A Sunday to Remember

For those who are not aware, I am now living in Niš, in what is the second semester of the Bridge Year Serbia Program. Niš is located in the South of Serbia, while Novi Sad (where we spent our first semester) was located in the northern province of Vojvodinia. See map below. :)

Now, back to today's post. 

This past Sunday, I did something that I've never done before, and that I'll probably never get the opportunity to do again. I participated in a 5km walk commemorating the escape of 147 WWII prisoners from Crveni Krst, the WWII concentration camp in Niš, on February 12th, 1942. Normally this annual walk is 40km long, and the participants walk around Niš and to a few surrounding towns, on the same route taken by the escapees. This year, because of the snow and the consistent -10 degree Fahrenheit weather that we've had for the past two weeks, this trek was shortened considerably. Instead, we walked to Bubanj hill and back, where the WWII memorial was built in remembrance of the 10,000 prisoners that were taken there and killed. 

This is obviously not my picture, since there is not half a meter of snow covering the hillside. I was going to take a picture, but it was too cold to take the camera out of my pocket....

My day started when I awoke up at 7:20 on a cold and wintry Sunday morning. It took all of the courage and strength I could muster to get out of bed, knowing that for the next 5, 6 hours I would be out in the freezing cold trekking over snow-covered roads. But, alas, my strength prevailed. I met Charlotte Sall (a fellow bridge-year buddy) in the city center, a mere 7-minute walk from my house, were I bought a nice McDonald's breakfast (yes, there are McDonald's' (?) in Serbia!). Ah, what a nice reminder of home. ANYWAY, it was then 8:40 and Charlotte and I needed to be at  Crveni Krst (in English the concentration camp is called"Red Cross") at 9:00 and we had no idea how often bus #3 came or if another bus would get us there. We waited at the bus stop for a few minutes, and  we got on the first bus that came and asked the lady bus driver (yay!) which bus we could take to Crveni Krst. She told us to stay on and that she would take us to the bus stop that we needed. As we approached the bus stop a few blocks away, the bus driver lady saw the bus that we needed pull out of the bus stop. She then hailed the bus (as you would a taxi) and the bus driver stopped the bus, got out, and walked over. She explained to him that she had two American girls that needed to get to Crveni Kirst and would he please take us. And, just like that, he led us to his bus (parked inconspicuously in the middle of the road) and personally chauffeured us to the concentration camp. Did I mention that we didn't have to pay? It was great. Charlotte and I got special treatment! :)

We arrived at Crveni Krst at around 9 am, clutching our McDonald's bags and standing out like sore thumbs amidst the boy and girl scouts congregating around the entrance to the camp and filing through. Charlotte and I just chilled for a moment and then decided to start for the trash bin at the end of a longish lane right leading to the entrance of the camp. When we were halfway through, a line of Serbian soldiers started marching in our direction down this small lane. Charlotte and I, slightly embarrassed, stood to the side to let them through. We could hear them chuckling--but I don't blame them. It must've been a funny sight! When we accomplished out task of drinking the warm coffee and disposing of our garbage, we bravely approached who we took to be the head boy-scout leader and asked if we could participate in their march. With a delighted expression, he told us that yes, we could! We were given special treatment once again. We were assigned to a boy scout contingent, and we got to shake hands and be introduced to  the last  Holocaust survivor from Crveni Krst. It was supa cool. Like I said, once in a lifetime opportunity! 

The following two hours were difficult because of the cold. There was a longish ceremony that was displayed on public television (I'm pretty sure we made it in the news!) with Orthodox priests chanting in Serbian, speeches from important government people and the Holocaust survivor, and a candle-lighting ceremony. All the while, Charlotte and I stood in a neat formation with the other boy and girls scouts. I've love to tell you what the speeches were about, but I can't. Mainly because a) the speeches were in Serbian and b) I was too focused on not freezing to death to attempt to understand. Instead, I watched intently as the small boy scout in front of me methodically burnt the lint and fuzzies off his mittens. I kept thinking his gloves would catch on fire....

After the ceremony and a tour of the Concentration camp bunks (warning: photo tangent; also, disclaimer: these were taking when our bridge year group toured the concentration camps during our Niš orientation...notice the lack of huge piles of snow)...

