I spent two nights in Prague before going back to Vienna. By that time, I was so tired of being a tourist, that I had a hard time motivating myself to “cram everything in.” Sometimes, it’s easier to stand in the gift shop and read the guidebook than actually go see everything (JUST KIDDING). Seriously though, I was so excited to be heading home, that I got on an earlier train just to be back in Vienna (which is lucky, because I ran into my fellow SIT Balkaner, Becca, at the hostel that night). The slide from eager hosteller to grody degenerate transient backpacker is QUICK.
Prague – the city of a thousand spires – was so beautiful. The Czech language is very similar to Croatian, so I had a pretty easy time getting around. Their subway system sort of reminded me of DC’s Metro. The first day, I spent the morning in Old Town Square, just people watching. That was definitely the tourist hub of the city. The astronomical clock tower is there (not overrated in the slightest, please watch it chime on the hour). There are so many different styles of architecture in this one city, it is really a feast for the eyes.
In the afternoon, I took another 3 ½ hour walking tour with the “FreeEurope” company (I also did their tour in Berlin). We explored the old city, the new city, the Jewish quarter and many other places. We ended up on the other side of the river, so I walked back to the square via the Charles Bridge (also very cool).
Thursday morning, I checked out of the hostel and stored my bags, then made my way up to Prague Castle. I wasn’t sure of how to exactly get there, except for a subway stop at the bottom of the hill. It’s sort of hard to miss, so I just took a number of trams up the hill until one dropped me off at the gate.
The castle was not anything like I expected – it is like another city within walls. You could spend all day there. I bought a pass to see everything and proceeded through some of the old living quarters, the cathedral and saw the current-day Czech executive government offices, and of course, a fantastic view of the city of Prague on the other side of the river. There was this one place, called Golden Alley, where there are little cottages built directly into the fortress’ wall. There is a little placard on the house were Kafka lived.
After that, I just needed to sit down for a while, so I picked up my bags from the hostel and caught the next train to Vienna.
Friday, it was SO rainy & cold, but I went to Schoenbrunn Palace anyways. I think it was my most favorite palace. I took the full tour (with an English audio guide!!) and went all over the grounds. The first time I was in Vienna, I saw them filming for a movie in another part of the city – on this particular day, the crew was setting up at Schoenbrunn (I need to check to see which movie it is!). I also watched an apple struedel baking demonstration in the palace kitchens!
I went back to the airport that night, where I camped out. Luckily, they let me check my bags that early and no one gave me a hard time about sleeping in a corner of the concourse. AND Vienna Int’l has free WiFi, so once I got my laptop & other stuff out of the long-term storage, I caught up on various things that I hadn’t kept track off while abroad.
Enjoyed a relatively pleasant flight on May 30th – imbibed on a glass of wine (last legal drink for the time being) with dinner and slept over the Atlantic. With an hour left of the flight, I was wired and so eager to see America. The customs form didn’t fit all the countries I’d been to, so I sort of gave up. The CBP officers all laughed at me and said “welcome home.” I knocked over a few drivers, Asian tourist and some old grannies when I saw my mom walk into the terminal.
First meal? Peanut M&Ms, a McDonald’s cheeseburger and a fountain Coke at JFK airport.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
In Prague
Hi everyone -
On my last jaunt of The Tour, Prague.
I really enjoyed the last few days in Berlin. It is a very special city! Everything was great - I think celebrating the the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on Saturday at the Brandenburg Gate was the highlight. I saw Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor (forgot to mention that in the last post!).
I went to Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and KaDeWe (the biggest department store on the European continent) yesterday, and did a few other things that are now slipping my mind.
I had a nice train ride from Berlin, about 4 1/2 hours, this afternoon and found my beautiful hostel very easily. I am so surprise at how closely the Czech and Croatian languages are - I can read signs with almost no problem!
Enjoying the free internet and a quiet evening in before touring Prague tomorrow...
On my last jaunt of The Tour, Prague.
I really enjoyed the last few days in Berlin. It is a very special city! Everything was great - I think celebrating the the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on Saturday at the Brandenburg Gate was the highlight. I saw Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor (forgot to mention that in the last post!).
I went to Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and KaDeWe (the biggest department store on the European continent) yesterday, and did a few other things that are now slipping my mind.
I had a nice train ride from Berlin, about 4 1/2 hours, this afternoon and found my beautiful hostel very easily. I am so surprise at how closely the Czech and Croatian languages are - I can read signs with almost no problem!
Enjoying the free internet and a quiet evening in before touring Prague tomorrow...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
In Berlin
I love, love, love Berlin. I love Germany. I love speaking German. I love hearing German. I love directional signs. I love S- and U-Bahn maps. I love German efficiency.
It is such a relief to be in a city that is well ordered and doesn't make my life as a foreign tourist impossible. After Istanbul and Athens, I needed a break. We were both worried about getting lost on the way to our hostel late Friday night and then were like, "Oh wait... this is Germany... there are signs..."
Yesterday was great. It feels cold here, even though its not, but it's chillier here than in the last few places we've been. I took a (free!!) 4-hour walking tour of the city to get my bearings. It was led by a great Aussie and it was a good time.
Today I went back to the Checkpoint Charlie/Berlin Wall Museum and the exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial. Then I went up in the dome of the Reichstag building!! It was so cool, but hot as a greenhouse in the glass dome.
I'm waiting for Rachel to meet me at the hostel (we're staying at "The Generator" - a huge 900-bed/EUR 8 per night place in East Berlin. It's so much fun!)... then, hopefully, dinner!!
Home at the end of the week!!!!!
It is such a relief to be in a city that is well ordered and doesn't make my life as a foreign tourist impossible. After Istanbul and Athens, I needed a break. We were both worried about getting lost on the way to our hostel late Friday night and then were like, "Oh wait... this is Germany... there are signs..."
Yesterday was great. It feels cold here, even though its not, but it's chillier here than in the last few places we've been. I took a (free!!) 4-hour walking tour of the city to get my bearings. It was led by a great Aussie and it was a good time.
Today I went back to the Checkpoint Charlie/Berlin Wall Museum and the exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial. Then I went up in the dome of the Reichstag building!! It was so cool, but hot as a greenhouse in the glass dome.
I'm waiting for Rachel to meet me at the hostel (we're staying at "The Generator" - a huge 900-bed/EUR 8 per night place in East Berlin. It's so much fun!)... then, hopefully, dinner!!
Home at the end of the week!!!!!
Friday, May 22, 2009
It's all Greek to me (wonk wonk)
I'm heading to Berlin later today, so I thought I should write a quick post about the end of Istanbul and Athens.
We met up with 3 girls from our SIT program on Sunday and Monday in Istanbul - I was so happy that it worked out that way. It was great to see them again, plus easier to get around in Istanbul as a bigger group, instead of a two American girls. Athens is so peaceful compared to Old Istanbul. I was getting so tired of the "hey lady... hey lady... lady, where you from?" on the street. It's hard to ignore people!!
Hostel Pagration in Athens is great. There are a ton of other American students who have just finished their study-abroad programs here and we had a blast with them. It was much friendler than our rather grim guesthouse in Istanbul, even if it was quite a hike from the sights in Athens.
On Wednesday I found myself at the Acropolis, which was amazing (although it looks a lot bigger in pictures). Crowded with hoards of tourists, even at 9am. From there, I explored the ancient Agora (my favorite!!!!!), the Athenian flea market, and some notable buildings like the Greek Parliament and Presidential Residence. I had some yummy spanakopita (I think that is how you spell it?? The only Greek I know comes from APO) and then went to Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of the Olympian Zeus (also very cool), and the Olympic stadium.
Yesterday I sort of retraced my steps again and went to the Kerameikos, the ancient area where many potters had their workshops and also where a large cemetery was. It was incredible to see a archaeological site that has been under nearly constant excavation for almost 100 years. The site of Kerameikos (and Classical age Athens), is 8 to 9 meters below the surface of present day Athens and one can easily see that change in elevation.
I took the Metro up to the National Archaeological Museum after that. The Metro is so neat. So many remains were discovered during the construction of the Metro, that some stops have curated exhibits of the artifacts found there, so taking the Metro is a museum in and of itself.
The National Museum is overwhelming, I only spent a few hours, but it could take days. It was great to see assemblages of artifacts found at, say, the Acropolis. It is easier to imagine what the temples looked like once I saw all the statues, ceramics, etc. that belonged there.
That's about it... sure there is much more to say, but I have limited time. More from Berlin!!
We met up with 3 girls from our SIT program on Sunday and Monday in Istanbul - I was so happy that it worked out that way. It was great to see them again, plus easier to get around in Istanbul as a bigger group, instead of a two American girls. Athens is so peaceful compared to Old Istanbul. I was getting so tired of the "hey lady... hey lady... lady, where you from?" on the street. It's hard to ignore people!!
Hostel Pagration in Athens is great. There are a ton of other American students who have just finished their study-abroad programs here and we had a blast with them. It was much friendler than our rather grim guesthouse in Istanbul, even if it was quite a hike from the sights in Athens.
On Wednesday I found myself at the Acropolis, which was amazing (although it looks a lot bigger in pictures). Crowded with hoards of tourists, even at 9am. From there, I explored the ancient Agora (my favorite!!!!!), the Athenian flea market, and some notable buildings like the Greek Parliament and Presidential Residence. I had some yummy spanakopita (I think that is how you spell it?? The only Greek I know comes from APO) and then went to Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of the Olympian Zeus (also very cool), and the Olympic stadium.
Yesterday I sort of retraced my steps again and went to the Kerameikos, the ancient area where many potters had their workshops and also where a large cemetery was. It was incredible to see a archaeological site that has been under nearly constant excavation for almost 100 years. The site of Kerameikos (and Classical age Athens), is 8 to 9 meters below the surface of present day Athens and one can easily see that change in elevation.
I took the Metro up to the National Archaeological Museum after that. The Metro is so neat. So many remains were discovered during the construction of the Metro, that some stops have curated exhibits of the artifacts found there, so taking the Metro is a museum in and of itself.
The National Museum is overwhelming, I only spent a few hours, but it could take days. It was great to see assemblages of artifacts found at, say, the Acropolis. It is easier to imagine what the temples looked like once I saw all the statues, ceramics, etc. that belonged there.
That's about it... sure there is much more to say, but I have limited time. More from Berlin!!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Easy Days in Istanbul
Yesterday we got up early and took a ferryboat to one of the Prince's Islands (Adalar), which are off the Asian coast of the city. It was a nice excursion from the hubbub of the city & those intense travel days. There are no private cars on the islands, so people get around with horses & bicycles. It was very quiet! We went to a public beach and tanned... the water (Mamara Sea), was super cold and had a film of oil on top from the many barges and boats going by - no thanks, I'd rather not swim in polluted water. The sun was very strong though, so we decided to leave after a few hours. The town center was very crowded with tourists by the time we left.
Today, we went to the Grand Bazaar again, to find some souvenirs. Prices are not displayed, so much haggling is required. It's quite an experience. We tried not to let any one find out we are American, because that makes the price double - today, I have been from Australia, Canada, and Croatia. Rachel and I usually pretend to speak Croatian when we're on the street - it usually throws off the many guys who are trying to get us to come sit at their cafes, eat at their restaurants, or buy their souvenirs. Usually, they just assume we are Russian and give up.
Our Serbian/Croatian disguises backfired on us today, when Rachel managed to interact with the only Bosnian shopkeeper in the Bazaar. We went up and did our "Ohh, ne govorimo engleski!' (We don't speak English!) spiel and then the guy goes, "Ah! Dobrodoshli!" (welcome!). It took Rachel nearly everything she had to continue a conversation in the language and me nearly everything I had to keep from laughing!
We rounded out the afteroon with a tour of the Dolmabahce Palace and an early dinner. Tomorrow, our classmates Alex & Emma join us here - looking forward to seeing them again!
Today, we went to the Grand Bazaar again, to find some souvenirs. Prices are not displayed, so much haggling is required. It's quite an experience. We tried not to let any one find out we are American, because that makes the price double - today, I have been from Australia, Canada, and Croatia. Rachel and I usually pretend to speak Croatian when we're on the street - it usually throws off the many guys who are trying to get us to come sit at their cafes, eat at their restaurants, or buy their souvenirs. Usually, they just assume we are Russian and give up.
Our Serbian/Croatian disguises backfired on us today, when Rachel managed to interact with the only Bosnian shopkeeper in the Bazaar. We went up and did our "Ohh, ne govorimo engleski!' (We don't speak English!) spiel and then the guy goes, "Ah! Dobrodoshli!" (welcome!). It took Rachel nearly everything she had to continue a conversation in the language and me nearly everything I had to keep from laughing!
We rounded out the afteroon with a tour of the Dolmabahce Palace and an early dinner. Tomorrow, our classmates Alex & Emma join us here - looking forward to seeing them again!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Whirling Dervishes, I'm in Turkey!
Filling out a health certificate on the plane from London, I realized that I have been to 5 countries in the last two weeks. Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Britain. Now, Turkey.
We had our going-away dinner with our host families and professors on Sunday night in Zagreb and I flew to Vienna early on Monday morning. Most of the group continued on to JFK, but me, Fiona & Emily met up with Rachel (who took a train from Zagreb) in Vienna for the night. Vienna, at face value, is one of the most beautiful cities I have been in. It was a bit of culture shock, seeing my first Starbucks after 3.5 months, no graffiti for blocks, and being able to overhear conversations in a language I could understand. We went the Hofburg Palace complex, which is great. I saw various churches, the government buildings, national theater, university, etc. I also saw the Spanish Riding School & the Lippizaner stables.
Tuesday morning I went to the Belvedere palace (now an art museum), where I saw my most favorite painting in the whole wide world = Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" as well as some of his other works. From there, we headed to the airport and boarded our 3pm flight to London!
Got to Gatwick with no problem and took a transfer to the city. I was mesmerized by the traffic oncoming from the opposite side!! We hit the ground running, taking the Underground (mind the gap!!) to Westminster - saw the River Thames, the Eye, Parliament, Westminster Abbey & Big Ben. Westminster Abbey is SO cool. We walked to Trafalgar Square and then took the U to the Tower of London (which actually isn't a tower, its a fortress... silly me). Then on to Buckingham Palace around nightfall, where we met Rachel's friend Joy - we crashed in her LSE dorm for the night. I would like to note that we ran around with giant backpacks all day... my shoulders are never going to forgive me.
