4 August, 2007: Sarajevo

I must admit that it was with some relief that I left Majda and headed on to Sarajevo. Don’t get me wrong, it was a perfectly nice place and it was nice of Majda to let me have her bed last night, but not so nice to charge me extra without telling me beforehand. It wasn’t much and I would’ve been ok with it (I actually ( Read more... )

2 August, 2007: Mostar

I threw my stuff into my bags, said goodbye to everyone at the hostel, and headed off with the group to Mostar. There were 10 of us, plus Ivica and his friend who was driving the van. Because of my bags, I ended up in Ivica’s car with Tricia and Sara, which was much more comfortable than the van looked.  I was disappointed ( Read more... )

To quote a friend, I've had a bit of a break keeping up this journal. It's just been much easier to quickly use the hostel's free internet then go out, find an internet cafe, and (gasp) pay. Do you know how many drinks books you can buy with that money?? DO YOU?

Good, I don't either.

30 JULY, 2007: DUBROVNIK

With a skillful amount of pursuasion, I ( Read more... )

28 JULY, 2007: SPLIT

After saying my goodbyes at Hostel Lika (not bad as hostels go), I headed to the station for some fun with Croatian trains. As usual, I got there quite early and smugly congratulated myself on buying my ticket the day before as I leafed through a very trashy novel I picked up at Lika because I had no wish to read Harry Potter ( Read more... )

Yes, yes, my journaling this semester has been erratic to say the least. I honestly don't know how that happened. I have notes from all my travels and the occasional fun thing happening at home, but life just got in the way. I was honestly planning to catch up on it all over the summer, but then proceeded to pack my paper journal into one of the ( Read more... )

20 April, 2007

The other day, Ryan randomly mentioned that he and a bunch of other people were going to Lwow for the weekend. When I expressed my surprise and asked if Luke and I could come along, he was equally surprised that he hadn’t asked me! Guess that’s what comes with not seeing each other as often as we did last semester. Anyway, so this ( Read more... )

A biographer of quiet and pogroms
Of dead streets and desolation,
And of the gale that blows at night
Over the ruins of my house,
The historian of people, shoes, and dresses
Of mine who were burnt and of yours,
I walk on shattered pavements-
With this poem, which gives no peace.

*

Those who no longer live in their own landscape
Wander ( Read more... )

28 JULY, 2007: SPLIT

After saying my goodbyes at Hostel Lika (not bad as hostels go), I headed to the station for some fun with Croatian trains. As usual, I got there quite early and smugly congratulated myself on buying my ticket the day before as I leafed through a very trashy novel I picked up at Lika because I had no wish to read Harry Potter ( Read more... )

Cieszyn is really nothing to write home about. It’s a pretty town, especially the Polish side, and had a nice rynek and a few cool main streets. The boarder crossing is popular with foreigners too lazy to get a visa, who join the masses of Poles and Czechs in boarder hopping although instead of doing it for the shopping, they do it to get their ( Read more... )

“Can I leave early?” I shyly asked my literature professor, a jovial man by whom I’m still intimidated.

He laughed the way he did when we attacked the racier parts of Schultz and Gombrowicz. “Fine, fine!” he said, not even bothering to ask where I was off to. “No problem!”

No problem indeed, I thought as I raced across Dietla, heels ( Read more... )