4/23/2023 0 Comments TurandotMy last opera of Serbia. I got a seat in one of the lodges again which was so fun and badly setting myself too high expectations for future theater seats because I don't think I will ever get $4 seats again. This has been such a special experience for me having the theater so close and affordable on a student budget. I did decide to dress up a little more for this show as it was sunny and warm outside so we could get nice pictures! This show was interesting, based on a princess in China whose hand in marriage will only be given if they answer three riddles, and if wrong get beheaded. The opening to Act 3 has I think one of the most recognizable songs, Nessun Dorma, that has been put in many movies and sung by many. It was a beautiful show! I was excited because this time one of the boys from the program came with me, though we didn't get seats together, but it was fun during each intermission when we met and discussed our thoughts. I enjoyed getting to share this experience with someone. I am really going to miss these shows, and hope that I can find similar experiences in the future!
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4/22/2023 0 Comments The peace of montenegroThere isn’t too much to say about our trip to Tivat, Montenegro, because we happily did nothing but sit by the water and read! This was a very well-deserved and much-needed vacation as we headed to the end of the semester. We were scared looking at the radar because it had said it was supposed to rain the whole time, but it held off really well! We were on this adorable airbnb right by the water and not in a busy area so it was so nice to just walk up and down the street to enjoy the sounds of the water. Our first morning there I woke up early, made a cup of coffee, and brought my kindle out to read by the water. I was then visited by an adorable kitty friend who laid next to me the whole time then moved into my lap. She was so sweet and obviously well taken care of (most cats we saw were). We did this each morning, me with my coffee and her in my lap by the water as I read for about 2 hours. It was fun one morning as she hopped off my lap and wriggled down the ledge and tried catching fish!! Unfortunately one morning some dogs came by while my kitty friend was in my lap, and when the dog went to sniff her she scratched him and me, but it was tiny and healed quickly. We did walk further into the main town/shopping area which felt like an instant switch in income to the very rich people area with all these designer stores. But it was nice walking across the water front and grabbing drinks and dinner two nights. This trip was just exactly what I needed, of no class work, and getting to just relax by the water. I am such an ocean/lake/water person, I need to be near it or I go crazy. One day I just set up on our porch because it was raining, got out some wine and read for like 3 hours. I loved Tivat so so much and genuinely wish I could live here longer term some day!!! 4/13/2023 0 Comments Bosnia BeautySarajevo is a beautiful area with wonderfully kind people! We were there during Ramadan which felt very special getting to see people happily coming out of the mosques at night and taking photos with the decorations put up throughout the city to celebrate the period. The cobble-stone streets were fun to walk through and going on the bridges over the lake to sit in the park was my peaceful morning activities. We didn't have activities until 10am so it was nice to get up and sit by the water and read. On the way to the bridge, you can stop by the building and stand in the footprints where the Archduke Ferdinand was killed (which was interesting and eerie). The food was all incredible, with more chivapi that is mouth-watering and some great local wines. Because we drove across the border, we also stopped in this cute jam shop and got two jars of raspberry and strawberry jam that was locally made. It is very important while you visit these cities and places that have experienced such horrific events to see the beauty in them as well and in that the resilience of the people to continue on to lead happy lives. I am grateful that we were able to go to Sarajevo and experience a piece of their lives. 4/12/2023 0 Comments Galerija 11/07/95Galerija 11/07/95 is "the first memorial museum/gallery in Bosnia and Herzegovina – exhibition space aiming to preserve the memory on Srebrenica tragedy and 8372 persons who tragically lost their lives during the genocide." Going to the museum, you pay a small entrance fee and extra for a guided headset (highly recommend as it is all photographs without explanations next to them). It was very high-tech with the headset connected to this pointer that is tuned into your language, and then as you go through the gallery you point it at a sensor and it pulls up the next set of audio connected to the photographs. This museum is not for the light of heart. It is a collection of photography from the the war and the genocide in Srebrenica, and the aftermath of discovering the bodies in the mass graves and secondary graves. The first room you enter is the Portrait of Victims with 640 personal photos compiled by the mothers of Srebrenica ranging of all ages. It