Yesterday was an intense travel day. We took a bus to London-Luton airport and flew to Sabiha Gocken, on the east side of Istanbul, on the Asian continent. Met by Turkish health officials wearing masks as we were getting off the plane - they take this swine flu thing very seriously. We had quite the run-around when trying to buy our visas into Turkey, but now I have a cool sticker and stamp in my passport! Using public transportation from the airport, it took us 3 buses, a tram, a whole lotta walking and about 3 hours to get to our hostel, located in the heart of the Old City - luckily, we are flying out of the more convienent airport next week!!
We were dead tired last night and collapsed around 10pm, even with the 2 hour time difference from London. I was awoken by the call of prayer at 5am from the mosque next door - but slept in until after 8! We went to the Topkapi Palace this morning and then headed up to the Spice Market & Grand Bazaar this afternoon. It's cooler today (in the 70s), but supposed to be in the 90s over the weekend. Many locals are still wearing overcoats and of course, many women are covered from head to toe. I barely made it in jeans & a t-shirt today! We're planning a cruise on the Bosphorus or a trip up to the beaches on the Black Sea tomorrow... will update again soon!
Reporting live from Istanbul,
Liz
We had our going-away dinner with our host families and professors on Sunday night in Zagreb and I flew to Vienna early on Monday morning. Most of the group continued on to JFK, but me, Fiona & Emily met up with Rachel (who took a train from Zagreb) in Vienna for the night. Vienna, at face value, is one of the most beautiful cities I have been in. It was a bit of culture shock, seeing my first Starbucks after 3.5 months, no graffiti for blocks, and being able to overhear conversations in a language I could understand. We went the Hofburg Palace complex, which is great. I saw various churches, the government buildings, national theater, university, etc. I also saw the Spanish Riding School & the Lippizaner stables.
Tuesday morning I went to the Belvedere palace (now an art museum), where I saw my most favorite painting in the whole wide world = Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" as well as some of his other works. From there, we headed to the airport and boarded our 3pm flight to London!
Got to Gatwick with no problem and took a transfer to the city. I was mesmerized by the traffic oncoming from the opposite side!! We hit the ground running, taking the Underground (mind the gap!!) to Westminster - saw the River Thames, the Eye, Parliament, Westminster Abbey & Big Ben. Westminster Abbey is SO cool. We walked to Trafalgar Square and then took the U to the Tower of London (which actually isn't a tower, its a fortress... silly me). Then on to Buckingham Palace around nightfall, where we met Rachel's friend Joy - we crashed in her LSE dorm for the night. I would like to note that we ran around with giant backpacks all day... my shoulders are never going to forgive me.
Yesterday was an intense travel day. We took a bus to London-Luton airport and flew to Sabiha Gocken, on the east side of Istanbul, on the Asian continent. Met by Turkish health officials wearing masks as we were getting off the plane - they take this swine flu thing very seriously. We had quite the run-around when trying to buy our visas into Turkey, but now I have a cool sticker and stamp in my passport! Using public transportation from the airport, it took us 3 buses, a tram, a whole lotta walking and about 3 hours to get to our hostel, located in the heart of the Old City - luckily, we are flying out of the more convienent airport next week!!
We were dead tired last night and collapsed around 10pm, even with the 2 hour time difference from London. I was awoken by the call of prayer at 5am from the mosque next door - but slept in until after 8! We went to the Topkapi Palace this morning and then headed up to the Spice Market & Grand Bazaar this afternoon. It's cooler today (in the 70s), but supposed to be in the 90s over the weekend. Many locals are still wearing overcoats and of course, many women are covered from head to toe. I barely made it in jeans & a t-shirt today! We're planning a cruise on the Bosphorus or a trip up to the beaches on the Black Sea tomorrow... will update again soon!
Reporting live from Istanbul,
Liz
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Final Seminar on Island Krk!
Krk is so beautiful and it is so great to be done with all of my work. The 16 of us did our final presentations, handed everything in and we are so glad to be relieved of the work, but sad that the semester is coming to a close.
We are staying in a small pension just outside the old town of Krk, on Krk island in the north Adriatic Sea. It's a stone's throw from the water and we have a beautiful patio where we've all hanging out and sharing meals together. Our program director, program assistant and our language professor are all here with us.
Some of us get up and go swimming every morning around 8, which is wonderful. It is very hot here, but the water is still ICY. It's only in the 50s. So, we can only swim for 30 minutes or so, before getting out to warm up. We had a free morning on Friday and we spend it exploring some of the other beaches near our hotel. The water is clear - you can see straight to the bottom, even where it is 20 feet deep. And perfect salinity! The only drawback is that there are no sandy beaches - just pebbly and rocky beaches. There are also sea urchins everywhere! I cut my foot on one, before I realized that all the little black things on the bottom were spiny little buggers and not rocks. On the rocks on the island, little green lizards are sunning themselves.
Friday night we had a blowing-off-steam party on the dock. It was a lot of fun! We had food & drinks, music (& karaoke), and a slideshow of all the pictures from the semester.
Last night, we all went to a neighboring town for the Crna Ovca (Black Sheep) Festival. Lots of lambs roasting on spits and other local festivities. We had one last big group dinner together with lots of food (lamb) at the festival and came back late last night. I'm getting ready to pack, eat lunch outside again and then get on the bus back to Zagreb (can't I just reschedule everything and stay here????)
It's been a very relaxed end to what was, at times, a very stressful semester.
Photos:
Island Krk
Crna Ovca Festival
We are staying in a small pension just outside the old town of Krk, on Krk island in the north Adriatic Sea. It's a stone's throw from the water and we have a beautiful patio where we've all hanging out and sharing meals together. Our program director, program assistant and our language professor are all here with us.
Some of us get up and go swimming every morning around 8, which is wonderful. It is very hot here, but the water is still ICY. It's only in the 50s. So, we can only swim for 30 minutes or so, before getting out to warm up. We had a free morning on Friday and we spend it exploring some of the other beaches near our hotel. The water is clear - you can see straight to the bottom, even where it is 20 feet deep. And perfect salinity! The only drawback is that there are no sandy beaches - just pebbly and rocky beaches. There are also sea urchins everywhere! I cut my foot on one, before I realized that all the little black things on the bottom were spiny little buggers and not rocks. On the rocks on the island, little green lizards are sunning themselves.
Friday night we had a blowing-off-steam party on the dock. It was a lot of fun! We had food & drinks, music (& karaoke), and a slideshow of all the pictures from the semester.
Last night, we all went to a neighboring town for the Crna Ovca (Black Sheep) Festival. Lots of lambs roasting on spits and other local festivities. We had one last big group dinner together with lots of food (lamb) at the festival and came back late last night. I'm getting ready to pack, eat lunch outside again and then get on the bus back to Zagreb (can't I just reschedule everything and stay here????)
It's been a very relaxed end to what was, at times, a very stressful semester.
Photos:
Island Krk
Crna Ovca Festival
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Quite an Adventure!
Well, I am almost done with my semester here! I finished my 30-page ISP on Monday and travelled back to Zagreb yesterday. I made it back from Kosovo in one piece - I would have written earlier, but I couldn't stand the thought of typing on my laptop anymore!
Getting to Kosovo was an adventure in and of itself. Because of all the politics and whatnot, there is no regular bus that runs between Belgrade and Prishtina. Instead, two Serbian brothers run a private coach between the two capitals daily. Gaby called this private number and got the info - we needed to meet them at the minibus outside of the main train station at 6:00am Friday morning. This bus was crazy. It was like the Knight Bus from the Harry Potter books - it would randomly pull over on the side of the road and people would jump on. Once, we stopped under an overpass and some woman came out of the ditch. At the toll plaza, some guy just opened the door and sat down upfront. It was so random!
We got to Gračenica, a small village near Prishtina, around 12:00. It's also a Serb enclave (Serbs are a minority in Kosovo and mostly live together in these small towns). We were the last people on the bus and expressed to the driver that we needed him to take us into the city, which he did. Then he called his friend, who was a taxi driver, who met us, translated for us, and took us to our hotel. He told Gaby "don't speak so much Serbian! Use English here!" So, from then on, we spoke English with everyone on the street.
We got there during the middle of jumu'ah (Friday prayer), so the mosques were full and the streets were empty. It was also International Labor Day, so only the cafes were open. After jumu'ah was over, the streets were full of men - we didn't see any other women on the street! We think it was because the kids were home from school for the holiday. When the guys heard us speaking English to each other, they would stop us and ask to buy us coffee (I think there was a marriage proposal or two, as well).
Prishtina was a small city. We walked around for a little while and Gaby did her interview while I sat in a cafe and worked on transcribing my interviews. Most of the buildings (as you can see from the pictures) are alphabet soup - UN, EU, OSCE, etc. There was some very interesting graffiti too, such as "EU-LEX, Made in Serbia."
Saturday saw a much more general population on the street. We had breakfast at the hotel and explored a little bit more, then got lunch and headed back to the hotel, where our taxi driver from the day before said he would meet us at 2:45 to take us out to the edge of the city where the bus was picking us up. He was there waiting for us! How nice it is to be chauffered around :-)
Our bus driver on the way back drove like an idiot, there is no other way to put it. Probably 80 miles an hour, which is about 40 miles too fast in a minibus, on roads that haven't had much maintenance. He got pulled over and got a ticket, but it didn't slow him down at all. The return trip was supposed to take about 7 hours and he did it in five.
Despite getting carsick on the way home, the trip was well worth it. It really put things in perspective - to think that Kosovo is the world's newest country and struggles with transition, governance, etc. It made me think of what Bosnia and other countries here were like 10 or 15 years ago.
I head to island Krk tomorrow for our final seminar & presentations! Back in Zagreb on Sunday night for our sending-off dinner, then flying to Vienna on Monday morning.
Getting to Kosovo was an adventure in and of itself. Because of all the politics and whatnot, there is no regular bus that runs between Belgrade and Prishtina. Instead, two Serbian brothers run a private coach between the two capitals daily. Gaby called this private number and got the info - we needed to meet them at the minibus outside of the main train station at 6:00am Friday morning. This bus was crazy. It was like the Knight Bus from the Harry Potter books - it would randomly pull over on the side of the road and people would jump on. Once, we stopped under an overpass and some woman came out of the ditch. At the toll plaza, some guy just opened the door and sat down upfront. It was so random!
We got to Gračenica, a small village near Prishtina, around 12:00. It's also a Serb enclave (Serbs are a minority in Kosovo and mostly live together in these small towns). We were the last people on the bus and expressed to the driver that we needed him to take us into the city, which he did. Then he called his friend, who was a taxi driver, who met us, translated for us, and took us to our hotel. He told Gaby "don't speak so much Serbian! Use English here!" So, from then on, we spoke English with everyone on the street.
We got there during the middle of jumu'ah (Friday prayer), so the mosques were full and the streets were empty. It was also International Labor Day, so only the cafes were open. After jumu'ah was over, the streets were full of men - we didn't see any other women on the street! We think it was because the kids were home from school for the holiday. When the guys heard us speaking English to each other, they would stop us and ask to buy us coffee (I think there was a marriage proposal or two, as well).
Prishtina was a small city. We walked around for a little while and Gaby did her interview while I sat in a cafe and worked on transcribing my interviews. Most of the buildings (as you can see from the pictures) are alphabet soup - UN, EU, OSCE, etc. There was some very interesting graffiti too, such as "EU-LEX, Made in Serbia."
Saturday saw a much more general population on the street. We had breakfast at the hotel and explored a little bit more, then got lunch and headed back to the hotel, where our taxi driver from the day before said he would meet us at 2:45 to take us out to the edge of the city where the bus was picking us up. He was there waiting for us! How nice it is to be chauffered around :-)
Our bus driver on the way back drove like an idiot, there is no other way to put it. Probably 80 miles an hour, which is about 40 miles too fast in a minibus, on roads that haven't had much maintenance. He got pulled over and got a ticket, but it didn't slow him down at all. The return trip was supposed to take about 7 hours and he did it in five.
Despite getting carsick on the way home, the trip was well worth it. It really put things in perspective - to think that Kosovo is the world's newest country and struggles with transition, governance, etc. It made me think of what Bosnia and other countries here were like 10 or 15 years ago.
I head to island Krk tomorrow for our final seminar & presentations! Back in Zagreb on Sunday night for our sending-off dinner, then flying to Vienna on Monday morning.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Kosovo - Politics, History, etc.
Kosovo is the world's newest country. It unilaterally (as in, it didn't cooperate with Serbia) declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. Until then, it was an autonomous province of Serbia. Serbia does not recognized the seccession of Kosovo and still considers it a UN-governed entity of within Serbian sovereign country! To date, these countries have recognized Kosovo.
The history of Kosovo is a long one, going back to at least the 14th century. The Battle of 1389, between the Serbian and Ottoman Empires, was fought on a field near Pristina (the capital). The Battle is an important symbol of Serbian independence to Serb patriots and nationalists. In fact, 1389 is also the name of an underground Serb nationalist group, which protests the seccession of Kosovo. Their grafitti is all over Belgrade, with things like "Kosovo is Serbia" and "Kosovo is the Heart of Serbia." Kosovo is also considered the Holy Land of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the territory is full of natural resources.
During the Kosovo War (1998-1999), Serb nationalists and Kosovar Albanian paramilitaries fought over the territory. That ended when NATO excuted its bombing campaign, making the point that everyone should cut it out. It was pretty awful, a lot of refugees and IDPs - Google it for yourself, I'm too tired to write about death, destruction and disruption now.
There are about 2 million people living in Kosovo and there is about a 90% ethnic Albanian majority, 10% Serb minority. Not sure how much I believe these figures, seeing as that there are over 100,000 Roma who live there, not to mention other national minorities - I don't know how much of the Albanian's majority was manipulated. It is so important to look at things objectively and critically in this entire region. Official languages are Albanian and Serbian. Albanian looks pretty crazy- I was trying to pick up the basics earlier. They have umlauts over their E's and what looks like 10 syllables in every word. Also, Kosovo is "Kosova" in Albanian. So, in Serbia, if you are really pro-independent Kosovo, you can say "Kosova" and people will know your position on the issue. If you say "Kosovo i Metohija," then you are probably a Serb nationalist.
I'm hoping to learn more about the different stances on Kosovo's independence. As an American, it's so easy to get caught up in my country's foreign policy & perspective and support Kosovar independence wholeheartedly. Living in Belgrade for a while has made me think, "No - Kosovo is Serbia!" I'm curious to see what it will be like there - will I be welcomed as an American? Or will they tell, "We're fine thanks, we don't need you or the UN anymore - let us run our own country now."? Not sure how much of that I can gauge in a day and half, but maybe the people on the bus will speak English and I can discuss it with them.
