While Andrea's in Serbia, I've been planning a trip of my own. Although she's away for business, my trip is nothing but a holiday in paradise. I'm headed to Barbados for 5 days of rest, relaxation, and rum on Little England's white sandy beaches. I haven't decided yet whether or not I want to take my laptop and post live, or if I'd rather wait until I get back and post over time. Just know this: whatever I decide, you'll get to share some fun in the sun with me as I tour rum factories, work on my tan, snorkel, windsurf, and dance the night away!
I'm heading out next week, and I can't wait to share the trip with you!
04 February 2008
03 February 2008
Greetings From Serbia-Tadic Wins
And the independent polling centers have counted and incumbent Boris Tadic of the Serbian Democratic Party wins his second term. Tonight people are celebrating and I can hear the president and his people in the Terazija over half a mile a way celebrating. I was, at first, quite surprised by the calm, but then BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! and fireworks were going off shaking the earth and the air with their explosions. People are yelling and singing and waving flags in the street, honking their horns and celebrating that, tonight at least, they have won and do not have to worry about running for the border.
(photo courtesy of B92)
Although I told a friend of mine that I was too lazy to get dressed (I was already in my pajamas) to go to the Terazija, in the end I changed my mind, threw on some clothes, and ran down there. I went sans camera for a couple reasons, I didn't want to be jostled by the crowd and drop it, and I've never been a fan of crowds; particularly crowds of frenetic people with whom I do not share a language. So I went simply as a sideline observer and even at that was swept up in the enthusiasm. Even though President Tadic had long since retreated by the time I made it, there was no lack of people milling about and carousing and I wasn't even able to get near the Terazija.
In the few short years Serbians have been voting for their leaders, this election garnered one of the highest voter turn outs ever and one of the closest elections. It seems, that while 30% of the eligible to vote population declined to do so, enough people felt that, while maybe they aren't exactly happy with life under Tadic, they awknowledge that bad is better than worse. That is, after all, how Kostunica won in 2000-it was the only way to get rid of Mladic. Maybe five years from now there will be a new candidate, someone who really is better for Serbia. We can only hope until then.
(photo courtesy of B92)
Although I told a friend of mine that I was too lazy to get dressed (I was already in my pajamas) to go to the Terazija, in the end I changed my mind, threw on some clothes, and ran down there. I went sans camera for a couple reasons, I didn't want to be jostled by the crowd and drop it, and I've never been a fan of crowds; particularly crowds of frenetic people with whom I do not share a language. So I went simply as a sideline observer and even at that was swept up in the enthusiasm. Even though President Tadic had long since retreated by the time I made it, there was no lack of people milling about and carousing and I wasn't even able to get near the Terazija.
In the few short years Serbians have been voting for their leaders, this election garnered one of the highest voter turn outs ever and one of the closest elections. It seems, that while 30% of the eligible to vote population declined to do so, enough people felt that, while maybe they aren't exactly happy with life under Tadic, they awknowledge that bad is better than worse. That is, after all, how Kostunica won in 2000-it was the only way to get rid of Mladic. Maybe five years from now there will be a new candidate, someone who really is better for Serbia. We can only hope until then.
Greetings from Serbia - A Gilded Cage
I had myself a pretty nice and fairly boring Sunday. Went to Mass to the "English language" church whose priest, while now different from the ridiculously thick-accented french priest of my previous visits, was a ridiculously thick accented Italian so soft spoken that, especially with the interference of the bad sound system, I could barely understand. And while he did manage to remind everyone that Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, he neglected to say when Mass would be-if there would indeed be one. Sigh; I shall get up and got the the 7 AM Mass at the Serbian church (ironically I understand about as much of that Mass as I do the "English" one). Gotta get myself ashed,and remember not to make any major appointments with the Embassy, the relator, or any lawyers for Wednesday...
So my gilded cage...today was the second round elections for Serbia's president. As mentioned previously, the favorite to win after the first round was the challenger, Tomislav Nikolic (whose painful smile in his campaign posters brings to mind a serial killer) of the Radical Party. I've spent all weekend with my friends here listening to their dire predictions of a return to life as it was in the 90's in Nikolic won. Wondering if they should go out and buy Euros so as to avoid the inevitable devaluation of the dinar. During the 90's the inflation here was so bad that Serbia was printing bills that were for an unbelievable 50,000,000,000, yes 50 Billion, dinars. My friend still has some and promises to show me his collection. Especially because radical Nikolic was so favored my friends advised me to stay in, or at least close to my hotel, for as much of today as possible. Perhaps they were overreacting but as I had no desire to repeat the deep twinges of nerves I experienced in a crowd of 25,000 people angry at America, I took their advice. Actually I didn't mind so much. I booked myself into a suite here this time and it's really lovely. The first hotel room I had here actually scared me. I didn't think it advisable to put my bare feet on the floor, the bathroom door didn't close, the walls were incredibly thin, and I could never really work the door lock. The second was better (and in the same hotel where I'm currently staying), but was small and very, well, in need of serious refurbishment. Now however, nary a complaint from me:
So as you can see, it wasn't so bad spending a day in my gilded cage. Heck, they can keep me here for the entire six months of this program for all I care!
