The goal.

I just want to announce to the world, ie the ten of you that look at this, ie probably only my parents, that I am going to finish two essays tonight.

Now I have to do it.

xxx (proof that I am now angleterrian)

Lauren

Expert advice

There are a few things, which after three weekends of visitors, I am now an expert. I am not sure where these skills are going to take me in life, but they’re there.

I know exactly when to go to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. The best spots to get pictures, the order of the ceremony, what time to arrive so that you don’t get bored but you can also see the fun stuff. Lets be real. Ive seen it three times. Surprisingly the Pomp and Circumstance isn’t all English pride and nationalism. I have heard the band play “Uptown Girl,” “Singing in the Rain,” “On my own” and countless other classics. Its been a great cultural immersion.

I am in Love with Big Ben. Even if I have seen it three weekends in a row. I could probably see it every day and not get tired of it. Facebook is a testament to that.

I know my favorite stalls at Borough market.

I know where and how to get relatively cheap theater tickets.

I know where the cupcake shops are.

I know where everything cool in Harrods is. Including the Pet Kingdom.

Maybe I should be a tourguide?

Completely separately – I watched Love Actually the other day and didn’t realize that it is now 2 weeks until Christmas until the movie mentioned that time period! Wahoo! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Love and Best Wishes for the Holidays!

Lauren

Thanks for trying

I love my tube line. It is grey and it is fast and it gets me from Finchley Road to Westminster in twenty minutes. Jubilee, it’s where it’s at.

The weekends are a completely different story. I do not love my tube line on the weekends because more often than not it is closed on the weekends. The tube also closes at midnight but that’s another story. On the weekends, when the tube is closed, I generally take buses and make do.

This past weekend, when my family was visiting, four tube lines were closed. Not any four tube lines, but four MAJOR tube lines. Needless to say – it took ten hours to get where I needed to go.

So here’s a note to London, I know you want to get ready for the Olympics in 2012, but don’t close four tube lines (major ones at that) at one time.

Love,

Lauren

Bella Vita

Time has just flown by! I’m going to break up the last few weeks into sections for easier consumption.

This is Venice: Five girls. 118 islands. 160 canals. 420 bridges. 100 churches. 60,000 people.

Venice, in my opinion, is a beautiful city that just happens to be rotting. Even the most disgusting food (I overreact, but there was some bad pizza) is overpriced. That being said, I ate amazing sandwiches and gelato. The buildings (despite mold and floods) are gorgeous, and the bridges are idyllic. The museums are manageable and fantastic. I recommend the Peggy Guggenheim for anyone Venice-bound (though the Academia is not well organized). San Marco’s Basillica is stunning. The pigeons are scary. Gondola rides are fun.

Florence 2009, take two.

I eat the best when I eat in Florence. I am not a fan of the city itself, but I love the surrounding countryside and gardens (love the Boboli). Great gelato. Great food. Great museums – the Uffizi still ranks as one of my favorites in the world. Great friends. The Duomo is fun and so is Santa Croche.

Madre comes to London.

Mother and I went to theater. We saw galleries. We ate yummy foods.

Okay short and sweet! That’s what I got for you. It's officially official winter now (in my mind) and today was officially a blustery day!

I’m sending you all love.

Love,

Lauren

We'll always have Paris

This past weekend I met up with a bazillion UNC friends in Paris!

A quick narrative: I stepped off of the underground and onto the Eurostar early early early Friday morning. At noon local time I arrived at Gare du Nord. I immediately left and went to Versailles (minor shambles due to lack of telephones). It was all that I had ever dreamed and more. Saturday sights included Sacre Coeur, L’orangerie, the bakery, the Louvre, the Seine, and the Eiffel tower (1652 stairs and an elevator ride to the top). Sunday sights included Notre Dame, Shakespeare & Co Bookshop, Saint Chapelle, RAIN, a café, musee d’Orsay.

That is the brief version of the adventures of Paris. There was also a lot of bread, cheese, and chocolate involved. I saw “Princess Bride” for the first time. A lot of things my family says make more sense now.

It is now November and it feels like it is fully Autumn. My knee (from my Amsterdam tumble) is still swollen. I fall more in love with Yoga every time I practice. I am slowly eating my way around London – coffee shops, restaurants, cafes, I am pretty indiscriminate.