The history of Kosovo is a long one, going back to at least the 14th century. The Battle of 1389, between the Serbian and Ottoman Empires, was fought on a field near Pristina (the capital). The Battle is an important symbol of Serbian independence to Serb patriots and nationalists. In fact, 1389 is also the name of an underground Serb nationalist group, which protests the seccession of Kosovo. Their grafitti is all over Belgrade, with things like "Kosovo is Serbia" and "Kosovo is the Heart of Serbia." Kosovo is also considered the Holy Land of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the territory is full of natural resources.
During the Kosovo War (1998-1999), Serb nationalists and Kosovar Albanian paramilitaries fought over the territory. That ended when NATO excuted its bombing campaign, making the point that everyone should cut it out. It was pretty awful, a lot of refugees and IDPs - Google it for yourself, I'm too tired to write about death, destruction and disruption now.
There are about 2 million people living in Kosovo and there is about a 90% ethnic Albanian majority, 10% Serb minority. Not sure how much I believe these figures, seeing as that there are over 100,000 Roma who live there, not to mention other national minorities - I don't know how much of the Albanian's majority was manipulated. It is so important to look at things objectively and critically in this entire region. Official languages are Albanian and Serbian. Albanian looks pretty crazy- I was trying to pick up the basics earlier. They have umlauts over their E's and what looks like 10 syllables in every word. Also, Kosovo is "Kosova" in Albanian. So, in Serbia, if you are really pro-independent Kosovo, you can say "Kosova" and people will know your position on the issue. If you say "Kosovo i Metohija," then you are probably a Serb nationalist.
I'm hoping to learn more about the different stances on Kosovo's independence. As an American, it's so easy to get caught up in my country's foreign policy & perspective and support Kosovar independence wholeheartedly. Living in Belgrade for a while has made me think, "No - Kosovo is Serbia!" I'm curious to see what it will be like there - will I be welcomed as an American? Or will they tell, "We're fine thanks, we don't need you or the UN anymore - let us run our own country now."? Not sure how much of that I can gauge in a day and half, but maybe the people on the bus will speak English and I can discuss it with them.
Hmmm.....
I haven't really done too much this week except prepare notes and transcripts and such, so I could begin writing my paper. It's incredible the amount of data I have collected - I have a huge folder on my Desktop labeled "ISP" and there must be about thirty files there, in addition to all of the webpages I've bookmarked. Then there are all of my interviews and the materials that those organizations provided me, and the books and published reports that I've managed to get my hands on. I went from knowing to pretty much nothing about the Roma people here, to having all of this new knowledge to synthesize for my final paper. It's hard to know where to start!
I decided to accompany my roommate Gaby to Kosovo this weekend. We're going to Pristina, the capital, early tommorow morning and coming back Saturday afternoon. She needs to go there to do an interview for her project and I thought it would be better if I went with her. I got in touch with the Women for Women office, but they are closed tomorrow, because May 1 is International Labor Day. :-(
I have a meeting with my project advisor in two hours, out at the Palace, and I have a few errands to run before then. More later & I'll write about Kosovo when I get back!!
P.S. What is all this about swine flu? Hype? Seeing that there are visa regimes for Serbians in nearly every country and hence, they don't do a lot of international travelling, I think I'm pretty safe. Now, go wash your hands. With hot water and soap. None of that Purell nonsense. Seriously. Go wash them.
I decided to accompany my roommate Gaby to Kosovo this weekend. We're going to Pristina, the capital, early tommorow morning and coming back Saturday afternoon. She needs to go there to do an interview for her project and I thought it would be better if I went with her. I got in touch with the Women for Women office, but they are closed tomorrow, because May 1 is International Labor Day. :-(
I have a meeting with my project advisor in two hours, out at the Palace, and I have a few errands to run before then. More later & I'll write about Kosovo when I get back!!
P.S. What is all this about swine flu? Hype? Seeing that there are visa regimes for Serbians in nearly every country and hence, they don't do a lot of international travelling, I think I'm pretty safe. Now, go wash your hands. With hot water and soap. None of that Purell nonsense. Seriously. Go wash them.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Recreating America: Baking Cookies in the ex-Yugo
Gaby and I, like all good roommates, have become partners in procrastination. This afternoon, we reached a high level when we decided to bake chocolate chip cookies, instead of buckling down and transcribing our interviews for our projects. I had received a bag of NestleTollhouse Semi-Sweet Morsels a few weeks ago - this is thanks to Kaitlyn, my American roommate, who is also an expert procrastinator.
Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels
So, she went out and bought some butter, flour, sugar and vanilla powder. Then we got down to business. We didn't have a mixing bowl, electric mixer, or a real oven (we only have the cooker, the toaster oven/hotplate thing), so we knew it was going to be an interesting batch of cookies from the start.
We started by softening 250g of butter (about a cup?) on the stove and mashing it with a fork - anything to make it a little bit softer, because we didn't have a mixer. We also didn't have measuring cups, so we eyeballed the rest of the measurements. Luckily, I am known as the Cookie Elf for a reason, so this wasn't too hard.
The Cookie Elf
The dough, even though we didn't use any brown sugar, looked pretty reasonable. We preheated the toaster oven for 175oC - 350oF??
The Cookie Dough
The Cooker with 1st Batch
How will they turn out?!? We had to turn up the temperature and bake each batch for about 15 minutes, because the oven didn't really heat up all the way. That cooker is the dinosaur of all kitchen appliances.
Voila!
They turned out great - maybe some of the best we've ever eaten. That could be because they really are the best (doubtful) or because they just remind us of home. Like the Girl Scout cookies in Sarajane's February care package or the McDonald's fries a few weeks ago - homemade chocolate chip cookies are America in your mouth.
Now, I should really go start that paper ... maybe after a few more cookies and a glass of mleko. Mleko? Oops, I meant milk. ;-)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Hi New Baby Cousin!!
Dear Shane,
Well, you're probably wondering why I am not there right now. I wish I could see you, but your Tante is going to send me some pictures soon! I'm not there because I am a crazy person and decided to spend a few months studying and traveling in the former Yugoslavia. You'll learn more about geography and history when you're older. It's complicated stuff.
Soon, you will get to go home from the hospital and be with your whole family! Unfortunately, I still have a few more weeks (forunately, I am not in a hospital). I am living in a big city called Belgrade, where I am working on an independent study project. I still have two weeks to finish the project, but it involves interviewing people, reading a lot of books & articles and writing the research paper.
I had two really good interviews today, with people who have fancy titles and big offices. It was neat, but also stressful. I am always worried about asking the wrong questions or sounding uninformed about the topics I am researching. Luckily, people are very accepting and welcoming of me as a student-researcher. They think that it is awesome that I have the interest to come here and study, and I consider it a great opportunity too. Even still, it is hard to find people who will meet with me, or even respond to my emails & phone calls. Usually, I need someone to pull strings for me! My advisor, who knows everyone(!!), helps me to set up the appointments. You probably think that it is all very silly - you are probably right.
Take care, baby Shane!! I will be home at the end of May and seeing you very soon after!
Волим те! (Love you!)
Liz
Well, you're probably wondering why I am not there right now. I wish I could see you, but your Tante is going to send me some pictures soon! I'm not there because I am a crazy person and decided to spend a few months studying and traveling in the former Yugoslavia. You'll learn more about geography and history when you're older. It's complicated stuff.
Soon, you will get to go home from the hospital and be with your whole family! Unfortunately, I still have a few more weeks (forunately, I am not in a hospital). I am living in a big city called Belgrade, where I am working on an independent study project. I still have two weeks to finish the project, but it involves interviewing people, reading a lot of books & articles and writing the research paper.
I had two really good interviews today, with people who have fancy titles and big offices. It was neat, but also stressful. I am always worried about asking the wrong questions or sounding uninformed about the topics I am researching. Luckily, people are very accepting and welcoming of me as a student-researcher. They think that it is awesome that I have the interest to come here and study, and I consider it a great opportunity too. Even still, it is hard to find people who will meet with me, or even respond to my emails & phone calls. Usually, I need someone to pull strings for me! My advisor, who knows everyone(!!), helps me to set up the appointments. You probably think that it is all very silly - you are probably right.
Take care, baby Shane!! I will be home at the end of May and seeing you very soon after!
Волим те! (Love you!)
Liz
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Restaurant "Na Ćošku" // "On the Corner"
My roommate Gaby is interning with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), as part of her project, and she is writing columns for Balkan Insight, the English language weekly published by BIRN. This week, she was tasked with doing the restaurant reviews. She asked our professor which restaurant in Belgrade is her favorite and she referred us to this place called Na Ćošku, meaning "on the corner."
Rachel and I went with her. I haven't tried any restaurants in Belgrade yet, so I was really excited. The place was divine. It's apparently popular with the expat community and the very courteous waitstaff provided us with English menus. It was a short menu, mostly Asian fusion, which was something I didn't expect. But, everything sounded so wonderful - we decided to each try something different.
I started with the corba dana, the soup of the day: carrot soup with madarin oranges and sour cream. It was good - sort of creamy, but not heavy. It was something I wouldn't normally be too interested in, but it was actually good. But my entree.... ohhh...
A perfect steak, with marinated figs and wasabi sauce, over rice. It's going to haunt me. It was one of the best dishes I have ever tried. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The figs were sweet and the wasabi gave it a kick, but neither overpowered the steak. I thought the rice with steak was a little weird, but I think they were trying to continue the Asian fusion theme. It went well with the wasabi.
Gaby started with a platter of prosciutto with blue cheese and quince and had chicken curry for her main dish. Rachel had Tom Yum (Thai) soup and grilled salmon with sweet chili and coconut milk. Their dishes looked good too, but mine was definitely the best. :-) Hopefully, she'll need to review another restaurant next week!!
Rachel and I went with her. I haven't tried any restaurants in Belgrade yet, so I was really excited. The place was divine. It's apparently popular with the expat community and the very courteous waitstaff provided us with English menus. It was a short menu, mostly Asian fusion, which was something I didn't expect. But, everything sounded so wonderful - we decided to each try something different.
I started with the corba dana, the soup of the day: carrot soup with madarin oranges and sour cream. It was good - sort of creamy, but not heavy. It was something I wouldn't normally be too interested in, but it was actually good. But my entree.... ohhh...
A perfect steak, with marinated figs and wasabi sauce, over rice. It's going to haunt me. It was one of the best dishes I have ever tried. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The figs were sweet and the wasabi gave it a kick, but neither overpowered the steak. I thought the rice with steak was a little weird, but I think they were trying to continue the Asian fusion theme. It went well with the wasabi.
Gaby started with a platter of prosciutto with blue cheese and quince and had chicken curry for her main dish. Rachel had Tom Yum (Thai) soup and grilled salmon with sweet chili and coconut milk. Their dishes looked good too, but mine was definitely the best. :-) Hopefully, she'll need to review another restaurant next week!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Same Blog, Different Face!!
Hey everyone, I decided that "Sarajevo Roses" needed some spring cleaning, so I changed it up a little bit - welcome to Sok od Jabuka! That means "apple juice" in Serbian.
The web address is still the same (http://lzkblr.blogspot.com/) and I'll still be posting updates from my travels! Stay tuned...
The web address is still the same (http://lzkblr.blogspot.com/) and I'll still be posting updates from my travels! Stay tuned...
Friday, April 17, 2009
Holy Week, Take Two
Today is Veliki Petak, or Big Friday, here. It's the Serbian Orthodox Good Friday - the Orthodox calendar is based on the Julian calendar, so the liturgical year is different. All week, people have been selling egg dye, fuzzy chick toys and Easter basket grass in the market.
Today and Monday are national holidays in Serbia, so most things in Belgrade are closed/have limited hours. We Skyped our friend Stefanie, who is in Split (on the Croatian coast) the other night. She said that she got stuck with no food last weekend, because she forgot to go for groceries before the shops closed for the holiday! I double-checked the store hours last night and made sure to stock up when I went today. Apparently without worry though, since they are saying that the markets will have normal hours tomorrow too. But, I'm not taking any chances.There are a chain of grocery stores called Maxi here. There are MiniMaxis on every corner, a classy MaxiExklusiv, and a MaxiMart (which I like the most, when I choose to go to a Maxi). Like the rest of the city, there is a story behind it - Maxi is a subsidiary of Delta Holding, which has monopolies of many markets. The company is headed by Miroslav Mišković, the biggest tycoon in Serbia. He is very influential, but also has a shady past - ties to the Milošević regime, etc. After the assassination of Zoran Đinđić, Mišković was kidnapped and held for ransom by the same clan... ahh, intrigue.
So, anyways, that was a little tangential, but the point is, I managed to get some groceries today. The woman at the store gave me two Easter eggs and wished me a Srećan Uskrs from Maxi (I think). I still can't figure out where they hide the cereal in that store, not like its very big or anything. I did manage to find the ketchup though...
KETCHUP WALLWednesday, April 15, 2009
Stilettos & Silicon
Ex-Yugo fashion is something else. I literally don't fit in here, be it style or size, especially in Belgrade. I've heard the girls admit that they'd rather have a new pair of shoes than eat. Hence, they are skinny minis and are dressed to the nines. I wonder, as I ride the bus or wait to cross the street - do they know I'm foreign? It's socially acceptable to stare here and so, I feel their eyes on me as we all check each other out. I am still trying to figure out how they navigate the uneven streets and cobblestones with their teetering stilettos and painted-out jeans.
Fashion is just one of many layers of [pop] culture in the Balkans. I hesistate in identifying a mainstream, but there are definite underground/sub-cultures. The early 1990s brought not only sanctions to Serbia, but also the music phenomenon of turbofolk. It's traditional Balkan folk music themes mixed with techno, with many associations and stigmas, such as Serb nationalism, objectification of women, etc. Here is a sample video (viewer discretion advised, it's not G-rated!). The video is of Ceca's hit "Nevaljala" (meaning "rascal").
Enter: Glam power couple.
In 1995, Ceca, the goddess of turbofolk, married Arkan, who was the leader of the Serb paramilitary group "Arkan's Tigers." A notorious criminial, Arkan was assassinated before his trial in 2000 - about 20,000 people attended his memorial. Ceca was later arrested in 2003, for her allegede connections to the assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Đinđić. Ceca's wild popularity, especially her fan base in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, is often criticized because of these ties/allegations.
