One small lawyer's big adventure

Signing off

2006-05-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

As one small lawyer starts her new job, I regret having to sign off my blog. Below you will find snipets from an article I wrote on my experience as a lawyer working in Serbia. I will leave the post up for about a week before I pull my blog off the Internet. Thank you all for reading along with the adventure of one small lawyer.

"Happy is the country that has no history." The experience of Serbia and Montenegro shows this truth. The Balkans have been the political fault line of Europe where the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires faced off, major battles of the World Wars were fought and the Iron Curtain fell. Against this backdrop, the former Yugoslavia disintegrated, atrocities were committed on a scale unseen in Europe since World War Two and hundreds of thousands were forced from their homes.

Serbia and Montenegro emerged from the conflict as a tenuous state-union with a failing economy and crumbling infrastructure. While joined in one country, Serbia and Montenegro have different laws on many issues and use different currencies. Montenegro’s upcoming referendum on separation will decide the future of the union. While the referendum is important, the negotiations over Kosovo will determine whether the country disintegrates into conflict once more. In 1999, former President Milosevic was forced to pull out of Kosovo and United Nations (UN) has governed ever since. Negotiations are currently being held to determine Kosovo’s future status. The province is divided between ethnic Albanians who want independence and ethnic Serbs who want to remain within Serbia, and negotiations are further complicated by the province’s historic and religious significance for Serbia.

Another important aspect of my work was leading the research and writing of the Annual Report on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Returnees in Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo). After reviewing all of the available literature, I drafted field research questionnaires and with my colleague, Vladmir Petronijevic, I travelled to Kosovo and Montenegro and met with representatives of the UN, the UNHCR, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and local advocates to complete our research. The report is a survey of the circumstances and rights of refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, asylum seekers and the victims of human trafficking. We considered the conditions for integration and return, access to health care, education and justice, as well as, the issues faced by displaced people like repossession of property and pension benefits.

I was struck by how many of the problems faced by refugees and displaced people were based in the gaps in the system and could be remedied by legal reform. The importance of law to society can be more clearly seen where one can see its absence.

It was a privilege to participate as a colleague at a crucial time in the legal development of a nation. As Serbia and Montenegro faces the aftermath of Milosevic’s death, a referendum in Montenegro and negotiations of status for Kosovo, I look towards the future of a people who welcomed me and a place that will always be my second home.

Serbian as a second language - remembered

2006-04-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

A story that will have to be included in my article... I am a sandwich.

First impressions...again

2006-04-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

I am still taken with the friendliness of everyone in Belgrade. I think about all of the conflicts, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman, the World Wars, the Cold War, and the disintegration and isolation that followed. Given even half of this history, one would expect the people to be a little standoffish, less than welcoming. I found myself welcomed deep into the hearts of my friends and colleagues. I will never forget that welcome and Belgrade will always hold a very special place in my heart because of that warmth.

Reflection Series

2006-04-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Having returned from Easter with my family in the flatlands, I know must turn my attention to everything that I need to do before I start my new job and move into my new apartment (yes, one small lawyer now has shelter of her own). Two of the tasks I have to complete before May 1st are writing an executive summary for the Annual Human Rights Report for Grupa 484 and writing an article on my experiences in Serbia for the Canadian Lawyers Abroad issue of LawNow magazine. As I will be spending a lot of time reflecting on my work and my personal experiences in Belgrade, I will try to post at least one thought per day.

Today's Thought
When I first started at Grupa, everyone was getting ready for the tenth anniversary events. I had been transported from my private office in Edmonton to a small office shared by three and a very open door. There were moments when 5 or 6 people would be crowded in our office, 2-3 different conversations and/or phone calls, when I thought I would lose my mind if I heard another word in Serbian. I couldn't understand anything, it all sounded like yelling, and I was supposed to be good with language, at least I thought I was in English. I think back on those days and smile because then I think about moments only a few months later when I would understand snippets of conversation in Serbian and be lovingly coached along in simple sentences.

My efforts to be both teacher and student in an informal language exchange resulted in the Canadian Corner. I prepared this while waiting for my computer to finish downloading and saving the many reports I read as research for the annual human rights report. Very Slow Computer. You will note that the days of the week are in English, French and Serbian (very p.c.) and that there are lists of new and favourite English and Serbian words. Almost everyday we added to the list. There is also a map showing the birthplaces of the previous interns, postcards from the prairies and the mountains and some Canadian coins.

Day Time TV - a whole other world

2006-04-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

And I thought I had culture shock when I moved to Serbia. It's not enough that day time tv regals you with more talk shows, soap operas, and home decorating shows than you can possibly stomach. MTV2 has launched a startling show: Date my Mom. Seriously. A guy goes on dates with 3 Moms and decides which daughter to date from those dates. No, still not kidding. The four horsemen of the apocalypse, rivers running red (or maybe just the Red River flooding) and Date my Mom, sure signs of the downfall of civilization. And people wonder why I wanted to look for a new job right away.

The wait is over

2006-04-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, one small lawyer is once again an employed lawyer.

Lessons in Italian

2006-04-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

I wore my fabulous Italian leather jacket for the first time yesterday. The day was warm and sunny. While I watched out for puddles of melting snow I remembered the small shop in the Santacroce district of Florence where we bought our jackets. My brother and I walked into the shop and before we said anything the young saleguy said "Hi, where are you from?" As it turns out, he had a friend who lives in Vancouver (loves snowboarding) and had debated immigrating to Canada himself, before being conscripted to work in the family shop. As we were trying on jackets and settling on a black leather on for my brother he said "there, it's perfect, you look Italian....except for your shoes". We both looked down at our hiking boots, a little dusty from being worn for our entire trip. "That's how I knew you weren't from Italy, you can't even buy those kind of shoes here". I never thought I would be betrayed by footwear.

I'm not the only Canadian to report this type of shoe-ism. A former colleague, blond and beautiful, had been concerned that she might encounter unwanted attention during her trip through Italy. She did, only it wasn't quite what she expected. "They just kept looking at my shoes with disgusted" she remarked upon her return.

Our lesson in Italian -- be prepared to be judged by your shoes. Go for comfort while hiking around the Roman Forum, but understand that the while your lips are saying "Buona sera", your shoes are saying "I am Canadian".

Trying

2006-03-30T14:37:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the opportunity to see "Trying", a play by Joanna McClelland Glass, at the Citadel Theatre. Originally from Saskatoon, Ms. Glass worked as a personal secretary for Justice Biddle during the last year of his life when she was just twenty-five. Justice Biddle was a Harvard educated lawyer from a presitigous Philadelphia family who had served as the Attorney General under Roosevelt and had been appointed the Chief Judge of the Military Tribunal at Nuremburg. With more than a lifetime of accomplishments upon which he could dwell in the last year of his life, Justice Biddle was intensely preoccupied with that which he did not have: a relationship with his father who died when he was 6 and a relationship with one of his sons who had died very, very young. The play captures just a snap shot of two lives.

I used to say that if I could live only one year of my life for the rest of my life, it would be my time in Halifax. Things are not so simple now because I would have to find a way to capture both Halifax and Belgrade in my snap shot. One of the many reasons why I love theatre is that it can give you a new lens through which to view life and invaluable moments you can hold in your mind's eye.

Some of my favourite moments from the play:

let's lace up our skates and hit the ice

any prairie girl worth her salt

where is your vaunted Canadian civility now

Holding things in adeyance is a woman's plight. Biology decided that.

But I have the advantage. I have been young, but you have never been old.

The Mystery of the Stolen Briefcase

2006-03-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I retrieved one bag from the property and exhibit warehouse of the city police. The mystery of this bag started when a concerned citizen found the bag, amongst some other items, and notified the police. He then notified me by way of leaving a posting on my blog. The bag he found is indeed mine. It's my trial bag, a large briefcase used to take materials to court, and conveniently has wheels and a handle so that it doesn't have to be carried. My friend Lex Culinara gave it to me because she was no longer practicing litigation. It was still holding all of my handbags, as I had left it before my internship. I don't know how it ended up found by the police so the mystery is essentially unsolved. I am just glad to have my trial bag, now if I just secure a position, I will have a use for the trial bag again....

You can take the girl out of the prairies...

2006-03-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

While spring is arriving in Belgrade, Edmonton is still crawling out from under the blanket of snow we got last weekend. There is still something I love about a good foot or two of crisp white snow. You can take the girl out of the prairies, but:

She will still want to make snow angels in the park

She will still enjoy seeing her breath on a chilly but bright winter afternoon

She will retain the ability to two-step regardles of how long its been

She will still want to go home, even though she hasn't resolved the employment or housing issues

My Belgrade

2006-03-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

Since moving back, and in the wake of Milosevic' death, people keep asking me about Belgrade. I believe that a picture, or three, really does speak a thousand words. These "words" are borrowed from the Belgrade & Serbia Help Desk.

My Belgrade is a peace rally. Spring 3 days early.

something old, something new

2006-03-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

I like to consider myself to be a pretty bright girl; however, my lack of foresight has just been brought home. I was a little surprised by a posting yesterday. While I have tried to protect the identities of my friends in Serbia, as this is my blog and not theirs, the Canadian ex-pat community in Belgrade is, not surprisingly, quite small. Safe to say, I will be more careful in the future.

It is also safe to say that once Edmonton digs itself out from under our recent snow fall that I will be enjoying the respective "fruits" of the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market, potentially including Saskatoon berry pie. My Mom doesn't actually make S'toon berry pie often, she is a master of my favourite -- apple pie. She makes a deep dish apple pie, with her own pastry of ocurse, that weighs at least 8 pounds. If I ask nicely I might get one for "novi christmas", that's what I'm calling the Christmas that I will celebrate with my family some time around Easter.

In the meantime, I have second interviews to attend and apartment shopping. It's a very exciting time, a good time for the first days of Spring in so many ways.

Note: Edmonton is expecting another 15 cm of snow next weekend. Stupid spring.

Still snowing...

2006-03-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday afternoon, I'm listening to Jack Johnson (surfer from Hawaii), and watching the falling snow . Yesterday we had a heavy snow fall warning for Edmonton - 15 to 25 cm. To put that in perspective, Edmonton received roughly that amount from October through February this winter. I swear it was waiting for me.

While I am not so enthralled with the snow, I have been glued to the tube. All English tv and commercials all the time. I really have to start limiting my demon box time. On that, I'm going to see Transamerica tonight at one of the small art-house theatres in Edmonton.

