Not what you're expecting

So today is Foto Friday...but not. In reality, tomorrow will be more of what you're used to. Today is sort of a wrap up of this crazy week that Team Belgrade has had.

This week we hosted a Volunteer Team from Texas. These were taken the very first night they were in the country. They literally hit the ground running and kicked the week off at the American Corner giving a presentation about the US.

They have been phenomenal. They've taught English classes and spent time with the Roma. They have helped us kick off our fall classes and have helped us get our name out in the community. They've truly been a blessing in many many ways.

This is one picture I just couldn't pass up. I think this illustrates the "potty dance" way better than I ever could.

Also, I got a beast of a package from my lovely Momma. She even included a few cat toys for her "grandchildren".

OH! I got a visa!! For THREE MONTHS. Quite the accomplishment. I won't have to restart the process until mid-December. Thank the Lord.

Two things here. First: The dinosaur has chains on his feet. Probably so he won't walk away in the middle of the night, on his own or with help from his delinquent friends. Second: Check out this chick's face. This is my little bestie Michaela and this is her "I saw a dinosaur" face.

The team leaves tomorrow and we have a day of sight seeing planned to help them sort of decompress and so that they really appreciate Belgrade. Classes start next week and we are well on our way in to Fall, even if the weather says otherwise.

"I wonder..."

So this has been a crazy crazy week and I'll have quite a lot to tell you tomorrow, but until then I thought I would address something I've largely ignored up until this point. People ask me tons and tons of questions about living in Serbia and to help combat the need to address them over again every time, I've decided to pick three of the most frequently asked and answer them for you...to the best of my ability... every Wednesday. So here we go.

1. Is Serbia in Siberia?

                  The short answer is no. Here is a visual for all of you who are still struggling.

As you can see Siberia is located in the far Eastern part of Russia. Here they have polar bears and intense snow most of the year...and other stuff.

Serbia, however, is simply in Eastern Europe. There it is, North of Greece and South of Hungary. No polar bears here, just Serbs. That big white section is Russia...which is where Siberia is. 

     2. What do they eat?

            Well, they eat a lot of meat. A whole lot of meat. You can get it grilled for you quite quickly  and cheaply. They also eat a lot of fresh vegetables which are very cheap and delicious. They come straight from someone's fields so they taste very fresh and have a better taste than most at home. Some vegetables are a slightly different color, like Zucchini is a very pale green and they don't really have a Green Bell Pepper. They do have a yellowish pepper that is close enough and used the same way. They are huge fans of red peppers and potatoes. They also eat a lot of fruit and drink a ton of fruit juice.  They also make really good snack food here. I think I might have to dedicate a post to food in general, its sort of a huge topic.

Chicken wrapped in Bacon and Cevapi (which is minced meat in a sort of sausage shape which is grilled). You can get these from a butcher close to my apartment, he cooks them for you. Which is a win win for me.

   3. Do they have McDonald's?

         Yes. There is actually one just a block away from me. It isn't really the McDonald's we have at home, this one is a bit more swanky. It even includes a nice cafe with coffee and cakes and things. They do have breakfast and kid's meals though. I think the toys are pretty much the same as you'd get, except sometimes they have a bit of Balkan flair. Case in point: When I first got here they were giving out little plastic tiny boom-boxes that played a snippet of a song. The songs included the Black Eyed Peas and also a British and Balkan musical personality. They also have KFC and Pizza Hut. Both are pretty much the same as home.

The breakfast menu.

This is the McDonald's right up the road from me.

I hope you've enjoyed this first installment. These questions have come from my wonderful family and they've asked enough to keep you entertained for weeks. If you have any others you'd like answered, email and let me know. I'll see what I can come up with.

Foto Friday: Signs of Insanity

This is the first Foto Friday dedicated exclusively to signs that are spotted around the city. There will be more. I just can't contain all of the awesomeness in one post. Check this out:

I can't decide where to start here...her hair? Or maybe, what are they running from? *Danger*

Um. Well. I think the red means danger. So activities like this on buses are dangerous?

