna near Novi Grad after living in America for 20 years. Despite having a successful trucking business there, it wasn't enough to make him happy.

PHOTO: ATV

His only wish was to enjoy everything that, as he says, only the Republic of Srpska can offer.

"I feel very happy living with nature. I am a big nature lover, I respect it, I love it. After painting, driving trucks, and eating all kinds of junk food, I have now found my world where I live healthily, eat healthily, drink spring water, and listen to birds singing around me. My life has a new meaning, and I am happy," Aco shares.

In Svodna, Aco grows almost all types of fruits, with blueberries being the most prominent.

He also has a garden that his wife Mira tends to. He joyfully roasts pigs here, something he couldn't do in America without worry.

"I roasted a pig, or rather slaughtered it. I know it’s strange to them, so I hid it behind my van. A little neighbor girl asked if I had slaughtered a dog. I said no. It’s unfamiliar to them. When you light a fire, it’s unfamiliar to them. If you roast meat, the firefighters might come to see what’s going on. It's not the same life, our customs that we cherish," Aco explains.

Karanović adds that the freedom he has in his homeland is unmatched. His son and daughter-in-law remain in America, but he says he doesn't even want to think about going back there.

"I would never return," Aco declares.