If I'm not snowed in....

The first hurdle

2006-03-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

I have my first hurdle in obtaining gainful employment tomorrow, the first round interview. Although much of my brain power is consumed in preparation for my interview, I've also been thinking about Belgrade. It's not reverse culture shock, it's Milosevic. I'm thinking about all of you, my friends, my colleagues at Group and my extended Canadian family at the Embassy. I've received the travel warnings and noted the following "avoid all public demonstrations". Please be careful, all of you, not just the Canadians, all of you. I know you bravely faced the dangers and protested against Milosevic, the wars, the bombings, but if you could, just for now, be less brave.

This is just the first hurdle in a very big year for Belgrade: Milosevic' funeral, Montenegro's referendum, Kosovo's status determination, readmission from Western Europe...

Just think, if I didn't have to worry so much, I could probably ace this interview and then have a job from which I could finance my return trip for a visit. Just a little guilt/bribery. Be safe.

The White World of Edmonton

2006-03-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

Apparently Edmonton has had the warmest winter on record....until I arrived. About two weeks ago Mother Nature remembered that Edmonton is Canada's farthest northern provincial capital and decided to dump on the white stuff. At least it is sunny and bright, and I will take myself for a long walk later today.

I am settled, so to speak. Generous friends have already picked me up from airports, fed me, and agreed to provide me shelter until I have a job and apartment. The one drawback of air travel is that you are so rapidly transported from place to place, you don't really have time to think about your transition. I am so glad that I had time with my brother in Italy as a gentle reminder of my life in Canada (that and the fabulous leather coat I bought in Florence!). I do have a job interview on Friday so cross your fingers for me...now what do I remember about Canadian law....

Homeward Bound

2006-03-09T01:14:00.000-08:00

This is my last day in Beograd, the White City, at least for a while. Tomorrow I start my journey back to the prairies. With 3 flights and 2 long layover (one between midnight and 8am thankfully occupied with visiting B in Toronto, and possibily chocolate martinis) I will spend almost 30 hours in transit. While I'm exciting about being home and seeing my friends and family, I will continually miss the amazing friends I made in Belgrade. Belgrade is a remarkable city. Although it has a history of conflict, including one not so distantly past, the people are warm and welcoming. The city is teeming with museums, galleries, restaurants, cafes, clubs, and I will miss all of them.

Here's just a few of the places that I will miss:
Opera Cafe, Kalemegdon, Orange, Inex cafe (the third floor overlooking Trg), the walking street, Sargon, Ben Akiba...

Fortunately I get to come home to a few places that I've been missing:
walks on Whyte Ave with El, brunches (with Canadian bacon!) with PP, fish and chips at Brits, the vermicelli bowl from Bach Dang, sushi...

Tonight I will enjoy traditional kafana food before heading to our favourite cocktail bar, Ben Akiba, for a last drink (for a while) with friends. While I can't share a rakia (plum brandy) with all of you who had read along with my adventure, here's a virtual "Ziveli" and cheers to you all.

I will post once I have returned to Canada on the weekend. While I probably won't be keeping this blog once I am gainfully employed, I will leave some hints so you can continue to follow the adventures of one small lawyer.

Snippets from a Whirlwind Tour

2006-03-08T00:50:00.000-08:00

Our first destination was Split, Croatia, where we were fortunate to catch the last day of carnival (last day before the beginning of Lent). We had the day in Split before catching the overnight ferry to Italy. (we got a cabin, I highly recommend getting one on overnight ferries because you get a good sleep and breakfast, best way to ensure a good time at your next destination)

We travelled by train to Venice, our favourite stop. Venice is so beautiful that I couldn't stop taking pictures.

When in Venice:

buy Murano glass
take the #1 waterbus along the Grand Canal and wander back through the narrow streets and canals
see the museum at the top of St. Mark's
eat lime green licorice

We travelled to Florence. The weather was uncooperative but anything would have been worth it to stand and gaze at Michelangelo's David. I think I'm ruined for lesser men.

When in Florence:

buy leather
eat at La Spada, have the pannacotta, best dessert ever, cooked vanilla cream with a tangy mixed blueberry, raspberry and pomegrante sauce, Lyn add it to the list of recipes I must learn
see David
take a stroll up to Piazza Michelangelo for views of Florence

Our last stop was Rome. You cannot possibly see all that Rome has to offer in under 3 days, but we tried. My feet still hurt.

When in Rome:

try to avoid buying shoes because you spent all your money on a leather jacket in Florence
see the inside of the colleseum
take a stroll through the Rome Forum in the sunshine
eat zuccini flower pizza at Pizzeria di Baffete
throw a penny in Trevi Fountain ensuring that you will return to Rome to see everything else

Arrivals and Departures

2006-02-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

My brother has arrived from Canada to Belgrade (via London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Munich, and pretty much every town on the rail between Munich and Belgrade) and it is my last day in the office. Tomorrow night I will have my going away party at my office and then on Monday we will depart for Split. I will not be blogging until I return from Italy, but promise many pictures from our whirlwind tour upon my return. Until then enjoy this joke, forwarded to me by another Canadian expat, K.

HOW TO SAY I LOVE YOU IN 5 LANGUAGES

English - I Love You
French - Je T'aime
Italian - Ti Amo
Chinese - Wo Ai Nin
Saskatchewan - Nice ass; get in the truck

A sunny weekend in Belgrade

2006-02-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

It was +15 degrees, sunny and mild. Between the recent election results in Canada and my Mom's news that Saskatoon had -45, with wind chill, the other week, I am considering an asylum claim based on political and climate persecution....

Looks comfortable to me...

Montenegro

2006-02-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Although Podgorica is not the prettiest city, and notwithstanding torrential rains, I have to recommend a visit to Montenegro. Drive the amazing beautiful coast from Bar to Kotor (a UNESCO Heritage site) and thank me later.

Kosovo

2006-02-22T02:20:00.000-08:00

When you first cross the checkpoint for Kosovo, it appears like any other border crossing. A little too much barbed wire, a lingering question: to keep people in or out?

The land does not look war torn, wrenched from the inside out. I began to look for differences: the red and black Albanian flags, the spires of mosques reaching for the sky. The situation was not really brought home until I had to go to the bathroom. We couldn’t stop for another hour because we were in Albanian territory and I would have to wait until we reached Gracanica.

Gracanica - Serbian enclave outside Pristina

Monestary in Gracanica guarded by KFOR 24 hours a day.

Reconstructed Ashkaeli homes in a mixed community. Pre-confict the community was Ashkalei and Serb, but now Roma and Albanians also live here.
The Ashkaeli family we interviewed had spent 6 years in Belgrade. They were not happy there, but they are not happy here either.

As we attended meetings in Pristina, I noticed the number of UN vehicles, KFOR and Police. The sheer number tells you all is not well in the land. In our meetings with international organizations and local NGOs I was incredibly impressed by the determination of all people, foreign, Albanian, Serb and Ashkaeli, to improve the living conditions for all Kosovars and enable people to come home. With impending status determination, I will remember my time in Kosovo. Due to security sensitivity I do not have pictures from my meetings in Pristina.

Field Trip

2006-02-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves a field trip, a chance to get out of the office. Tomorrow I leave for Kosovo and I will not return until Friday. Monday and Tuesday I will spend in Montenegro. You can expect lots of new pictures when I get back next week. To tide over I give you:

Things that only happen in Serbia (so far as I know):

If you go outside with wet hair your face will freeze in a funny position and you will get sick
If you are sitting in "the draft" you will get a stiff neck or back
You can harm your ovaries if:

you do not wear socks and slippers
wear low rise jeans
wear a short winter jacket
do not wear tights or an undershirt when its cold

"The draft" and the failure to wear socks seem to cause the majority of illnesses. You have been warned.

First song on the soundtrack for the Belgrade Blues

2006-02-13T06:01:00.000-08:00

"You're Beautiful"

James Blunt

My life is brilliant.

My love is pure.

I saw an angel.Of that I'm sure.

She smiled at me on the subway.

She was with another man.

But I won't lose no sleep on that,

'Cause I've got a plan.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

You're beautiful, it's true.

I saw your face in a crowded place,

And I don't know what to do,

'Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, she caught my eye,

As we walked on by.

She could see from my face that I was, Flying high,

And I don't think that I'll see her again,

But we shared a moment that will last till the end.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

You're beautiful, it's true.

I saw your face in a crowded place,

And I don't know what to do,

'Cause I'll never be with you.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

You're beautiful, it's true.

There must be an angel with a smile on her face,

When she thought up that I should be with you.

But it's time to face the truth,

I will never be with you.

To Blog or Not to Blog

2006-02-10T05:46:00.000-08:00

that is the question. Whether is it nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.....oops, sorry, its been so long since my last Shakespearean play.

I am 1 month from my flight home to Canada. As I head into my last few weeks of work (with field trips to Kosovo and Montenegro, that's right more pictures!) and try to plan a trip to Italy, my list making urge has gone into overdrive: buy presents, have going away party, clean apartment, pack, find gainful employment, etc, etc. I also must consider what will happen to my blog. I started the blog as a way of documenting my adventure for my friends in Canada (ie to avoid the plague that is the mass email). Although my adventures will certainly continue on home ground, the pictures will not be nearly as exotic. There are also certain problems with being a lawyer, the sense of privacy and propriety, and having a personal reflective blog. At the same time I have really valued the experience of writing this blog. Not only is it a great way of keeping in touch with people, but it has forced me to evaluate my experiences and return to a creative form of writing (not that writing legal briefs isn't creative in its own way).

To blog or not to blog, that is the question....

The Nature of People

2006-02-09T01:05:00.000-08:00

Normally, I fall on the John Locke - people are essentially good - side of the arguments (versus the Thmoas Hobbes - people are essentially bad and therefore require dictatorship). Normally. That starts to fall away when I get an email from my brother reporting that his house has been robbed. My brother rents a room from a friend. They live in a decent, but not affluent, part of Saskatoon. My brother does not have an expensive TV, a DVD player, a stereo or a computer. Like he said in his email "they didn't get away with much". If the story ended there it would hardly be worthy of a rant.... of course it doesn't. So, if he didn't have much worth stealing, what did they take?

