Last weekend Savi and I decided to head out of Tuzla to see some friendly faces in Sarajevo. Thanks to all the girls for letting us stay with them in their posh apt! Too bad they're missing out on all of the fun experiences of not having enough beds and not having any major appliances that actually work.
The bus ride back to Tuzla was the highlight of the trip, just when we would think it couldn't possibly be any worse... To begin with, it was a mere 100 degrees out and we were pleased to discover our bus was not equipped with a/c. Its only a three hour ride so we settled in to lose a few more pounds on our Bosnia summer diet. The driver was nice enough to stop at the halfway point so I treated Savi to an "ice cold" (slightly cooler than room temp) Sprite and being the nice person she is, she gave her last few coveted sips to a poor old lady who was uncomfortable from the heat. The lady immediately poured out the remainder of her refreshing beverage and left Savi in the dust. After I caught my breath from my fit of hysterical laughter I told her that is what she gets for being nice. Not there yet, we also had to deal with sick kids and little old ladies passing out - flashback to my former life :o(.
We finally made it home after a stop off at the store for some much needed "ice cold" beer. At this time I would like to sincerely thank my friends at Division of Mental Health. Your safety kit served its purpose when I discovered the beer cap wasn't a twist off. I know that may not have been what you had in mind, but I think you saved someone's life! I've also gotten a lot of use out of the flashlight while trying to maneuver my way up our unlit, twisty road at night. Lets hope I don't need to use the hazard lights or the compass!
e hënë, 25 qershor 2007
e shtunë, 23 qershor 2007
Rooster Soup
Does anyone know of a good recipe that calls for rooster? We have about four of them in our neighborhood and they all like to start chatting around 4:00 am. I love all creatures, but if I ever run across one of my little friends I think I'll take the opportunity to practice my drop kick!
e enjte, 21 qershor 2007
Weekends in Tuzla
We went out on the town for our first weekend in Tuzla! We had a great time hanging out with a few of our interpreters and running into a few people we met over the course of the week. Our interpreters all seem very eager to work with us and feel it will provide much needed, relevant experience for them. Clearly, they are unaware how the IDP program works!
Earlier in the day I ran into Patrick from Portland who has been over here by himself for three weeks, of course I told him he had to hang out with us. Its great to know that we aren't the only lost Americans over here. That night I reluctantly agreed to go to the local disco (you all know how much I love to show off my moves) and I discovered that it is actually a place for live bands! Even better, Savi's new ex-boyfriend from the Flamenco club was the lead singer! It was immediately evident that I would fit right in with everyone else who was doing the occasional head bob to the music. The band even played a little Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, U2, and Sting in honor of their new American friends, I love being a celebrity!
Earlier in the day I ran into Patrick from Portland who has been over here by himself for three weeks, of course I told him he had to hang out with us. Its great to know that we aren't the only lost Americans over here. That night I reluctantly agreed to go to the local disco (you all know how much I love to show off my moves) and I discovered that it is actually a place for live bands! Even better, Savi's new ex-boyfriend from the Flamenco club was the lead singer! It was immediately evident that I would fit right in with everyone else who was doing the occasional head bob to the music. The band even played a little Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, U2, and Sting in honor of their new American friends, I love being a celebrity!
e shtunë, 16 qershor 2007
Who turned off the water?
Living in Tuzla has definitely come with its share of surprises and challenges. Our first morning here I woke up early to turn on our hot water heater so we could all take showers, 30 minutes later we still had nothing but ice cold water. I'm a little embarrassed to admit how long it took three grad students to find the water shut off valve! Problem solved, right? Wrong!
Today I stumbled out of bed to the kitchen for my first cup of instant coffee (yum) to get the day started off right. Surprise, surprise - no water at all. Talk about a rude awakening! I spoke to my supervisor (who set up the apartments for us) expecting her to be outraged, instead she informed me that this happens often in Tuzla due to water restrictions. We should prepare for this by keeping a few buckets of water around. I looked so pretty at work! I'm just glad I'm still in my procrastination stage and haven't started running yet.
Friday night we went out downtown for the first time. Since Savi is from Argentina, we had to check out the Latin Flamenco club (silly me, I always thought flamenco came from Spain). We walked up there only to find a band sitting around playing and no one else. I was on the verge of turning around when they all got up to invite the American girls in to listen. Little awkward! It turned out to be one of those extremely random experiences you can't forget. They were all great guys and I think they liked practicing their English.
Both of my placements went really well this week. Everyone seems very welcoming and excited to work with us. I'm still not too sure what my role will be as this week was spent more on introductions than anything else. I let you all know more about them next week!