Silicon Valley
The street adjacent to mine, Strahinica Bana (Страхиница Бана), is densely populated with cafes, bars, and nightclubs - it is the place to see and be seen. It's widely referred to as "Silicon Valley," because of all the cosmetic surgery visible on the patrons at places with names like "Insomnia" and "Plastic." As I walked through the Valley the other night with some friends, my friend Bojan kept a running commentary about the money on the street: the golddigger girls, and their "wannabe gangster" boyfriends. There is organized crime here - I want to know is if their boyfriends are actually gangsters. Walk Strahinica Bana at night and in just a few blocks, you can see Jaguars, Ferraris and the rest... contrasting starkly to the Yugos, Trabants and other exhaust-spewing, socialist-era vehicles typical on the streets of Belgrade.
Living on one of the most beautiful streets in Belgrade, I feel at home. Skadarlija reminds me of quiet tree-lined streets in Washington (although the hundreds years old cobblestones throw me off a bit). Our rent, while outrageous in Belgrader terms, its comparable to rents in DC. I can afford to get coffee in the cafes and could dine alfresco a few times a week in any restaurant. But when I see the cars, the girls and the "gangster" boyfriends, I'm reminded of this glamorous, intriguing league in which I'm trying to coexist.
Fashion is just one of many layers of [pop] culture in the Balkans. I hesistate in identifying a mainstream, but there are definite underground/sub-cultures. The early 1990s brought not only sanctions to Serbia, but also the music phenomenon of turbofolk. It's traditional Balkan folk music themes mixed with techno, with many associations and stigmas, such as Serb nationalism, objectification of women, etc. Here is a sample video (viewer discretion advised, it's not G-rated!). The video is of Ceca's hit "Nevaljala" (meaning "rascal").
Enter: Glam power couple.
In 1995, Ceca, the goddess of turbofolk, married Arkan, who was the leader of the Serb paramilitary group "Arkan's Tigers." A notorious criminial, Arkan was assassinated before his trial in 2000 - about 20,000 people attended his memorial. Ceca was later arrested in 2003, for her allegede connections to the assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Đinđić. Ceca's wild popularity, especially her fan base in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, is often criticized because of these ties/allegations.
Silicon Valley
The street adjacent to mine, Strahinica Bana (Страхиница Бана), is densely populated with cafes, bars, and nightclubs - it is the place to see and be seen. It's widely referred to as "Silicon Valley," because of all the cosmetic surgery visible on the patrons at places with names like "Insomnia" and "Plastic." As I walked through the Valley the other night with some friends, my friend Bojan kept a running commentary about the money on the street: the golddigger girls, and their "wannabe gangster" boyfriends. There is organized crime here - I want to know is if their boyfriends are actually gangsters. Walk Strahinica Bana at night and in just a few blocks, you can see Jaguars, Ferraris and the rest... contrasting starkly to the Yugos, Trabants and other exhaust-spewing, socialist-era vehicles typical on the streets of Belgrade.
Living on one of the most beautiful streets in Belgrade, I feel at home. Skadarlija reminds me of quiet tree-lined streets in Washington (although the hundreds years old cobblestones throw me off a bit). Our rent, while outrageous in Belgrader terms, its comparable to rents in DC. I can afford to get coffee in the cafes and could dine alfresco a few times a week in any restaurant. But when I see the cars, the girls and the "gangster" boyfriends, I'm reminded of this glamorous, intriguing league in which I'm trying to coexist.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
He has risen! Alleluia!!
I attended Mass at the Church of Christ the King this morning, in English! It's about a 20 minute walk from my apartment, past the Parliament building. I left around 11, figuring that the church wouldn't be too full, since the service would be in English and I wouldn't have a problem getting a seat for the 11:30 service. Mistake.
I forgot that English is quite a common language - so every expat and foreigner (not to mention all the locals who found the 11:30 service convenient for them) was there. Before Mass began, I overheard Italian, French, German, Dutch, Indonesian - and those were just the languages I recognized. The people in the congregation represented the most diversity I've witnessed here - it was really neat. The celebrant welcomed what I think was the entire Italian diplomatic mission to Serbia and spoke to them in Italian in his opening (this church also has Masses in Italian). The family sitting next to me was Korean - they brought Korean Bibles for the kids to read!
It was a pretty normal Mass. After the service, the parish priest brought out a HUGE basket full of dyed eggs for all of the kids. There were a ton of toddlers there, they were really cute. They were all so happy and excited - I wonder if they were headed home to another big basket... full of chocolate...?
I came home and made a stratta with scallions and ham. Not an Easter feast, but it was a good brunch. I'm definitely missing what I'm sure will be a great Easter meal at home... especially mashed potatoes!! We've been watching Travel Channel specials on South Asia all day, so I think we're paying a visit to Wok to Walk, the one Asian take-out place in Belgrade tonight. A bit nontraditional, but then again, so is my life in general.
Happy Easter! Sretan Uskrs! Frohe Ostern! Joyeux Pâques! Buona Pasqua! Zalig Pasen! Selamat Paskah! May the Risen Christ fill our lives with his presence and peace!
I forgot that English is quite a common language - so every expat and foreigner (not to mention all the locals who found the 11:30 service convenient for them) was there. Before Mass began, I overheard Italian, French, German, Dutch, Indonesian - and those were just the languages I recognized. The people in the congregation represented the most diversity I've witnessed here - it was really neat. The celebrant welcomed what I think was the entire Italian diplomatic mission to Serbia and spoke to them in Italian in his opening (this church also has Masses in Italian). The family sitting next to me was Korean - they brought Korean Bibles for the kids to read!
It was a pretty normal Mass. After the service, the parish priest brought out a HUGE basket full of dyed eggs for all of the kids. There were a ton of toddlers there, they were really cute. They were all so happy and excited - I wonder if they were headed home to another big basket... full of chocolate...?
I came home and made a stratta with scallions and ham. Not an Easter feast, but it was a good brunch. I'm definitely missing what I'm sure will be a great Easter meal at home... especially mashed potatoes!! We've been watching Travel Channel specials on South Asia all day, so I think we're paying a visit to Wok to Walk, the one Asian take-out place in Belgrade tonight. A bit nontraditional, but then again, so is my life in general.
Happy Easter! Sretan Uskrs! Frohe Ostern! Joyeux Pâques! Buona Pasqua! Zalig Pasen! Selamat Paskah! May the Risen Christ fill our lives with his presence and peace!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Mickey Dee's
I finally broke down and went to McDonald's today. I don't eat there too often to begin with and I haven't tried it here yet - not in Zagreb, not in Belgrade, etc.
Rachel, Gaby and I went out to Ušće today. It's a blok over in New Belgrade. There is a park/field along the Sava river and there is a new shopping center, which just opened a week ago. We took the bus across the river and walked around the park for a bit, then went to the new mall. There was a Benetton/Sisley, Marks & Spencer, Sephora, Guess, Time Out (like the Serbian A&F), etc, plus lots of very, um, Euro stores. Even though it was the same as any American mall, it seemed so big and loud and crowded to us - it was very overwhelming. Malls are a new, but popular, concept here. We haven't been shopping in a while, so we just walked through in a daze.
Ok, ok, back to McDonald's. We were at the bus stop and there was a poster for McDonald's - this one.
It called to us. We needed McDee's, STAT. Luckily, the bus stop we were getting off at is near the Belgrade McD's, so we went. Like any McDonald's, it was unexplainedly and unreasonably crowded, but I managed to get some fries. I was so happy - they were just like the fries in the States!! It was like tasting America. As we were eating, Madonna's "Like a Prayer" came on... the irony was a little too much for us to handle.
"Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone / I hear you call my name / And it feels like home."
P.S. We also tried the prolećne rolnice, the spring rolls, they were really good. I hope they add them to the menu in the States. The Spicy Criss-Cross (Iks-Oks) Potatoes will be ordered at a future time.
Rachel, Gaby and I went out to Ušće today. It's a blok over in New Belgrade. There is a park/field along the Sava river and there is a new shopping center, which just opened a week ago. We took the bus across the river and walked around the park for a bit, then went to the new mall. There was a Benetton/Sisley, Marks & Spencer, Sephora, Guess, Time Out (like the Serbian A&F), etc, plus lots of very, um, Euro stores. Even though it was the same as any American mall, it seemed so big and loud and crowded to us - it was very overwhelming. Malls are a new, but popular, concept here. We haven't been shopping in a while, so we just walked through in a daze.
Ok, ok, back to McDonald's. We were at the bus stop and there was a poster for McDonald's - this one.
It called to us. We needed McDee's, STAT. Luckily, the bus stop we were getting off at is near the Belgrade McD's, so we went. Like any McDonald's, it was unexplainedly and unreasonably crowded, but I managed to get some fries. I was so happy - they were just like the fries in the States!! It was like tasting America. As we were eating, Madonna's "Like a Prayer" came on... the irony was a little too much for us to handle.
"Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone / I hear you call my name / And it feels like home."
P.S. We also tried the prolećne rolnice, the spring rolls, they were really good. I hope they add them to the menu in the States. The Spicy Criss-Cross (Iks-Oks) Potatoes will be ordered at a future time.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday
"...Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all... ...he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses."
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
"It is finished."
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
International Roma Day
Today is International Roma Day. Here in Belgrade, there is a big celebration going on in Republic Square. I saw a big stage and lots of performers - there were kids performing a traditional dance with some older men playing music (mostly accordians & tubas!!).
Here are Sec'y Clinton's remarks....
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Life in Belgrade
I'm continuing to settle in, here in Belgrade. The city is beautiful right now - it's really warm (in the 70s) and the flowers are, well, flowering and making my allergies act up. But it's great to finally leave the house without a peacoat, scarf and umbrella!
I met my ISP advisor today. She works for the Secretariat for Roma National Strategy, which is part of the Serbian Ministry for Human and Minority Rights. I took a taxi out to her office, which is in New Belgrade, across the Sava river from Old Belgrade (where I live). Her office is located in the Palace of the Federation (Palata Federacije). I did a bit of background research on the building/site when I got home. The Palace was the seat of the former federal governments of Yugoslavia and of Serbia & Montenegro (mini-Yugo). Today, it just houses some Serbian ministries and other government offices.
This is copied from the Guide to Modern Architecture in Belgrade - "The base of the Palace is symetrical with a central corpus and two side wings. In front of the cental wing there is a lower part with glass cupola in which there is a stateroom for 2,000 guests. The palace has 6 parlors (six republics of the former Yugoslavia), as well as about one thousand offices. The facade facing is of white marble from the island of Brac (Croatia), while openings are edged with white metal."
It sort of reminds me of the Pentagon, only with no uniforms. It's such a huge, distinctive building. I had to take my passport, go through security, get a visitor's badge, etc. just like visiting any government building in D.C. Today, people, I walked the halls once graced by Tito.
Afterwards, I experimented with the Belgrade bus system and took the 15 bus back to Zeleni Venac (Green Market), which was really convienent. I came home and ate lunch, then Rachel and I explored our neighborhood a bit more. We discovered that there is a huge farmer's market along the street perpendicular to ours. We were really suprised, and pleased that we won't need to make the trek to Green Market every time we want produce.
We also have a number of mini-markets and bakeries near us, which is great. We need to go shopping almost daily, because we only have a mini-fridge and some foods spoil quickly. Here, it is normal for people to buy things like bread, milk, eggs and produce every day. Bread is definitely a daily purchase - it turns to concrete overnight! There is a bakery called Хлеб и Кифле, or "Bread and Rolls" around the corner, and the line stretches out the door every morning!
More later...
Love from Beograd,
Love from Beograd,
Liz
Recent Roma News from BalkanInsight.com
Serbian Romas Refuse to Move in Shelters
Belgrade 07 April 2009
The Roma people from the slum in New Belgrade that have been removed on Friday, spent a fourth night in a row in the open, as most of them refused the offer of Belgrade's Government to be placed in shelters.
The local government came out yesterday with a temporary solution to put children, women and the elderly in shelters, orphanages and other institutions where they would have food, bathrooms and a warm place to sleep. But, none of the 47 families accepted this offer, because they were afraid it would separate their families, and because the city does not have any plan for their men, who are able to work.
Some residents from other Belgrade slums, accepted to try to live in shelters. So far, three mothers with five children who lived in the largest slum in Belgrade, the so-called "carton city", under the "Gazela" Bridge which crosses the Sava river, arrived to the "Drinka Pavlovic Orphange" and during the day, a single father and his four children will also join them.
Roma from the New Belgrade slum say that they will continue the protests until the local government finds a permanent solution for their housing dilemma. Since Friday, they have slept in tents supplied by humanitarian organizations and are sitting by the fire. If it starts to rain they plan to sleep in several vans that they have borrowed from friends.
The local government decided to remove their slum in order to embellish the space surrounding the Universiade Village, a luxury estate complex built for the competitors of The Universiade 2009, which will be held in Belgrade this July. Belgrade's local government had planned to move the Roma families to Boljevci, a suburb of the city, but local residents protested and set fire to housing containers where the Roma were supposed to be temporarily accommodated.
As one of the possible solutions for all Serbian Romas, the government is considering "The National Strategy for Roma People", whose draft was adopted five years a go. The assistant of Human and Minority Rights Minister, Petar Antic told B92 that the government should urgently adopt the complete Strategy. According to the information from the Ministry of Health, 75 per cents of Romas in Serbia live in inadequate and unsanitary settlements.
Temporary Housing Solution for Belgrade Roma
Belgrade 06 April 2009 Jovana Gligorijevic
Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas announced that he will today meet OSCE and UNHCR representatives, in order to find a solution to the problem of 47 Roma families who now find themselves homeless, after their slum near Universiade Village was demolished on Friday.
Belgrade's local government had planned to move the families to Boljevci, a suburb of the city, but local residents protested and set on fire housing containers where the Roma were supposed to be temporarily accommodated. There were no serious incidents, partly because representatives of the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, OSCE and the World Health Organisation were present.
The Roma, who lived in an illegal settlement where 50 of 350 ramshackle homes were razed to the ground by bulldozers on Friday, were not present at the scene of the protests.
They spent the weekend in the open, waiting for the issue of their accommodation to be resolved.
Belgrade city authorities, who ordered the demolitions in order to make way for an access road to in Universiade 2009, met with international organisations and ministries, and agreed to provide temporary accommodation.
Mayor Dragan Djilas announced on Sunday that he would ask the police to launch an investigation to find those responsible for setting fire to the container houses in Boljevci.
At an emergency press conference called over the case, Djilas said that the Roma from the razed settlement would temporarily be accommodated in centres for abandoned and orphaned children in different areas of Belgrade, as well as in nursing homes. The first of those to be temporarily accommodated, as of today, are women and children.