I wish I could be more funny.

With love,

Lauren

I’m gonna write you a letter, I’m gonna write you a book, the Amsterdam Experience

Here are my thoughts and musings on my first trip to the Netherlands! Quick summery: the dam is an interesting place.

AESTHETICS: It is stunning – reminded me of Hampstead Village (where I live here) combined with Georgetown but with more canals. It is SO old – there is history everywhere, on the small roads, the bridges, and the buildings. It is odd – the red light district was absurd and more than a little depressing. Scent – Im sure you can imagine what it smelt like. In all, it was gorgeous – I loved the neighborhood called Jordaan (your-dahn).

EATS: I ate wonderful foods – a lot of chocolate (Puccini, Albert Hijn brand and Galler were favorites), French fries, stroupwaffles (!!!), pancakes (my favorite was a savory – mushroom, spinach, onion, tomato and pine nut).

ART: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Dutch painters in general…do I need to say more? Basically, I spent a LOT longer in the museums than either Kesley or Katherine (Hollis, you were missed).

XXX Bikes: My favorite part of Amsterdam, however, was the prevalence of biking. As one astute study abroad student put it “the dutch were born better bikers, we can never be as good as them.” And lets be honest. It’s true. The dutch people riding on bikes could ride in and out of traffic with no problems, with two children positioned in seats on the bikes or in wagons, with so much ease that it made me embarrassed to try. Even when I felt confident, I still felt clutzy in comparison with their deft skills. I saw a parent biking with their YOUNG (under 3) child standing on the back of the bike, holding onto the parents shoulders. And no one was worried about this? No one even wears helmets!

In the interim, while I loved biking around Amsterdam, clearly the roads weren’t so pleased with my presence and I absolutely wiped out after day one of biking. (Slipped on a tram track to the amusement of drunk Dutch people – I hope their guilt complex freaks out.) With my own deft skills, I managed to bang up my knee and scrape my hand, but biking after that was a little too adventurous. While I love biking, and I love that Amsterdam loves biking, I would love Amsterdam and biking a lot more if they could get some bike safety laws. Helmets for instance, and maybe seatbelts for children under the age of 5? And maybe the coordination-challenged?

CASE AND POINT: Amsterdam is amazing. Everyone should go. Everyone should rent bikes. Everyone should deftly avoid sliding on tram tracks. Eat chocolate. Eat pancakes. Look at beautiful things. Trust me.

In love,

Lauren

Random MISadventure: Almost didn't get let back into the UK because I forgot my documentation. WHOOPS. Luckily I found forms that worked. Oh visas.

Shivers and Sweatpants

I think I just took the second most cold shower of my life. By just, I mean two hours ago. The water was not as cold as it was in Mostar. A KEY difference, however, is that the horribly freezing shower in Mostar happened in July. It is now October, and cold, and raining outside, and my heater does not work.

Cold water is not conducive to anything but shivers in the winter. Luckily I have many layers of sweats.

Why they (the UK) don’t have hot water is beyond my comprehension. I think I got unlucky.

That’s all I got.

Lauren

Food, Glorious Food

This is my last food entry… I promise…well, at least for a week or so.

Thursday I went to Borough Market for the first time. As soon as I stepped into the building – the orchestra in my head began to play the Oliver song “Food Glorious Food,” that is not a joke.

We are talking food stalls, plate stalls, farmers markets, fruit juices, “pies,” veggie burgers (amazing), sandwiches, CHEESE (everywhere), bread, cookies, chocolate truffles…I mean this is basically the universe saying “here Lauren, are all of your favorite things, in one places, only 10 minutes from your school.” Thanks universe! The mix of market stalls and take-away stalls, unprepared and prepared goods is ideal and it is a lot of fun to walk around.

It is also really nice to see local farmers with produce, meat products, fish products and dairy products. It’s like Carrboro Farmers Market on crack. AND not only is the food delicious, but it also occupies a historic spot on the river Thames, and has been there for 250 years! Borough Market – Yummy and historical. So London.

In all of my free time, I plan to go to this market a lot. And to lots of different museums. How exciting! What else is a girl to do with only 8 hours of class a week! Honestly, I don’t know how I lived without this market and all that its glory entails. To see how wonderful it is for yourself just LOOK at this website: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/.

