-Updates & a Memorable Trip-

8-13-2007

It is 2:15PM at the moment and I am officially back in the office. It has been a while since I have put in work here, and I suppose long overdue. I have been all over the place this last month, and now have plenty to write about. I am currently struggling to figure out where to begin. I feel as if the freshness of my memories have begun to fade; therefore my initial enthusiasm will be meek and less enthusiastic than if these memories were fresh in my mind. Well here it goes…………………….
My long lost friend arrived in Sofia on June 14th at 1am. It has been over two years since I have seen my close friend and former roommate John. As expected it took less than 5 minutes for us to bridge the gap of time, and for us to get back to how things were before our time apart. That evening we ended up partying like rock stars; while singing and dancing like drunken highschool kids until about 5 am.

We toured around Bulgaria, Italy, Bosnia, Serbia, Turkey and Croatia………but I will separate these writings for the sake of clarity(attempted).

-Rugby-
Day three with my old pal Grubber John began with a rugby game. We were in the Black Sea town of Varna; so I could play a semi-final semi-pro rugby match against a team called Lokamotiv Sofia.
The tension was high in the locker room, and the men on my team were a bit overly enthusiastic about the foreseen victory. Let’s just say that it is a bit more than obvious that some of the men on my team dabble in the performance enhancing drugs.

-Actually the Varna guys in general are clean cut, excellent, and honest players. The problem lies in the imports (players Varna has signed from other cities)

One guy in particular who happens to be a $%$# police officer; was up at 5 am injecting himself and popping pills in order to physically prepare himself for the match. This actually scares me a bit……….there are a couple guys on my team that in my opinion should not be allowed to step foot on the pitch due to there lack of sportsmanship and down right dirty way of playing. One guy in particular; the juiced up #$%$# cop: gives opposing players quick jabs to the face after every tackle.
Anyways my point is that the concept of rugby and the philosophy of the sport is lacking in the Balkans. Ex: “elegant violence”, “a sport of gentlemen”
-Summary of Bulgarian rugby: “chaotic violence”, “ a sport of thugs”
As the game was played minor scuffles erupted seemingly every 5 minutes on the pitch. The game was ridiculously slow and lacked any type of elegance and proper style of play. As the whistle blew and the score was finalized at 7-0 in favor of my team; violence erupted. I was getting ready to shake an apposing players hand when I noticed that in the far corner of the field a huge brawl had erupted. Both sides were immediately cleared and a brawl of about 50 players and spectators was now in full swing. After 5 minutes of brutish violence and thuggery; the fight ended. Bad noise continued as the bloody players and fans slowly cleared the field. The three cops on hand were helpless against the situation, and failed to deter the situation or take any immediate action.
WHAT STARTED IT: Some of you may be familiar with a reality show called ‘Big Brother’. Well one guy on the Lokamotiv team was on this show recently with his wife. But as the story goes……the fact that they were married was a secret to the cast and everyone else for that matter. And it just so happens that during the taping his wife slept with another man on the show. So after the game had ended, one of the Varna fans made a wise crack about this………and the Lokamotive player overcome with anger attacked the fan. And in consequence a massive brawl erupted between the two teams.
The game was followed buy a very ethnic rugby social. We all consumed endless amounts of rakia and listened to a club member play traditional music with his ____?___(similar to a bagpipe).
Two weeks later we played the national championship game and my team fell short of victory by one try. So that was it; my last game in Bulgaria ended with a monumental defeat. Oh well……..second place in the country is good I suppose, and I now have a silver metal as a token to remember my rugby experience in Bulgaria.