The doors to the building (former army barracks) where they kept the prisoners.

Outside view of said building.

This writing on the wall is how the prisoners planned their famous escape.

These small rooms were meant for solitary confinement, but during overcrowding (which was quite often), 20-30  people were crowded into each room. I'm assuming the barbed wire coils on the floor were meant to add more discomfort. 

This was the main office of the concentration camp...the headquarters. Notice the Nazi signs and the German writing on the wall. 

Coils of barbed wire surrounding the barracks to prevent prisoner escape.

Me attempting to be artsy.

The dreary courtyard.

Part of the long lane I mentioned earlier.

The doors at the entrance that I mentioned earlier too...

...and we're back.

After touring the barracks as a group, we finally got on our way. I was half frozen. I couldn't feel my toes and I almost gave up, but I decided to give it my best try. We walked in neat pairs for a couple miles, through snow and slush. The traffic was stopped for the participants of the trek on multiple occasions, and traffic guy scouts in bright yellow vests kept telling us to hurry up. It was a great experience, though. Regardless of how cold I was (despite the ridiculous amounts of layers that I had on), I knew that the prisoners back in 1942 had probably been much colder. Plus, they walked a great deal more than the 5 km that we did. Once we got to the top of the Bubanj hill, we stopped for sandwiches and this delicious mint tea...probably the best I've ever had. It was sooooooo good. Then, we trekked down the mountain. During our trek down the boy scouts were chanting scouty-things in Serbian, and it was kinda cool. Charlotte and I just giggled because we obviously stood out. Once we got to the scout base, we received certificates for having accomplished the walk. Although it felt good to have pushed myself to complete the walk in the utter, miserable cold, it felt even better to have participated in such a wonderful event in recognition of the triumph of 147 individuals who defied the odds and escaped from a WWII concentration camp. Having lived in North and South America my whole life, I've never been able to do something quite like this, and I probably never will get the opportunity again.

Needless to say, I got home and took a nice nap. I woke up an hour and a half later and went to a Serbian friend's house, Anastasija. There we made American pancakes with chocolate chips (topped off with MAPLE SYRUP brought by Charlotte), quite an accomplishment considering the fact that chocolate chips don't exist in Serbia (once again, THANKS CHARLOTTE). Afterwards, we played Dutch Blitz, murderer (this winking game) and psychologist. I had an amazing time surrounded both by my Serbian and American friends. I got home late that night, content after a long day filled with perseverance, companionship, defying the odds and American pancakes. What else could I ever want? 

Individual Update (or Indy)

The following was posted (or will be shortly) on the official Bridge Year Program Website as an Individual Update. It was written while we were still in Novi Sad so bear with me! Our group update is soon to follow.

“Why Serbia?” Every time I interact with a new group of local people, I get asked the same question. For many youth here, it seems puzzyepling that I chose to leave behind “The American Dream” for a whole year--and, even more so, that  I chose to spend it in Serbia. My response is always the same: the service opportunities here in Serbia appealed to me. After responding this way many times, in December I realized that while this may be true, my understanding and perception of service have changed considerably. The girl who chose Serbia because of wanting to work with marginalized groups, youth empowerment and civil rights now finds herself with a more holistic and personalized understanding of service. 

At the Bridge Year Program orientation before we left for our respective countries, we attended a group session on service. It was here that we attempted to reconcile our previous experiences with and preconceptions of service with the opportunities that we would encounter abroad. We discussed the more formulaic aspects of service, breaking this concept down into three categories: immediate aid, long-term projects, and social change. My experience with service in Lancaster led me to hold certain expectations, such as the belief that most of my service in Serbia would fall strictly under one of these categories. This, I would later learn, was not an accurate assessment of the non-profit work that I would be doing in Novi Sad. I found that service is about meeting the needs expressed by your community and those around you. These needs might not always be dire, and they might not be what you expect, but they are needs and desires all the same, and you serve by meeting these to the best of your ability.

