Monday, August 30, 2010
Last day in Sarajevo (or How I stopped worrying and wanted to come back)
Well, today (July 15th) marks our last full day in the capital city of Bosnia & Herzegovina. I must say that it has been a helluva ride, and it's not even close to being done yet. Camp starts up tomorrow and that's going to be exciting. As far as I know we have 8 people, correction, students coming along with us. But before that we have the last day of English class and the students have their finals, oral, and they must write a conversation using all of the idioms they learned through the course. Meliha also taught us our last Bosnian class yesterday which was quite hilarious. It went from teaching us body parts to just random things we wanted to learn like; lud sam kar struja, which translates to I'm crazy like electricity. Yeah, I don't get it either but it sounds brilliant. Today's entry will be shorter again, but it may be continued at a later date. Ende. (Note: I will write a wrap up entry, now that it's been a little over a month since we've been back.)
A week and a half of English (or How I stopped worrying and dealt with Bosnian sarcasm)
The teams have reached the halfway point in English classes as of yesterday (Wednesday) and progress has been pretty good with pretty much every student showing proficiency. The days since Skakavac have been pretty uneventful, just hanging out with students after class at one of the 8 trillion cafes in Sarajevo. Last night was pretty cool, a student named Marina and I went out for dinner in old town. I forget the name of the restaurant, but we both ended up getting the same dish which was essentially a fried chicken, french fries, and some pocket bread. I ate it wrong in the sense that I ate it completely disassembled. We then traded scar stories. (Her story is being withheld, as I didn't obtain permission to put it up on here) After dinner we go ice cream and walked back towards Kairos. That about it for this one, two entries have bled together to make a short one. Till next time, Rule 32.
Skakavac (or How I stopped worrying and climbed to a waterfall...then started worrying again)
So the first week of classes draws to a close and so far I believe that the experience has been pretty fruitful. Most of the students are quite proficient in English, so for most of the class it's us shooting the breeze (after the curriculum activities, of course) After class on Friday, Emily and I went out with Saša and Irmela for the first time in a week. (this would, unfortunately turn out to be the last time we would see them the entire trip) They took us to a little pub called Cheers, yes, just like the show. Afterword, we watched a bit of Ghana vs The Netherlands game and we called it a night. Saturday we conquer Skakavac (pronounced Skah-kah-vatse.) It's a waterfall that is considered one of the natural wonder and after a 7 KM hike, I was indeed convinced. The only problem is that me, being so out of shape, it was just incredibly tough for me. Call it a total of 16km up or down some very steep hills, gravel, switchbacks, mud, of and not to mention the heat and humidity. I must have sweated out a good couple of pounds. Today is Sunday, that means church and rest. OH OH!!! Uno being played with six exhausted people is quite hilarious. A shorter entry today, we'll see what the next few weeks brings us, shall we? Till next time, Rule 32.
Days 5 through 9 (or How I stopped worrying and teached some gooder English)
This entry is going to be somewhat erratic as I am blending 4 days into one entry. There will be stuff left out, disclaimer and apology thrown out. Sundays during this odyssey will be pretty uneventful, so this one shall be the only one documented. Sunday service actually is pretty late, we get out of there around one in the afternoon after about an hour and a half. The pastor asked us if we wanted translations and we respectfully declined. Afterward, we all mingled in the KAIROS kitchen where we met a man named Jim and his wife who are originally from Louisville, Kentucky. We also met the worship piano player who is originally from Yorkshire in England. We cooked up some curry and then just hung out until about 5 o'clock. when we went to the internet cafe. Then pizza, yum a dum dum pizza. (End day 5) This week is the start of English classes which I think has been a fun experience for everyone. Before that though we (that's Emily and I) went to the vocational faculty for some more surveys which turned out to be much easier this time around now that we know what we are doing.