I am number 27
SIDE STORY:
So a guy on my team Painko is known for his ability to play like a savage. He is a very friendly and gentle man off the pitch, but is literally afraid of nothing on the field. Other teammates describe him as a man who has the ability to put a curtain over his eyes and completely disregard whatever is in front of him. That being said here is a little story about Painko.
As we were suiting up for training one weekend; I noticed that Painko had about a dozen large and rugged looking scars that wrapped around his thighs. The scars were freshly pink and it looked as if he had been stitched up with a small rope or perhaps with roofing staples. When I asked Painko what had happened; he simply smiled and said that he had been in a fight about two months ago.
So after a quick investigation, this is the story I gathered:
Painko was at a disco with a buddy of his……his buddy was making an ass of himself and ended up getting into a scuffle. Painko being a loyal friend came to the rescue and proceeded to single handedly beat down all 4 guys that his friend was fighting. At about 5am Painko left the disco alone, and was met in the parking lot by about 11 guys. Apparently the men he fought had mafia connections and were back for a quick revenge. So this is when Painko puts the curtain over his eyes and viciously attacks all the men in front of him. One by one he beats the guys to the ground………………after attacking and beating about half of the men, out of desperation, a few guys pull out knifes. Basically Painko is attacking everyone so viciously that they have no way of stopping him……….so…….. his oppositions only effective counter attack in this situation was to stab him in the legs until he stopped fighting. Like a rabid pit-bull Painko did not stop attacking until his legs were so badly wounded that he could physically no longer move. He was stabbed 16 times………..all in the upper thighs. And of course he was back on the rugby pitch within 2 months!


-Roma-

While John was in Chirpan, I decided to take him on a walking tour of my wonderful town. We walked throughout my city as we reminisced about the past and spoke of the future. As we neared the Mahala (Roma-Gypsy Slum) we decided to go forward. We had been tossing around a rugby ball throughout our walk, and figured that the ball would be a good ‘entry buffer’. It has been said by many, that no one should enter the mahala without an invitation……….however I personally believe that a friendly smile and an open mind will get you safely into just about anywhere.
As we entered the slum we were immediately approached by a group of curious children. We immediately began talking with the kids and tossing the ball around with them. To these kids the ball was very strange and exotic…….our buffer had worked and they embraced our friendship immediately. Next a group of partially hostile-confused Roma men approached us. After a simple explanation of our simple curiosity and open mindedness, the men lowered their guard and became very friendly. THIS IS WHERE THINGS GOT INTERESTING!
One man ran off immediately and came back holding an old cell phone.-

SIDE NOTE: before John arrived in Bulgaria; I did a bit of cleaning and ended up throwing away a lot of things that I no longer had use for. One of these items being an old cell phone that I had used in the states: it was locked to a server in the states, and about half the buttons were unusable.

-As the man approached me with MY cell phone all charged up I was very taken aback. As he scrolled through the names of my family and friends, he asked me what the words meant. Holding back my amusement and shock I told him that they were simply names of people. He then pointed at the service bar and asked me why the phone did not work. I simply told him I had no idea…………he then put the phone back in his pocket.
WTF!!!!!!!!!
This man…….change that…...- more likely one of his kids………..was sifting through my trash and came across my old cell phone. And coincidently I happen to show up randomly, and being a master of the English language; am looked at as a person who can possibly solve the mystery of the cell-phone. I sure as hell was not going to tell him the phone was mine……….that may have been a bit awkward. So anyways………what are the chances of that happening?????????
After a bit of explaining about my role in Chirpan the men invited John and I to sit down for a drink. John was unable to say a word the entire time (communication barrier), however I was able to have a very productive conversation with these kind and friendly men. After about 45 minutes of pleasant conversation, I suggested the idea of teaching them English. The men seamed thrilled at this proposition of free English language classes; so as a result I plan on teaching these men English 3-5 times a week for the next 3 months. I am planning on securing a classroom at the Roma School in order to conduct these night classes. I should be able to pull this off because I have worked with the Roma School before, and know the director of the school personally.
Pic of John and I playing rugby with Roma kids in a Plovdiv Slum


-TURKEY-

Even though our time was limited, John and I managed to squeeze in a trip to Istanbul. We took a night train from Plovdiv and arrived in Istanbul at about 8am the following morning. We wandered around Istanbul all day, and were even able to squeeze in a tour of the area by ferry. After seeing all the sights and a relaxing nargile session we were on a 9pm train back to Bulgaria. This may seem a bit crazy, but in fact this was the theme of our time together. We literally maximized every moment, and traveled a hell of a lot more than we slept. The whirlwind tour was a bit tiring and stressful at times….but we were somehow able to pull it off without any major problems or complications.