I first started discovering this aspect of service after a few days of working at my NGO, Novi Sad Humanitarian Center (NSHC), when the full-time employees there started approaching me with questions regarding how to say this or that correctly in English, or needing corrections on their English reports and pamphlets. While I spent hours making corrections to a legal report intended for a philanthropist organization from the US, I realized that while this wasn’t exactly the kind of service I had in mind when beginning the placement, I was doing what needed to be done. I would have to simplify my view of service in order to live out its true meaning, and the perfect opportunity arose on September 14th. On our way back from a Saturday field trip to the countryside, full of fun games and crafts for the Roma kids, my boss, Dejan, brought up the fact that several NSHC volunteers wanted to learn Spanish. Never having taught Spanish or learned it in a formal classroom setting, I initially declined. I soon realized, however, that it would be silly not to teach my fellow volunteers Spanish; they wanted to learn something that I knew--wasn’t this service, in essence? I agreed to teach Spanish twice a week in the NSHC conference room. Some days I had seven students, while a few time only one girl, Jelena, was able to come; but this didn’t matter. As long as there was someone who wanted to learn, I taught.  

While engaging in other types of service, I learned that sometimes, what falls under the category of service does not feel like work at all. Such was the case with the Tuesday night English conversation classes at the American Corner lead by the five of us. We always had too much fun, but it was through these methods that the kids who attend our classes practiced their English. We often played games such as “Through the Green, Glass Door,” “Madlibs” or “20 Questions.” We also posed debates and discussions and tried to get everyone to participate. It was a simple idea, yet for many of the youth who came, we were the only Americans that they ever met in person, or our Tuesday nights are the only time that they got to practice their English with native English speakers. 

Creating and maintaining a good working environment is also something that my coworkers at NSHC taught me throughout my four months there. The perfect example of this is when once in a while someone in the NSHC offices cooked a snack for all of us. We would gather around the big table in the conference room on the second floor, eating and chatting. I once got recruited to make funnel cakes, and after semi-successfully converting American cups, teaspoons and tablespoons to European grams, milligrams and milliliters, they were a big hit!

As someone who loves to have everything planned out in detail, my work in Serbia has shown me that flexibility is a necessary attribute for those who wish to serve others.  During my four months in Novi Sad, I had the opportunity to lead English and creative workshops for Roma kids at the József Attila School on Saturdays. This NSHC program provides extra academic aid for kids ranging from ages 6 to 15 or 16. Planning the creative workshops and English workshops required hours of preparation, which included shopping for and organizing the materials, writing formal proposals for the workshops, and traveling to the school on Saturdays to lead the workshops. Flexibility, I have realized, is an asset that I acquired in larger amounts working with these kids than ever before. I have had to change my workshop at the last minute based on the supplies available, the number of children present (I had to have everyone make Christmas cards instead of 3D snowflakes because there were too many younger kids in the workshop), and what the kids want to do (sometimes we have one game planned, but the kids don’t like it so we have to come up with another game on the spot.)  I have learned to improvise, accept changes and modify my plans according to the circumstance and needs presented.

It has become clear to me that service is a two-way street; you learn just as much from those you teach as they learn from you. Since I saw several of the volunteers from the Saturday school on a regular bases through my Spanish classes, I got to know several of them better and on a more personal level. My friendships with these amazing volunteers have allowed me to gain a better understanding of what service work means to the locals and has given me a better appreciation for their work at the Saturday school. It is inspiring interacting with these University students who devote themselves weekly to improving the quality of life of these children. 

I am fully aware that I have changed during these four months in Serbia. The change in my view of service is only one of the ways that Serbia has impacted me and my perception of the world. It is exciting to think that my transformation is not yet complete. Quite soon I will embark upon the second leg of my journey, Niš, where my understanding of service will continue to change. I look forward to seeing how this knowledge and my experience in Serbia will shape new realizations and my life at Princeton and beyond!

