Reluctant Dragon

East-West

2008-03-14T14:17:00.003+01:00

Damn capitalism. So much to say, and with all the work and classes I didn’t have time to write event the shortest of posts.

First of all I was quite annoyed and upset when “just a Serb” threatened to poke out my eyes, but unfortunately that is once again the state of Serbian society - violence against anyone with a different opinion. Sarcasm is all I have left to confront it. It is dangerous when one reduces his identity to only one ethnic definition. It is dangerous when a state reduces its policy to one issue – Kosovo is Serbia. It seems in that case the opposite is also true - Serbia is reduced to being just Kosovo. And because we’ve lost Kosovo, we’re definitely loosing everything else. Quickly.

I was thrilled, therefore, with the news of elections. I am, at the same time, very scared about their potential outcome, but it seems this time, more than ever before, we have a referendum. Who has the majority? Which direction will the country take? After the elections we will see whether we will join the EU or Belarus. After the elections many of us will be forced to reexamine future ties with the motherland.

Another type of election which I always see as a test of society’s inclinations took place. It wasn’t too big a surprise that Oro will represent Serbia at the Eurovision in May. Hopefully this victory does not have a deeper meaning with regard to the elections. I hope it’s just a result of the fact that most performances, especially the one by my favorites, were kind of weak, and not a definite transition into romanticized nationalism. The song itself is not even bad, just a bit passé.

Despite my sincere wishes, it is now clear that it will be utterly impossible for me to attend Eurovision in Belgrade in person. What makes me feel a bit better is that the songs this year are quite bad, even for Eurovision standards. Serbia might actually do well again. But looks like it’s going to be quite a borring show.

Due to mislabeled videos on Youtube, it turned out my absolute favorite for Eurovision isn’t even representing his country. The lack of taste Icelanders showed in not picking Haffi Haff’s Wiggle Wiggle Song cost Western Europe their best chance to send next year’s event as west as it goes. My prediction, having listened to all the remaining contenders, is that all the Eurovision Eastern-Europo-phobes will be screaming again as the contest in 2009 moves to Asia, with Armenia winning. That is if the Armenians manage to beat turkey. The animal, not the country.

By the time we know where Eurovision is going, we’ll also know Serbia’s path. Safe trip everyone!

The Patriotic Youth of Serbia Wears Prada

2008-02-29T17:37:00.001+01:00

Many of us, Serbs, stranded, here on hostile territory, have spent many a sleepless night wondering how best to contribute to the dignified struggle that our fellow countrymen and women have begun. Fortunately, our magnificent and considerate government has through its consular representatives granted us just such an opportunity. Although the ambassador has been withdrawn to solemnly pray for Kosovo in St. Sava Cathedral, the beheaded consulate still manages to perform its duties splendidly and has sent every Serbian man, woman and child in the US an open e-mail containing an invitation to a protest gathering as well as the e-mail addresses of every other man, woman and child in the US. It may be spam, but it’s our spam.

The location of this glorious gathering is a bit unclear to me. Not much to burn and pillage around the UN building. The UN itself is our friend and guardian of international law. Still, this is New York, so I’m sure there is a Starbucks, that sworn enemy of Serbhood, not more than a corner away. Nevertheless I should go beforehand and check out the shops in the vicinity, so that like my compatriots in Belgrade, I can express my affinity to law, justice and freedom and outrage over the policy of force by looting me some new goodies. It’s a shame they didn’t organize the protest in Soho, much nicer stores there. Still I hope I’ll find at least an Urban Outfitters somewhere.

The only remaining dilemma, both for me and other patriots at home is how do we then live with ourselves for wearing these imperialistic brands? In fact, how do I live here at all if I am to boycott enemy products? Oh, never mind, it’s all made in friendly China anyway.

There Will Be Blood

2008-02-23T06:29:00.002+01:00

Probably inspired by my bad premonitions about the events taking place back home I went to see the film with the ominous title. And just as I expected, the film is visually stunning, the music is discomforting but brilliant and Daniel Day Lewis is unpleasantly good.

The film is tense and intense and it tells us the dark and dirty background of the wealth and prosperity of America. The squabbling communities faced with the sudden prospect of getting rich with money from oil extracted from their dusty backyards also give some clues of how and why our oil obsessed world is such a mess. At the same time it is a wonderful insight into the greed-stricken human mind, the obsession with power that can never be satisfied. It speaks of people who hate people and perhaps life itself, people who bear grudges, cannot stand to be humble or humbled, people who can never be content but keep pushing their intentions at any cost. As a result there’s misery, violence and, as the name says, blood. Kind of reminds me of people on a stage in front of the Serbian Parliament the other day. I still hope, there was enough blood there.

The End

2008-02-21T23:08:00.000+01:00

The dream is finally over. I have always been critical of the state in which Serbia is today, but what is happening exceeds my darkest fears. The revolution of October 5^th 2000 has been overturned by another revolution, or better yet – coup. That is exactly what happened - the final steps of the coup which started on March 12^th with the assassination of Zoran Djindjic. Now 5 years later it is complete. Vojislav Kostunica and Tomislav Nikolic, who inspired and participated in this murder have now taken absolute control of the country bringing their violent supporters from all over Serbia to deal with their opponents and destroy any hope of Serbia joining the civilized world. I am afraid of what this crystal night will bring. I am afraid for the lives of people who are still voices of reason. I expect that the aforementioned villains will use the chaos to introduce a state of emergency and take control officially as a government of “national unity”. This is the end.

Here We Go Again

2008-02-21T17:48:00.000+01:00

Sad, Very Sad

2008-02-20T06:35:00.001+01:00

If all this independence stuff is false, illegal and invalid, shouldn’t it be business as usual? We still have as much control over Kosovo as we did last week? If it weren’t for McDonalds’s restaurants, LDP and Albanian pastry shops we would have no problems whatsoever.

But hey, since we’re losing, let’s lose everything. We’re allowing the demolition of our own cities, cutting diplomatic ties with countries on which we heavily depend, we shouldn’t even sing anymore and choose our Eurovision representative. That’s how sad we are. We are so busy mourning the loss of our past that we don’t care we’re losing our future.

Just when you thought it was safe to go out…

2008-02-18T23:24:00.002+01:00

As the police are once again ordered to let fascist thugs use Belgrade as target practice to vent their frustrations, the main parties plan to show the world some good old Serbian national unity, dashing all my naïve hopes expressed a few posts ago that change could be on the way.

On the other hand, the hysterical happiness of Kosovo’s Albanians makes me sad, as the country formally proclaims independence from an entity that for years has had no control over it, only to remain deeply dependent on various international organizations, desperately poor, divided and lawless.

There are so many things that are wrong with what happened yesterday in both Belgrade and Pristina. There is the story of international law and all the consequences this will have on conflicts around the world. I understand the difficulties in which Serbia as a country has been placed with its allies and partners supporting the partition of the country. Nevertheless, at this point in time I guess this was inevitable and unavoidable. How can you force a united population to accept something they are not ready to accept at any cost. Still, unilateral acts lead to frustration and aggression. Kosovo has its new symbols, but, indicatively, I did not see them anywhere in the celebrations. Neither side was willing to compromise, neither side was willing to talk, and now the problem remains only in a slightly different form. The international community was nonconstructive and biased and once again, there is a crisis, a long-term and potentially far-reaching crisis, and we are at the heart f of it. What worries me is that conflicts are not resolved they are cultivated and preserved to be reactivated at the next convenient moment.

What I wish for people of Serbia and Kosovo, whether in one, two or seventeen states, is independence from corrupt ill-meaning politicians, from religious inflammation, from false or exaggerated nationalistic mythologies. I wish us all personal fulfillment and peace of mind.

New Museum

2008-02-17T01:32:00.004+01:00

With the clouds moving quickly, as they seem to do so often in New York, across the blue sky in the background, the stacked up boxes of the New Museum building seem as if they are swaying, as if they are going to fall over. Does this building work? Hell, Yes, says a rainbow striped sign on the wireframe façade. On the outside it does look like piled silver containers, implanted among the old buildings of the lower East Side, but on the inside it feels like a proper building, simple, and white, pure, spacious and functional gallery space with natural light pouring in from skylights and rare windows. The “Unmonumental” exhibition is a mishmash of a whole lot of things. Some fun video work, excellent collages and interesting installations. Worth a visit? Hell, Yes.

Picture stolen. I actually forgot my camera

Diary of a February

2008-02-11T21:59:00.000+01:00

“Snow Surprises Road Workers” - a title seen every year in Serbian media when out of nowhere snow falls in the middle of winter. I felt like a Serbian road worker yesterday, when out of a blue sunny sky a snowstorm descended upon New York and this morning as I checked the weather and saw the ominous “feels like -21C”. Lulled into the comfort of a warm sunny winter, I was in shock to see snow in February. Those whose warnings of the harshness of New York winter I laughed off must be happy now.

I’m reading Valjarevic’s “Diary of Another Winter” on the subway and am thoroughly enjoying myself. Apart from the fact that it made me want to write some more, the book has had therapeutic effects. I guess I am learning things. At least I am aware of my problems and willing to try to resolve them. I have to learn to be more patient and to appreciate the little things in life, to see the beauty in the ordinary. And I think I’m starting to get there.

Oh and the elections are over and I didn’t get to say anything about that. Eventually I did go and vote to give Boris another chance. And honestly, I am happier with the results than I thought I would be. Although the country is going to hell and I’m glad I’m not there, at least the end of that ghastly coalition government is in sight, and with it hopefully the end of kostunica. So that would be one big problem out of the way.

But Serbia would not be Serbia if it didn’t find something to be divided about. And I’m not talking about politics or Kosovo independence but Eurovision. It’s the time of the year when we decide who will represent Serbia in… hm, Belgrade. On YouTube there is a heated discussion, full of insults and aggression over who should sing in the Arena in May.

Surprisingly, having in mind all the additional media attention, no really big names on Beovision this year. The overall quality of the songs is lower than ever. I guess everyone is saving their better work for some more exotic location. Not as much fun when you can take a taxi to the venue and not get to stay in a fancy hotel free of charge. Some names are popping up as potential winner, so here’s my view on the three main contenders.

Ridiculously named Beauty Queens, the back-up vocals from our entry last year, have another Molitva-esque power ballad, and look like they are ready to pose for a bridal hairstyles catalogue. I think not.

The much lauded favourite, another ethno hit from the Zeljko Joksimovic, stands a good chance of winning, but I hope it won’t. Apart from the fact that I think this song is actually about Kosovo, it’s just another in a long line of songs with the same recipe. The lyrics don’t really make much sense, but you add a few archaic words, some tears, dreams and stuff, a touch of rural through the mentioning of a domesticated animal, crop or something similar, a tone of religiousness, and superimpose that on an unidentifiable world music tune from somewhere between Iran and Ireland and you’ve got a Joksimovic Eurovision hit. But, really, this is getting a little old.

My personal favorite, and the only actually decent piece in the lineup is the even more ridiculously name Zoe in Groove Land or whatever. It’s catchy, positive and fun, and I hope they win. With a touch of calypso it has a sort of Little Mermaid – Under the Sea vibe. So if we fail to join the EU, maybe we can eventually join the Caribbean Union. In the spirit of the omnipresent US election, in my neighborhood: I am Reluctant Dragon and I endorse Zoe.

Angry Rant

2008-01-28T21:08:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Novak! He deserves this victory. It’s a shame he will soon probably have to become British or Monacoise to avoid sport sanctions. Good news about Serbia rarely come from within. Another of Serbia’s heroes from last year, the Eurovision Song Contest winner, despite her background and obvious inclinations, started to actively and enthusiastically support the radical presidential candidate. I’m not saying that she should have given her support to that sloth of a president of ours but she could have at least kept her mouth shut (when she’s not singing, that is). And on one of the Serbian poor quality roads which according to promises and plans should have by now probably been a 6 lane freeway a dog died in vain, as the interior minister lives to do more damage. His boss, the prime minister, has today successfully averted the danger of moving a step closer to the EU. He has valiantly chosen between keeping Kosovo and joining the European Union in the name of all of us. Pity that the first isn’t actually ours to keep and the latter doesn’t want us anyway. Simultaneously he has managed to give away control over some of the greatest assets of this country to possibly the only more corrupt system that his. Hey, as long as we’re all shareholders… In the meantime, I am bitting my rich shareholder lips as my misplaced sense of conscience is forcing me to go and vote for the man who has by doing nothing and allowing all of this to happen undermined any hopes of true democracy in Serbia. In my dream boris tadic tells kostunica to fuck off, live on national television 10 minutes before the electoral silence begins. But that’s not going to happen. I’m just wondering if it’s because he really is THAT stupid or because he’s as bad as everyone else. So I guess, I’m gonna vote after all. I’m such an optimist.

I’ve been up till four working on a paper. It’s a gorgeous sunny day in New York City. I’m off to sleep now.

Election Circles of Hell

2008-01-21T18:49:00.000+01:00

One down, one to go. Or is there? Is there any sense in prolonging the agony or is it the right time for euthanasia? How long can we postpone the inevitable? I left Serbia, temporarily for now, but with every intention of making it permanent. Maybe it’s time to let it fend for itself. My candidate ended up 5^th. So we come to the delicate question: When is it time to stop compromising? To vote or not?

Now, I like Boris just fine. I remember him when he was just a psychology teacher. He was fun, and nice. I think, as a person, his set of values is in the right place. But we’re not voting for Boris anymore, are we? We’re voting for his policies, and his policies weakened his party and pushed it into a subordinate position in which they are bullied by kostunica into accepting whatever shallow pro-Russian, primitively Orthodox and uncritically traditional course for the country he has envisioned. If Boris gets backing from kostunica, it would clearly be blackmail again, another concession that civilized Serbia would have to make in order to avoid having a radical president. But is it worth it? Sure, the slow trickling of reform will continue, but the country will only sink deeper into lethargy. Should Boris be rewarded for his lack of courage and vision?

On the other hand, nothing but coming to power can stop the growth of the radicals. And let’s be honest, it will happen sooner or later. If nikolic is president, I’m sure it wouldn’t be long before we have a radical government. So what would that mean? In the short run, to be mild, nothing good. But it could get kostunica out of the picture forever. It could undermine the very existence of dss as their supporters would finally have to decide between DS and the radicals. It could liberate DS from their dss masters.It could strengthen LDP. And finally in power, the radicals would have the chance to show their incompetence and break all the impossible promises they have been free to make all these years. Preident Nikolic could be the one to finally, officially and unquestionably loose Kosovo.

