Walk.

After two relaxing days in Dubrovnik, we were off to another coastal town, Split. We got up early and started on our road trip. We arrived in Split around 2 in the afternoon. Unfortunately our hotel was a 2 kilometer walk from the beaches and the downtown area. A group of us decided to go to the beach right away. I was so happy to be at the beach again. The water was warm and being by the sea just made everyone so much happier (Some of the girls and me relaxing in the sea, photo credit Fiona). Once we had enough of the beach a small group of us headed to town for dinner, we had a delicious dinner of fresh sea food, followed by some ice cream. With our stomachs full, we were ready to get back to our hotel.  Since we were so far from everything and most people were tired after spending so much time in the sun the past few days we all relaxed in the hotel.  Tomorrow we are headed to the famed Plitvice Lakes area.

Old.

It was so nice to wake up and realize that we were a minute walk from the beach, so as soon as we were up we lathered on sunscreen, went to eat breakfast, and then headed for the beach. We spent the morning lounging in the sun, and swimming in the Adriatic. Then in early afternoon I headed to old town with a few of the people from our group. There we ate a late lunch and walked around for a bit. Ben met up with us, and we all enjoyed a quick ice cream together. Sam then convinced Ben and me to walk the city walls with him. I am so happy he did this. Even though Ben was exhausted he walked with us and we all enjoyed the fantastic views. (below are some of the sites)

Ben went home to catch up on his sleep while Sam and I further explored the city. We both were in need of ornaments for our mothers, so we checked many of the stores, until we found the perfect gifts. We then headed home and all of us spent a nice relaxing evening at home.  

Two.

It was finally time to get to Croatia. I was so excited to get to the famous beaches of Croatia. The only things standing in the way of the beaches was the three hour bus trip, one boarder crossing, and two stops. The two stops were before getting to the border. The first stop we made was Medjugorje, a religious pilgrimage site. Here it is believed that the Virgin Mary appeared to six children in 1981. When we arrived an Italian mass was just finishing. It was so interesting to see all the people crowed into the pews and spilling out the back door to listen to the mass. After the service was over Marissa, Lily, and I the only practicing Catholics on the trip entered the church and prayed. We then went and visited the statue erected on the spot of Mary’s alleged appearance (below is the statue). Once all of our prayers were said we headed to the shops to pick up souvenirs, and eat a quick lunch. Our next stop was a Serbian Monastery. Here we met with a monk in training, he was very helpful in explaining the small building. He talked about how the wars have destroyed the monastery, but how the people are persistent and keep rebuilding. We then boarded the bus and headed to Croatia.

(Below left is the monastary, right is the artwork some of which has been preserved since 1506, and further down is the Monk, Dragan (the bus driver), and Mladen(our TA)). 

Our bus trip took us right along the coast of Croatia; the views were breathtaking, at every bend in the road people’s faces would light up with even more anticipation and excitement. We were ready to get off the bus and enjoy our small vacation for the next few days. As soon as we arrived in our hotel we threw our bags down, and headed to the beach. Today is Liz’s birthday so we headed over to a nice restaurant for dinner. Dubrovnik is a tourist town, so obviously the prices are high, but the view of the sunset was breathtaking. After dinner we headed into the old town to celebrate even more. The old town is absolutely adorable, it is an old fortress with a network of streets within the walls, I cannot wait to go back during the day and explore further. 

Union.

Our meeting for today was not scheduled until four in the afternoon. I had slept in, but then Marissa and I had quickly realized that most of the group had already left to explore. We got up and got ready and then headed to the city, we decided to eat cheap so we looked for the nearest Pekara (bakery) . After our lunch, we walked around the streets of Mostar. We saw various mosques, and browsed the small shops lining the streets. We then decided to stop at a café by the bridge. We enjoyed watching two people jump from the top of the bridge. After the first person jumped we immediately thought of our friends Keith and John who were quite the daredevils. Then speaking of the devils, they walked down to our table. They told us that  in order to jump you had to be part of an elite diving group, and you had to collect 50 Euros prior to plummeting in the cold water. If you did not follow these guidelines there was a hefty fine.  The boys were a little disappointed they couldn’t jump you could tell they wanted to try. (Below is the picturesque bridge, the boys wanted to jump from.)