Check Out the Bridge Year Website

The Serbia Group (us) posted a Group Update; check it out here: http://www.princeton.edu/bridgeyear/updates/archives/index.xml?id=6155

Tying up Loose Ends

This is my last week of Serbian language classes at the University of Novi Sad, and next week is my last week working at NSHC, my NGO. This Tuesday I had a long final examination, which consisted of four parts: grammar, oral, listening and reading; it lasted around three hours. It was a culmination of everything that we've learned this semester, although we had one major test a few weeks ago (the A1 level examination). I obtained good makes in every category then, but I this last one (on Tuesday) was a little more difficult. Maybe it was the fact that it contained more difficult material that we had just learned, or that I was sick last week with a virus and was unable to attend class for two days. It doesn't really matter, though; regardless of my grades (which, by the way, were a little worse, but not by much), I feel like last week and this week I made a huge leap in my my ability to communicate in Serbian with others. Suddenly, it feels like many of the cases just clicked; now I can much more easily decline the adjectives and nouns in the necessary cases, conjugate the verbs, and vocalize my ideas in Serbian. I feel like I have now reached a benchmark in learning Serbian; I can only get better from here on out.

This week has been relatively busy with Christmas preparations and farewells. For those of you who don't know, this academic year-long program is broken up into two parts, or semesters. The first semester is soon ending; the following semester is to take place in Niš, a large city approximately three hours from Novi Sad, our current location. There, I will have a new host family and I will be working with a new organization, R-point. I don't know too much about this NGO, just that I will be working five days a week (at least) in a schoolhouse for Roma children. Currently, I only lead workshops on Saturdays, but in Niš I will be leading workshops several days a week...I am incredibly excited! However, I will deeply miss my coworkers and my NGO here in Novi Sad. Today, my boss Danijela and my other coworkers took me to a Salaš, which is pretty much a restaurant in the outskirts of Novi Sad set in an old, typical Vojvodinian house. We had kolači, or typical Serbian pastries. I had krempita, literally translated as "cream pie." It was delicious! My coworkers went around in a circle and said several kind words based on our last few months together. Then, Danijela gave me a gift on behalf of them all! It is an incredible warm and fuzzy multi-colored scarf with a matching hat. I wore them today to Charlotte's house, and they kept me warm and toasty in this cold, 35-degree weather. We had a great time at the restaurant; they made me feel special and appreciated--boy am I going to miss them!

This afternoon I took a nap, because for some reason I've been really tired lately. When I woke up, I had ćevapčići made by my host mom, Irena, on a grill. My burger was huge and I wasn't able to finish it. Our dog, Лоцо, loves eating our leftovers...this dog is an exact replica of Jari, my own dog back in the States, but a little bit bigger! After supper, I went to Charlottle's house, where the BYP Serbia group got together to celebrate Hanukkah with Charlotte, who is Jewish. She lit a small Menorah that her parents sent her and we played dreidel with white and blue jelly beans (Hanukkah colors!). I'm quite bad at dreidel, and by the end of it I was quite glad that we weren't playing with money!

This whole week has been pretty busy. My group celebrated Christmas on Wednesday in Цеца's apartment. Wednesday was her birthday and we gave each other gifts. We stood around a Christmas tree and listened to Christmas music...I really enjoyed spending time with my group. We have grown really close and I am so happy that I get to share my holidays with them! Tomorrow, we are all going to Belgrade for Цеца's big birthday party. We'll leave form Novi Sad at 6 in the evening and get there back at...well, that's to be decided later. It really just depends on how the party goes! :)

God bless all of you. Thank you for taking an interest in my happenings here in Serbia. I don't know what I'd do without all of this inspiring support! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

My Attempt at Getting Ya'll Caught Up

(Haha, this was written a while ago, so bear with me...this part about the fog is not true NOW, but it WAS incredibly true...) I’ve been walking on clouds all week--well, more like in them. During late fall in Novi Sad, fog inhabits every street for the majority of the day. When I leave my house at 7:30 to catch bus # 4, the fog already interferes with my ability to see much more than a few feet, and in the late afternoon, the fog once again starts rolling in. It’s a beautiful sight, really. Last night I attempted to capture the beauty of the fog that was so thick I could practically hear the fog condensing into droplets of water and splashing onto the sidewalk. The flash was pitifully ineffective...

But I didn’t just write this blog to talk about fog. Believe it or not, Gilberto Vega, I have not given up on this blog. Settling into a different routine and a different environment is a time-consuming ordeal. It entails everything from changing small habits, to completely altering sleeping habits, to restructuring your life. It’s a little difficult, what with some weeks being better than others, but, overall, the pleasures that I obtain make everything more than worth it. 

