I was born in a country that no longer exists.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
When I was born, Croatia was not an independent country. It was one of six republics that made up Yugoslavia.
The passport I carried no longer exists.
The currency I used no longer exists.
The country where I was born no longer exists.
Over my lifetime, I have watched borders change, flags change, governments change, currencies change, and history rewritten.
Few people get to witness the birth of a country within their own lifetime.
I did.
Today, on Croatia’s Statehood Day, I find myself living once again in the land where my story began, in a family home that has stood through monarchies, wars, socialism, independence, and now membership in the European Union.
History often feels permanent while we are living it.
Then one day you realize that countries, like people, have chapters.