So the question remains. Which of the two options that torture my conscience should I choose. To vote for a Kostunica-dominated status quo, or to stay firm, and for the first time ever not vote and let things take their course, even if it means a despicable victory for the radicals. Well, the next two weeks will show. Let’s see who supports whom, and who has what to say. Any ideas?

Breaking the Silence?

2008-01-20T03:15:00.000+01:00

The polling station(s) have closed. My civic duty done, I can now freely speak of the by-gone election without breaking the silence. At least in the States. Except in LA where there is still another hour to go. And most other counties where Serbian citizens can vote. And off course Serbia itself. Anyway, who cares…

New York was in an election mood. The top of the Empire State glowing in red, white and blue, the coulors of the Serbian flag. The Times Square subway station was unusually deserted so I concluded everyone must be voting or at least watching news of the elections on their TV sets. We made our way past the Nikola Tesla Corner on 6^th Avenue and came to the consulate building where a sign in Cyrillic letters said Polling Station No. 3 – Njujork. In the ballot box, almost as many pieces of paper as employees of the consulate.

Examined by ultraviolet lights and sprayed against repeated voting (in case we decide to commit trans-Atlantic electoral fraud), we cast our votes, in the Olympic spirit of taking part and not winning. Just to see the balance of power. Now we have to wait for the result of our vote, a little longer than the rest of the electorate. I’m afraid I see some radical changes ahead.

Giving Thanks

2007-11-23T22:02:00.000+01:00

Since yesterday was my very first Thanksgiving in the States, I feel it would be proper for me to give some thanks. First of all, the biggest ever thank you to Ivan, for surviving me during the last months of mood-swings, attacks of defeatism and nostalgia. Thanks to all friends old and new for their support during the same difficult period. Thank you to my school for keeping me too busy to be crazy all the time. Thanks to all the pilgrims and slaughtered Native Americans, and decimated turkey populations for making this holiday what it is, and enabling me to have two days off from work and school. Finally thanks to those of you who still keep reading this.

Keeping in Touch

2007-11-20T22:54:00.000+01:00

On Sunday, I’ve had kind of a crappy day. In line with my bourn-again-student life, I work in a restaurant. This is certainly not as stressful and demanding as my “serious” job back in Belgrade, but nevertheless it can be exhausting, especially in combination with all the work I need to do for school. Basically, I haven’t had more than 3 hours of absolute free time in the last couple of months. But Sunday was a particularly bad day at work. A gray rainy day, when everyone wishes they had stayed in bed and a restaurant terribly overcrowded with demanding customers amount to cranky colleagues, a charged atmosphere and a lot of shouting all around. If I ever have to make another skim-milk decaf cappuccino in my entire life it will be an eternity too soon. On the way home I also managed to get hit by a bycicle while talking with Ivan on the phone, which left a big scratch on my right knee.

When I got home I checked my e-mail. Nobody wrote. In fact, nobody has written in several days. In my grumpy mood, I started to get irritated. Most friends, when they do write, begin with : “Where have you guys been” or “Why don’t you write” and my letters similarly contain a version of “Sorry I haven’t written in so long but… (good excuse)”. Well I don’t want to apologize any more. I don’t want to sound like some sort of victim, as I am not, but it’s my life that has been turned upside down. It is I who has to adjust and cope every day with unknown situations in a new environment. All my friends and family and everything I know have been carried away by the planet, rotating away under my airplane. For those still in Belgrade, only one person is gone, their lives go on as normal, and still they manage to criticize this one distant friend, who’s probably too busy to write as he’s spending his millions in fancy NY nightclubs (I wish).

Anyway, this is all in the past. Like good Diaspora Serbs we picked ourselves up that Sunday evening and went to a new friend’s belated allegedly slava-related dinner party. Had some good food, drank wine. On top of that I am now beginning to discover the charms of Facebook, so no more criticism. Now I only have to explain how come, contrary to everyone’s expectations our life is just so ordinary and normal.

On Adjusting...

2007-11-16T05:17:00.000+01:00

We took the taxi home after a night at the opera. Driving up the ramps of Queensborough Bridge on a rainy night you can look down Manhattan’s glimmering avenues. Fog rising from the East River makes the thousands of headlights soft and blurry. Between the elegant iron arches of the bridge and the fluttering canvas of the construction work you can see the dark water and the huge city shining around it. It’s easy to forget that you live by the sea if you always move underground.

Our life in New York is finally moving beyond resolving problems, beyond just bills and school and work. We’re making friends, we’re finding time. Yesterday was a friend’s opening night. Her costumes were wonderful. The whole production was witty and intelligent and fun. Afterwards, it felt a bit like Belgrade - we mingled and sipped punch. I loved being introduced as the photographer friend for the first time. On the way home I smelled the sea air and was happy that we’re beginning to enjoy our new home.

Across the Universe … from a Good Film

2007-11-05T00:58:00.000+01:00

What a disappointment. I have to stop getting all excited about movie trailers. This film is a quasi-artistic, pretentious Moulin-Rouge wannabe, with a story that doesn’t really work, songs that were forcefully squeezed in, bad acting and characters you don’t really like. It did not move me a bit, and I tend to get emotional…

The good side is that it brought the Beatles back, quite a few great songs that I had completely forgotten about. And visually, there are some great scenes. New York looks wonderful, and living here now gives you a whole new perspective, but I have the feeling that the film was made only to link together a couple of pretty cool music videos. I don’t think that was enough.

Live for the Holidays

2007-11-03T23:52:00.000+01:00

It’s the 3^rd of November. Lights in the shape of snowflakes have popped up today in this corner of Queens. Shops are already starting to replace their spiders and skeletons with reindeers and snowmen. Just a few days ago the whole city was pumpkin-mad. I rode the subway with cavemen and commandos, I went to school with vampires and geishas. Today we’re already preparing for Christmas. I’m starting to understand. It seems people like to go a bit crazy during those two minutes of free time they have each week. If it means being allowed to go to work as the Wicked Witch of the East, all the better. It’s busy in America. I’ve been studying and working, plotting an unlikely big comeback to this blog and dreaming of having a weekend.

And Now For Something Completely Different, Or Is It?

2007-10-17T00:10:00.000+02:00

Let’s now move as far away from homophobia as possible. Eurovision. It seems everything in Serbia has to be a reality show. Maybe that’s how we could choose the next president. Anyway, in true Diaspora spirit, we’ve been watching some RTS over the internet. Every Monday we join our compatriots in suspense over who will host the Eurovision song contest next May in Belgrade.

So far the candidates are just embarrassing themselves, next May they will be embarrassing the country. The actors and actresses are the worst. Is it possible to be natural and spontaneous if you’re a Serbian actor? Among the women at least we have the fabulous Bebi Dol and the surprisingly likable Miss Canada. The men should better not be mentioned, at this point. I just hope that in one of the episodes they will take the lot to a stylist to cut those hairs and pluck those eyebrows.

Speaking of embarrassments at next year’s contest, there’s already a petition online to change the design of that awful set. The logo, at least in some of its many variations, can be digestible. All this said, I hope I’ll be able to attend and watch all of this embarrassment live in Belgrade Arena.

Getting back to homophobia now, I hope the rumors are true of a pride parade during Eurovision. It would be a pity to waste the opportunity. Hopefully, all the media attention could actually help avoid bloodshed. If, under pressure, the government is willing to pay good money for the arrest of someone they like, maybe they’re finally ready to protect someone they very much dislike. A shabby stage and a pair of morons doing bad impersonations will not be as damaging to the country’s reputation as someone beating up some rainbow-flag-waving Swedes or Germans on Republic Square.

Belgrade Nightlife

2007-10-15T14:51:00.000+02:00

Even from six time zones away, Serbia never ceases to piss me off.

After reading for weeks about crazy stuff like neo-nazis, the latest news was more personal.

On Friday, two of our closest friends got beaten up, one pretty badly from what I understand, in the very center of Belgrade. They were at a gay club where they met a couple of “nice guys” who offered that they go somewhere else or for a walk. Once outside, some more “nice guys” showed up from behind and together they beat up our unsuspecting friends.

Just, HOW and WHY anyone gets so enraged by someone else’s choice of sexual partners, to pay admission to a club, pretend to be gay, just to pick someone up and cowardly beat him with a group of his like-frustrated buddies, is something I don’t think I will ever be able to comprehend. I guess nothing proves you’re a tough Serbian male better than attacking an outnumbered opponent from the back.

Manhattan Meadows

2007-09-10T14:23:00.000+02:00

What to do if you are a pair of Serbs in New York on potentially the greatest day in your country's tennis history? Tickets for the US open are either too expensive, unavailable, or both, especially on the day of the finals, but you can go to Madison Square Park and watch the match in a relaxed picnic atmosphere.
Hey, it's a meadow, not one of those in Flushing, but Manhattan is not that bad either.
So we packed up a big towel, some sandwiches and fruit, and got there an hour early to find a nice spot on the grass, with some shade from the hot September sun. After quite a bit annoying brainwashing from corporate sponsors, the match started and the crowd cheered as if we were in the stadium on the other side of the screen and the players could actually hear us. It was a lot of fun. Although Federer did eventually, and deservedly, win, Novak recovered well from all the blunders and was obviously the favourite of the crowd in the park. It seems quite likely we may be seeing a rematch next year, but with a different outcome.
We should try and get tickets on time.

The Incredible See-Saw

2007-09-09T16:15:00.000+02:00

No more stealing the neighbors' cable when they are away. Finally in our own apartment and with our own connection to the internet for my official 100th post.
As the furniture, and plates and flowers are slowly coming in and our new home is beginning to take shape, we are at the absolute peak of a constantly fluctuating curve that has been our stay here so far.
Only two weeks earlier, homeless and jobless and with our budget melting away more rapidly than anticipated we just cracked. It's terrible to feel like an outsider it's humiliating that all your life savings from years of working hard somewere now very far away amount to so little.It's hard to be cut of from everyone you know.
Fortunately not everyone - we have each other.
I am scared even to think of how I could cope with this alone. When I fell down Ivan was there to help me up and comfort me. And then the next day it would be his turn to get depressed and I'd be there with the voice of reason urging for patience and not loosing focus and hard work. And this incredible see-saw of emotions seems to have worked. Falling and getting up, we pulled and pushed each other through what I hope was the worst of the crisis. In a month we have accomplished a lot. May not sound so much but it was hard getting here. A new country, a new home, a new job, a new school. By no means is it going to get easy any time soon, but I know we're going to be alright.

New Beginning

2007-08-21T21:15:00.000+02:00

I picked up our clothes at the laundromat, a concept that baffles and amuses my Serbian mind, bought some touch too greasy chineese food and came home. I sat down to eat at our new laptop, cheked my e-mail for news from back home or potential employers and looked out the wet window onto the misty Manhattan skyline in the distance. I realized that despite of our temporarry accomodation and current lack of income I now feel sufficiently at home to have a quiet moment and start writing again. In the next few days I'll post a couple of short texts about the last two weeks in New York, our impressions of the city from a new perspective, about the food, about the people, a short trip to Boston and the seemingly impossible quest to find a decent cheap apartment.
After that we will resume regular blogging.
If anyone is still reading, thanks for your patience.

Absence

2007-08-06T14:27:00.000+02:00

The day I went to pick up my visa was the hottest in recorded meteorological history of Serbia. As I stepped off the sidewalk onto one of the busiest streets in Belgrade a gust of thick hot wind hit my body and I realized looking up the empty street that the city was deserted.
Absence seems to be my key word of this summer. The empty streets, a summer full of events which I missed because I was busy, the absent friends that I didn’t get to properly say goodbye to. I’ve been absent from this blog for a while, because I couldn’t find the time to write and I’ve been generally absent-minded for months, finding it difficult to do any work because I knew I was leaving, and as difficult to prepare for leaving, because I wasn’t sure it was really going to happen until the last minute.
Well, I am leaving. We’re leaving. Tomorrow morning Ivan and I will be on our way to New York. We have done so much and there are still so many unknowns. I don’t know how I feel. Everybody around me keeps crying. We’ll be back next summer for a few weeks. I know this is what we wanted and I am happy, but I’ve never been away from everything I know. So far away. For so long.
I ‘m going to stop now before I start to cry.

Bureaudyssey Continues

2007-07-09T12:16:00.000+02:00

Do not rejoice prematurely when dealing with paperwork and office clerks. It’s never over. No singing fat ladies in sight.
It turns out I still have far more to do then I thought and far less time to do it. My nerves at a breaking point, I spend hours every week on the phone with oblivious student advisors and admissions officers in New York trying to track down documents which should have been mailed to me weeks ago. I’m trying to be understanding about the fact that, living in the normal world, some people do not understand the concept of visas or even the fact that there are places on the planet for which you have to dial the international access code, but I am becoming extremely frustrated with the fact that my potential failure to go to the US can only be a result of postal delays and confused administrative staff.
But I won’t let this break me. When the going gets tough, the tough make an extremely detailed list of questions and designate a whole afternoon for international phone calls to set things straight. Today is that day.

Bureaudyssey 2007

2007-06-26T15:19:00.000+02:00

Deadlines have came and gone, but my bureaucratic adventures continue. Slowly, results of my arduous work are becoming visible and the road to New York, though paved with paperwork, is starting to open up.

The big break that brought me back from the brink of a nervous break down came recently when instead of the usual “Your application is being processed, please allow up to 6/ 10/ 743 weeks for more information” the kind voice of the automated answering machine told me “You have been accepted… Please allow even more weeks for bla bla...” OK, OK, but I got in! Basically, I will be going back to school. Something I wanted to do for a while, but now have the opportunity and good reasons to do.

Previously, I collected the necessary paperwork; I prepared official translations and certified copies. I had to plead for additional stamps on my documents to the woman from my former high-school who passionately explained how what is being asked of me is another proof of American imperialism imposing its rules and regulations on the rest of the world. I waited for hours in front of an office at my old university, while the lady at the desk looked absently through me while chatting about her grandchildren on the phone. Eventually, when she decided to start working, she finished what I needed in a matter of minutes. I desperately went form bank to bank in an attempt to find a way to send a check from Serbia, which in order to prevent money leaving the country is generally not allowed. I managed to avoid filling out internet forms which do not allow my international phone number to be entered due to a surplus of digits. I am still waiting to provide financial guaranties and fill out visa forms and provide documents testifying that I am neither terrorist nor criminal, sick or poor. Hopefully then I will be able to delve into the really amusing aspects of bureaucracy or how to open a bank account or get a cell phone in the US. Weeee.