Some people have shown an interest in knowing my daily schedule, and, as always, I’ll take that a step further and walk you through my week! 

My established weekly schedule (for now) is as follows:

Monday: 

8:15-10:30 Serbian language class!

12:00-4:00 Work at my NGO NSHC (Novosadski Humanitarni Centar)

After, I return home and maybe go back to the city center to hang out with my Princeton friends or my Serbian friends! Also, homework...and if I stay at home, sometimes I play games with my host family! My host sister, Mima, loves playing Dutch Blitz and Rummikub, both of which I brought from the States!

Tuesday:

8:15-10:30 Serbian language class!

12:00-4:00 Work at my NGO NSHC (Novosadski Humanitarni Centar)

5:00-6:00 Piano lesson at the nearby school of music. My piano teacher is named Dina and she’s AMAZING. Sadly, I mostly only get to practice piano at my lessons. :(

6:00-8:00 I grab a bite eat in the city center and go to American corner to prepare for the English conversation classes lead by the five of us, or a lovely combination thereof: Tucker, Dominique, Charlotte, Jacob and I, or a combination thereof. We play madlibs, the dictionary game, rhyming games, and initiate discussions and debates around a myriad of topics.

8:00 Hang out with friends from American corner at a café in the center, or go home to do homework, or домаћи. 

Wednesday:

No class. Instead, the five of our meet at Ceca’s house at 9:00 am to discuss our week, work on our group and/or individual updates for the Princeton blog, participate in group and individual reflections, discuss upcoming excursions or reflect on a past one, and fill out Dora (we do a group reflection in a book using drawing and diagrams to record the week’s highlights. Always mentioned are Jacob’s heart (hahaha) and a list of the new Serbian friends that we made that week). We always end with a group picture:

Such as: 

or

Sometimes, we get a little distracted....

But we ALWAYS get our work done...

12:00-4:00 Work at my NGO NSHC (Novosadski Humanitarni Centar)

5:45-9:30 Youth group at the local Baptist church. The first time I was able to watch the worship team practice and then the youth group begins, with lively music and a teaching. Oftentimes I recognize some of the Serbian praise and worship songs, such as: Blessed be the Name, Lord I Lift Your Name on High, and Forever. I sing in English if I know the song, and attempt to sing in Serbian (fail...). I manage to understand the teaching if somebody knows enough English to translate for me! I've hung out with my youth group friends outside of class a few times, and I've had an incredible time!

Jammin' out!

My youth group friends...we're a little crazy?

My youth group friends...we're normal?

Thursday:

8:15-9:45 Serbian language class!

My University: Univerzitet u Novom Sadu

12:00-4:00 Work at my NGO NSHC (Novosadski Humanitarni Centar)

Chill at home with my wonderful host family or in the city center. Thursday night is Pljeskavica night: these delicious HUGE hamburgers that my host family makes on the grill in the balcony. I’ll find a picture somewhere...

Delicious!

Friday:

8:15-9:45 Serbian language class!

12:00-4:00 Work at my NGO NSHC (Novosadski Humanitarni Centar)

Go home after work and spend time with my wonderful host fam...then leave at 10:00 for the center to meet up with friends for a good night in the city’s infamous street Laze Telechkog or some other café/pub. I drink ne gazirana voda, or just plain water; If I’m feeling particularly adventurous, I might order sok od jabuke but I have a great time with my friends anyway! :)

A night out with my girlfriends!

Saturday:

12:00-2:00 I lead various workshops at a school in the outskirts of Novi Sad that NSHC runs with the purpose of supplementing the education of Roma kids and kids belonging to other marginalized groups. I teach both English and creative workshops. The last Saturday in October, in celebration of Halloween, the younger kids decorated oranges (alas, no pumpkins) and simple masks:

My creative workshop!

The older kids made paper pumpkins. Charlotte wanted to join me on Saturday and so she helped out. We gave the children candy that I had purchased before going to the school, and Charlotte gave them candy from the U.S.: peeps and candy corn! All, in all, a great afternoon! 

