Scooby!

There isn't too much to report on. Life in the village has been pretty good. We've had fun walking around and getting to meet the locals.

Joyce made us guacamole last night and it was just as good as when we made it a few nights ago. mmm.....

We are in Nyahururu checking email after just hiking Thompson Falls. The waterfall was beautiful, but our flat-lander legs combined with the fact that we were at 7,800 ft, made the climb a bit slow. Lonely planet promised that we would see dozens of baboons while hiking. This was not the case. The only baboons we have seen were on the side of the road so far.

The other night the girls from Nebraska were awoken by Scooby (Issac's gaurd dog) growling at something in the night. We were a little spooked, and when we went to the bathroom an hour later, we took the "elephant stick." Turns out that there were elephants in the area that evening. About an hour later Jill was startled by Kristal yelling out, "Who is it!" About an hour later Kristal started calling out for Scooby in her sleep. I must have been dreaming it too, because then I started yelling for Scooby. I don't remember this at all and Jill was not in the least bit amused because she had not been sleeping with all the commotion. After a while Kristal did some more talking and Jill decided it was a good time to wake her up. Poor Jill did not get any sleep that night. I think it was the best night of sleep so far in the village as I did not need a nap later that day. Scooby is a really great gaurd dog, but doesn't fare so well on or walks. If we don't hold him back, he tries to attack motor bikes and mutatus. He doesn't make the best decisions.

On monday we will leave for Lake Naivasha where we will spend 2 nights relaxing and checking out Hell's Gate. I'm looking forward to the bikes we get to ride while we are there. We will be joined by yet another of Austin and Sarah's friends from the PC in Malawi. His name is Ross and it turns out that we went to Junior High together.

The weather here is still amazing and people are getting excited for the holidays that are coming up. It doesn't really feel like Christmas to me, but I am excited to pull out the Santa hats and reindeer antlers for our safari.

Chipatos

This is what we have decided to call a burrito wrapped with a chipati. Last night the Americans cooked dinner for the Kenyans. We had a Mexican Fiesta complete with salsa, guacamole, rice, beans, and a thinner chipati that we used as tortillas. Chipati is a staple Kenyan food that is made just like a tortilla. Joyce uses wheat flour to make hers, bascially it's a very thick tortilla that we eat with breakfast, lunch or dinner. The Chipati were made very thin last night to accomodate the mexican theme. With the mango fruit as dessert, it may have been the best meal of the trip so far. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, especially Max (issac's oldest son) who, when asked about dinner simply replied, "It was beautiful."

Yesterday Jill and Austin attended a 3 hour village meeting. The rest of us girls went on a long walk through the village, took a few naps and had lunch. We were getting ready to make dinner when a neighbor asked us to walk with her...she said it would just be a quarter of a kilometer. 40 minutes later we were welcomed into a Women's group meeting and had some tea...as is customary in Kenya. We hung out for a while but needed to head back since dinner needed to get started. We made it home before dark and started on dinner. I had fun in the kitchen cooking rice and beans over coals. We pulled out our ipods and had a few dance parties. Issac's kids really like Lady Gaga for some reason. It was a really fun evening.

The next few days are pretty loose. Hopefully they involve a ride to Thompson Falls to check out a waterfall and another trip to the city to check our email and shop in the market.

Village Life

Greetings from Nyahururu!

So much has happened in the last few days and I don't think I have time to write it all down. We are on a tight schedule. We left the village later than expected to catch a mutatu to Nyahururu. We still have to get to the market and try to get home before dark.

The drive from lamu was long, but really great. We saw girraffes, baboons, and zebras...all just hanging on the side of the road. We won't even be on safari for another 8 days! We took a back way to nairobi and drove through dozens of villages and some really incredible landscape. We even drove through Tsavo national park which is known for it's man-eating lions. Don't worry mom, we stayed in the car. That night we stayed at the hostel and hung out in Nairobi most of the day on Thursday.

We left for the village late that day and drove through the Rift Valley. I can't wait to come back to this place when we leave for safari.

We received a very warm welcome into the village by joyce and her family. We were greeted with chai and a warm meal. Chai is the drink here. It's about half water, half fresh milk (from their cows) and black tea with sugar.

After "elephant proofing" our door, we got some much needed rest. Saturday was Kenyan Independence Day as well as Brian's (Issac's son) manhood ceremony. Brian had spent the last 30 days in a private room away from his parents where he received advice from other villagers. About 100 neighbors showed up for the ceremony. Brian came out of his room with the help of a local choir and was greeted by everyone. Many people spoke on his behalf and then donated money to him. After the ceremony, there was dancing. Aunty Em pulled me out in the circle and we cut a rug. It was really neat to be invited to particpate with them.

On Sunday we went to church. That was an experience. After about 2 hours of worship, we were greeted in song by the choir and then introduced ourselves to the parish. We then enjoyed a short break and came back to our seats for the auction. Among things being auctioned off were, belts, 10 goats, 12 chickens, and a cow. It was definitely an experience. I bought some bananas, austin bought a belt, and jill bought sugar cane. I've never had sugar cane, but it was really good. I guess it's good for your teeth and they encourage kids to chew on it.

Other than that, we've just been relaxing. It's a great place to nap and the weather is very agreeable. I did my first load of hand washing clothes yesterday. It was a lot more work than I had anticipated.

We've been having a lot of fun with each other. I've enjoyed our walks that we've been taking to see other parts of the village. The local kids are really interested in us. They like touching our skin, a lot. They were also really interested in my sunburn and peeling skin.

Now, it's time for the market. We have a lot to get done before dark!

Last day in Lamu

Today is our last day on this amazing island. Tomorrow morning we are going to boat it back to the bus stop and take the 6 hour bus ride to Mombasa. We are supposed to be on a nicer bus this time and I'm hoping the ride is better than the ride to Lamu. Issac has a friend with a van in Mombasa named Sammy. Sammy is going to pick us up tomorrow afternoon and drive us the 10 hours back to Nairobi. Once back in Nairobi, we will stay overnight in a hostel and take a Mutatu (van transportation from village to village) to Issac's village.

We will arrive on Kenyan Independence Day. It will also be the "Coming into Manhood" ceremony for one of Issac's sons. I'm really looking forward to friday the 12th.

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to two of our Malawi friends, Brian and Kirk. They are going back to Malawi while Austin and Sarah will spend the remainder of time with us. We've all had a really good time in Lamu. Last night we checked out the night life at a local bar. The evening ended with a few of us (me included) jumping into the Hotel/Bar pool and then getting kicked out by a Massai Warrior and the hotel manager. It probably wasn't the best idea, but it was really fun.

We are going to spend the afternoon at the beach and I will hopefully ride a camel. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Donkey Down and Camel Back

This is how we would like to get to the beach...or it was until our friend Kirk "rented" a donkey. Basically he took his donkey driving test, got yelled at by a british woman, the donkey bucked and his ride was over. We have seen camel's at the beach and would really like to ride them, but the locals aren't really feeling it. What can you do?

