Sass in Serbia

Sass was in a different Bel-

2010-02-22T11:30:00.001-08:00

I spent a few days in Brussels, Belgium visiting friends last week. I have to confess that I was excited about seeing Mindi and Dan and Miaken and Joel, but the thought of being in Brussels didn't thrill me. It is a perfectly nice city, but a little... sterile. Boring. I guess when Kyiv and Moscow are your first foreign cities, it just isn't that exciting when everything is clean and works the way it should. But, I had a lovely time! The first couple of days I stayed with Mindi and Dan in their spacious (by European standards) apartment. We hung out, did a little shopping, a little dining and just chilled. It was exactly what I needed.

The weather was TERRIBLE. Cold, snowy, windy. The best part is that Belgium ran out of salt and sand in December (they aren't used to much snow). So, they did nothing. The roads and sidewalks weren't scraped or swept. Nothing. Even though there were only a couple of inches on the ground it was fairly rough going (walking or driving). Good times.

Sunday Dan headed out to cover a professional Cyclo-cross race. I convinced Mindi to join me at a huge water park. It was awesome- several heated pools (including one that was partially outside- I LOVE swimming in the snow) and SAUNA LAND. We hung out, avoiding greasy boys in the hot tub until we were nice and pruney. I would highly suggest a visit while in Brussels- aim to go on a weekday to avoid annoying crowds (the sauna only works if you keep the door closed people! I am serious about my steam baths).

Monday afternoon I met up with Miaken and Joel and their friend Olivier and his girlfriend Johana. We headed outside of town to stay at Olivier's family house, and his mother invited us over for dinner. Did you know that in Europe it is ok to have cheese and bacon for dinner? Monique served raclette and it was heavenly. She is a hospitable and well-traveled woman- it was a lovely evening. The next day we headed south to Binche to attend their world famous Carnival. It is no Rio, no New Orleans, but it is something. We thought we were going to watch a parade, but I don't think what we saw qualifies as a parade. It was more like groups of people in costumes with bands moving slowly through town while hurling blood oranges at the crowd (it's their tradition- I got hit in the chest. Hard.). There are 20,000 people crowded into a tiny town center and tons of cops. Who would stop the "parade" regularly. You know, to ensure that there wasn't too much movement, or any cohesiveness. Regardless it was a lot of fun and great people watching.

All too soon it was time for me to go and I was under the weather. Mindi and I had a bite of lunch and a Starbucks and the airport and then I made my way through security. Once inside I picked up a vampire paperback and some chocolates for the office and friends. Then I went to the bathroom. Unfortunately, I had already done my business by the time I saw this:

That's right- a lady urinal (or ur-eye-nal as the Brits pronounce it). I was so excited that I threw my purse and carry-on down on the counter and proceeded to document this oddity that I didn't realize my carry-on fell into the sink. The automatic sink. So, while I was snapping away (wondering if I should pose on the Lady P.) my carry-on bag (with the new book and boxes of chocolate but luckily not my passport, phone, or camera) filled with water. And overflowed. I managed to salvage everything (and put the book through the Dyson hand dryer which is cooler than foam soap but not as amazing as the Lady P. but more practical) but the bag. It could have been worse- but lucky for all of us I opted not to pose on the urinoir.

But next time I will use it. As long as I follow the instructions it should be great, right?

1. Take the skiing position (um, I will need to practice this part, never having been on skis)

2. Throw sanitary towel or tampon in the wastebin (don't use, so I can skip to step 3)

3. Urinate (thanks for reminding me why I am here)

4. Flush paper (got it).

Wow! Now I can't wait to go back. Have you ever seen a Lady P. anywhere? Let me know. Also, that may be my new nickname.

PS- I will either post a link to pictures or a collage of Belgium pics soon. Trying an experiment.

PPS- The shrink wrapping my luggage is proving to be the best theft prevention. No new thievery in months!

Reflections of a year gone by

2009-12-13T01:33:00.000-08:00

How is it mid-December already? I seriously think I blinked and missed... pretty much all of 2009. A lot has happened this year, not much of which you could learn about here. My first trip to the Philippines, my first trip (and second- where I barely escaped with my life) to Ohrid, Macedonia, increased activity and responsibility at work, my first Guca (I still have not recovered my hearing) the birth of a new cousin, several friends having babies, learning lots of new things, making new friends, rescuing a kitten from the mean streets of a village in southwest Serbia, rescuing another kitten from the mean streets of Belgrade, panicking until I found a home for the second kitty, making idle promises about updating my blog, work, work, going vegan and more work.. and finding some time to enjoy life in Belgrade. So, from me and Mr. Mojangles happy holidays and look for more updates in 2010 than in 2009 (yes, I am setting the bar low).