So my gilded cage...today was the second round elections for Serbia's president. As mentioned previously, the favorite to win after the first round was the challenger, Tomislav Nikolic (whose painful smile in his campaign posters brings to mind a serial killer) of the Radical Party. I've spent all weekend with my friends here listening to their dire predictions of a return to life as it was in the 90's in Nikolic won. Wondering if they should go out and buy Euros so as to avoid the inevitable devaluation of the dinar. During the 90's the inflation here was so bad that Serbia was printing bills that were for an unbelievable 50,000,000,000, yes 50 Billion, dinars. My friend still has some and promises to show me his collection. Especially because radical Nikolic was so favored my friends advised me to stay in, or at least close to my hotel, for as much of today as possible. Perhaps they were overreacting but as I had no desire to repeat the deep twinges of nerves I experienced in a crowd of 25,000 people angry at America, I took their advice. Actually I didn't mind so much. I booked myself into a suite here this time and it's really lovely. The first hotel room I had here actually scared me. I didn't think it advisable to put my bare feet on the floor, the bathroom door didn't close, the walls were incredibly thin, and I could never really work the door lock. The second was better (and in the same hotel where I'm currently staying), but was small and very, well, in need of serious refurbishment. Now however, nary a complaint from me:
So as you can see, it wasn't so bad spending a day in my gilded cage. Heck, they can keep me here for the entire six months of this program for all I care!
01 February 2008
Greetings From Serbia-Political Rallys
Zdravo!
I arrived in Serbia yesterday after a 7-hour flight to Munich, a 3 & 1/2 hour layover and then another 1 1/2 to Belgrade...all after having got up at 6 that day and not sleeping at all during the trip. So all told I think I was awake some 28 or 29 hours yesterday. Still feeling a little loopy.
I'd have liked to get to sleep fairly soon after arriving but was prevented by the exceedingly loud political rally going on practically under my window. Serbia had their first round of presidential elections on January 20th and the 2nd, and deciding round, will be this Sunday. The rally last night was for the incumbent Boris Tadic of the Democratic Party (DS). Thankfully, because there's a ban on all campaigning for the two days prior to the election and election day itself, they had to stop at midnight and I was finally able to sleep.
After the first round the favorite to win is the Serbian Radical Party's (SRS) Tomislav Nikolic. The feeling from my friends here is that if Nikolic does indeed win, how do they get out? Will life here return to what it was like in the 90's during and just after the war? Serbia still hasn't come as far as other former Yugoslav countries. One of the markers of success is whether or not the GDP has gone as high as it was in, I believe, 1989. Croatia's has, Bosnia's has...but Serbia is only at about 70% of where it needs to be. While I complain that I don't like any of the candidates for the American presidential campaign...at least for me the decision won't plunge the country into civil war or require me to convert all my less than considerable savings into portable wealth and flee the country (well, unless Hillary wins that is). Both candidates are giving lip service to a desire to join the EU but both are very opposed to independence for Kosovo and neither seem to be saying much about finally coming into full compliance with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague and turning over the remaining war criminals who are "in hiding" in Serbia. While I haven't studied the political environment here deeply enough to really have an opinion I do rather feel that the devil you know may be the better choice this time.
My friends are advising that I practice my Russian at least through Sunday, not go out much on Sunday, especially in the evening, and avoid talking about Kosovo. This should be an interesting weekend.
I arrived in Serbia yesterday after a 7-hour flight to Munich, a 3 & 1/2 hour layover and then another 1 1/2 to Belgrade...all after having got up at 6 that day and not sleeping at all during the trip. So all told I think I was awake some 28 or 29 hours yesterday. Still feeling a little loopy.
I'd have liked to get to sleep fairly soon after arriving but was prevented by the exceedingly loud political rally going on practically under my window. Serbia had their first round of presidential elections on January 20th and the 2nd, and deciding round, will be this Sunday. The rally last night was for the incumbent Boris Tadic of the Democratic Party (DS). Thankfully, because there's a ban on all campaigning for the two days prior to the election and election day itself, they had to stop at midnight and I was finally able to sleep.
After the first round the favorite to win is the Serbian Radical Party's (SRS) Tomislav Nikolic. The feeling from my friends here is that if Nikolic does indeed win, how do they get out? Will life here return to what it was like in the 90's during and just after the war? Serbia still hasn't come as far as other former Yugoslav countries. One of the markers of success is whether or not the GDP has gone as high as it was in, I believe, 1989. Croatia's has, Bosnia's has...but Serbia is only at about 70% of where it needs to be. While I complain that I don't like any of the candidates for the American presidential campaign...at least for me the decision won't plunge the country into civil war or require me to convert all my less than considerable savings into portable wealth and flee the country (well, unless Hillary wins that is). Both candidates are giving lip service to a desire to join the EU but both are very opposed to independence for Kosovo and neither seem to be saying much about finally coming into full compliance with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague and turning over the remaining war criminals who are "in hiding" in Serbia. While I haven't studied the political environment here deeply enough to really have an opinion I do rather feel that the devil you know may be the better choice this time.