We have spent the last few days on the beach. On Sunday we got started late and didn't want to hike it to the Shaila beach that is 45 minutes away. We walked to what we now refer to as "Surprise Beach." This beach acquired it's name after various objects floated past us, including: a plank, a shoe, and a water bottle. Surprise! We did have a really good time throwing around the frisbee and made sure to take showers as soon as we got back to our tree house.

The next day, Kirk and Brian went on a fishing trip while the 5 Nebraskan's went to Shaila beach. It was a 45 minute walk, but so worth it. This is why people love it here. Warm sand, cool water, and men that walk by with water and Samosas. The boys sailed by us on their way back to land and picked us up. I captained the sails and we made it back to the city where we cleaned the fish. Well, I didn't clean the fish...I made sure that I was not anywhere near that. Later that night we enjoyed fresh fish and chips. It was really good until stray cats invited themselves in. That was interesting. So far we have done a good job of keeping them out of the house...though every once in while we find little lizards hanging out.

Yesterday was very similar. We went shopping in the morning and a few of us got shirts made and found lots of great fabric. Kirk went on his donkey adventure, and then a few of us found a motor boat to drive us to Shaila beach. When we got to the beach, we found Kirk 4 Bloody Mary's deep and being very classy. We enjoyed a cocktail and then hit up the beach. After a while we found a boat to sail us back to town where we showered and ate some local food at Olympic Restaurant, Lonely Plant's pick for the best Lamu food. I wasn't impressed with the food but had coconut juice that I think might be my new favorite...right behind the passion fruit and mango juice.

The sun rises before 6 and we wake up shortly after. This morning we walked around the quiet streets and took pictures, tried some donuts and then had breakfast. It was a very classy meal and so far it has been my favorite. A few people are back at the house (which is also recommended by Lonely Planet as the "coolest place to stay in Lamu") cleaning prawns for dinner. I think we will spend the afternoon at the beach again.

Today we were planning on going on a dhow trip. This used to consist of a sail boat, fishing, snorkeling, and a beach barbecue all for about $15 a person. Lamu sailors have since formed a union and these cheap prices no longer exist....nor do many of these trips. I was really looking forward to snorkeling, but I think I can handle some more time on the beach. We leave the day after tomorrow for Nairobi and will be the Nyahururu village on the 12th, this is Kenya's independence day. I don't think they celebrate it with fireworks, but we hear it's really neat and I am looking forward to experiencing it.

It's getting a little hot for my liking in this internet cafe. I think I'm going to head back to our tree house. Sorry for all the Nebraska snow. I don't envy you at all.

Island Life

After about 16 hours in two different busses and a boat ride, we made it to Lamu! I'll get to the island in a bit, but I want to give a play by play account of our last few days.

We loaded onto a bus Nairobi at 10 pm on Thursday night. This 10 pm bus left at 11. After driving for about 5 minutes we were stopped by Kenyan Police and told to evacuate the bus with all of our belongs, put into lines and scanned with hand held metal detectors. What a way to start an evening! The bus ride lasted through the evening with one bathroom stop (which I don't want to think about) and dropped us off in Mombasa at 6:30 am. We were picked up by William, a Tuk Tuk driver (which is a interesting open air taxi) and taken to buy bus tickets. Once we had our 8 am departure time, we were joined by the rest of our travelers. Austin and Sarah! and their Peace Corps friends, Bryan and Kirk...all serving the PC in Malawi.

After about 20 minutes of arguing with bus officials about being able to sit together, we left Mombasa. The 6 hour bus ride lasted 8 and was packed. Standing room only. It was hot and a few of us have burns on our arms from sitting in the window seats. The bus stopped every few hour to pick more people up. When the bus would make stops, villagers would come up to the windows and sell water and different foods. I passed on the homemade Samosas but did enjoy being called "Madame."

The first 4 hours of the ride were on a semi-paved road, the last 3 were on a road that was not paved at all. Imagine riding a school bus on the bumpiest road you've ever been on...now imagine riding that HOT bus for 3 hours. Needless to say, it was a long, sweaty day.

The landscape on the ride was incredible. So lush and green. Many, many hut villages were passed the way. Even when it was hot and we were tired, I smiled and thought, "I'm in Africa." The smile dissapeared when we drove past refugee camps. These people were displaced during the Kenyan election of 2007.

We got off the bus and hopped on the island shuttle and after 30 minutes, arrived at our final destination. This is Jill's 5th time on the island and let me tell you....she's kind of a big deal, people know her. She sent a text to a friend and there were 3 people awaiting our arrival. They took our bags and led us to this amazing house. After a quick tour, we decided that we had to stay there. It's kind of like a really funky tree house. There is sleeping room for 8, a kitchen, dining room, two showers, and an amazing view of the ocean...all for less than $10 a day. It's incredible. We gave our host some money and went to the market to buy us beer and water...because, really, when you're on an island, do you need anything else?

After showering and feeling like "a million Kenyan Shillings" we went to Jill's favorite restuarant called Hapa Hapa. In Swahili this means, Here! Here! We had a great dinner. With all the traveling, the girls from NE had only had 1 meal and our 2nd meal was much overdue.

We spent our night watching the moon come up over the water (we're right on the equator and even though we get 12 hours of sunlight, the sun sets around 6 pm), and enjoying some breeze in our home's Penthouse. Not really a penthouse, but it's an openair bedroom with a nice breeze and ocean view. Actually our entire place is open air. It's safe, amazing, comfortable and I can't believe we can stay somewhere for so cheap.

We haven't seen much of Lamu yet. A few things about Lamu: There are no cars, donkeys do all the hauling/transporting and we will defintely ride one at some point. Most of the people here are Muslim and we have already experienced waking up before 5 am to hear their prayer. People are very nice and kind here and it's really relaxed. They call it "African Time" because there really isn't a schedule.

It's so great to see Austin and Sarah....or as the people in their Malawi village call them, Austella! Their PC friends are also a lot of fun and this made the bus ride a little more bearable. Our plans are pretty loose right now. We have an idea of what we want to do, but after all that traveling, all we want to do is relax in our house.

The weather here is really hot and humid. It's hard to adjust coming from an Omaha winter. We are getting used to being shiny and and sticky. I'll take this any day over snow. 

I think I'm going to join the team back at the house. They are a few Tusker's ahead of me (that's Kenya's brew) and I better catch up.

Go Team!

Three tired ladies made it to Nairobi last night at 8:30. An hour later we had our luggage and made it out of Nairobi's airport...which felt more like a zoo. Issac picked us up and we had a very comfortable ride to our hostel where, on the way, we saw a lot, including ladies of the night, and Kibiri, one of the world's largest slums. That was a first for me.

One of our themes for the trip is figuring out our Team name for the day. This is after we ran into Team Family and Team Super Family. Two families (one a family of 4 and one a family of 9!). These families are packing up and moving to Kenya...not sure why, but we were happy that we were traveling solo and not with babies. Yesterday were Team One More Time, Team No, We're Not Having Children, and right now we are Team Damp...it's pouring here.

It was a big day of firsts: first hostel experience, first time in Africa/Southern Hemisphere, and the first time of many that we will be sleeping with mostquito netting. Not too bad so far, we are just having a hard time to adjusting to the time. It's 9 hours earlier here.