I’ve also learned something. I’m no longer setting deadlines.
All I know is that autumn in New York seems increasingly real.

Be Nice

2007-06-19T12:03:00.000+02:00

There’s an old woman I see from time to time as I walk home along King Alexander Boulevard. I don’t know whether she’s homeless but she does beg for money.
Probably about three months ago, I was walking into a supermarket. She stood outside the store and asked if I could get her a packet of Smoki (peanut snacks). I have to admit that I don’t fall for sad stories and rarely give people money but I couldn’t refuse such a genuine request? I bought one and handed it to the woman who shook my hand, thanked her heart out and in a couple of sentences told me her family history. She called me a knight. I went on with my business, and never gave it another thought.
Yesterday, as I was again walking home from work, I ran into the same woman. I was about to pass her by, but she was delighted to see me – she didn’t ask for anything, just shook my hand again, said I was still her knight. Three months later. For a small bag of salty snacks.
I was deeply moved. Something I did without thinking or acknowledging it, meant so much to someone I do not even know. I was amazed at how even our smallest actions can make a difference for someone.
The smallest act of kindness can really make someone’s day, so be nice to people.

Will & Grace

2007-06-14T13:24:00.000+02:00

Will and Grace are over. A year late, the last episode was finally aired in Serbia this week.
I loved this show. I remember watching the first episode years ago on Studio B, thinking: wait, did I get this right? I remember so many subsequent episodes that I watched while on the phone with my own red-haired best friend. It somehow marked a very important time for me and become a significant part of my life. It was fun to identify and reluctantly laugh at our sitcom characteristics - from her talent to find crazy men to my obsession with gift-wrapping.
Towards the end I do feel the show lost some of its appeal. There was a period when it wasn’t all that funny any more, and the small quirks that made the characters real and likeably neurotic turned into rather annoying caricatures.
I got quite upset after the last episode. I found it depressing. It’s as if they decided to kill off the characters by robbing them of some 20 years of their lives. Bit too harsh and concrete for my taste. It would have been far better to give some hints and leave endings open so everyone could have their own ideas, and hope.
I don’t think it’s good to know how things end in the long run.
My own Will and Grace friendship has been suffering from lack of time and incompatible schedules, but I’m hoping it won’t take a few decades and a couple of kids to get back on track.

Good Riddance

2007-06-08T14:24:00.000+02:00

After nine months, the “army” is finally over and I’m no longer indebted to my country for all the joy and happiness it has provided over the years. I admit I was lucky and the whole experience was not too disruptive of my life, but I still believe it is a disgraceful and hypocritical favor to ask of the men in Serbia.

Flags

2007-06-07T12:36:00.000+02:00

This is what I call good PR. The government of Kosovo has announced a competition for new state symbols. The underlying context is: breaking away from the past, a new country - new symbols. I’m sorry Serbia missed such an opportunity recently and opted for its dated crowned emblems.
Whatever the future of Kosovo may be, and I’m not too optimistic about its democratic and multiethnic capacity, I found this task quite inspirational.
Where to start?
The territory’s past and present are dominated by two nations – the Albanians and the Serbs, so their existing symbols are a logical starting point for new ones.
What do they have in common?
In terms of color, the mutual element is red, but I’ve deliberately left it out as it is too aggressive. The Albanian flag though very iconic and powerful is a bit too scary for my taste. And then we have the two-headed eagle. Both nations have one, although they are complete opposites – one is white, the other is black. Now the two-headed eagle itself is a strange animal. It looks quite hostile but also a bit schizophrenic and seems in conflict with itself.

I started with an image of a dignified and peaceful eagle and decided to use the traditional two heads – one black and one white, but this time they are both facing in the same direction – symbolically looking into the future. Then I added another color – blue, which represents peace. It is also the color of international cooperation, of Europe, and in that sense the future of the region.
Combining these elements in form of a slightly twisted tricolor flag creates a simple yet recognizable design – based on traditional and historic elements, but yet distinct enough to be acceptable for all.
And I stress, these are just symbols. Whether what they stand for can really become reality is a completely different matter. What do you think?

Serbian Open

2007-06-06T16:52:00.000+02:00

It’s a funny sight. Wherever you go people watch or talk about tennis. Unable to watch the games at work, some of my colleagues watch the constantly updating scoreboard at the Roland Garros website and get as excited as if they were looking at the real thing.
With 3 players now in the semifinals of the French Open and another in both the men’s and mixed doubles semis, Serbia seems to have suddenly risen to incredible heights in a sport where previously it was almost invisible. Personally, I would love Novak to win and Jelena to beat Ana in the final but regardless of whether any of them go through to the next round or the title, it’s an amazing success.
So how did this happen? Does it have something to do with enriched uranium or kryptonite that gave rise to some strange new generations? And how did we switch from our traditional team sports, like basketball or water-polo to tennis? I have no idea.
The important thing is that we have some new young, likeable and very positive role models; that people have something good to celebrate. If tennis is the number one topic in Serbia then it is certainly a wonderful step forward.

Ten Years Later

2007-05-31T17:35:00.000+02:00

I can’t believe it’s been a whole decade since the ridiculous night at the Intercontinental, the bad suits, worse dresses, and terrible hair-styles. When I get home I have to dig out that photo album (back than photos were still made of paper) and look at my high-school graduation pictures. Maybe brush up on some names…
I haven’t really stayed in touch. Much. Belgrade must really be big, since there are many people I haven’t seen once since 1997. Some I see from time to time, and usually it’s work related. But we did have a fun four years together.
A class friend called me to say that a get-together is planned in a few days. Symbolically we agreed to meet in front of KST and go there together. I’m guessing it will be the same small groups of people – the same seating arrangements. The window crew, the wall crew… Only we’re all a little older. There’ll be a lot of gossip, I’m sure. It’s a chance to see who’s gotten fat, who’s balding, who’s pregnant and with which child. Fortunately, I’m not in any of these categories so I can breathe a little easier. If only I can think of what to wear.

Home, Sweet Home

2007-05-30T17:25:00.000+02:00

Enough of writing on other people’s blogs! I have my own, thank you very much. I barely manage to post here from time to time but sometimes I just can’t keep my mouth shut. There was a well-intentioned post on homophobia over at Belgrade 2.0 which turned into a rather nasty debate…
Why is it even called phobia? Is it fear? It’s downright hatred and rage. Shouldn’t it be "misohomy" or something?

GUILTY

2007-05-24T15:17:00.000+02:00

Without getting into an analysis of the Serbian judicial system and whether it is enough or not, I’m glad they got the maximum possible sentence.
I just hope that by the time these senior assassins leave jail in 40 years, Serbia will have made up for what was lost on March 12th 2003.
I also hope that, in coming years, there will be more evidence and more trials in this case. Those in anyway involved in his murder must never again be allowed anywhere near Djindjic’s hard-earned position.

Comic Books and Film

2007-05-23T10:51:00.000+02:00

Spiderman 3 is a terrible film. It is long, boring and idiotic. I love comic books and I get quite excited about any film based on comics, so this was quite a disappointment. I haven’t really read much of Marvel, though. Personally, I always preferred the Franco-Belgian school. In fact the only reason for my first visit to Brussels, on a day trip from Holland, apart from trying the waffles and buying some Godiva, was to visit the comic book museum. Two years ago when Ivan and I went there again, it was actually the only museum we visited.
And yesterday the world marked one hundred years since the birth of Hergé with events, stamps and coins celebrating his famous creation - Tintin, one of my favourite childhood heros. In our house comic books were treated with respect and my sister and I were actually encouraged to read them as my father has an enormous collection spanning all the way into the sixties. When I was little, I was secretly hoping someone would discover me and call me to play Tintin, or perhaps, Spirou in a film. I think that hair style would look really good on me. So, I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. Spielberg.

My Own Private Idaho

2007-05-17T09:31:00.000+02:00

With all the Eurovision euphoria these days I almost forgot about our parliamentary circus. After much ado about nothing and pressure from everyone from the EU to the Eurosong winner, the MPs finally voted in our new government, a “democratic one”, none the less.
But let’s not get over-excited. This coalition, though it was inevitable, is based on deep mistrust and completely irreconcilable program differences. The idea of mutual control is not bad, but I’m afraid all we’ve got is a government which is ineffective and cannot agree on any important issue.
Then there are issues which are “not important”…
Today is the International Day Against HOmophobia. Human rights, in any form, are not a priority of this government. Today also happens to be my birthday. You could say, it was meant to be. Happy Birthday to Me! Happy IDAHO, all.

King of Chandeliers

2007-05-14T14:01:00.000+02:00

Belgrade Design Week 2007 ended on Saturday. Similar to last year it was a series of lectures on all things design – from architecture to digital effects. It was interesting, educational and inspirational.
As a big fan of architecture, it was a real treat to listen to Rem Koolhaas, Ora Ito was a lot of fun, Mirko Ilic gave a very good lecture, although he is, in my view, very unlikable. I was particularly happy to listen to one of my favorite design collectives – Droog Design, as I’ve been a fan for quite a while.

But probably more than anything, I’m glad BDW made it possible to visit one of my favorite buildings in Belgrade, otherwise closed to the public – the Federation Palace.

With its enormous size, over the top simplicity and amazing artwork it is an actual palace build in the social-realism style of the fifties and sixties.

The most impressive is the great hall with its colossal sun-shaped chandelier which looks like an early influence for the dome of the Sony Center at Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz.

Wouldn’t mind having one in my room.

Wouldn’t mind having a big enough room, for that matter.

Would mind having their electricity bill, though.

Belgrade 2008 Eurovision Song Contest!!!

2007-05-13T17:48:00.000+02:00

We jumped and screamed last night as votes were coming in. A tense standoff reminiscent of 2004 between rising Eurovision superpowers Ukraine and Serbia, this time ended favorably for us. Marija won! I am sorry for Verka, but ultimately I decided to play it safe and vote for my other favorite – Slovenia just in case.

I spend the whole day at Belgrade Design Week (more of that tomorrow) listening to interesting lectures and hoping that rumors of surprise guest Brad Pitt, would be false. Fortunately, it was all a publicity stunt. Otherwise I would have been seriously tempted to miss the contest and go the BDW after-party.

I’m very happy Belgrade will get to host Eurovision which is, in my view, the ultimate and most amusing pop spectacle. Yes it’s trashy and camp, but that’s what makes it so good to watch. Plus it’s not bad for the local economy or the gay community.

So, as we are devising plans how to manage to come back from New York next May to see the spectacle live in Belgrade Arena, I have to mention three things which kind of spoil the fun for me:

“Political voting”
Immediately after the show we switched to BBC where there was again talk of political voting in the contest. Although voting certainly is predictable I think it’s just a bad case of sour grapes. If anything, much of the voting is a triumph over politics. We have to remember that many of these “block” countries are not on perfect terms with each other and some have even gone through conflicts.
Voting is just a result of similar languages and sensibilities and it’s a positive sign. Yes, in this sense, some eastern countries do have an advantage, but it is not enough, unless you can also draw votes from the west.
The whole story kind of reminds of something Rem Koolhaas said at his lecture yesterday, speaking of the West’s attitude towards architecture in Russia, China and Arab countries. He spoke of latent racism or at least latent feeling of superiority, in not being able to accept that the world is changing and shifting focus. So, if the UK wants to fair better next time maybe they should just send something less teletubbiesque and maybe they’ll get some votes. Who knows, if Scotland secedes in a few years maybe England will finally get some “political” votes.

Nationalism
We took a walk to Republic Square to see the spontaneous outpouring of public joy. There was quite a crowd, and it was mostly benign, but naturally there were also significant numbers of football-fan-like types chanting the usual nationalistic slogans along with Marija’s name. These are the same people who would probably beat her up in the street if they suspected she was a Gypsy or if it turned out she actually was gay.

Snobbism
We ran into some friends who were actually angry that we won and that people were rejoicing because Eurovision “lacks quality”. I tried in vain to explain that whether you like it or not it is at least good PR, free advertising and a great opportunity for tourism in Serbia and Belgrade. Some people should just relax and not take everything too seriously.

Eurovision 2007, Semifinals

2007-05-11T10:09:00.000+02:00

Today, I’ll steer away from dark topics. It seems the rise of fascism in Parliament did not have such a profound effect on the Serbian economy as I was kept late at work by a foreign client. I did miss all but one lecture on the first day of the Belgrade Design Week conference, but I did somehow manage to get home for the Eurosong semifinals.
Marija was great. Not just because she’s… one of us, but the understated dramatics made this, in my view, one of the best performances in recent years. She and her sophisticated lesbian sisterhood were far better that any of the other semifinalists.
Some surprises in the pick for the finals, though. I’m glad the entranced Slovenian opera singer went through. I’m sorry my vote went to waste, as not too dramatic Drama Queen failed to reach the finals. The song was much better live. I also liked the Dutch and the Albanians, but none of them made it through.
Can’t wait for the finals! I really hoped Ukraine would win, but now that I saw Marija’s performance and I think we actually have a chance to win… It would be great to have the contest in Belgrade in 2008, even if I won’t be here to see it live. At least I hope I’ll be able to see the whole of the final night, and still get to the BDW closing party in time to get my picture taken with the “mystery” guest.

Cabaret

2007-05-09T00:41:00.000+02:00

Monday evening was very interesting. Two very important and very different events took place in the center of Belgrade not far from each other.
In the glitzy art-deco interior of Belgrade’s only specialized musical and comedy theater on Terazije, the deputy mayor, opening the second edition of Belgrade Design Week, didn’t fail to mention the city’s title as the south-east European city of the future. Then we saw a film about last year’s design week, and visionary and inspirational people from all over the world who gathered in Serbia and spoke of creating a better world.
Right around the corner, in the Parliament, the picture was a bit more bleak. The future did not seam as bright. In fact, it looked very much like our unattractive past. Despite that, the MPs acted as if they were entertainers –stand up comedians trying to think of the funniest reply so that the whole chamber would burst into laughter, while the country slowly sinks into fascism.
If anything good came out of yesterday’s election of our new radical parliament speaker, it is that things are finally clear. Dss can no longer pretend to be a reformist pro-european party and DS has no more excuses to be lazy. Sadly, this clarity only makes us see that we have many more lost years ahead of us.One of the senior radicals said: the future belongs to us. And there’s a lovely musical called Cabaret, with a catchy song called “Tomorrow belongs to me”. Unfortunately not enough people remember what happened “tomorrow”.