In the afternoon, I meet up with friends and we hang out, shop, cook...

Sunday: 

10:00-12:00 Church at a Baptist church near my house...just one block away! Sometimes they sing hymns and sometimes more lively worship music. I do the best that I can...Good thing they have someone translating the sermon into English through these funky and cool-looking headsets. I’m not only only American attending the church.   A met another American girl, close to my age, who is in Novi Sad through a Christian Service Organization! 

After church, I try to hang out with my Christian friends, Princeton friends, or Serbian friends (or a combination thereof). 

In the late evening, I try to skype with my wonderful family back home. It’s hard because of the time change, but totally worth it to see their smiling faces and their sweet voices.

Non-profit work is a whole different ball-field from the dependable field of academics. The most you can do is do your best, be flexible and open-minded, and accept challenges as they come. At my service organization, I am currently working on two major projects: 1) the Spanish class for volunteers that I am teaching twice a week. It is good that I get to practice my Spanish and I enjoy preparing the classes. The volunteers are eager to learn another language and very receptive to whatever I teach them! 2) The English and creative workshops for the school on Saturdays. It is fun to prepare the workshops. Last week, my weird supervisor ;) (just kidding, he’s pretty awesome) Dejan (my former boss) went to a store with me and we bought a ton of creative supplies for my workshops. I normally teach two workshops each Saturday--one for the older kids and one for the younger ones. Some smaller projects that I have worked on include the campaign for raising the awareness of mental health that my NGO is running, and editing English reports that some of my coworkers have to send to the philanthropists that fund their projects. Apparently, I am also in charge of making sure that nobody in the office goes hungry...a job which I gladly take on! Some time ago I made funnel cakes for the entire office. Needles to say, I smelled like food for the rest of the day, but, other than that, it was a very enjoyable experience! 

Part of the Bridge Year Program includes several excursions that we take as a group--some are meant as a short break from our every-day lives, while others are meant to improve our understanding of the political and social problems in the Balkans. Our four-day October excursion to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was just that. Although we had our fair degree of fun (see below...) the trip opened our eyes to the damaging effects that war has left in the region, and to ethnic tensions that run deeply in some regions of the Balkans. A professor from the University Sarajevo told us about the ethnic and religious tensions throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. In fact, this fairly small country is a large melting pot of ethnicities and religions: Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Serbs, Croats, Hungarians, Turks, and those who refer to themselves as Bosniacs. The ethnic tensions are highlighted even more by the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-96), especially the Siege of Sarajevo. Serb forces blockaded Sarajevo for almost four years, bombarding important buildings, targeting innocent civilians through snipers located in the mountainside, and prohibiting the import/export of goods. In order to survive, a tunnel was built that under the Sarajevo airport (controlled by NATO) through which thousands in Sarajevo received enough food and other supplies from the outsideto survive. We visited this Tunnel, which is now a museum near the outskirts of Sarajevo. It’s amazing that a Tunnel that small was able to make such a difference in the lives of the Bosnians. To this day, there is still tension between Serbs and Bosnians, and a lot this is due to the recent war between them and the lose of nearly 10,000 lives at the hands of the Serbs. 

We also had the opportunity to visit an NGO that works with training people to be peacemakers in their towns and work to solve problems in society that are a direct result of the Bosnian war. After attending all of our lectures, we had the rest of the day on Saturday to ourselves. Shopping in Sarajevo was an amazing experience! The Bazaar was especially incredible. The Turkish and Hungarian scarves and jewelry were  exceptionally cool to look at! The center of Sarajevo (the pedestrian zone) is a mixture of many different cultures, two of the more pronounced being the Turkish and Hungarian cultures. Then, in the evening, we met up with a friend of mine from the States, Sanda Hinjalic. She was an exchange student at J.P. McCaskey for a year, and it was great catching up with her! What are the odds of my having a friend in Sarajevo? Apparently, they’re pretty good! 

A Sarajevan street shop.

Self explanatory...just, you know, the place that started WWI...

Me posing as Gavrilo Princip...it's super cool, I know.

Delicious ćevapčići, a Bosnian typical dish! 