Back in Black

2009-09-28T00:04:00.000-07:00

I love the fall! Sure it is the busiest season at work (aren't they all busy though?) but I love the weather, the back-to-school rituals that are the same year after year world wide. And this, my friends, is a promise to start posting my silliness again. I have been silent not because of a lack of strange events in my life, rather a lack of time outside of work. BUT- I am working on it. And my list of the best mojitos in Belgrade NEEDS to be published. And the things I saw at the Moscow circus? Scandalous. More soon. I promise.

Holiday Rewind Part 1

2009-04-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

Long ago Sass was very, very tired. Life as a nomadic Balkan warrior princess had made her weary. She headed across the pond to her birthplace, and managed to get there with only one unplanned overnight. Sure, this unplanned overnight was a direct result of being pulled aside for additional security screening and spending an hour in half waiting in line to be violated. In her own country. Sure, the security guard threatened to lock her up over night when she mentioned that she was missing her flight. The last flight of the day from DC to KS. Two days before Christmas. Luckily, for a small fortune a bed was procured that was huge and soft (but not too soft) with lovely linens. And Sass arrived in Kansas well rested, with all of her belongings.

And Kansas was great. Lots of quality time with friends and family, and not too much driving back and forth across the state. The weather was unseasonably warm, some days. And appropriately crappy others. It was a great year for people coming home. I saw several friends who I hadn't seen in years. And enjoyed every moment with these lovely ladies:
Shortly after this photo was taken, we headed to a local bar, which was about the size and shape of a train wagon (ok, slightly wider). We ordered drinks, crowded around a little table, and proceed to witness SEVEN fights. In 10 minutes. Little did I know this disturbing trend would be a recurring theme in the Wheat State.

Christmas evening was spent at the bowling alley. I hadn't been to the ol' Gage Bowl in years (possibly since 8th grade when we went to Rock and Bowl to steal bowling shoes... Laura and Bree, remember that?), but it was a blast. Luckily none of us were very good (or competitive). We also ran into several high school friends, so when the bowling alley kicked us out, we headed across the street to one of the only open bars in town. Much silliness ensued, and we decided to walk home so that we didn't have to worry about who would abstain and drive the others home. Now, Jason, Laura and I all live/have lived overseas where people, you know, walk. But we attracted quite a lot of attention walking through central Topeka at 3 am.

My birthday included lunch with the family, and gathering a group of my closest friends and trying to make them sing with me. No one wanted to sing, so we were content to heckle (quietly) and enjoy each others company. I was especially happy that my brother made it out to celebrate with us.
After karaoke lost its charm, Baby Boy Payton convinced us to head out to a bar on the edge of town. A group of us trekked out there to find a giant crowded sports bar, where everyone knew Ian's name. Shortly after we arrived, there was a big commotion in the parking lot. A fight had started, and someone called the police. Topeka's finest felt that they needed to pull out the big guns to restore order- they used a taser on one of the guys involved in the altercation. Awesome. Now it felt like we were in an episode of cops. Closer to closing time, as we were trying to head out, a huge crowd was once again gathering in the parking lot. This time I got to see some of the action- a guy was on all fours, acting like an animal, pawing at a car. Apparently he and the owner of the car (an upstanding gentleman I am sure) were fighting over a fair maiden. When the dude decided that he was a bear. Once again, Topeka's finest were summoned, once again they felt the need to tase. Bear guy got it twice. To be fair, he was violent and aggressive, and trying to fight the cops.

As we left the bar, it started pouring. Raining, thunder, lightening... a full-on Kansas thunderstorm at 2 am onDecember 27th. It was awesome. As I slept, the temperature dropped quickly and I awoke to a city covered in ice. It was awesome. I am trying to find some pictures so stay tuned.

As always, I enjoyed the amazing hospitality of the Fackler side of my family. And it was really nice to actually have time with Jason- we have been missing each other the lat few trips home. Even though we don't live that far away from each other, we don't get to meet up often.
Next up... Mexico!

Help, please!

2009-03-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

So, at the gym Wednesday I was rocking out on the treadmill, listening to my music and occasionally reading the news (you know the headlines that run at the bottom of the screen) and something caught my eye. I wasn't sure that I caught it the first time, so I waited for it to cycle back through. And then read it again. "Former President George W. Bush admits that he has a problem with spelling, asks Dick Cheney to help him with his autobiography." I was cracking up! Here is where I need help. I have googled numerous combination of those words as well as searching several U.S. news sites- not a hint of this gem. Anyone heard anything about this anywhere other than b92? Thanks!