After our quick snack, we headed back to the inn to prepare for our meeting. We walked in the opposite way of old town to the Croatian Democratic Union. The walk was saddening. Many of the building were shelled out, or closed because there was too much structural damage. Unlike Sarajevo, you could tell there was little funding for repair of this city. The differences between buildings were stark, and were a grim reminder of the war just 20 years back.

We were able to meet with the President and Vice President of the Croatian Democratic Union (CDU). They said that their party was made up of 27,000 of the most active Croats in the region. This country has about 300,000 Croats, and the rest are part of the other 5 Croat based parties. Because of the divides it makes it hard to elect one unifying leader for their people. The two went on to discuss how the country was ethnically torn, and how both the Serbs and Bosniaks had areas where the majority of their people resided (Banjaluca for the Serbs and Sarajevo for the Muslims).

The two went on to further discuss their radical opinions. First they talked about the flawed system of elections.  They discussed how since they were the minority that the other majority parties play a large role in selecting the Croat President, which really upset the young Croats. Next, they talked about how ethnic tensions were still on the rise, and how they saw no unified Bosnia & Herzegovian identity.  They had quite the extremist ideas, but it was interesting to hear their point of view.

We headed back down to the old part of town for dinner, and to watch the sunset once again. After dinner we went back to the inn and got ready to go out. Since it was a Thursday night we figured it would be better go to the club (which was pretty cool, because it was inside of a cave), and we were going with the majority of the group. The night turned out well despite some torrential downpours. 

Small.

Sarajevo was just starting to feel like home, we were finally getting comfortable, but it was time to start the next part of our journey. We checked out of the hotel at 10:30, and then were given free time to walk around the city, until 2:00 when we would board the bus and drive to Mostar. Marissa and I walked around in the center again (below) we found a place to get lunch, and then I enjoyed a delicious Bosnian coffee while Marissa sipped her clear water. It was nice to sit and people watch, as I mentioned in an earlier post going to cafes is something I am going to miss dearly, and the coffee.

The drive to Mostar was about two and a half hours, so I could not complain. Upon arrival we placed our stuff in our rooms, and then headed to town to see the famous bridge, and eat dinner. A small group of us found a small restaurant right on the river. The problem of the small restaurant was the small portions. So to satisfy our hunger we walked around the old part of town and got some ice cream. We trekked back to the inn we were staying at just outside the city, and got ready to go to a club. Upon arriving at the club, we found that even though it is summer, it was still a Wednesday in a small town so not many people were there. We still met some Scandinavians, they had lived here until they were five and then relocated, they were our age, and gave us their opinions on the past war. 

Numbers.

 Today was dedicated to visiting the Parliament of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Upon arrival we were ushered into a large conference room. A lovely woman told us about the building and set up of Bosnia’s parliament. The building is brand new, since most of it was destroyed during the conflict. The architects worked to make the space as conducive to the ever-changing world as possible, making rooms of various sizes. She then went on to explain the two houses. The first is the House of Representatives, which is made up of 42 members directly elected, and the other is the 15 member House of Peoples elected by the republic’s parliament. The thing about the House of Peoples is that there must be 5 elected who are Serb, 5 who are Bosniak, and 5 who are Croat. The division of the house was setup by the Dayton Accords in order to keep equality in this section, but instead this causes ethnic tensions to rise.

We then toured the building; it was so interesting to get to see the inside of yet another parliament in the Balkans. Our tour guide talked even more about how Bosnia and Herzegovina has done such a good job keeping the media involved, and making sure the people see what is going on. She said that even Slovenia, a member of the EU, is looking at the techniques they have in place. We were able to see a meeting on Foreign Policy in progress as well (above). Then two Members of Parliament (pictured below, on the left and center, on the right is Mladen our TA) stopped by and discussed their views about the situation in Bosnia. As true politicians, both remained optimistic about the future.

Later that night the majority of our group got together and went out, it was so nice to explore the city together and have some bonding time. All the people on the streets were friendly, and the city had this quaint charm, aside from the plaques that are on some streets, it is almost easy to forget that this city was a battleground just 20 years ago.