With love and good eats,

Lauren

A Natural Kind of Feeling

            I might be getting ahead of myself – but so far my London weather experience has been great! I have had 4 days of rain, and other than that it has been mostly sunny (now I will jinx it, but its true!).

            I have had a wonderful time exploring parks and in general walking down the leafy streets of my neighborhood. Somehow, through some Darwinian process Roses and Honeysuckle are still in bloom. While their days are nearly over, the fact that I saw Roses and honeysuckle in OCTOBER amazes me. That is some efficiency that other English things (sinks) could learn from, but more on that later.

            The rest of this post is an aside to my travel news (which is going swimmingly I might add). It will be devoted so something I love next to traveling, eating. So first a rant, because don’t get me wrong, I love Michael Pollan as much as the next ex-eatser/foodie…but isn’t he getting a little full of himself? I thought that Omnivore’s Dilemna was eye opening and a fantastic read. I thought that his second book, In Defense of Food, followed Omnivore’s nicely and made good sense. But now Pollan is releasing a third book that seems to do the exact same things as the others? Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual is scheduled to come out in January. Maybe my problem is that I am being pessimistic, maybe I haven’t properly researched his newest topic – but I am strained to see what new things he can give us. Though I will still buy it and read it. I’m just throwing that out there.

            In my 3^rd leg of the stool (eating and enjoyment) food experiences in London so far I am confused as to the status of the  “food movement.” Certainly there are not many locally grown goods, because England doesn’t have that sort of geographic capability. Though in all of the major chain coffee shops – Starbucks, Café Nero, Costa – there are signs for fairtrade coffee, rainforest alliance coffee or some other array of certification systems. There are also delicious sandwich shops offering “fresh” food – though I haven’t done my research yet to see whose food is actually the freshest (my favorite is EAT, but we will see if htat changes post-google). One of the best meals (despite a home-cooked meal at a family friends’ home) was at my new yoga studio. A spicy green lentil and coconut soup was scrumptious and tasted like “goodness.” I was a very happy camper in my down-dogs and sun salutations.

Just some food for thought…

In Love,

Lauren

PS – I also recognize that the last post was foodie-like too. It’s just the way things are, don’t judge.

Comparisons, or Life as Fruit

I have come to find many points of comparison in my life in London and my life at Carolina. When I examine the similarities and differences more closely, I can see that the two universities and the two cities could be categorized as different types of fruit…bear with me, its going to come together at the end.

            Example One: At Carolina, basketball is legendary (as it should be) and as such the team’s players become legends. It is not out of the ordinary that Danny Green made waves when he walked through the pit or that Tyler Hansborough was properly gawked at when entering any building. I have taken my fair share of cell phone pictures of, have smiled at and have chatted with (okay maybe only in my dreams) many a Carolina basketball player. In London, perhaps a more global city, theater reigns quite highly (as it should). During intermission at the Globe Theater on Friday night (I made my second trip with a five pound standing-room-only ticket) I glanced at a man’s face and stared a little more than socially acceptable. But his face was SO familiar! As it turns out, the man who I awkwardly stared at for a few minutes was none other than the actor Patrick Stewart! (think X-Men, Star Trek, try Google/Wiki if you must) Since this performance of “A New World” was both the last show of the run, and the last of the Globe’s season the company, crew and volunteers were honored. Not only that but the writer of the show (Trevor Griffiths) was also present and honored! So lets create the comparison: Chapel Hill to London, basketball to theater, Danny Green to Patrick Stewart. Catching my drift?

            One could compare the Tower of London to the Order of Gimgoul, okay that was a far reach – because Gimgoul doesn’t have jewels and the Tower isn’t really a secret society at all…but the yeomen warders live there, so it sort of counts….right?

            In London, things close when you want them to be open. Often things close too early. For example: most food places close by 6, if you’re lucky places serve food until 9 – good for early birds, bad for late night snacks. Example 2: Westminster Abbey closes at 1:30 pm on Saturdays. This seems to be counter-productive because a lot of tourists exist on Saturdays. Think on that moneymaker that’s being thrown away (it’s all about the money).

