It has been suggested by more than one person that otec knew the day he would die. This speculation comes from the fact that he made great effort to make sure his best suit was dry-cleaned, and he wore that suit the day he died. He also made sure he was otherwise primped and proper that morning... There was nothing that had to be done with him in order to prepare his body... Grandmother's utter lack of surprise or concern is another reason to believe he knew and shared with her that his time had come. I'm going to take it a bit further, mostly as an academic exercise, and say he had a choice (give or take a week). Besides, as any loyal reader will know, I love putting words in God's mouth: So you know, right? Yeah, I know. So, I was thinking...second week in May work for you? As good as any. I've waited this long, I guess I can wait another couple weeks. What about Saturday? Well, since you're asking, what about Sunday? That way I at least have something to do while I wait. Fair enough. Sunday it is. See you then. Great. See You then. Looking forward to it. Yeah, right. That's what they all say. No, I really am! I'm just jokin' with ya, Toma&scaron;! I know you are! Ha ha! Oh! Ha ha! Pulled one over on me that time! Ha! Ok, well, I would say I had to go, but since I'm an everpresent omniscient diety, I'm going to be here anyway. Right. So. How're my tomatoes going to come out this year? {jovial laughter...} 21MinutiadanielWed.14.05.2003publishWe are renting a car and driving to Slovakia Thursday, driving back Sunday. <s>8</s> 9 hours each way; half that time is on 2-lane mountain roads getting out of Bosnia. Once into Croatia it's autobahn. Couldn't get tickets; standby only. Couldn't be late either going or coming back. In the meantime I found this, from 2001: <blockquote>We showed up and grandfather (star&yacute; otec or just otec...pronounced oh-chetz) was asleep, so first we only surprised grandmother. I don't think she shows much drama anyway, so it was hard to gauge her shock level at seeing us show up at her door. But we helped her with drying the dishes and dumping outside the dirty dishwater (major old school, heat the water on the stove and then dump it outside-gotta love it!). And as I came inside, there was otec standing at the top of the stairs (this is a short flight of about three stairs that go down to the kitchen). He looks at me (I'm assuming he didn't see Miriam and grandmother walk by just a few seconds before me) with this look of shock and I say, "Ahoy!" And he goes "You're a miracle!" It is hard to describe the subtle sensitivities of otec's humor but suffice it to say that it was very, very funny. Soon we were sitting again in the kitchen with both otec and grandmother, and he was asking us, "Are you on your way to heaven?" Again there was a subtle element of humor to his comment, but at the same time he had a point (or two). He is old, finds it very hard to breathe an increasing majority of the time; he gets fluid in his lungs and has to take a diuretic medication every day to prevent them from completely filling up and suffocating...however this is apparently the way which his body will finally fail him, and the apparent imminence of this event is the reason for our visit this fall. Indeed, he said "It is so great for us to see each other again while we are still alive." (Remember I'm writing all this from Miriam's translations to me on the fly, so you have to imagine him speaking in Slovak to us.) So he's asking us "Are you on your way to heaven," I think, partly because he is old and thinks about death a lot himself, and because of our surprise thinks maybe it really is just a miracle that we're appearing in his kitchen. However he's much more lucid than that. He had a more powerful message to deliver. He says that the Bible says that it is harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to gain the kingdom of heaven. He said that it is good that we came to Slovakia because it will be easier now for us to get to heaven now that we're with the poor people, so to speak... He told us this joke about two priests in Slovakia. One was named Hlinka and the other Tiso. Hlinka died somewhat earlier than Tiso. He arrived at the gates of heaven, and was denied entry. As he stood there at the gates of heaven wondering what to do, a dirty beggar came to the gates. He knocked at the gates and they asked, "Who's there?" The beggar said, "A beggar," and they let him right in. A next begger came before the gate. Before he went inside, however, priest Hlinka told him, "You can't go into heaven in those clothes! Here, we'll exchange clothes," and proceeded to switch his nice clothes for the beggar's rags. Hlinka knocked once more at the gates. From inside came, "Who's there?" He said, "A beggar," and they let him right in. As soon as he got inside, Hlinka looked frantically for a telephone. As soon as he found one, he called down to Bratislava to his friend Tiso and said, "Make sure no-one in Slovakia has any money--only beggars get into heaven!"