-ITALY-

Ahhhhhhhh Italy……………What can I say about this wonderful place? Well I will start by saying that Rome is perhaps the most incredible city I have ever visited. The magnificent structures such as the Coliseum and the Pantheon were absolutely breathtaking. John and I spent the first day wandering around the city and visiting brilliantly preserved ruins and beautifully constructed churches and historically significant buildings. The extraordinary importance of this wonderful city is overwhelming. John and I ended up getting lost for about 3 hours while in search of the Pantheon; fortunately we were amazed and astonished by the things we came across at every wrong turn. We stayed in a small, Hot(!!!!!!), Crowded and dirty hostel near the train station. The fan was broken, and the layout was a bad joke…….but the location was brilliant, so all in all the hostel was OK.



Day two we took an early train to Naples. Naples had a ‘bad part of New York City’ vibe to it, but had an exotic and historic vibrancy to it as well. The streets were filled with trash, and even the monuments were spoiled by juvenile graffiti. All in all, the city had a bustling charm that was very genuine and warm. Perhaps the city’s appearance was only circumstantially dirty because of bad timing. Apparently the Mafia in Naples runs the waste management system. Upon arrival: due to a recent strike; waste management had not cleaned the city for over a month. This explained the large mounds of trash at every corner and the tacky graffiti everywhere.
After Checking into our hostel we took a bus to Pompeii. I have been excited to visit Pompeii for quite some time, and was thrilled to finally be able to visit this brilliantly preserved city. When Mt Vesuvius erupted close to 2,000 years ago the city of Pompeii was completely covered in ash. The eruption had completely buried and incidentally sealed this ancient roman city with ash. The city of Pompeii has been brilliantly preserved, and the extensiveness of the ruins regrettably were nearly impossible to explore in one day. Pretty much everything in the city has remained intact, except the wood roofs, and other easily corrodible elements of the city. Even the paint on the walls are to this day radiant and in place. The preserved ruins of Pompeii tell a detailed story of ancient Roman life that is only possible due to preservation qualities of the volcanoes ash. Perhaps the most intriguing/horrific sights of the town are the bodies of the volcanoes victims. Frozen in place and preserved exactly the way they met their demise; the bodies tell a horrifying story of how their life was cut short. The most dramatic of the bodies is one of a pregnant women visibly trying to shield herself from the eruption, and holding something over her mouth in hopes to breath another breathe.

-I wonder which god he is praying to….

To say the least I was very impressed with Pompeii; luckily with water and fascination, John and I were able to fight through Pompeii’s 100F heat and lack of shade, in order to thoroughly explore the most well preserved roman city in the world.



After Pompeii, John and I returned to Naples and spent the rest of the day touring around the castles and beautiful catholic churches of the city. We(I) ended the long and exhausting day with a dip in the Tyrrhenian Sea. We were so wiped out by the time the evening rolled around, that we ended up crashing at the hostel early; unable even to pull together enough energy to leave the hostel in search of dinner.
-Naples:


Back to Rome-……..We woke up at 5:30am and after a 3 mile walk to the train station we were back on a train to Rome. After checking back into the worst hostel in Europe; we headed to the Vatican. The line for the Vatican Museum must have been one mile long, so our better judgment swayed us to begin the day with St. Peters Cathedral.
-The Vatican-

The church was magnificent in everyway, and even though I am not a religious man; I found the historical significance and beauty of this church was absolutely breathtaking. After a few hours wandering around the Vatican, we made our way to the Vatican museum. The line had dwindled down significantly by this point, and we were fortunately able to enter the museum without any waiting. The Vatican museum was jam packed with historical artifacts, beautiful murals and paintings. We hurried through most of the exhibits, and were fairly overwhelmed by how extensive the collection was. The Vatican Museum ended with the Sistine Chapel………….the museum is strategically set up in this way. As a result; the built up anticipation for the chapel becomes pretty intense……..and almost annoying. Seeing the paintings of the Sistine chapel gave me a warm and spiritual feeling. These were some of the most talked about paintings in the world and I was viewing them in person……….it was quite the experience.
-The Last Supper-


-The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel-
That evening John and I went on a long walk of the city with a couple English birds we met. The highlight of the evening was seeing the Trevi Fountain brilliantly lit up, and likewise the Pantheon and Coliseum. Viewing Rome at night is definitely an experience I will remember and cherish.
So that’s it……….the next day John and I flew back to the Bulg with our budget airline. The seats were crammed together so much that I had to put my legs sideways in order to fit. But for 50eu round trip, I cannot complain!