In 1998, I bought my brother a small treasure chest from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. My brother has always had an obsession with the ocean. I know, strange for a prairie boy. The small chest was painted with sailing ships and he used it to hold memories: photos, letters, our last shepherd's dog collar. The robbers took the chest. There was nothing of monetary value and everything of emotional value. Plus, for fun, yesterday was my brother's birthday. Happy 28th Birthday. I have promised that we will make some new memories from our trip to Italy and that a very good friend in Halifax will check if the Museum shop still carries the painted treasure chests. Everyone with whom I shared this story yesterday lamented "why? why would they take something like that?" I don't know. Normally, I am sympathetic. Normally, I think of the desperate situations that drive people to steal or otherwise break the laws and conventions of society. Normally. Today I'm just mad because my brother is hurt and I can't fix it. And I'm sad because his treasured things are probably lying in a dumpster somewhere after the robbers figured out that the little painted chest wasn't worth anything... to them.

The Foreigner Tax

2006-02-07T04:38:00.000-08:00

While I tend to be quite positive about my experiences in Serbia, and have on the whole received nothing but the kindest of treatment, I still have limited tolerance for the foreigner tax. There is a notion that because I am foreign I must have buckets of money, particularly Euros, sitting at home. I avoid taxi-cabs as much as possible because of the foreigner tax routuinely imposed by drivers. No, I will not negotiate the fare, just start the meter. No, I cannot pay you in Euros! I'm sure I have taken the long way around to every destination. This is not a problem limited to Serbia (or probably even to foreigners!).

So, I usually just take the bus, not withstanding the perils and vague schedule. It's cheap and mostly reliable. On rare occasion I travel with one of the other Canadians by car, with diplomatic plates. Dip plates are black, quite distinct. You are instantly identified as foreign. This has one of two effects:

1. you are foreign, you don't know how to drive, what you are doing, where you are going and you have some kind of immunity so there is no point in pulling you over or getting angry at you. I will just avoid you.

or my most recent experience....

2. you are foreign. I will pull you over for making a turn that may or may not have been legal. I will not ask you for your identification, registration, passport or driver's license, but I will ask you for 2000 dinars. I will refuse your repeated requests to issue a ticket (we're Canadian, we're nothing if not polite to authorities, we asked to be given a ticket in order to pay the fine).

I am foreign, not stupid. If you want me to pay a fine simply issue me a ticket and I will pay the proper authorities. There is no bucket of Euros in my apartment and I will not just hand you money.

Serbian word of the day

2006-02-03T04:11:00.000-08:00

I try to learn a new Serbian word everyday. Today's word/phrase is:

Nevidljivo Pile Tomi

Tommy the Invisable Chicken

Notwithstand my brother's threats, I am still planning a trip for he and I to Italy. Ryan will meet up with me in Belgrade and spend a few days here. We will bus to Split and take the ferry across to Ancona. Since I know my friends, both new and old, are a well travelled bunch, I would love to hear your suggestions of what to do with one week in Italy.

And the award goes to....

2006-02-02T03:51:00.000-08:00

Actually to me. Today we had a mock Toastmasters meeting at work. It was in the form of a seminar on public speaking given by the other Canadian intern who is currently working at Group. I received the award for Best Table Topics Speaker Award. Table Topics are a part of a Toastmasters meeting where all of the participants are asked to speak for one minute on a topic that they draw out of a hat. I drew "why I love travel" and was voted by the group as the best speaker.

You may be thinking...this is not quite fair. I was the only native English speaker at the meeting. I chose a career that requires public speaking because I enjoy it and have a talent for it. Indeed, I have been trained and paid to speak publically as an advocate. In addition, I do love travel, that's how I ended up in Serbia! So no, it was not quite fair, but I accepted graciously anyway (after trying to exempt myself from the running) and have posted the award on the "Canadian Corner".

More Eating

2006-02-02T03:44:00.000-08:00

The lovely meal I shared with K.M. and A.M. last night at Košava (I had turkey rolled with ham in a cream sauce with mashed potatoes, K.M had ravoli primavera and A.M. chicken salad and cream of tomato soup) reminded me of an amazing restaurant in Budapest. I don't remember the name, but I will always remember the atmosphere.

Angry Weather Gods

2006-02-01T01:14:00.000-08:00

Apparently by suggesting in my poem yesterday that it was not "winter" here, I have angered the weather gods. It is several degres colder, instead of the warm spell we were expecting. I have been warned of this before. When I lived in Halifax I dared to suggest to my roommate that the rain was letting up..... and it did.... four days later.

The lights have gone out in Belgrade

2006-01-31T00:46:00.000-08:00

In summer and fall the sunny skies, warmth, and sparkling fountains cover the fading grey and peeling fascades of Belgrade
Lovers walk through green parks, kiss in cafes
During the holidays, Belgrade was beautiful, bedecked in lights, gentle snow falling
A life sized snowglobe holding the promise of a forever perfect Christmas
The lights have gone out now
Now it is not really winter, there is no snow, only grey skies, grey smoke
It's not yet spring in Belgrade
She is like a Bride, once radiant, waiting for a Bridegroom who leaves the gate latched

Maybe she already misses me
Maybe I already miss her

TGIF

2006-01-27T04:55:00.000-08:00

With our cold snap at an end and the weekend in sight, I'm trying to work on the Annual Human Rights Report. I'm trying not to worry about the various deadlines we set for drafts and how they have passed with barely a blink from my co-authors. It has been noted that I am the only one worried we won't make our February 15 deadline. They will worry, but they are waiting to do that on Febuary 13.

It is a time of waiting. I have applied for a couple of position with NGOs here in Belgrade while also looking in Canada (policy work for DND, why not?). It's a waiting game while I have a month left at Group and then some holidays with my brother Ryan. Ryan, by the way, I may have mentioned the name and nature of your invisible friend (when he was 2) to my office mates over 4 rounds of beers last week. Sorry and don't worry I won't repeat the story of Tommy the invisible chicken on the Internet.

Tonight a 60s/70s rock & roll band is playing at the Embassy's Canadian Club (and 2 for 1 beer, what more could a prairie girl ask for?). And, if the weather holds, I think it will be a weekend of walking and window shopping. I need to stretch my legs, all this waiting makes me restless.

Bar Cat

2006-01-25T03:45:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not talking about a "cougar", the north american term for an older woman on the prowl for young, unsuspecting males, I'm talking about a cat. In my recent visit to Underground I met, for the second time, the Underground bar cat. A large white cat, which must be deaf from sleeping under the speakers, roams Underground from patron to patron. Everyone cuddles the bar cat and wants to hold and pet it. Everyone, that is, but me. The foreigner looks at bar cat and thinks. . . . . isn't this a violation of some health code.

The End of Serbian Holidays and the beginning of winter

2006-01-24T04:55:00.000-08:00

Today the temperature is -13, its the lowest daytime temperature I've experienced here. The appearence of winter and the last of the slavas has caused me to contemplate the holiday season in Serbia.

Top Ten things about the holidays in Serbia:
1. 2 Christmas, 2 New Years, all the party you can handle
2. slavas
3. Left over slava food brought to the office
4. three kisses from everyone (right, left, right)
5. Christmas and New Year's presents
6. incredible lights put up around the city, well after Dec.1
7. no shopping malls
8. only Christmas carols at home (they may have been played elsewhere, but in Serbian so what do I know?)
9. minimal expectations at the office from Dec 1 to mid-January and tons of time off
10. real New Year's wishes, specifically for me, instead of "all the best"

Things you won't find in Belgrade for the holidays:
1. egg nog
2. cranberries
3. Turtles
4. snow

Ok, can it be spring now?

More Lights

2006-01-23T01:02:00.000-08:00

Rain and grey

2006-01-19T01:01:00.000-08:00

Today's grey skies, while depressing for this prairie girl, are an improvement to the rain yesterday. I was quite excited when I got up and the temperature was 7 degrees. I had not prepared myself for the possibility I may have to build an ark to get home from the office. I am just not accustom to rain in January. In most of Canada, at least where I'm from, anything that falls from the sky from September to May is snow. The umbrella is an accessory of choice in Belgrade and I strongly reccommend buying one if you intend to visit, especially in winter.

The rain not withstanding, I was out for coffee last night with V. I waited for her at our usual table in the corner on the third floor of Inex. Inex is a cafe that sits beside Trg Republika facing the National Theatre and out to the street. From my perch overlooknig the square I admired the Christmas lights against the night sky and the architecture of the National Theatre. we are trying to get tickets to see Queen Margo (acclaimed ballet), but so far the January date was sold out and we will have to wait until the February schedule is announced.

Tonight it will be back out to Underground to see M. as the guest dj. The new Canadian intern hasn't had a chance to see M. in action or to get out on the town much so it should be a fun night. I have become spoiled by a work/lifestyle/culture that allows me to enjoy multiple nights out a week. Now if only I could get them to pay me....

It had to happen

2006-01-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

I have settled in to the point where I can go days without updating my blog and still have little new to share. Its not as though I have holed up since the holiday season. I've been out to dinner at Opera, drinks at the Handmade Cafe on Skadarska (the very cool, albeit touristy, Bohemian area of Belgrade), coffee at Movie Bar and a hefty Sunday Serbian supper at Kafana Kafana. For all of the eating and drinking I appear to do, according to my blog anyway, I should have gained 20 lbs while living here, but I combine that with much window shopping and a distaste for cab rides.

Supper at Kafana Kafana with several members of the Canadian Embassy staff was punctuated by discussions about the upcoming election. You see, as voters abroad, we have already cast our ballots and sent them via air mail to Elections Canada. It is a strange process to participate in from afar.

What hasn't been very far from our minds here, is the recent tragedy in Afghanistan. The Canadian flag at the Embassy is at half mast in honour of the death of Diplomat Glyn Berry. I keep reading the news, wondering how the soldiers who were serious injured during the suicide bombing are doing. Regardless of the politics surrounding the role of the military and the Canadian presence overseas, I am awestruck at the willingness of people to put themselves in harms way in the pursuit of peace.

Serbian New Year's and Splavs

2006-01-17T00:52:00.000-08:00

I celebrated New Year's on January 13th, last Friday, with some Canadian and some Serbian friends as a bar called Pirana. There was a great live band, we had a front row and centre table (reserved in advance as otherwise you will always stand, on any night really), and the mood was definitely celebratory. Ordinarily going to a bar for a New year's party would not be much to remark upon; however, this is not just a bar.... it is a splav.