Hi, remember me?

2009-03-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

In a desperate attempt to make up for my months-long silence, I am drafting the mother of all posts about my holiday adventures in Kansas, Mexico, and Baltimore/DC. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wish you had been there. Oh yeah, and lots of adventures since then! That's right- Sass has had MORE stuff stolen from her luggage. Check back real soon for the gory details.

Let's play catch up, shall we? (A post that is light on photos)

2008-11-30T09:23:00.000-08:00

It has been hectic since last I shared with you... visitors, travel, holidays, and many ups and downs. I am leaving for a a 10-day trip to Macedonia this evening, which I am looking forward to, but also exhausted just thinking about. But let's get caught up-

I have had a lot of visitors since the end of October. First my friend and colleague Kevin came from Belarus to help me with work and to enjoy some Balkan hospitality. He got to see several cities in Serbia, and we actually had some common time in Belgrade. He just happened to be here over Halloween and had made a joke about dressing up as Sarah Palin... at my insistence, he donned my red suit, we went split the cost of a wig, a little red lipstick, some black tights and pumps, and we had one hot woman on our hands. I would insert a photo here, but I lost my camera days later...so I am relying on Kevin's generosity and sense of humor to send me the one that he has. Unfortunately, he is also self-centered, and didn't take any photos of me in my Monica Lewinsky costume. We went to a party at the Canadian Embassy which was, well, a little lame, but the two of us managed to have a good time and make some new friends (again, no photos, more about that below).

Then I took off for a trip to Kosovo. I get there regularly, but this was the first time I visited anywhere other than Pristina. While I didn't see a lot of the city (work kept us pretty busy) I enjoyed the travel to and from tremendously. Prizren is in a mountainous area and the drive from Skopje and to Pristina were made via the scenic route. Woods, creeks, romantic views and (relatively) pristine nature. Oh, and tons and tons of KFOR military vehicles. We passed through several ethnic Serbian areas and mixed areas where the presence of the international peace-keeping force was HIGHLY VISABLE. While in Prizren, I left my camera at a restaurant, and when we went back to claim it, it was gone. My colleague suggested I offer a financial reward, but out of principle I refused. Maybe I should have offered a reward for the memory card with the invaluable Halloween pictures?

I returned to Belgrade for a couple of days (not quite enough time to do laundry in the colder months) and took off for Zagreb, Croatia. I had some work to do, and then Kevin met me for the weekend. While I still think Zagreb is on the quiet side, we had a lovely time hanging out with our mutual friend and colleague, Thomas:
Thomas and his amazing girlfriend, Katarina gave up their weekend to entertain us, for which I am very grateful. It was a treat to have such cool tour guides. I look forward to returning the favor and showing them around Belgrade in the near future.

Immediately after Zagreb, I went to Vranje, in southern Serbia for work. Sanja's brother's girlfriend's sister lives there, and invited us over for a bit of Serbian hospitality. Natasha is quite a character.. all I knew about her was that she teaches Religious Studies in an elementary school. She picked us up straight from work, and was wearing this:

See how her shirt says "sex, love, money"? Hilarious. When we pointed it out to her, she said that she never even noticed or thought about it. It had been a gift the week before. Who am I to say what is in good taste or not? I went as MONICA LEWINSKY for Halloween.

Back to Belgrade for a few days- including Thanksgiving. Liz, Elizabeth and I had a hard time making plans. I didn't feel up to cooking all day. We weren't sure that we wanted to shell out for/dress up for the fancy traditional dinner at the Hyatt hotel. So, we came up with a plan- Elizabeth and her man would pick up Kentucky Fried Chicken, and we would make the traditional sides. It was awesome.
From L-R: Liz, Jason, Johnny, Elizabeth, Dragan. Please notice that Elizabeth is rocking a "50 Cent" sweatshirt. Please also note the buckets of KFC. We made: stuffing, green bean cassarole, brownies, pumpkin fritters, creamed corn, and pumpkin pudding. Then we watched TEAM AMERICA. Did I mention it was awesome?

This weekend, my friend and colleague Alan has been in town. He was in the region helping out for work, and had never been to Serbia before. Liz and I have been showing him around. The weather has sucked- cold and windy with periodic rain, but we have had a great time. Lots of good food, walking around the city, some great rakija, more good food, and general silliness. I should have taken more advantage of my new camera.