-PUNK SHOW-

Hmmmmmmmmmmm the Punk show, where do I begin?……………the captain of my rugby team in Sofia happens to run an internet based radio station. The station put together a multi venue concert that was headlining the British punk band ‘The Exploited’. Vassil (my buddy) offered me a couple VIP passes to see the show………so John and I gratefully accepted, and decided to go for it.
We arrived at the show at around 8pm and immediately noticed the large crowd of Punks and skinheads surrounding the auditorium. The crowd seemed calm, and it appeared that everyone was getting along well. The large crowd of misfits were drinking mass quantities of beer and socializing peacefully. Instead of watching the first few bands play John and I decided to mingle with the punks outside. We were able save a couple bucks by boozing with the large crowd of urban outlaws outside the venue. The mass consumption of alcohol by the alternative crowd was blatantly obvious yet the mood remained peaceful. John and I were enjoying some cheap Bulgarian vodka while conversing with some friendly punks and observing the interesting crowd around us. I did not immediately notice the way the crowd was segregated…..only later did I notice that the punks and the skin heads were in fact socially and physically separate from one another.
Peace was abruptly shattered!!!! Perhaps we were a bit too lax and naïve about the situation to foresee the events to come. The first hint of trouble did not immediately throw up warning flags in my mind: a skinhead approached me and asked me if I was ready to kick some ass. I calmly told him I was simply here for the music, and was looking forward to having a chill evening. About 10 seconds after this strange question was asked; the bottles began to fly.
We were in the middle of a 200 person snow ball fight………..but there was not any snow. The object of choice was instead glass beer bottles. The punks and the skinheads had separated and were now throwing bottles at each other. We were in the middle of the punk crowd, and had to dodge glass beer bottles as we scurried to the side of the riot. Bottles were hitting us in the legs, and glass shrapnel was hitting us from all angles. We had to shake pieces of glass out of our cloths and hair when we finally made it out of harms way. After the brutal bottle fight the riot was officially on……… Both sides had bottle related lacerations and a few were bleeding severely from facial flesh wounds. After both sides ran out of beer bottles to throw; the punks and skinheads, with out any hesitation, charged each other. An all out war had begun,……… the scene reminded me of the a fight sequence in the movie ‘Brave Heart’. You know……the scene where the two sides sprint at each other, and collide violently with a loud yell, completely consumed by an unmanageable amount of testosterone and undomesticated aggression. The fight went on for about 10 minutes before the police intervened. By this point there were bloody people of both sides on the ground in helpless despair. The scene became even more disheartening and brutal as both sides brutally stomped their injured and helpless rivals. When the police arrived a group of the skinheads let out a loud war cry, and savagely attacked the cops. Damn…….writing about this now is a bit challenging to say the least. What I saw that night was so savage and bizarre that my mind is still recovering from shock and complete bewilderment I felt that night.
We watched the entire riot from the inside of the building. Luckily our VIP passes enabled us to re-enter the concert hassle free, and to avoid the bottle grenades that were being hurled at us.
The music at the show was great! We enjoyed a few bands and beers before the event headliners took stage. By this time we were prepped for craziness, and willing to throw caution to the wind by getting right in the middle of things

MOSHING: a type of strange dancing commonly seen at punk, and hard rock shows. Basically a ‘MOSH PIT’ forms and a close group of 30+ people jump around crazily and push and punch everyone in their way. It is a high energy and seemingly senseless type of dancing…..but hey, why not?

John and I being experienced ruggers(rugby players) decided that some time in the mosh pit would be a good fun. Ohhhhh……. and we were right. ‘The Exploited’ began to play at about 11pm, and the mosh pit was now in full swing. The high energy of the band gave out an intoxicating sense of peaceful aggression. John and I punched, pushed and jumped through the mosh pit for hours. We were forced to stop from time to time in order to catch our breath and to rehydrate ourselves with water. John and I were sweating profusely and had began to feel as if the mosh pit was some sort of dance-full-contact-sport. We were getting one hell of a work out………… Perhaps we will create a fitness video someday called ‘Extreme Mosh Pit Fitness’. Anyways, the mosh pit was crazy yet peaceful; inevitably we would get knocked down to the ground from time to time, but each time we were leveled, dozens of hands would appear to pull us back on our feet. The dancing was a blast, and the vibe was obnoxious yet peaceful and kind.
So……. the night ended with a less than cheerful song entitled ‘F$%$ the USA’ the crowd seemed to love it………which made us feel a bit uneasy. I began to feel a bit uncomfortable speaking English in at the concert. The recent memories I had of bloody men and brutal violence lingered in my mind. The evening ended peacefully and without any further incidents. My only regret of the evening was wearing Teva sandals. Due to the brutality of the mosh pit I ended up bloodying my toes a bit and losing a couple toe nails. Haha…….and John broke his nose; which I kindly reset for him during our walk home. We woke up bruised, battered and tired with fond and frightening memories of the night before.
SIDE NOTE: apparently the brawl was planned and the skinheads and punks in Bulgaria get into these sort of scuffles regularly. Also I believe part of the riot is now on YouTube.