            The Ackland Art museum is free. Many museums, including the Imperial War Museum (the one I visited this weekend) are also free. There is really no comparison there either, except that they are both wonderful museums (and free!).

            The previously mentioned rivalry between KCL and LSE seems to embody the never-ending rivalry of good and evil (UNC and Duke).

            My dorm is Hinton James. On London Scale.

            There is singing in a church service at Westminster Abbey or in the Kings College Chapel. There is singing in Tuesday Night Worship in Chapel Hill.

            So maybe there are less things to compare than I thought…but what it all comes down to is that KCL and UNC are frighteningly similar universities (perhaps that is why they have an exchange). Rather than apples to oranges, I would pear (I know, punny) the two schools as apples to apples. Perhaps the schools are so different than a starker differentiation must take place, so…granny smith to pink lady – entirely different in almost every way – but when it comes down to it, they are both still apples.

I hope these gave you some food for thought on your Sunday evening (punny take 2)!

With love,

Lauren

*Petite disclamer: I know that some of these comparisons get far-fetched, just roll with it*

Something from the Trolley?

Even though I know that Harry Potter is a work of fiction and imagination, the story seems to exist everywhere in daily life. For instance, on the train on my return trip from Scotland, the porter came by with a cart of food and, much like the woman on the Hogwarts Express jovially asked if I would like “anything from the trolley love?”

In addition, I spent a few minutes gazing at the “Elephant House,” where J.K. Rowling wrote the first draft of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I walked by the school on which the cinematic Hogwarts is based. Sadly, however, upon my visit to King’s Cross train station I realized that the platforms are labeled by letter and not by number, this was a discouraging realization since now I don’t know where to find platform 9 and ¾.

All things Harry Potter aside, as the book series does not run my life, I had an excellent first week of class and an excellent visit to Scotland. In my eight hours of class I was finally a student again, something that I have missed since May (summer lectures only sort of count). Learning “what Americans think” from a foreign professor has already started to intrigue me, and this is only week one. I also can’t realize what students here actually do considering that I have 8 hours of in class time a week and the semester is only 12 weeks long (with a week of exams, essay consultations and a reading week). I have started cooking for myself more, which is fantastic and fun, except for when the food that I buy goes bad faster than I think it should. It’s all a part of the learning game. Scotland was a weekend of good food, laughter, pretty buildings and interesting conversations. I can’t use enough words to explain how much fun I had with Lizzy and her flatmate Sarah. I had a little experience on the train ride back to London in that I had bought an “18-25 year old rail card ticket” when I don’t have a railcard. Luckily, the kindly conductor didn’t make me buy a whole new ticket (over 130 pounds sterling, gasp) but he did make me pay some extra money. Whoops. It was worth a shot/this country is too confusing.

Today marks the first rainy and drizzly day in London since I have been here. Looks like I will need to grab my wellies! It also marks week 2 of classes and the beginning of a lecture series called “AKC,” which I am going to start attending. I am sending you all my love and I do love getting emails from you so lets keep that up!

With love,

Lauren

I <3 LSE

I know that as a student at King’s College I am supposed to not like the London School of Economics. Not in a detestful way, but in a UNC-DUKE rivalry way. (Oh wait, that includes detestation, right?) All jokes aside, I can’t help but smile whenever I see the LSE logo, which is often, considering the schools are LITERALLY across the street from each other. Why does my face brighten at the insignia of the “enemy” school, the “dark place” if you will…because its acronym is my monogram!

In my little mind, everytime a wayward LSE student wears a shirt, carries a tote, or uses a notebook with their school logo on it, they are secretly dedicating their life to me. My personal favorite is the “I <3>

Well thanks London, I <3>

In other news – classes have started and are fascinating (though the system is still confusing and the campus is still a maze). I eat way too many pre-packaged sandwiches. I drink way too much coffee (this is not new). I travel by tube almost every day and still can’t help but giggle when I pass my “city-girl” reflection. My cough (all of Cobb knows the one) has started its first rampage of the season. But other than that, things are looking fine.

With Love and Peace,

Lauren

Oh, I'm supposed to write here?