Law.

Today we headed to the courthouse in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The court is split into three sections: war crimes, organized crime, and general crime. We met with a total of four speakers who each highlighted separate parts of Bosnia’s law system. . A lawyer, a legal assistant, and the two American judges took their time to meet with us. The two judges had ties to Northeastern University, one attended school there and the other had a son studying Computer Sciences.  In this meeting I became aware of the strength of our system, and how grateful I am for the Supreme Court and our legal system in general.

The biggest difference we discussed, was the actual lack of universal law.  A person tried in one court could end up with significantly less of a punishment then a person tried for the same crime in a different court. Punishments are not universal.

Since we are here studying about the recent war and the repercussions, we learned about the War Crime sector of the court. Because of the countless trials, and the outdated system, international judges were sent in to the country to help Bosnia try the war criminals in a more just manner. Each trial has three appointed judge, and one international judge which oversees the proceedings. The international judges are paid by their own countries; this then creates less of a financial burden for Bosnia & Herzegovina.  Although the international judges are working for a better legal system student at the university in Sarajevo are learning the outdated practices from the early 1970s. Fall of 2011, is the first time a class on procedural law is being taught. The judges have dedicated years of work and service to the Bosnian courthouse, but the two are not optimistic about the future of the Bosnian court. In fact, Judge Whalen said, “Since 2007, we see less and less hope for the future. Thing are not changing quickly, there is no forward progression”. Bosnians can now only hope for the best and look past ethnic conflicts. They should remember the war, but move on and work towards repairing their country.

In the afternoon we met with a Bosniak originally from the Republik of Srbska, who now lives in Boston, where he owns a restaurant (Sabur). He told us about his experiences as part of the Yugoslav National Army, and about how his officer was Milosevic. He was a decorated war soldier. In the early 1990s he started to hear about uprising, but then as time went on the conflict started to turn into a war. He was ready for the war, but being a Bosniak, he was caught in the dilemma of not having any weapons due to an embargo of arms within the region, and all weapons that had been stockpiled were property of the Serb army.  He also felt that on his trips home that nationalism is rising and another conflict is likely to come, he claimed, “This is a heated area, nothing is settled, the Dayton Agreement stopped the war, but nothing is solved.” The meeting with this man was unnerving he talked about the war as if it needed to happen.

For dinner, we met with the judge from the war court. He escorted us to dinner at the local beer distillery( above left). This building had historical importance since people could get fresh water here during the war. He also brought his friend Francine an International Relations professor at Ball State University. Both were very friendly and answered our numerous questions about the region. Later, we went for a stroll around the city to see the Eternal Flame (above right), the location of the assassination of Archduke Frances Ferdinand, and the Austro-Hungarian inspired architecture. This city is rich with culture, and it just saddens me to think that if another war erupted some of these things could be so easily destroyed. 

Genocide.

Because of the detour to Montenegro we missed seeing Srebrenica. Our group made the decision to visit today, despite the 6 hour bus ride there and back. Srebrenica was the site of the 1995 genocide of about 8000 Muslim men ranging in age from 12 to 85.  The site of the graves was depressing, you could just see the tombstones lining the hills, and freshly dug graves, because just two weeks ago they started moving the bodies they had found in a mass grave. Being there was slightly awkward, since it was a national day of remembrance and there were countless widows and young children mourning the loss of their family members.

Then, we walked across the street to the museum, which was a large warehouse that was used as part of the UN base. The sad part of this genocide was that UN forces were watching the whole thing take place, but could not do anything because as part of their rules they cannot do anything unless someone shot at them first.  We all left in silence and reflected on the experience. The one thing that keeps nagging me, is the fact that we have heard about the genocide during World War II, I was a young girl during this genocide, and there are currently genocides occurring in Africa. I wish there was a way to end the hatred among different ethnic groups, so people could live in harmony, but that is just wishful thinking. 

Story.

After two grueling days on the bus we were ready for some time in Sarajevo. Our first visit was with Dragan a Bosnian Serb. He told us this heart-wrenching story about his life in Bosnia.