is a small demonstration of all of those that were lost and ability to prevent the denial of what happened. You proceed then into the main room with photos chronologically through the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a man walking past one of the concentration camps, mothers at home awaiting the return of their husbands, sons, and brothers, most of which would not return. The further you go into the room, you are guided with the audio of the events of the genocide, and the discovery of mass graves with images of bodies, skulls, and graves. It is very difficult to see, yet necessary for us to witness and remember what has happened. At the end of the room are stools and a short documentary of the events of the war leading to the genocide in Srebrenica and the crimes against humanity that occurred in the concentration camps prior to the events in 1995. Nothing is hidden in the film, be prepared to see clips of the killings and discovery of bodies. It is a very powerful and educational memorial, and different from many others as it is all told through photography. 4/12/2023 0 Comments War Childhood MuseumI didn't know what to expect coming to the War Childhood museum. My experience with the Rwandan childhood section of the National Genocide Museum made me wary of coming as that one is very sad with the stories of the children who were killed in the genocide against the Tutsi. However, this museum was different, as they're objects and stories of the children who survived the events in Srebrenica and Sarajevo. It is important seeing the events through the eyes and experiences of children and how they experienced the war and genocide. The museum includes photographs, objects, and video recordings of now adults talking about their experiences. It is very somber seeing and listening to what these children's lives were like, but also demonstrates the resiliency of children in war time. There is also a book with a collection of stories and quotes from children who have survived war which I bought and am slowly working through. If you go to Sarajevo I highly recommend coming to this museum.
4/11/2023 0 Comments Sarajevo Lectures
4/10/2023 0 Comments Srebrenica MemorialThis memorial/museum was made from the former UN building where the UN peacekeeping operation had been held in Srebrenica and where people had fled by the hundreds of thousands. The museum was very technical in their details of what happened, however the video presentation at the beginning has accounts from people that put you in the space of what happened. Then afterwards across the building is the large graveyard of those who were killed during the genocide. It is sad how large it is and how many people were lost. Seeing the grounds where the genocide was massively carried out holds a lot of weight. It is a difficult necessity to see with these studies and understanding the history.
4/4/2023 0 Comments Birthday AbroadWaking up today I was still feeling sick from the strep, but I was toward the end of the medication and had a presentation I needed to go to today. I felt like crap honestly getting ready in the morning and was regretting saying I could do the presentation. That was until I got outside. IT WAS SNOWING It felt like a birthday present from the universe! They felt bad I was sick so they decided to give me a nice snowstorm, and storm it was!! The whole day it continued to snow!! I felt instantly better and started playing around in the snow on our way to class and on the way back. I felt a little like Lorelai Gilmore, just so happy for snow. No one else really felt my joy, but I didn't care. We hadn't had any snow yet and I was so excited to finally see some this year. After throwing around a few snowballs, Brittany and I went to the cafe next door and got hot cocoas. It was the absolute perfect day! I got to talk with my family in the afternoon, and then my grandmother and aunt at night. It felt really special that even though I'm far away I was still able to get to see them all (through a screen). A truly happy happy birthday!
4/2/2023 0 Comments Being SIck AbroadStrep throat really sucks. Luckily, we have an amazing insurance group that has chats available 24 hours. I woke up Friday with a very sore throat, and figured it was just allergies with the increasing warm weather and flowers blossoming. By the end of the night though I had a strong headache and felt so sore and tired. I messaged our insurance group and they were able to get me into a clinic that night to check for strep throat. I made it there the next hour, where they did a blood test :(( and yup I have strep. I went home and had to wait to get the medications the next day as it was then 9pm at night. I barely slept at all that night and was just up feeling so sick and sore. Brittany went out the next morning and grabbed the medications from the Apoteka (pharmacy). The medication did wonders and took away more of the body aches, but I could still barely talk for a few days. It's never fun being sick, and being sick abroad doubly sucks cause you're far from your support system. But I just took the time to watch a bunch of Netflix shows I was behind on and let my body heal.
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