We took Alan to the Nikola Tesla museum. I had never been, and had heard that it was cool. It has recently relocated to a lovely old house on one of the most beautiful streets in Belgrade. When we arrived, we were informed that the entrance price for foreigners is TWICE as much as locals. That immediately pissed me off. Then they told us that they were still renovating the space and only 40% of the museum was accessible. Awesome. In addition to our group there was a Serbian family waiting for the tour to start. The tour guide introduces himself and in Serbian says to the family that he has to speak English because of us, but that he will speak Serbian first. I *almost* pointed out the fact that we paid double and should therefor hear English first, but I bit my tongue. There were a few interesting models of some of his most famous inventions and some plans for fountain designs. His urn was very very cool, but I failed to photograph it (shocking, I know). Maybe I would go back and see what it looks like when 100% of the exhibits are open. We'll see.
But I will leave you with this very general warning. My ride to the airport will be here in 15 minutes and I am not wearing any pants... I promise that my Best of Belgrade post will be here soon!

The long-promised Prague post

2008-10-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I met some of my very good friends in Prague for a long weekend of sightseeing, catching up, and loads of silliness. We fought our way through throngs of tourists, went to the opera (I like Wagner's music, but The Flying Dutchman is not as colorful or lively a production as most of the operas I have seen), took a boat cruise, and generally enjoyed hanging out together.

I was the last person to arrive Friday evening (Rippe arrived several hours later than planned, but everyone made it all of their belongings). We met at our fabulous apartment (the name Riverview was accurate!) and hit the town. Melissa had studied abroad in Prague several years ago and we were hopeful that her memory would serve as a tour guide to the hot spots (and that they would still be hot).

We headed for a place Melissa remembered frequenting, Nebe. It was standing room only, good music, and interesting cocktails. We started with gin and tonics that were served with a cucumber spear. Not a lemon, or lime, as would be traditional but a cucumber spear. To me the smell of cucumber was stronger than the taste, but I found it, well, not as good as citrus.

Soon we discovered that Nebe had changed in the years since our girl was a student, and the newest trend was giant buckets o'cocktail. Your choice... gin and tonic (um, not with cucmbers thanks), Long Island iced tea, screwdriver, and some more exotic choices... of course we decided to try a bucket of Mojito.

No joke, right? And delicious. So we have a few. As in four. Five of us drink FOUR. Of these.

As you can imagine, we got a late start on Saturday. We headed straight for lunch, and opted for a casual Czech-cuisine place near our apartment. The food was so-so, the service was less than stellar, but the bill more than made up for it:
Let's review, shall we? The waiter, who spilled coke on 2 of the 3 Facklers, decided to emphasize the fact that his gratuity was not included. Bold, yes, but not unheard of. Look at the right half of the picture. Ostensibly to make things easier on us, he decided to break it down. He suggests 10% (in Europe, tipping is not viewed the same way as in the US, servers are generally paid wages that are in line with, you know, living a normal life- in many countries, patrons round the bill up a bit or leave change as a token of appreciation). So, I may not be a mathematical expert, but something looks off to me here:

1039.00 x 10%= 103 So far so good, but what do we do now?

1039.00+ 103= 1042 Really? So do you want 10%, or should we go along with your new math and give you the 1042?

After a lot of giggling, and photographing the gaffe, we left him the 10%. It was worth it.

That night, we went to this amazing vegetarian restaurant. It was hip and delicious and even thought the guys complained about the prospects of a meat-free meal, we all enjoyed it. Sunday, the Fackler clan headed out of Prague to visit a family friend, so Rippe and I were on our own. I made him go with me to get bagels. I was pretty excited, but Bohemia Bagel has nothing on Goldberg's. I had a bagel with lox, and a side of civic duty:

Democrats Abroad had organized a voter registration campaign (we actually encountered this group more than once). I was excited, but in the end they just pointed me to a computer... I thought they would at least mail the forms in, but no.

We also toured the Staropramen Brewery. It is a small place in town (for Pilsner Urquell we would have had to leave the city and give up most of a day). It was interesting, I had never toured a brewery before. Our tour guide had no sense of humor, and even less fashion sense. Apparently, compared to other breweries, the tour here was short and they were stingy with the samples (by all accounts the Boulevard tour is a winner). One thing they weren't short on? Rules.
If you have ideas about what some of these mean, please leave a comment. I am very curious...

I was totally impressed with the beauty of Prague, how well preserved the Old Town is, and how many tourists there were. Even on a Monday in September the streets were totally overrun with Americans, Europeans, Asians, all creeds and colors of tourists with big cameras, little cameras, cell phone cameras.... I would love to go again and to see more of the Czech Republic. Especially with good friends.

Phonetic Fun with Feces

2008-10-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Serbian is a Slavic language, more specifically a South Slavic language. It is a cousin of Russian and Ukrainian generally coming from the same mother language. Exciting, right?

