Okay so this is just a quick update, that will not be a blog post of what I have been doing but just to update everyone that I haven't had internet for 12days. One I went to the coast and now I am in Sarajevo once again, now just with my Grandmother until Sunday. Which we will be with my Uncle, Aunt and cousins once more until I get on a plane on Tuesday. The thing that really is quiet wonderful about traveling is that if your on the other side of the world, when you come back you gain a day. Meaning that even though I left on Tuesday, when I came to Bosnia it was late at night on Wednesday- so instead of having an entire day to wander around, I had dinner and slept. But now I'm leaving Tuesday and arriving Tuesday in California.
Right now I am paying for the amount of time I am on the computer but it is not expensive. When I have more time I will update everyone on my adventures.
Tons of Love to the world out there, especially to those who understand what I am talking about.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Scrambling
It's easier to dislike something then like something. To find flaws and faults then pros. Maybe because it seems repetitious to gloat about something. I can speak wonders of Tuzla, how there's always kids outside playing, how it's incredibly green that they don't plant fake grass, how beautiful the people are. There really is a lot but the thing I find the most bothersome about this place is that there are so many defaults. It's not to say that Tuzla or the rest of Bosnia is super different from my home in Ventura (even though it seems my Bosnian family think I'm going through a cuture shock), but many things that I've seen just are over exemplified and over excreted to the point that what becomes a nuisance is plan just disgusting. Like I said before, I love Tuzla and Bosnia but here are some things that just twist me the wrong way.
- The Amount of Graffiti:
I'm actually in awe of graffiti, when it's done well on empty walls and it's done to symbolize a meaning of sorts. It's expression, it's art. Though the problem is that when graffiti is in certain places it shouldn't be. Like schools, every single school here is covered in graffiti- meaning Universities, Elementary schools, High school, all of it. It's just sick, instead of having a clean environment for kids, graffiti is plastered on the walls. Also homes, this is where people LIVE, if it's a fence or a random wall then yes I understand but when there is graffiti underneath your very own window it's just absolutely degrading. There is so much graffiti that I know it's meant to not faze people, but when it becomes over powering and hateful and whatever else it can be, it's just not right. It's not morally right, in my opinion. I believe graffiti should be kept to bridges and empty walls and fences, not schools.
- How Men Dress here:
Yes, in Europe when people go out for the evening, they dress much more sheek and classier here then in America. Europeans have style, which we presumably don't as much. Sure everyone looks the same during the day time to us but what really annoys me here is that most men/boys wear sweatpants, pajama pants, bad pants. I don't know why but, in America or anywhere I have been, the majority of men wear jeans, pants that fit or that actually look as though they were making an effort. I have no idea why this bothers me so much but it just does.
- Animal Treatment:
Okay so this is one instance but it really bothered me and I still can't forget it. When we drove to a town where there is a big Bingo store (It's basically a walmart + ross + vons), we went into the Bingo store, wandered and then drank some coffee, then left. When we entered the parking lot to head home, there was a man with his car, in the middle of the parking lot, with his dog sitting in the trunk. At first, I wasn't sure what the purpose of this was but then the dog started whining and this dog was huge. The dog started to try to get out of the trunk but it's owner kept pushing the dog in a small little trunk, with groceries in it to squish into this trunk so that he can slam the trunk door shut. Eventually, the dog was tightly compacted into the trunk and they drove off. This should not be done, at all especially for such a big dog. I could imagine if for some reasn this dog was claustrophobic, it had a heart attack a million times over.
So I know, me ranting about what I dislike is not the greatest topic to cover but when something itches the skin, you need to scratch it, even if it's not good for you. Remember, I love Tuzla and Bosnia and my family and everyone here, but once in awhile it's not as dandy and romantic as it sounds.
Today, July 5th, we are heading to Croatia to the Island of Korcula. I'm extremely excited because returning to ocean for some reason just makes me think of home and I'm automatically more relaxed. It's interesting to think that when I'm at home I don't notice the smell of the ocean until I'm right next to it, but when I haven't been around the sea in awhile and I'm in a town near the sea - I smell it right away. Time to swim in the prettiest, bluest water and then dine on fish and shrimps. Maybe I'll meet some English speaking people.
- The Amount of Graffiti:
I'm actually in awe of graffiti, when it's done well on empty walls and it's done to symbolize a meaning of sorts. It's expression, it's art. Though the problem is that when graffiti is in certain places it shouldn't be. Like schools, every single school here is covered in graffiti- meaning Universities, Elementary schools, High school, all of it. It's just sick, instead of having a clean environment for kids, graffiti is plastered on the walls. Also homes, this is where people LIVE, if it's a fence or a random wall then yes I understand but when there is graffiti underneath your very own window it's just absolutely degrading. There is so much graffiti that I know it's meant to not faze people, but when it becomes over powering and hateful and whatever else it can be, it's just not right. It's not morally right, in my opinion. I believe graffiti should be kept to bridges and empty walls and fences, not schools.
