as of late...i can only think in the form of a list.

a. I am very busy. I have heaps of tape to transcribe.
b. I visited Osijek for the first time and it was splendid. Straw artists, delicious steak cooked in truffles, homemade peanut butter cake, positive outlooks on life, my first face mask, and a four more interviews to boot. thanks robin!
c. proofreading. meetings about proofreading.
d. applying for life after croatia, work on a farm in exchange for room and board? Work at a hostel on an island, the job comes with free housing + scooter? head home to the land of unemployed? I shudder with fear, eeeek.
e. The weather here is delightful. I bought a cheap bike. My life moves at a faster pace, see you later trams.
f. I met a really great guy on the train ride back to Zagreb. We spoke for three hours about lots of things. I realized as after he kissed my check goodbye, a custom here I still am not used to, and he hopped off at his stop I never got his name. Its strange how that happens. He told me I was a dreamer.
g. booking plane tickets. booking hostels. figuring out travel, hoping not to get stranded and broke.


These days are full of sunshine and I have lost of all my poetics, they drifted away with the rain clouds.

Is it an accomplishment to say, Can we leave the shoes here and come back and pick them up at 2? We can pay for them now. In croatian? Because I did. Yay for being able to communicate.

a call for help!

Have I ever told you a great story?! I am racking my brains. I am working on something in which I have to tell my 'favorite' story...uh...and I can't decide if most of my stories are interesting or just embarssing...

In the news

Jess emailed us all this article last Thursday and I wanted to share it here, WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE ON CROATIA.

"its the most important thing in life, its the person you leave behind you to change the world"

The title is from an interview I did recently with a guy about raising children. It warmed my heart a little and reminded how today is International Women's Day. While I am here studying dudes, I know my heart is really indebted to feminism and the work feminists have done over the last few decades (oh with the help of capitalism and other things, right?) to create a world where I can go out in the world as a young woman and do my own thing. Although,  this of course isn't the case internationally and we havent really established gender equality with in the USA. Women are still paid a lower wage on average, are for the most part expected to raise children AND work, and deal with a whole slew of other difficulties including being bombarded by unrealistic body images. Then, I believe there is the issue for young women of finding a balance between interdependce and independence...Of course being a man comes with its own sack of potatoes to lug around. The point is, I have many really great ladies in my life, and I am super greatful for them, so hvala ste (thank "you")

In an effort to resist the habit of forgetting to write about...

a reverse-chronological list of things to write about:

a. Zagrebdox: A film about chickens. A film about the chambermaids of the Palace Hotel. A film about Ethopian long-distance runners moving to Serbia.
b. Birthday parties + Kinder cake.
c. Bus rides. Roadstop culture in Europe. Borders. Trading ipods.
d. VENICE! costumes. pretty. crowds. narrow passages. old women on motor boat. small fried fish. confetti on the ground. things that are red/orange/pink colored. invisable cities?
e. Protests.
f. Interview...

It has been a whirl wind couple of days. After letting my brain take a break to process I'll be back with a more poignent description and jarble and hopefully some photos.

Protest.

There have been riots/protests/parades here for the last week. The streets belong to the people, capitalism is bad, wanting to a new government, not enough support for veterns. From what I can tell it is a whole slew of different people. Check out the photos. Its been safe here-so no worries on that front, but I really wish I could understand everything thats going on. In some ways it is really heartwarming to see people come together-old, young, and the like and try to do something-anything. Its better than being passive I suppose. However, the riot police and throwing bricks can get a bit intimidating...Here are some photos to check out:

http://www.jutarnji.hr/prosvjed-protiv-vlade-u-zagrebu--4--ozujka/929362/

Emily dara.

I have a new webpage! Check it out-it will be getting updated as time trickles on.

Emily dara.: "'PARTLY JUST A MAGNIFICANT ROMP'"