Today I stumbled out of bed to the kitchen for my first cup of instant coffee (yum) to get the day started off right. Surprise, surprise - no water at all. Talk about a rude awakening! I spoke to my supervisor (who set up the apartments for us) expecting her to be outraged, instead she informed me that this happens often in Tuzla due to water restrictions. We should prepare for this by keeping a few buckets of water around. I looked so pretty at work! I'm just glad I'm still in my procrastination stage and haven't started running yet.
Friday night we went out downtown for the first time. Since Savi is from Argentina, we had to check out the Latin Flamenco club (silly me, I always thought flamenco came from Spain). We walked up there only to find a band sitting around playing and no one else. I was on the verge of turning around when they all got up to invite the American girls in to listen. Little awkward! It turned out to be one of those extremely random experiences you can't forget. They were all great guys and I think they liked practicing their English.
Both of my placements went really well this week. Everyone seems very welcoming and excited to work with us. I'm still not too sure what my role will be as this week was spent more on introductions than anything else. I let you all know more about them next week!
e enjte, 14 qershor 2007
Mission Accomplished!!
It looks like I have made it to Tuzla in one piece, despite the fact that the handler from ATA was no where to be seen! There was one small glitch, British Airways lost my beloved backpack (I'll never fly that airline again!).
Tuzla is an absolutely beautiful city and the people here are all extremely friendly and helpful. Everyone I have met so far has given me their phone number in case I should need anything. Too bad I don't have a phone, I might have to take care of that. My first day here I met with both of my supervisors, and they are both wonderful! Meliha from Mercy Corps picked me up from the bus station to take me to my new apartment (more on that subject later). After dropping off my stuff she insisted that I let her take me out for my first Bosnian meal. How could I refuse? She introduced me to my new local hangout where I ordered the čevapi. Its this great little dish with yummy sausages and the best bread I've ever had.
After we finished our meal Meliha dropped me off to meet my other supervisor, Esmina. After a brief introduction, Esmina insisted on taking me out for my first Bosnian meal! I was famished of course (!) so I ordered what had been rumored to taste excellent, čevapi. Needless to say for those of you who have been worried about me getting enough to eat, worry no longer. My supervisors know how to win me over, and I think I will love them both!
The apartment that I share with Sara and Savi is in a very cute neighborhood. Its on the third level of a house and has a large kitchen, living area, two bedrooms, and two beds. That's right, the math doesn't exactly add up. Fortunately I was able to pull the age card out and I'm currently residing in the smaller bedroom with my own bed! We'll see how long I can pull that off!
That's all for now, I'm at work in my supervisor's office so I should probably be brief. I'll say more about my placements later, but before I sign off I'd like to ask my fellow IDPers what Jess and Ben were smoking while they were over here. What happened to strolling into work at 10 and having coffee for two hours! I'm doing 8 - 5 everyday and if you know me at all, you know thats not going over well!
Tuzla is an absolutely beautiful city and the people here are all extremely friendly and helpful. Everyone I have met so far has given me their phone number in case I should need anything. Too bad I don't have a phone, I might have to take care of that. My first day here I met with both of my supervisors, and they are both wonderful! Meliha from Mercy Corps picked me up from the bus station to take me to my new apartment (more on that subject later). After dropping off my stuff she insisted that I let her take me out for my first Bosnian meal. How could I refuse? She introduced me to my new local hangout where I ordered the čevapi. Its this great little dish with yummy sausages and the best bread I've ever had.
After we finished our meal Meliha dropped me off to meet my other supervisor, Esmina. After a brief introduction, Esmina insisted on taking me out for my first Bosnian meal! I was famished of course (!) so I ordered what had been rumored to taste excellent, čevapi. Needless to say for those of you who have been worried about me getting enough to eat, worry no longer. My supervisors know how to win me over, and I think I will love them both!
The apartment that I share with Sara and Savi is in a very cute neighborhood. Its on the third level of a house and has a large kitchen, living area, two bedrooms, and two beds. That's right, the math doesn't exactly add up. Fortunately I was able to pull the age card out and I'm currently residing in the smaller bedroom with my own bed! We'll see how long I can pull that off!
That's all for now, I'm at work in my supervisor's office so I should probably be brief. I'll say more about my placements later, but before I sign off I'd like to ask my fellow IDPers what Jess and Ben were smoking while they were over here. What happened to strolling into work at 10 and having coffee for two hours! I'm doing 8 - 5 everyday and if you know me at all, you know thats not going over well!
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