- How Men Dress here:
Yes, in Europe when people go out for the evening, they dress much more sheek and classier here then in America. Europeans have style, which we presumably don't as much. Sure everyone looks the same during the day time to us but what really annoys me here is that most men/boys wear sweatpants, pajama pants, bad pants. I don't know why but, in America or anywhere I have been, the majority of men wear jeans, pants that fit or that actually look as though they were making an effort. I have no idea why this bothers me so much but it just does.
- Animal Treatment:
Okay so this is one instance but it really bothered me and I still can't forget it. When we drove to a town where there is a big Bingo store (It's basically a walmart + ross + vons), we went into the Bingo store, wandered and then drank some coffee, then left. When we entered the parking lot to head home, there was a man with his car, in the middle of the parking lot, with his dog sitting in the trunk. At first, I wasn't sure what the purpose of this was but then the dog started whining and this dog was huge. The dog started to try to get out of the trunk but it's owner kept pushing the dog in a small little trunk, with groceries in it to squish into this trunk so that he can slam the trunk door shut. Eventually, the dog was tightly compacted into the trunk and they drove off. This should not be done, at all especially for such a big dog. I could imagine if for some reasn this dog was claustrophobic, it had a heart attack a million times over.
So I know, me ranting about what I dislike is not the greatest topic to cover but when something itches the skin, you need to scratch it, even if it's not good for you. Remember, I love Tuzla and Bosnia and my family and everyone here, but once in awhile it's not as dandy and romantic as it sounds.
Today, July 5th, we are heading to Croatia to the Island of Korcula. I'm extremely excited because returning to ocean for some reason just makes me think of home and I'm automatically more relaxed. It's interesting to think that when I'm at home I don't notice the smell of the ocean until I'm right next to it, but when I haven't been around the sea in awhile and I'm in a town near the sea - I smell it right away. Time to swim in the prettiest, bluest water and then dine on fish and shrimps. Maybe I'll meet some English speaking people.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Swimming In the Middle of Eastern Europe
Okay, maybe Bosnia is not anywhere near the middle of eastern Europe, but in the city of Tuzla, we are not close to the coast. Meaning the assumption of swimming in salt water is that you can't. But never fear, Tuzla is here, Tuzla being a major salt producer of Eastern Europe, where the entire city is on top of a salt reservoir that actually moves the city up and down based on the amount of salt water is underneath or how much of it is being drained. It's quite amazing. In the middle of Tuzla, there are two man made lakes of salt water, the perfect place to be when summer comes around. Which has basically just started after days of rain. The lakes floors are river rocks and the 'sand' around the water is exactly the same. These lakes are actually quite healing to the body, clearing up sinuses, reducing swelling and other things that normal water could not do. Why am I talking about this? Today we went swimming and it was the best feeling, reminding me how much I'm in love with water, especially the sea and how spoiled I am to live in Ventura because I can swim every day if I wanted to.
After fusing around because I forgot the bottom half of my bathing suit in Sarajevo, my uncle and I ventured down the street to a local bathing suit/under garments store and I selected a 5 dollar bathing suit with lemons. It was great, especially throughout the entire time I was swimming I would be called 'leeeemon' 'mali lemon' 'lime'. And even though my eyes burned while I opened them under water, it was all grand. Though the thing about swimming is the fact that after baking in the sun and swallowing salt water a couple times more then necessary, everything you do afterwards seems to be too much effort. A nap seems the best idea in the world. Instead of giving into that, I decided to watch tennis and football for two hours and awaited dinner to be served.
In other news, my cousin Dino, who is a year older then me and who has been studying his head off for 2weeks, passed his test to enroll into the best Technology/Math university in Tuzla. During these two and a half weeks, I barely glanced at what he was learning because the fact of the matter is that my brain wants to avoid Math until school starts in August. Which seems so soon. So congratulations to Dino, and to his future 4 years of studying his head off like he did for 2weeks. I wish there were more days in the year to extend the time before I have to actually be an adult.
After fusing around because I forgot the bottom half of my bathing suit in Sarajevo, my uncle and I ventured down the street to a local bathing suit/under garments store and I selected a 5 dollar bathing suit with lemons. It was great, especially throughout the entire time I was swimming I would be called 'leeeemon' 'mali lemon' 'lime'. And even though my eyes burned while I opened them under water, it was all grand. Though the thing about swimming is the fact that after baking in the sun and swallowing salt water a couple times more then necessary, everything you do afterwards seems to be too much effort. A nap seems the best idea in the world. Instead of giving into that, I decided to watch tennis and football for two hours and awaited dinner to be served.
In other news, my cousin Dino, who is a year older then me and who has been studying his head off for 2weeks, passed his test to enroll into the best Technology/Math university in Tuzla. During these two and a half weeks, I barely glanced at what he was learning because the fact of the matter is that my brain wants to avoid Math until school starts in August. Which seems so soon. So congratulations to Dino, and to his future 4 years of studying his head off like he did for 2weeks. I wish there were more days in the year to extend the time before I have to actually be an adult.
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