I'm a bona fide English to Serbian translator...

...hah, not at all! However, there was a little scenario yesterday that presented the opportunity to showcase the Serbian I've learned thus far. Last night I was chatting with the parentals via Skype at the kitchen table. Jasminka, Nikica, and Boško heard what I was doing and wanted to say hi. I moved my laptop so that the Skorić's were within sight, and after a greeting or two, Jasminka and my mom fell into conversation. The exchange went something like this:


Jasminka: "Hi. How are you?"
Mom: "Oh we're fine. How are you?"
Jasminka:"Fine, too. Dominique is sweet girl."
Mom: "Thank you. You guys are sweet. Dominique has said a lot of wonderful things about you guys."

PAUSE

Jasminka (looking at me): "Šta kaže?"

This was it, my moment to be the link between an English and a Serbian speaker. As best as I could, I told Jasminka what my mom said.

Me: "Ona kaže da ja sam rekao rekla mnogo dobro stvar o..."

Jasminka: "O vama."

Me: "Da"

Obviously what I said was no where near perfect, but I'm pretty sure it effectively conveyed the message to Jasminka. Thinking about it now, I probably should have said, "Ona kaže da ja sam rekla mnogo dobrih stvari o vama." I was kinda close.

Once Jasminka and my mom said their goodbyes, I moved my laptop so that I was in sight. When I finally looked back at the screen, it's image caught me off guard: the faces of delighted and proud parents. It then hit me that they just saw and heard me use Serbian semi-conversationally. Seeing their pride and joy made me feel proud of myself. Yeah ,what I said wasn't perfect, but it showed progress; and, I'm all about progressing.

Sarajevo

*my apologies in advance for this long post

One of my favorite aspects of the Bridge Year Program for Serbia is the opportunity to travel to other Balkan countries. Our first excursion beyond Serbian borders was to Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina from October 20-23. The six of us (as well as our driver, Željko) crammed ourselves into a mini van and spent six hours en route to Sarajevo. When we finally drove down into the valley that nests the city, I could immediately sense a different atmosphere than that in Novi Sad. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, but I was excited to use the next couple of days to explore the city and to discover the difference.

~

Day 1 (really just a night)

We started the trip off with a bang! Ceca brought us to this restaurant called Avilja with décor that was essentially an outdoor garden indoors: it was beautiful. The food, the people, and most especially the atmosphere were all fantastic. Throughout the evening, there were two men playing traditional Bosnian music that eventually led to diners clapping, singing, and dancing (sometimes on tables). The joy and the merriment in Avilja were clearly a celebration of life and culture and the type of welcome that any foreigner would be lucky to experience.

Day 2

Truly, a day for a tourist. The day’s festivities began with a city tour by foot led by local tour guide Amir –who was friendly, entertaining, and informative. He showed us the religious buildings (mosque, cathedral, Orthodox church, synagogue), the city’s fountain (drink from it, and you come back to Sarajevo), the historic quarter of the city with the best places to eat ćevapi (Baščaršija), the intersection where Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand (appel quay), the cemetery from the war, among other historical and political buildings.


BYP Serbia was mad for the mosque. We even got to watch and listen to a traditional prayer calling the following day.



Looking forward to going back to Sarajevo!




street in Baščaršija




primarily Muslim cemetary that was serene and beautiful

The tour ended in front of Sarajevo’s university where we started the second half of our jam-packed day: discussions. The first discussion was with one of the university’s professors named Ugo who spoke with us about Bosnia’s cultural and political history over the past two decades (ethnic cleansing, discrimination, state and nation disputes, lack of central government). The second discussion was with a local NGO that works towards improving post-war Bosnia through trainings and other projects, presenting another opportunity to hear a different perspective about Bosnia and its past two decades. Due to my lack of understanding of the war, these discussions were hard to follow at times. However, both made it clear that what happened to Bosnia in the ‘90s has greatly influenced the tensions and discriminations that exist there today. It was definitely something to think about while we had dinner at Inat Kuća afterwards. Post supper, we were free to do what we wanted. All of us met up with Yentli’s Bosnian friend Sanda and her friends at a café –after wandering the city aimlessly– and just hung out. It was cool to spend time with people our age and to experience the café culture somewhere besides Novi Sad.

Day 3

The first half of this day was spent going to museums that focused on the Siege of Sarajevo in the ‘90s. We visited the tunnel that was used during the war to smuggle weapons, food, and resources into and out of the city, then we visited a museum with an exhibition about the siege. There were artifacts and vivid photographs that made the war seem so surreal. There were times I just couldn’t believe that this was what happened, especially during my lifetime. Visiting these museums was so enlightening and helped me grasp an understanding of the war and the consequences that Bosnians still deal with today. 

There were some pretty cramped quarters
in the 1.6m wide 800m long tunnel. I can't even
imagine how they managed during the war.

Many posters like this one implied that
Bosnia needing aid was an understatement.

The rest of the day was free, which only meant one thing: shopping! Between the hand crafted goods in the Baščaršija and the products sold at the bazaar, I think it’s safe to say that I left Sarajevo with some good buys. After dinner, we had hot chocolate and desert with Sanda and asked her about her memories of Sarajevo during wartime. There were few she remembered (like her father using the tunnel we had seen earlier that day), but what she had to say was riveting.

Day 4

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Sarajevo. Of course we did not do so without trying some of Sarajevo’s pita and buying some baklava. Despite our short amount of time spent in Sarajevo, it was such a gnarly trip! I hated to say “do viđenja Sarajevo!” but I did look forward to coming home.

What a last impression to have of Sarajevo!