Beautiful view of downtown Sarajevo.

This is us with Sanda in Sarajevo....she's an amazing person!

They say that if you drink from this fountain, you will return to Sarajevo!

Life is good. Life is great, actually. Sometimes, I catch myself thinking: Yentli, what are you doing? How in the world did you end up in Serbia instead of college? This program has, so far, been an amazing experience. I’m reveling in the new friendships that I’m forging, the new experiences that I’m being exposed to, and the opportunity that I have to grow in this new, phenomenal world. 

I love us. :) BYP Serbia  is amazing! 

Haha, wrong picture. ;)


Peace out, homies. God Bless.

Sladoled, Mleko i Paradajs

My class schedule is as follows: class on Monday and Tuesday from 8:30-1045, and class Thursday and Friday from 8:30-10:00. Seeing as today is Wednesday, and we live in some semblance of a sane and functioning world, I didn't go to my language class. Instead, I dragged myself out of bed at 7:00 am and took the bus to my coordinator Ceca's house, where I arrived half and hour early. Some of you may remember the days when I was inevitably late (or exactly on time) to wherever I went; those days are apparently over. Over some home-made baked goods, our group of five BYP Serbia students shared about our host families and our service organizations. I had nothing but good things to share! After that, we spent an hour attempting to decipher cyrillic in order to fill out paperwork for our bus passes and official student documents. Then I went to my service placement, but first I just had to stop for some ice-cream (sladoled), milk (mleko) and a tomato (paradajs).

I had a very productive, enjoyable and fulfilling day today at NSHC. I edited my boss's english pamphlet on the project implemented by NSHC to raise awareness concerning the immediate need to make education more available for Roma girls that will be distributed at an international conference. Then I read some of a book on gender roles in Roma communities--a book written by my NGO (!). Then, I discussed my proposal for creative workshops with my immediate boss, Dejan. He like my ideas and I hope that many of them will be implemented in the future! In between, I sipped my ice kafa, or coffee--which, of course, was a cafe con leche! I returned home to the arms of my loving host family. We had a fantastic dinner and then just chilled! 

I'm delighted with my day, yet I'm filled with anticipation for what awaits for me tomorrow, for tomorrow I visit my first Roma settlement. I hope that God will open my eyes so that I can do His will.

FYI: please comment...also, ask question about what you'd like to see in my blog posts...

Palacinke, NGOs, and Politics (како да не!)

Hmmmmm. As I sit here, I can hear my host mom making палачинке, pronounced "palachinke," a traditional Serbian dish consisting of crepe-like pancakes stuffed with sweet strawberry "jagoda" jam, or eurokrem and crushed plazma with slices of banana. As I relax after a tiresome but extremely fulfilling day in class and at my service organization, I let the sweet aroma of the палачинке wash over me. Irena, my host mother, calls me to the table. I am home.

A lot has changed since ten days ago. For about two weeks I had been living out of a suitcase--first at Princeton and then at a small hostel right in the Center of Novi Sad. I never realized how much that sense of insecurity and lack of stability was affecting me until I settled into my host family's house. I live with a family of three (well, four now): Irena, the mother with one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen, Mima, the eleven-year-old daughter whose English is almost impeccable, and Dejan, the father with an amazing sense of humor. Within a few hours I felt like both a daughter and a sister. I'm practically part of the family now, except for the fact that Irena still won't let me wash the dishes (and believe me, I try) and for my broken Serbian.

...Which brings me directly to my language classes. The first few days were tricky. Initial phases of change have always been somewhat difficult for me, but as I have adjusted to the rhythm of the class it has become considerably easier to feel comfortable. Outside of the classroom, my host family and those around me have been extremely supportive in my attempt to speak as much Serbian as possible. For those of you who don't know much about the Serbian language, I'll tell you that it is one of the hardest languages I've ever heard of. There are seven cases in Serbian, which means that a noun changes depending on its placement in a sentence (direct object, etc.) It's crazy! There are also three genders: female, male, and neutral, and each adverb and adjective changes depending on the case and the gender! Insanity! However, after a few days of struggling and writing hundreds of words in this little notebook that I carry, I'm finally getting the hang of things. I can write in latinica and cyrillic (both print and cursive which are entirely different) and read the cyrillic with a little more difficulty. I am also able to string together many rudimentary sentences using the words that I have learned. It's getting easier and easier. As I continue to learn the language, I become more and more comfortable with the Serbian society and with my interactions with other Serbs.