Saturday marked my first visit to a real working palace, because (as you might know) the United Kingdom has a real working royal family AND (as you may not know) when said royal family takes its royal vacation said palace is open to the public! In plain speak, on Saturday I paid money to take an audio-guided tour of Buckingham Palace because the Queen is away on official state business/vacation time. I’m just gonna say it because it’s true…but her house is COOL. Not only is the building full of history but 70,000 people pass through the palace in any given year and not just tourists but also heads of state and other important people. It was really cool to take a Biltmore-Estate-Like tour of a place that is still of such importance. Yes, I recognize that touring the White House is similar, but it is also extremely different. This is mainly because, while cool, the White House is not a palace.

After a delightful tour of the royal house and some of its gardens (speaking of – in which some kids pitched a tent in the 1980s thinking it was Hyde park, oopsies) an afternoon was spent in St. James’ Park, Green Park and Hyde Park in or around a variety of forms of water. Meaning of course that I climbed upon fountains in Green Park and that we rented a pedal boat in Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park and ingested a variety of forms of water products (read: coffee and water and food stuffs). The evening of Saturday was spent gallivanting around Hampstead High Street, a mere walk from my lovely residence in London and adorable and fantastic and much like Georgetown or something like that.

Sunday sent me back to Elizabethan times when I saw “Love’s Labour’s Lost” performed at the rebuilt “Shakespeare’s Globe Theater” in London! The interior of the theater reminded me a little too much of the theater presented in “Shakespeare in Love” but that was equally romantic. The five pound tickets were standing room only, which made the “Shakespeare experience” that much more realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Monday marked the first day of classes (WAHOOOO!!!!) and an incident with a squirrel that makes the UNC squirrels look tame. Let’s just say that the squirrel story ends with said squirrel climbing up a 10 year old boys leg, after which the boy does not scream or squirm (not my style), but feeds the squirrel sausage, oh that he had found in his pocket. Could someone explain that one to me? The beginning of classes was a welcome change to the monotony of my summer (ha!) but was actually really refreshing to be able to LEARN something again! My first class of Fall 2009 began very harshly and the professor had hardly said his name before diving into an analysis of Theodore Drieser’s Sister Carrie. Let it be known that myself (and the 20+ study abroad students in the class) had no idea that the book was on a syllabus, let alone that it had to be read! The second class was slightly calmer and even included (gasp) a course outline and a powerpoint, oh the comforts of home.

As you can see with all this as evidence, life in London is a peach. There are many more misadventures ahead and I certainly cannot wait for the next one (which may or may not include figuring out how to take Bus 13 in the morning commute OR ). Please, stay tuned.

 

With love and in peace,

Lauren Shor

 

PS – You (internet-land/anonymous reader) will have to excuse my abuse of Lauren speak in the above post, I blame it on the late hour, long day, and cough.

PPS - I WILL get better at being funny/regular/interesting in these posting things. Its a goal of mine.

Guess whose back?

Hello Friends and Family!

 

I am back on my world travels again! This week began my three-month spell as a student of King’s College London, in – you guessed it – London, England!

 

The trip could not have started off better if I had planned it! I arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Saturday morning with Kesley and we met up (magically) with Katherine in Victoria Station! Katherine and I proceeded to move me into my residence hall, grab food, take a nap and head up to Wembely Stadium! We had planned to see Coldplay in concert and I could not have imagined a better concert than what we saw! White Lies, Girls Aloud (a new spice girls from what I can tell) and JAY-Z (!!!) opened for Coldplay. Each band was wonderful in its own way. I think I would pay to see only Jay-Z perform again, as he was fantastic. Right as Coldplay was meant to go on stage it started raining. Since Katherine and I had splurged on floor tickets, we were right in the hotspot for the downpour that ensued. BUT it didn’t matter at all and we danced and sang along to the songs just as hard (if not harder). The rain truly made the concert magical, and it wouldn’t have been London without it! It was an EPIC show.

 

Sunday Katherine, Kesley and I spent wandering all of central London. I do not exaggerate when I say all. We started in South London, walked along the Thames, across the Millenium Bridge, into and around St. Pauls, down to Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the Strand (our campus!), and Covent Garden. My feet were (and still are) very sore! Monday I had registration, which went smoothly. I also had my first adventure in Sainsbury’s – the local grocery store. Tuesday I had orientation as an exchange student and Kesley, and two other girls and myself took a double-decker-open-top-bus tour where I ran into a friend from Carolina! What a small world!