I took some Tylenol PM, put my earplugs in, grabbed my eye mask and slept for 8 hours and it felt awesome. After a shower and checking out of the hostel, Issac picked us up and took us to his Safari office where we will hang out today. Another first...we saw a man get accosted with a shoe for trying to steal from someone's car. That was interesting way to start the day.

Tonight we take an overnight bus to Mombasa where we will meet up with Austin and Sarah and then make our way to Lamu. It's a 10 hour overnight bus ride and then another bus ride, and then a ferry to Lamu Island. After all this traveling, I'm ready for the beach.

Even though it's raining and we had what Kenyan's call a FREE SHOWER, we are not feeling as clean as we did this morning after our hostel showers. We better get used to being dirty.

Well, it's Jill's turn to update her blog. Check it out at: www.mzungujill.blogspot.com She is going to talk about Kristal's rabit/cat ...crabbit experience.

Kwaheri (goodbye in Swahili)

Jambo!

My next trip is taking me to Kenya and "Jambo" is how you say "Hello" in Swahili. My 4 week adventure starts tomorrow, December 1st, and will bring me back home on the 29th.

People are curious as to why I'm going and who I am going with; most people assume it's some kind of mission trip. It's more of an African Holiday on a budget, but I'll explain: I'm traveling with Jill Francke and Kristal Flaming. This will be Jill's 4th visit to Africa, and Kristal's and my first. This past june, I overheard Jill and Kristal discussing their Kenya plans, I then asked if they needed a third person. Lucky for me, these girls are awesome. And that is how this trip got started. At least that's how it got started on my end.

Jill has developed a strong relationship with members of a community in Ol'Nagura that is outside of Nyahururu. (she and our friend Jake have also started their own nonprofit there, but that's for another blog post). We will be staying with Jill's friends, Iassac and Joyce. We will be spending the majority of our time in the village hanging out and helping out as we are needed. We also have good friends, Austin and Sarah Pedersen that are volunteering with the Peace Corps in Malawi and they will be traveling north to spend the entire 4 weeks with us.

We will fly into Nairobi on Wednesday night, hopefully not being too jet lagged and then falling right asleep in our hostel. After a day or two, we will take an overnight bus to Mombassa (on the coast), and then one more bus to Lamu (an island) where we will meet with Austin and Sarah and spend 10 days hanging out in a rental house and enjoying the beach. I'm hoping we will put our frisbee to good use on the sand. After we have our fill of Lamu we are going to go back to Nairobi and then to the village to stay with Iassac and Joyce for the remainder of the trip. At some point, we will be going on a safari. Iassac owns his own safari company and I'm so excited to see all the animals that an American can only find in a zoo.

My Kenyan visa came and I've gotten all the recommended vaccines, and even a few extra, just in case. As long as I remember to take my malaria pills everyday, then I should be fine. Mosquitos aren't too bothersome at this time of year. It's Kenya's summer and it's hot and dry right now. I've done my best to pack as light as I can and only taking the necessary items. I'm sure that I have overpacked a bit, but I'm feeling very prepared for whatever Kenya throws at me.

I've had great resources to talk to when it came to trip preparations. Three of my friends went this past summer on a trip with a similar itinerary, their advice has been invaluable and I want to give a shout out to Miss Megan Hershiser for being awesome and answering all my questions.

Oh, and I packed 4 days in advance for this trip and it has made such a difference. Usually, I pack the day before and stress and overpack. I'm definitely doing this more often.

I'm so excited about this trip. I don't know what to expect, but I know good things are going to come of this visit.

Well, there are last minute things I must attend to. Like making sure all my liquids are in ziploc bags.

I'm happy to say that the next time I post, I will be in Nairobi!

Lala Salama! (goodnight)

Dovidenja!

That is "goodbye" in Serbian. This will be my last post from Beograd. My baka and I leave on Tuesday afternoon and I'm not looking forward to it. I have been crossing my fingers that she changes her mind and extends the trip, but I don't think that is going to happen.

The last two days have been really busy. I met with Ana yesterday (saturday) and she took me to some of Serbia's markets. While I did find some great things, I was hoping that the markets would be similar to others that I have been to in the US with hand made crafts and unique gifts.

After the open market, we went to the Chinese market. I don't think it will be on my list for my next visit, but I was glad to have went. Ana wears a pair of pants that I adore and she told me that I could buy whatever colors I wanted in the market. Turns out that particular style of pants is so popular that they are all sold out. Oh well, it was definately an experience that I won't soon forget.

We made it home just in time to get ready for dinner. Boshko was playing at a nice restaurant downtown and we were going to spend the evening there. We all got dressed up and ventured downtown, Yovanna and Bojan joined us shortly after along with two other family friends. I started the night drinking a few shots of slivovitca while everyone drank rakije. One of the family friends kept ordering bottles of wine so we never went thirsty.

While I was inpressed with the appetizers and the ambiance of the place, the main course left a lot to be disired; I was glad that I shared my meal with baka. Boshko and his two friends played all night and we all had a great time. Boshko even played a song for my mom, Tamo Dileko. Boshko comes off as pretty tough, but at one point he struggled to keep the beat with the rest of the musicians as a very polite gentleman introduced himself to me and paid me one of the best compliments I've ever recieved. It was nice to know that Boshko was looking out for me.

We got to bed late and then awoke a few hours later to get ready for our day in Novi Sad. Ana and I left the house and drove to Novi Beograd (new Beograd) to pick up her sister and then we drove 1.5 hours to Novi Sad. Well, we made a quick stop at a monastery near Novi Sad first. I can't remember the name, but it was beautiful. Ana told one of the monks that my deda was a Priest along with the fact that some of my cousins were baptized there. This was enough to warrent a private tour of a small church that is only used in the winter. It was beautifully painted and I really appreciated getting to go "behind the scenes."

We then got back in the car and drove to Novi Sad. It is a small city, about 250,000 and hosts the EXIT music festival every summer. My Lonely Planet book describes it as "Beograd on Valium," because it is so relaxed. I agree. The city was so beautiful and no one was in a hurry. Ana took us around the City Center and we walked along pedestrian streets, into different cafe's and into churches where I saw the first of 3 weddings for the day (no kidding). The second wedding was taking pictures in a local park and the third one was in the next city we visited.

After having 2 iced Nescafes we continuted walking for a bit, had some lunch and, according to Ana, had "Novi Sad's best ice cream. We then got in the car and headed to Sremski Karlovici.

Sremski Karlovici is a very small city but has both the oldest Orthodox Thological School and the oldest high school in Serbia. We visited the City Center and walked around. We were lucky enough to see a third wedding just ending. The best man was throwing coin money around and Ana had us each pick up a coin as it is a symbol of good luck in Serbia. We also picked up a few Hungarian pastries at a local market and then headed to a cafe that overlooked the Danube. Once the sun started setting, we decided to head back to Beograd. It was such a wonderful day. The two cities looked so European to me; Beograd is great, but I don't notice the pre-communist buildings like I notice the large, concrete structures that were buit after world war II. I'm so happy Ana took me out today.