A splav is a bar on a boat on the Sava (or Danube). I work at an NGO. I was somewhat jokingly informed that I was a "splav žene" (splav woman) and that I ought not be attending such establishments. Apparently during the Milosevic era the splavs played turbo-folk (nationalist Serbian folk music combined with dance music) and their clientele were supporters of Milosevic. As an example one of the most famous turbo-folk singers Ceca was married to Arcan, organized crime boss and commander of paramilitary forces who went to war in Croatia and Bosnia. I say "was married" because Arcan was murdered in a shooting at the Hotel Intercontinental.

Society was polarised between those who supported Milosevic, watched Pink TV, listened to turbo-folk and went to splavs and those who demonstrated in the streets, did not listen to turbo-folk or watch Pink TV, and did not go to splavs. Who knew a night out on the town could become so politically complicated?

Although Milosevic was overthrown on October 5, 2000, splavs are still considered by some to be the domain of those who belong to the radical party, support Milosevic and disbelieve the war crimes allegations, as well as elements of organized crime. I think that those who demonstrated in the streets against Milosevic and the wars hold the turbo-folk listening others responsible for the isolation of Serbia, the NATO bombings, and the lingering presence of organized crime. There were two Serbias. As an outsider, I cannot pretend to completely understand, or be able to verify anything, about this particular societal polarization. I never knew that the type of music to which one listened could define so much about political beliefs. I can say: Pirana was fun and the music (Serbian top 40 mostly) was good. Unfortunately the smoke was so thick that by 2am I couldn't stop rubbing my eyes and coughing, and so had to make an early end to my Serbian New Year.

All I got for Christmas…

2006-01-11T06:26:00.000-08:00

I managed through sheer force of will to leave my Christmas package from home unopened from its arrival in mid-December until 2:00am on December 25th. I called my Mom and brother in Saskatoon and opened my package over the phone. I had asked for a DVD or a CD, some tea, and Chai Latte mix. To my stunned delight, I had 6 homemade Christmas shortbread. Yes, my Mom airmailed me Christmas cookies. This would not come as a great surprise to my former roommates who shared in the Christmas treats mailed to me a few years ago in Edmonton. I still remember their surprised expressions “Your Mom mailed you tarts?” Well, this time she mailed me shortbread and Jack Johnson, Sex in the City, saskatoon berry chocolates, a Christmas angel, and plenty of tea, hot chocolate, and chai mix to get through the gray Belgrade winter. I didn’t start crying until I came across a small card with a picture of Mary and a little silver religious medal. My Mom attached the following note to it:

Hi, This little card was given to me by Sister Ludmilla.
It has to be about 50 years old or more.
Love,
Mom

Sister Ludmilla was my Mom’s aunt on her Dad’s side. She had become a nun quite young and was in a convent in Saskatoon when my Mom moved there. Nun, and fervernt Saskatchewan Roughriders fun. The card now sits with the small glass cross Sister Ludmilla gave me as an infant. I was truly blessed with many gifts at Christmas.

I will also be enjoying Ivo Andric’s The Bridge over the Drina, a silver Irish knot bracelet, and silver earrings. The silver earrings were a gift from one of my co-workers for New Years. She told me that during the communist era the tradition was to give gifts on New Years. Essentially all of the Christmas traditions were transferred to January 1st. The benefit is that now people can celebrate on the 1st, Christmas on the 7th, and Orthodox New Year on the 13th. Leave it to the Serbians to find a way to celebrate 3 times instead of only once or twice. I know that I will be taking the somewhat rare opportunity to raise a glass and toast the New Year, again, on the 13th.

Holiday lights in Belgrade

2006-01-10T00:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas on the walking street

The lights at Slavia traffic circle

Republic Square

Holiday dinner

2005-12-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

Although we had an absolutely lovely Christmas dinner at the Embassy, A.S. had also bought a Serbian meat roll (meat stuffed with meat and something?) so we could have our own holiday dinner. So for the first time I prepared a holiday meal solo, including roasted Serbian meat roll, mashed potatoes with gravy, pickled beets and carrots (thanks to A.S.' Mom) and pie (with pastry from scratch, yes Mom really). I think first solo holiday meals, including pie from scratch, warrant a commemorative picture.

Christmas in Belgrade

2005-12-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

When I was on the phone with my brother on Christmas eve (well, to be exact it was 2am on Christmas day for me, so I got to open my presents) he asked me "what is it like to have Christmas there". It was sort of like this:

December 22: made chocolate chip cookies and buttertarts for the office Christmas party. Bit of a challenge to make buttertarts for the first time, in Serbian, but thankfully K. translated my ingredients list and I found most of them in some form or another. I think they turned out pretty good.

December 23: Office Christmas party complete with a visit from Santa Claus.

December 24: Attended Christmas eve mass with D. from work in Serbian. Between D.'s translation and my better understanding of Serbian, mass was a wonderful experience. Nothing like the first Sunday I tried to go to mass in Serbian and was totally and completely lost. The Church was decorated with Christmas trees, candles, and a minature Bethlehem with manger.
After mass, we went to V. Christmas eve party to enjoy food and holiday spirits. At 2am I left the party to make my Christmas eve call home. Since it was technically the 25th for me I got to open my present on the phone with my Mom and my brother. Then it was time to bake more tarts, the first 3 dozen having been eaten. I put on the Christmas music and lights, lit some candles, and made hot sort-of-buttered rum for a Christmas drink after A.S. finished his night shift.

December 25: Christmas Day! M., the community co-ordinator at the Embassy, organized a truly, truly lovely Christmas dinner for the embassy staff, their families and guests (that would be me). The Canadian Club, the embassy lounge, was decorated with Christmas trees and lights as Christmas caroles played and everyone chatted about Christmas, traveling and home. It doesn't matter if its your first time away from home, or your tenth, everyone misses home on the holidays. The song, cheesy-ness notwithstanding, is right, but good people and good food can go along way to making a new place feel like home.... as can dancing! After feasting on turkey, imported cranberries, and pie decorated with pastry maple leaves, I gave a very very informal introduction to the waltz to Anne Murray's Can I have this dance. Definitely a Christmas to remember.

Holiday wishes for peace and joy at this time and through out the year to all

'Tis the Season

2005-12-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

The sun is going down and its lightly snowing in Belgrade tonight. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas with lights going up around the city and a Christmas decorations in our office. The holiday season is also marked by slavas. I attended the slava of St. Nicholas at both my landlady in Belgrade and my co-worker in Čačak. The differences in the celebrations were very interesting. My landlady has a small family and so the slava meal was more like a family dinner. While the food was great (roast beef, lamb and chicken, fresh bread, cheese pie, meat pie, egg salad, chocolate cake), I probably had the most fun with Adrian, my landlady's two year old grandson. Whenever I spoke English he would stare up at me, I was an alien creature. By the end of the evening he was quite taken with me, notwithstanding the language barrier, and I with him, notwithstanding that at almost 2 he still speaks and understands more Serbian than I do.

My co-worker's slava in Čačak was somewhat more traditional. We ate the fasting diet (no meat) and were treated to mushroom pie, fresh bread, fish soup, two types of roasted and smoked fish dishes, bean salad, Russian salad, and plenty of desserts. We were also given "Serbian tea" when we arrived off the bus from Belgrade. "Serbian tea" is plum brandy heated with plenty of sugar. We shared stories about Canada and looked at family pictures while the next two sets of relatives came to share slava (the table sat 8 and this was day 2 of the celebration for my co-worker's family). My favourite dish -- probably fasting Sarma, a type of cabbage roll made with soured cabbage leaves rolled around rich, sticky rice filling.

Don't worry Mom, I will still miss your turkey and dressing, your cabbage rolls, and your 8lb Christmas lasagna.

Slava

2005-12-19T02:27:00.000-08:00

I have the honour of being invited to two slavas for St. Nicholas. I will be attending my landlady's slava today and going to Čačak tomorrow to attend my co-workers slava at her parents. St. Nicholas is one of the most celebrated patron saints. Many families will be having slavas over the next two days. Our offices are empty. Slavas are both a religious and familial obligation and attendance is a very serious matter. Even though I'm Canadian, my office had no problem with me taking time off to attend these slavas.

I have my slava gifts. I bought turkish coffee and turkish delight, to be on the safe side. I still don't know the origin of giving men's socks to the host, but I did find out that it is a village custom. So, if you are Serbian and you are reading this post thinking "men's socks? what is she talking about?" the gift of men's socks to the host (and sugar cubes instead of turkish delight) is a very traditional gift in the village of my co-worker. I am still working on the explanation of why the socks....

I have also been working on understanding how each family receives or choose its patron saint. After asking around and being told "good questions....I don't know...it was a really long time ago". We are talking generations and generations ago. I do know the following:
1. families and villages or cities have patron saints which are celebrated by feasts called slavas
2. there is a kinship between families who celebrate the same slava
3. slavas are so well attended that guests are invited in shifts, for example, today I have the lunch shift at my landlady's slava
4. the family's saint passes through the husband's side of the family
5. there are a number of basis upon which a family may have taken a saint as their patron including their trade or profession, or geographic location.

On Wednesday I will report back on my slava experiences. Happy St. Nicholas slava to all!

Revelation

2005-12-16T03:57:00.000-08:00

Let the trumpets sound, I figured something out in Serbian. When I'm on the bus I try to read the street signs in order to practice my Cyrillic (and improve my orientation). Today I was on a street called CAPAJEBCKA or Sarajevska, a street named for Sarajevo. I recalled that there is Francuska street as well and remembered that when describing things in Serbian the case requires the ending of the adjective to be "ska" in the words I know like Canadska Embasada or Canadian Embassy. It clicked for me that the spellings of Sarajevo Street and France Street had the "ska" endings because the names of the streets are modified as adjectives describing a thing, the street.

I was heralded at the office as brilliant for this realization. I just feel a little less like an incompetent foreigner.

I do not mean this as self-deprecation. Understanding that I am an incompetent foreigner is crucial to my daily existence abroad. I am more flexible in shopping because as an incompetent foreigner I understand that I do not always know where to go for particular items, that I can't read labels in handwritten Cyrillic (like handwritten English, it is quite different from the printed version), and that I may need to get help from my friends. I build in "incompetent foreigner time" into gettings to new places. As an incompetent foreigner, who is also not a great map-reader, I need extra time to read and translate street signs, figure out which bus to take and from where, and in communicating with taxi-drivers. We missed our train in Budapest because of a failure to build in incompetent foreigner time (and because the metro just stopped running for almost 10 minutes).

