almost the end.

tomorrow night i leave belgrade and i am so sad. I have really fallen in love with this city and it is hard to imagine that i may never come back. There is something so comfortable here. i am going to miss the stray dogs, the old men playing chess, the burek and pancakes on every block. Last night i was at the theatre i am interning with and the women there told me to always feel free to come back, to consider DAH theatre my theatre home. It was quite sweet of them.

Friday night we were hanging out with some friends from here and it was so cute. They told us it seemed so natural that we were in belgrade, like we had always been here. We were sitting in the fortress, watching where the river sava meets the danube. I don't think I could ever imagine that happening, going halfway around the world and finding people you feel like you have been friends with forever. I think that this trip will mean all sorts of different things once I am back home, and I am curious how i will remember all the details.

Well, I have a 40 page paper to finish by tonight, so I should be off...

ciao ciao

emily

Post What?

{the above photo wasn't taken by me... but it is  nice photo, it is from the handsome furs concert i wrote about it the post below...}

We had been keeping our apartment relatively clean until we all had to start writing our papers, at which point it has quickly spiraled downward into a mess of computer cords, internet plug ins, books, socks, empty bitter limun cans and dirty coffee cups. Earbuds and pillows and last years ISP projects add to the mess on the floor of the room we once called a "living room". Now i would call it the room of endless hours of typing and frustration. We took a break and went to another concert last night, but about a half hour into I headed home for bed. I felt a migraine creeping in and I couldn't understand why. Perhaps too many hours at the computer?? Maybe the fact I am stressed for no good reason? I'm not sure, but a good nights sleep helped and now I am up working again. Good thing there is always time for a break for pancakes oozing nutella, hazelnuts, and bananas, or a big piece of flaky Burek. Food is the best excuse to get out and about, however, between sitting around typing a paper all day and eatig greasy food I am probably creating the perfect circumstances for a self-induced heart attack. Good thing this paper is due in 10 days! 

The band we saw last night was "post-rock" I have never understood all these music genres. But I always wonder what comes after "post", once we are past post rock and post modernism and the postal system what do we have left??

anyway! this was just a silly rant, and I am really do just fine, but am having trouble focusing... however, this is typical for the end of the school year and I am sure it will all pan out just fine. 

{handsome furs, take two, this girl was INTENSE!}

vow! today was a long but really productive and good day. It started off with some delicious turkish coffee which i will be glad to make all of you when i come home. Then I sat off for DAH. The bus was practically empty today and so the ride was quick, peaceful and allowed a bit of time for me to settle into the day. Since the theatre is nearing the premier of their newest work (the premier is april 27th) which is titled "crossing the line" the theatre has been kind of crazy lately. but that is good. anyway afterwords i started writing my paper and drank some more coffee...THEN i hung out with one of interviewees and we talked about lions and art and bending forks into bracelets. After that i saw handsome furs play and i danced and danced and it felt good to see live music again and sweat a bit. SO that was my day in a nutshell...photos coming soon.

halo

whew. i am worn out and i have so much do, like write a 40 page paper. I have never written anything close to that length and starting it seems so frightening, but i have a little bit of faith in myself that it will work out okay. I've spent a lot of time lately just talking to people, riding the city buses and collecting images. I had a really good weekend that consisted of some going out, a bit of music, and some socializing at my professor's wonderful apartment. I'm really glad i came here and i think all the people i've meet are really wonderful. I realized I know belgrade pretty well at this point and feel comfortable here. I think I have officially added another city to my list of places I have some kind of "home". It is home in the sense I have a favorite cafe and a favorite bakery and some people who give easter eggs on easter and i've even picked up on the bus lines. So maybe that makes it official, i have a third home.

The other day I meet an old lady at a bakery and she said "why did you come to yugoslavia, i mean serbia?" and it made me smile. This past week I went to the 25th of May museum, which is also known as the house of flowers and is all the presents and a shrine in many ways to Tito. It is amazing how many people really really loved Tito. I am sure this women I meet at the bakery loved him. 

Today I had a three hour meeting with my advisor and we got burek. Then I did some translating for DAH theatre.

tomorrow is wednesday... terrible! i never liked wednesdays.

also i have been working out my post-SIT (the program i am on) plans and so far they include: Paris, Barcelona and Casablanca. Hello world!

"in 2009 i wish for ... sangrio, and beer, and milk and sex!" (street art at its best, with roommate becca)

gdje?

piece by TKV

ciao ciao 

interviews completed: 2

feelings about the day: excellent, brilliant, delicious

i think what has been important for me here is finding people i can care about and connect with despite how different we may live geographically. I had an interview with one  of the most insightful and amazing people i have meet. I am just digesting it and I need to take a bit of time to listen to what she said. But, i really think, however good this is for my paper, I also am exploring why it matters for me to be here and to be studying here. 

well anyway. i had some adventures today and they included the above.

i have a wonderful new apartment with wonderful wide windows. 

Lost and Found!

So for some reason everyone has been asking me where I have been but I have been here... here and working hard. I just turned in two major papers and been applying for my honors thesis and making  friends who I am going to miss dearly while in Belgrade. I have discovered the best way to make friends is just to go to the same cafe everyday to do your homework. 

Yesterday I saw Eve Ensler speak and the vagina monologues in croatian. It was really fantastic and she is super sweet. She spoke on rape in the congo and I encourage everyone to learn more. You can look it up on on the v-day site for stopping violence against women. 

Other than that I am off on sunday to move to beograde for a month to do my independent research. 

xoxo

emily