Tomorrow is our last full day here. My baka and I are going to do some shopping. She hasn't gotten to go out as much as I have and we are going to spend some time together before having lunch with Draga. We will probably spend tomorrow evening at the house getting all packed up.

I really wish this trip didn't have to come to an end. I've finally gotten able to form a few sentences in Serbian and I am well aquainted with Beograd. I've already started a list of things I want to do for the next visit, hopefully it's soon.

Lakunoch from Serbia (sweet dreams).

Ciao,
Anna

Rakije

So I may or may not have had 6 shots of Rakije last night. (Hear that Tony? Be ready when i get home...oh and they also say Nostrovia sometimes (that's what Tony's polish family says instead of Cheers)).

I went out with my baka, Boshko and Ana to a restaurant last night named, It Is What It Is (translated). What it was, was fantastic. I think I had one of the greatest, if not the best meal of my life. The evening was planned because Boshko's friend was in town from France and wanted a night of drinking, eating, and listening to Boshko and his friends play music. The evening started with Rakije and ended with Rakije. There was so much food. Fresh bread, spinach pita, salad with a cheese that melted in your mouth and soup. Then the main course came out, it was lamb and potatoes and it had been cooking all day long on hot coals. I haven't had lamb in about 6 years and it tasted even better than I remembered. (Don't think that I'll be eating all this meat when I come home. I plan on going back to my vegetarian ways). After we were finished eating, Boshko and his friends started playing and played till well after midnight. Even though I didn't know the words, most of the songs were familiar to me and I really enjoyed listening to them.

Last night, our table consisted of two Americans, three Serbians, and one Russian. It was very multicultural, and frustrating. The Russian didn't understand much Serbian, I don't understand either language, and one of the Serbs didn't understand english. There was a lot of translating going on.

Boshko was surprised that I didn't have an hangover from all that Rakije. I told him that I drink a lot of water and that seems to help. I also haven't had the chance to go out and drink more than a beer or two, so I figured that night was as good as any to really enjoy myself. Also, it makes it a lot easier to pass time when not everyone at the table speaks english.

I was hoping to go with Vukasin to Skedarlia tonight. It's a long street full of restaurants and musicians. It's still nice enought to be outside at night and I wanted to eat and listen to music. Though, I think I got the best show last night and don't want to spoil it with hearing music that isn't up to Boshko's quality. That, and we will be going out tomorrow night to hear Boshko sing again. So now I have to think of something else to do tonight that is very authentic and Serbian.

Yesterday, I met some people from Utah. They were asking a street vendor how much 100 dinars is in US Dollars. I was more than happy to chime in and help them out and tell them what I knew about the city.

This afternoon, I'm going with Ana to check out a chain for my brother. I've spent so much engergy getting this kid nice things from Serbia. I can't wait to see what he gets me for Christmas...hint, hint.

Ciao!
Anna

It's October Already?

That came quick.

The past two days have been really fun and the weather has been amazing. I would LOVE to sleep with the window open at night but my baka and I share a room and she is always cold. I'll just have to wait till I get home.

I spent Tuseday afternoon in Serbia's Ethnographic museum. The museum was a collection of traditional Serbian costumes from the 18th and 19th centuries. It also included old tools, rugs, and agricultural equipment. Matije took me there and then he had me try Yelen Pivo (deer beer). This is Serbia's brew. We bought a few cans and then headed to Kalemegdan and drank them with some of his friends. Now I can check that off my list.

I spent yesterday with Vukasin. After some miscommunication that involved me finding a police officer, asking where I could buy a phone card, and getting in touch with my cousin, we finally met up. We usually meet at the TRG Republik, it's a section in the middle of the city where my bus takes me.

I don't know if this has been in the US news, but a French student was beaten to death after attending a football game in Beograd. A french football team was playing against Beograd's team. After the game, a few serbian fans beat up a few French fans. This man ended up in the hospital for over a week and then passed away on Tuesday. There was a large memorial for him in the TRG Republik where people waited in line for hours to put candles and flowers at the base of a statue. It was really moving to see the hundreds of people that came by to pay their respects.

Yesterday was the day that I got to plan and it started by taking Vukasin to a vegetarian restuarant. He was a bit uncomfortable but I think he enjoyed it. He had vegetable Samosa and a Falafel for the first time ever. It was great to have my pick of the menu and know what I was getting on my plate, rather than crossing my fingers and hoping that I don't end up with a big piece of meat.

After the very satisfying lunch, we took a bus to a park (I should remember the name, since it's one of the biggest parks in the city, but I can't). Anyway, the city of Beograd made a large lake by diverting some of the water from the Sava river and it's a very popular place. The other part of my plan was to rent bikes. Vukasin hadn't been on a bike in years so I was more than happy to rent us both bikes for an hour. I wasn't so happy when I saw what bikes we got to ride. Let's just say, they needed some work...well, a lot of work. But it ended up being $5.00 for the both of us for an hour, so I guess you get what you pay for. We had a really good time, even though Vukasin thought I pedaled too slowly. He was in it to win it and I just wanted to take everything in. Good thing we didn't rent a tandem.

Today is Vukasin's first day of school and we aren't able to hang out. (he's starting school all over again for a degree in Economics).

After lunch, I'm thinking about taking a bus into town and walking around for a bit. I've read all my books that I have brought and am afraid to buy new ones since books aren't the lightest things to pack. Tonight, we are having dinner at a really nice restaurant downtown. I don't know much, but I do know that we are having dinner with Boshko and Ana's friend from France. It's a dinner in her honor and she wants everyone to be there and lots of music to be played. I'm really looking forward to it.

I figured out that I've had Turkish coffee. I was hoping that it would be awesome, but i wasn't all that impressed. My cousin Rada made it for us every morning, I just thought it was instant coffee but I was wrong. I don't think that I will be bringing that home with me. Oh, well. I guess that means I have more room for Rakije!

Ciao!

One week left

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to Chinatown. That will have to be saved for this weekend. My baka and cousin Vukasin don't understand why I have the desire to go there, but I would like to see it and maybe find some fun things to bring home.

I spent the afternoon and evening with Ana. She works in downtown Beograd and it was easy to hop on the bus and meet up with here. We snacked on some ice cream from a street vendor and then walked around. I was able to buy my mom and brother gifts but nothing yet for myself. I managed to find a pair of boots that I fell in love with, but then I saw the price tag. 18,000 Dinars. Before you fall off your chair, relax. It's a little less than $300, but a lot more than I wanted to pay for a pair of boots, even though they were awesome I'll have to keep looking.

I needed some stamps and I told Ana (to appease my Aunt Lisa) to take me to the Main Poshta (post office). I was sad to see that there weren't any gifts that I could pick up for Lisa, but I think she will be very happy with the stamp and postcard that she will recieve in the mail.

Next, Ana took me to Sveti Marko. St Mark's Church. It's huge and beautiful. We lit some candles, I took some pictures, we said a prayer and then left to get some coffee. My baka attended services there when she was a kid and it was neat to be able to visit.

My baka has a thing for chocolate and we haven't had chocolate since the first day we were in Serbia. Ana and I went to Ana's favorite Bakery, appropriately titled Present, and bought all kinds of Tortes. We got home and all sampled from the pieces. I ended up liking the one vanilla/walnut torte the best. It was was great to try many different Serbian desserts on one plate.

