At least there are vegetables in the winter

It used to be that the only vegetable you could find anywhere in Serbia during the wintertime was cabbage. Now there are bananas all year round, potatoes, and canned veggies too. The tycoon of Serbia, who owns about 2/3 off all imports and exports, has begun letting more imports come into the country. A new friend, Alonit (from Colorado, working as an English teacher in Belgrade, knows Marissa, the girl I am with now from SIT, from home) explains this to us while we all sip warm cups of Caj (tea) in her bedroom.

It feels so nice to have people around you that you know. Other than Alonit, who I met the first time I was in Belgrade, I also met a bunch of Serbian students my age who I think I will see this weekend. I foresee this next month to be full of hard work, but also full of fun and good conversation. Between the hostel, which is very small and inviting for tea and conversation, the interviews, etc, I think I will be very satisfied with the amount of people I meet and connect with.

And we're going to a huge thanksgiving bash at Alonit's next Thursday. We are in charge of bringing drinks, potatoes, and a dessert (possibly rice pudding, which would make me so happy to make and share with everyone!).

In an hour I am suppose to meet with my adviser, Djordje Pavicevic, a Professor at the Political Science Faculty in Belgrade. Hopefully he will give me more direction and resources to work with for my ISP. I already have interviews set up with some people who work at the Youth Initiative for Human Rights on Nov. 28. On Saturday, I am going to a lunch with all the members of Women in Black, Belgrade. Women in Black are a worldwide movement (I believe they started in Israel) who do a lot of street activism/education against war, memorialization of wartime history, etc.

Right now I am in the Hotel Moskva (Hotel Moscow), about a 5 minute walk from my hostel. There is free WIFI in the cafe, which serves espresso with a glass of water and a small piece of chocolate! Rumor has it, many SIT students have spent countless hours in this cafe writing their ISPs.

I think I will be challenged living here in many ways, but the biggest challenge will probably be living in such a big city. Other than that, I am really looking forward to what lies ahead.

PS: “It’s a beautiful dump,” Ms. D’Esopo said.
This is about my town!