Prior to the war he and his best friend were from different religions, but that did not matter. He invited his friend to their religious holidays, such as Orthodox Easter, and his friend being a Muslim invited Dragan to his holidays. The two were inseperable, until 1990, when Dragan’s friend did not invite him over to celebrate one of the high holy days of the Muslim religion. When Dragan asked why he wasn’t allowed his  friend told him that his father felt that the Serbs were the enemies of the Muslims.

Then in 1992, Dragan’s town fell under Serb control. All the Muslims were in danger, so although Dragan and his friend were not as close he still helped Dragan and his family to a safe territory. Dragan then spent time and money sending care packages to his friend’s family while the war was going on. The Dayton Peace Accords of 1995 were signed and Dragan’s municipality was given to the Muslims, so he moved his family out of the area. While leaving he ran into his old friend. The meeting was bittersweet, Dragan was happy to see his friend alive, but saddened when his friend called him an aggressor and blamed the Serbs for the war. Because all of their belongings did not fit into car on the first trip Dragan came back, but upon his arrival a group of Muslims beat him up, one of them was his best friend.

A new law was passed that allowed the Serbs, and others who were forced out to repossess their properties.  As he was in the process of rep[oscession he ran into his best friend’s mother. She apologized for her son and husband’s behavior. She explained that the two of them had joined an extremist branch of the Islam religion. She then went on to explain that her son moved to Afganistan in 2001, and was later killed. Prior to his death Dragan explained to his father that he was sorry for all they had done to Dragan, he explained how Dragan was the best friend he ever had. The wife then went on to explain that  her husband was not able to cope with the loss, and then committed suicide.

To this day Dragan still meets with his best friend’s mother. She considers Dragan her second son, and is eternally grateful for all that he had done. She wants him to be one of her pallbearers at her funeral. Dragan then explained that he helped a total of six families, but of those six only two remain in contact, while the other two deny Dragan helped at all.

Hearing this story, made the war seem even more real. As we walked through each of the cities or made stops we had seen bullet holes or heard the stories of rebuilding but to hear two friends lost touch because of this war saddens me. I would like to thank Dragan for taking his time to meet with us and explain his story. (below is a photo of Dragan at the Serbian Temple in Sarajevo)

After leaving the temple, we headed to the market for lunch. Marissa and I then explored the market we wanted to get some  souvenirs for friends and family. Although it was pouring rain, we were ready for an adventure (in my attempts to find soccer scarves we ran into this character below). The old town was gorgeous, and inspired by Turkish architecture. Later that night I headed out with a small group to the city and enjoyed the nightlife.

Bus.

Today we were prepared for the long ride ahead of us. We knew that today was dedicated solely to driving. In just one short hour we made it to the border crossing they nullified our stamps, and we hit the roads again. We slept, played cards, hung our heads out windows (view from the sunroof, thanks to the guys for the boost so I could actually see out), and enjoyed each other’s company for the day. We finally stopped at Mokra Gora a small town on the top of the mountain for dinner. This was your typical tourist trap, with expensive food and souvenirs, but it was a welcome break from the bus. This town is also known as “The Wooden City”, it was a set for a past movie (relaxing in the wooden city pictures below) . After dinner we trekked back down the hill to our bus, and started to make our way to Sarajevo.  On our way we stopped at the famous bridge over the Drina River. This bridge is famous because it separated two sides during the war. About an hour away from Sarajevo we found out we had to take a detour, due rockslides in the area. Luckily Dragan our bus driver was patient and persistent, because by midnight we had finally made it to our hotel in Sarajevo. 

Border.

We woke up packed our luggage onto the bus, and headed to the center of the city, for our meeting. While on our way we got lost, luckily one of the other students speaks Albanian, so we were able to be pointed in the right direction. Our group met with Patrick from a local NGO. This was not one of my favorite meetings, but he was quite interesting. He said the role of the NGO was, “to facilitate dialogue for Serbs to return back to Kosovo”.