Removal of the slum started on Friday, when its residents blocked a major road in New Belgrade before crossing the river to protest in front of the Belgrade Assembly building.
"Several dozen citizens of Belgrade cannot hold the rest of the city hostage. They were settled there illegally, and it is necessary that they move from there so that a new boulevard can be built for the development of that part of the city, and for the events that will be held there," said Djilas on Friday.
However, Citizens' Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic voiced severe criticism of the demolition of the slum dwellings, saying that bulldozers and police cannot solve the problem of Roma settlements, "nor do they implement the Roma decade in Serbia".
"It is quite clear that it was necessary to prepare such measures in advance, identify those who have a right to adequate emergency accommodation, prepare that accommodation, and avoid the use of force and a situation where citizens and children of Roma ethnicity find themselves on the street“, said Jankovic.
Belgrade 07 April 2009
The Roma people from the slum in New Belgrade that have been removed on Friday, spent a fourth night in a row in the open, as most of them refused the offer of Belgrade's Government to be placed in shelters.
The local government came out yesterday with a temporary solution to put children, women and the elderly in shelters, orphanages and other institutions where they would have food, bathrooms and a warm place to sleep. But, none of the 47 families accepted this offer, because they were afraid it would separate their families, and because the city does not have any plan for their men, who are able to work.
Some residents from other Belgrade slums, accepted to try to live in shelters. So far, three mothers with five children who lived in the largest slum in Belgrade, the so-called "carton city", under the "Gazela" Bridge which crosses the Sava river, arrived to the "Drinka Pavlovic Orphange" and during the day, a single father and his four children will also join them.
Roma from the New Belgrade slum say that they will continue the protests until the local government finds a permanent solution for their housing dilemma. Since Friday, they have slept in tents supplied by humanitarian organizations and are sitting by the fire. If it starts to rain they plan to sleep in several vans that they have borrowed from friends.
The local government decided to remove their slum in order to embellish the space surrounding the Universiade Village, a luxury estate complex built for the competitors of The Universiade 2009, which will be held in Belgrade this July. Belgrade's local government had planned to move the Roma families to Boljevci, a suburb of the city, but local residents protested and set fire to housing containers where the Roma were supposed to be temporarily accommodated.
As one of the possible solutions for all Serbian Romas, the government is considering "The National Strategy for Roma People", whose draft was adopted five years a go. The assistant of Human and Minority Rights Minister, Petar Antic told B92 that the government should urgently adopt the complete Strategy. According to the information from the Ministry of Health, 75 per cents of Romas in Serbia live in inadequate and unsanitary settlements.
Temporary Housing Solution for Belgrade Roma
Belgrade 06 April 2009 Jovana Gligorijevic
Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas announced that he will today meet OSCE and UNHCR representatives, in order to find a solution to the problem of 47 Roma families who now find themselves homeless, after their slum near Universiade Village was demolished on Friday.
Belgrade's local government had planned to move the families to Boljevci, a suburb of the city, but local residents protested and set on fire housing containers where the Roma were supposed to be temporarily accommodated. There were no serious incidents, partly because representatives of the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, OSCE and the World Health Organisation were present.
The Roma, who lived in an illegal settlement where 50 of 350 ramshackle homes were razed to the ground by bulldozers on Friday, were not present at the scene of the protests.
They spent the weekend in the open, waiting for the issue of their accommodation to be resolved.
Belgrade city authorities, who ordered the demolitions in order to make way for an access road to in Universiade 2009, met with international organisations and ministries, and agreed to provide temporary accommodation.
Mayor Dragan Djilas announced on Sunday that he would ask the police to launch an investigation to find those responsible for setting fire to the container houses in Boljevci.
At an emergency press conference called over the case, Djilas said that the Roma from the razed settlement would temporarily be accommodated in centres for abandoned and orphaned children in different areas of Belgrade, as well as in nursing homes. The first of those to be temporarily accommodated, as of today, are women and children.
Removal of the slum started on Friday, when its residents blocked a major road in New Belgrade before crossing the river to protest in front of the Belgrade Assembly building.
"Several dozen citizens of Belgrade cannot hold the rest of the city hostage. They were settled there illegally, and it is necessary that they move from there so that a new boulevard can be built for the development of that part of the city, and for the events that will be held there," said Djilas on Friday.
However, Citizens' Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic voiced severe criticism of the demolition of the slum dwellings, saying that bulldozers and police cannot solve the problem of Roma settlements, "nor do they implement the Roma decade in Serbia".
"It is quite clear that it was necessary to prepare such measures in advance, identify those who have a right to adequate emergency accommodation, prepare that accommodation, and avoid the use of force and a situation where citizens and children of Roma ethnicity find themselves on the street“, said Jankovic.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Moj stan (My apartment)
Skadarska Ulica // Skadarlija, our street
Our view of the mural painted on the old brewery across the street (it's not working anymore)
Gaby & Rachel's bedroom
The dining room, kitchenette, front door
Gaby in the living room/my bedroom (I'm sleeping on the pullout)
The trippiest, bluest bathroom you've ever seen...
*to be continued*
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Back in Belgrade =)
I'm here for the next four weeks to do my ISP research!
We had a pretty miserable bus ride from Zagreb. We had to wait at the border for almost two hours - maybe there is only one customs officer working on Sundays?? So, it took us forever to get here... the bus was sooo hot, we didn't have any food and, at one point, we stopped for a bathroom break and the toilet cost five Euros! Five Euros to pee! That's crazy!
I'm living in a small apartment with Rachel and Gaby. The neighborhood is called Skadarlija (Скадарлија) and it's beautiful - it's the bohemian quarter of the city. I came down here one afternoon when I was here in March and I love it. There are a lot of nice restaurants (nice = white tablecloth) and cafes along the street. It's a cobblestone pedestrian zone, with a lot of nice trees and benches and such. It's also a short walk from Republic Square, which is the center of the city. In all, really nice, but I can definitely see that we're paying for the location with our rent money...
Our apartment is great. We have a big living area and a small dining room/kitchen. Actually, not really a kitchen - more like a minifridge and a hot plate. We have one bedroom with two beds (I'm sleeping in the living room on one of the pullouts). I'm very happy to have my own space again!!
Tomorrow, we'll be changing some money (the value of the dollar is killing us - what is going on over there?!), shopping for some stuff for the apartment (like laundry detergent), and starting work on our research. More later!!
Love from Belgrade,
Liz
Лиз
We had a pretty miserable bus ride from Zagreb. We had to wait at the border for almost two hours - maybe there is only one customs officer working on Sundays?? So, it took us forever to get here... the bus was sooo hot, we didn't have any food and, at one point, we stopped for a bathroom break and the toilet cost five Euros! Five Euros to pee! That's crazy!
I'm living in a small apartment with Rachel and Gaby. The neighborhood is called Skadarlija (Скадарлија) and it's beautiful - it's the bohemian quarter of the city. I came down here one afternoon when I was here in March and I love it. There are a lot of nice restaurants (nice = white tablecloth) and cafes along the street. It's a cobblestone pedestrian zone, with a lot of nice trees and benches and such. It's also a short walk from Republic Square, which is the center of the city. In all, really nice, but I can definitely see that we're paying for the location with our rent money...
Our apartment is great. We have a big living area and a small dining room/kitchen. Actually, not really a kitchen - more like a minifridge and a hot plate. We have one bedroom with two beds (I'm sleeping in the living room on one of the pullouts). I'm very happy to have my own space again!!
Tomorrow, we'll be changing some money (the value of the dollar is killing us - what is going on over there?!), shopping for some stuff for the apartment (like laundry detergent), and starting work on our research. More later!!
Love from Belgrade,
Liz
Лиз
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Out of the frying pan...
and into the fire.
I'm waiting to meet with my AD to see if my independent study project proposal will be approved (or not). I've spent the last few days carefully constructing a final proposal about my work on Roma issues. The entire proposal is seven pages and includes an introduction to my project, a literature review, my research methodology, resources at my research site, a timeline of my project and interview questions. Many fingers are crossed... I will be under a lot of stress if this doesn't get approved in this meeting!
My tentative title is, "Social Policies towards Development and Roma Integration in Belgrade: A Case Study of the Proposed Gazela Resettlement Project." I will be studying how social policies towards the Roma people are applied in Belgrade and how these policies influence the integration of Roma people with the greater community. Currently, there is a movement to relocate the inhabitants of the Gazela settlement, a slum located under the Gazela Bridge. I am using this situation as a case study to learn more about the proposed resettlement project and how social policies (regarding welfare benefits like housing) are applied and can help the Roma people be empowered and become integrated in the city of Belgrade.
That's a lot condensed into one paragraph and it's probably horribly vague and confusing to you... at this point, I've stated and restated my research goals so many times to myself and to the AD that even I'm not sure what I'm studying anymore. Eh.
I have to quote Tom Hanks in The Terminal, "You have two stamp: one red, one green. So, I have chance to go to New York 50-50." Well, I got the green stamp of approval for my ISP! I'm going to Belgrade!!
I'm waiting to meet with my AD to see if my independent study project proposal will be approved (or not). I've spent the last few days carefully constructing a final proposal about my work on Roma issues. The entire proposal is seven pages and includes an introduction to my project, a literature review, my research methodology, resources at my research site, a timeline of my project and interview questions. Many fingers are crossed... I will be under a lot of stress if this doesn't get approved in this meeting!
My tentative title is, "Social Policies towards Development and Roma Integration in Belgrade: A Case Study of the Proposed Gazela Resettlement Project." I will be studying how social policies towards the Roma people are applied in Belgrade and how these policies influence the integration of Roma people with the greater community. Currently, there is a movement to relocate the inhabitants of the Gazela settlement, a slum located under the Gazela Bridge. I am using this situation as a case study to learn more about the proposed resettlement project and how social policies (regarding welfare benefits like housing) are applied and can help the Roma people be empowered and become integrated in the city of Belgrade.
That's a lot condensed into one paragraph and it's probably horribly vague and confusing to you... at this point, I've stated and restated my research goals so many times to myself and to the AD that even I'm not sure what I'm studying anymore. Eh.
***update!***
I have to quote Tom Hanks in The Terminal, "You have two stamp: one red, one green. So, I have chance to go to New York 50-50." Well, I got the green stamp of approval for my ISP! I'm going to Belgrade!!Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Oops
Alex snapped this photo of me napping during a stop on our walking tour of Mostar last Tuesday... I have no comment.Monday, March 30, 2009
Photos from Bosnia
Dubrovnik:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/Dubrovnik?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHPmKPYp8ahKA&feat=directlink
Mostar:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/Mostar?feat=directlink
Sarajevo:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/Sarajevo?feat=directlink
Banja Luka & Sanski Most:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/BanjaLukaSanskiMost?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/Dubrovnik?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHPmKPYp8ahKA&feat=directlink
Mostar:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/Mostar?feat=directlink
Sarajevo:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/Sarajevo?feat=directlink
Banja Luka & Sanski Most:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lzkblr/BanjaLukaSanskiMost?feat=directlink
SICK
I am really sick! I came down with something on Friday and had a fever of over 100 degrees until late Saturday. It mostly feels like someone is sitting on my chest - it's hard to breathe and I'm coughing a lot. I spent the entire weekend at home and I'm still not sure if I'll go to all of my classes today. And what a week to miss class -we have our final classes for everything this week, since we begin ISP time on Sunday! I have a final paper due Thursday along with my final ISP proposal... hopefully my AD will sign off on everything. Luckily, I found an advisor for my project on Friday and Rachel confirmed our apartment in Belgrade, so those are 2 things I don't need to worrry about.
Hopefully I'll upload the pictures from Bosnia later today!
Hopefully I'll upload the pictures from Bosnia later today!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Snowy in Sarajevo
Let's see... We got to Sarajevo on Thursday evening. We went straight to the hotel, which is really swanky (even by American standards). Some rooms have lofts and skylights and stuff, which is pretty awesome, but I'm in a normal suite with 2 other girls, Fiona and Emily. .
On Friday morning, we went to the War Crimes Court of BiH. This was a great visit. We learned about the Court's functions and were introduced to various employees - legal aides, spokespeople, etc. Right now, the Court is hearing the trial of two men indicted for war crimes committed at Srebrenica (where a mass killing of 8,000 Bosnjak males occurred in 1995). We watched the testimony and questioning of a witness from Srebrenica over closed circuit TV (they translate everything to English in real time!).
Yesterday, we had a city tour bright and early. We went to some sites that were important during the Siege of Sarajevo. We went to the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum. The tunnel used to get supplies and people in and out of the city during the Siege. It was pretty remarkable, but also scary. The footage we watched showed the entrance to the tunnel during the war - there were shells were falling everywhere, everything was blown apart, and people were running through trenches. We were standing in the same spot today, which looks totally normal, except for some shrapnel marks in the concrete. It was really disturbing for me and makes me think twice when I walk down a seemingly normal street in Sarajevo and think that 14 years ago, it was a war zone. The men we met at the museum also talked about using the tunnel during the war and how the humanitarian aid they received from the U.S. was awful and, in some cases, useless.
It made me feel so helpless - sometimes, all I want to do is apologize for the (in)actions of my country during the 1990s. Americans would be ashamed if they knew the amount of times the U.S., NATO and the UN could have prevented the atrocities here. Don't even get me started on Srebrenica (Hasan Nuhanovic spoke to us today). Of course, that is probably true about intervention during any event in modern history. I'm not saying that the U.S. should intervene in every conflict area, but its wishy-washy policies drive me crazy.
Luckily, Saturday night, we participated in a lively, lighthearted drumming circle with 3 guys from Musicians Without Borders, whose organization here works on peace building through music. They told us about their activities and then we played samba reggae for two hours! And today, I went to noon Mass at the Cathedral, which - surprise, surprise - was in English! There were about 20 people there and the priest asked me to lead the Prayers of the Faithful. It was so great!
Tomorrow, I'm going to try to find the Women for Women office here, since we have most of the day off. I hope I have the right address!
P.S. It's been snowing all weekend, hence the title of my post.
On Friday morning, we went to the War Crimes Court of BiH. This was a great visit. We learned about the Court's functions and were introduced to various employees - legal aides, spokespeople, etc. Right now, the Court is hearing the trial of two men indicted for war crimes committed at Srebrenica (where a mass killing of 8,000 Bosnjak males occurred in 1995). We watched the testimony and questioning of a witness from Srebrenica over closed circuit TV (they translate everything to English in real time!).