You might remember this sticker from my lobby. No trouble or trumpets. Well, look at this next one that I spotted in the city.

Trumpet discrimination?

The epitome of street swagger. I dream of looking half this good in a cross walk.

I see this every time I make a visa trip. This sign is representative of every bit of ridiculousness that is contained in that Foreigner Department.

This is my favorite. Serbia has a different standard of safety. Case in point: When in danger, make sure you get your cigarette to safety. This is located in between the treads of the stairs leading to my language school. A great way to start the day.

End.

On the finding of Cole and Lola...

I've alluded to this story several times and have finally decided to give it a home here on the blog. It has taken me quite a while to gather up the energy to write this tale because it was such a surreal experience and because Cole and Lola are in their psychotic kitten stage. So here you go, hopefully this makes more sense now than it did as it was happening.

A few weeks ago I was coming home from language class when I was stopped by three Serbian girls speaking very excitedly in Serbian. (Story of my life.) I told them that I didn't understand and asked them if they spoke English. No. Of course they didn't. We tried to communicate, but it was obvious that my language skills weren't up to par so we said goodbye and they went on their way. I chalked it up to another bizarre language experience and didn't really give it much thought.

It just so happened that a few days later I found myself suffering from a head cold and some sort of new found allergy. I canceled my plans for the day, which included dinner with the Israels and a trip to the pet store with their daughter Brooke. We were going to look for kittens. Oddly enough you can buy all sorts of small rodents, lizards, and birds. Dogs and cats, however, either have to be bought from a breeder or picked up off the street.

So here I was stretched out on my living room floor, fairly certain I was dying when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. Now, I hadn't showered and I was on decongestants and I pretty much looked and sounded like I had died a few hours before. But, for some reason (I blame the drug induced haze) I actually answered the door.

I was suddenly staring at a blonde woman who looked about 40ish. I had no earthly idea who she was. She looked at me (to her credit she didn't look disturbed by my appearance) and asked me, "Do you speak English?" Now I had to think about this because nothing good ever comes of a strange woman asking about your linguistic preferences at 9:30 at night. I, however, said yes.

This is where it gets strange: She practically did a happy dance. I stood watching her and trying to make sense of what she was telling me, it went something like this: "Oh I'm so excited, I have these kittens, two of them, maybe you want them, the girls downstairs said you wanted some kittens, you only speak english, I'm leaving the country in a few days, I really want to rehome them, I'm so glad I found them, are you interested, would you like to come see them?" At this point I'm struggling to remember how I actually got to the door in the first place so I blurt out, "Sure, of course. I'd love to see them". Which is how I found myself two floors below my apartment on her balcony watching two silly little kittens run and jump all over the place.


The lady was really nice. She's Australian, by way of the Balkans somehow, and teaches English in Australia. She was leaving in just a few days and had been agonizing over what to do with these kittens in a country that probably has more cats on the street than people in the high rises. She was telling me all sort of things and I was worried about whether or not I was going to have to go in search of a tissue or if I could make it back up the stairs to my flat.

She was in the process of telling me about how she had prayed to God for an answer to the kitten issue and to ease her mind about leaving. As she's saying this I'm zoning out and watching Lola attempt to eat her tail. All of the sudden this breaks through my haze, "Are you a Christian?" I was all like, "Uhhhhh, well yes, I am actually". Cue another happy dance. Apparently my faith makes me a better pet owner, which I wasn't going to argue because the conversation and connection had just taken an interesting turn. She went on to tell me that not only was she a Christian, but that she was a member of a Baptist church back home in Australia. We talked a bit more about how I came to be in Serbia and found her to be really curious and interested in what I had to say. I ended up having to leave after a few hours because I quite literally could not keep up with the conversation. I promised to come back the next day for Lola and crazy Cole.

