Dear Kristina and Bethany,

I could write a beautiful ode to you both and it would include poetry describing how in awe you've left me from our short time together, how impressed I am with your sacrifice and love for the Lord, and detail all of the potential I see in both of you. But let's be honest, thats totally not my style.

So instead I'm just going to remind you of some of our best memories that I'm going to mentally store for those days when I need some ridiculous laughter. 

I will never forget the two of you showing up to the Fourth of July party....well I pretty much already have. Cut me some slack, it was day three for me.

However I have distinct memories of the weekend you crashed at my flat. Bethany, your conscience regarding your bus ticket and the way Kristina begged to ride illegally is definitely a standout. The two of you were so different and yet such a compliment to each other. Also, thanks for eating all that food. I got to buy even more because of you. 

Then the flea market, even though we weren't buddies you both made excellent selections with your fake Ray Bans and that tie dyed dress that might need some work.

I especially loved your creeper stories. Bethany who always gives people the benefit of the doubt and Kristina who suspects everyone of being a stalker. Mostly because she's the biggest stalker of them all. Thanks to you two Team Serbia is definitely embracing their creeper tendencies. I look forward to keeping an eye on your lives as you go home and try to forget about our crazy. (and Bethany I'll get to work on finding out what you need to get married to your wedding buddy)

And the chest hair! I know this is supposed to go on the anonymous blog, but since thats still in the planning stages I'll have to mention it here. Thank you for giving me a goal, a standard by which to test my assimilation into the culture. I only hope to be half the woman you are, chest hair and all.

So, in conclusion:

Bethany: Thank you for being who you are. You are a wonderful individual and I love the way you insist on seeing the beautiful parts of people. I wish you the best of luck in all your future decisions and know that you can call on me anytime you need.

Kristina: Thanks for being a creeper and making me feel special. Next time you should ask how to work the shower before spending twenty minutes trying to work it out yourself. I wish you luck with all of your medical issues and of course you can keep me updated on them, they're always good for a laugh.

I hope you both have good travel today and that we see each other again soon. If not in Serbia, then for sure in Mississippi.

Love,
Amy

Je sam Ejmi.

Almost four weeks already! Serbia is full of surprises and random laughter. I apologize for the lack of updating, it took until yesterday to get a reliable internet source. After about two hours of broken English and even more broken Serbian, my landlord managed to do the impossible and hook me up with wireless. You've missed quite a lot, but have no fear, I'm not going to bog you down with blog posts. Instead you'll get random flashbacks on the days that I don't have anything terribly interesting to report. I should start you off with a look back at day three in Serbia.

Kyle, his youngest daughter, two American girls, a Serbian translator/tag-a-long, a Gypsy Pastor and I drove through the city. This in itself was slightly overwhelming and when we parked under an overpass I started to get a bit worried. I knew we were there to donate some clothes to the gypsies living somewhere, I just had no idea what we were about to walk into. As we walked away from the van we were being watched by several children and women. We started walking towards what looked like a single house built entirely out of trash. It was simply the gateway to this "hidden in plain sight" gypsy town.

We walked down what could generously be referred to as a "street" and met the families living there. The families along this street are all part of the same clan or what we'd probably call an extended family. Most of them also attend the Pastor's church or meet with him on some sort of basis.

The ingenuity is astounding. They steal transformers from the nearby train tracks in order to power the electronics they've found as they sort through trash all over the city, however they don't have running water. They collect and sort the trash into recyclable piles which get them a few measly dinar. Definitely not enough to make a living off of.  The kids dress in a strange combination and mix match of things other people threw out.

It isn't like you're imagining though. Yes, the place is a mess and they practically live in the rest of Belgrade's trash...but it doesn't smell and the people are happy, the kids followed us and giggled at Kyle's Serbian. It is heart breaking, you know the kids are growing up with only one option: to become the forgotten and disregarded, to become even less than they already are. We met a girl who had married at thirteen and had her first baby soon after. We met a young boy who knew enough English to make us giggle and I saw him the next day sorting through the trash at the end of my block.

 We did hand out a ton of clothes, which were greedily snapped up immediately. It was almost a riot. We came to help that set of families, the more deserving if you will. As soon as the rest of the settlement found out we had free things they came from everywhere trying to get anything they could. These are some photos of that free for all. Kyle made sure to get me in on the action by handing me a bag full of Mardi Gras beads. Yes, exactly. The tangled mess that no one wants in their house. I was tasked with untangling them and giving them to the children huddled around me. If there was ever a moment I doubted my safety it was while I was surrounded by small children and I had a tangled mass of shiny plastic jewels in my hand.

I now have a different understanding of the people I see at the dumpsters every morning and those I pass on the street, the ones who never make eye contact and seem to blend right in. This wasn't my only interaction with the gypsies, nor will it be my last. Keep a look out for the flashback post on our church experience and updates on future interactions.