Yesterday, we had a city tour bright and early. We went to some sites that were important during the Siege of Sarajevo. We went to the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum. The tunnel used to get supplies and people in and out of the city during the Siege. It was pretty remarkable, but also scary. The footage we watched showed the entrance to the tunnel during the war - there were shells were falling everywhere, everything was blown apart, and people were running through trenches. We were standing in the same spot today, which looks totally normal, except for some shrapnel marks in the concrete. It was really disturbing for me and makes me think twice when I walk down a seemingly normal street in Sarajevo and think that 14 years ago, it was a war zone. The men we met at the museum also talked about using the tunnel during the war and how the humanitarian aid they received from the U.S. was awful and, in some cases, useless.
It made me feel so helpless - sometimes, all I want to do is apologize for the (in)actions of my country during the 1990s. Americans would be ashamed if they knew the amount of times the U.S., NATO and the UN could have prevented the atrocities here. Don't even get me started on Srebrenica (Hasan Nuhanovic spoke to us today). Of course, that is probably true about intervention during any event in modern history. I'm not saying that the U.S. should intervene in every conflict area, but its wishy-washy policies drive me crazy.
Luckily, Saturday night, we participated in a lively, lighthearted drumming circle with 3 guys from Musicians Without Borders, whose organization here works on peace building through music. They told us about their activities and then we played samba reggae for two hours! And today, I went to noon Mass at the Cathedral, which - surprise, surprise - was in English! There were about 20 people there and the priest asked me to lead the Prayers of the Faithful. It was so great!
Tomorrow, I'm going to try to find the Women for Women office here, since we have most of the day off. I hope I have the right address!
P.S. It's been snowing all weekend, hence the title of my post.
Friday, March 20, 2009
A Walk with an Imam
On Wednesday, I departed Zagreb for Bosnia. We stopped for lunch and a lecture in Banja Luka, which is the capital of the Republika Srpska (RS, the Serb-populated entity of BiH). After that, we got back on the bus and headed on to Sanski Most, where we spent the night.
Non-Serbs were expelled from Sanski Most during the war. Not many have returned, although much of the diaspora comes back to visit their town in the summertime. There wasn't too much there, except for a few cafes (as usual).
We were met by Vahedin, who runs the Center for Peace Building in Sanski Most. He is also an imam (Muslim religious leader). He is a great guy. His work includes creating a dialogue between the different ethnic groups in Sanski Most and in BiH. Every summer, they run peace camps, where people can come together to meet and process their feelings about the past. The Center also does year round club activities for youth, including foreign language classes, sports teams and other activities. They also provide psychological support and other counseling to people.
Vahedin took us to the mosque in the town and then we went up to the Center, which is in an old house (that he purchased for US$125... the annual budget of the center is US$10,000). Along the way, he talked a lot about his past and about Islam. He lived as a refugee in Slovenia for 4 years during the war. He also talked about hate and how it doesn't affect the people you hate, because they don't know you hate them - its a burden that only affects you.
The next morning, Vahedin ran a workshop with us on identity that he usually does at the peace camps. It was really interesting - it was hard for me to finish the exercise and I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who is really conflicted about their identities.
After a lunch of Bosnian stew, we got back on the bus for 5 hours and ended up in Sarajevo (finally! The city I came to see!). We had a long ride through the mountains and saw some pretty depressed (economically and otherwise) little villages. There were a lot of houses that were abandoned and had "Prodajem se" ("I'm selling") and a cell phone number spray-painted on the outside. But, the mountains were really pretty and there is still snow in most places (it was snowing here in Sarajevo today!).
Non-Serbs were expelled from Sanski Most during the war. Not many have returned, although much of the diaspora comes back to visit their town in the summertime. There wasn't too much there, except for a few cafes (as usual).
We were met by Vahedin, who runs the Center for Peace Building in Sanski Most. He is also an imam (Muslim religious leader). He is a great guy. His work includes creating a dialogue between the different ethnic groups in Sanski Most and in BiH. Every summer, they run peace camps, where people can come together to meet and process their feelings about the past. The Center also does year round club activities for youth, including foreign language classes, sports teams and other activities. They also provide psychological support and other counseling to people.
Vahedin took us to the mosque in the town and then we went up to the Center, which is in an old house (that he purchased for US$125... the annual budget of the center is US$10,000). Along the way, he talked a lot about his past and about Islam. He lived as a refugee in Slovenia for 4 years during the war. He also talked about hate and how it doesn't affect the people you hate, because they don't know you hate them - its a burden that only affects you.
The next morning, Vahedin ran a workshop with us on identity that he usually does at the peace camps. It was really interesting - it was hard for me to finish the exercise and I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who is really conflicted about their identities.
After a lunch of Bosnian stew, we got back on the bus for 5 hours and ended up in Sarajevo (finally! The city I came to see!). We had a long ride through the mountains and saw some pretty depressed (economically and otherwise) little villages. There were a lot of houses that were abandoned and had "Prodajem se" ("I'm selling") and a cell phone number spray-painted on the outside. But, the mountains were really pretty and there is still snow in most places (it was snowing here in Sarajevo today!).
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Info
Here is some information on the government and society of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It will help you in understanding my posts about my travels through the different regions here and to know what I'm learning about.
BiH declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. From 1992-1995, the country was wrought with inter-ethnic conflict, including genocide, mass rape and other war crimes. Many towns were ethnically cleansed and the city of Sarajevo was sieged by Serb forces from 1992-1996. Mass killings occurred in Srebrenica in 1995. A lot of numbers get thrown around when casualities are discussed, but I think it's around 100,000 people, over half were civilians. There is no man or woman living in BiH today who was not affected by the wars of the 1990s in some way.
The Dayton Peace Accords signed in 1995 set up a peace agreement, the constitution of BiH and a framework for the government. It's under a lot of criticism here, because essentially, Dayton gives every party a share of power, but it doesn't, in reality, function. BiH currently spends more per capita on the government than any country in Europe. The GDP per capita is $6,600 (in the United States, its $48,000).
BiH consists of 2 states within BiH: the Republika Srpska (RS) and the Bosnian/Croat Federation. Bosnia and Herzegovina are just geographical terms. RS consists of a mainly Bosnian Serb population, divided into municipalities. The Federation is decentralized into 10 cantons (counties), which are either ethnically Muslim, Croat, or mixed. The cantons are further split up into muncipalities. Each level of government has different functions, which are too confusing to explain here. On the map, the gray area represents the RS, while the lighter areas represent the Federation.
BiH declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. From 1992-1995, the country was wrought with inter-ethnic conflict, including genocide, mass rape and other war crimes. Many towns were ethnically cleansed and the city of Sarajevo was sieged by Serb forces from 1992-1996. Mass killings occurred in Srebrenica in 1995. A lot of numbers get thrown around when casualities are discussed, but I think it's around 100,000 people, over half were civilians. There is no man or woman living in BiH today who was not affected by the wars of the 1990s in some way.
The Dayton Peace Accords signed in 1995 set up a peace agreement, the constitution of BiH and a framework for the government. It's under a lot of criticism here, because essentially, Dayton gives every party a share of power, but it doesn't, in reality, function. BiH currently spends more per capita on the government than any country in Europe. The GDP per capita is $6,600 (in the United States, its $48,000).
BiH consists of 2 states within BiH: the Republika Srpska (RS) and the Bosnian/Croat Federation. Bosnia and Herzegovina are just geographical terms. RS consists of a mainly Bosnian Serb population, divided into municipalities. The Federation is decentralized into 10 cantons (counties), which are either ethnically Muslim, Croat, or mixed. The cantons are further split up into muncipalities. Each level of government has different functions, which are too confusing to explain here. On the map, the gray area represents the RS, while the lighter areas represent the Federation.
Going along with these ethnically divided regions, other things are similarly shared among the groups. For example, the Presidency consists of elected Muslim (or "Bosnjak"), Croat and Serb officials - they rotate through the Presidency every 18 months. Political parties also function based on ethnicity. In the bicameral parliament, legislation is easily rejected if a member feels it could infringe on their ethnic rights.
That is sort of a crash introductory statement to the state of BiH. It probably doesn't make much sense, it's really hard to understand. Just know that reform of the current constitution is necessary. It is predicted that without a change in course, there will be more conflict in BiH.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Venice Photos!
 |
| Venice |
There are a lot of pictures of bridges and canals, so prepare yourself. Also, I don't have time to caption all of them, so I apologize!!
Bosnia-Herzegovina Itinerary
We leave for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) tomorrow morning! Our itinerary is the following:
Wednesday: Day in Banja Luka, travel to Sanski Most.
Thursday: Day in Sanski Most, travel to Sarajevo.
Friday-Monday: Sarajevo!
Tuesday: Travel to Mostar, day there.
Wednesday: Travel to Dubrovnik and have a few hours free time there.
We fly back to Zagreb from Dubrovnik on Wednesday night. I'll definitely have internet at some point in Sarajevo, so I'll update then! We spent yesterday and today discussing BiH after the Dayton Peace Accords and the current political system there. Hopefully, I'll find the time to write a post explaining all of it to you, dearest readers.
Sretan Irski Dan!
Also, happy birthday Spencer and happy belated birthday Mom!!
Wednesday: Day in Banja Luka, travel to Sanski Most.
Thursday: Day in Sanski Most, travel to Sarajevo.
Friday-Monday: Sarajevo!
Tuesday: Travel to Mostar, day there.
Wednesday: Travel to Dubrovnik and have a few hours free time there.
We fly back to Zagreb from Dubrovnik on Wednesday night. I'll definitely have internet at some point in Sarajevo, so I'll update then! We spent yesterday and today discussing BiH after the Dayton Peace Accords and the current political system there. Hopefully, I'll find the time to write a post explaining all of it to you, dearest readers.
Sretan Irski Dan!
Also, happy birthday Spencer and happy belated birthday Mom!!
Monday, March 16, 2009
VENEZIA!!
Wow. What a beautiful city!! It was altogether peaceful and calm and quiet - so relaxing!
Rachel and I left Friday night. We took an overnight train from Zagreb to Venice. We left Zagreb at 11:30 and arrived around 7:15am. It wasn't direct, plus we stopped for 45 minutes at every border (Slovenia and Italy), so it took awhile. Luckily, we were able to sleep for a few hours.
We arrived in Venice and went straight to our hostel (Absolut Venice). It was located right across the canal from the train station and it was really easy to find! The manager, Franco, was already awake and he made us coffee and gave us some cake for breakfast. The hostel was beautiful - it had chandeliers and moldings and MTV!
After our cake and coffee with Franco, we hit the streets. The city is spread out over a bunch of islands, which have canals and little windy streets running all through them. Everything (at least on the islands connected by bridges) is within close walking distance, so we found most of the major sites by early afternoon. We got to San Marco's Basilica shortly after it opened and walked right it - by the time we came out, there was a line stretching around the square!
Plenty of tourists were out, but probably nothing compared to what it's like during the peak season. Also, there are no cars on the islands, making it really different from Zagreb and Belgrade! It was nice to know that we weren't going to be nearly killed at every corner! The lack of air pollution was very welcome. The weather was warm and sunny (but not too hot that we could smell the canals).
We stopped for pizza at a little trattoria and had excellent, polite service from a few Italian guys who thought we should join them later on that evening for some street dancing. We passed... After some gelato, we eventually made it back to the hostel, where we napped for a few hours since we hadn't gotten the best night's sleep on the train.
After our power snooze, we went to the Venetian Ghetto and ended up at a major grocery store (the selection there was sort of reverse culture shock!). We bought some pasta and such for dinner and went back to the hostel to cook it. I haven't cooked for myself since January! It was so nice to be free in a kitchen without a host mom trying to prepare something for me! We were also able to buy tomatoes, which are a rarity this time of year in Croatia. In the market, only one or two vendors have them and then, they are really expensive.
We went to bed pretty early - there were a few other people at the hostel (2 girls from Canada and a few kids from China), but everyone was pretty quiet/tired. Sunday morning, we woke up and packed up our stuff. Franco said we could leave our backpacks in the closet and invited us back for dinner that night, which was really nice.
We saw some more sights and had cappucinos at an outdoor cafe on one of the squares. I wish I knew more about Italian history, because I think I would have understood the significance of some of things we were seeing better. I wanted to go on a guided tour, but we really weren't up for it and didn't want to shell out the Euros! I have a little guide to the city, so I'll just have to read it as I look at my pictures; hopefully, it will all make sense.
We got kebabs (I know, not Italian, but we needed something flavorful and not the bland meat they serve in Croatia) and ate them on the promenade along the Grand Canal. After more gelato, we went souvenir shopping! Murano glass (a Venetian original) was everywhere. I bought a pair of earrings and a glass pendant for a necklace. I really wanted a Carneval mask, but needed to prioritize/budget!! After that, we bought some drinks (Bellini for me) and went to a park to sit and relax... our feet were killing us! Then, we went to the hostel for dinner and to get our stuff.
We left Venice at 9:30, had some time to read/do homework on the train before we got to the border and then we slept until 4am, when we arrived in Zagreb. We went back to Rachel's apartment and slept for 5 hours before class! It was a fantastic trip!!
My pictures will be up sometime in the next 24 hours.....
Rachel and I left Friday night. We took an overnight train from Zagreb to Venice. We left Zagreb at 11:30 and arrived around 7:15am. It wasn't direct, plus we stopped for 45 minutes at every border (Slovenia and Italy), so it took awhile. Luckily, we were able to sleep for a few hours.
We arrived in Venice and went straight to our hostel (Absolut Venice). It was located right across the canal from the train station and it was really easy to find! The manager, Franco, was already awake and he made us coffee and gave us some cake for breakfast. The hostel was beautiful - it had chandeliers and moldings and MTV!
After our cake and coffee with Franco, we hit the streets. The city is spread out over a bunch of islands, which have canals and little windy streets running all through them. Everything (at least on the islands connected by bridges) is within close walking distance, so we found most of the major sites by early afternoon. We got to San Marco's Basilica shortly after it opened and walked right it - by the time we came out, there was a line stretching around the square!
Plenty of tourists were out, but probably nothing compared to what it's like during the peak season. Also, there are no cars on the islands, making it really different from Zagreb and Belgrade! It was nice to know that we weren't going to be nearly killed at every corner! The lack of air pollution was very welcome. The weather was warm and sunny (but not too hot that we could smell the canals).
We stopped for pizza at a little trattoria and had excellent, polite service from a few Italian guys who thought we should join them later on that evening for some street dancing. We passed... After some gelato, we eventually made it back to the hostel, where we napped for a few hours since we hadn't gotten the best night's sleep on the train.
