TWIL - This Weekend I Learned: Dubrovnik Edition.

That walking up to the Old Fortress that is Dubrovnik is pretty gosh darn amazing.

That being a student pays off – saved about $5 on ticket to walk the wall.

That no matter where you go in the Balkans, there are always stairs that are slippery.

That Jeannine’s tour guide skill are far better than yours or Dan’s, but could use some slight improvement.

That a watering hole is a great place to meet – in this case the cistern in old town.

That Canadians do wear plaid in real life.

That new friends are fantastic and should be sought out whenever you travel.

That some random strangers are good at taking pictures and others will grab your camera and take a picture before everyone is ready.

That this cute little old man paints pretty things that you can purchase for your parents as a present.

That some groups of people mesh really well together.

That getting stuck on a bus with people you don’t know can be a bonding experience and make for some great relationships.

 

That Dubrovnik looks amazing from any vantage point.

That some things in life are too breathtaking for words.

That I have pretty friends.

That laughing all day long is good for the soul.

That having someone take a series of shots of you can turn out pretty great, because somewhere in there someone is going to say something funny and you're going to pose ridiculously.

           

That making new friends who like to take silly pictures is a must for all my future travels. 

That the view of the Adriatic from the Wall is mesmerizing and should be taken advantage of - especially when there's a pirate ship in it.

That sometimes it's necessary to hold up a massive group of people behind you in order to get the perfect shot.

That there were a lot of stairs in Dubrovnik.

That people actually live in the Old Town Fortress of Dubrovnik - I don't know why this surprised me...

That when Dan says "Kim, you're going to want to take a picture of this," he's not being sarcastic. He knows you well enough by now to know you love cats - this is like kitty cat "Where's Waldo" - how many cats can you find?

That no one is going to yell at you for climbing on the cannons in Dubrovnik like they would in the states - take advantage of it.

That I should make more friends who enjoy taking silly pictures.

That at some point you start to feel like a creeper, because you're following around a group of people taking pictures from behind.

That Dubrovnik is gorgeous.

So, so, so gorgeous.

That taking pictures with the town behind you is a must - and should be done often - even when your friends whine about it.

That Terra Cotta orange roofs are so much more beautiful and interesting than the plain old roofs we have back in the states.

That sunset is the perfect time to tour Dubrovnik's famous wall - the lighting is perfect, the temperature has decreased, and there are less tourists.

That it's nice to travel with pretty people, because all your photos come out well.

That the final look over old town with the sun setting behind you is going to be the one you remember forever.

That you can find a bacon cheeseburger in the Balkans and it will taste amazing when you do.

That your group will grow the more you travel and adopt people - but it's okay because it will work out for the best (for the most part)

Dubrovnik is still pretty spectacular after dark.

That every evening should end with some excellent live music.

And this was just day 1 - day 2 still to come...

Do and Don't: Getting to Dubrovnik Edition.

So. Dubrovnik. It's amazing.

We just got back this evening, and I. Am. Exhausted. Therefore, this is part 1 of 3 (I think I'll do 3) - our adventure getting to Dubrovnik. The picture quality isn't the greatest for this post because of said adventures...

Do: take Harry Potter things with you - conversation starters and entertainment all rolled into one.

Don't: freak out when they collect your passports at the border. They take them all and stamp them at once and then give them back to you. 

Do: admire the Croatian countryside.

Don't: get stuck in a 2.5 hour traffic jam (it was actually really sad - 2 people from Slovenia were hit by a car and died - the driver of the car is still in critical condition)

Do: make the best of the situation by watching "Friends" with your travel buddy.

Do: look at the beautiful sunset


Don't: walk behind the bus to get this shot of the lovely sight - as the bus will take off without you (with your passport, money, and all of your belongings) - you will frantically run after the bus - a very nice Montenegrin family that you met at the sunset viewing session will pull you into their car and chase down the bus for you - so everything turns out okay in the end. (the entire bus population will clap when you manage to make it back on the bus - it's okay to take a bow)

Do: share "Friends" with the rest of the bus (it's kind of rude to hog it)...

it's a great way to make new friends.

Do: get really excited when you make it to Dubrovnik - and get creative in finding a way to your hostel since you missed your shuttle by 3 hours.

Don't: listen to local bus drivers when they say they know where your hostel is - they will lead you to a random hostel that is further away then where you were to begin with.

Do: split off from people if you must in order for everyone to get a bed to sleep in for the night. Just make sure to take a couple of your new friends with you - you will become the best of buds over the next couple days.

Do: rejoice and relax when you finally make it to your hostel at 1:30am - get a drink at the bar and stay up chatting and giggling with your two new friends until 3:30am.

Do: be amazed by the gorgeous view from your own personal balcony at your hostel - that's the Adriatic!

Do: get up in the morning and walk to the beach.

Don't: jump off of this boat - it's written in two languages in all caps - someone means business.

Do: make friends with the local wildlife - in this case, Kat and baby crabs.

Do: lay out and tan - generally enjoying the beauty, sunshine, and sea air.

Don't: be afraid to get into the water - the water isn't that cold and it's probably been a while since you've been in ocean water seeing as you've been living in Denver for 2 years.

Do: relax as much as you can - this is just the beginning...

sarajevo living: a day in the life.

Recently I read a post by my sister called "A Day in the Life" talking about what her day looks like. I decided that I should do a blog post about a day in the life here in Sarajevo - just to compare.  We've been here for a few weeks now and a weekday pattern has emerged...


8am - groggily wake up. proceed to lay in bed watching others get ready for the day. The only person who has a western-based internship is already gone. Complain to team members about the noise and lack of sleep - particularly curse the loud, drunk Americans you heard outside your room all night long.