It’s My Slava and I’ll Cry If I Want To

2007-05-07T13:30:00.000+02:00

Despite of spending a nice St. George’s day at my parents’ house with family, friends and all the delicious food, I am feeling slightly depressed these days. Serbia is just too much to handle sometimes. I did, at least, manage to avoid too much political confrontation with some of the guests but only by skillfully diverting the conversation to celebrity big brother at the very last moment.
The only people that seem to be able to find a common language in this country today are the various fascist brotherhoods and orthodox talibans when they agree on whom to beat up next. Legally organized peaceful protests of citizens get canceled or simply don’t get scheduled and no one seems to be worried by the increasing silence caused by the threat of violence.
Even the police stay silent. No big surprise in a country that is not legally governed by anyone. The political parties are nowhere near to that level of cooperation in regards to forming a new government. Probably because, apart from a few, they are basically skinheads in suits. Well, at least they are balding.
And naturally there’s Kosovo. Oh, the sacred 15% of our land - 18% of Serbia without Kosovo :) is the ever present excuse for every form of repression and always a good reason to beat people up. Legalize pot? No, we have to think of Kosovo. Gay rights? No, Kosovo. The economy? Maybe later, you know, Kosovo. I’m sorry I have to pee! Wait! Kosovo!
In the meantime, schoolchildren form this holiest of lands are staying with their less holly Belgrade friends, which is I guess a nice gesture. These poor little pawns deserve some time off. Anyway, some people I know work in schools and are in charge of showing these kids around town, so a colleague - a catechesis teacher asked my friend: “If you want, I can fill in for you. You know, as a believer, Kosovo is esential to me so, so I’ll gladly help”.
Not because of the children. No. Kosovo. Had the children been, say, orphans from Kragujevac, she wouldn’t have cared less, the big believer. What if they were, god forbid, Muslims?
Today it’s back to my parents house for another round of guests.
Damn it! Should I eat another slice of this chocolate cake when the status of Kosovo is still not resolved favorably?

Celebrity, Who?

2007-05-06T10:25:00.000+02:00

It was a starry night at the Big Brother red carpet. The small crowd went: I know him, I think. You know, you remember him. Isn’t she… No. Wait, I’m sure I know this one… Uhm, maybe not. At least I have heard of most of these people, but I somehow thought being a celebrity meant more than having your picture published in Gloria once. Than again if you’re well known and have an actual successful career, why would you put it on hold so the rest of the world could watch you cut your toenails in prime time. The only really famous person is the huge scary folk singer, but for her it’s a sensible business decision. Why pay the tabloids to publish your “candid” nude pictures, when you can parade naked in the aforementioned prime time. Definitely not worth watching. Unless the model guy decides to work out with his top off.

Tough Crowd

2007-05-05T15:00:00.000+02:00

Now, I’m not an art historian, but I’m not particularly thrilled by the exhibits coming to Belgrade lately. I mean I’m glad someone is finally sending us something, but I have a feeling they’re keeping the best for themselves. As with the recent exhibition of British artists in the Contemporary Art Museum, the pieces from St. Etienne in 25th of May Museum left me thinking more about the poor state of the museum building than the art. Maybe it’s just me.

Sorry, Superman

2007-04-24T15:57:00.000+02:00

Although many of us have been hoping for a miracle which would pull this country from the brink of the abyss and lay it safely back on the right track, it seems we now have scientific proof that we are one more option short. The discovery of Kryptonite in a Serbian mine (as reported by BBC) means that we cannot even hope for Superman anymore.

Speaking of whom, I never really understood Superman’s agenda. With all he can do, he spends his days saving people from burning buildings and cats stuck in trees when he could actually do something good for all of mankind like stop wars and protect the environment. If he wanted to I bet he could prevent illegitimate governments from abusing parliament, ruling unlawfully through decrees or promoting ethnic and religious tensions to cover up their inability to govern… Well, he probably wouldn’t do that, but it would be nice to at least have the option.

So is this why we have become a refuge for the villains of the world? Perhaps we have unearthed the root of our problems. And maybe it’s this mineral that prevents us form being the super beings we’ve always imagined ourselves to be.

When I was little I really believed I could fly. I actually have “memories” of flying that are really hard to distinguish from my real childhood memories. Hopefully when I’m no longer under this evil rock’s influence I’ll be able to breathe more easily.

Protecting the Chocolate Banana

2007-04-20T12:00:00.000+02:00

Worthy causes are rare in Serbia while stupid marketing strategies abound. The most recent combination of the two is a bid to come up with a new name for arguably the most famous dessert in the country - the Cream banana, known to everyone as chocolate banana (cokoladna banana) or simply bananica (small banana). The actual banana content of this beloved product or its strange unbananalike shape may be disputed, but no one can deny the strength of the bananica brand. So the whole idea is in my view simpy, well… bananas!
It could be a ploy to officially recognize the product’s unofficial name, or just a stunt to get people to react. In any case it’s working, as everyone is talking about it, thinking up names and from what I hear there is even a petition to save the poor little chocolate banana, which I wholeheartedly support.
However, I too have been tempted to combine all the cho-s, nana-s and ba-s in my head in search for the ultimate combination. And, though I hear I’m not the only one to come up with this solution, I feel that in view of Serbia’s passionate love affair with tradition and obsession with all things ethno, the winner has to be: Chobanica – or little shepherd girl.
And here’s my suggestion for a possible campaign – so take a look at what the future might bring - all rights, naturally, reserved :)

The Best Things in Life Are Free (and wooden kitchen utensils are incredibly cheap)

2007-04-16T13:22:00.000+02:00

Perhaps I’m too easily excited but I need to share my unfounded excitement.
This Sunday I was on Kalenic market looking to replace a wooden spatula which I accidentally dropped behind the stove while cooking and was both too lazy to reach for and too squeamish to reuse.

I came across a shop which sells wooden ladles along with other products made of wood, and as I was thinking whether or not to buy one, because it’s not really what I was looking for, I remembered to ask for the price. Ten dinars, the saleswoman said, to my absolute surprise.

In fact, it appears all items in the small shop were equally cheap because when I handed the lady a fifty dinar note, she looked at me with dismay as if saying: what am I to do with all that money?

It was quite pleasing to realize you can actually buy something so cheap, I thought as I walked away with my new wooden ladle in hand.
I wonder, what else can one get for 10 dinars?

Post-holiday stress disorder

2007-04-11T13:59:00.000+02:00

The four days of Easter holidays felt so good – the warm sunshine and a weekend at my parents house stuffing myself with delicious food without even having to get out of bed.
I’ve only been back at work for two days and the first thing that crosses my mind when I wake up is to quit. I need a real holiday. Strange how just a few lazy days erase any memory of what it takes to work hard.
Come on Labor Day!

Reluctant Dragon is One

2007-04-06T23:59:00.000+02:00

Shame on me. I almost forgot. Happy Birthday dear Dragon!
I didn’t get you anything, but I promise I’ll try to write more often.
In your first year there have been ups and downs, but many people came and we made some friends, so I’ll do my best to help you go on and improve.

Do you have any wishes, comments or advice for Reluctant Dragon as he enters his second year?

Lasha Tumbai

2007-04-04T11:38:00.000+02:00

And we have a winner! The Ukrainian contestant for Eurosong is the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. I love it. Some might say that this is as embarrassing for the Ukraine as the song I was so afraid would win the Serbian contest would have been for us, but I think this is a completely different category. Maybe it’s because I have a thing for drag queens (not what it sound like) but I think this is genuinely funny and fun. She reminds me of my late great aunt, and even dances like some drunken relative at a wedding. And it even political! The meaningless (fact-checked) title unmistakably sounds like Russia Goodbye. Brilliant. Ridiculously brilliant.
Ok. Happy End.

Check her out: Verka Serdyochka

April Idiots

2007-04-02T15:16:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was the first truly gorgeous Sunday this year, and as I was sitting lizard-like with friends on some steps next to the National Library soaking in the sunlight and enjoying myself immensely I received a phone call from a distressed friend who told me that Britney Spears had committed suicide. It was in the news on MTV Adria. When I got home I turned on the news channels to see what happened, and after some time realized that it was an April fools joke. It took me a while to figure it out as it’s beyond my comprehension how anyone can joke about such things especially in regards to a person with psychological problems. It’s morbid and in terribly bad taste. Maybe they thought nobody is watching this channel anyway so why not attract some attention. Well, I hope somebody presses charges.

Better late than never

2007-03-21T17:47:00.000+01:00

I know it’s, kind of, cheating, but it’s a pity to waist perfectly decent already written posts. Due to some technical difficulties and no time to fix them sooner, here are the last few weeks’ posts, as they were written:

12.03.

2007-03-12T17:45:00.000+01:00

And here’s another date that I will never forget. I think I’ve witnessed too much history.
I was working as a part time translator for a government agency and it was a relatively slow day. I don’t really remember what happened when from all the excitement but we finished some meeting in the morning and I headed home. I visited my mom at work. I realized something strange was happening as I walked through the empty corridors. Everyone was glued to the radios in their offices. News was beginning to break but nothing was certain. In complete disbelief we kept saying: He’ll be ok.
I ran back to work, hoping to learn more. I looked at oblivious people in the street trying to recognize my own stunned expression on other faces. At work, the picture was grim. As I passed the crying secretaries and the men in suits shaking their heads, I started to realize that what we were fearing could actually be true. Not long after it was confirmed. Djindjic was dead.
I cannot remember at which point came a memo from the Ministry, which I was to translate for the foreign consultants. It was full of words like persevere and continuity. I cried as I was typing. But for a time I started to believe it could be done. That summer I was interviewed by a foreign journalist and I said that I believed that this horrible murder opened the eyes of even more people and that as tragic as it was it could not sidetrack the country on its way to becoming a normal place to live.
I was very wrong.

Mumbo Jumbo Serbiano

2007-03-09T17:41:00.000+01:00

Phew! I was really horrified by the prospects that this title would be Serbia’s first representative in the Eurovision song contest (and the cause of another well-deserved round of bombing). Eurovision is no stranger to idiotic acts, but this one takes the gold.
In the end, I’m quite pleased. My favorite won. If half the gossip about this girl is true, I’m even happier. I think peoples’ objections to her looks are out of place. We can always count on the World Idol factor.
The event itself was yet another low point for Serbian national TV, with disgraceful performances by the two ridiculous hosts, and not much better contestants. The highlight for me were the strange commercial breaks with low production spots straight out of local television in eastern Serbia.
Still I love the whole thing, Lots of friends came, we drank lots of wine and laughed and booed and cheered like crazy. Can’t wait for Helsinki…

Film History

2007-03-05T17:37:00.000+01:00

March looks set to be a month of cinema. So many films are coming that I’d really like to see. So much I’ve missed on FEST. Year after year my choice of films to see at the festival becomes increasingly limited and mainstream. In part because it’s hard to find time and in part because I really cannot be bothered any more to do research so I simply go and see films I’ve already heard of. This year was no exception – a parade of academy award nominees and winners. Some were late arrivals to the Serbian silver screen, but well worth the wait.

Babel was beautiful and moving and I loved Little Miss Sunshine, but it’s films about history that for me really made a mark this year.
I love how in the Last King of Scotland a fictional character was woven through real historical events and brought a personal perspective on details of history I knew very little about. On the other hand, Apocalypto was a huge disappointment. It did get me to spend hours on the Internet reading about the Maya civilization, but I am baffled why anyone would spend a huge budget on something completely historically inaccurate. Admittedly I failed to see the Christian undertone, because my mind simply doesn’t work that way. I actually saw the coming of the Spanish in the end as the last straw, the final disaster to plague these people, not, as most critics see it, as a symbol of godly people coming to save some barbarian souls. If this indeed is true, it makes the film even worse.
Another film from FEST which I absolutely loved was Marie Antoinette. Although I haven’t actually seen it on the festival, it really made my day, one rainy afternoon in Brooklyn last November. It’s atmospheric and pretty and makes you think on how history really depends on your perspective. Until it hits you in the face.

Polluted Stream of Consciousness

2007-02-14T10:51:00.000+01:00

What is the purpose of trolleybuses? They're slow. In the rush hour it takes me less time to walk home. And they don't work in the snow. Or rain. Or slightly increased humidity, probably.

I'm all for environmentally friendly electrically powered public transport. I love trams. But then, they work, regardless of the weather. Fortunately, the whether has mostly been kind this year, but yesterday I had to walk home in the rain, as the streets were once again blocked by dead trolleybuses.

On the other hand, perhaps it's unprecedented example of forward planning. Maybe they are the vehicles of the future. Of the globally warmer future when in the deserts of central Serbia precipitation will be a centennial event.

Then again, I'm starting to think, global warming might not even exist. Maybe news are really only used to scare everyone into submission. I mean, how important can the crisis in Iran really be if CNN can afford to talk about the death of a Playboy playmate for three days. Poor woman, but still…

Not actually posted on Wednesday due to technical difficulties.

It’s All Japanese to Me

2007-02-13T20:37:00.000+01:00

Let's pretend there is a buzz around the blogging community: Where is Reluctant Dragon? Working his tail off, that's where.
A month ago, I was naively rejoicing in the fact that things are looking up at work, and now I just hope to get home before midnight. It's not as if I don't have enough of extracurricular activities in preparation for our big leap across the Atlantic.
I took a TOEFL exam (pronounced T-Awfull). It's an exhausting four hours of not too difficult exercises in the English language under inhuman conditions. I told a friend that I took the exam. She misunderstood me. She thought I took a Tofu exam. Some people are even more lost than I am. I hope I did well on my Tofu.

I Admit Defeat...

2007-01-24T15:36:00.000+01:00

…since nobody else will. It seams everybody has won this election. Everybody is celebrating something. Most seats in parliament, best result ever, not the worst result ever, entering parliament, strong negotiation position, most successful campaign, prettiest smile. Some partied all night at the news of victory for the radicals while others rejoice at the triumph of the democratic block.

Well I’m not celebrating. I’m not happy with the results. They are no far from what I expected, but I was, sort of, hoping for a miracle.