Anyway, there are many words that these languages share. Sometimes the definitions are the same, sometimes they differ. And amusing example is the word "ponos". In Russian and Ukrainian, ponos is diarrhea. In Serbian (and other South Slavic languages), ponos = pride. Can you see where this is going? Russian and Ukrainian speakers visiting Yugoslavia were often amused by signs reading "Tito je nas ponos", which to a Serbian speaker reads "Tito is our pride". Now, to the tourist from the East, this of course read "Tito is our diarrhea". Hilarity often ensued.

Fast forward a couple of decades. I was recently in Kyiv with colleagues from Macedonia, Bosnia, and other countries in which I work (see previous post). They had never been to Ukraine before and found time to enjoy the delights that Kyiv has to offer even with our intensive training schedule. Once we decided to visit the supermarket near our hotel. We split up into groups and made our purchases (I was delighted to find instant oatmeal and my favorite Ukrainian beer, others were loading up on sweets and vodka). Some of us were waiting for others to exit the store and when they finally did they were crying and laughing and doing the pee-pee dance. In the store, they happened upon this:

Let me explain what you are looking at. The brand of this canned fish is "Proliv". Which just happens to mean diarrhea in Serbian, etc. In Ukrainian/Russian it means flood (which isn't that much more assuring in canned fish if you ask me). Even better? This particular product is called "Veliki" meaning "big uns". Doesn't that sound tasty? I wish I had known what a gem this was when I used to have a funny can display in my apartment in Odesa... including this and this.

An item that is only related tenuously... there is yet another festival in Serbia that would be fascinating to attend- the World Testicle Cooking Festival (say that five fast) held each May. Can't make it? No worries, you can just pick yourself up a copy of Cooking With Balls.

But Sass, when you are not in Serbia, where are you?

2008-09-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

Good question, my friend. For the most part, when I am not in Serbia, I am somewhere else in Southeast Europe, like one of the places on this map. This is the region that I work in, but I do go to places other than the capitals, and once in a while make it to other parts of the world (more on this soon!).

From September to December, I will be on the road, to these places. A lot. This Saturday I am leaving for ten fun-filled days in Bosnia. And then I go to Vranje, in southern Serbia, and then Kosovo, and then Kosovo again, and then Macedonia, and then it will be the end of the year!

Look back soon for updates (and pictures) about Prague, poop, and my Best of Belgrade list!

Whew. Another one of those times when Sass has not been in Serbia much.

2008-09-06T03:12:00.000-07:00

August was HECTIC. I spent a total of six days in Belgrade, and visited six different countries. I made my first trip (of what looks to be many) to Sofia, Bulgaria, I was a trainer at a conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. I passed through Skopje, Macedonia just long enough to visit my friend and colleague and to have a few meetings. I attended another conference in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. The conferences offered a rare opportunity for my colleagues from the region to come together. I have not laughed so hard so much in a long time. While I enjoyed most of it, it was exhausting.

September brings a little rest. This coming week I have one day trip to Sofia, and then I am taking a long weekend to meet friends in Prague. The Fackler clan, Jason R. and I are meeting there next Friday. I am excited to see the gang, to see Prague, and to have some personal work-free travel! I have also felt for some time that I am the ONLY American who has traveled to Europe and never been to Prague. I get to see what all the fuss is about.

Now I am trying to catch up with housework and personal stuff that has been neglected for a month- laundry, dusting, throwing away what were once (briefly) thriving herbs, a fall cleaning of sorts. I would start putting away the summer clothes, but the forecast for the weekend is in the nineties. Woohoo!

Sass Does Scandanavia

2008-08-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a whirlwind trip up north... I called it a vacation, which made Sanja laugh, as four days does not qualify as a vacation in Serbia.

Originally my plan was to go to Iceland later this month, via Oslo to visit friends new and old. As it became clear that August was going to be unbelievably busy, I adjusted my plans for a short trip to Norway to see Kathryn and Christopher. When Mads (my new Danish friend) heard I was going to be so close, he asked me to come to Copenhagen for one day. So, I did. Cause that's just how I roll.

When I arrived in Oslo Saturday afternoon, Kathryn and Christopher were waiting for me at the airport. They said we were going to Sweden for lunch and some grocery shopping (did I mention that Norway is one of the most expensive places on earth?), and so I could say that I had been to Sweden (little did any of us know I would be having TWO meals in Sweden on this trip).

Kathryn and Christopher are excellent hosts... we walked around Oslo some, saw a movie, chilled, and got very, very silly. It was exactly what I needed! They are also great chefs, and treated me to my first fondue experience. Kathryn took great photos and promised to blog about it. I will include a link as soon as that happens. However, there was a small incident involving her wireless router and some red wine, so check back soon.