6 o'clock rolled around and it was time for English class. We made out way to the Ag facility and met up with our students. Emily, Kevin, Sara, and I were put into the advanced class whilst Luke, Sarah, Martha and Greg were put into the intermediate class, both of which are full of some colorful characters. Individual classes aren't going to be documented unless something extraordinary happens. My group consists of (this list dwindled and grew over the three weeks of class) Dino, Meliha, Adna, Edina, and Senad. (contd...) So far in class we've had very interesting talks about everything from pet dragons to a can of worms being opened about the Serbs. The tradition after class has become the coffee pastime. Half of us go to the BBI while the other have goes to the Importann Centar. One night we went to a cafe called Barbarossa where, upon snagging a pizza, I almost broke my tooth on an unpitted olive. Oopsa. Monday night, Meliha talked to me fora quite a while about the war which was quite humbling. (There is an additional part to this entry about the talk we had, but I'm not enclosing cos it's kind of a for me thing.) After this entry I shall resume writing everyday. (Yeah, that was overly ambitious.) Till next time, remember Rule 32.
6 o'clock rolled around and it was time for English class. We made out way to the Ag facility and met up with our students. Emily, Kevin, Sara, and I were put into the advanced class whilst Luke, Sarah, Martha and Greg were put into the intermediate class, both of which are full of some colorful characters. Individual classes aren't going to be documented unless something extraordinary happens. My group consists of (this list dwindled and grew over the three weeks of class) Dino, Meliha, Adna, Edina, and Senad. (contd...) So far in class we've had very interesting talks about everything from pet dragons to a can of worms being opened about the Serbs. The tradition after class has become the coffee pastime. Half of us go to the BBI while the other have goes to the Importann Centar. One night we went to a cafe called Barbarossa where, upon snagging a pizza, I almost broke my tooth on an unpitted olive. Oopsa. Monday night, Meliha talked to me fora quite a while about the war which was quite humbling. (There is an additional part to this entry about the talk we had, but I'm not enclosing cos it's kind of a for me thing.) After this entry I shall resume writing everyday. (Yeah, that was overly ambitious.) Till next time, remember Rule 32.
Day 4 (or How I stopped worrying and loved me some palaćinci)
Saturday was our first full funday in that we didn't have surveys or anything official to do. Emily, The Grakin and I walked down to the nearest bakery, about a quarter of a mile from here. It become a new morning tradition to grab some damn tasty pastries from Pekara Has for everyone. Anyways, later that morning we had what could be called an orientation, but was more of a history lesson on Bosnia, from 3000 BC and the indigenous tribes to the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexing the country. Very fascinating stuff. Now, Laz had told us that we were going to have a tour, walking, of the city, but it had been raining pretty hard all morning. Actually, it is right now as I write this.
Laz and Vesna, our tour guide, met us down by the river and we began our tour. Almost immediately we saw a long line of buses that had ferried people into the city, and we found out that it was a support rally for one of the Generals during the war who is apparently very famous in this day and age. We continued to a bridge that was constructed with pieces left over from the construction of the Eiffel Tower, right next to that was the Swedish Consulate, and right behind that was a church that has been turned into a Mac store. We walked for a while after that and ended up at one of the Orthodox churches in the city. It had been undergoing renovation. It was an absolutely gorgeous place. After a bit more walking (by the way, we walk EVERYWHERE in Sarajevo) we ended up at the bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Archduchess Sophie were assassinated at. It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. More stomping around and we ended up at a museum for older Bosnian musicians, then we drank a bunch of coffee at a cafe, inside the museum. we then bid Vesna goodbye.
After more walking and a bunch of movie nerding, Laz, Miranda (the intern), Martha, Luke, Kevin and I grabbed stuff for palaćinci (crepes)as we were having a shindig at the EUS HQ. At about 7 o'clock a few people showed up, a bit awkward to start with but we eventually warmed up to each other. I met and talked with about six people before settling in with our new friend (and who would go on to become my best friend during our stay in Bosnia) Meliha, after we had a very lengthy metal nerd talk. Her, Emily and I must have gone on for hours about basketball, music, you name it. 11 o'clock finally rolled around and we decided to call it a night. Emily, Grakin, Luke and I made the trek back to KAIROS and we all proceeded to sleep. Sunday is our Sabbath, writing may be skipped on Sundays. Until next time, Rule 32.