 

Wednesday I met up with old friends for coffee and discovered some great bookshops! I have been trying to get my bearings the past few days and will continue to do so until (and after) my classes start next week! So far, interactions with the university have been tedious because there is a lot of confusion on what happens when and with whom. I decided, however, that this is just part of the “English experience” and I am going to adjust and pretend like it doesn’t bother me that I don’t know my course schedule.

 

I hope you are all doing well. I love hearing from you so please email me whenever you would like to!

 

With peace and in love,

Lauren

Do you remember when, fireworks on lake Michigan…

… ‘Cause I’m coming home again

 

I’m baaaaaack. Stateside that is. Not five days after I arrived back to the U.S. of A., I am sitting in a car and traveling again. I can’t seem to get enough! Five states away from North Carolina (NY at the moment), I have had some time to reflect on my past nine weeks abroad and the coming thirteen. This post will be a little piecemealed since some of it was written at one of many airports I sat in as I traveled home. So I will label. I hope you enjoy the last accounts of my gallivants before my three-week hiatus.

Airport:

As the summer comes to a close I have a hard time believing all that it has entailed. I have traveled through 10 countries including the United States, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo (depending on who you ask), Macedonia, Austria, Hungary, England, and Greece. From watching the Old Bridge in Mostar to the Sea from Serifos, there have been beautiful views. From meeting fifteen new people to reminiscing with old friends, I have spent wonderful hours laughing and talking with great people. I have experienced many meetings, many meals, and many memories. I will head back to North Carolina for the next month to recuperate and reload for three months in London.

Car:

            The last two weeks of my trip were spent eating, sleeping and reading on Serifos in the Aegean Sea with my family. It was all I could have asked for and then some, if only for the delicious food I ate! (Just kidding family, I enjoyed being with you as well.) On August 19 I woke up at 5:30 am to leave for the airport. Twenty-four hours of travel later I arrived in Charlotte, NC and was hit with a wall of humidity. Not twenty hours at home and I left for a weekend at Carolina amongst some fellow Tar Heels. It was a weekend full of hellos, goodbyes and a pierced nose! I am currently on the road, again, but this time traversing the East Coast as I drive my sister up to Maine. It’s been an exciting adventure and I am excited for the next few weeks of boring green money and the eastern daylight time.

 

So long for now virtual world!

 

Lots of love,

Lauren

Diversion me this

Over the past two weeks I have lived a whirlwind lifestyle of a traveler and it has been an absolute blast. Diversions dont even begin to describe the events! I will throw around some boring chronological misadventures because thats really the only way that makes sense.

July 26 I left Vienna and took a flight to London. After two train rides I arrived in Oxford and jumped into the arms of Michelle, who spent her summer months in England (divided between London and Oxford). I stayed in Michelle's dorm (where they clean up for you and change your sheets - UNC could learn some lessons). I spent my days wandering around Oxford and we saw a lot of the "sights" - gardens and old buildings - in the time that I was there. I dont think we stopped talking the first nine hours I was there. As a part of her class on the second night of my stay we took a "magical mystery tour" through some meadows and ended up in two different Pubs - the Perch and the Trout - or something like that, they were both marine themed. Tuesday morning I woke early and hopped on a train down to Southampton, in all I had a blast with Michelle and exploring Oxford.

When I arrived in Southampton I was greated by Di! Although I hadnt seen her in three years, that hardly mattered. We walked around Southampton, lugging my stupid suitcase no-less, and I experienced the oddest sense of deja vu because for the most part I had been there before. It was crazy walking down the same paths that I had almost exactly three summers ago. While most things were the same, there were some definite changes such as a Hollister store in the mall! American companies amaze me. Di and I managed to grab lunch at a shop called "Pret a Manger" - where Michelle and I also grabbed a meal in Oxford. I have grown to love prepared sandwiches. After lunch I hoped on the train to Romsey where I was picked up by Rob (another friend I hadnt seen in 3 years). If I thought that being in Southampton was weird, it was even more weird driving from the Romsey station out to Rob's house in West Tytherly. It was the same and yet so different. Isn't it odd that while places dont change, the way we change is reflected in the location in which we find ourselves? Profound, I know. Anyways - I had an absolute blast at the Greene's home. I was welcomed, cared for, well-fed, and more. I spent a wonderful four days with my second family and the only consolation with leaving was that I hope to return in the fall!