-Home town-
I was able to take John back to my training site and to show him my old stomping grounds. We enjoyed spending time with my Host family and were able to meet a few of my Turkish friends in town.

John and I with my Host family in Krichim
We visited my good friend Andy’s host family at about 9pm, as they were just returning home from work. Ozjgoon the mother; wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning, and picks raspberries the entire day until it gets dark. Mustafa the father, works a similar shift driving a truck everyday. This Turkish family works everyday all day in order to provide a stable and promising future for their two daughters. One whom will hopefully be attending university in the fall. I am absolutely blown away by how hard life can be for these people. These people willingly carry on with a challenging lifestyle in order to ensure the happiness and success of their family. Truly sacrificing all your time, and tirelessly working in order to enable a future for your children; is quite noble and admirable in my eyes.
That evening John and I dropped by a local café for a bit of juice. After I ordered for the both of us,…the bartender insisted that we sit at the bar and then quickly scurried away. She returned moments later with her brother, who then sat down at our table and began speaking to us in broken English.
Having foreigners in a small village like this is quite uncommon, and the bartender simply wanted to help her brother practice his English skills. It was very refreshing to speak with these friendly Bulgarians. Unfortunately the average Bulgarian is only welcoming and friendly if you know them, or if you are formally introduced to them(simply a cultural thing). However, in Krichim; like the majority of small towns across the world, people tend to be a bit friendlier and open to outsiders.
When John was around, we ended up maximizing every minute by traveling constantly. We zigzagged across the country, and I was able to show him several of Bulgaria’s highlights. One thing I found amusing was the fact that John could not handle the heat here. For the last two years John has been living in a country that almost never drops below 80F. As I learned from John; the fundamental difference between our countries, is that AC is widely used in the Philippines. John would get really angry when we were taking a 6 hour bus ride in 100F heat and the bus driver would refuse to turn on the AC. I have been in these parts long enough to realize that Bulgarian bus drivers will pretty much do anything to save a buck. If this means turning the bus into a hellish sauna…….so be it. The trains in the Bulg are actually even worse,……at least the buses here have a vent that they usually open up. It is a bit misleading at times; the air will start coming out of the AC vent and for a split second you praise the bus driver for using the AC, but moments later you realize that the air coming from the vent is room temperature. The trains here are sluggish, and beat up soviet style trains with absolutely no extras. The windows usually will not stay open so it is prudent to bring a chunk of cardboard when traveling in order to wedge the window open.
I usually take the bus these days because for the same price I can get to Sofia 1.5 hours earlier. The trains are ridiculously slow!

-The Last Stretch-
After we returned from Italy we basically went straight to the Black Sea. We were able to refresh ourselves with an enjoyable and relaxing day at the beach in Sozopol. The weather was mostly overcast but the weather was warm enough to enjoy the beach and the revitalizing sea. That evening we headed to the disco for some attempted dancing and such.
The next day we headed back to Burgas and met up with my good friends Jack and Rhonda. We were feeling a bit strangled and slow from the night before……but were able to enjoy a nice meal and film with a group of PCVs in the area.
Then next morning we were on the road;……..after 7 hours on a bus and a less than satisfying rugby game we were off to Serbia. At 7am tired and feeling a bit weak from lack of sleep; we arrived in Belgrade. After a quick bite, we did a quick tour of the town including: some recently bombed buildings(NATO 1999) and a quick tour of the Citadel.
We boarded a train for Zagreb at 11am……….I spotted a couple young blondes and was able to find some seats in their compartment. After about the 4th hour of silence I mustered enough courage to talk to the Norwegian blondes. After a couple beers at the trains bar I was able to secure a dinner date in Zagreb.
SIDE NOTE: John has a girlfriend and of course immediately told the girls all about his Filipino-brilliant-bombshell AKA Janine (what a stand up fellow)