I'm hopefully meeting up with Ana's nephew, matije. We made plans to see a few museums and art galleries. Ana tried to take me yesterday, but all the museums are closed on Mondays.

I think it's about time for lunch. Boshko is making us Serbian Goulash. I can smell the garlic from upstairs on this computer. Oh, and I tried the honey from the Monastery, it was so tasty. I don't know much about honey processing, but this still had one or two processes to go through, it is very thick and you can almost eat it with a spoon. I've never had honey like this.

Boshko's calling. I better go. Ciao!

"You don't eat meat?!"

That was then followed by, "Well, we will order you fish, or would you prefer chicken?" The Serbians that I am spending time with are having a hard time wrapping their heads around me and my vegetarianism. Of course, I'm eating meat while I am here, but it's the last and smallest portion that I add to my plate.

Yesterday, my baka and I had lunch with Draga. Draga is a good family friend of ours and went to high school in Omaha with my mom. She is also the only person that was ever allowed to smoke in our house. She's important.

We had lunch across the street from her apartment. I was frustrated since it was the first time that I couldn't understand one thing on the menu and was really hungry. My baka wasn't really helping me, so instead of dining on pizza, I had a plate of grilled veggies and french fries. I'm not really complaing, as the veggies were awesome and you can't really screw up french fries, but I would have liked to try some traditional serbian food with out a big piece of meat. I guess I will have to wait until tonight.

We drove about 20 minutes to get to the Monastery yesterday morning. It was a very small church and it was so crowded. We got there mid service and people were fighting to get in and not wanting to wait 20 feet back in the crowd. Churches here don't have pews and as much as I wanted to go to a Serbian Church service in Serbia, I was happy that we were just there for a short while. We lit some candles that were made at the monastery out of wax from their bees, bought some honey (which i'm really looking forward to trying) and went to Draga's.

After lunch I met up with Vukasin. We are getting really good at walking around Kalamegdan and eating Palachinkes. I don't mind at all. We have fun together and I am bummed that he starts school on Thursday. He also had me listen to Italian music from the 1960s while he translated. First the movie and then music, I'm going to miss when I don't have him around to keep me informed.

Ana and I are going to spend the afternoon at Beograd's Chinatown. I was surprised to hear that this existed, but it's a large market and I'm excited to find some fun stuff for cheap. Ana will be with me and I'm hoping that if there is bartering to be done she will help me. It's so much work to haggle with people.

I'm pretty sure that we are all going out for dinner. I don't know the name of the place, but it is a very old restaurant that serves traditonal serbian food (meaning meat and potatoes and maybe peppers and tomatoes...and warm bread). I have also heard that it is where past Serbian King's used to eat. I'm looking forward to it.

The weather is still great, no rain and very few clouds. Perfect for laying on the porch with a book or coffee or my ipod. Speaking of coffee, I think it's time for a 2nd cup.

Ciao!

Another day in Cherryland

Vishnitca, or in English, Cherryland, is the part of Beograd that we are staying in. Years ago it was a village but it has since been incorporated into the city. It's a very pretty area and very European. I've enjoyed most mornings with a cup of  Italian coffee while sitting on the porch and looking over the Danube. I don't want to leave this place.

We were planning on spending the last week of our visit back at Yovana's apartment but her kids have had some bad luck and are constantly sick. Also, Boshko (her dad) doesn't want us to leave. I'm all for staying, this place is great, I have easy access to the city by taking a bus and it's very quiet and peaceful here. As much as I loved staying at Yovana's in the heart of the city, I don't mind being away from her kids. She has an adorable girl, Marija (age 2), and she can be sweet as sugar one moment and then have a tantrum the next. Mici and Petar are much older and fun to be around.

On Wednesday night, Boshko took us to "?" (honestly, that's the name). It's the oldest restaurant in Beograd. Apparently, the name kept changing with each owner and it was so confusing that a local preist decided it should be forever called ?. We ate Chevapchiche. It's more or less a sausage, but I'm pretty sure it was a combination of lamb, pork, and veal. I think. I didn't ask because as soon as I know what I'm eating, I usually lose my appetite. They were pretty tasty though. Boshko is a retired teacher and on the side he delivers nice Rakije to local bars and restaurants. Along with this, he plays in a band a few nights a week at local eateries....so he knows the best places to go in town. While at ?, the band came by and played a few songs while he sang along. It was a really fung night.

The cherry on the ? Sundae was the fact that we rode in Boshko's NEW car. I wrote in my last post how Boshko and a city bus got into an accident (boshko claims it wasn't his fault but, with the way he drives, his family is skeptical). Anyways, his car is being worked on and he currently has a 28 year old Yugo. We all say a little prayer before we get into it because we are never sure if it will start. Somehow we have made it were we have needed to go. I will be happy when we can ride Boshko's regular car again.

My cousin Vukasin is back in town and we hung out last night. We met in the city's center, the Trg Republik, and walked around. We went to Kalamegdon and he showed me more of the fortress; we even got into a bit of trouble when we unknowingly did some trespassing and a security gaurd whistled at us. We were living on the edge.

Vukasin took me to have stuffed Palachinkes again at Pinocchio's. They are so tasty. After taking a picture with a spraypainted Vladimir Putin, we decided to see a movie.

We had two hours to kill before it started and decided to do some bowling. Bowling in Beograd is the same as bowling in the States except that it is wicked expensive. It was a little less than $20 for us to play one game and rent the shoes (which to my dissapointment, looked the same as American Bowling shoes).  He was a little jealous of my bowling skills, which weren't awesome, but did win me the game. Vukasin tied it up by winning a game of pool, which again, was really expensive. I'm used to paying 50 cents a game, it's much more than that in Beograd.

It's very convenient for English speakers to see movies here, since they are all in english with Serbian subtitles. We went to see Inglorious Bastards. The movie was awesome. The only downside is that much of the movie is in French or German and when there are already Serbian subtitles for everthing, it leaves zero chance that the French or German will also get translated in English. Vukasin was a good sport and translated everything for me. Thanks again, Vukasin.

When we purchased our tickets we were assigned seat numbers. I guess the theaters fill up so fast that they have to do that...and you can't put your feet on the chair in front of you...my favorite way to watch the movie. Even though there weren't very many people in the theater, and no one was in front of me, I was still instructed byVukasin not to rest my feet on the chair.

Tomorrow is sunday and we are going to go to church. There is local monastery and we will attend church there. After that we will have lunch with yet another cousin, (well, she isn't related, but close enought to call her family) and then I'll hang out with Vukasin again.

I hope everyone has a good Saturday night. I would LOVE to go out but we have to wake up really early for church and I don't want to fall asleep in the pew. People in Beograd go out every night of the week, so I'm sure I'll have another chance soon.

Dobri Vecher (good evening),
Anna

Back to Beograd

My baka and I drove back to Beograd, Serbia yesterday. It takes about 4.5 hours. The weather was hot yesterday and there was no airconditioning. Needless to say, I was very happy to get out of the car.