I’m shocked that the socialists still manage to get voted into parliament. Haven’t their supporters learned anything, or gone over to the radicals, or, at least died of old age, cold and starvation? I’m sad that people are dumb enough to buy into radical rhetoric. I know many are poor but you don’t buy an IQ! “The democratic block” is a myth. I’m disappointed that the democrats and liberals didn’t get more votes and I absolutely still don’t understand why on Earth anyone would vote for dss and their coalition partners. Just vote for ds or admit you’re a radical and shut up!

The Rest is Silence

2007-01-19T11:22:00.000+01:00

Finally, after months of unscrupulous promises of instant prosperity, the commercial breaks today are once again dominated by laundry detergents and banks. A pre-electoral calm before the storm is upon Serbia.

Today is the day of epiphany. The story goes that at midnight the sky opens up and you make a wish. Now, I’m not religious or even a believer, but I find this particular superstition rather cute, like blowing out candles on your birthday cake. And since it’s a day for making wishes, I thought I might wish something to my compatriots:

I wish us a dss free government. I wish that the radicals, dss, sps and the like do not get a total of 50% of the votes. I then wish the remaining parties - the democrats and liberals and the minorities form a government which would have a civilized and contemporary set of values and in which ds could abandon its passive policies of cohabitation and do some real and badly needed work on changing the essence of this country. I wish…

So have a great Sunday and beyond. It depends on us.

2007

2007-01-11T10:33:00.000+01:00

By the middle of the first work week of 2007, the new year has been quite obviously setting the tone of things to come. The gorgeous spring-like weather echoes the promises of the hottest year in recorded history

At work it’s hectic and busy which is a welcome change from last year which was slow, uneventful and relatively unsuccessful (although it gave me time to start my blog). One of my colleagues, that I was quite close with, has left the company which is sad. After three years of seeing someone every day, it’s a bit unsettling when things change. On the other hand, in the year when I hope to leave everyone I know behind and move to another continent, I shouldn’t get too worked up about these things.

With this in mind, I’m up to my neck in bureaucracy and to do lists. Hopefully by the middle of March I will know where I stand. If by the middle of March I stand in the right place, hopefully by late August, Ivan and I will be in New York again.

And I can hardly wait. In Serbia, another “milestone” election is around the corner. So much to be lost. Not as much to be gained. Once again “this” year could be decisive. Once again I’m afraid it won’t be.

For me at least, this will be a big year. Huge.
All the best, everyone.

Sex and the City

2006-12-22T00:01:00.000+01:00

We’ve been planing to see this film for a month, but always ended up saying “Ah, we’ll see it tomorrow”. Finally, yesterday it just felt like it was the right time to see it. Even trekking through the mushy snow and the thought of uncomfortable wicker chairs and cigarette smoke in Akademija 28 café-cinema didn’t seem like too much to handle. And good thing too, as it turned out to be the last day of screening. It would have been a real shame to miss it. I think Shortbus is a beautiful film.
Although there’s more explicit sex then I’ve ever seen outside of porn, I don’t see this film as pornographic. Pornography is simply supposed to arouse physically whereas this is a positive and emotional film with a warm and deeper message.
In fact, most of the sex takes place at the very beginning, in a way to get it over with and then deal with the really important issues. What I saw was a simple and honest film showing how people are obsessed with imaginary problems or real problems which they blow out of proportion, how they overcomplicate things when life is in fact simple and beautiful if we just relax and see what is good around us. And it is a film about love, which is not always easy but is always the best solution.
The actors seem genuine, and today after reading about the film and the years of workshops and preparations I realize why, and really respect their efforts. The music is wonderful especially the final song with which the film ends in a scene of cathartic liberation, bursting with happiness.
The incredible animation linking the scenes reminded me of my own little New York. And New York is such an important part of the film. The film echoes so much of my own view of the city. And before someone asks “What on earth did you do there?” I don’t mean literally but the energy and vibrancy and some sort of creative insanity.
Having said that, parts 2 and on of my American impressions will follow soon, I promise. Don’t give up on me yet

The CSs and the Cs

2006-12-04T16:56:00.000+01:00

There are two types of people that really annoy me. I don’t know whether they exist anywhere else in the word, but they are particularly abundant in the proximity of any form of Belgrade’s public transportation. Let’s call them the Conversation-Starters and the Commentators. They are closely related and quite similar. They can be both male and female, and 40-something and up.

The first, less aggressive “species” is characterized by a desperate desire to communicate with anyone about anything as soon as they are left idle for more than 1 minute in any situation involving waiting for or driving on a bus/tram/trolley. Usually they let out a recognizable sigh, deep exhale or pant, before making a general comment about oh, well anything, really, in the hope of drawing some unsuspecting victim into a pointless conversation. Fortunately it usually happens to be another conversation-starter, so the worst thing that can happen to the rest of us is to be bored senseless.

The second has a similar tactic but with the aim of spreading negative energy and/or picking a fight. They hope that a comment will force an annoyed fellow passenger to reply which could start an argument, which helps their commute just fly by. Their field of interest is quite narrow and usually revolves around more liberal factions in politics and young people in general.

I am no stranger to getting up for people on public transportation. But, I draw the line on old people, people with disabilities, pregnant women and people with small children. I have no intention of getting up for strapping forty-five-year-old women who look like they could pluck my arm out with two fingers. Well, maybe if they ask me nicely. On the trolley on Friday, this burly woman started her soliloquy about how “children” have no manners, do nothing, and spend all day running around in school or playing games on their computers and then do not have the decency to get up on the bus. Lady, maybe this “child” had a tough week at work, so just go away, but thank you for noticing my boyish good looks.

2006-11-30T16:41:00.000+01:00

So, How Was It? part 1

The habit of writing seems to be one that is hard to establish but so easy to loose. Having recovered from my organism’s complete refusal to accept its original time zone, from getting back to work, and from going through 3 CDs of New York photographs with every single person I know, it’s high time to return to my badly neglected blog.

It makes no sense anymore to recount in detail our activities during the trip, as I failed to do more than just scribble a few words in my notebook the whole time we were in the US. So I will try instead to write about my impressions and observations and make some comparisons between here and there (this might take some time).

Although most of it was tourism and pure fun, these two weeks were very important to us in a more substantial way. After we decided, due to a fortunate turn of events last year, to move (at least for a while) to NY, we needed, in a sense, to verify our decision, and see how feasible and realistic our choice was. So how does it all seem now? After all, America is supposed to be the land of opportunity.

And in my view, it is. I like America. A lot.

Before I elaborate, it is probably time for a little disclaimer: I understand New York is not America. The US is more than a country, it’s practically a continent. Even within smaller countries, differences between various parts are huge. London is quite unlike other parts of England I’ve seen. Belgrade has little in common with Serbia proper. Besides, how much can you really experience in two weeks? Tourism is not real life. It covers only the most pleasant a city/country has to offer.

On the other hand, I have to admit I’ve had some prejudice when it comes to America, especially as a potential residence. All our lives we are bombarded with stories of America as an inferior, wannabe Europe, a land of racist fat people who eat junk-food and drive to their own mailbox. I knew that was not true, and I’ve heard many wonderful things as well, but on some level I was burdened by it.

As I said, I really like America…

to be continued...

2006-11-21T17:32:00.000+01:00

Jet Lag

Back in Belgrade. Back at work. Back on the web.
Disoriented, late for work, exhausted and excited, happy and depressed.
New York was all I expected it to be and more. Big, fast and chaotic, but nevertheless warm, charming and friendly. The history of cinematography has really done it justice and I fully understand what makes this place the center of the world.
To the people who have been visiting this page, I apologize for not posting. The internet connection at our friend’s house in NY failed. Admittedly it was also a perfect excuse to not spend time in front of a computer without feeling guilty.
I’m glad to be able to see family and friends, but Belgrade looks so tiny and unimpressive. I realized the best whay to beat jet lag would have been not to stay.

2006-11-08T19:59:00.000+01:00

First Impressions

Running around these last few days I just couldn’t find time to sit down and organize my thoughts. It is a rainy midday in New York City and here’s a, hopefully, short recap the first few DKNY days.
I really love it here. I somehow knew I would. On Friday coming back from work, I stepped of a stranded trolleybus in the middle of Slavija circle. The first snow caused Belgrade’s traffic system to collapse, but as I headed home on foot, cold and wet, past angry, cursing drivers I nevertheless had a huge grin on my face. I just couldn’t wait to come.
Appropriately for traveling to the city that never sleeps, we didn't get any rest in the 30 hour day that took us from Belgrade to New York. After finishing packing very late and only a few hours of restless sleeping, we got up before dawn to get a cab to the airport. Appropriately, the Scissor Sisters were playing happily on the radio. A short delay, one aerial view of the Eiffel tower in the mist, several plastic-wrapped meals and an ocean later, we landed. Oh, again appropriately, the in-flight movie was the Devil wears Prada.
First impressions were a bit strange, though. After the architectural splendor of Charles De Gaulle, JFK seemed gray and drab. The long line of tired and nervous travelers waiting to give their fingerprints didn’t really improve the atmosphere. Our friend was waiting, fortunately, so we got in the car immediately and hit the roads. I knew America was the land of cars but I was still a bit shocked. First of all, the cars are huge, and they are everywhere. As we drove, for what seemed like hours in the awful traffic along this and that expressway, motorway, highway or parkway I wasn't all that impressed, but as we passed by the East River and saw the lights of Manhattan in all their glory I was bought.

We got off the highway into a whole different world. Brooklyn is lovely. Carroll Gardens is a nice quiet neighborhood with beautiful brick buildings, small shops, good restaurants, and friendly people who say hi in the streets. Walking around the city these last few days, I realized New York was like a series of small cozy towns hiding between the streets of the huge metropolis.
Not everything was great though. I managed to get my wallet stolen. I was terribly upset. I didn’t have too much money, but with no money and no Metro Card we had to walk for hours in the weak rain, through some not very representative neighborhoods to get home.
Despite that, I’m very happy that we’re here. We decided to first handle all the formalities and then let go and enjoy ourselves. So far, we finished all of Ivan’s paperwork, and visited most of the schools I’m interested in. Today we’ll brave the rain and finish the rest of the work.
Although we’ve been busy with other things, in the process we still got to walk around Manhattan’s avenues, see the Marathon runners in Central Park, and the flags fluttering at the UN, and go to Williamsburg where walking along one street you move back through time, from the hip artsy neighborhood to the orthodox Jewish community. We sat in Washington square park where a hard core band played and little girls in pink coats happily jumped around. There’s so much to feel and see and do and everywhere it is just bursting with life.
I think I could get used to this.

2006-11-01T13:08:00.000+01:00

Intro

Start Spreading the News...
Reluctant Dragon is off to New York. As of this weekend, and for the next two weeks or so, under this heading, you will be able to read all about Ivan’s and my experiences from the big city.
The title is, if I do say so myself, cleverly coined from our surname initials.
This visit is mostly tourism, but also some sort of fact finding mission for great plans that lie in the future – getting the feel of the place and finishing up some business which could eventually take this blog over the Atlantic for a much longer time.
Wish us luck and stay tuned.

... Spilled Milk

2006-10-30T14:56:00.000+01:00

Can’t you feel it? How everything is just better now? The two “bright days” of the referendum have sadly passed, but we have a new constitution, and suddenly our problems are all gone, as our big Serbian hearts pump Kosovo through our constitutional bloodstreams.

Yeah Right! “The bright days for Serbia” were ironically, and I would say symbolically stormy, rainy and gloomy. But, hey, what can we do? The constitution is here, we’ll soon see how they (ab)use it. I’m sorry it has been passed. I’m glad that it wasn’t passed as overwhelmingly as I thought it would be. I’m glad they got such a slight majority despite the incessant brainwashing through every medium imaginable. Elections are hopefully coming soon, so at least we’ll have more choice.

I’ve had a lovely weekend, though. I got to do all the things I had planned and more, thanks to daylight savings. I have a busy week ahead. Lots of things to finish up before a welcome break from the country of Serbs and insignificant others.

What to do for the Weekend?

2006-10-26T11:41:00.000+02:00

It’s best to stay in bed late on Saturday, and fully recover from Friday night. Sleep or have breakfast in bed, watching reruns of “Enterprise” until it time for lunch. It may be a good time to visit your parents. Then to the gym - there’s no excuse for not exercising just because it’s a weekend. After that you should go home and rest a bit before meeting up with friends at a café. You haven’s seen them in a long time, what with being very busy. Check who is out of Big Brother. Don’t stay up too late. You need the rest.
Wake up fresh, bright and early on Sunday morning. Try to get some autumn sun, if possible, over coffee in the garden of your local café. There aren’t many sunny days left in this year. Go to the market and buy some fresh fruit and vegetables. A long walk on Ada would be great, but if it rains go to the book fair or the October Salon, or just stay at home, cuddled up with someone and watch the rain outside the window. Have dinner at a friend’s house. You can cook together. It’s fun.

Why… that leaves no time for the referendum. Shame. Oh, well, better luck next time.

Abolish the Army

2006-10-23T16:59:00.000+02:00

My “soldierly” life continues. I’ve just received my belated first paycheck for services so far rendered to our fatherland, of which Kosovo is an integral part (is the last bit obligatory now?).
Extravagant as I am, I’ve spent it all in a matter of minutes.
The whole 4 Euros and 50 cents of it.
Seriously, are people in civilian service supposed to be in an equal position as those recruits with guns? I was lucky, I keep saying that. But what about those people who have too many obligations in the civil service to continue working? How do you survive for a month in Belgrade on 4 and a half Euros? Any suggestions?
The guys in the regular army at least have a bed and three meals a day. Isn’t this discrimination based on the rejection of violence as a way of life?
Despite this, less and less people choose to do their duty in the actual armed forces.
Why doesn’t the army deal with these problems, one might enquire? Is it because it’s busy defending the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of our shrinking homeland? No, it’s too busy blowing up small towns in central Serbia.
I’ll spend much of next month on regular leave. At least, they were kind enough to give me a permit to leave the country during that period.

I say abolish the whole thing. Now!

No More Revelations

2006-10-23T16:55:00.000+02:00

A woman was walking carelessly across the sunlit Students' square, when a huge chestnut fell from a tree, missing her by just a few centimeters. That could really ruin one’s day. And such a gorgeous day it is. It’s autumn again, and again, winter seems to be nowhere in sight. I’ve rarely been happier to be wrong.