</blockquote>from <a href="images/europefall01_story_site/europefall01.htm">here</a>. (remember all images on that page are &copy; not creative commons.) Mostly I'm happy that otec is with the One that he has so pursued for his entire life. But part of me is angry at God for putting us, finally, so close, and then taking him from us. We were looking forward to more time there, eating, drinking, talking, listening, laughing. Mostly I'm mad at myself for not asking more questions, for not listening more intently, for not grasping each moment last spent with him. 20MinutiadanielTue.13.05.2003publishWe just found out that Miriam's grandfather in Slovakia died this morning. We feel very blessed to have known him during his time on earth, to have had the opportunity to see him just a week ago, and we know that he is with Pan Jezi&scaron; v nebi. He passed just after parking his car at church this morning. He had just started driving to church again two weeks ago. You might remember I mentioned <a href="index.php?file=blog_2003_04_29.xml&id=5">how great he seemed</a> to be doing when we saw him. We will be going to Slovakia for the funeral, most likely Thursday night, and staying through the weekend. <img src="images/europe01/20_bernolakovo_goodbye_small.jpg" /> ahoj, otec, a dakujem. 19MinutiadanielSun.11.05.2003publish<a href="http://meticulous.com/clients/liquidshit/about.jpg">More of my handiwork included in a new Meticulous spec</a>...it's the black and white shot of John in case you couldn't figure it out. <a href="http://meticulous.com/clients/liquidshit/portfolio.jpg">Also on this page as well</a>, a Rotoscope promo poster. 17ElsewheredanielSun.11.05.2003publishmexican foodAfter the movie last night (The Recruit, english with big bosnian subtitles {I think I learned a couple words that way}, it's called "Fresh Blood" {same as "new blood" in english} here), we were taken to a "mexican" restaurant. First, we drove up one of the hills surrounding town, the view down over the city at night (it was about 11 o'clock...just in time for dinner...heh) was beautiful. One thing I can't properly show or describe is how small this city is. I think it must be about the size of Harrisburg Pa. (The way the hills are reminds me of Berkeley Ca. a bit, too, if it had hills on both sides instead of the bay.) Sarajevo is long, but across it is very short. In <a href="images/sarajevo/may_2003/panarama1_web.jpg">that picture</a> from out our window, we could walk to those houses on the hill in about a half hour. But even though it is small there are a lot of tiny streets leading every which direction, especially up on the hills. So we end up on this semi-residential street way up the (other) hill somewhere, park, walk down a bit, and sure enough there is this tiny little place on the ground floor of an apartment building. The city is quiet, dark. For all we know, we're halfway to Croatia, even though we are (potential) walking distance from our apartment. Then we walk into this joint--it is full of people, decorated in warm, pretty authentic mexican style, and salsa music is playing (not exactly mexican but hey). We sit down, have some pivo, and eat some mexican food. Not the real thing, but considering we are in the Balkans... Next thing you know we've laughed the night away, climbing the four flights of stairs to our place at 2am.16MinutiadanielSun.11.05.2003publishtidbitsWe're just about to run out to a movie with some friends. The Bosnians we met before in DC have been the best to us...taking us out all the time, meeting us for coffee, making us feel welcomed and comfortable in a new city. <hr width="30" align="center" /> We got a lot of stuff Friday and Miriam unpacked it all today. I was pretty unmotivated...all props must go to her.. ...It is nice to have things again, although it makes me think about the importance and place of things. We lived without all this stuff for almost a year, perfectly fine. Yeah, it is real nice to have the stereo back...that was my priority and we have had it on non-stop since I put it all together. But some of the things