Speaking of pictures, I double checked the camera batteries before I left, because they ALWAYS die at the least opportune times. What I didn't double check is that I had put my memory card back into the camera. So, while pictures are a bit skimpy of this "vacation", please note that I added titles and captions.

Tuesday morning I got up at the crack of dawn and headed for the train which would take me to the airport for the 7 am flight to Copenhagen. Mads was waiting for me at the airport, and we headed back to Sweden for breakfast. See, Malmo, Sweden's third biggest city is about 30 minutes from the heart of Copenhagen. Mads lives in Sweden, and works in Denmark. So, we popped into a shop for supplies and headed back to his place where I whipped us up some breakfast, and he kept the coffee flowing.

Later we hopped the train into Copenhagen where he gave me a lovely tour complete with royal history. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died mid-tour, and I was unable to document several of the lovely things I saw. His best friend Claus joined us for lunch at this great little place, Iva Davidsen, with a line out the door (luckily, Mads had made reservations shortly after I booked my ticket). They specialize in Smørrebrød, Danish "open-faced sandwiches". This translation does not do them justice. All I can say is if you find yourself in Copenhagen, and are lucky enough to get in, try the one with smoked potatoes, bacon, and chicken salad.

After lunch we did a bit more walking, before we found ourselves in Copenhagen's oldest gay bar. Where I was introduced to FISH, a strong and tasty mix of vodka and Fisherman's Friend.

All too quickly it was time for me to head back to the airport to head back to Oslo for my last evening with Kathryn and Christopher (and their sweet little dogs). The next morning I got up, got to chat with Kathryn a bit more over coffee and breakfast, and began my trip back to Serbia. I hope to be returning the hospitality of my northern friends in the near future. Of course all of my friends are welcome to visit me in Belgrade at any time. As long as we plan in advance to make sure that Sass will actually be in Serbia ...

Summer in Belgrade

2008-07-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Although most places are better in summer (swampesque Kansas and DC being exceptions to this rule), Belgrade is a great place to be in the summer. Sure, everything shuts down for the month of August... but there is a lot of fun to be had.

Everybody spends as much time as possible as close to the water as possible. Belgrade is famous for its splavovi, floating structures (including many restaurants and clubs) of varying fortitude. Belgrade is located at the confluence on the Sava and Danube rivers, giving ample shoreline for clubs to be, well, clustered in areas right together so that you can often hear the music not just from your splav, but the ones on either side of it.

In addition to the two rivers, Belgraders enjoy flocking to Ada Ciganlja, a lake not far from the center of the city. There is an 8 kilometer path around it which draws joggers, roller bladers (including Svetlana and me on occasion) parents with strollers, people with dogs, and everyone else. There are various water sports for the more adventuresome, and a nude beach for the less inclined to burn within five minutes of seeing the sun types, and cafes and bars all the way around. It is a lovely place to spend a day if you get there early to mark your spot and don't mind fighting the crowds.

Another past time of Belgraders in the summer is talking about going to the sea. This is great for those who actually get to go to the sea, and less pleasant for those of us who will be the among the 5 people in the city working through the month of August.

Then there are the fresh markets. I live close to a couple of markets, and this time of year you can smell the fresh fruits before you can see them. Nothing tastes better than a tomato fresh from the garden, except maybe the melon next to it, or the peaches over there... Sometimes it is hard to remember in the dead of winter, but ripe fruit in season IS worth waiting for.

The temperatures this week are unseasonably low with rain predicted every day. It is a small preview of the fall, and it is making me sad. Hopefully, the sun and heat will return this weekend so I can take advantage of everything that Belgrade has to offer. And I will try not to complain when it is sweltering hot next week.

An unrelated note... as you may have heard, Radovan Karadzic one of the most wanted fugitives in Europe, accused of war crimes in Bosnia during the early nineties, was arrested this week in Belgrade. It seems as though he will be extradited to The Hague in the coming days. I don't want to dwell on the intricacies of the charges, or the mixed reactions of people in Serbia and in Bosnia. I do just want to say that I find it amazing that he was living in Belgrade, and practicing "alternative medicine" for years(English below the Serbian". I may enjoy "alternative feminine hygiene " products, but I will take my medicine the traditional way.

Having nothing to do with Serbia

2008-06-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

What can I say about my trip? It was long and exhausting but lovely to spend time with friends and family. You can see tons of pictures here. I visited many exciting places, and spent countless hours in and on planes, trains, and automobiles (including one big blue van). I worked a little and played a little and slept a lot. I froze in Maine and sweat-ed in Nashville (and Kansas and Baltimore).

