At MPC Properties, we believe that spaces are defined not only by buildings, but also by the people who bring them energy, character, and meaning.

That is why, through our People of the MPC Community series, we share inspiring stories of both our own employees and those of our tenants — people who, alongside their professional roles, stand out through their talents, interests, and authentic perspective on the world.

This time, we are introducing Jelena Milošević, who works in the Sales sector of IBM Technology, whose offices are located in UŠĆE Tower 1. Alongside her professional role, Jelena nurtures an unusual passion — she is a caver.

We are sharing our interview with her below:

When you descend into a cave, does it feel like you are entering a completely different world? How does that experience change you when you return to everyday life?

Every trip into a cave or pit, or as we call them, a speleological site, is a unique and, in some way, transformative experience. For successful fieldwork, just as in business, good preparation is essential, and it is so specific that even then I already feel like I am preparing for a journey into another world. You may notice that I am speaking in the plural, because caving is a team activity — you never enter a cave alone.

Before entering a cave, I gear up, disconnect from technology, and reconnect with nature. My mind shifts into a state of complete awareness, composure, responsibility, and consideration for myself, my team, and the world we are entering. Thanks to the skills I develop in the field and the insights I gain there, I make decisions faster at work, focus more easily, set priorities more clearly, remain present for longer in interactions with people, and do not allow technology to distract me from that.

What was the most unexpected or unusual moment you have experienced while exploring a cave?

I would describe my close encounter with a colony of bats as the most unusual moment. Packed closely together like clusters of grapes, they were hanging from the ceiling, clinging to the rock with their tiny claws and delicate legs. Contrary to the scenes we often see in films, as I passed directly beneath them, they were completely calm — sleeping, keeping warm, and allowing me to observe them up close. And when I passed by a bat that was slightly separated from the others, if it sensed my warmth, it would simply stir a little, almost as if greeting me.

The most unexpected moment happened when I was still a caving trainee and had the opportunity to explore Omladinska Cave without guidelines or boundaries. I was amazed by the childlike sense of play I felt while peeking into every corner, hoping that somewhere in the darkness there might be a passage leading to another chamber. And then, after crawling beneath low ceilings that my helmet kept striking, while tiny stones dug into my forearms and knees and my coveralls absorbed moisture from the sand, I suddenly found myself in a chamber full of cave decorations. What surprised me most was learning that the entrance to a chamber can sometimes be through an opening in the ceiling. We climbed up using an improvised step made of prusik loops, like stirrups. That chamber was the most impressive of all.

Caving requires courage and resourcefulness. Is there a situation from a cave that taught you an important life lesson?

Great challenges are given to us so that we can discover our own capabilities. The scene takes place at dawn, after a night spent rigging the site, which itself followed a full day of travel. Even the descent to a depth of 100 meters, next to a 30-meter waterfall producing deafening noise, was psychologically challenging, but it was the climb back out that truly taught me a lesson. With the support of my team, their light, guidance, and encouragement, I managed to overcome a major vertical ascent while at the edge of both physical and mental endurance. After that, I felt an incredible strength of will and faith in my own ability to overcome even the hardest challenges — my self-confidence exploded.

If you had to describe caving to someone who has never been inside a cave, what words would you use to convey that “magic beneath the ground”?

Sometimes you are surrounded by complete silence. Sometimes you cannot hear someone speaking right next to you. If you switch off your headlamp, you find yourself in total darkness. If you shine your light at the same place twice, you see a different scene each time. Some chambers rise several meters high and are filled with the most beautiful cave formations. All of them were shaped by water working its magic — sometimes violently carrying everything in its path, and sometimes patiently dissolving rock and creating cave ornaments over millennia. It is impossible not to feel awe. You understand that everything can be explained by mechanical and chemical processes, and yet that variety of shapes, colors, and textures feels simply magical. All the while, you are breathing naturally ionized air — cool when it is summer outside, warm when it is winter. You can see your own breath and the tiny particles flying around you in the beam of your lamp, and you know that a part of you remains there.

Is there a cave or caving destination you dream of visiting, and what exactly draws you to it?

Yes — it is the Cave above Vražji Firovi. At first, I was intrigued by its name, and then by the fact that it is located on the western edge of the Pešter Plateau, a landscape whose terrain, vastness, spring scents, wild horses, and shepherds who ride them — almost like cowboys — have fascinated me for a long time. Later, I learned that it is the largest speleological system in the Balkans, with more than 20 kilometers of passages that require physical endurance and proper equipment. Inside it, you squeeze through narrow spaces, crawl, cross water obstacles, use caving gear, and even bivouac, sleep inside, if you want to explore it fully — and that is what I find especially fascinating.

Jelena Milošević, IBM, Belgrade, March 25, 2026.