are like, "Why do we have this?" And we downsized twice before moving to DC! Crazy. ...We have three cheese graters. <hr width="30" align="center" /> Today we went to the American PX out at the military base outside of town. It was very interesting. Before we went to the base, we stopped at the CD stores just outside the gates. It is unbelievable. Not a single CD is original...they are all pirated. &#36;2.50 per. It is a record exec's total nightmare. Miriam got some new releases. The cool thing--they also have mp3 CDR's with every record of an artist. Every record of U2. Every record of INXS. Every record of you name it. I mean thousands of CD's in tens of shops. I got the mp3 CDR's of Dead Can Dance and Thievery Corp. 5 clams for 20 or so records, alltogether. When you come visit we'll take you out there, if that's your thing. You might want to bring an empty suitcase if it is. They also have movies, software and console games. I saw Microsoft SQL Server for 10 clams. Too funny. <hr width="30" align="center" /> In an unrelated bit of small news I've neglected to share, Slovakia will begin allowing foreigners to adopt, starting in 2004.15MinutiadanielSat.10.05.2003publishcornladyMiriam has much better shots, but here is my shot of a corn saleswoman in Ba&scaron;car&scaron;ia... <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/cornlady1.jpg" />18ImaginingdanielSat.10.05.2003publishbuildings around townUpdated: <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/building1.jpg" /> Notice how people are living with burned-out floors above and below them. Today we had lunch with a family who has exactly that problem, and every time it rains, there are leaks from the floor above, which has no windows or anything to keep out the weather. People can only retake their apartments and rebuild them as money and social mobility allow (remember some are refugees stuck in other countries, or unwilling to return for any number of reasons I won't go into now). <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/building2.jpg" /> This was/is the offices of the biggest Sarajevo daily, Oslobodjenie (sp?) ("freedom"). They continued to run the paper throughout the entire seige, from the basement of this very building (I'm going from memory atm, feel free to correct me). <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/building3.jpg" /> This is from a building that was built just before the war as a retirement home, but before anyone could move in the war began, and no one has taken on the task of rebuilding it. <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/building4.jpg" /> Just so you don't think everywhere is like...that...here is a shot of a new building in the same vicinity as the rest...14ImaginingdanielSat.10.05.2003publisha friend's kaficUpdated: <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/caffe1_panor.jpg" />13ImaginingdanielFri.09.05.2003publishfrom the back porch <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/backporch_panarama1_web.jpg" />12ImaginingdanielThu.08.05.2003publishyou're not from here? <a href="miriam/"><img alt="miriam_brazilcafe_web (12K)" src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/miriam_brazilcafe_web.jpg" height="225" width="300" border="0" /></a> Miriam's intelligence just facinates me sometimes. She is essentially fluent in Bosnian, having never heard the language before last September, and getting only 18 weeks of classroom instruction in that time. She can remember a new word after hearing it just once, and she can pick up the word out of the middle of normal conversation. Today two Bosnian ladies from one of the Embassy offices asked Miriam if she was from Mostar (a Bosnian city south of Sarajevo). They were totally shocked when she said she was originally from Bratislava. They said, But you lived in Bosnia before, right? Nope. They said they were sure she was from either Mostar or Banja Luka, because she has a Croatian accent. It is comically unfair the language score she was given back in DC.11MinutiadanielWed.07.05.2003publishquirksLight switches switch the other way. Beer is &#36;1.50 but one small carton of soy milk is &#36;5. A haircut is &#36;3 but a small bottle of hair gel is &#36;5. Your clothes get completely dirty in one day, but a washing machine cycle takes ~2 hours. {But uses only ~.5 gal of water.