My brother enjoyed every moment with me. I saw stunning scenery as I drove through NE and central Kansas. I hope to add some video to this but the downloading is going slower than well, this.

I appreciated the difference in traffic patterns in Kansas and Maine, and the DC metro area. I saw lots of funny signs like this and this (really, can you say Bagaduce without laughing? Especially when you see a bag of dog treats called BAGADUCE).

I spent as much time as possible with my youngest cousin. Who is the world's happiest baby, except when she's not.

One funny moment came when I was on the way to the airport (over two hours in the aforementioned big blue van in the aforepictured DC-area traffic). I had fallen asleep in the van and woke as we were pulling into a gas station. I ran inside to grab a bottle of water, and had a man stop me to tell me how beautiful I am, and ask for my phone number. I thanked him, and got to use my favorite line ever when people are pushing something I don't want "I don't live in the US." Anyway, I had to take a picture of myself when I got back in the van to see how irresistable I looked. I have a drool spot on my arm and sleep lines on my face. Literally. You can't see that here, but I liked the way I caught the woman on the street.

So, now it is back to the grind- over the next two weeks I will be oreintating 50 kids and taking a quick trip to Kosovo. Good times.

When Sass returned to Serbia

2008-06-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

After many days away, I am finally back in my little apartment in Belgrade. I was in countless airports and cities all over the US and had many great adventures but I am happy to be home. The awesome part- no missed connections, forced overnights, or missing baggage! More soon.

This being one of those times when Sass is not in Serbia

2008-05-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

A brief update on the past few days which have been hectic. First there was the Eurovision semi-final, which was a total blast! I had a great time enjoying (some of) the music, watching the fans (Sweden and Georgia have the most enthusiastic fans) and partying with friends old and new. I was surprised and disappointed when some of the fans chose to boo some contestants from countries with, um, different political agendas than Serbia, but I learned that it is not unheard of at Eurovision. The Danes (who are in fact great) snuck us into the OFFICIAL after-party. Tons of fans, all of the finalists and those who didn't make it (big hello to Morena from Malta- a very positive young woman!). The best part is that most reviews of the organization and hospitality of my adopted brethren have been very positive!

At this point, I could spend a lot of time telling you how awful the winner is... and contemplating how he beat this and this and this and this (one of my favorites). But you can't beat a dead horse.

Then I got up very, very early and flew to Frankfurt, and then to Washington, DC, and then I sat around for five hours, and then I flew to Chicago and then finally to Kansas City. Luckily I made it at the same time as my bags, and with the everything that I had packed in them. It was a Christmas miracle*, except in June. After that, it was a 1.5 hour drive to Topeka at which point I passed out on my uncle's couch and slept like the dead. Not surprisingly, I seem to have brought the rain with me, even across the pond. But unlike the rest of my recent travels, these are powerful Kansas thunderstorms, with lightening and thunder that doesn't seem to end.

Since then, I have been chillin' with the family and tonight I am going to hang out with even older friends. I miss my home and privacy and even work (well, I am getting enough of that) but am looking forward to the other parts of my trip- Maine, Baltimore, DC, and Nashville. And then I will need a vacation.

* In the last six months, I have had bags go missing for several days (thanks United airlines!), had $400 stolen from me on the way to Mexico, and of course the heart rate monitor and panties. It was with great trepidation that I approached the baggage claim area at the Kansas City International Airport. You can imagine my relief to find my belongings unmolested.

I also love Eurovision, Icelanders, and my new Danish friends

2008-05-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday, my friend Oli gave me the lowdown on an Icelandic Eurovision party at a club near my house. I wanted to go, but you need to be "the list"... well, it turns out that you can find any Icelandic mobile phone number online. So, he sends me the number of one member of the group, Hera. So I sent her the following:

"Hi Hera! I am an American living in Belgrade, and I love Iceland and your music! I would love to come meet you tonight... can I come to the party?"

I waited nervously for her reply... which was "Of course!!! See you there!"

How friendly! So my friend and I headed out. It was a total blast, and different from most night's out in Belgrade as the majority of the crowd was a) foreign and b) of the gay persuasion. After the contestants from Iceland and Denmark performed, the party seemed to be wrapping up. We started talking to the guys at the table next to us, who were all from Denmark and travel to Eurovision every year. They were also very friendly! We went with them to a club that was featuring karaoke of previous song contest winners and lots of dancing. It was a total blast! My feet where killing me when I hobbled home at 3:00 but it was totally worth it.