For this week my baka and I are staying with our Cousin Boshko. He is one of my mom's first cousins. He lives with his wife, Ana, and their two kids, Petar and Militsa. Boshko doens't speak english but Ana does and the kids are learning. I've had a lot of fun talking to them so far. Boshko lives about 20 minutes west of Beograd on a little town that used to be a village. It is now considered Beograd. His house sits on a hill and overlooks the Danube River. The view is great and I'm looking forward to sitting on their deck to read and maybe getting some sun. They also have a great internet connection which I am excited about. I've almost read all the books I have and they don't have a TV. There is only so much to do when your family doesn't want you to venture out on your own.

I asked about going into the city and catching a bus but they were very against the idea. I don't think they understand that I now know certain parts of Beograd and could get around just fine. I'm getting antsy just sitting around. Our family is used to both my grandparents coming and relaxing the entire time. I've gotten plenty of rest, I want to get out of the house.

I am very happy to report that my family in Banja Luka sent us away with gifts. Vojo and his wife Saida sent us away with homemade plum jam, Dara sent us with honey that was made on her land and a jewelry box for me, and Sasha sent me away with grape rakije made by his friend Marko. My mom was right when she said I would get to try booze made in someone's basement:) I'm really excited about these things; they are exactly what I wanted to take home with me. Just don't tell customs. I'm also hoping to score a bottle of Slivovica before I leave.

Boshko is taking my baka and I out to dinner this evening. I'm really looking forward to it. He plays in a band on the side and hopefully before we leave I'll get to hear them play. Ana has the best coffee that I have had so far and she made the most amazing plum dumplings last night.

Ciao!

Mmm....Veal

So, I have been eating a lot of meat in Bosnia and Herzgovenia. My baka won't tell my family that I prefer not to eat meat. Since meat is expensive and they all but cut it for me and feed me, I feel obligated to eat it. I have told her more than once to not tell me what I am eating....since it is usually veal, and to me, eating veal is worse than eating steak or pork.

I'm pretty sure that I ate every animal off the food chain yesterday. It was Rada's birthday and we went to a nice restaurant looking over the Vrbas River. It was great but our main course was a meat platter. They kept loading my plate up and I couldn't put it back on the platter.

Yesterday was the first and last time that I will every knowingly eat liver. That's a BIG PASS next time it gets served to me. It had been years since I ate bacon and I definately did not pass on that. Lunch here is a loose term. We met at 4 and didn't leave till 8.

I am still good drinking some form of Rakije everyday before a meal. I've only gone 2 days without it:) It's unavoidable....it's already poured for me before I even sit down. I'm glad that I will have lunch with Vojo today. He drinks his rakije like a shot and doesn't sip it. This way we can both drink it fast...why you would want to savor the drink is beyond me.

We were supposed to leave for Belgrade today but our ride, Boshko, got in a car accident with a city bus and can't drive. He is ok but his car isn't. A family friend will take us tomorrow. We will stay at Boshko's with his family for a week. He doesn't live close to downtown belgrade...more of like a suburb. I really like beograde and hope I can spend time in the city again.

I may have to check my Cholesterol when I get home. Along with eating meat, I've had a lot of butter products. Yesterday I was going to put Kajmuck on my fresh, fried rolls that Rada made, before i could just get a knife full, she had taken a spoon and put 3/4 a cup of it on my plate. I couldn't put it back so I ended up eating all that butter. It was really good though.

I was glad to go on a long hike with my cousin Sasha after that big breakfast. We walked 10 Km which is think is 7 miles. He took me to the top of a hill that overlooked all of Banja Luka. It was great but my legs are definatly sore today. Along the way we saw an abandoned bear den that we got to check out. Don't worry mom, bears haven't been in those hills for decades. He then took me to see a fortress/castle. Haven't not spent much time outside the US, I get really excited to see things that are so old.

Sasha's friend Marko promised me some homemade Rakije (pear whiskey). I'm really hoping he keeps the promise and drops it off today. I would love to bring that home and share it. Vojo's wife is also going to bring me some homemade plum jam. Most of the food here is homemade and local...no preservatives or additives...and you can really taste the difference. I am going to have to bring recipes home with me. This morning for breakfast, Rada made homemade bread and we had lots of local spreads including a local cheese. It was awesome.

I really miss drip coffee. Most of what is here is instant. I do like all the espresso, but there is something about the coffee that I am used to drinking.

It's another warm day. I love the sun but I could do without the humidity.

My time is up. Ciao!

Ziveli!

This means "cheers" in Serbian. I have never said this word more times in my life than I did last night. My cousin Sasha and his friends took me out last night. We started at a local bar....the term "bar" is pretty loose here. Most places serve espresso and liqour...and people drink them both at all hours of the day. We drank Nektar, it's a local beer from Banja Luka. It's their Budwieser...and it's not all that bad....and less than $2 a bottle. After listening to Serbian folk music at the first bar, we went to the next place...I would describe it more like a dance club...except that no one danced. Their cheap beer was Heineken...i don't care for this beer all that much when I'm in the states and it was just my luck that people kept ordering us rounds of it. I've never drank so much Heienken in my life. The owner sent us a round and then people kept stopping by and buying us more...it never ended. All in all, it was a really good night. Sasha's friends spoke good english and we got to listen to Serbian pop and some American hip hop. I am definately recovering today, though:)

The first two days in Banja Luka were pretty slow. My baka didn't want me to leave the apartment so I just read a lot and watched american TV and CNN. My cousin Sasha took me out on Tuesday night and it was great to finally be outside. Banja luka has about 250,000 people and is very easy to navigate.

On wednesday we took a drive to Sanski Most. This is where my grandpa (deda) was born. His family's land was all taken away from him with force and all their homes were destroyed. It is truly a beautiful place and it was very sad to see what used to be his and his brother's. We also saw the grave for my deda's mother. There were other people listed on the headstone as well, including his sister, his father, and two of his brothers. Unfortunately, their bodies were never recovered after the war. This is a place for the family to come and visit and pay respect.

After that, we went to a Monestery. It was really neat to visit this church and talk with a Serbian Monk. He gave us bracelets and a keychain.

Then we had lunch in Prijedor...My cousin Vojo lives there and he hosted us. After an amazing lunch...and taking a few shots of their Rakije...serbian whiskey...he pulled out his guitar and played for us. He sang songs to me from The Eagles and Guns and Roses and then he sang traditional serbian music. It was really fun and I hope I get to hear him and his guitar again.

My cousin Rada makes the best Serbian food. For breakfast today she made Cheese Pita. I've never had it so good and it tasted great after a night of drinking Pivo (beer). Last night she whipped up a dessert consisting of sugar, eggs and vanilla. I don't know how she did it, but it was amazing. If you want to taste the best serbian food, then come to my cousin Rada's.

Well, my time has run out again. I better be going. It's lunch time and I can't wait to taste what Rada has cooked up today.

Take care.

Ciao!
Anna

I'll keep it short

I have about 5 minutes left on the computer before my time runs out so I'll have to be brief..I'm hoping that I can come back tomorrow and update again.