} You can rub paint off the walls with your hand. No preservatives, hormones, or other additives in the food, but there are no detergents, creams, cleaners, etc. without heavy fragrances. No electrical outlets in the bathrooms. <hr width="30" align="center" /> <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/cafe_brazil1.jpg" alt="cafe brazil" /> <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/miriam_brazilcafe2_web.jpg" /> An espresso {just "kafa" or "caf&eacute;" -- the place you consume it is called a "caf&eacute; bar" or "kofi bar"} is ~50&cent;, but can you drink it? {Miriam still can't. I consider it "not very smooth".} <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/workers2.jpg" alt="working hard" /> Is this Spain? Typical lunch is 2 hours--1 hour for lunch and 1 hour for coffee {and smokes, of course}. Ah, no, just post-communist socialism. <hr width="30" align="center" /> We went to the corner market and there were four people working there. One in the window at the street. One to weigh fruits and vegetables. And two at the checkouts. The fruit lady weighed our bananas and stuck them in a bag. We went to the first cashier who waved us on to the other one (we were the only two customers there btw). She shouted across to the fruit lady who told her the price. 50&cent;. <hr width="30" align="center" /> At Cafe Brazil a trio (two girls and a guy) sat next to us who spoke English with an American accent, Arabic, and one of them spoke decent Bosnian. They mixed their Arabic and English like it was Spanglish (Arablish?). They seemed to be here under religious auspices but spoke about designer clothes, boyfriends, traveling to western cities and gossiped about other people in their community. They were exactly like evangelical Christians in the States but they were foreign Muslims in Sarajevo. WTF? <hr width="30" align="center" /> The outside walls are concrete block but inside walls are paper thin. {Miriam says I don't even know what paper thin is, tho.} Our neighbors blast one CD. Guess what CD? Caedmon's Call {self titled}. First time was interesting and somehow strangely comforting but right this very second I can't stand it. <hr width="30" align="center" /> A huge loaf of fresh bread is 25&cent;. DSL, in the format we are used to in the States (i.e. pay one fee for the connection, no bandwidth limitations, etc.) is $310 a month with a $162 setup fee. For the same setup fee and $56 a month, you can have DSL with a 1GB/month limit, which works out to 33MB a day. I could soak 33MB in one hour with broadband (and I don't even use any P2P programs at all) (there are additional "plans" like $80/2GB/mo and $168/5GB/mo). So tell me, what good is DSL if you can't use it? Never mind that they are bending you way over on the price. There is another broadband provider that uses microwave, $228 setup and $28/mo for 30MB/day or $56/90MB/day. Not as bad. (On either system, you are charged anywhere from 2&cent; to 5&cent a MB after exceeding your bandwidth limitation.) This may work out, I don't know. For now I'm going to get dial up, which is $4/mo plus anywhere from .5&cent to 1&cent a minute. For normal usage, this is actually a great plan. I could see locals being able to afford it. But I have no idea how anyone affords broadband unless they have money to burn.9MinutiadanielTue.06.05.2003publishgetting settled We have spent the whole day rearranging furniture and otherwise getting settled in our new place. Anyhoo...I will post pictures of our place after all is settled, in a week or two...our place is actually really great, way better than we expected and honestly nicer than any place we've lived before. <hr width="30" align="center" /> The food here tastes so good. We came at the right time--fresh fruits and vegetables galore...only what is in season...and then there is the bread...and the no-dairy thing? That went out the window pretty much the first day. We are back to eating cheese and yogurt. They do have soy milk here, which is good. 8MinutiadanielSun.04.05.2003publishpeaceLast night I lay in bed awake for at least two and a half hours. This is not something that ever happens to me. But the cool part is that the entire time I had amazing thoughts -- very specific, future-thinking ideas about how things are to go. This is not something that happens very often to me, and never to this extent. Call it what you will, but it definately did not come from me. Peace, patience, determination, joy. Thanks. 