But now that is all changed. I am now not an incompetent foreigner who doesn't understand the 7 cases of Serbian. I am now an incompetent foreigner who understands 1 of the 7 cases of Serbian.

Pretty good for a sandwich....

Kinda Funny

2005-12-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

I can identify my co-workers by their voices (from another room or over the phone) even though I can't understand what they're saying.

Serbian as a second language

2005-12-13T02:36:00.000-08:00

As someone who has previously taken pride in her ability to eloquently express herself, trying to speak Serbian is a humbling experience. One of my colleagues came into the office to ask whether I wanted anything for lunch. I regularly try my Serbian at work, with the support and encouragement of my colleagues, so I responded: Ja sam sendvič.

I am a sandwich

I was able to correct myself and say: Ja imam sendvič. I have a sandwich. But not before being told .... you just called yourself a sandwich.

That's all for today. I am a sandwich.

Stories

2005-12-12T03:27:00.000-08:00

Shortly after arriving at the train station in Budapest, we were stopped by two Canadians who gave us their left over bus tickets. They were waiting for their train to leave Budapest and saw the Canadian flag on A.S.' backpack proving yet again that: A. it pays to advertise and B. Canadians are everywhere.

The Canadian staff at the Embassy have "voluntary" shifts as bartender at the Canadian Club. This last Friday our bartender was the new Ambassador. He was unbelievably nice and approachable, and could easily make a career-shift to bartending if diplomacy lost its attraction. He made his rum punch, his own recipe, a variation on a cuba libre called cuba fuerentes. He also called it "anonymous" punch because "if you have more than 3 you will forget your own name". I managed to remember my name, but I don't think it improved my darts game...

Some thoughts on a quiet Friday

2005-12-09T03:12:00.000-08:00

In my experience of moving provinces twice and overseas once, it takes about 3 months to settle into a new city. In a sense, I have settled in here. This week was pretty routine. I went to work and started preparing the Annual Report on Human Rights for 2005. I got groceries, had dinner out with friends, had dinner in with friends, watched tv, wrote long emails, went shopping, and picked up a package at the post office. It is now routine for me to ask for pet sto grama sunka at the deli, to get deset karta za prevoz from the news stand, and to make turksa cafu for my co-workers. I am a regular at Opera cafe and the Canadian Club at the embassy, known as "the Canadian at that NGO".

But sometimes when I pick up a package from the post and its a Christmas present from my Mom because I won't be home for Christmas (first time) or I get an invitation to come for drinks to the Young Diplomats Club or to the Embassy because the Ambassador will be there, I realise this is far from routine. This year I will have Christmas dinner at the Embassy. I will visit Hungary, Bosnia, Croatia, the Czech Republic and elsewhere. I have conversations with people from the American, German, Swiss, and French embassies.

This morning as I walked to work, looking at the still green trees and grass, the strangeness struck me again. This place will never be ordinary and routine.

Meeting places

2005-12-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Meet you at the Horse

Every city has its meeting places. Belgrade has Trg Republika and Konj. Konj is horse in Serbian and the Horse is the meeting place in Belgrade. Poor Prince Alexander, still pointing south to yet unconquored lands, has been quite overshadowed. Behind him is the imposing National Museum and across the street is the National Theatre, where I rented my Serbian ballerina princess halloween costume. In the summer the square, full of flower beds, is host to open air concerts.

Life is short, eat dessert first....or at least often

2005-12-05T03:37:00.000-08:00

After enjoying a 4 hour walking tour of Budapest, I felt that I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted without caloric-consequences. We had some great food and drink in Budapest including cakes at Gerbeaud and "burning" hot chocolate. Gerbeaud is a cafe house at the end of the walking street, beside the market, serving cakes since 1858. Gerbeaud was renovate din the 1990s to its original grandeur including: heavy plaster work, magnificent chandeliers, marble tables, wood paneling, and brocade wall coverings.

The "burning" hot chocolate was so good we had supper at this restaurant twice just to have another hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was so rich and thick that you had to eat it with a spoon. It was served with a healthy does of rum providing the lovely blue flames.

On gift giving

2005-12-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

The first snow in Belgrade

Today is December 2. I have been in Belgrade for exactly 3 months. During these 3 months I have been overwhelmed by the generousity of people here. I have received N's mom's strawberry slatko (a heavy fruit preserve meant to be a pre-breakfast/coffee energy food, one teaspoon will do you), K's mom ayvar (a red pepper paste, in this case mild), and this week Dj brought me jam, canned peaches, and 2 soaps (a traditional gift for guests in rural Serbia). I don't know how to thank people for these and the many non-food related generousities. I know that I will remember them long after the slatko and ayvar jars are empty.

If you happen to be in Serbia during the Christmas season you may find yourself a guest to a slava. Slavas are saint days celebrated by families with feasts and friends. If you are so fortunate as to be invited to a slava here are some of the suggested gifts for your hosts:

1. alcohol

2. food i.e. Turkish Delight

3. men's socks

4. soaps

5. bag of coffee

And, if you ever take flowers for a host make sure that you buy an odd number as even numbers of flowers are only for funerals.

Some views of Budapest

2005-12-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Buda Castle
Buda from the Danube

Back from Budapest

2005-11-30T05:23:00.000-08:00

One train just miseed, 9 hours of wandering in the rain and eating cakes, one midnight train, and one day of recovery later, A.S. and I are back from Budapest. I was told to expect Hungary to be less friendly than Serbia. While the weather was certainly colder, I found the people to be friendly and more than willing to speak English to tourists. Mind you, I spent the weekend in Budapest and generally stuck to tourist places. After almost exactly 3 months I know Belgrade to be foreigner-friendly even when one is "off-road".

I hope to post some pictures from Budapest over the next few days, just some highlights. I understand that Budapest has been called "the Paris of the East". Certainly Budapest has some beautiful buildings, many built to honour the millenium of the country in the early 1900s. I haven't been to Paris, so I will be interested to see if any of you who have seen Paris will agree with the description.

I can heartily reccommend both the thermal baths (complete with baths of varying temperatures, indoor and outdoor baths, and dry and steam saunas) and the Hotel Anna. The Hotel Anna is a lovely 19th century hotel decorated with a respect for its architureal history and replete with 15ft ceilings, crown moldings, and persian rugs over the hardwood floors. It was lovely and the staff was very helpful with directions, reccomendations and restaurant reservations.

Long Weekend!

2005-11-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

Like Christopher Robin, I will be taking a 4 day long weekend! I am going to Budapest by train with A.S. Although buying train tickets in another language and booking hotel rooms in another country (sight essentially unseen except for the hotel website) has been a bit nerve racking, I am really looking forward to seeing "the Paris of the East". You can look forward to tales from Budapest over the next week and, hopefully, lots of pictures. Ciao

Serbian English

2005-11-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

While I may be a sphere of English, I am not free from the influence of those around me. Given that I spend much of my days editing "Serbian English" translations to make them more "English", something was bound to give. Yesterday I referred to D's computer as "he". At other times I have simply forgotten "the" from crucial parts of my sentence structure. These slips cause hysterics among my co-workers who always want me to correct their English.

In consideration of culture

2005-11-21T02:23:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love the most about Belgrade is the cafe culture. I love that people go out with friends, or a good book, to sit and drink coffee and actually talk. I hate the north american tendency to remain in front of the idiot box (read tv or computer). Maybe it's the Canadian winters that leave us home bound. I am reminded of that today as the first snow of the winter falls in Belgrade.

One of my least favourite things in Belgrade, apart from the smoking which I have already gone on about, is the omni-presence of cell phones. In Canada, I rarely used my cell phone. It was only purchased because my Mom threatened to withhold apple pie at Easter if I made the 5 hour drive from Edmonton to Saskatoon one more time without a cell phone. My inspiration to finally write about mobile use here comes from the most recent posting of Miss Manners on cell phone use. Miss Manners responded to the inquiry of a reader who wanted new rules for using cell phones. Miss Manners quite correctly pointed out that we didn't need new rules until we actually started using the old ones. Her examples: Do not yell in public. Do not conduct business at social occasions. Do not ignore your companions on a social outing.

I understand that the use of cell phones in Belgrade stems from many factors that aren't as present in Canada. There is no message manager or answering machine service here. Most people live with their families or roommates and want their own phone. And I admit my cell phone use here is dramatically different than at home. It is on most of the time unless I am in a gallery, museum, at the movies, etc. It is my primary phone and the way most people get a hold of me. This, I believe, is true for most people here. At the same time, unless you are a Doctor, it is unlike anyone will die if they can't get a hold of you for the time you are in the museum, art gallery, or the movies. Recently at the movies, I was shocked to see the lights of many, many cell phones while the movie was playing. The Merchant of Venice was good, but not quite enough to keep me from noticing how many times cell phones rang and were answered with impunity.

In short, Serbia is good, the coffee is great, I love the cafes and social culture, I hate the smoking and cell phone use is rampant.

Stara Pazova

2005-11-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

Stara Pazova is a little town about an hour from Belgrade. I visited Stara Pazova with my co-workers this week while they were conducting panel discussions about how to address the persistent problems with refugees and displaced persons.

Stara Pazova was an important front in WWII. As I walked the main street, I came across this memorial to the soldiers of WWII, the victims of the occupation of the German forces, and those killed in the wars in 1991 who were constripted from the area.

Care Package

2005-11-16T04:03:00.000-08:00

Last week I received a care package from my Mom. It took 2 months by ground mail for the package to make its way from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to Belgrade, but was worth the wait. Yes, I'm spoiled. My Mom has been sending me little care packages since I left for grad school in 1997, but the packages were most frequent while I was in law school in Edmonton. I didn't get the paper in Edmonton so I would receive clippings of the comic strips she thought I would enjoy with the usual treats. One time I received half a chocolate bar in the mail with a note "I'm sharing my chocolate bar with you, aren't you special!" and a smiley face with a curl on top of its head (which, of course, is me). Another time I received 6 buttertarts in the overnight mail because my Mom had just finished her Christmas baking and I was the only one who hadn't been able to sample straight out of the oven.