I've been in Banja Luka Bosnia for the past few days. It is much smaller than Beograd and a lot cleaner. I am staying with my cousin Rada. She is wonderful but doesn't speak any english. This made it hard to leave her apartment for the first 2.5 days. Luckly, my cousin Sasha stopped by on Tuesday evening and took me out. He walked me around the city and now I feel really comfortable to go out on my own. I left this afternoon to meet up with Sasha...I bought my first Coka Cola Light and it was wonderful.

It's really warm out today. The weather is great...but not so wonderful since not many places have air conditioning. That's me being a spoiled American, I guess.

People in Bosnia know how to eat. If you have a craving for Apple Pita or Plum Dumplings (two of my favorite serbian foods) then you need to come and stay with my Cousin Rada. She has made the best desserts for me. I have never had better.

I'll write more tomorrow...my time is up!
Ciao!

Off to Bosnia

I'm just finishing breakfast and getting ready for Boshko to come and take us on the 4 hour ride to Bosnia. We are going to spend a (english free) week with my cousin Rada in Banya Luka. I keep saying "cousin"...most of them are my cousins, but they range in age from 2yrs to 70.

I'm hoping that my passport gets stamped when we enter both countries.

I spent another fun night in Beograd with Vukasin. He took the bus over and we walked around the city for a while. I told him that I really wanted some ice cream...or the gelatto that they sell in the streets. He suggested that we go to McDonald's. You may be surprised that I was more than happy to go. This is because I have never seen more nice mcdonald's than the one's in Beograd. It's more like a treat to eat in one here as opposed to eating in one in the US. I was happy to fill my craving for American junkfood. I was, however, dissapointed in the face that they didn't have oreos to flavor my McFlurry. I settled on kit kat and it couldn't have been better. I also had their fries. Here they are curly and taste just like Arby's fries. Vukasin had a big mac. It may not have been on my Beograd To Do List, but I'm so happy that we went there.

Vukasin and I then strolled around and window shopped. We are in talks to buy matching Nike's...or Ray Ban's. We'll see what happens. He also took me around to see the more expensive part of town and the nice restaurants. I was happier to have had McFlurrys with him at McDonald's.

We also made plans for what I am calling, Vukasin and Anna's Serbian Adventure 2009. More details on this later, but it involves some day trips, some smaller villages, lots of Serbian food, and a few long bus rides. I'm really excited about our plans. We also walked by a Vegetarian Restaurant! Yes, you read that right. I told Vukasin that going to that restaurant was just added to my Serbian To Do List and he said he would happily be my guest. I'm REALLY looking forward to that...and maybe an Italian restaurant. I'm in the mood for some lighter fare without meat and lots of dairy. I might just have to wait another week till I can get it.

I'm bummed that I have to leave Beograd just as I am figuring out the city. I know my way around this part of town and have no problem getting from place to place. Even though my baka and my hosts were really hesitant about me leaving for a walk yesterday afternoon, I finally convinced them that I would be ok for an hour. After a long discussion and promissing to carry a cell phone, I ventured out on my own. I went to a cafe and bought an iced americano all on my own! It felt so great that I then went to a pharmacy and bought some lotion. Serbia look out...I can be on my own.

On Friday night yet another cousin and his girlfriend took me out. We had a drink a Kalemegdan Fortress and then had popcorn from a street vender, "the best popcorn street vendor" in their opinion. It was great to be with more people that speak english. I don't mind listening to Serbian, but I just can't keep up. They are both students and it was fun comparing american universities to their "faculties."

I'm hoping that Bosnia will have abundant internet, thought don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a week:)

Boshko will be here any minute and I better make sure that all of our things are gathered.

Till my next post....(hopefully it's from Bosnia and soon:)

Anna

"You look very American"

I was told this yesterday by a cousin. I don't mind this at all, but I was hoping not to stick out too much while spending time in the city with everyone that looks very, very Serbian.

Some of you might like to know that I have only gone one day without drinking Slivo. Serbs here don't drink Slivo like the American Serbs that I know. They sip it, we shoot it. I've had a hard time trying to savor and enjoy the flavor like they do. Maybe by October it will be easier to drink. I'm hoping.

With the help of two cousins, I have spent the last three days getting to know Beograd. Seperately,they have taken me around the city and have shown me the sights. Vukasin is my 2nd or 3rd cousin. He is great and has taken me out twice. The first evening we walked around Beograd at night. We saw the Kalamegdon Fortress (it's one of the oldest fortresses in Serbia and there's a lot of history there), the we walked around and took in Beograd at night. He speaks very good english and is great company. Vukasin also took me out last night. I experienced a few bus rides, a large city park and lake, a boat ride across the Sava river, a palchinke filled with cheese and hyvar, and some of Beograd's oldest streets. I hope he doesn't get sick of me because I'm really enjoying our time together.

I have also been shown around by Matije. He and a few friends have shown me some fun parts of Beograd. We went to a cafe and had some espresso....most places don't have coffee...and you can't get it to go either. He also introduced me to Serbian pizza. I don't love it, but it was cheap and convenient...and most people put kechup on it.


On Sunday we are going to Bosnia to spend time with more family. We will be there a week and although I am excited to meet my cousins, not one of them speaks a word of english. It's been very hard to communicate so far and there is only so much I can sit and listen to before I need to find something new to do. I think we will see a lot of Serbian Orthodox Monasteries, small serbian villages, and the countryside. Vukasin and Matije are making fun of me because, in their opinion, Bosnia isn't one of the most desirable places to visit. I'm hoping my cousins will have internet so I can keep posting.

I was told by Matije and his friends that if I can handle Beograd,the rest of the Europe will be a piece of cake. I then told them of my upcoming plans to vist Kenya. They told me that it won't be anything compared to Kenya, that it should be a breeze. I'll hold them to it. They also can't understand why I would choose Serbia as my first country to visit in Europe. It wasn't up to me, it was up to my baka...she bought the tickets...though serbia was at the top of my list.

The weather here is beautiful. Much like September in Nebraska. Warm days and cool nights. No rain as of yet and I'm really looking forward to see the leaves change colors. Hopefully that happens while I am here.

The food is out of this world. Even though there is meat, there isn't much else...as in additives or manufactured food. They visit the markets everyday and prepare what is available. Lots of fresh salads, soups, fruit, and everyday we eat a new kind of bread that was baked in the downstairs bakery. So different from my way of eating back home.

The only thing that I'm not too keen on is the smoking. Nearly everyone smokes...and they smoke a lot. I don't mind smoking all that much, but as soon as people put one cigarette out, they light up another one. I really have to get used to this. And cigarettes are about $1.50 a pack, american. Oh, and you can smoke inside, everywhere. I will have to get used that as well, and quick.

My cold is slowly going away, and I can almost breath without the aid of medicine. I'm very happy about this.

Well, I better be going. It's almost time for lunch! Tonight I'm having dinner with two cousins that want to work on their english. I'm really excited about having dinner in beograd. I haven't eaten out here yet and I'm excited to experience it.

Ciao! (everyone says this here)
Anna

I don't speak Serbian

My new phrase for today is just that. If you were to say it, phonetically it would look like this: nyet govoryou serbski. I then say, govoryou angliski. This will really come in handy. As well as "excuse me", "please", "thank you", and "what's that".