7MinutiadanielSun.04.05.2003publishSecond Impressions Graves everywhere. All over the hillside I can see from our living room. In the park at the end of the block. In the the "proper" graveyards, the headstones are one on top of another. Bullet holes everywhere. Buildings either have them or had them (i.e. they either have new facades or you can see the patchwork). It seems that no square meter was untouched--I can see some on a building across the courtyard from our porch and think, Where is the line of sight? Crazy. One place I didn't expect: on the sidewalk. But it makes sense...but when we think too long about the fact that all those bullets were meant for someone, we get sick and outraged all at once and quite suddenly. <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/bullets_and_clothes.jpg" /> Above: Building next to ours. Burned out buildings...are still seemingly everywhere. Where we live, downtown, not so much, but you do not have to go far...on the sides of some are huge holes from tank or artillery shells...again, sickening...where the shells hit the sidewalk or street they have filled the holes with red; they are called <a href="http://images.google.com/images?q=sarajevo+roses">Sarajevo Roses</a>. Today we shopped at the fruit and vegetable market that was shelled early in the war...many were killed and it was the worst massacre of the siege. People definitely have the Eastern European thing--they look mean when they walk down the street. But based on our experience meeting Bosnians, and in Slovakia (where it is the same), I know they are quite warm in person...wish they could be happier in public, but I'll take it over the US--where it is the opposite, warm in public and cold in private... Just walked around downtown/old town for the second night in a row. It is very cool, the streets filled with young people, meeting up in the street, chatting, sitting in packed coffee bars sipping espresso and smoking. The streets are narrow, the building old, the alleyways interesting, the architecture amazing and the people beautiful. <img src="images/sarajevo/may_2003/chess.jpg" /> Above: Earlier today, chessplayers around the corner from our place.6MinutiadanielSat.03.05.2003publishMiriam's WeekTuesday - English Wednesday - German Thursday - Slovak Friday - Bosnian 4MinutiadanielSat.03.05.2003publishwe're here!We arrived safely, met by a few embassy people, which was nice. <a href="miriam/">Miriam</a> has more details. I am overwhelmed by beauty and speachless for the experience. We actually live here. It is still somewhat unbelievable. After getting a little bit settled, we walked to the pedestrian area (only a couple blocks away) and strolled down to Ba&scaron;car&scaron;ija, the old town. I meant to take more pictures and have more words, but I didn't and I don't. <a href="images/sarajevo/may_2003/panarama1_web.jpg">Here is a picture from out of our living room window</a>. {Admittedly, you can only see this view when you are up at the window, from any distance back all you see is the tin roof in front.} 3MinutiadanielFri.02.05.2003publishagain at the airportCheck the new Euro date format: day.dd.mm.yyyy. And time format, 24hr time. We are again in the Vienna airport. Two years ago we were in this airport and we spent the night on a bench. We told ourselves we would never do that again. This time around was much more pleasant. Just had some nice espresso and juice with mineral water at a cafe near the entrance; now I'm at the gate and guess what's here? Starts with "Star" and ends with "bucks". :P Don't think Bosnia will have any of those, though. :) Some random thoughts: My biggest pet peeve with Europe: paying to go to the bathroom. In my mind, one shouldn't have to pay to piss. Just me. Just my opinion. I think I am going to start a list of public bathrooms in Europe, i.e. Vienna main train station: pay, Vienna airport: no pay. Sitting here looking at the line of passengers waiting to get on our flight. <s>A couple of</s> Danish soldiers (Update: one went to Skopje (Macedonia), the other to Sarajevo...interesting). A pair of American contractors just walked by. <s>I wonder what their jobs are.</s> Update: Didn't find out what their jobs were, but overheard enough conversation to discern that they were working for the military and were in fact retired military themselves. Smoke allergies: Miriam's started acting up today after a few days in it. I wish I hadn't started socially smoking, because in Europe, everyone socially chain-smokes. But actually, constantally smelling smoke is a good deterrant to smoking. <s>Bosnia is supposedly the smokiest country in all of Europe, too.</s> Update: Not sure about this; smokey, but doesn't seem worse than Vienna to me. Still, indoor public spaces will be interesting come winter...2MinutiadanielFri.02.05.2003publish 1LinksdanielFri.02.05.2003publish