Then we found out that there were still tickets available for the semi-final tonight. So we are going- and we are going to get to see some of the most highly-anticipated performances including Ukraine, Sweden and Denmark. And Iceland- they may not be tipped to win, but they sure are sweet.

I love Belgrade

2008-05-19T03:04:00.001-07:00

It is never boring here- and I am always happy to get back home when I have been on the road. I love the people and there is always something going on (and often many somethings at the same time).

This weekend I was at a press conference which was being held at the same place as the events leading up to Eurovision 2008 (the official site does not illustrate what an amazing cheese fest this is, for better info check out what the guys at Belgrade 2.0 have on it)!! I have been bummed for months that I wasn't able to score tickets to this exciting event. It was fun to see half-naked people and men in make-up and news crews from around the world (well, Europe and Israel anyway).

This weekend was also the 5th annual Belgrade Museum night. I visited several interesting museums and exhibits (along with seemingly the entire population of Belgrade). While I didn't get to see everything on my agenda, I did have a good time. Last year, Museum Night was one of the first events I took part in in Belgrade, and Sanja won second place in the photo contest! She hasn't decided if she has anything to enter this year...

I also visited the town of Topola yesterday. About an hour from Belgrade, and the location of Oplenac (which houses the church and graves of the Serbian royal family), it makes for a lovely day trip especially when the weather is nice (more on that later). The church has amazing mozaics made from an estimated 6 bajillion pieces of tile (ok, I can't remember the exact number quoted, but there was a six and many zeros). There was also a very beautiful crypt which we were told one of the 10 most beautiful in the world (who decides this things?). I have only seen three crypts, and I can say it was the most beautiful (but not necessarily the most impressive) of those (seen here and here).

We got back into town moments after a freak hail storm. I dozed off in the car (don't worry, I wasn't driving) and woke up as we were approaching downtown Belgrade. There was water pouring over the bridges and overpasses and parts of trees were down all over the place. A decent amount of damage was done in less than half an hour. See? Never boring!

I do not fear the promaja

2008-05-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

I got out of bed yesterday and heard a great CRACK from the vicinity of my neck. At first it didn't hurt much, unless I moved, but as the day wore on it got worse. A little massage, and lot of hot compress and still pretty painful, but that is not what this is about.

Upon learning about my ailment, my Serbian friends (almost without fail) ask when and where I was exposed to a draft (not a military draft, or even draft beer, we are talking about a current of air type draft). I have encountered this fear of air before, in Ukraine and Russia. I recall traveling by bus through Crimea in August, and nearly coming to blows with my neighbor about opening the bus window. My point was that I needed air to BREATHE, and she was afraid that the "skvoznyak" would make her sick.

I am more inclined to think that my neck issue is a result of stress, and the fact that over the last week I have been spending 12 hours a day hunched over my computer.

I am not discounting that the promaja causes pain and illness to Serbs, but I don't think it affects me. I have also been told throughout my years of living outside of the US that I would get sick from air conditioning, ice, cold water, and air currents. And I'm still here.

2008-05-13T04:48:00.001-07:00

Ridiculous happenings on a recent trip to Montenegro

2008-05-11T04:27:00.000-07:00

So, this week I had a very short trip to Podgorica, Montenegro. I flew down early Tuesday morning for a few meetings, including one meeting with the US ambassador (who is quite attractive BTW). I checked a small bag at the airport since I was carrying some books for work.

When I got checked into the hotel, I discovered that someone had helped themselves to a couple of items from my suitcase. What, you ask? The watch part of my heart rate monitor and the ONLY PAIR OF UNDERWEAR that I packed for my overnight trip. Thanks!

It gets better... Wednesday morning, as I getting dressed for my big important meeting (with the attractive ambassador) the zipper on my pants breaks. And I am not wearing underwear. Fortunately, my shirt is long enough that as long as I do not move my arms AT ALL no one will see my business. No easy task, as I am very animated. Luckily, and with great restraint I was successful in keeping my privates, well, private (unlike this poor guy).

UPDATE- Group shot of me trying to cover my business from the embassy site!

What am I doing here?

2008-05-11T04:12:00.000-07:00

No, not here as in Serbia. Here as in bloggerville. When I moved back to the US after several years in Ukraine there were a few words in the American lexicon that were completely foreign to me- BLOG being one of them (I also had no idea what American Idol was, I'm still a little fuzzy on that one).

Now that everybody and their monkey can have their own blog (even those of us with no technical skills! Thanks, Google!) I thought I would give it a try. Will it be interesting? Hard to say. A lot of crazy stuff happens to me though, so I hope that someone out there will enjoy reading about my life.