Revelation

2006-10-17T16:56:00.000+02:00

One has to accept the inevitable. Winter is on its way.
It was today when I stepped into my pleasantly warm office and realized that the central heating has been turned on, that it dawned on me why I felt so cold this morning when I left my house in a thin autumn jacket. It’s time to unpack those winter clothes.
It won’t be long before those awful “what to do for New Year’s” conversations start.

Pain in the Blog 5

2006-10-10T14:30:00.000+02:00

New and improved Reluctant Dragon from now in Beta!

Whatever that means…

The transition of my blog into the new format has been very smooth. Thank you to Blogger for making some things more user-friendly. I’m also grateful for labels of posts. That always seemed like a logical development.

Off course, as they say in Serbia “There’s no pleasing the people”, so we get to the nitpicking part. The choices in modifying one’s template are still very limited, so if you want more you still have to deal with html. I would like to play with the visual side of the blog and though common sense has made it possible for me to perform basic adjustments in html, I’m afraid the badly needed makeover will have to wait until I have time to be bothered with it.

Let Me Elaborate

2006-10-03T15:48:00.000+02:00

Looking through a few of my previous posts, a comment by BgAnon (to whom I apologize for regularly failing to answer his comments and questions) compelled me to elaborate on some of my views.

I may come across as a grumpy young man, but I am an optimist, a cautious and critical one, but an optimist nevertheless. I think that if you want good things to happen you have to believe in them.

And I am, on a personal level, very content and happy. I’m in a loving relationship, I have friends and family, I have a good, relatively well paid job. But on a more general level, I do think that Serbia is becoming a darker and more sinister place. I am certain this course is not irreversible, but I sincerely feel it as such under my skin.

The new constitution which is being imposed upon this country has certainly left us all in the dark. The few bits that have surfaced have sadly shed little positive light on the matter. The hastily constructed document, pushed forward for all the wrong reasons defines a nationalistic centralized state and will eventually bring us into conflict with either the world or ourselves, or both.

There has been progress in recent years. That cannot be denied. Economic development is in part the reason why people like me can be content on a personal level. But I think all of this is mostly cosmetic. Sure we can eat in fine restaurants and shop at Zara, but on a more substantial level we haven’t moved far from the 90s, which, in my view, having in mind the opportunities that we’ve had is equivalent to going backwards.

Serbia, with some exceptions, is a corrupt, conservative, right-wing state pushing its agenda through tasteless promotion of religion, Cyrillic letters and crowned emblems.

A rare opportunity to create a modern state has been missed.

Fear of Embassies

2006-09-29T14:35:00.000+02:00

Embassies make me queasy. It’s like going to the dentist. One expects something bad.
I’ve traveled. Not as much as I wanted to, but quite above average for a Serb my age. The pages of my passports (current and expired) are graced with holographic stickers of European stars and numerous stamps of cars, trains, airplanes from various border crossings.
Still every time I head for a consular office of a foreign country, the inherent Serbian fear of embassies kicks in and I become nervous and insecure. But can we really be blamed? It is a fear of humiliation and inferiority, it is an aversion to bullying guards and grumpy clerks, it is an intolerance of bureaucracy. The bottom line is – it is a fear of captivity.
I’ve never been denied a visa. I always have good reasons to travel and all the paperwork. But that is one of the things that bug me. Do you really need a GOOD reason? Isn’t wanting to go somewhere reason enough?
Well I can’t change the system, but I can overcome my fear. It’s a slow step by step process. Another visa, another stamp and a step closer to peace of mind.

Little Apple

2006-09-26T18:07:00.000+02:00

Have you ever been given an entire city?

Sunday was Ivan’s and mine second anniversary. He made me a model of New York City as a sign of things that might be in the future

This future is still a long way away but things have started to develop. A lot of hard work is ahead, a lot of nerves will be lost.

In the meantime we have the gently swaying transparent buildings of an imaginary Brooklyn.

We sit on a sofa in our little red apartment careless and relaxed like in the original photograph from a seaside vacation.

Oh, Brother!

2006-09-19T17:32:00.000+02:00

Globalization can be slow but it’s unavoidable. Big Brother has finally turned his eye on Serbia. Unlike many people I know I don’t see this as the end of civilization as we know it. Sure it’s somewhat mindless but it’s harmless and at times entertaining.

After the BB rehearsal – the unappealing introduction into the world of reality shows, which was a bit too real, reminding us of where we live and of all that is wrong with this country, the real thing is here, and it’s surprisingly decent.

What we could have learnt from the trial period is that Serbia seems rather superficial in selecting the only two decent looking people to go through to the actual show. But the one thing that really stands out, in my view at least, is the disproportional amount of attention on homosexuality. It is a topic in every episode, in conversations, on forums and in newspaper articles. After the appearance and later elimination from the rehearsal show of the first openly gay character on Serbian TV, we now see inklings of a debate or at least acknowledgement of an issue that is absolute taboo in our society.

Whether this was deliberately done to draw attention or not, I think it’s a good thing. It brings the problem into the homes of regular people, especially now that B92’s ratings have grown to levels they could only wish for with more intelligent programming.

I’m sure real surprises are yet to come. Personally I think it would be wonderful if Ivan and Marko hooked up. I’d enjoy it on both a symbolic and a personal level, but it’s not likely to happen. The good thing is that the first person to leave the house was kicked out by the housemates for being too intolerant to gay people. Hopefully some of what we saw on this surreal “reality” show will spread into our real reality.

911

2006-09-11T20:15:00.000+02:00

It’s amazing how extraordinary events can make you remember completely insignificant details and forever embed an otherwise ordinary day into your memory.

I remember a cloudy September afternoon in Belgrade half a decade ago. Serbia was still enthusiastic and energetic less than a year after its conversion to democracy. Bitef, the theatre festival, was about to start, like every September, and after work (on the first serious job I ever had) I met up with a friend at a café in Kosovska Street to browse through the program and decide which plays to see. We made our choices and made our way in the weak rain to buy tickets. The ticket office was closed so I went home.

At home I found my transfixed family staring at the television and the surreal scenes from New York. I spend the rest of the day and night skipping from channel to channel in horror and morbid fascination, dreading the third world war which I thought would follow.

So what has changed five Septembers later? No WW3 for now, but, we live in a world which seems a little scarier and less safe. Maybe it is the same, only we are a bit more paranoid. I do feel, however that the world turned darker, more extreme, more repressive. Serbia turned darker too.

I have the disconcerting feeling that no lesson has been learnt from this terrible tragedy. Terrorism is no closer to being eradicated. Nothing has been done to address and prevent the reasons for its appearance. In the “democratic” world 9.11 has become yet another abused legacy of innocent victims - an excuse for human rights abuse and deepening prejudice.

In the Army Now

2006-09-07T15:52:00.000+02:00

In the woods of central Bosnia, young Slovenians, Croats, Bosnians and Serbs fought a fierce battle. This time, fortunately, they only used paint, the teams were mixed, and it was all in good spirit. Ironically, I spend the weekend ahead of the start of my civilian army service playing paintball. There goes my “objection to arms” argument. Hopefully no one will know.
As always when I find myself surrounded by people that I used to share a country with when we were just children we get along perfectly. Whether it was student seminars in Slovenia or festivals in Bosnia or now this meeting with my colleagues from the region, my generation seems open and genuinely nostalgic of times it hardly remembers.
But it’s not easy to forget what happened. It’s never far away, especially in Bosnia. Hiking in the mountain you can’t help but think whether there are landmines if you step off the beaten track, and every once in a while you come across a burnt house riddled with bullets. Paintball perhaps isn’t the perfect sport for that country. One of my Bosnian colleagues said it was rather disturbing when the “bullets” started whizzing past her head. I can understand.
All the war games bring me back to the beginning - and the army. In Montenegro, army duty has just been abolished. In Serbia we still have to serve, albeit with a civilian alternative. The good news is that I got what I asked for, an institution which is flexible enough so that I can continue working.
I am however angry that this outdated concept still exists. I am angry that for the next nine months I am only allowed to work in my company on contract and not full time, which technically makes me unemployed, all because the army is officially paying me 5 Euros a month! I even feel a bit guilty about the watered-down request I submitted for civilian service. Instead of saying what I really feel I wrote some general observations on pacifism. Yes, the result is favorable for me, at least as favorable as it gets. I did what was practical and pragmatic, I played a along. But by playing along we maintain a system which is rotten and should be dismantled. Such things really annoy me.

Guca

2006-08-31T16:50:00.000+02:00

Guca is upon us once again. I do not intend to go. The sweaty public drunkenness and the cacophony of trumpets are really not my cup of tea (bottle of brandy).
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Guca, as such. Let people party in whatever way they see fit, but labeling this a supreme cultural event or saying that there is something uniquely and authentically Serbian in getting drunk and losing control is just wrong. “It’s a Serbian brand, it’s a Serbian brand”, desperate voices cry out to defend the festival from its critics. Sure it’s a brand. It is a big tourist attraction, an important event in the Serbian calendar, a moneymaking machine, but by no means does this guarantee quality or the “cultural” and “ethnic” aspect of the whole spectacle. People rarely think of the actual trumpeters’ competition. It is merely an excuse.
Some website in the UK has allegedly voted Guca and Exit as the top two festivals or carnivals in the world, even ahead of Rio. I have my doubts that this is probably a website frequented by Serbian diaspora, but there is another thing preventing me from jumping with joy at the fact that I live in the certified epicenter of world entertainment.
Within Serbia there is an evident disproportion in treating these two “world famous” brands. I don’t claim one event is better than the other (I certainly prefer Exit), as it is a matter of taste, but they are deliberately and forcefully confronted.
Guca is seen as traditionally Serbian and Exit as something foreign, even anti-Serbian.
The government and the media proudly promote Guca as Balkan joie de vivre whereas Exit is always marred by criticism of drug abuse and incidents.
Neither event is certainly free from corruption, accidents and illegal substances, the death toll of Guca drunk driving car accidents is not insignificant, but that is part of life and these ugly things do not make them less important or less Serbian.
Another thing that bugs me is the approach to organizing Guca. It is graciously funded by the state and still they have the audacity to postpone the event with only a month to go, potentially ruining plans of thousands of badly needed tourists, just because someone remembered that it was time for fasting!? And here I thought we live in a secular state.
Silly me, everyone knows that any good Christian believer has to be done with al that nasty fasting business before stuffing him/herself with fatty pork and liter upon liter of brandy and beer. After the fast, it’s perfectly all right. After the fast, you can indulge in as many pagan rituals as you want. The church can even rent its frond yard to accommodate this orgy of lard and alcohol, as it gladly does. The church, naturally sees nothing wrong with its flock indulging in large scale gluttony at is very doorstep, but it does have a problem with street theatre performances labeling them satanic, and getting the police to intervene.
Here I go again, but like with every other aspect of life in Serbia lately there is a terrible trend of primitive and shallow celebration of “nationhood”, “faith”, “tradition”. Will we ever learn that faith is something deeply personal, that nations do evolve, that new traditions are bourn and that national identity can encompass so many new things that only make it stronger?

Not Dead

2006-08-30T15:19:00.000+02:00

Finally! After first being too busy and then sick (from being too busy) and than too busy again, I can finally get back to the simple pleasures in life. Like… sleeping, or eating, or writing my blog.
But I can’t think of a thing to write about. Working around the clock and stomach flu tend to leave a person uninspired. The constant rain isn’t a lot of help either.

Cosmic Proportions

2006-08-17T11:52:00.000+02:00

Things change. They actually do. I’ve been following what I consider is some of the biggest news in years, and I’m very excited about the prospect that even what we consider hard facts can change in a day. How many planets are there in our Solar System? someone asks. Um, Nine? one would say. Nope. Wrong. Twelve… that is if you count the “plutons”, would be the new answer.

Off course conspiracy theorists (no shortage of those) could argue this latest change was funded by an international lobby of printers, already rubbing their hands and licking their lips thinking about the profits from printing new textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias, but I think there is nothing sinister about it.

It just proves that science is alive and kicking, thank you very much. And it can still change our world.

Sure, the Solar System hasn’t actually changed. Apart from the regular movements of its comets, asteroids and planets it is exactly where it was a few days ago. We cannot change the laws of nature, but we can and do change what we know and how we interpret it. We do change our perception. And that’s the wonderful thing. It shows us that no system created by man is everlasting and impervious to change no matter how used to it we’ve become. Sooner or later we learn something new, circumstances change, reality kicks in, and we have to accept it and move on.

This change of cosmic proportions will hopefully trickle down through space, carried by solar winds, and our gravity will pull it down to a global, continental, regional or local level. Nothing lasts forever. Isn’t it a relief? Whether it’s religious dogma or American foreign policy or the Serbian government or international borders. And still life goes on.

This latest Solar System enlargement has given a chance to some new heavenly bodies to have their time in the spotlight. And there are more candidate planets hoping to meet the criteria for admission. Our ever changing neighborhood gives hope even to those of us living in the Kuiper belt of Europe that our time might come.

Another thing we can learn is the power of compromise. Pluto got its final status, and it’s, well, less than a classical planet more than an asteroid. Some things you lose, some thing you win, it lost its moon but gained a twin planet and got to be the reference point for other planets. And I’m sure the Plutonians don’t mind.

For a serious text on the subject: BBC

Fast Food, or Gone Quickly

2006-08-15T09:29:00.000+02:00

This is my appeal for the state to subsidize out-of-the-ordinary fast food. At least until eating habits of the Serbian people have changed and it becomes profitable.

The only falafel place in Belgrade has closed. The other day I went there for the first time in a while only to discover that it has been turned into yet another grill. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Serb, I love grilled meats of all kinds, and pizza, and all sorts of yummy pastries from bakeries, but sometimes one just wants to eat something else on a short lunch break. And there isn’t anything.

Is it possible that in a land with such good food and such a love of food, there is no room for something with more spice, or rice? I guess the problem is that we see these types of food as something that will bring a little variety, something that we can eat every once in a while. And that’s obviously not enough. There are not enough people who see this food as their daily bread, or hamburger, or burek.

So basically, this is also my appeal to all people of good will from the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, South-east Asia and the Far East, Africa and Latin America to come and settle in Belgrade in large numbers, building communities, bringing with them a breath of fresh air and a little variety. Maybe if we sit down and eat each other’s food, this will be a better place.

