also a die-hard fan of unsliced Italian loaves of bread. We had a symbiotic arrangement where I'd eat the inside of the loaf, and she’d eat the crust, claiming to prefer that. She ate eggs and bacon daily, and we shared strong, Turkish coffee which was mostly coffee grinds. Baba always encouraged me to be frugal and watch every cent. She was wiser and kinder than anyone I knew, and definitely made sure to chase any boys away, so I could focus on my studies.
Whether it involved raising me or helping scores of other people for nearly a century now, Baba has always a pillar of strength for others. She lived her life this way from such an early age out of necessity.
Born in 1919, she struggled to survive in her desolate mountainous surroundings. Baba lost her parents and older sister at a very young age, and moved in with her aunt and uncle. She shared the same hometown of Lika, in present day Croatia, as Serbian Inventor Nikola Tesla. As a child, she'd regularly pass his home and statue, yet never met his family. Her life was not easy. Frequent floods that were waist-deep at times made it impossible to travel safely to school approximately 15 miles away.
made it impossible to travel safely to school approximately 15 miles away.
During World War II, things took an interesting twist when "Ustacha" Nazi soldiers occupied her home for an extended stay. This was just the beginning of a long lifetime over her entire life, that she chose or was forced to help others, letting many people temporarily live above us on the second floor of her little home, rent-free.
The most profound thing about Baba's new Ustasha home occupants was that many of them were her former friends and neighbors, whom she had previously opened her home to as guests. Some of them were now instrumental in running Jasenovac concentration camp, and committing other unspeakable atrocities. However, these fascist soldiers never gave her a hard time, which I secretly suspect had a lot to do with her well-known and quite formidable arm wrestling skills. Yet, even after directly experiencing these unpleasant WWII situations and losing friends and family during them, Baba still held long-term friendships with Croatian and German friends instead of holding entire groups responsible for the unconscionable actions of a few people.
At 21, Baba married a young, handsome Serbian man who tragically died 3 years later in battle. He had a very risky job as one of the top Guards to King Alexander I. They had two children, my father Gliso and my aunt Mara. Years later, she followed them to America via airplane, landing in Chicago. She remarried Acim Trikich and several years later, they moved to Cudahy, WI so Baba could join her son and daughter.
In 1998, more of our relatives escaped war-ravaged Serbia and sought asylum in the U.S. My cousin Milos's printing business and his wife Jasna's flower shop were both burnt to the ground. They arrived with their little daughters Jelena and Una, and less than half a suitcase between the four of them. Baba welcomed them with open arms, moving them in upstairs, helping them eventually get back on their feet. Because of her kindness, strength and amazing sense of humor, she also constantly has visitors at her place.
Some things never change. Baba is still overly protective of me. We've always had a very special bond, because Baba represented much more than a grandma to me. My childhood was anything but typical. Yet growing up with a Mother diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, even with all of the sadness and drama, allowed me the gift of living with my Grandma.