I had the chance to have Costa Cafe. It's the Italian Starbucks here in serbia. As luck would have it, the one thing I wanted was coffee, and that was the one thing that wasn't on the menu. you can get espresso any way that you like it, but not coffee. I had espresso with cream....their interpretation of cream is whipped cream...and it was really good. I think tomorrow I will have a macchiato.

I am staying with cousins that live in Old Belgrade. This is the oldest part of the city. Parliament is here, lots of Serbian Orthodox Churches, and monuments.

My cousins go to the market everyday....they are small little shops that have produce, meats, cheeses, etc. The market they go to is in the basement shop of the apartment building. It's very convenient. Instead of calling their food "local" they call it "domestic." Most of the food we eat is domestic. We eat very European. A light breakfast in the morning and then a very big lunch around 2 or 3. Then a very light dinner is served. The food today was great. Lots of veggies and homemade apple pie and more coffee for dessert.

Their apples (yablika) are amazing. I've never had better. Along with Bananas! I love bananas but theirs have an better taste to them. They aren't Chiquita or Del Monte; maybe that's why.

I told some of you that I want to do some traveling while I am here. Turns out that my family won't let me go alone. Surprise. We met with a travel agent today to see what group tours are available. I should know in a few days where I will get to venture to.

Tonight I am going to hang out with my cousin. We can't meet up until 9 since the Serbian basketball team has a game...they beat spain last night. I'm really looking forward to it....and he speaks good english!

Zdravo!

That means hello in Serbian. I am realizing that I am going to have to learn some quick Serbian if I am going to be able to comunitcate with the rest of my family. Only a handful of them speak english, and only a few of those are fluent. I took 3 years of Russin in highschool and college. Not that i remember much, but a few things are coming back. It doesn't help that while Serbian and Russian are similar, the things that I seem to remember in Russian don't translate into Serbian. Thankfully, I have a language book that my mom sent me with and I have been looking at that often.

My baka and I made it here just fine. Though, it was much harder to us both from Omaha to Belgrade that I had anticipated. I'm used to traveling solo and getting us and all of our things from plane to plane was a lot of effort. Luckily wheel chairs wheelchairs were at every gate for us and they took good care of her. I should also mention that baka and I flew business class. It was fabulous and I don't know how I am going to fly coach after this. From the service, to the food and wine, to the comfort of the chairs, it was awesome. I almost wish that they flight from Chicago to Munich was longer. I wanted to keep enjoying the leg room and all the tasty snacks.

Eating in Serbia is going to be intersting. As you know, I'm a vegetarian and don't eat much dairy. Serbians don't have the same eating habits. We were welcomed yesterday afternoon by cousin with a very nice lunch. There were a few salads to enjoy and there was also a LOT of meat. They served grass fed pork, lamb,and prischutto from a small island off the coast of croatia. I did try the prischutto but couldn't bring myself to eat the other meat. I have no problem eating meat while I am here. I don't want people to go out of the way for me and I understand it is a big part of their culture. I guess I will have to work on that in baby steps...or eat a lot of bread. Speaking of bread, I had real Kaimuck (Serbian Butter) yesterday. From what I understand, it's homemade from boiling fresh milk/cream and taking what comes off the top and cooling it. Maybe adding some salt? And it's tasty. I didn't think I liked it, but I guess I've never had the real stuff. I had a cousin, Bosko, that was eating it by the spoonful and a 2 year old cousin who eats butter the same way. Baby steps. Lunch is going to be Cauliflower, eggs, and butter. And I just learned that I am going have Slivo with lunch. I hear it's "good stuff." Some of you have been lucky enough to try it and don't seem to like it as much as me. I'm going to try and bring the "good stuff" home.  My two cousins, Bosko, and Bojan (the one we are staying with) are in a competition to get me the best slivo. So far, Bojan is winning.

I've been here a day and have spent time getting to know cousins and catching up on my sleep. I'm hoping that by tomorrow I'll be on their schedule (7hrs ahead of us).

..........................................................................................................

So, that was before lunch. I had a chance to sample the "good stuff." It still tastes like slivo, but it is much easier to drink. I took a long nap after lunch and woke up to everyone drinking coffee and eating a homemade chocolate torte by Yovanna. mmm. I'm still watiting to try Turkish coffee, the cousins that we are staying with don't make it.

I flipped through their TV and noticed many american channels....in english. I guess if I can't speak it with anyone, at least I can watch it. I even heard the Sex & the City theme music before my nap as I was drifting off to sleep.

I think we are going to call it an early night tonight. Today was a lazy day of unpacking and resting. I'm hoping to get out of the apartment tomorrow and see a few sights.  I will also (hopefully) meet up with my cousin, Vukasin. He is one of the few relatives that is close in age to me and I plan on hanging out with him quite a bit.

Well, I'm off for now. My cousin bought me a guide book on Belgrade and I think I am going to read for a while.

Until the next post,
Anna

And so it begins!

Welcome to my blog! I'm new at this and it may be touch and go for a while until I get it all figured out. I leave for Serbia tomorrow, Sept 5th. My grandma (baka) and I are traveling to see family and we are flying to the capitol city of Belgrade (or Beograd) depending on how you want to pronounce it.

This is my second attempt to head east. I tried last October but then my grandpa fell ill and my plans changed.

I'm just about packed....thought way over packed. I feel that I can add a few extra pieces of clothing since I don't really know what to expect out of this trip. I hear that the weather is very similar to Omaha in September...so that means that it could be anywhere from 45 degress to 90. It doesn't make it very easy to pack light. Add on the whole converting to celcius and I am clueless as to what I will be wearing while I am there. Luckily, my baka insists that I pack on the side of more cloting than on less. You can also take two checked bags on international flights for free...so why not? She wants me to look nice since I am kind of representing our side of the family, not to mention, the United States...kind of. This makes me feel a little bit better about packing a black AND brown jacket. I do have to remember to coordinate.

A lot of people have asked what I will be doing in Serbia. This is a good question. I don't know exactly. What I do know is that we will be staying with multiple relatives throughout the trip and seeing a lot of the country. Gettin' in touch with my roots. I'm half Serbian. I am also crossing my fingers that my family will be brave and let me venture off on my own. I would love to see the Mediterranean Sea in Croatia. I also want to travel to one other country and get a feel of more of Eastern Europe. I have had many people tell me to travel to Prague. That sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

The only thing that I am not too pumped about is the cold that I have caught. I think I got it on the plane ride from Washington, D.C. to Omaha. My body is aching and I'm hoping (almost even praying) for it not to be the flu. I can handle a cold, I just don't want to deal with it in a foreign country. For those of you who don't know, I just came back from a three week journey that took me to Vancouver (it's awesome!, go there), then to the Boston area for some family time and a cousin's weddng, and then to Virginia for some time with friends. I had an amazing time with everyone and I am grateful to all my wonderful hosts.

I plan on updating this blog as often as I can. I'm sure I will have a much better idea of what my trip will look like when we pull into town. Just a quick jump to Chicago, and then to Munich (and maybe some cheap birkenstocks), and then finally to Beograd. I plan on sleeping off this bug.

Looking forward to updating soon!
Anna