Our professors, TA, and tour guides allowed us about an hour of free time in Pristina, which was nice since we were able to get some souvenirs, and mentally prepare for the trip ahead. While walking around I noticed two things. The city was very small, but people were working to improve the conditions of their country.  Also as we were talking to people around the city, and telling them we were from America, they were very friendly, and wanted to help us in any way possible. Some even said if given a chance they would love the opportunity to visit America.

Our next stop was a tower dedicated to the Serbs who won the battle against the Turks in1389(above). This battle site was the war beginning of Serbian rule in that area. I understand there is a clash between the Serbs and Albanians of the area, it is just so sad to think that each side has no problem destroying historical landmarks. This reminds me of the current war in the Middle East, because the Middle East is known as the cradle of our civilization, and it is sad to think that with just a few bombs all archeological remnants of our past could be wiped away.

We then boarded the bus and headed to the Serbian enclave, Mitrovica. One could easily tell the differences of the two areas in regards to economics. The two parts of the city were separated by a bridge, on one side the bustling Kosovar side, and the other the grim communist looking side, Mitrovica (Serbian side of bridge). Each side displayed their national flags clearly, and had representatives of their respective police on each side, to prevent outbreaks.  On the Serb side, we met with a local professor at the university. He talked about the disparity he and other Serbs faced as Serbs in a mainly Albanian population. He knew that he had rights to this land, and wanted to stay.

It was time to board the bus once again, this time we were headed to Mokra Gora, a small town in Serbia. Upon reaching the border, we found we had four options. One we could call the United States Embassy, and make them let us through, or two call a council of the Kosovar and Serb border units to let us through, three reroute our trip, or just run across the border and hope no one sees our large white tour bus.  Although those were all feasible, minus the last, we decided to reroute our trip and head to Montenegro, I mean the more stamps and countries in 24 hours the merrier.  How did we end up in this pickle you may ask, well the answer is not simple. Kosovo, recognizes themselves as an independent country, but Serbia does not. So, being an independent country Kosovo as any other country would, stamped our passports. As we tried to leave the Serbian border patrol said they had no way of nullifying the stamps, so we had to go to another border crossing where they could do that, and then cross back into Serbia.  We were off to Montenegro.  After a long trip we made it to our posh 4-star hotel in a small little mountain. 

Country? Province?

On the road again, this time we were headed to Pristina, Kosovo. We had quite the drive ahead of us, so we got started bright and early. Before departing Serbia we made one last stop to a concentration camp in the town of Nis. This was the first time I had been to a  concentration camp. The curators opened this to us specifically to our group. The man who guided our tour did not know his grandfather, because he died in this camp. Also, because we were the only people in the camp it felt especially eerie. Lastly, it was sad to see this camp was located right near the city center, so people had to face the constant reminder of the genocide against their people. May all the people who died in  this camp rest in peace.

After the stop, we were on our way to our next country (country or autonomous province, depending on your beliefs). On the way we stopped at a quaint little town with a restaurant down in the woods, which served traditional Serbian food, which was absolutely amazing.

We hit the road again, the next stop, the border between Serbia and Kosovo. Here we had to show our passports, our tour guides specifically asked for the border patrol not to stamp our passports, but of course we ended up with a lovely entrance stamp.  We had finally made it to Pristina, we put our suitcases down, and then headed to explore the nearby mall. We were far from the city center, and many of us were exhausted so we chose to stay close at the hotel. 

The Beginning.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed we all rolled out of bed, ready for the start of our 3 week road trip. Maybe not so bright eyed or bushy tailed, but we were on the bus at 9, headed for the third largest city in Serbia.  About one and a half hours into the trip we sensed a foul order, about two minutes later, we were pulled over on the side of the road. Mind you, the heat wave has yet to break, so as we wait for the replacement bus, we have to face the tough decision of standing outside in the beating heat (this heat wave is never ending) or sitting on the bus in the shade without air conditioning. After an hour of waiting our new bus arrived. We forged on to Nis.

Prior to arriving in Nis we made two quick stops. First we stopped at a local archeological dig site. Here is where Roman Emperors came to relax in the summer. It is also said that the Emperor Constantine was born here (A picture of his bust above on the left). This area was a work in progress, they have hopes of opening a museum in 2013. We then headed to Skull Tower (part of the tower, above right). This monument is very grim, but helps to show the rough past of the region. Skull Tower was once a large cement tower of over 900 skulls cemented together. Today there are about 100 skulls left. The skulls were from the Serbs killed in the 1809 Battle of Cegar.
 

