Good morning from Belgrade! I somehow feel both like there are lots of exciting updates to share and yet at the same time like I haven't really done that much at all. Let's start with the most important update - what I've been eating!
When my dad was here a month ago he scouted out a burrito shop for me to try because he knew I would be missing Mexican food the most. "Tortilla Casa" is a chipotle-style burrito place just off the main street in the shopping district. It was actually a great place for me to test my language skills as I knew most of the words for the items I wanted in my burrito and the folks behind the counter were in a good mood and helped me with my pronunciation when I wasn't quite right. It wasn't bad, all in all, but it also wasn't quite Mexican food. But they've got the spirit so I will definitely be going back! But no, I will never be adding BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Ranch, or Mayonnaise to my burrito, despite it being an option!
As for more traditional Serbian food, I've been going to my bakery down the street for burek some mornings, while others I let the good Doctor Oetker guide my breakfast choices. Dr. Oetker's Musli cereal is the best cereal I've ever had in my life. I don't know what they put in it, but I do know I have never loved Raisin Bran the way I love Dr. Oetker. I also ventured to one of the many Piazza's this weekend, which is basically a big farmers market. I am just now
realizing that I didn't take any pictures of the market, but luckily I plan to go to a different one this weekend and I'll be sure to take some there! The vegetables and the fruits in the grocery store paled in comparison to the Piazza. I got some fresh tomatoes and Blitva (a member of the spinach family) and made an excellent pasta in red sauce with blitva for dinner! The berries were excellent also, but I simply cannot get over how many seeds are in the grapes. I don't even know how a tiny grape can hold three seeds when that takes up the entire volume of the grape! GMOs really did wonders on grapes if you ask me.
I did also at one point buy a large pepperoni pizza for the equivalent of $7.00 and it was three of my meals this week. I have two slices left but honestly I don't think I can have pizza for lunch again today. But what a deal it was!!!! Domino's could NEVER! I didn't snatch a picture of my pizza, but I did see a lucky stray dog who somehow found a whole slice and was carrying it around up and down the streets. I imagine he was bragging to all his doggie buddies before he was going to actually eat the slice.
As for my classes I am really enjoying them so far! I think I've started to get a bit of a routine down. The building is in New Belgrade, whereas I live in Old Belgrade, so I take the bus and cross the river every morning. But it's only four stops away so it's like a ten/fifteen minute commute max. I am the only sucker who actually pays my bus fare when I get on the bus, but I also never want to take the chance of getting a ticket here. Sometimes the buses I ride on have a little plaque that say "Donation from the people of Japan" and I don't know why Japan gave Belgrade a bunch of buses but it is nice to see the international community supporting each other's efforts for public transit. Perhaps BART should ask Japan for a little help too.
I usually get to my bus stop way before class begins so I like to buy a cup of coffee and read my book either on the park bench or in the nearby mall if it's too windy or rainy. My class is in a small room, and there are two other students with me. Georgina is in her late twenties and from South Africa. Her father is Serbian and she moved here and is applying to jobs as an accountant. Gregory is French (I previously thought he was Spanish, but he just lived in Spain for a bit.) and he is in his early forties and wants to learn the language because he makes documentaries. He wants to make one on Yugoslavia but feels he needs to understand the language before he can start documenting. It's nice having such a small class because while we follow the textbook, it's not quite so rigid. We ask questions about where to buy certain things, the best cafes and restaurants, and cover specific vocabulary that we might need. My teacher is really nice, Angela is 23 like me, and from Nis - a city in Serbia a little ways out.
The wind has really picked up here. I thought my windy valley in Belmont was strong, but this is something else entirely. I feel like Dorthy on her way to Oz when I'm just trying to walk to the bus station. The wind here is called the Košava and my cousin says it's usually a welcome friend to Belgrade, as it blows away all the smog (and cigarette smoke) of the city and leaves the air clean and crisp. Luckily the wind is no longer my second nemesis, and I packed lots of warm jackets (plus I may have done some shopping since I've been here ;) so I am prepared for all kinds of weather!
But before Aeolus himself descended upon the city, there were some really warm sunny days where I got to explore Kalemegdan - the old fortress that protects the city. It was so cool, I love any old structure like that - castles, walls, fortresses, anything! Belgrade sits on a hill just above where the Sava river meets the Danube river, so from the top of Kalemegdan you can see the two rivers join and it really is quite beautiful. Kalemegdan is now home to beautiful parks and outdoor spaces where families spread out picnic blankets and couples walk hand in hand. It also has some museums but I haven't explored those quite yet! They also had a cool Old Maps shop that I know, I knowwww it's a total tourist trap, but it had some really cool looking old maps! So I've been going back and forth about buying one or not, but I think I will because it would look dope on my wall.