After our power snooze, we went to the Venetian Ghetto and ended up at a major grocery store (the selection there was sort of reverse culture shock!). We bought some pasta and such for dinner and went back to the hostel to cook it. I haven't cooked for myself since January! It was so nice to be free in a kitchen without a host mom trying to prepare something for me! We were also able to buy tomatoes, which are a rarity this time of year in Croatia. In the market, only one or two vendors have them and then, they are really expensive.
We went to bed pretty early - there were a few other people at the hostel (2 girls from Canada and a few kids from China), but everyone was pretty quiet/tired. Sunday morning, we woke up and packed up our stuff. Franco said we could leave our backpacks in the closet and invited us back for dinner that night, which was really nice.
We saw some more sights and had cappucinos at an outdoor cafe on one of the squares. I wish I knew more about Italian history, because I think I would have understood the significance of some of things we were seeing better. I wanted to go on a guided tour, but we really weren't up for it and didn't want to shell out the Euros! I have a little guide to the city, so I'll just have to read it as I look at my pictures; hopefully, it will all make sense.
We got kebabs (I know, not Italian, but we needed something flavorful and not the bland meat they serve in Croatia) and ate them on the promenade along the Grand Canal. After more gelato, we went souvenir shopping! Murano glass (a Venetian original) was everywhere. I bought a pair of earrings and a glass pendant for a necklace. I really wanted a Carneval mask, but needed to prioritize/budget!! After that, we bought some drinks (Bellini for me) and went to a park to sit and relax... our feet were killing us! Then, we went to the hostel for dinner and to get our stuff.
We left Venice at 9:30, had some time to read/do homework on the train before we got to the border and then we slept until 4am, when we arrived in Zagreb. We went back to Rachel's apartment and slept for 5 hours before class! It was a fantastic trip!!
My pictures will be up sometime in the next 24 hours.....
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I miss my friends... / Serbia Reflection
...as crazy as they are.
I've got 3 of my very best friends on speakerphone over Skype. I miss them so much! I love listening to them. Even though we're discussing housing for next year (our housing lottery is next week)... it's great. My voice is really hoarse and I'm trying not to talk too loud, because everyone else is asleep, but I'm not hanging up because I haven't had a phone conversation with anyone at CUA for a long time!
We got back from Belgrade safely. It was a good trip. I'm pretty beat now, but that might just be because its 1:15am. I didn't unpack either, because I only took my backpack, some clothing and my senses to Belgrade, so there isn't anything to unpack anyways.
***
I had to deal with some awkward questions when I walked in the door. Branka was home and she was so happy to see me! She made me some tea and we sat in the living room, where the guys were watching soccer (per usual). The kids wanted to know which I liked more, Zagreb or Belgrade? (I lied). I knew in coming back, I'd have to answer a lot of questions about what I thought about Serbia/ns, especially from Slavan. He asked me right away if "I killed some Serbs" (he wanted to give me a knife for that before I left, remember?). He asked me something about the Shiptars (the derogatory term for the Roma). Also, he asked me who I thought was "guilty" for the wars.
I can awkwardly laugh off the question about killing Serbs, that is just silly to me. The question about the Roma I didn't quite understand and all I heard was "Shiptar," so I'm blowing it off. The question about who is "guilty" is another issue all together. I should have just told Slavan it was the Serbs' fault, it would have made things much easier. I tried to say that as an American, as an outsider, it wasn't my place to determine guilt or responsibility. That didn't go over well at all. He started yelling that I was an anthropology major! That I studied these things! That I should realize what the Serbs did to the Croats! Really, Slavan, the wars of the 1990s started because of many reasons, on many different fronts. It isn't reasonable for me to answer that question.
I think that is what I liked so much about Serbians. They didn't try to deny their role in the wars. The people I talked to admitted that Serbia was the bigger power, thus holding a greater responsibility. They pointed out that war crimes were also committed on other sides and reminded me that the entire Serbian system (political, economic, social) collapsed. They are still faced with the consequences today. Economically, they are farther behind Croatia and the global recession is hitting them hard. Politically, everything is corrupt. An interviewee stated to me, "It was better in the '90s, because then you were clear who the opposition was. Today, you just don't know. You can't trust anyone." Serbians still need visas to travel, which limits the people's interaction with the greater global community (I think that this is detrimental, because it prohibits young people from going out into the world to experience other modes of organization and frames of meaning... something that would definitely help Serbia's society to evolve).
I don't really know what the solution is or what I should have answered. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth when you're running around telling people that all Serbs are bad (especially your kids - who will eventually pick up the pieces of something they aren't collectively responsible for). Not all Serbs are bad, not all Croats are good.
Next week, I get the Bosnian perspective(s). I guess that I should rest up.
I've got 3 of my very best friends on speakerphone over Skype. I miss them so much! I love listening to them. Even though we're discussing housing for next year (our housing lottery is next week)... it's great. My voice is really hoarse and I'm trying not to talk too loud, because everyone else is asleep, but I'm not hanging up because I haven't had a phone conversation with anyone at CUA for a long time!
We got back from Belgrade safely. It was a good trip. I'm pretty beat now, but that might just be because its 1:15am. I didn't unpack either, because I only took my backpack, some clothing and my senses to Belgrade, so there isn't anything to unpack anyways.
***
I had to deal with some awkward questions when I walked in the door. Branka was home and she was so happy to see me! She made me some tea and we sat in the living room, where the guys were watching soccer (per usual). The kids wanted to know which I liked more, Zagreb or Belgrade? (I lied). I knew in coming back, I'd have to answer a lot of questions about what I thought about Serbia/ns, especially from Slavan. He asked me right away if "I killed some Serbs" (he wanted to give me a knife for that before I left, remember?). He asked me something about the Shiptars (the derogatory term for the Roma). Also, he asked me who I thought was "guilty" for the wars.
I can awkwardly laugh off the question about killing Serbs, that is just silly to me. The question about the Roma I didn't quite understand and all I heard was "Shiptar," so I'm blowing it off. The question about who is "guilty" is another issue all together. I should have just told Slavan it was the Serbs' fault, it would have made things much easier. I tried to say that as an American, as an outsider, it wasn't my place to determine guilt or responsibility. That didn't go over well at all. He started yelling that I was an anthropology major! That I studied these things! That I should realize what the Serbs did to the Croats! Really, Slavan, the wars of the 1990s started because of many reasons, on many different fronts. It isn't reasonable for me to answer that question.
I think that is what I liked so much about Serbians. They didn't try to deny their role in the wars. The people I talked to admitted that Serbia was the bigger power, thus holding a greater responsibility. They pointed out that war crimes were also committed on other sides and reminded me that the entire Serbian system (political, economic, social) collapsed. They are still faced with the consequences today. Economically, they are farther behind Croatia and the global recession is hitting them hard. Politically, everything is corrupt. An interviewee stated to me, "It was better in the '90s, because then you were clear who the opposition was. Today, you just don't know. You can't trust anyone." Serbians still need visas to travel, which limits the people's interaction with the greater global community (I think that this is detrimental, because it prohibits young people from going out into the world to experience other modes of organization and frames of meaning... something that would definitely help Serbia's society to evolve).
I don't really know what the solution is or what I should have answered. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth when you're running around telling people that all Serbs are bad (especially your kids - who will eventually pick up the pieces of something they aren't collectively responsible for). Not all Serbs are bad, not all Croats are good.
Next week, I get the Bosnian perspective(s). I guess that I should rest up.
Wind blows on...
I had my last night in Belgrade... it was good. I finally got lost. This is different than getting lost in other cities. There are no maps. No street names. If a street has a name, it's written in Cyrillic. Chances are, the name has also been changed at least three times. It was an epic adventure.
I was trying to get to Jacob's apartment by 8:00 for a little sending off dinner with everyone. I had it in my head that he and I lived on opposite ends of the 26 bus line, so I thought it would be a pretty easy trip. Not so.
I ended up at the end of the 26 line in Dorćol, texting Jacob - "I think I'm lost." This was at 7:50. Apparently, Jacob doesn't live on the 26 bus line, he lives on the 28 - who knew? So, I got back on the 26, went half way back to my house, and got off at the law school. There, I asked some people for directions to the bus stop for 48 or 33, and they directed me to the center median of the cross street. How Belgrade traffic patterns function, I'll never know.
After waiting many minutes for the bus to come, I took it to the "third stop" like I was directed... it was the middle of some random intersection. I called Jacob's apartment so someone could come find me. I waited and waited and waited. Yes, I was at the wrong intersection...
At this point, I was hungry and cold enough to just head home. So, I crossed the street and walk a few blocks to the the bus station heading back to the law school. I called Rachel and said that I was in Cvijićeva and giving up.
When I got back to the law school, Danjiela (Jacob's host mum) calls and said that I absolutely need to come because she had information for me about her Roma projects. Talk about dangling the carrot. I turned around, got back on the 48 bus "headed down the hill" and this time, counted the law school stop as the first of three stops (which is what I messed up the first time)... and get off at Cvijićeva...
I finally made it to Jacob's at 10:00. I was never really lost. I ALWAYS knew where I was, I just had no idea where I was going (which is an analogy for my life in general).
Luckily, it was a beautiful (but cold) night. It was completely clear and there was a full moon. The Koshava wind was blowing up from the south, which, in my opinion, makes the city air feel less polluted.
Today, it's back to Croatia... wind blows on...
I was trying to get to Jacob's apartment by 8:00 for a little sending off dinner with everyone. I had it in my head that he and I lived on opposite ends of the 26 bus line, so I thought it would be a pretty easy trip. Not so.
I ended up at the end of the 26 line in Dorćol, texting Jacob - "I think I'm lost." This was at 7:50. Apparently, Jacob doesn't live on the 26 bus line, he lives on the 28 - who knew? So, I got back on the 26, went half way back to my house, and got off at the law school. There, I asked some people for directions to the bus stop for 48 or 33, and they directed me to the center median of the cross street. How Belgrade traffic patterns function, I'll never know.
After waiting many minutes for the bus to come, I took it to the "third stop" like I was directed... it was the middle of some random intersection. I called Jacob's apartment so someone could come find me. I waited and waited and waited. Yes, I was at the wrong intersection...
At this point, I was hungry and cold enough to just head home. So, I crossed the street and walk a few blocks to the the bus station heading back to the law school. I called Rachel and said that I was in Cvijićeva and giving up.
When I got back to the law school, Danjiela (Jacob's host mum) calls and said that I absolutely need to come because she had information for me about her Roma projects. Talk about dangling the carrot. I turned around, got back on the 48 bus "headed down the hill" and this time, counted the law school stop as the first of three stops (which is what I messed up the first time)... and get off at Cvijićeva...
I finally made it to Jacob's at 10:00. I was never really lost. I ALWAYS knew where I was, I just had no idea where I was going (which is an analogy for my life in general).
Luckily, it was a beautiful (but cold) night. It was completely clear and there was a full moon. The Koshava wind was blowing up from the south, which, in my opinion, makes the city air feel less polluted.
Today, it's back to Croatia... wind blows on...
Monday, March 9, 2009
Coffee Culture
A word to the wise: in the Balkans, one cup is enough.
It doesn’t hit you right away. The full effects take hours.
As Rachel put it, “The first hour is okay – you feel like you’ve just had any normal coffee. Within the next hour, however, you are flushed and sweating slightly.” Then, your heart begins to palpitate and you wonder if you should phone a friend or the paramedics. Eventually these feelings pass and you feel like you’ve had one of the most intense workouts of your life.
I’m accustomed to drinking my coffee black. But, alas, that is American drip coffee. Here, in cafes, they serve espresso, and at home, Turkish coffee. Bring on the cream and sugar!!
Turkish coffee is an acquired taste for some. It’s made by boiling cold water with fine, powdery grounds. Actually, it’s boiled twice, so that it releases more flavor and caffeine. It’s serve in a small mug, with the grounds. They sink to the bottom – be careful on those last few sips or else you’ll get grounds in your teeth! I add inappropriate amounts of sugar, but overall, I like it. In cafes, I drink the best cappuccinos ever created (and in ceramic mugs too. None of that Starbucks paper cup nonsense for me!!).
I’m posting this at 12:30, because, unfortunately, I had espresso at 8 and I’m still wide awake...
It doesn’t hit you right away. The full effects take hours.
As Rachel put it, “The first hour is okay – you feel like you’ve just had any normal coffee. Within the next hour, however, you are flushed and sweating slightly.” Then, your heart begins to palpitate and you wonder if you should phone a friend or the paramedics. Eventually these feelings pass and you feel like you’ve had one of the most intense workouts of your life.
I’m accustomed to drinking my coffee black. But, alas, that is American drip coffee. Here, in cafes, they serve espresso, and at home, Turkish coffee. Bring on the cream and sugar!!
Turkish coffee is an acquired taste for some. It’s made by boiling cold water with fine, powdery grounds. Actually, it’s boiled twice, so that it releases more flavor and caffeine. It’s serve in a small mug, with the grounds. They sink to the bottom – be careful on those last few sips or else you’ll get grounds in your teeth! I add inappropriate amounts of sugar, but overall, I like it. In cafes, I drink the best cappuccinos ever created (and in ceramic mugs too. None of that Starbucks paper cup nonsense for me!!).
I’m posting this at 12:30, because, unfortunately, I had espresso at 8 and I’m still wide awake...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Balkan Pedaler
Here is a blogpost written by Jacob, the "Balkan Pedaler" (one of the guys on my program):
"Welcome to the Crossroads: Snapshots from the White City."
Written better than I could have ever put it.
"Welcome to the Crossroads: Snapshots from the White City."
Written better than I could have ever put it.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Weekend Update
Wow, I've been in Belgrade for 8, 9 days, I guess. I love this city. I'm coming back to do my ISP here in April. If you haven't noticed by my last few posts about the Roma, I really want to come back and work with the community here. It's a pretty radical switch from my previously proposal of working with refugees in Bosnia, but it's something that I decided the minute I saw the Roma settlement coming into Belgrade via the Gazela bridge.
Ok. So. My week. Belgrade is awesome. Two weeks is not enough. A blog post can't describe. Come visit.
We spent a TON of time in class and everyone is getting burned out and sick. I have a sore throat, but I've been loading up on my fizzy vitamins and fruit juice (they have the best juices here!!). We're presenting some constructive criticism about our schedule to our coordinators... we need a student's Bill of Rights!! Some days are just awful - we'll have class schedule from 10-6 with 2 hours of lunch, but class runs late and then we have announcements, so then we have an hour for lunch, which means booking it up to the square to get some carry-out and then running back for afternoon seminars. Those seminars inevitably run over (and I mean, run over as in, one hour over).