The next day I went to pick up my new furry children and had the opportunity to not only hear her testimony, but also share mine as well. It was an interesting experience and I got quite a lot of insight into how the Orthodox faith still plays a role in her new life. Over the next few days we talked several times and I was encouraged to know that there were people here who were genuinely interested to know my story and to share theirs. I just need to be more patient and open minded to who God brings into my life. 

We've decided to keep in touch and I look forward to seeing what fruit this long distance connection will bring.

I haven't even included all of the extra interactions with those Serbian girls. They came to my door several times in order to "oooh" and "ahh" over the kittens. That part translated at least. Now they say hello to me every time I see them and still speak to me in Serbian even as they apologize for not using English. I only get about every tenth word, but I'm not complaining. I'll eventually get there and I won't be the silly American who can't communicate, but has cute kittens. I'll just be the silly American with cute kittens. Which is progress in my book.

What fell off your truck?

So yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Flea Market with Kyle and Kyleigh. They were on the search for Nikes and I was looking for some Kinder Hippos. I realized that I've alluded to the Flea Market several times, but I have yet to show photos. I had to use my mad skills in order to take these and not get busted. Somehow I just feel as if they wouldn't appreciate the photo op. This is one of my absolute favorite places and you can get everything there. Including kitchen sinks...and toilets and wooden flasks and Nikes and underwear and sunglasses and snacks....EVERYTHING. So check this out and be jealous:

You can get all sorts of things to outfit your apartment.

Check out this small selection of brand new Nikes.

It was almost like being in a real shoe store, minus the store part. The woman even helped them put the shoes on and everything.

Pots and pans, kitchen knives and even a few microwaves.

All of the stands are situated along both sides of an aisle and there are probably ten or so aisles that are broken into about three sections. So you can shop on a grid system and make sure you don't miss any of the goodies.

You can also find any movie, tv show, or video game that your heart desires.

You can also find all sorts of candy and snack food, a lot of them that can't be found anywhere else in the city. Including the fantastic Kinder Hippos.

They also sometimes have pets for sale, like rabbits. I'm fairly certain this dog belonged to this plastic furniture vendor though.

We had a hard time picking the prefect cell phone case too, there is a lot of thought that goes in it. You gotta have standards when it comes to the case for your mobile.

So there you go: the Flea Market. Definitely a top place to visit in Belgrade and well worth suffering the sun and oppressive heat in order to find fantastic goodies.

Dear Nathan,

I couldn't help but notice that you were feeling a little left out because I had yet to dedicate a post to you or even a shout out. The fact you're still in Uni in the UK might have something to do with it. However, since we're BF4L I'm willing to include you in this somewhat inclusive blog. So here goes. This song is for you. I heard it last night and it made me think of your incredible musical talent. I could've put Toxic on here, but I felt like you needed something new in your life.

   

I hope you enjoyed this Saturday tribute. Maybe I'll start a Tuesday tribute blog. I'm trying out some alliterative tactics to keep my audience engaged. You gotta keep up with the times, ya know?

Remember: Fight For Freedom,
Your BF4L

P.S. Watch out for those fire ants.

Foto Friday #2

So today was another visa day. It was also another day of not receiving a visa. However, the 26th is apparently the magic day. I guess we'll see.

The day wasn't a total loss. I'll give you a list of ten great things to even out the absolute lack of visa action and then we'll get to some nifty photos.

1. Spotted: Man in a green sparkly sombrero waiting on the tram and animatedly talking to no one in particular. 
2. Double Take: Man in faded blue overalls, a straw cowboy hat and cowboy boots. In downtown Belgrade. 
3. Tram: Getting to ride in probably the oldest tram in the Balkans that had been outfitted with what appeared to be kitchen cabinets instead of seats. Watching two young guys lounge on the cabinets and make eyes at the totally uninterested girls across the aisle. Then almost getting trapped on said tram because I forgot I had to push the button to open the door.
4. Fellowship: Getting to spend time with teammates from the South and watch Wilson scoot himself across the kitchen floor and choose me over Conner. Twice.
5. Food: Getting to be the guinea pig once again (wonderful life, right?) for Randi's new cheesecake recipe. 
6. Personality: Making jokes about our personality assessments. "Evasive Tactics"
7. More Food: Pizza with the Israels and coffee with Randi (including a cultural lesson on tipping). 
8. Hilarity: Watching Tim Hawkins sing about reality. "I'm gonna feed you to the fire ants."
9. Soccer: Picking little Kyle up from Soccer/from the field he plays on that is actually on top of a bomb shelter.
10. Bad habits: Becoming addicted to Choco O'clock cereal because of Jen. Thanks for that deliciousness. 