In all honestly I was shocked upon arrival. We were told this was the third largest city in Serbia, in my opinion it was about as big as my town back home. After dropping our stuff in our rooms and setting the air conditioning on high (this is the first time with AC since being home, sorry Mom and Dad that our AC is broken, and you all have to deal with the heat wave back there), we headed to the pedestrian area. So far, I have realized that despite the size of the town, there is always a strip of outdoor cafes, that is one thing I will miss, being able to sit down and watch people pass as I enjoy the company of friends and sip a nice Turkish Coffee (or whatever the local coffee is called, its hard to be politically correct for all the countries).  On the street, Mladen led us to a traditional Serbian restaurant. The food was amazing.

Once dinner was over we headed back to the hotel for naps. Later in the night we all met up on the pedestrian street, and enjoyed the nice weather, the beautiful location, and each other’s company. 

Bye Bye Belgrade.

I cannot believe it is already our last day here in Belgrade. I have to admit on the first day I was very leery about the trip. Belgrade was dead, and I was in a place where I couldn’t spend the weekend, now just two short weeks later I have started to grow fond of the city, despite the heat. On our last day we were given the freedom to explore the city and get some last souvenirs.

Marissa, Liz, and I decided to do our laundry, we found the laundry mat, dropped our clothes off, and then Marissa and I started our adventure.  We headed up the windy side streets in attempts to find the pedestrian walkway. Upon finding it we stopped at various kiosks looking at souvenirs and bartering for the lowest prices. After a few hours of shopping, we were exhausted, although our hotel was just a 20 minute walk from the shops we decided to try taking the tram, we thought that would be easy enough since there was a stop by our hotel, and the route on the sign, also denoted the stop. After 30 minutes we ended far outside the city, luckily there was a bus stop nearby. We managed to make it back safely, and now we had seen even more of the city.

We had a delicious dinner, packed our bags, and then enjoyed our last night in the beautiful city. 

(Last trip to Kalemegdan Fortress, so many fond memories) 

Jump.

Sunday, finally a day to sleep in and relax, and then find a way to combat the crazy heat wave we have been facing. Last week while at Ada Lake we saw a bungee jump platform, and of course the guys wanted to try it, I wanted to as well, I just didn’t want to spend lots of money, call me cheap (but of course later I find that my mother would have paid, do not worry mom, next time there is an opportunity for some thrill seeking adventure, I will be doing it). I headed to the beach with Keith, John and Ben, with camera in tow to make sure I got videos, and pictures.  Luckily, the operator allowed me to ride the trolley to the top, and take pictures of the stunning view, and of course the boys as they plummeted towards the lake, strapped in by only their feet.

(Keith and John just prior to their jumps, and below the view from the top)

We then met up with Gabby and Megan on the other side of the beach and enjoyed the sun and water for a bit.  I then headed back to meet with my group to work on our project, a musical aptly named “Yugoslavia: A Brief and Bloody Children’s Musical”. I cannot wait for my acting debut.   

Titoland.

Although it was Saturday, we woke up early, and boarded the bus to go to “Titoland”. I expected to see a lot more documents and artifacts describing Tito’s life and rule. Instead, we saw bits of his wardrobe (Tito's suits on the right), and many pictures he had not revealed to the press. It offered us a candid look into hip lavish lifestyle. We also were able to see his final resting place, along with numerous batons and gifts from people around the world.

 

We then had a quick lunch and met Mladen in hopes of going to the Nikola Tesla Museum, but upon arrival we found it was closed. We headed back and took naps, the heat was really starting to wear on all of us. Later in the evening, Megan, Gabby and I headed to the Bohemian area to enjoy a traditional Serbian dinner. 

Reform.