Laz and Vesna, our tour guide, met us down by the river and we began our tour. Almost immediately we saw a long line of buses that had ferried people into the city, and we found out that it was a support rally for one of the Generals during the war who is apparently very famous in this day and age. We continued to a bridge that was constructed with pieces left over from the construction of the Eiffel Tower, right next to that was the Swedish Consulate, and right behind that was a church that has been turned into a Mac store. We walked for a while after that and ended up at one of the Orthodox churches in the city. It had been undergoing renovation. It was an absolutely gorgeous place. After a bit more walking (by the way, we walk EVERYWHERE in Sarajevo) we ended up at the bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Archduchess Sophie were assassinated at. It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. More stomping around and we ended up at a museum for older Bosnian musicians, then we drank a bunch of coffee at a cafe, inside the museum. we then bid Vesna goodbye.
After more walking and a bunch of movie nerding, Laz, Miranda (the intern), Martha, Luke, Kevin and I grabbed stuff for palaćinci (crepes)as we were having a shindig at the EUS HQ. At about 7 o'clock a few people showed up, a bit awkward to start with but we eventually warmed up to each other. I met and talked with about six people before settling in with our new friend (and who would go on to become my best friend during our stay in Bosnia) Meliha, after we had a very lengthy metal nerd talk. Her, Emily and I must have gone on for hours about basketball, music, you name it. 11 o'clock finally rolled around and we decided to call it a night. Emily, Grakin, Luke and I made the trek back to KAIROS and we all proceeded to sleep. Sunday is our Sabbath, writing may be skipped on Sundays. Until next time, Rule 32.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Day 3 (Or How I stopped worrying and made three new friends)
Words of advice, if you're willing to endure 48 straight hours of awake, you will not be jet lagged when you get to your destination. Yesterday marked our our first full day in Sarajevo. Right down the street from KAIROS is a small, and mean tiny, bakery that Greg, myself, and Emily decided to grab breakfast. Two jogurts and 8 pastries later (the pizza pocket is fantastic, if you're reading this, stop, fly to Bosnia right now and get one) we got dolled up and went to the EUS HQ, which is across from the Presidential building. Here is where Deron and Laz briefed us on our first assignment: break into pairs, find University campus and survey the student. The Morelli and I were put into a team and the campus we were assigned to was Electrical Engineering, criminal stuff and traffic & communication. Needless to say it was quite a daunting task. Now, to say I wasn't able to instigate a conversation is like saying the Atlantic Ocean is damp, but Emily, God bless her, was fantastic at it. It must have been some sort of major exams week as a lot of the students were quite busy, but we were able to get 7 surveys (6 for Emily, 1 for me WOO) done. That being said, our last full survey we that we took we met a couple of really cool cats, Saša and Elvis, whom I gave the nickname The King. Saša it turns out lived in Denver for about a year with an organization which, as I understood it, was like a foreign babysitters R us. He said he had a great time though. After we finished the survey they both agreed to meet us in front of the BBI (giant shopping mall) for coffee. Emily, myself, Sarah, Kevin and Greg were the little squad that showed up, Saša and Elvis were right on time and they brought a lady friend of theirs by the name of Irmela. Lovely gal. Us as a team thought we would be going to one of the large places for coffee, but they instead took us to a lesser known place deep in the downtown area. Drink choices were 3 colas, 2 coffees (with mljeko) and 3 pilsners. All 8 hoisted to a heartfelt živjeli (cheers) and we proceeded to shoot the breeze for nearly an hour and a half.
Now, this is where, at least what we Americans perceive as an anomaly comes in, even though we had all just met, after about 20 minutes you'd have though we'd all known each other for years. Around 4:40 in the PM our new friends had to head off, as they had some plans, but we got numbers. We then trekked back to KAIROS for dinner where I introduced Greg, and eventually Luke and Sarah to Top Gear. Now, their are some new fans. Till next time, Rule 32.