This care package had 2 comic strips that reminded my Mom about our late family cat Charlie, 2 saskatoon berry chocolates, real Canadian black tea, and......reeses pieces. Just after I received the mail slip indicating I had a package waiting for me at the post office, I thought to myself that it was too bad I forgot to ask for reese pieces. Everyone has a favourite chocolate bar and mine have always been reeses pieces. Although a full range of north american junk food is available, I haven't seen a reeses since I arrived. Turns out that I didn't have to ask, my Mom knew and included a little bag of reeses.....although I'm told my brother also wants credit....so thank you Mom and Ryan.

and no, I'm not sharing, get your own care package.

Crazy Old Cat Lady

2005-11-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

I have joked, and not, many times about becoming a crazy old cat lady living alone in a spooky old house. The kind of lady and house that inspires fear in neighbour children. I have often posed the question: how many cats do I need to be a crazy old cat lady? Is it really just more than 2? Is it dependent on the square footage of the residence? Good friends have already determined that an intervention is to be immediately staged if I should, at any time, own or shelter more than 2 cats. So it is not without some irony and trepidation that I post a picture of "my cats". Note I do not feed the cats, I have not named the cats, and I will not let any in my apartment.

Remembrance Day

2005-11-11T01:21:00.000-08:00

It is strange to be in a country with a long and complicated history of wars and conflicts, but that does not mark a day to honour its war dead. Maybe there are not enough days for the history of this region.

My family fled Russia in advance of World War I. Settled in the Canadian West, my grandfather already had a young family when the call for soldiers came for World War II. Two of his brothers answered the call; they were 15 and 17 at the time. They both survived the war. The 17 year-old, a tank driver, never really came back to us. Long before the diagnosis of PTSD, my great-uncle was waking in the night after tearing bedsheets in two. I never really knew him. The 15 year-old became a boxer and traveled between the fronts earning knock outs and entertaining the troups. He was Uncle Rocky even to me, the youngest of his great-nieces. Another younger brother served in the Korean War and we were again fortunate to have him returned to us. These are the men in my family who served. Their stories, as little as I know, will not go with them.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

For my Great Uncles Adam, Rocky and Fred - we remember

Sights

2005-11-10T05:15:00.000-08:00

In getting settled in Belgrade and developing friendships, I must admit my sightseeing has dramatically decreased. In my first month here I attended, at a minimum, 2-4 museums and galleries in a weekend, my apartment was clean, groceries purchased, and laundry done. All that tidiness and culture has been replaced with nights out to the movies, drinks with the girls from work, dinner with my Canadian gang, coffee dates, and dancing at the clubs. Culture of a different sort. To compensate you for the recent lack of Belgrade sights, I have posted two pictures I withheld from previous posts.

The first is St. Mark's Church. This picture taken during the day when Anon. Expat and were returning from the market. St. Mark's is particuarly beautiful at night when its many arches are dramatically emphasized with backlighting. Built between 1931 and 1940 in the Tasmajdan park, the chuch is a copy of the Gracanica Monastery in Kosovo.

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The second is a terrace just off the walking street. I love that everyone here makes the most of their outdoor spaces. Parks are beautified with landscaping and fountains. Terraces and balconies are full of flowers

Chicken Noodle Soup for the ..... cold

2005-11-09T03:14:00.000-08:00

Whenever I'm sick, I always want the things my Mom gave me to make me feel better. In the case of a cold, my Mom always made Lipton's Chicken Noodle soup and she always added extra macaroni noodles. I was fortunate enough to find dry packaged soups in my local C Market just of the walking street. The packaging, and instructions, are in Serbian but I'm pretty sure that I ended up with chicken noodle soup. In any case, I'm not going to ask my office mates and thereby destroy the illusion that I found chicken noodle soup. There is nothing like comfort food.

On Cyrillic medication and a belated Halloween

2005-11-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

I have recently been struck down by the Belgrade flu. My illness has been blamed on the changes in the weather at this time of year and my walking to work with wet hair on 2 occasions. I have not felt quite right for a couple of weeks and after a night out on the town with K. (go go dancers may or may not have been involved), I woke up on Sunday, truly and verily sick. I made it into work on Monday only to be sent home, via the pharmacy ("Apoteka") for some cold medicine. Thankfully the pharmacist spoke some English and I managed to obtain cold medicine, albeit with Cyrillic instructions. Taking medication that you cannot read is always good times, but since it worked, I feel my faith was not misplaced.

In my neglect and illness, I have not yet posted about the fabulous Halloween party at the Canadian Embassy. Halloween is not celebrated in Serbia. They do have masquerades, but they aren't associated with any specific occassion. You can imagine my cab driver's surprise in finding a princess asking for the Kanadska Embasada.

To be exact, I was a Serbian Ballerina Princess with a costume borrowed from the National Theatre. For the mere fee of 2000 dinars (about $36) I wore a costume originally built and worn for the National Ballet.

The party was fantastic. There was between 100 and 200 people, with at least 75% in costume. I guess the numbers are a little down from last years' 300 plus. It is reportedly "the embassy social event" of the year. Definitely a night to remember.

Wedding Bells

2005-11-03T04:14:00.000-08:00

Today, all by myself, I successfully made turkish coffee at my office. According to my office mate N., it was "perfect". To make turkish coffee normally requires boiling over a stove, but we have a turkish coffee equivalent of a percolator.

How to make turkish coffee:

Step One - boil water

Step Two - measure very generous heaping spoonfuls of coffee grounds into second boiling pot, use at least one spoonful per cup (and throw in one extra for good luck)

Step Three - measure the desired cupfuls of boiling water into the "percolator" pot

Step Four - boil water in percolator with grounds and watch as the boiling creates a soft foamy head on the coffee

Step Five - serve, often with a teaspoon of sugar (or two if you're making it for me) and a piece of turkish delight if you're lucky

Step Six - enjoy coffee and the accolades of co-workers that this time you got it right

If you can, get someone to read your future in your coffee grounds. It's sort of like having your tea leaves read.

According to my office mates, there is a Serbian saying that once a woman can make a good pot of coffee she is ready to get married..... but I'm pretty sure that only applied to Serbian women.

Turkish Delight

2005-11-02T04:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe you'll get Halloween pictures by Friday....maybe.

Today I have fallen in love, again. It feels a little like betrayal, after all, chocolate has been there for me, unfailingly for many years. I was introduced to Turkish Delight by Lyn (I think it was green-tea flavoured). One of Lyn's many wonderful concoctions. Today I met Lyn's Delight's older brother....Ratluk sa orasima. Turkish Delight with walnut pieces. Think of sugar, magically transformed into a light jelly with tiny pieces of walnuts and then rolled in icing sugar.

Lyn, you have to teach me to make this stuff when I get back.

This morning I have had two cups of turkish coffee (with sugar) and three pieces of Turkish Delight. I am in a blissful caffinated, sugar coma. I wonder if there is a limit on the number of boxes of Ratluk sa orasima I can bring into Canada...

Accomplishments in Serbian

2005-10-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow you will get a posting all about the fabulous Halloween party at the Canadian Embassy (complete with pictures in costume, of course). Today I felt particularly accomplished, not because I had remembered to download the pictures from the Halloween party because I didn't, but because I managed two transactions mostly in Serbian. I returned my Halloween costume on Saturday - "Je imamo jedan zenski kostim" - and directed a cab driver to my apartment. While I can now manage some street names and directions, let's just say it's a good thing that you don't have to turn left to get to my apartment. Now, I know it starts with l..... well, St. Sava wasn't built in a day.

Spheres of Influence

2005-10-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever walked into a room, or up to a group of people talking, and had the discussion fall silent? Most of us have had this experience at one time or another, but I experience a peculiar variant of this in my office in Belgrade. I am a Sphere of English. It is, of course, understandable that my office mates would speak to me in English because I don't speak Serbian (well, nothing more than greeting you Good Day and asking for a beer). If my sphere extended no further than those who converse directly with me, it wouldn't be much of a phenomenom. What has started to happen is that my mere presence causes English to be spoken. This is also somewhat understandable. One of my co-workers indicated that she spoke English in the office when I was around, but not necessarily involved in the conversation, because it must be frustrating for me to hear Serbian all day and not be able to understand. It can be frustrating and it is particularly kind of her to be so considerate. Still, not much of an occurance to rate as a phenomenon. I do consider it somewhat phenomenal that my mere presence through a room can cause a few English words to be spoken, that one of my office mates has talked to HERSELF in English, and that on several occasions a conversation started in English in my presence has continued in English after I left the room.

PDAs

2005-10-26T01:14:00.000-07:00

We are heading into Belgrade's late summer. The weather is beautiful. The sun is shining. The grass is still green and the leaves have only just started to change. With good weather, you will find the street side cafes, bars, and parks of Belgrade packed. No matter the time of day you can find people enjoying the many parks Belgrade has to offer. Given that most people live in apartments, parks provide a green space for all to enjoy. Parks are also a favourite spot for couples.

This brings me to the title of the post "PDAs". I don't mean personal digital assistants. I mean public displays of affection. In a society where people still largely greet each other with a kiss on the cheek and where women stroll the shopping street arm in arm or holding hands, perhaps I should not be surprised that a more liberal attitude to displays of affection would rule. It also doesn't help that, because of the incredibly high cost of housing, most people here live with their families, sometimes even after marriage. So if you ever visit Belgrade don't be surprised to see couples in private embraces in public places. I, for one, will just be keeping my gaze to the statutes, fountains, and changing leaves.

This also has me thinking how we must seem restrained and cold to Europeans.

Land of Living Skies

2005-10-24T01:04:00.000-07:00

I have been astounded by the beauty of Belgrade. I have taken pictures of its architecture and parks, written of its many fountains and statues. On Friday I brought pictures of my family and Saskatchewan to the office. After enduring the many comments concerning the attractiveness of my little brother (ick, he's my brother!), I showed the pictures of Saskatchewan. The first comment from the group struck me .... Look at the sky.

I agree. So you will find no pictures of terraces or stone work, statues or fountains, here today. Only two pictures of the Saskatchewan sky and my thoughts that as far as I roam, this will always be home.

The Paradox of Karadorde and St. Sava

2005-10-20T01:18:00.000-07:00

This is the statute of Karadorde ("Black George") that stands imposingly, his back to St. Sava Church, facing Bulevar (formerly Bulevar Revolution now Bulevar Kralj Alexander, but mostly just known as Bulevar). Karadorde, through the force of his will and that sword at his side, freed Serbia from Turkish occupation for a short time.

The moment I took this picture, still in awe of the Church, the paradox of the two struck me. Not just Karadorde and his sword at St. Sava, but the constant conflict and contrast between Serbia's rich spirituality and generousity and the history of violent struggle.