My friends are advising that I practice my Russian at least through Sunday, not go out much on Sunday, especially in the evening, and avoid talking about Kosovo. This should be an interesting weekend.
31 January 2008
New Passport Regulations
As I was listening to NPR this morning, they reminded me of something great and wonderful. As of tomorrow, ALL U.S. Citizens will require passports for travel outside the United States. Yes, boys and girls, that also means for Canada and Mexico.
Isn't it great?!
I have long thought that having a passport should be a requirement as soon as you can recognize your own name. Oh sure, I doubt that these regulation will cause Americans to lose their "see America first" mentality, and in many case will cause many more to never travel outside of the U.S., but I still think it's a great feat that our government is finally getting on the band wagon with the rest of the world. You see, as Americans, we're lucky that we've not had to use passports for everything all this time. I remember going to Canada when I was 19, and not needing more than my driver's license. It was only a few years ago that they required a birth certificate to cross the border back and forth. And don't get me started about crossing the Mexican border. Even though I've never done it myself, I've heard stories about what happens to people who were US citizens trying to cross without the (not necessary) passport as they were swindled by US Border Guards, or handed over to the Mexican police.
Now, for air travel all US citizens must present a valid passport. And this includes children. Unfortunately, we can still quench our need to be holed up on disease carrying ships or crossing the border in a car/bus without passports. Those over 19 only need to show a photo ID, and those under 18 only need to show a birth certificate. Okay, so we're making some measures to catch up to the Soviet Union of 1950, but perhaps we're not there yet.
And speaking of the Soviet Union, when I was in Russia a few years ago, I was amazed at how much people used their passports in every day life. Having traveled previously in Western Europe, I suppose I took my passport for granted. There, everyone carried their passport or an identification booklet for young men who get stopped often to see if they're dodging the draft [to fight in Chechnya]. In my personal case, I'm talking about when I had to surrender my passport to have my visa validated, when I feared that my identity was gone. That's one thing about us, isn't it? Once we have a passport, we don't walk away without it easily. I was terrified handing some strange "official"100 rubles (re: bribe) and walking out of the room with naught but a copy of my passport...for 3 weeks! When I finally got it back, I was relieved beyond belief. So when I walked across the border from Boliva to Peru a few years later, and the guard walked away with my passport, it wasn't such a HUGE shock (but that doesn't mean I didn't follow him around the check point like a beggar making sure that nothing happened to it).
I am glad to see that US citizens are now required to have passports to go abroad now. Even though they're still not necessary to travel through the U.S. Territories or to Puerto Rico, at least we don't have to have our passports for domestic travel yet. It could happen.
Isn't it great?!
I have long thought that having a passport should be a requirement as soon as you can recognize your own name. Oh sure, I doubt that these regulation will cause Americans to lose their "see America first" mentality, and in many case will cause many more to never travel outside of the U.S., but I still think it's a great feat that our government is finally getting on the band wagon with the rest of the world. You see, as Americans, we're lucky that we've not had to use passports for everything all this time. I remember going to Canada when I was 19, and not needing more than my driver's license. It was only a few years ago that they required a birth certificate to cross the border back and forth. And don't get me started about crossing the Mexican border. Even though I've never done it myself, I've heard stories about what happens to people who were US citizens trying to cross without the (not necessary) passport as they were swindled by US Border Guards, or handed over to the Mexican police.
Now, for air travel all US citizens must present a valid passport. And this includes children. Unfortunately, we can still quench our need to be holed up on disease carrying ships or crossing the border in a car/bus without passports. Those over 19 only need to show a photo ID, and those under 18 only need to show a birth certificate. Okay, so we're making some measures to catch up to the Soviet Union of 1950, but perhaps we're not there yet.
And speaking of the Soviet Union, when I was in Russia a few years ago, I was amazed at how much people used their passports in every day life. Having traveled previously in Western Europe, I suppose I took my passport for granted. There, everyone carried their passport or an identification booklet for young men who get stopped often to see if they're dodging the draft [to fight in Chechnya]. In my personal case, I'm talking about when I had to surrender my passport to have my visa validated, when I feared that my identity was gone. That's one thing about us, isn't it? Once we have a passport, we don't walk away without it easily. I was terrified handing some strange "official"100 rubles (re: bribe) and walking out of the room with naught but a copy of my passport...for 3 weeks! When I finally got it back, I was relieved beyond belief. So when I walked across the border from Boliva to Peru a few years later, and the guard walked away with my passport, it wasn't such a HUGE shock (but that doesn't mean I didn't follow him around the check point like a beggar making sure that nothing happened to it).
I am glad to see that US citizens are now required to have passports to go abroad now. Even though they're still not necessary to travel through the U.S. Territories or to Puerto Rico, at least we don't have to have our passports for domestic travel yet. It could happen.
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