We arrived in Zagreb about 5pm and enjoyed a nice stroll around town. Zagreb was attractive, clean and full of beautiful churches and buildings. I felt as if we were no longer in Eastern Europe,……..it was far too vibrant and handsome to be a large Eastern European city.
-Zagreb, Croatia-

After our quick and efficient tour of the city, John and I met my two dates for some Mexican food. I did not see any Mexicans at the restaurant, nonetheless the food was surprisingly superb. The low point of the meal was having to spend a fortune on 8oz bottles of water: I was a bit dehydrated and ended up having to drink 4-5 bottles in order to adequately quench my thirst. After the meal we(I) regretfully said goodbye to the blondes and headed back to the train station. And so we were off!!!! Back on the train and ready for the 8 hour journey to Split, Croatia.
We arrived in Split at about 7am and were immediately taken back by the beauty of the city. The ancient roman city was brilliantly constructed with vibrant white marble. I find it quite challenging to accurately describe this city……I suppose you just have to see it for yourself.
-Split, Croatia-



That evening we met up with my Croatian friend Jelenah. She took John and I on another tour of the town and then to a café overlooking the city. After a couple beers and pleasantly meaningful conversation, we were taken to a Croatian restaurant and local hang out. After the meal, John and I both felt like our stomachs were turning into balloons. Something about the food was making our stomachs freakishly expand(all was well by morning).We were able to crash and Jelenahs house and even get some laundry done. Which was an absolute blessing, because I was lacking any clothing that did not horribly reek of stale manliness.
After a couple relaxing hours on the beach and a coffee at the US embassy (AKA McDonalds), we were on a bus to Dubrovnik. Six hours on a windy coastal road proved to be a bit hellish. I have a solid stomach but this was a bit ridiculous; the bus was jerky and the road felt like a go cart track.
We arrived in Dubrovnik at around 7pm and were greeted by the overzealous babas. We were able to low ball one of the old ladies and convince here to put us up at her place for about $10 each(about half the asking price).
After a much needed shower, we hoofed it into old town and were blown away by what we saw. The ancient city was surrounded by an enormous wall, and the city itself was mostly surrounded by the sea. Dubrovnik had a very romantic presence and was easily the most incredible city we had seen thus far in Croatia. Being such a gold mine for beauty and elegance it was no surprise to us that Dubrovnik was indeed Croatia’s London. Everything in the entire city was obnoxiously overpriced, and the tourist crowd was definitely high end.
-Dubrovnik, Croatia-


The following day we toured around the city a bit more before taking a ferry to a nearby island.


We explored the islands fortress for a while, and eventually made our way to the beach. The beaches on the island were basically flat jagged rocks; which made swimming unexpectedly dangerous and frightening. After a quick swim in the violently crashing waves, I was able with much effort to make my way back onto dry land(only after cutting myself multiple times on the jagged rocks). On our way back to the Ferry port we came across a naturalist area and decided to give it a go. We joined the 50 or so nudist for a brief swim (definitely a refreshing way to take a dip).
On the road again!!!!!!-
We left Dubrovnik at 5 pm and were off to the town of Mostar in Bosnia. The first thing I noticed when I arrived in Mostar was the fact that most of the buildings were littered with bullet holes. It became obvious that if there were no bullet holes in a building; it meant the building was built after 1995. It was sad and shocking to see such a war torn city. Literally it is impossible to walk down a street in Mostar without seeing an overwhelming amount of war scars on the buildings. Unfortunately our time was limited in Mostar.

It was the 4th of July, and we did in fact see a short display of fireworks. Bosnians tend to like Americans because we were basically responsible for stopping the war.
So it was a rainy 4th of July in Mostar, John and I were desperately trying to fight off our exhaustion and to track down a lively night spot. We walked around the entire city and were unable to find what we were looking for, however we were able to see a lot of the town, including the historic Bridge.