 This doesn't look nearly as frightening as those riot vans. I almost stopped to take a picture of one them, but the guy eating a sandwich inside was somewhat intimidating. This car was left unattended. Not hardcore enough to be spotted in, obviously.

 Dear Tehnomanija,
    Your crazy lady/mime/serial killer mascot is really disturbing. It looks way too excited. What is that expression exactly? Is that the "I'm going to eat your face off while you're looking for a new television" look? I'm just unsure what you're trying to accomplish here.
Sincerely,
The girl who needs her face more than electronics

 BEVERLY! This is your scooter. It was in a different place today and really worse for wear. I think he was in an accident/he slid his entire left side against a brick wall. I'm glad I didn't introduce you two, he's obviously irresponsible and possibly dangerous. Scooter looks are definitely not an indicator of personality flaws. Won't make that mistake again. I'll find you someone else...with a bus pass.

 This is Randi's raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake. I feel your jealousy.

This is the end of the post. I want to leave you with this inspirational message seen on a tram during my first visa run this week. Remember: When all else fails, Fight For Freedom.

Visas and Packages. Oh my!

So first things first. Email update #3 went out yesterday evening. If you didn't receive it and you'd like to be put on the list, send me a message.

Number Two: My Visa.

The Visa saga is well documented on this blog, it has in fact, become the stuff of legends. I went across the river today in an attempt to extend for longer than nine days this time around. I was praying that I could accomplish this in a timely manner. i.e. less than two months. Well...I almost did it. I was missing two pieces of paperwork and I have to go back on Friday to turn them in. Hopefully on Friday things will be set and I can get an extended visa that afternoon. I'll keep you updated.

Number Three: The expectation of goodness.

I wasn't really that upset about the lack of visa because I had a package waiting for me at a post office somewhere in New Belgrade. I had lucked out and missed the initial delivery of the package so I was left with this incredibly informative (not) slip telling me how to find it.

 I called the Stevens family and they gave me directions to what they thought was the #2 post office. I should explain that post offices in Serbia are used for far more than just mail. I actually pay bills at one of the eight post offices within a three block radius of me.

I found the alleged #2 down a somewhat creepy alcove, but I will admit the courtyard beyond it was far sketchier. I went inside and was told somewhat rudely that I was at the wrong window. I was at the bill paying window and I needed to be at the post window which was housing two people who were making an effort not to pay attention to me. I went over and showed them my slip and waited to pay the customs fee. Nothing here is automated so the guy was looking through a hand written ledger to find evidence I hadn't forged my slip. No dice. He attempts to tell me something in Serbian after slamming the ledger closed. I, of course, have no idea what he's saying. Thankfully this lady behind me steps up and translates for me.

I was at the wrong post office. She explained I needed to go to the post office that was found at the very last stop of Bus 16. This made it sound sort of mythical and hard to get to which was confirmed when she said in a very hushed voice, "You cannot walk there". She even looked a bit horrified by the concept. I got a few more vague directions and then I thanked them both and headed outside to call Kyle and see if he had any idea where the mythical Bus 16 ended its route. 

Kyle, of course, with the help of his trusty Magic Map (true name, no joke) knew exactly where it was located. Luckily for me he was headed in my direction anyway so I got to catch a ride and he showed me the right window to stand at so I wouldn't get yelled at. And then, after all that, I saw this beauty:

My first box from the States. Well, box is sort of relative. When I got it there were no corners left on it. It almost appeared if it had been rolled across Belgrade. Thats cool though, check out all those stickers. Talk about legit. And then we opened it!