Myopia is fun

2006-08-11T15:08:00.000+02:00

I’ve been home alone these last few days.
Last night, lying in bed without my lenses I looked out the open door of the bedroom and the red lamp at the far end of the living room seemed to be a ball of blood-orange light, like one of those summer sunsets over New Belgrade which paint the sky purple.
You rarely think about it, but Myopia sure can bring a different perspective.

... there are some ugly buildings

2006-08-10T13:47:00.000+02:00

Another thing I thought about this morning is that the new (not really new, but recently completed) National Bank building on Slavija is one of the ugliest buildings I’ve ever seen. It looks as if it didn’t even have an architect but that someone just pieced together every geometric shape imaginable.
So I thought I’d try something. And I’d like some involvement. I don’t know if I can pull this off, as only a few people actually comment on this blog, but here goes:
What, in your opinion, is the ugliest building in Belgrade? And Why?
I know that among the people who come here regularly there are some Belgraders, temporary, permanent or former, so I’m sure you won’t be short of opinions.
As for the criteria: Let’s not talk about houses or residential buildings, unless they’re unavoidably terrible. They get torn down and replaced. Also I’m not thinking of buildings which are in poor condition, gray, dirty and crooked. That can be fixed.
I’m thinking big. I’m thinking landmarks, buildings which have left their permanent mark on this city, one that will haunt us for a long time. So think government buildings, hotels, hospitals, museums, theaters, sport arenas, churches…
Also, to balance it out, if you want, say which ones you like, but try and avoid the usual favorites, like the Parliament or something

Belgrade is beautiful, but...

2006-08-10T13:35:00.000+02:00

The overnight train from Vienna arrives at 6:27. I got up at five as I had to pick someone up at the train station. I decided to walk. I don’t even know how public transport works at this time of day.

I like being out very early in the morning. Everything is so peaceful and you’re the only one disturbing the peace. I like how I can hear the echo of my footsteps. I like how you can hear rumbling long before you even see a car. I like to look at the city without people and traffic, fresh and clean. It’s so unreal and out of context.

This was the first time that I walked from Slavija to the train station since Nemanjina street got a facelift. Think it looks great.

I got to the station on time. The train was naturally late. The station is filthy and stinks, so I decided to wait outside. The plato in front of the station actually looks great. Disregard the parked cars, the filth, pollution and construction work and it will make a nice square some day. It’s a pity that Korunovic’s post office building didn’t survive.

The train arrives and hundreds of young backpackers pour out of the train. I started thinking about first impressions. It’s a disgrace that people arriving to a European capital of nearly 2 million people by bus or train have to see what they see and smell what they smell. I know construction of the new train station is restarting and the bus station will be moved to New Belgrade, but this will take years and something needs to be done urgently. Maybe that’s why so many visitors like Belgrade, because after the first impression it can only get better.

Fruit

2006-08-08T17:00:00.000+02:00

I was trying to find a reason why being back from vacation is a good thing.
At my local market which happens to be the most expensive in Belgrade most fruit and vegetables cost 30 to 50 Dinars (35-60 Euro Cents) per kg, while in Montenegro the same products are 1.5 Euros. What causes this huge difference is beyond me.
At least now I can munch on as much melon and blackberries as I want looking out the window at the gray sky and wet streets.

Heading Home

2006-08-06T20:23:00.000+02:00

I feel uncontrollably attracted to this rocky terrain. Maybe it’s an ancestral connection, but I really think there is nothing like the nature in Montenegro. The mountains are mighty and unbelievably beautiful.
For reasons beyond my control, my vacation lasted longer than planned (not that I’m complaining) so on Thursday morning we left Boka Kotorska. Once again we chose a less conventional route and started to ascend up the winding road leading to the cloud covered mountain tops. We passed this same road at dusk on our way to the sea, but now in daylight it’s even more impressive. The air was fresh from the rain which fell during the night.
Instead of turning west into Bosnia, we headed east to Niksic. The plan was to go through Zabljak and the world heritage Durmitor national park. Curiously, in all these years it is another place that I’ve never visited. And soon I realized how much I’ve missed.

Just before Niksic we passed wonderful lakes with lots of tiny islands. The city itself, as most cities in inland Montenegro is ugly and, to me at least, looks unlivable. But the nature is unreal, and the closer we got to Zabljak, the more my jaw dropped at the Windows desktop theme surroundings

The open spaces, the mountains and the huge sky reminded me of Brokeback Mountain. My suggestion to listen to the soundtrack was dismissed, unfortunately.

We had a picnic on the shore of the Black Lake. You have to pay to enter the national park. I’m not really sure if that is common practice, but it’s absolutely worth it.

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. We passed the border into Serbia without even being looked at. We struggled our way through intensive construction work on Zlatibor and soon got into traffic jams stretching to Belgrade.

I’ve had a wonderful vacation and I feel energized and relaxed. Let’s see how long it lasts.

Party Town

2006-08-06T20:21:00.000+02:00

Budva is a big city which caters to all needs – on the main promenade stalls offer everything from fish-themed temperature-measuring refrigerator magnets and inflatable marine animals to henna tattoos and hand-crafted jewelry. There are rollercoasters and hair salons, internet cafés and shoe shops, clubs and bars. The usual Montenegrin menu of fish, pizza or pancakes, expands to anything from Greek or Chinese to McDonald’s.
The old town is beautiful and completely restored with lots of attention to details.
A wonderful discovery is a place called Hot Moon with a great choice of tasty smoothies and delicious fusion food of Mexican, Indian and Montenegrin origin.
Although the ability to endure a day at the beach with tens of thousands of other people is something I’ll never develop, I see why the off-beach content attracts so many. It’s fun. In September, it’s perfect.

The Quest Continues

2006-08-06T20:13:00.000+02:00

The quest for the perfect beach continued yesterday. We decided to go to a place called Perazica Do where my sister and I went a couple of times when we were kids. I remember the cute houses nestled at the bottom of a steep cliff , and a pebbled beach with turquoise water. I also remember a luxury hotel carved into the cliff on one end of the beach, its terraces and swimming pools. I’ve heard in the meantime that the hotel had closed and fell into disrepair, but we did not expect to find what we found. The hotel has been demolished as if a huge bite has been taken from the mountain. A crane towered above ghostly concrete remains and bulldozers were plowing what was once the hotel beach with its pools. The whole place was transformed into a huge construction site and debris and sand have covered the beach and muddied the water. Disappointed, we left. We’ll be back when the new hotel is built.
But, we were left with a dilemma - how to spend a pleasant day at the beach on the Budva Riviera the most crowded part of the coast? If you want peace, look for luxury. We thought of checking out the beach at Sveti Stefan but the 10 Euro price tag just for the parking was a bit too much. So we headed on to Milocer, where parking is only three Euros, but the beautiful Queen’s beach with its former royal residence is closed for the public so that the president can take a swim.
It was already noon, very hot and the traffic was terrible. Skipping Becici with its new fancy hotels on a very unappealing beach and Budva, we moved on determined not to compromise and to find just the righ balance of tourism and wilderness. Therefore one by one the ant colonies of Jaz, Trsteno and Ploce were eliminated. Even at the risk of being boiled alive, the five of us in a small car decided to take the back roads over the hills in the blistering sun and go to Bigovo. On the way the only life we saw were snakes and some sheep under an olive tree.
But it was worth it. Bigovo is a fishing village in a small bay, far from any important naval or terrestrial routes. It isn’t much to look at, but it is pleasant and laid back. Outside the village there is a nice beach. The water is very clean and there is a lot of fish and shells something I haven’t seen in Boka in many years. In fact on the town pier we find dried remains of some quite scary sea creatures. I hope the water is not that clean.

Trip "Abroad"

2006-08-06T19:45:00.000+02:00

Although Montenegro is now independent, the visit to Ulcinj was the only time that I ever felt as if I were in a different country. I’ve spend every summer of every year of my life in Montenegro, but this was my first trip to the south end of the coast.

The stretch from Ulcinj to the confluence of the Bojana River and the Albanian border is an enormous beautiful sandy beach, which for most of its 15 or so kilometers is divided into lots where different owners have created almost identical forests of umbrellas surrounding beach bars and crisscrossed by wooden walkways to keep people safe from the burning sand. The beaches have names like Copacabana or Malibu and outside on giant parking lots are seas of cars with mostly Kosovan plates (I didn’t immediately get what KS means so I was surprised by the number of tourists from Kazachstan)

After some wandering and instructions from a friendly guard of the nudist colony we managed to find a “wild” piece of beach near the confluence of the river which is home to the occasional bather, kite surfers and a shabby bar with a Brazilian flag. I’m used to the typical Montenegrin stony beaches but I did enjoy walking in the sand and there is nothing more comfortable for lying all day in the sun. The sea is shallow for more than you can walk without getting bored and a bit murky from the sand lifted by huge waves. We spend a lovely lazy day, and I’ll definitely come again.

As the sun started to set we went into town. The old town in Ulcinj sits on cliff above the sea, but is nowhere near as impressive as Budva or Kotor. I expected hammams and mosques. It is well kept and clean but there is no impressive architecture. It also seems a bit deserted.

Downhill, however, on the promenade by the sea everything is teaming with life. You can barely walk through the crowded streets. It is noisy, sweaty and smells of all sorts of food.
As I’m a huge fan we get some dönner kebabs with the help of an interpreter. Unfortunately it’s not nearly as tasty as in Germany.
Everything is familiar, but somehow strange, more oriental. Everyone speaks a different language, people even look different. Whole families, all generations from grand parents to crying babies, out on their evening walk, snake tamers, naked children lying on the sidewalk, begging. Incredibly loud Albanian music blasts from terraces of clubs. Crowds wait outside - apparently some huge Albanian star has a concert. Funnily enough, most young man look as if they just came out of a Turkish gay club, in garish, supposedly trendy outfits. The only uniting factor of all nationalities in former Yugoslavia seems to be Ceca who found her place even hear, “thundering” away from a café. Another thing that surprised me was the number of internet cafés. Elsewhere on the cost they are small and few, but here there are so many with hundreds of computers, and they are all full.
Ulcinj was really a unique experience, a different setting, naturally and culturally. I’m really glad we made the trip.

Real Estate

2006-08-06T15:29:00.000+02:00

One of the interesting phenomena which have come to light with Montenegro’s independence is the real estate boom. In old Kotor town agencies have sprung up catering to pockets of all depths, preferably very deep. All along the coast demand exceeds the offer. Everything goes from fully furbished villas to empty shells of long-deserted stone houses engulfed by roots of fig trees. Similar to Croatia from a couple of years ago, foreigners with some cash to spare buy, invest, sell. First came the Russians, now it’s the English. Hollywood seems to be interested as well. Friends tell me Michael Douglass and Katherine Zeta Jones were looking at a house in Perast the other day. Houses change hands and their prices go up and up. I guess now is the time to invest before the realtors move along into Albania. Hear the coast is amazing there. There’s already talk of the next big thing.

View from Perast. Skolje Islands: St. George and Lady of the Reef

Perfect Day

2006-08-06T15:27:00.000+02:00

The Montenegrin coast, once isolated, was a peaceful haven where connoisseurs and us „locals“ could easily find a secluded place to enjoy the sea and the sun far from tourism, beach bars, rentable umbrellas and screaming children. But it seams more and more people are enjoying this type of refuge, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a piece of rock and water for yourself. Too often I find cars parked along the winding road through the bay at my favorite „secret” spots, where hidden tracks lead through the shrubs to immaculate beaches which I always thought were mine alone.
The car imposes itself as a necessary instrument in going further off the beaten track. A boat, naturally, is another good solution.

We decided to spend a day at Miriste a small cove at the very entrance to Boka Kotorska looking beyond the fortresses that guard the bay onto the open sea. The road by land is narrow and winds through olive groves – the Mediterranean as it once was, excuse my copyright infringement. Although boats come here regularly from Herceg Novi it is not as crowded as Zanjic with its camp site, just a short walk away. It is not absolute isolation, as there is a restaurant, café, showers and all other modern facilities but the number and profile of visitors makes it very relaxing and pleasant.
The water is crystal clear and tropically blue, and the view is spectacular. Nearby on a rocky peninsula is the Arza fort, another nice place to swim and dive, where a couple of years ago after a long journey over rough roads I finally arrived only to hear Vivaldi echoing through the empty halls and find out that during the summer the fort is home to some other refuge seekers. On the far side of the bay you can see the forts in Croatia and in the middle the mighty Mamula fortress on an island with weird vegetation.
Just off Miriste beach is another small island with a monastery.

As we were a group of 10 people, we easily managed to charter a boat just for ourselves and set off to explore the Blue Cave just outside the bay. The huge sea cave is a great place to dive in the predictably very blue water. Our skipper also offered to take us to the nearby Black Cave, which I’ve never even heard of on my numerous visits to its well known cousin.

It’s absolutely fantastic! As you swim inside (the entrance is to low for boats of any kind to pass) the only light is coming from under the water so bodies of people in front of you have a fluorescent glow. Swimming further your companions start to disappear in total darkness. Through the black, holding hands, you reach the end of the cave where you can stand on rocks in the water. The water gets quite cold and you shiver looking back at the sliver of light from which you came as you listen to strange sounds of water splashing and what I imagine can only be bats in the darkness above you. Very exciting and eerie. Then you swim out into the warm Adriatic.
On our way back to Miriste we stopped at Mamula, to swim and explore the wonderful fortress and its alien plant life. Stories of turning it into a casino are still there but I like it just as it is.
Back at Miriste we spent the rest of the day playing games on the beach and after the beautiful sunset we went to Rose, a lovely fishing village nearby for a great sea food dinner. We made our way back on the winding roads listening to a Mozart cd which accidentally made its way into the car. But it sure made for a wonderful ride.

Back in Belgrade

2006-08-04T11:41:00.000+02:00

After a prolonged 20 day vacation I’m back in Belgrade, and back at work. I’ve only managed to post once from Montenegro, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been idle, just that every time I went to Kotor, the only internet café was either too crowded or didn’t have electricity, but it did have a wonderful fruit tart to help me forget why I came. I’ll organize my notes and photos today and share my adventures and impressions. Stay tuned...

Montenegro - Beginning

2006-07-25T17:54:00.000+02:00

Getting up at six on a Saturday is not really my idea of fun but we had to hit the road before it gets too crowded and hot. Serbia at dawn is bursting with (unused) potential. The nature is lush and beautiful.
On Zlatibor we take a break and visit Mecavnik. The village is cute although crowded and artificial. If only real people lived in villages like this one. You have to pay to get in. Not too thrilled to give money to Kusturica, but officially it’s for charity. Hope I’m not aiding and abetting war crime fugitives...