This famous and quite celebrated bridge was completely bombed and destroyed during the war. Despite the fact, the Bosnians were able to reconstruct the bridge exactly the way it once was. A disheartening fact behind this war is that the Serbs disregarded historical significance. All over Bosnia and Croatia ancient cities and buildings were indiscriminately bombed and shot at. Even the ancient city of Dubrovnik was heavily bombed during the war.
We left Mostar the following morning and by 10am were in Sarajevo. Sarajevo………….. what an interesting city/story indeed. Well as we arrived at the station we immediately were forced to bat away the baba’s and cab drivers. The cab drivers are intense in Sarajevo, we were literally still on the train when we were approached with the first “taxi my friend”, the cab driver yelled it at us through the train window before the train had come to a complete stop. Of course this is quite a familiar/annoying phrase heard by foreigners at any eastern European bus or train station.
Well…. as John and I entered the town by train it was a familiar Bosnian site; blown up buildings casually resting next to brand new Block apartments and houses. The first notable sight we came across was a bullet ridden faded blue sign that read:

Well as you can see this sign really sums up how unstable our world is. Here you have Yugoslavia, a beautiful and diverse country with a city(Sarajevo) apparently safe and prestigious enough to host the Winter Olympics. Yet, seven years after hosting the 1984 Winter Olympics; all hell breaks loose.
-Cemetery with new graves, Olympic tower in background

This is something to ponder………….can you imagine this happening in any other country? It is hard to imagine but I suppose it is always a possibility. Shall we examine the Facts?
-Yugoslavia- part of the Soviet Union; Socialist government
-Yugoslavia Included present countries: Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Slovenia.
-After the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s Yugoslavia begins to break apart:
Slovenija and Macedonia break free
-Yugoslavia as a country is not so happy about losing these regions
-Serbia-Begrade area- being the government powerhouse of the existing country
-Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina are looking to split from Yugoslavia as well.

Alright I will mention I am not a historian, therefore I will not go into detail on these topics. That being said, the above is how Sarajevo can break into all out war 7 years after hosting the Winter Olympics.
From what I have read and been told/read- after the attempted split: Serbia began bombing the hell out of Bosnia and Croatia; in order to scare them into staying united with Serbia. Both being proud peoples, neither country was willing to submit to the forceful and brutal powers of Serbian(the rest of Yugoslavia) military invasions. I will leave it at that and just mention a few interesting things about Sarajevo.
So While I was in Sarajevo I noticed several significant things such as: Mass war cemeteries all over the city, Bullet holes in each and every building (of the war era), battle scars on the roads, An intact Olympic tower(with only a few bullet holes) ect.
-Perhaps the most interesting and historic place I visited was the bridge that Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on (eventually starting World War I).

The war: Sarajevo is a mid sized town surrounded by mountain ranges; it essentially is located in a valley almost completely surrounded by large hills. Keeping this in mind; imagine the large Serbian army blocking off all three exit roads, and literally setting up forces across the entire the hilltop surrounding the city. As you can imagine from this visual; the Bosnians became sitting ducks or fish in a barrel.
So now imagine 3.5 years of:
-fear
-lack of: water, food, electricity, medical supplies
-Lack of sanitary necessities
Anyways,………..of course the list goes on and on, the Serbs were blocking the roads in and out of Sarajevo. So the people in Sarajevo were in a very cruel, and hopeless predicament.

The residents of Sarajevo were being picked off indiscriminately from snipers on the hillsides. Rockets were being launched into the city continuously. If the Serbs saw movement they would fire away; therefore walking down your street or standing outside your home could easily result in grave consequences.
I was told that during this time period; the people of Sarajevo interacted and moved around by using underground tunnels that connected the basements of most of the block apartments around the city.

Hope: well during this time period, despare, tragedy, death, poverty, and sickness was part of daily life. But for a few, there was a way out.

SIDE NOTE:
-While John and I were in Sarajevo we stayed with my friend Ben (former PCV in Bulgaria). We were in the same group but he left a bit early in order to reconnect with his Bosnian girlfriend (now Fiancé) and work with the USAID in Sarajevo.

Bens fiancé, who happens to be a brilliant linguist (6-7 languages), lived in Sarajevo during the war. She lived through the brutal day to day lifestyle for close to a year. Remarkably she and her family were able to escape the city.
-So here is how it happened:
Basically if you had the right connections and the right amount of cash there was a way to get out of Sarajevo: a group of rich Jews would bribe the Serbian army and basically order a very brief seize fire on one of the cities exit roads. During the short window of time; a bus full of privileged Bosnians would safely exit the city.
I was blown away when she spoke of such an ordeal she and her family faced. I felt as if I were speaking to a living Anne Frank. Of course many were not as lucky, and this 3.5 year hopeless battle ended with a significant amount of casualties, and a completely destroyed city. Bens fiancé mentioned that one of the saddest days in Sarajevo was when the Towns library was bombed. The towns people watched helplessly as the flames literally tore through their history.

