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