I'm thinking about walking out the next time classes run that late (which is what would happen in the States!). In a program where the philosophy is "just as much learning goes on outside of the classroom as inside," we sure spend enough time within four walls. That, plus balancing a commute, completing homework and assignments, integrating with a host family, experiencing Belgrade and taking a few minutes for yourself is A LOT.
We had American faculty visit our program this week. They were professors and study abroad coordinators who are interested in sending students on SIT programs. The SIT admissions director, an SIT recruiter, and the SIT European region director came with them. It was great to see new American faces! They sat in on our classes and had lunch with us today. They wanted to pick our brains about the program - so we ran with it. I'm not sure if it was the best week for them to visit, because by this afternoon, we'd all sort of had it with SIT, which might have been reflected in our comments. I definitely emphasized our need to be flexible! It's so easy to get caught up in all kinds of negativity towards the program, get stressed out, and lose sight of the big picture and all the opportunities here.
What have I done this week???
- city tour of Belgrade with a very dramatic tour guide named Srđan.
- tried to go a kafana (traditional cafe) with Rachel and Stef but left after realizing we were the only females in a very masculine space. Oops.
- found what has to be the only non-smoking cafe on this side of the Atlantic!
- lost a few pounds after not having to eat greasy Croatian food all the time.
- got "controlled" by the secret [transit] police - luckily I had validated by ticket!!!!
- went to the main post offce next to the Parliament (watch your mail)
- learned to read Serbian Cyrillic efficiently. Whether or not I know what it means in English is up for debate...
- saw the American diplomatic residence and the American embassy (Ahhh, Motherland!) as well as Tito's old crib.
- ate a palaćinku (crepe) with Nutella that broke all records.
- mangaged NOT to get lost even once. But when I eventually do, I'm sure it will be epic.
... it's not an exhaustive list, but most definitely not the end of my experiences either. Tonight, we're taking on the Belgrade nightlife by storm.
Срећан петак!!
Srećan petak!!
Happy Friday!!
Ok. So. My week. Belgrade is awesome. Two weeks is not enough. A blog post can't describe. Come visit.
We spent a TON of time in class and everyone is getting burned out and sick. I have a sore throat, but I've been loading up on my fizzy vitamins and fruit juice (they have the best juices here!!). We're presenting some constructive criticism about our schedule to our coordinators... we need a student's Bill of Rights!! Some days are just awful - we'll have class schedule from 10-6 with 2 hours of lunch, but class runs late and then we have announcements, so then we have an hour for lunch, which means booking it up to the square to get some carry-out and then running back for afternoon seminars. Those seminars inevitably run over (and I mean, run over as in, one hour over).
I'm thinking about walking out the next time classes run that late (which is what would happen in the States!). In a program where the philosophy is "just as much learning goes on outside of the classroom as inside," we sure spend enough time within four walls. That, plus balancing a commute, completing homework and assignments, integrating with a host family, experiencing Belgrade and taking a few minutes for yourself is A LOT.
We had American faculty visit our program this week. They were professors and study abroad coordinators who are interested in sending students on SIT programs. The SIT admissions director, an SIT recruiter, and the SIT European region director came with them. It was great to see new American faces! They sat in on our classes and had lunch with us today. They wanted to pick our brains about the program - so we ran with it. I'm not sure if it was the best week for them to visit, because by this afternoon, we'd all sort of had it with SIT, which might have been reflected in our comments. I definitely emphasized our need to be flexible! It's so easy to get caught up in all kinds of negativity towards the program, get stressed out, and lose sight of the big picture and all the opportunities here.
What have I done this week???
- city tour of Belgrade with a very dramatic tour guide named Srđan.
- tried to go a kafana (traditional cafe) with Rachel and Stef but left after realizing we were the only females in a very masculine space. Oops.
- found what has to be the only non-smoking cafe on this side of the Atlantic!
- lost a few pounds after not having to eat greasy Croatian food all the time.
- got "controlled" by the secret [transit] police - luckily I had validated by ticket!!!!
- went to the main post offce next to the Parliament (watch your mail)
- learned to read Serbian Cyrillic efficiently. Whether or not I know what it means in English is up for debate...
- saw the American diplomatic residence and the American embassy (Ahhh, Motherland!) as well as Tito's old crib.
- ate a palaćinku (crepe) with Nutella that broke all records.
- mangaged NOT to get lost even once. But when I eventually do, I'm sure it will be epic.
... it's not an exhaustive list, but most definitely not the end of my experiences either. Tonight, we're taking on the Belgrade nightlife by storm.
Срећан петак!!
Srećan petak!!
Happy Friday!!
My Pretty Dyana
"Pretty Dyana: A Gypsy Recycling Saga - An intimate look at Gypsy refugees in a Belgrade suburb who make a living by transforming Citroen's classic 2cv and Dyana cars into Mad Max-like recycling vehicles, with which they collect cardboard, bottles and scrap metal. These modern horses are much more efficient than the cart-pushing competition, but even more important - they also mean freedom, hope and style for their crafty owners. Even the car batteries are used as power generators in order to get some light, watch TV and recharge mobiles! Almost an alchemist's dream come true! But the police doesn't always find these strange vehicles funny...." (Dribbling Pictures)
***
This is a great documentary. It shows the great igenuity of the people... they remodel these cars with hacksaws and hammers... I see these Dyanes all over Belgrade. Watch the film if you have time, it's available in 5 parts on YouTube.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
"Cardboard City"
Introduction to the documentary "Everyday Life of Roma Children from Block 71."
There are mahalas (Roma settlements... or "slums") all over the city. One of my first views of Belgrade was of Gazela, one of the central settlements in the city and one that attracts a lot of attention. Read more here.
I spend last Sunday walking around the outskirts of Gazela with my host family. It's right on the bank of the Sava river, where a walking/bike path is crowded with Belgraders. I'm appalled at how people can walk, bike, skate right past the settlement or sit on the benches overlooking the river and turn their backs on it...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
And you thought the U.S. economy is bad...
I found a 500 billion dinar note today at a street vendor.
500 billion = 5 with 11 zeros = 500,000,000,000.
It is the largest banknote ever printed, I think, except for Zimbabwe’s currency, which is currently being issued in the trillions.
The 500 billion note was issued in December 23, 1993. That morning, it was worth about $6. By that evening, the value had dropped to nearly $3. Yugoslavia was suffering from astronomical hyperinflation – the inflation rate was something like 313 million percent per month at its peak (roughly 3% per hour). The dinar had been already revalued 4 times and on January 1, 1994, it was revalued at one billion dinars to one. I can only understand economics with extreme examples and this makes sense to me, so I hope you can all understand it.
I paid the guy 380 dinars (about $6.50) for it – the most the note has ever been worth.
500 billion = 5 with 11 zeros = 500,000,000,000.
It is the largest banknote ever printed, I think, except for Zimbabwe’s currency, which is currently being issued in the trillions.
The 500 billion note was issued in December 23, 1993. That morning, it was worth about $6. By that evening, the value had dropped to nearly $3. Yugoslavia was suffering from astronomical hyperinflation – the inflation rate was something like 313 million percent per month at its peak (roughly 3% per hour). The dinar had been already revalued 4 times and on January 1, 1994, it was revalued at one billion dinars to one. I can only understand economics with extreme examples and this makes sense to me, so I hope you can all understand it.
I paid the guy 380 dinars (about $6.50) for it – the most the note has ever been worth.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
У Србија! (In Serbia!)
I wrote a really long post about my first impressions of Belgrade last night, but then I was disconnected from the internet and lost everything... here's to starting over!
We had a 7 hour bus trip from Zagreb on Thursday and got in mid-afternoon. Right away, I was struck by how different the two cities are. It's like comparing a less-interesting version of D.C. to a mid-town Manhattan that covers 140 square miles. There is a totally different beat/vibe/rhythm here. And it is HUGE. It's hard to navigate, because maps of the tram and bus systems don't exist. As in, the transit authorities have never published any. It's just something "you learn as a kid."
I managed to memorize the Cyrillic alphabet on the bus ride here, because Serbian is "officially" written with it. Seeing all the signs in Cyrillic make me feel like I am in someplace very, very foreign, but I'm getting much faster at decoding things. Last night, we played some Serbian board game called "Step by Step" that reminded me of Parcheesi. I managed to translate the box! Small triumphs.
I'm being hosted by Dragan and Jelena, a young couple originally from Niš, a city in south Serbia. He is 38 and she's 26. He is an electrical engineer who works for U.S. Steel - he speaks a lot of English on the job! Jelena is two months pregnant. She's sort of spazzy - she doesn't like living in the big city and gets flustered very easily. She loves astrology and reality TV. She thinks Belgrade is my city to connect with the universe in, because I am a Capricorn or something.
They are fantastic hosts and we've had some really interesting conversations. They were around my age during the wars of the '90s and Milošević's regime and have told me about some of their experiences. As much as I love exercising my language skills with my Croatian family, I really like talking to Dragan and Jelena.
Jelena and I went to the police station yesterday to register me. Yet again, bureaucracy ensued... Apparently, we needed the landlord and rental contract. Luckily, I ran into Gaby and her host dad, so I registered "the Serbian way" - that is, creatively. Jelena hid in the bathroom while Gaby's host dad pretended that the two of us were staying with him. Once we both had registered, I snuck Jelena out of the building and went on with our business.
She said that last summer, a friend was visiting from the UK, and on the day they went to register, it was the day Radovan Karadžić was arrested (he's in The Hague now). Apparently, our ward's police station is part of the Belgrade War Crimes Court, so they brought him in while she was there. She said there were cameras and security everywhere.
Also when we were there, I saw Ratko Mladić's Wanted poster (one million Euros, anyone? Maybe I can make that my independent study project?). It was all very intriguing... Karadžić's arrest happened right around the same time when I discovered the SIT Balkans program. I remember talking to KK about it when I told her I decided to go to ::gasp:: The Balkans. It all seems like such a long time ago!
Today, we went to Ada Ciganlija, the man-made lake and park in Belgrade. We met another Jelena, who is Dragan's best friend and our SIT coordinator in Belgrade, for a marathon coffee break in a little lodge on the edge of the lake. It was great to slow down for a bit and talk to some people other than my colleagues at SIT.
Well, it's actually getting late here, and I don't want to sleep all day tomorrow, so,
Ciao!
Лиз (Liz in Cyrillic!)
We had a 7 hour bus trip from Zagreb on Thursday and got in mid-afternoon. Right away, I was struck by how different the two cities are. It's like comparing a less-interesting version of D.C. to a mid-town Manhattan that covers 140 square miles. There is a totally different beat/vibe/rhythm here. And it is HUGE. It's hard to navigate, because maps of the tram and bus systems don't exist. As in, the transit authorities have never published any. It's just something "you learn as a kid."
I managed to memorize the Cyrillic alphabet on the bus ride here, because Serbian is "officially" written with it. Seeing all the signs in Cyrillic make me feel like I am in someplace very, very foreign, but I'm getting much faster at decoding things. Last night, we played some Serbian board game called "Step by Step" that reminded me of Parcheesi. I managed to translate the box! Small triumphs.
I'm being hosted by Dragan and Jelena, a young couple originally from Niš, a city in south Serbia. He is 38 and she's 26. He is an electrical engineer who works for U.S. Steel - he speaks a lot of English on the job! Jelena is two months pregnant. She's sort of spazzy - she doesn't like living in the big city and gets flustered very easily. She loves astrology and reality TV. She thinks Belgrade is my city to connect with the universe in, because I am a Capricorn or something.
They are fantastic hosts and we've had some really interesting conversations. They were around my age during the wars of the '90s and Milošević's regime and have told me about some of their experiences. As much as I love exercising my language skills with my Croatian family, I really like talking to Dragan and Jelena.
Jelena and I went to the police station yesterday to register me. Yet again, bureaucracy ensued... Apparently, we needed the landlord and rental contract. Luckily, I ran into Gaby and her host dad, so I registered "the Serbian way" - that is, creatively. Jelena hid in the bathroom while Gaby's host dad pretended that the two of us were staying with him. Once we both had registered, I snuck Jelena out of the building and went on with our business.
She said that last summer, a friend was visiting from the UK, and on the day they went to register, it was the day Radovan Karadžić was arrested (he's in The Hague now). Apparently, our ward's police station is part of the Belgrade War Crimes Court, so they brought him in while she was there. She said there were cameras and security everywhere.
Also when we were there, I saw Ratko Mladić's Wanted poster (one million Euros, anyone? Maybe I can make that my independent study project?). It was all very intriguing... Karadžić's arrest happened right around the same time when I discovered the SIT Balkans program. I remember talking to KK about it when I told her I decided to go to ::gasp:: The Balkans. It all seems like such a long time ago!
Today, we went to Ada Ciganlija, the man-made lake and park in Belgrade. We met another Jelena, who is Dragan's best friend and our SIT coordinator in Belgrade, for a marathon coffee break in a little lodge on the edge of the lake. It was great to slow down for a bit and talk to some people other than my colleagues at SIT.
Well, it's actually getting late here, and I don't want to sleep all day tomorrow, so,
Ciao!
Лиз (Liz in Cyrillic!)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Marija Lugarić, MP
We went to the Sabor (Croatian Parliament) on Monday and met Marija Lugarić, the MP for part of Zagreb. She is 29 and is in her third term. She was first elected when she was 21! She is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which is the leading minority party in the Sabor.You can read more about the Sabor here (info in English).
She was great - she hosted all of us as her personal guests, because she said it was easier for us to get through security like that. The Sabor is in recess this week, so she was in a sweater, jeans, and sneakers (I had dressed up!). She spoke to us casually and frankly, and took us on a tour of the building, including the floor of the Sabor. She explained the procedures and functions of the Sabor.
After the tour, Marija took us into a committee room where we all talked about politics (Croatian and American) for over an hour. She told us about her early days in office and what it was like being a token female and a token youth. She said she was never really discriminated against, only because her party's constitution calls for women and young people to be represented in certain percentages. As a women under 30, she killed two birds with one stone. Even still, she said she called her mom in tears, saying that she couldn't do her job!
She believes that governments should be representative of the electorate and had major problems with the fact that Americans can vote at age 18 but can't run for office until older. Her degree is in education and she never planned on being a professional politician. She ended up running after joining the party in college. In Croatia, you don't need money or family or anything to run for office - people vote for the party and the party chooses officials. In all, she is really empowered and pretty inspiring!
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