It blows my mind to think that this all happened in the early 1990s! It sounds a bit brutal that a union separation would result in an attempted genocide of a group of people. Was the attitude: you are either with us or you die! ???
-Disclaimer: I am not saying that Serbians are ruthless killers, in fact the attempted genocide is currently blamed on two military officials (in exile currently). Soldiers merely do what they are told, and unfortunately ordinary citizens get stuck in the middle of these brutal and demoralizing situations (such is life).

OK…… I will stop trying to be a historian and continue with my thoughts on the trip. Bosnia in my opinion is a wonderful place. The hills are (for the most part) unhikable due to land mines……..but the city and it’s beautiful rural location is definitely worth checking out. I also have only had pleasant social interactions with Bosnians.
Once while John and I were sitting on a bench near the river a man approached us and handed us an extensive Sarajevo guide book…………. I hesitantly took the book; expecting him to follow up with a demand for money, but to my surprise he just smiled, told us to have a great day and walked away. Now why is it that I always expect the worst in people. It is kind of sad to come to that realization. I have been in Eastern Europe so long that I am constantly on my guard and expecting the worst in each situation. I truly hope that I do not bring this skepticism back with me when I return to the States.
Well the story pretty much ends there…….Sarajevo was great……….We took a bus back to Belgrade and eventually were on a train back to Sofia. The trip was finally over………it was one hell of a trip, but an exhausting and trying one nonetheless.

-AFTER-
8-16-2007

Well I had my COS(closure of Service) conference last week. It was great seeing all the other PCVs in my group. We ended the 3 day conference with an official dinner and awards ceremony. We were all given certificates of recognition for completing our PC service. The ceremony was followed by a PC party and a separate and goofy awards ceremony. A couple girls in our group made funny awards for each and every one of us. I was awarded the “most resembling a Malibu Ken Doll”, wow what an honor……haha.
This very moment I am in a pleasant mood. Life is going quite well for me; the weather is nice, and my social life is at an all time high. My South African buddy and his Bulgarian wife are in town; so effectively I have been able to enjoy the company of English speaking friends quite regularly.
Less than three more months and I will be officially finished with my Peace Corps Service. My official COS date is October 10, 2007; in all honesty that date cannot come soon enough. Even though I love this country and the people in it; I can’t help but feel burnt out on life here and eager to move on.

-The Baba-
Well the good Baba has been a very pleasant addition to my day to day interactions. She is warm, kind and always sporting a warm smile. However lately things with her have been a bit more trying. It seams that in the last year her health has been deteriorating. She had an eye operation during the early spring and now is having leg problems. She has been diagnosed with cancer in her left knee, and is in seemingly quite a bit of pain. She will have an operation on her knee in early fall. So where does this leave me?? Unfortunately I am kind of stuck in the middle of this pain and suffering. The Baba gets $50 a month to live on (her pension), and this as you can imagine is next to impossible to live on(even in Bulgaria), especially with deteriorating health. I have been giving her around $15 a month to do my laundry, not because I need her to do it but because I know she could use the cash. God knows I have plenty of free time to do my own laundry.
Today our interactions hit an all time low…….Painka came up to my door at around 11am crying and talking about how her leg was really bad and painful. She proceeded to shamefully cry and tell me that she could not afford the expensive medication she needed. I handed her $20 and told her that I could of course help her out. She only accepted it as an advanced payment for her laundry service…….but I can honestly care less. I get paid four times what she gets paid; so a couple bucks is not a big deal to me.
However, seeing an old women hysterically and shamefully crying at your doorstep is in no ways a pleasant experience. It was horrible to see someone so helpless and alone……..ahhhh not cool!
Alright so that is all for now………I am sorry that my grammar is awful and that this email is probably near incomprehensible. It is pretty much a months worth of updates, thoughts and opinions all jumbled together loosely. I also am not a big fan of proofreading, so if you find a mistake just go with it……I am not being graded on this blog so the importance of proper grammar is minute.
Over and out,
Trevor Lewis Lake