For certain reasons we take the road less traveled and chose a route through Bosnia. It’s supposed to be fantastic, and it will be a welcome break from the usual trip via Podgorica. The roads are much worse though, we have been warned.

Munching on cookies my mother baked, we come to Visegrad. The famous bridge on the Drina still stands dominating the city and the river. It’s much more beautiful than I ever imagined it. Nature keeps getting more spectacular. Driving along the river through the Drina canyon, I simply don’t understand how come this country disintegrated so violently. How can so much aggression be stored in people who live surrounded by such fascinating beauty? Traces of the war are still visible everywhere, houses burned or scarred. People are apparently moving on. There’s regular life amid the signs of struggle. It’s strange and I feel uneasy. I hope this will work out.

We stop at a meadow near Sutjeska and sleep a bit in a green flowery field. We are awakened by a cheerful yellow dog. Cows graze around us. The site of more battles this time from WWII the Sutjeska river provides even more breathtaking nature. The old stone monument perched on a hilltop, gray and forgotten is nevertheless powerful. Clear streams wind through a countryside reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings films.

The terrain becomes flat although we’re still high in the mountains. The surroundings look almost alien. Never been, but it reminds me of some pictures of Greenland. Bare land with shrubs for trees and a strange town of bland preassembled houses surrounding a huge power plant.
Lakes fill up the holes in this rocky terrain. Towns and villages seem lifeless and deserted.
We enter Montenegro at a remote border post. Policemen look surprised to see us/anyone, but kindly welcome us into the new state. The international road from the border looks more like a run down hiking path than a motorway. We navigate with difficulty, as the road is not wide enough for two cars to pass each other by, let alone a car and a truck (although we manage. twice), all the more difficult /scary, as on one side of the road there are sharp rocks, on the other an abyss. Fortunately there’s not much traffic. Since we left the main road in Zlatibor we only saw about a dozen cars and the two trucks (probably lost).
We pass through scary ghost towns, and further amazing backdrops, and as it starts to darken, we reach the mountain tops above Boka Kotorska. The view of the bay is spectacular, the road even more scary. We look with envy at the new modern road still under construction and begin our descent towards the sea
Arriving at our final destination, exhausted and happy to be alive, thrilled with the fantastic and horrifying journey, we pass out and sleep like babies.

Hastily I’m constructing this post on the lap-top sitting under a lemon tree in the garden, trying to squeeze an impressive one day journey through three countries and some of the most incredible and diverse nature I’ve ever seen into a short text. Next time we’ll have to bring camping gear and take time to explore.
When I’ll be able to post is a big question. I’m not in a hurry to go into town.
As for Montenegro, it’s still the same. Nobody really talks about the referendum, but I sense my friends are divided about its outcome. I congratulate those who approve; I try to persuade others that it will be ok. I think it will be. They will be fine.
What certainly hasn’t changed is how beautiful everything is. We lie in the sun all day. The sea is refreshing, perhaps a little cold. In the evening the wind blows and it’s pleasantly cool. I can never sleep so well in Belgrade. I really needed this.

Montenegro

2006-07-14T22:05:00.000+02:00

Now that twists of Balkan politics have turned me into an international real-estate owner, I’m off to my Adriatic summerhouse on holiday. It will be my first trip to Montenegro since independence.
I’m interesting in hearing what my former compatriots and continuing friends at the seaside think about the whole thing, but even more I’m interested in swimming in the warm see, sleeping, and generally lounging about, in the sun or in the shade.
I’ll spend the summer with Ivan, my sister, a number of friends, their significant others, and even some Dutch people I’ve never met, who agreed to sleep on the living room floor. Sounds like fun.
This badly needed getaway will also be a test for Reluctant Dragon. Will I be able to post and how often with very limited internet access? Will the change of scenery bring a breath of fresh air into my blog or will the see and sun make me too lazy to even consider posting let alone write anything?
Well, we’ll see. Even if I don’t write for a while, I’ll certainly be back in August.Have fun everyone and thank you for coming.

Molehunt

2006-07-13T13:24:00.000+02:00

We’ve moved back to our apartment as our friends are coming back from vacation. No need to look after the dog anymore. I feel sad. I’ve grown quite attached to the little guy. He’s a loving and loveable dog, and I’m going to miss our walks, even those half-conscious ones at 6am after a whole night partying at Exit and the uncomfortable train ride from Novi Sad.
Indoors he is calm and quiet, but outside he becomes an uncontrollable torrent of energy. His favorite past time is digging up mole holes on a nearby meadow. He can spend hours digging until he can barely walk and collapses under a shady tree.
Unfortunately a few days ago leisurely activity turned into tragedy as he caught and, in the process, killed an unfortunate mole. He proudly paraded it around, and all attempts to get the dead animal out of his mouth were in vain.
Another hobby of his is that from time to time he likes to run away and although he doesn’t wander very far, he successfully evades capture and is not fooled by offerings of food or playful coaxing.
However, everyone has a weak spot. As Ivan put it: He likes moles more than he likes freedom. He was caught while he was digging, oblivious to the world around him. Just as the mole’s, the mole hole was his undoing. I guess, what goes around, comes around. Not that going home to get fed and being killed by a digging dog are very much alike. Bad analogy.
Anyway, the point is - as long as someone’s entertained, one can get away with anything. So don’t be caught in the mole hole.
Deep…

Tourism

2006-07-12T18:22:00.000+02:00

This years Exit was more international the ever, the official language seemed to be English, and I like that a lot. More and more people from other countries are finding Serbia an interesting tourist destination, hidden from the outside for so long, lovely, friendly, cheap and weird. The internet and other media are full of affirmative though somewhat shallow stories about the aggressive dictatorship turned party land. At the forefront, Belgrade is once again full of tourists. I hope this welcome contact with the world will help promote openness and tolerance. With this in mind I wanted to share some tourist related thoughts from yesterday:

Rude

I feel, and always have, that people who don’t pay for public transportation tickets deserve to get fined. Public transportation in Belgrade is far from perfection, but it’s much better than it ever was, and I don’t think we can expect it to improve further unless we all do our part.
Yesterday, on a trolleybus, I witnessed a quarrel between a guy and girl and the ticket controller. From what I could understand, the girl, a local, had her monthly ticket, while her friend, a tourist, didn’t have a ticket of any kind.
The ticket control guy said they could either pay the “penalty ticket”, give the girl’s personal data (tourist boy didn’t have a passport) or get out and wait for the police. He was polite, for ticket control guy standards. The girl accused him of being unfair and unreasonable for daring to pick on a foreigner, who “just got here and didn’t know he should pay for the ticket”!?!?
Really?! Unless he had come from, I don’t know, a village in central Burkina Faso where there is no public transportation, or some weird country where they have state-sponsored buses, he should know you have to pay for public transport.
Eventually they unwillingly paid for the extra ticket, after first pretending they have no money and then complained about this “outrageous” incident for several stops.
Cultural differences are one thing, this is just plain rude.

Beautiful Belgrade

Is it just me?
Have you ever noticed how Belgrade/your city looks better when you’re showing it to someone from abroad? I was taking some friends from Zagreb around town, and the streets seem cleaner and wider, the buildings larger and more monumental, the parks greener. Have you noticed how you yourself feel a bit like a tourist?
Is it that we tend to take people to the most representative sites, avoiding the ugly bits? Or is it that we open up and appreciate things more when we look through the eyes of others? Perhaps it’s that the superficial view of a tourist allows us to look at the surface, disregarding all social, political, communal, infrastructural complaints that we usually have? When you don’t delve deep, you just see the lovely facades, the great views, the lively streets and tasty food.
Belgrade is beautiful.

EXIT, day 4

2006-07-11T18:34:00.000+02:00

WOW! The Pet Shop Boys!!! … and the Scissor Sisters!!
The best show on Exit! Ever! Still recovering…

But let’s start at the beginning. We spend Sunday afternoon strolling around Novi Sad, which for those who don’t know, is a beautiful place, a sort of a tasty bite-size city, which you can explore, experience and enjoy in a short time. A lot has changed since my last visit, mostly new shops and cafes, but many buildings have had facelifts too. The city looks better and much more alive. Replacing the cobblestones in Dunavska Street with stone tiles is, however, a crime against humanity.
Surprisingly for Novi Sad, I managed to eat some terrible food, a cardboard sandwich and detergent flavored ice-cream. It was hot and humid and as we sat on the grass in Dunavski park, I was feeling quite cranky and dark clouds were starting to loom. Literally. We decided to disregard the impending tropical rain storm and have a great time.

After a couple of drinks sitting on the banks of the frothy Danube, and looking at lightning tear through the gray sky above the fortress, a bit tipsy and in much better humor, we made our way across the river in the fleeting rain, past entrepreneurial people selling over-priced garbage bags as first-aid against the weather.

On a short tour of the fort, we wandered past half empty stages, as everyone was in the open-air cinema watching the world cup final. The skies had cleared as we got to the main stage, where Chicks on Speed had already started. They’re great fun, crazy, kitschy and humorous and we danced our way to the very front rows.

Then … the Pet Shop Boys - the first truly spectacular concert in the history of Exit festival - a simple modular set, which through lighting and projections changes from the lacy curtains of Suburbia to a marching ground for queer soldiers and a sky full of pink fighter planes; amazing dancers with great choreography; witty, sarcastic costumes; political references and ultimate pop music!

Even before they got on stage we were all screaming like teenage girls on Mtv. (I must admit I feel a bit ashamed). Some songs from the new album, and a collection of hits from throughout their career, ending with collective hysteria to It’s a Sin and Go west.

My throat and neck were hurting from screaming and straining, my legs sore from jumping and dancing, but I was utterly happy.

And then, the Scissor Sister put on another amazing show, energetic and wild. The singer, a disco version of Jack from Will & Grace, has a wonderful voice and dances insanely. With the last atoms of strength we danced some more, not believing it was physically possible.

All in all, it was a wonderfully gay night, in every sense of the word. Aching and tired, but ecstatically happy, we headed to the train station, gobbled up some delicious fruit tarts on the way and fell asleep in the uncomfortable plastic seats.

Exit 2006 was a huge success. Keep up the good work, people!

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, I have a crappy camera

EXIT, day 1

2006-07-09T11:28:00.000+02:00

We didn’t get to experience much of the festival atmosphere on the first day of Exit. Arriving to Novi Sad at 8, there was no time to lounge about, so we joined the streams of people flowing down city streets, across the bridge and onto the fortress.

Everything went like clockwork, and somewhat mechanically as we made our way past ticket control and police, got some drinks and arrived to the main stage, where the Cardigans appeared at 15 to 9, right according to schedule.

This seems to have surprised a lot of people, as it wasn’t too crowded in front of the main stage. In the past years Exit has become progressively more accurate. In the first few years, you could never tell who was playing where, and when.

The Cardigans were lovely. There was a friendly sing-along atmosphere as they played all their hits and some new songs. Some hard-core fans were there, screaming “we love you, Nina”, as she started playing her mouth-accordion. It was nice to hear Love Fool, and after some screaming and roaring, there was an encore, and they played Favorite Game, which is my personal favorite.

During the half an hour break after the concert we decided not to move, to keep our good spot close to the stage, and it was becoming increasingly crowded. Getting to the bar and back in these conditions is an impossible task, especially with a glass of beer, so pouring beer into a water bottle is a smart thing to do.

Franz Ferdinand appeared with a bang, and from the first moment the crowd went wild. For me, at first, it didn’t feel too right, the music was great, but the vocals were a bit weak, and there was a lot of pushing and shoving as drunken kids started to throw themselves around.

But very soon it got much better. You could feel the positive energy (and the heat) rising from the people, and on stage FF gave it their best, so we jumped and screamed without stopping. With every song a hit and an ecstatic crowd, some obligatory phrases in Serbian, a historic act of reconciliation with dedicating a song to Gavrilo Princip, and some frantic drumming in the end, the concert was a huge success. The spectacular fireworks that followed seemed very much in place.

Having learned nothing from previous years, at 1, I insisted that we head to the train station immediately, as I hoped there would be a way of getting back to Belgrade before morning. Off course we ended up sleeping on a bench waiting for the first train at 3 am. Serbian railways leave much to be desired, but arriving to the unfinished but already decrepit future Belgrade Central station, I was just too happy to be home.

Today I hope to get to Novi Sad and Exit a bit earlier. I don’t think the experience is complete without walking through town, or having lunch on the grass in Dunavski park. I want to check out the other stages as well. At least, now we know the train schedule, there is no need to rush. I’m sorry I missed Morrissey on Friday, but I’m sure tonight will be wonderful too.

EXIT

2006-07-06T15:02:00.000+02:00

I’m heading to Novi Sad today for the first day of Exit. I’ll also be back there for the closing night of the festival. Tonight I’ll be listening to the Cardigans and screaming to Franz Ferdinand! I have a feeling this time a Franz Ferdinand will fare better among the Serbs than his predecessor. On Sunday, I expect a pop extravaganza with the Chicks on Speed, Scissor Sister and the Pet Shop Boys.
Stay tuned for reports and photos…
Exeunt.

Pain in the blog 4

2006-07-05T15:36:00.000+02:00

I tried hard, I read a lot, I made some improvements, took some advice.
Visitors finally started coming - not in huge numbers but steadily.
I was therefore happy to see 3 comments from anonymous people saying they rally like/love/are impressed by my blog.
But there was something suspicious. Vague and not really related to the posts, these didn’t look like comments of my blog, but of A blog.
I noticed a small link in the bottom leading to a page selling something.
Is this supposed to be advertising? Is this supposed to be effective advertising?
I will never EVER buy your product, whatever it is.
Using an automated service to send positive comments to people just to get them to click on your website is just pitiful.
Thanks for the compliments though :)

My neighborhood

2006-07-05T09:40:00.000+02:00

Writing about my suburban experience got me thinking about where I live now. We’ve recently moved into a new neighborhood, and immediately felt at home. It’s beautiful and alive, with the best outdoor market in Belgrade and some nice places to eat and drink at nearby.
But what I enjoy most are the little quirky details. Like the small shop I pass by on my way from work which always color-coordinates items in its window (see bad photo).
Nearby there is a stray dog that often sleeps on the roof of a car, and a while ago I saw a women parked on a corner, blowing soap bubbles out her car window.