Unfortunately this history is not confined to dusty books in libraries. Last night as I sat with a co-worker, enjoying a hot chocolate after some intense retail therapy, she told me about how no generation in her family had lived without experiencing war. Her grandparents lived through World War One, her father through World War Two, and she had been in school in Belgrade during the NATO bombings. She hoped that her children wouldn't have to live through war.

Dinner at ?

2005-10-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

The ? is Belgrade's oldest kafana. It sits, an unassuming brown building, across the street from the Orthodox Cathedral.

Like Prince, the restaurant's name was reduced to a symbol following an argument about ownership over a name. The ? was formerly known as The Restaurant Beside The Cathedral. The clergy of the Cathedral took great offence to a kafana referencing the church in its name and demanded the name be changed. The owner's response was to replace the name with ?. And the ? remains today.

I have had dinner at ? on two occasions and was impressed with the food. They serve traditional Serbian dishes and excellent Turkish coffee. I sampled both the mixed grill and the cevapi with fried potatoes, heavy flat bread and a sopska salad (tomatoes, cucumber, and onion with grated Serbian cheese). A mixed grill is 6 or 7 types of grilled meats (typically including cevapi) while cevapi is sausages grilled with onions. Cevapi, although deceptive simple, is different from kafana to kafana and across the Balkans. It is also reputed to have curative effects... Apparently cevapi from the bakery, served in a flat bread with a few spoonfuls of Serbian cheese, is an excellent cure for a hangover. It would also be a cure to that 10 pounds you just can't quite put on. Cevapi is a must try when in the Balkans.

While we were having dinner we noticed an Orthodox priest having dinner at the kafana. The floor length black robes do stand out. He was enjoying his meal, a beer and talking on his cell phone. I guess the clergy has forgiven ?

Thanksgiving in Serbia

2005-10-12T01:10:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune of being invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with my friends from the Canadian Embassy. Beautiful roast chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and broccoli, and Andrew's Amazing Apple Pie. Great company and delicious food. I was thankful for all of that and more, in particular the doorman. As I managed to find the correct building I realized that my cell phone wasn't working. I couldn't phone up. I didn't know the suite number and there are no names on the buzzers. As I stood, looking at my phone with frustration, knowing that Thanksgiving was just meters away, the doorman said "Canada?". I nodded and he led me up to the correct suite.

And Mom, I did take something. Orange lillies from the flower shop at the top of Kneza Milhailova, that I bought completely in Serbian. They looked like Tiger Lilies.

Pictures from Saturday night

2005-10-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

Two of my co-workers took me out to a club called Ben Akiba on Saturday night. Look pictures with me actually in the picture to prove I was there! It was fun. They played Naked Gun on the wall and have rotating exhibition of art. They also have a book of cocktails that puts both Devlins and The Savoy to shame.

Out and About

2005-10-10T03:38:00.000-07:00

I've finally made it out to the club scene in Belgrade and it is wild. Although the season for clubbing on the bar/boats on the Sava River is closed for the winter, there are plenty of places to go as long as you abide by a few simple rules.

Rule 1 - do not go anywhere before 11pm
Rule 2 - do not talk about or think about Fire Codes and the violations thereof
Rule 3 - everyone smokes, everyone, everywhere, all the time, accept it
Rule 4 - know people... or know people who know people. To enter many clubs you will have to be on the list, just to get in the door. If you want a table that's another list. The above picture is a bar called Underground. Both Underground and Sargon are clubs in the caves under Kalemedgon Fortress. I enjoyed Sargon. The music was great. The ceilings were incredibly high so the smoke was't as bad. It was full but not to the point where I thought "if there is a fire in here we are all dead".

On my way to work I pass by a park which is governed by the statute below. I'm not sure who he is, but the pidgeons really like him so he must not be all bad.

The sign is from my back yard. I thought it probably says stay off the grass. Although the gang of feral cats don't seem to pay it much attention.

Further to the blueprint

2005-10-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

Given the lovely response I received to my request for remedies for homesickness, you are all due an update on my progress. I am fortunate to live one street from Kneza Milhailova, the walking street. I am in the thick of the shopping, cafe, gallery and museum district. I have visited the Ethnographic Museum and been fascinated by their exhibition on icons and their displays of ancient Serbian costume. I have viewed the contemporary photography exhibit "Things sacred, things profane" at the French Cultural Centre and drawings of Don Quixote at the Spanish Cultural Centre (which used to be the American Cultural Centre, but that building was destroyed by a riot during the NATO bombing campaign). The Serbian Academy's Gallery of Art and Science is currently hosting an exhibition of Italian art. I was quite taken with the entire exhibition and have included 3 photos that do not do the pieces justice.

A lovely space on a rainy day

I have also taken my first trip outside of Belgrade. One of my office mates was spekaing at a panel debate on the return of refugees from Western Europe in the southern city of Užice. I very much enjoyed the 4 hours drive through the mountains, our stop for coffee, and the enormous tradition Serbian meal to which I was treated on arrival. I swear to you that there were no less than 8 kinds of meat on the platters brought to our table. Complimented by fresh sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, with pickled white bell peppers and roast potatoes, it was wonderful meal.

My experience of the beautiful and peaceful countryside was only partially disturbed by the gift of a map that demonstrated the various invasions through the area.

There's no place like "home"

2005-10-03T01:27:00.000-07:00

The Canadian Embassy. It's a little piece of Canada, quite literally. The principle of extraterritoriality in international law and diplomacy applies such that the ground each Canadian embassy sits on is considered to be the territory of Canada. After completing my ROCA, registration of Canadians abroad, I was notified of the Canadian Club. Every 2, 3, and 4th Friday the Canadian Embassy hosts "happy hour" from 5pm - 9pm. The 1st Friday of the month is a party at the Australian Embassy.

I have now attended 2 Fridays and met a few of the Canadians who work at the Embassy. On their invitation I watched the inter-Embassy football league last Saturday. Our team, comprised of no actual Canadians but rather Serbian employees of the Embassy, was thoroughly beaten by the team from the British Embassy, who were actually also mostly Serbian with one or two pommes.

This last Friday I attended the wildly successful Trivia Night and captained one of the winning teams. I earned one bottle of Canadian Club Citrus that I will be donating to my office. Other than the Embassy staff, I have not met any other Canadians in Belgrade. There is a certain comfort in arriving at the Embassy on Fridays, speaking "Canadian", and sharing our experiences. I have struck new friendships with Kendra, Andrew, and Adam. We went for drinks after Trivia Night, and dinner and drinks on Saturday. The food on Saturday was as lovely as the company.

All of this culminated in a Belgrade - first for me on Sunday. I was just leaving Opera after chatting with my Mom over Skype (drinking my fabulous cappucino and eating the free cookies that the waiter brought me) when I heard someone yell my name. I RAN INTO SOMEONE I KNEW IN BELGRADE. I ran into Kendra and Andrew taking Kendra's just arrived friend Claire for a coffee. After wandering the streets of the Old City for a month in complete anonimity, this was quite the experience. They invited me over for supper. Later Vanya (Kendra and Andrew's neighbour) and Adam popped over so that they could take Claire for a drink and we all made dinner plans at Belgrade's oldest Kafana for Thursday. Kendra commented "the gang's all here.....we have a gang" and we all looked at each other and smiled. 4 Canadians. One from British Columbia, one from Saskatchewan, one from Ontario and one from Nova Scotia, meet up in Belgrade. The gang's all here.

Back to our regularly scheduled broadcast

2005-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

With technical difficulties seemingly out of the way, I bring you St. Sava. St. Sava has been under construction since the late 1800s. To be fair, construction has been interrupted by a few minor snags: WWI, WWII, rise of communism, fall of communism, dismantling of FRY, NATO bombing, economic crisis. Once finished, it will be the third largest Orthodox place of worship in the world.

My pictures cannot begin to demonstrate the sheer enormity of this place.

There is also a chapel on the grounds of St. Sava. A wedding was being performed as a brass band played outside and a family sat with their bicycles feeding the pigeons.

Still can't post pictures

2005-09-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

Although I managed to post the picture of the McDonalds sign (as you see below), blogger and my computer (and I think something about 'cookies') will not allow me to post the pictures I intended to show you today. So today you get a glimpse into the world of Serbian tv.

Top Ten TV programs I get (without cable)
1. Will and Grace
2. Friends
3. Smallville
4. Buffy
5. Men Behaving Badly
6. two versions of Sherlock Homes
7. three spanish soap operas (one actually named, Machos, Machos, Machos)
8. Euro MTV
9. tv Shopping channel
10. football, football, football

I promise to work on the pictures problem.

Technical Difficulties....

2005-09-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

As frequently happens to me here, I am experiencing technical difficulties. I had planned a post with pictures from the weekend, but, alas, blogger or my computer or my server or all three are conspiring against me. Other things that conspire against me include: phones, ATMs, grocery stores, my washing machine, the Cyrillic alphabet (p as r, r as g, H as N, for a start).

On Friday I attended the dedication of Jelena Santic peace park in Belgrade. I've been asked not to comment on my colleague N.'s driving in her Ferrari (read Yugo), but safe to say that my lack of Serbian did not impair my ability to understand her expressions between the honking and the hand gestures. The rain had finally ceased for the week and we had a lovely afternoon. There was music and dancing from Group 484 volunteers and the children of the neighbourhood. I had not expected to be singing along with renditions of Ray Charles or the Mamas and the Papas.

Later that night we all gathered for a celebratory party at a club on Ada and I learned why Dominic and Dephine insisted upon "international" style ballroom dancing. Trust me when I say it really is international. Millica and I managed a fabulous jive after exchanging the following words "jive?" "yes". Thank you D and D, our little performance was the hit of the party.

Strange Pairs

2005-09-26T01:49:00.000-07:00

After too much pelinkovac on Friday, note if you cannot pronouce a drink you want to be careful as to how much of it you imbibe, I wasn't up for much treking on Saturday. Anon. Expat and I made a trip to the market and then had a lovely cup of tea on the terrace of Hotel Moscow. As I sat enjoying my tea and the 20+ weather, I spotted a pair of signs, the combination of which struck me as strange and amusing.