Thats Cole and Lola checkin out all the goodness that fell out of that slightly rounded box. We were totally excited, although I'll admit they were more excited about the box.

So after I played with my box for a little while, I went to the Stevens' house for dinner. Dinner at the Stevens' is always fantastic. I got to be the guinea pig for Jen's new Chicken Cacciatore recipe. My life is just that great. (Side note: blogger wanted to auto correct Cacciatore to Coimbatore, which is a city in Southwest India. You learn something new every day.) AND then we watched shark month. Obviously an intense end to the night.



So let's recap this Wednesday.

Bad Things: No Visa.

Good Things: Package from my lovely mother.
                       Jen's culinary skills.
                       Shark month.

Absolutely a winning Wednesday.

Belated Foto Friday

This week has been pretty slow. I did have a pretty big accomplishment: I completed (with the help of practically the entire Israel family) my first expense report since coming on the field. Not only did I complete it, but it was done correctly! You might be missing the point of why this is such a big deal, however, if you've ever been around me trying to do math or count then you totally understand. I also bought a cage for Cole and Lola so I can contain them when they lose their minds randomly throughout the day.

Oh and for the first time since coming to Serbia someone spoke English to me during an interaction. There were two problems with this which led to me being sort of offended. 1. It was at KFC in the mall food court. 2. My Serbian was impeccable. If theres anything I can do, its order food. Anyway, that was okay because there was a dinosaur outside the mall. Dinosaurs make even awkward language moments into excellent experiences.


Oh and enjoy these pictures from my Serbian life.

 I saw this advertisement on the bus. This is meat paste, I think they're trying to show you (with impressive food art) which animal meat the paste most closely resembles in taste. For some reason this just doesn't entice me.

 I wanted to point out that The Catcher in the Rye is the most popular fake book found in the Serbian furniture store. What a way to make your furniture displays look classy.

 I dropped massive hints to Kyle that this is the one Christmas gift that would really make my life complete. No matter that I don't have a computer desk, I just really want this as a center piece in my living room.

 This is some spectacular graffiti that I don't think I've shared yet. There was some Anti-American sentiments as well, but they weren't as awesome as this.

 Oh and check out who is headed to Serbia!

This is the half finished pyramid that I see every time I make a visa run. My theory is that they ran out of money building a replica pyramid so they tried to save face by turning it into something else sort of sketchy.

The end.

Monday Awesomeness

By this time you've probably already read about my visa fiasco that was posted yesterday...if not you should check that out. However, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about the awesomeness that did happen while the visa stuff was being ridiculous. Check this out:

Let me explain to you just how monumental this photo is. Pictured on top of the table, courtesy of Jen's fantastic connections and Kyle's effort carrying it up several flights of stairs, are in no particular order: a 24 pack of Dr. Pepper, Jif Peanut Butter, a bottle of Soy Sauce and three fun chip cake mixes. The peanut butter and the cake mixes are pretty much impossible to find, the soy sauce can be found for a price, the Dr. Pepper...well, it has been described as liquid gold by most of my teammates. In fact I can illustrate this point, see below.

A special thanks to the Israel family for this moment, may there be many more hilarious occurrences to come.

 This is what happens when five Dr. Peppers suddenly fall from the sky and explode like little carbonated grenades. People lose their minds and employ straws to clean up the flood of liquid gold.

ALSO, check out that kitchen table! Kyle not only helped me pick it out and negotiated the delivery and set up, he also house/cat sat in order to receive said delivery! So now I can do all sorts of things like eat at the table and study there and stack my goodies so I can look at them every time I walk by, etc.

So monday was not a total loss, in fact I guess I should count it as a victory. A ridiculous one, but all of my Serbian victories fall into that category.

Girl Got a Visa...Sorta

So this past Friday I received a phone call from my bestie at the visa office. She was calling to inform me that after two months and several visits to clear up mistakes on their end my visa was finally ready. Let me recap my interactions so you understand how big a deal this was.