The political life here in Serbia is exceptional. The national borders within the Balkans have been continuously changing for centuries. Until recently, Serbia included  Montenegro (they are now separate entities) and Kosovo (although many here would argue otherwise.) Approximately 75 countries have voted Kosovo as independent but roughly another hundred have yet to do so (including Serbia itself). My co-workers jokingly tell me that if I want to make friends with Serbs I have but to lift my thumb, pointer finger and middle finer of my right hand and say "Kosovo je Srbija," the literal translation of which is "Kosovo is Serbia." A lot of graffiti around Novi Sad accurately depicts the political tension in this country. One of the key political issues is Vojodina's plea for more autonomy. Novi Sad is the capital of the province of Vojvodina. Before Kosovo's declaration of independence, Vojvodina and Kosovo were the two autonomous provinces of Serbia (the degree of autonomy is to this day debated in the Serbian parliament). чанак, pronounced "Chanak," the leader of the President of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina and a parliamentary representative to Belgrade, is seeking financial autonomy for Vojvodina. The government and several influential figures are claiming that he is a separatist, a highly feared title after what happened with Kosovo. We (the Bridge Year Serbia participants as well as Ceca our supervisor) had breakfast with Mr. чанак as he explained a lot of the modern Serbian politics and their roots in Balkan history.

Not only are Serbia's recent history and politics quite intriguing--its relationship with the United States is as well. Approximately  ten years ago the U.S. bombed Serbia due to Milosevic's genocide and mistreatment of the Albanians in Kosovo. Some Serbs resent Americans due to the fact that our government punished the people for their government's wrongdoings. However, many Serbs are able to separate us from our government, and while I personally have faced no discrimination due to our past with Serbia, I am sometimes reminded of our bombing campaign against the Serbs through poster boards and signs. For example, in the University building where we take our Serbian language classes there are several posters with instructions on how to react to various emergency scenarios, including what to do in the case of a bombing. Ceca told us that that was added under the threat of U.S. bombs falling on their heads. In addition, a member of our small American group had a taxi driver tell her "I love your people, but not your government." The ability of many Serbs to not hold resentment against us on account of our government's actions is a testament to the strength of the Serbian people.

I will remain in Novi Sad until January 8th, one day after the Orthodox Christmas. On January 8th, our group will travel to Nis where we will remain for three months. Novi Sad is a gorgeous city full of marvelous architecture that is bustling with culture and activity. The Serbian way of life, "polako," meaning to "take it easy," is truly lived out in the dozens of outdoor cafes in Center City where, on any given day, you can observe people simply sitting down and enjoying a drink for hours on end. Every day I pass through Center City on my way to my service organization (NGO). My NGO is the Novi Sad Humanitarian Center (NSHC), the second largest service organization in Novi Sad. A Non-profit organization, its focus is on working with marginalized populations, specifically the Roma people. They mainly work in the sectors of mental health, gender equality, youth empowerment and education. I will be focusing my work on Roma youth and children through creative workshops that I will plan and help lead and through NSHC's campaign for mental health amoung the Roma youth. The highest suicide rate in Serbia exists among the Roma youth, most of which live in extreme poverty and many of which are uneducated. Most Roma make a living through the collection of reusable items, entertainment and construction. I am delighted with the opportunity of learning much from my very knowledgable coworkers, which include a doctor, a lawyer who specializes in Roma civil rights, and several psychologists. I have my own desk and computer (even though I use my own laptop) and the environment is very welcoming. I know that this year I will have an opportunity to serve people like never before while simultaneously experiencing abundant self-growth. I am so excited for what this year holds! Although I miss my home in Lancaster, I know that this change and experience is for the best.


P.S. Posting pictures on here is apparently overly complicated. I have posted 6 albums on my Facebook. You can find me under the name "Yentli Soto Albrecht;" if you friend-request me I will accept you! :) God Bless you.