Now, this is where, at least what we Americans perceive as an anomaly comes in, even though we had all just met, after about 20 minutes you'd have though we'd all known each other for years. Around 4:40 in the PM our new friends had to head off, as they had some plans, but we got numbers. We then trekked back to KAIROS for dinner where I introduced Greg, and eventually Luke and Sarah to Top Gear. Now, their are some new fans. Till next time, Rule 32.
Days 1 and 2 (Or How Ćevapi should be turned into the universal good time dish.)
(Quick Disclaimer: The following few entries are from my analog edition of the blog whilst I was in Sarajevo, Bosnia from June 24th to July 27th. Read and enjoy.)
June 23rd with a psychotic blur into the 24th with no sense of solar orientation plays ping-pong with cognitive orientation. One o'clock in the morning Pacific Standard Time is the time that marks the beginning of the odyssey that marks the tenth team to be sent to Sarajevo as part of the Bosnia Global Projects. Our entire group consists of two teams, 12 people in total. 8 in Sarajevo and 4 in Banja Luka, which is located 5 hours, driving time, to the North in the Republic of Srpska which is predominantly Serb/Orthodox Christian. We arrive at LAX just before 5 o'clock in the morning to collect our boarding passes, which, we found out later was due to to inexperience, were listed as void in the 1s and 0s database of the United terminal. Once everything was kosher, we ran through security which, for one team member, was a pretty fun adventure, as TSA mistook his big box of dominoes for a suspicious package. 7:55 arrives and our flight boards: LAX to Washington D.C. Dulles airport in about five hours time. After slipping in and our of consciousness for the first part of the part of the flight we landed, much to our surprising enthusiasm, to our five hour layover where a group of us cleaned out the airport's Fuddruckers, the first time I've had it in 20 years time.
After sitting for a what felt like not a very long time, we boarded Lufthansa for what turned out to be an 8 hour flight to Munich. I made the appealing decision of watching out GPS readout of plane position for a decent amount of time which was a friggin' mistake. For four hours it looked like our plane didn't leave the southern edge of Greenland. Finally after the blackout ended, the plane's windows and lights were shut off for a majority of the flight, I was able to see a break in the clouds just as we were flying over Ireland's east coast. Spectacular. Our plane touched down in Munich around 11:35 AM local time, at which time our puddle jumper to Sarajevo was boarding. What proceeded was the proverbial mad dash to the finish line. With about five minutes to spare we boarded our place bound for our final destination. The short flight produced one of the most amazing sights in the (for those keeping track at home) 14 hours of total flight time, the German Alps. One eternity later, we touched down in Sarajevo, tired, cranky, dirty, and ecstatic that we are finally here. I started playing car nerd nearly immediately, spotting and pointing out Renault, Citroen, and Opel just to name a few. Finally we arrive at our home for three weeks, a quint little church in the southern hills overlooking the city (sort of.) We meet our host, Tamara, and I grab a quick power nap.
I awaken to find that the Banja Luka team was sent off, good luck and God speed guys. Our team meets up with Deron and Laz, two American transplants who take us into the heart of the city. During our journey we come across a fountain that we all proceed to drink from. According to legend, those who drink from it are destined to return to Bosnia. We arrive in Baščaršija, which is comprised of old Ottoman architecture, and we are taken to a little restaurant called Željo, where they serve the staple equivalent (but far superior) of the hamburger, Ćevapi! It's an 8 inch piece of pocket bread, stuffed with small sausages, decet in my case, served with or without onions, and kajmak, (see Meliha, I finally remembered what the stuff is called!!!) which is basically cream cheese that's been whipped all light and fluffy. Needless to say, we all decreed that it should the be the street food of choice EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!! We then proceeded to a small cafe and partook in the social life blood of Bosnia, really really damn good coffee. Upon returning to KAIROS (the church home) just before 10 in the PM I settled down for the rest of the sleep that I had started earlier in the day. I then awoke at 10 to 4 in the morning, showered, read some book, and I've been writing these words. Today we go to University and do surveys...joy. We shall see what day three has in store for us. More to come and remember rule #32.