Venturing out

2005-09-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

Not one to do things by half measures, I have some initial reports my ventures and adventures out. On Wednesday night I attended the book launch for "Jelena Santic". This book commemorates the life of one of the founders of Group 484, celebrated ballerina and peace activist Jelena Santic. Sadly, Ms. Santic died just before the first free democratic elections in Serbia. Although I was not able to follow much of the speeches in Serbian, the energy in the room was unmistakable.

After the launch, I stopped for Bosnian meat pie (pita meso) with a colleague. Essentially this dish is comprised of ground meat fried with onions and spices and then wrapped in filo pastry. Other fillings include mushrooms, spinach, cheese, or ham and cheese, but pita meso is the traditional variety. Once refueled, we proceeded to a nearby cultural centre for a concert. The Walkabouts from Seattle were playing to a packed house. At midnight I turned into a pumpkin, much to the dismay of my colleague who has insisted that by the end of six months I will be trained to stay out late and drink at least 3 pivo (beer).

Last night after the repairman fixed my hot water tank (to much rejoicing), I and my laptop paid Opera a visit. Opera is my favourite cafe. Not only does it have fabulous coffee and great food, but the staff speaks english and it is a free wireless hot spot. Parked in a corner by the window, I enjoyed my cappucino and breaded apple rings lightly fried and served with whipped cream and ice cream on raspberry coulis, while chatting over MSN messenger. It was almost like I got to enjoy my fabulous coffee and great dessert with good friends. What more could a girl ask for?

Expressions without Borders

2005-09-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

Somethings never require translation:

1. Star Wars, particularly Princess Leia
2. McDonalds
3. Coka Cola (or Koka Kola)
4. F#%*!!!
5. shoes
6. French chocolates
7. how much it sucks when your country is hosting the World Basketball Games and you are previous champions and your team does not make the quarter finals

Top Ten Remedies

2005-09-20T03:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your emails and comments on homesickness, reading them was a remedy in itself. Being the A-type planner that I am, I have a constructed a blue-print, a top ten list of the things I will be doing (and then writing about) to "cure" myself.

1. Have coffee with new American friend (looking forward to it Anon)
2. Buy more treats (hope not to gain as much weight as V. did in Germany, wow, more than with Kiefer!!! ;)
3. Research the best beer in Serbia with office mates
4. Attend every Happy Hour at the Canadian embassy
5. See one new thing in Belgrade each weekend and blog
6. Go out for dinner once a week and sample Serbian cuisine (but sadly, I will not be taking pictures of my meals like Lyn, seriously I'm already the weird foreign girl, I do promise reviews)
7. Did I mention Blog and Email and I now know how to use MSN Messenger (yup, right into the 21st century)
8. Attend the only mass in English in Belgrade at St. Peter's
9. plan trip with Ryan in March
10. buy more minutes on Skype

stay tuned for restaurant reviews, museum exhibition notes, and more pictures. Miss you all.

Looking for Home Remedies

2005-09-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

This post is difficult to write, not because I don't have anything left to say after two weeks in Belgrade, but because it is hard to admit that at 30 I miss my Mom .... actually that I miss alot of things. I miss ordering a double double. I miss walking Whyte with Ellen and stopping by Alikatu to see Rebecca. I miss brunch with MM and PT. I miss geek night, Top Gear, and Dr. Who with Simon. I miss just being able to speak english all the time. Homesickness has not so subtlely settled in and it feels ridiculous. I wanted this experience. I applied for it. During this week at the office we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of Group 484. I think about the homesickness that displaced persons must feel. Those who are not so fortunate to have travelled with Saskatoon Berry tea and favourite slippers. Those who will not find themselves back in the arms of all who love them and the safety of a country like Canada in 5 months and 2 weeks. Those who have been displaced for almost a decade and who may never enjoy returning "home".

Yet, in the dark stillness of my apartment as I try to fall asleep at night, these are not thoughts that provide a remedy to homesickness so I am reaching out for remedies. I am trying to avoid retail therapy, emotional eating and sky high phone bills. This call goes out to all of my friends, new and old, well-travelled or neophytes -- how do you cure homesickness???

Kalemegdon - Part 2

2005-09-16T01:40:00.000-07:00

The grounds of Kalemegdon are approximately 40 hectares of park protected by the Protector of Belgrade.

The Protector has quite the view from his station on top of Kalemegdon both across to Novi Beograd and south along the Sava river.

The park is full of people and statues, none of whom I understand very well, all with an incredible history to tell.

(The Struggle)

Kalemegdon

2005-09-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

In the third installment of our "what I did last Saturday" series, I give you my impressions of the fortress and grounds of Kalemegdon.

Coffee with Plato

2005-09-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

During my Saturday walkabout I stopped for a coffee at Plato's cafe. Under the statute's watchful gaze and in the shadow of the University's Faculty of Philosophy, I contemplated my cappucino. This square, now full of cafe tables, was the site of student demonstrations in 2000 to oust Milosevic.

Last night on Radio Canada International there was an interview about a new documentary "Canada, the breaking point". It has been ten years since the 1995 referendum where Quebeckers voted by a 1% margin (54000 votes) No to separation. According to interviews with Raymond Chretien (then ambassador to the US) there was no Plan B if the vote went Yes. No position on refusal or acceptance or negotiations. It makes me wonder whether there is a Plan B for the upcoming referendum in Montenegro.

Won't you be my neighbour?

2005-09-14T01:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the neighbourhood. I live about a block off of Kneza Milhaila, affectionately known as "the shopping street". This pedestrian roadway is lined with cafes and shops and is a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon. So I did.

Pictures as Promised

2005-09-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

My apartment, the back yard and its inhabitants.

My rent and deposit in dinars. Gives you an idea why rent is paid in euros....

The War for Independence

2005-09-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

You must be thinking that this post would be about Kosovo or the upcoming referendum in Montenegro set for 2006 but this is my own personal conflict. In Canada I pride myself on my degree of independence. Before I had to depend on friends to store all of my worldly belongings (again thank you to Karen and Dan, Lyn and Ian, and Mark and Simon), I was able to conduct my every day life on my own. Some may say this shows a control issue. To that I say....yes, and that's why we have therapy. In Serbia I am like a child, except that even children speak more Serbian than I do. Wonderful people from my office have helped me look for apartments, buy bus tickets, attend twice at the Department for Foreigners (trust me, not a happy place) and so on. Last night I made a bid for independence. I went out from my new apartment to the bank to get the dinars required to exchange for euros for my rent. I found the bank with little difficulty and set out for the journey home. I promptly got lost. I had no cell phone and no address. I knew where the apartment was in terms of landmarks, but didn't actually have it written down. I tried retracing my steps in the fading light but nothing looked familiar. Finally, I found the office and noted that lights were on. Fortunately for me, my director Vesna was working late. She phoned around and got my address and gave me directions. Unfortunately for me, my director Vesna now thinks I can't navigate my way out of a paper bag. I found the apartment without difficulties after that; however, it was clear that the score was Serbia 1 Chantelle 0.

This morning I walked to work carefully, noting the landmarks and the number of intersections. I bought bourek (cheese and filo pastry pie) for breakfast on the way and found work without a problem. Serbia 1 Chantelle 1. I'll take the draw, for now.

A Nomad no more

2005-09-08T01:26:00.000-07:00

I have secured a flat. I have a bachelor apartment (pictures to follow) for 300 euros/month a short walk from work in downtown Belgrade. It's one room with a bathroom and a washing machine. It is nice and newly finished in a very quiet and secure building. It's more than I could ask for...well, except that it doesn't have a bathtub. A major concession for me, but I'll survive in order to be a nomad no more.

Not all work and no play...

2005-09-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

Just so you don't think I'm here, slaving away, with no fun in sight, I have included pictures from my trip with Katarina to Ada island. Ada is a man-made lake just outside Belgrade that has an island lined with beaches just waiting within for those who want to escape the urban heat of Belgrade. It is a very popular destination for those who cannot get to the sea-side to holiday in the summer, but was quite empty on our visit. Katarina said that 25 degrees was a little cool for people to want to come out to the beach....

As promised

2005-09-07T00:53:00.000-07:00

To give you a taste of Belgrade I have taken pictures to show you my walk to work.

I leave Studentski Grad and take the bus across the river to Centar.

I walk through downtown.

to our office building.

I sit at the middle desk.

So you all wanted to know...

2005-09-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

what kind of work I am going to be doing. I have met with Miodrag of the policy and advocacy unit of Group 484 and they could use my assistance in comparing all of the asylum laws of Serbia's neighbours. I will also be helping prepare a meta-analysis of the poverty reduction measures recommended in national, regional, and international papers and reports for our upcoming conference on refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). As Group 484 has been planning to undertake more work in the area of gender analysis, my background in gender theory will be helpful. I have a few more meetings to attend, but this should give all of you a sense of the work I will be undertaking in Serbia.

I have landed

2005-09-05T01:52:00.000-07:00

Dobro dan, after flights through Toronto and London, I have arrived in Belgrade (Beograd). I was met at the airport by Vladan and Dan. They took me to Studenski Grad (literally Student City), my temporary accomodations, to drop off my very heavy bags and then on to the office. The rest of Friday is a bit of a blur given the jet lag; however, I did meet most of my colleagues (almost none of which I can now name off the top of my head) and received my first guided tour of old Belgrade.

Belgrade is divided into two distinct cities, new Beograd and old Beograd. Old Belgrade is architecturally stunning (pictures to follow) with buildings dating back centuries, parks, fountains, and Kalmegdon, an enormous old fortress preserved as a UNESCO heritage site. New Belgrade was built on the other side of the Danube and is like the night to Old Belgrade's day. Construction started after WWII by Tito as housing for workers. The architecture is very utilitarian, broken up by the occasional McDonalds. Ordinarily I avoid McDonalds; however, as McDonalds here has both internet and no smoking, it will be my new home away from...away from home.

A few interesting things I have learning about Serbia in my first few days:
1. a hot shower is a priceless commodity
2. smoking is a national past time
3. to go for a coffee-- to cafe is a verb, and a very enjoyable one at that
4. most people speak english, but everyone speaks the international language of smile and point

and most importantly...when asking why something is the way it is in Serbia the explanation will invariably begin with...."well, about 800 years ago..."

It's official!

2005-08-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

I have quit my lovely, well-paid and privileged position at a large national law firm to go to Belgrade for 6 months and work as an intern with Group 484. I will be working in international human rights and, in particular, the laws concerning refugees and internally displaced persons. I'm excited and scared. This is an opportunity of a lifetime.

For more information on Group 484 please visit their website.