8:30am - decide it's time to start actually doing something - read daily Bible passages and do morning devos.

9am - get out of bed - most everyone is done with the bathrooms at this point, so you have relatively free reign.


9:20am - get breakfast together (Nesquik cocoa puffs - because you're too lazy to make eggs every morning and you have in fact not made eggs in over a week) and go on internet to catch up on emails and facebook as you have become very popular now that you have left the country.

9:40am - realize you have to leave in 5 minutes and frantically shut down the computer, brush your teeth, and put everything together for the day.


9:45am - leave for internship. It's already pretty hot, so walking in the shade is a must. Perfect the art of weaving through people as the "Sarajevo Stroll" is popular and causes people to walk at a glacial pace.

9:45-10:10am - Make sure you pay attention to the crosswalk signs as well as the cars, because drivers are a little crazy in Bosnia. It's best not to die in here - your mom would be very upset.

10:10am - arrive at the office - 10 minutes late (not to worry - you're in Bosnia so it's okay). Immediately open the windows to de-oven-fy the room. Be careful not to attract the attention of the Bosnians in the office as they believe a draft will cause you to become ill. Make a mental note not to become ill so as to confirm their erroneous belief and possibly cause the windows stay closed the remainder of the summer.

10:15am - set up shop to work for the day. Look at your background picture and dream of weekend adventures. Commence work on research regarding decriminalization of prostitution and human trafficking in the Balkans or organize and plan the fall Pitchwise event - do your best not to fall asleep.

10:20am - request coffee/cold water from the friendly older gentleman that works in the office and does this for us. Be sure to thank him profusely.


11:30am - it's really hot now. Go stand by the window in an attempt to catch a breeze.

12:30pm - decide it's way too hot to sit in this room any longer. Relocate to a cafe with air conditioning and wifi.

12:40pm - arrive at favorite haunt - make sure to say hi to Leden Pingvin on the way in.

12:41pm - find a table and sit down. Order iced coffee and look over the menu to decide what you want to eat - mentally cheer because it's written in both Bosnian and English so you won't have to use your limited Bosnian to attempt to figure out what things mean.

12:45pm - iced coffee arrives (it's really more like a coffee-ish flavored milkshake) and order lunch. Continue working in the air conditioned location. Lament over the fact that the internet isn't working, but realize that means you probably will get more work done.

1:00pm - food arrives - relatively quick by Bosnian standards. Eat up the yummy deliciousness.

1:15pm - continue working on research.


2:15pm - work is done for the day - head home to the hostel.


2:30pm - arrive at hostel. Either read for a while or take a nap - this completely depends on how loud it was the night before and for how long, affecting how many times you woke up and how long it took you to fall asleep.


3-5:30pm - other team members arrive at the hostel. Discuss ideas for dinner as everyone changes into clothing more suitable for lounging in the heat (generally a sports bra and workout shorts for the females and shorts and shirtless for the males - modesty has almost completely left the building at this point).


6:30ish - leave the hostel in search of food - most likely not having any clear plan of where you're going.


6:50pm - after having wandered around Baščaršija (buh-shar-shee-yuh) for a little while, finally end up at a restaurant.

6:52pm - giggle because when you first read this you thought it said Pot Ledom - friend who also watches ANTM giggles with you.

6:55pm - order drinks and food at the same time, because people in your little dinner group are quite hungry and don't wish to wait. Be the last one to order because the menu is completely in Bosnian and you have no idea what you're ordering.


7:00-7:15pm - enjoy the bread that comes with every meal. Discuss with everyone at the table how you should be exercising more, because this bread is going to make you gain 20 pounds by the time you leave. Consume 3 pieces regardless.

7:15ish - food arrives. It's delicious. Make a mental note for future dining pleasure.

7:20pm - you're out of water - attempt to get the waiter's attention for more, but realize it probably won't work. Get out your backup water supply in the form of your water bottle you carry with you everywhere here.

7:30pm - catch the attention of the adorable little kitten in the courtyard. Feed him/her food and name him/her Georgie. Play with Georgie.

8:15pm - meander back to hostel - exploring shops along the way while enjoying some delicious gelato.


9pm - arrive back at the hostel. Explore one of two options: stay in for the evening drinking wine that you bought on the way back while watching a TV show or movie or both with friends (on a teeny-tiny computer screen). Attempt to introduce some of the more nerdy people on the trip to Doctor Who and scare them to death with the Weeping Angels. Finish the night with Tangled because the Angels scared them too much to go to sleep or watch another episode of Doctor Who.

Option 2: go out and have a drink at a bar and smoke some hookah.

12:00am - if option 1 is chosen - head to bed at a decent hour. Realize you won't be able to fall asleep for a while, because the music and people are so loud outside - but you can't close the windows because it's still way too hot in the room to justify closing them.


2:00am or later - if option 2 is chosen - head to bed way later than you probably should due to the fact you have to be up for work in the morning. However, the noise level has generally decreased by this time (only because they have turned the music off - people are still very loud) - falling asleep is slightly easier. Also tell yourself that you can take a nap in the afternoon tomorrow - so staying out late wasn't a bad idea.


3:30am - wake up because of a loud noise outside - look around the room and wonder where some of your roommates are and why they have yet to return home...


5:00am - wake up again because some very drunk person is outside singing and yelling at the top of his lungs - make a mental note to purchase an airsoft gun for future occurrences. Lay in bed because you are unable to fall back asleep due to the bars outside breaking glass for some unknown reason. When mental capacities have returned, you realize it's probably garbage collection - but at the time you mentally yell at whoever is outside making all the noise once again wishing you had an airsoft gun...


3 hours later - repeat cycle.