Final team tally: Sarajevo Banja Luka
Myself Bekah
Kevin Nicole
Luke Stephan
Sarah Eric
Martha
Emily
Sara
Greg
June 23rd with a psychotic blur into the 24th with no sense of solar orientation plays ping-pong with cognitive orientation. One o'clock in the morning Pacific Standard Time is the time that marks the beginning of the odyssey that marks the tenth team to be sent to Sarajevo as part of the Bosnia Global Projects. Our entire group consists of two teams, 12 people in total. 8 in Sarajevo and 4 in Banja Luka, which is located 5 hours, driving time, to the North in the Republic of Srpska which is predominantly Serb/Orthodox Christian. We arrive at LAX just before 5 o'clock in the morning to collect our boarding passes, which, we found out later was due to to inexperience, were listed as void in the 1s and 0s database of the United terminal. Once everything was kosher, we ran through security which, for one team member, was a pretty fun adventure, as TSA mistook his big box of dominoes for a suspicious package. 7:55 arrives and our flight boards: LAX to Washington D.C. Dulles airport in about five hours time. After slipping in and our of consciousness for the first part of the part of the flight we landed, much to our surprising enthusiasm, to our five hour layover where a group of us cleaned out the airport's Fuddruckers, the first time I've had it in 20 years time.
After sitting for a what felt like not a very long time, we boarded Lufthansa for what turned out to be an 8 hour flight to Munich. I made the appealing decision of watching out GPS readout of plane position for a decent amount of time which was a friggin' mistake. For four hours it looked like our plane didn't leave the southern edge of Greenland. Finally after the blackout ended, the plane's windows and lights were shut off for a majority of the flight, I was able to see a break in the clouds just as we were flying over Ireland's east coast. Spectacular. Our plane touched down in Munich around 11:35 AM local time, at which time our puddle jumper to Sarajevo was boarding. What proceeded was the proverbial mad dash to the finish line. With about five minutes to spare we boarded our place bound for our final destination. The short flight produced one of the most amazing sights in the (for those keeping track at home) 14 hours of total flight time, the German Alps. One eternity later, we touched down in Sarajevo, tired, cranky, dirty, and ecstatic that we are finally here. I started playing car nerd nearly immediately, spotting and pointing out Renault, Citroen, and Opel just to name a few. Finally we arrive at our home for three weeks, a quint little church in the southern hills overlooking the city (sort of.) We meet our host, Tamara, and I grab a quick power nap.
I awaken to find that the Banja Luka team was sent off, good luck and God speed guys. Our team meets up with Deron and Laz, two American transplants who take us into the heart of the city. During our journey we come across a fountain that we all proceed to drink from. According to legend, those who drink from it are destined to return to Bosnia. We arrive in Baščaršija, which is comprised of old Ottoman architecture, and we are taken to a little restaurant called Željo, where they serve the staple equivalent (but far superior) of the hamburger, Ćevapi! It's an 8 inch piece of pocket bread, stuffed with small sausages, decet in my case, served with or without onions, and kajmak, (see Meliha, I finally remembered what the stuff is called!!!) which is basically cream cheese that's been whipped all light and fluffy. Needless to say, we all decreed that it should the be the street food of choice EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!! We then proceeded to a small cafe and partook in the social life blood of Bosnia, really really damn good coffee. Upon returning to KAIROS (the church home) just before 10 in the PM I settled down for the rest of the sleep that I had started earlier in the day. I then awoke at 10 to 4 in the morning, showered, read some book, and I've been writing these words. Today we go to University and do surveys...joy. We shall see what day three has in store for us. More to come and remember rule #32.
Final team tally: Sarajevo Banja Luka
Myself Bekah
Kevin Nicole
Luke Stephan
Sarah Eric
Martha
Emily
Sara
Greg
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