~

Considering Sarajevo’s history, two full days were barely enough to grasp an entire feel for the city. However, from what I did have the chance to experience, I think I can determine what it is about Sarajevo that made me immediately sense the difference between it and Novi Sad. Firstly and more obvious, Sarajevo is definitely a tourist’s city –numerous tour groups, countless tourist shops, etc. Secondly –after delving deeper into the past of the city, Sarajevo is still suffering the consequences of the war. Besides the physical scars on buildings and sidewalks left behind by the heavy artillery, there are emotional scars that stifle the progress of Sarajevo (and Bosnia in the bigger picture) either because they are too painful to deal with or because people outright choose to ignore them. Thirdly, Novi Sad has become my home. Throughout the entire trip I kept wondering “What if we were placed in Sarajevo as opposed to Novi Sad or Niš?” I can’t even imagine that situation, regardless of how it would’ve turned out, because currently my roots are in Serbia. It’s funny how a minor international excursion within a major international excursion has made me realize this. Nevertheless, Sarajevo will definitely be a trip to remember.

To Najlon we go

It all started with a tuba…a couple weeks ago when Florian and Vincent from my Serbian class were describing their weekend, Florian mentioned that they went to the Najlon Flea Market and bought a tuba for ninety Euros. I was hooked from that moment and knew that I would have to make a trip to Najlon at some point during my time in Novi Sad. That point was this past Saturday when Tucker and I ventured to the flea market in the hopes of finding some goodies of our own.

Tucker and I met up at 6am that day to get the early start that we were advised to get. We got on a bus, and after about a twenty-five minute ride, we reached our destination. Unfortunately, our “early bird gets the worm” mentality did not work out in our favor, for the majority of the vendors had not even set up their stations yet. Some were still asleep in their cars, as others looked for a quick bite or talked to each other. As we waited for the market to come to life (from the buyer’s perspective), Tucker and I found a small café to help pass the time. 

By 7, there was daylight and a significant difference in the amount of products on display. It was time to get out there and haggle! There was so much variety: clothing, shoes, toilet seats, books, tools, shoelaces, mint-condition food and bathroom items (although I’m not quite sure how vendors got their hands on those things), etc. After a few laps around the flea market, we both knew what we wanted. I wanted an old-school film camera and Tucker wanted a Yugoslavia military pin for his friend’s dad and any interesting book worth his dinar.

We were both able to find what we were looking for, but Tucker was the true victor of the day since he actually purchased something –and not at the initial price, might I add.

 

Yes, these vendors are always looking to make a sale, but you could just feel it in the atmosphere that the Najlon Flea Market is more than a business…it’s a way of life. With the broken Serbian that we knew, we were able to express interest in goods and bargain, but we also had the chance to randomly converse with the people we encountered as we perused; it seemed as if there was always time to set aside the business aspect of the flea market and incorporate the social one. Although I left the flea market empty handed, I was able to take with me a piece of another lifestyle in Serbia.

Happy One Month!

It’s strange to think that one-ninth of this experience has already gone by. In a month’s time, I’ve managed to find my way around Novi Sad as I walk (or bus) from home to school, school to Jazas (my volunteer organization), and  Jazas to home; slip in between there occasional trips to cafes with friends, and it may seem as if I am ready to call myself a resident of Serbia. However, I’ve come to find that despite my familiarity with the city, there will always be a part of me that will be a visitor.  In case my mediocre (if that) Serbian skills are not obvious enough, my appearance is sure to be a dead giveaway. In case you were wondering, not that many black people are walking the streets of Novi Sad, so stares are inevitable. Consciously I am totally aware of the fact that the looks are not coming from a place of malice, but subconsciously when it seems like all eyes are on you, you can’t help but feel uncomfortable and isolated at times. In all honestly, I’m starting to get used to it, but it’s still so foreign to get noticed for something that is no big deal in the States.

Ironically “blending in” is one of the things I miss about home, but besides that, I’m surprisingly not as homesick as I thought I would be. It comes and goes in waves (especially when I talk about my family), so I don’t doubt that an extreme case of homesickness will sneak up on me when I least expect it; but, I’m not keeping my fingers crossed. Fortunately, my host family and the new friendships that I have are helping make Novi Sad feel as close to home as possible.

Of course there are still things that I have to adjust to, like the social and the work aspects of Serbian culture. For one thing, people really like to go out: walk, shop, talk in cafes, etc. From what I’ve seen, the Serbians truly enjoy being in each other’s company and seem to understand that the world has a lot more to offer when you’re out and about than when you’re sitting at home watching television or using the computer. I absolutely admire that about the social culture, but to an extent it’s an adjustment because wanting to hang out at home to just have some time for yourself does not seem that common. The one or two times I’ve turned down going out, I’ve been asked “why”, and I feel pretty silly saying, “I just want to hang out at home.”  I consider myself a rather social person, but there are just times when I want a moment to myself to think (or to not think).

On another note, the working world here in Serbia may not be what Americans would deem productive. Work isn’t necessarily about how much one gets done in the time he/she is given, and it’s not the end of the world if every task on the day’s to-do list doesn’t get completed. This hypothetical to-do list may not even be that long to begin with, resulting in a fair amount of time being spent sitting around. Admittedly, I’ve been struggling with the fact that I do a lot of “sitting around”. It’s difficult to accept that I came to Serbia to work, but due to the language barrier and to the simple fact that the amount of work is minimal; there isn’t always that much for me to do. On the other hand, I am learning that there is value in not filling every moment with work and using that time to savor just being in the company of others.

The balance between work and play here in Serbia is definitely different than it is in America, and that doesn’t necessarily make one culture better or worse than the other. In fact, it just makes me want to use these next eight months to embrace the Serbian culture to the best of my capability..., because when else would I have the chance for an experience like this?