The heat here is never ending. We woke up sweaty as usual, took quick cold showers, and got ready and headed to our first meeting of the day.  We walked about fifteen minutes to a local NGO, Veritas. They were founded in 1993, to show the truth of wartime atrocities. They work with publishers in Chicago to spread the word. Veritas was the first NGO to work with the Hague Tribunal. Our speaker went on to discuss the ethnic cleansings that have taken place, and how Serbia is accusing Croatia, and then the Croatians turned around and filed a counter accusation, saying Serbians are responsible. Lastly, he talked about how politicians from both sides want to settle the suits outside of court, but his NGO as well as the International Court of Justice want these cases to go to court, so there is proper justification.

In the afternoon we met with a representative of the Democratic Party of Serbia, which is different from the Democratic Party, that is currently the majority party. They believe in slow proper reforms, that will more than likely fall in line with those sent down from the European Union. The Democratic Party of Serbia’s main priority is keeping Kosovo part of the country, and then worry about joining the EU.  They are considering remaining out of the EU and just trading with them, like Turkey, because of the situation in Turkey.  Serbia is a young democratic country; it is interesting to hear from representatives from each of the parties.

We then spent the afternoon blogging and catching up on work. Later at night we headed to Tasmajdan Park to sit and enjoy the fountains, as well as a late night snack. Sitting in the park was very relaxing, until a few security guards asked us to move off the grass, apparently in Serbia they don’t like people sitting on the grass. After the park, on a whim, Gabby and I decided to head back to Freestyler (one of the clubs on the water). This time it was a lot more crowed, but still fun.  Tomorrow we are headed to “Tito Land”. 

Exchange.

We started the day by heading to Zemun to meet a televangelist, Radovan Bigovic, a prominent member of Serbian Orthodox community. As usual the weather was hot, unfortunately the power was out but the priest welcomed us with open arms, along with juice and coffee. Before he started his presentation he even proposed a toast to our health and future. We learned that Zemun was like our Ellis Island, as people moving from Ottoman Empire to the Austro-Hungarian Empire waited in Zemun to be cleared. Since people were very religious, there became a need for churches in the area. The small square where his church is located also is home to countless other churches of multiple faiths. The priest said, “Faith is present in everyday life, one may not always be practicing, but the nation and faith are connected”. This quote helps to prove Samuel Huntington’s theory “Clash of Civilizations”, which we wrote our first paper about. He felt that the recent wars were linked to religious and cultural differences, but he went on to talk about the importance of dialogues between politicians and religious leaders to work towards peace without war.

                              (Fr. Bigovic and Professor Sullivan in the Serbian Orthodox Temple) 

Due to the heat wave we went to the mall to spend the afternoon in the luxurious AC.  Megan, Marissa and I shopped while some of the others went to watch Harry Potter. The three of us talked about the exchange rate, and how it was hard to justify purchasing a pair of shoes for 2000 dinar, but in actuality it is only $30 USD.

In the evening we met up with the majority of our group and enjoyed a boat cruise on the Sava River. The views were breathtaking, especially when we turned around at the meeting point of the Danube and Sava rivers.

After the cruise, we ate a quick dinner, and headed to the club. It was great to spend some free time with people from our trip.

(Above the view from the boat at night, to the right, some fellow students, getting ready to leave port) 

Security.

Today we were able to sleep in, but in the afternoon headed to the Belgrade Center for Security Policy (BCSP). Sonya the director spoke with us for over an hour before returning to work, her passion for her work made the meeting very interesting.  This NGO was founded in 1997 making it the first in the region in regards to security and reform. Here at BCSP they use the “Think Tank”, format to talk with prominent figures and work towards access of freedom of information. Since their founding, they have created a grading system of 1-5 and grade every aspect of security in the country receives a grade. Since their inception, they have become a highly credible source of security information, their reports often times are used in Parliament. The work they do here has had a lasting positive effect on the greater good of Serbia, as well as countries around the region.

There was a soccer game this evening between the Partizan and Albanian teams. Mladen warned us about the potential dangers of the soccer hooligans. Some of the group left for the game while I along with a few others were at dinner. I attempted to convince the people I was with to attend the game, but no one wanted to accompany Marissa and I, instead we just relaxed for the evening. 

(Mission Statement for BCSP click the photo to enlarge)