Trip #1: First attempt to turn in paperwork, Kyle shows up in shorts and isn't allowed in. I'm told that I need a resume and a contract in English and Serbian. I also need to show up for a short meeting the following Monday. I am told that I can bring the paperwork in that morning as well, that gives me two days to get it translated. 

Trip #2: I return with translated documents and I am sent upstairs to have my meeting. The meeting is held in an office down a hallway that has probably been featured in many political intrigue movies. I was concerned that I was being detained, I should have been more worried about what floor I lived on and the vital stats of my immediate family...my nine siblings included. I am told to come back in a few weeks and the visa will be ready.

Trip #2.5: A series of phone calls to Kyle trying to figure out my address and why no one is in the office during the national month of vacation. Kyle also has to go and replace some paperwork that was lost. 

Trip #3: Delayed due to my trip to Croatia, I actually show up almost a full week after I was scheduled to. I turn in my passport at 11:30 and am told to come back at 3 to get it back with my visa inside. I wander the city for hours and show back up in time to witness an Asian man get in to a fight with two Serbian women over who was first in line. Answer: I was. I also wasn't about to get up in that drama because "No one here is entitled". I finally make it to the counter and am told that due to a technical difficulty I won't be getting a visa after all. I should come back in a week and it will all be sorted out.

Trip #3.5: Less of a trip and more of a series of phone calls questioning my residency and where the office is located. 

Trip #4: I receive a call from the visa lady two days before my scheduled return date. She wants to meet with me the next day at 2 o'clock.  I show up and end up waiting an hour for her to get to me. I keep a smile on my face and win some points. I also won more points because I finally wised up and brought a bill from my flat listing my address. Turns out the address on my residency card has been filled in wrong since I got here. She calls and yells at the police officer and then explains that I have two options: get a corrected residency card or pay the fine for being unregistered. I will obviously get it corrected, she tells me I have one day and then I need to come back and she will sort it out.

Trip #4.5: Visa lady calls me wondering why I haven't come in with my corrected residency card, its been a full day. I explain to her that my Serbian landlord who has a job and a baby named "Fearless" has been unable to take off work in order to take me to the Station to get the card corrected. (The landlord has to do this process for you) She explains in an irritated tone that I should've done it the day she called and that I could've done it myself. She also tells me that they're on a time limit and that they are currently two weeks over the allotted one month time frame. It is implied that this is my fault.  Once again I smile and tell her I'll get it done and see her on Monday.

Trip #5: My landlord takes me to the Station where he knows a guy and they take a look at my residency card. After they decide I'm not crazy and making it up it takes all of five minutes to get a new one. Then I go across the river to the pink station and bump into the visa lady having a smoke outside. This is where all that smiling pays off...She gives up her smoke break and makes me a copy of my card, this is absolutely unheard of. She also tells me that she'll call me when the visa is ready so that I won't have to come down until it is.

Which leads us to Trip #6: I had Kyle and Michaela cat sit under the guise of waiting for my kitchen table to be delivered and went across the river to drop my passport off. There was of course some sort of protest/show of solidarity and all the public transport was crawling at a snail's pace. I was told to come back at 3 to pick it back up. It looks promising because they actually had my paperwork in the stack. I head home to see the newly delivered table and sit around killing time. I make it to the visa office by 2:30 and proceed to people watch for half an hour. Easily one of the most entertaining things to do here. The visa line is also taking forever, everyone in front of me apparently wants to talk about their visa. There are lots of phone calls happening. I finally get my passport, visa inside and exit the building. There should be joyful exclamations here right? Well there would be if my visa wasn't valid for a whole NINE DAYS. 

Yes, you read that right. I was apparently granted a visa on August 14th and they just couldn't give it to me because of all the glitches. It expires October 14th. So three months. Still confused? The visa process in Serbia has to be restarted a full month before your expiration date so...September 14th. Today is September 5th. Brilliant right? So next Wednesday I'll start the process again.