Friday I left the country and took a train to Bath. I guess I wanted to relive my previous summer in England? I spent the next few days with my friend Sarah and we had a blast laughing our way through the rainy streets of Bath. I clearly had not packed for an english-summer, it was cold and rainy for most of my stay on the little Island. Sarah and I checked into our hostel (lovely and clean, though up a big hill) and wandered back into the city through a lovely meadow. We went to the Roman baths, window-shopped (As everything closed early) and found our way to dinner at a delicious sea-food restaurant (though we ate way too early because everything else was closed). After wandering in the rain we found our way to a small french cafe and ate lots of deserts! Saturday took us to "the Cotswolds" (though Bath is part of the region). We ended up in Cirencester which was too much of a town for our taste. We did manage to have a few laughs TRYING desperately to get some lunch. Eventually we ended up having tea. As a result of our dismay we took a taxi to Bibury (buses had stopped running). The Trout Farm was closed, so I was upset, but we spent some good times with nature and looking at the pretty village buildings. On accident, we stumbled upon an open-air opera outside of a lovely hotel. We thought we were spying on a wedding and in a way we were since the opera we watched was "the Marriage of Figaro." What a funny coincidence! Despite freezing, Sarah and I had a great time at the Opera and even managed to get some free champagne and "food" (olives, almonds and cheese sticks).

Sunday (August 2) brought me back to London. After breakfast, a bus ride, a train ride and two underground trains I ended up under the clock at Liverpool Street Station waiting for Hogan. Dutiful spouse that I am, I waited for two hours and he appeared! Luggage and all. Luckily there was a Starbucks posititioned right under the clock - perfect? I think so. After talking non-stop to Hogan for a few hours, we got him settled in at his friend's apartment for the night and we went on an adventure to find Susie at King's Cross station. The three of us went to dinner and once Hogan left Susie introduced me to some of her friends. We spent Monday wandering around London - Susie showed me the King's campus and we possibly found my "hall" for the fall. We played Lego Star wars for almost an hour in the Apple store at Oxford Circus, ate Bens cookies at Covent garden (which I have eaten before Miche), explored Libertys among other things. After dinner Susie and went to see Billy Elliot: The Musical! It was just what I needed and I left the theater in that weird "musical" high. It was a blast. We spent Tuesday morning watching My Fair Lady and, like Eliza, I practiced my "proper accent." Tuesday I made my way over to Gatwick airport, because Victoria underground station was closed for an emergency I had to take a taxi to get to the train in time. Luckily, I had the nicest cab driver of all time and he was more than understanding. My favorite part of the ride was jamming out to "As long as you love me" yes, by the Backstreet Boys, driving by Buckingham palace! At least I got a nice tour of the city! I just managed to get on the 1:30 Gatwick Express, made it to the airport by 2 pm, and just barely made it through security at 3:10 pm, when my flight was boarding. So, starving, I made my way to the gate. In hindsight, I could have stopped to get some food but I was too worried that I would miss my flight!

I arrived in Athens Tuesday night around 9 pm. The past five days have been a mix of reading, finishing citizenship papers, eating delicious food and laughing (with some shopping thrown in there for good measure). We were able to spend some time in the new Acropolis Museum, which was truly a gift because the museum is BEAUTIFUL and really well done. We also took a day trip to Delphi, where I havent been since I was one, and that was a blast. On the return trip to Athens something broke in the car we were in so we spent two hours with the grit of the road rolling through our hair. I had a rat's nest on top of my head afterwards! One evening we went to an open-air movie theater and saw the Hangover, which was very funny but which I will probably never watch again. I have found a new coffee drink called cappucino freddo skethos, which is delicious and basically like a melange on ice. Wearing summer clothes has been a treat since the week of fall weather in England. Today (August 9) we are headed to the beach for a little over a week. I'm looking forward to being at the sea!

Seeing Susie, Di, Rob and Rob's family could have been weird since it had been three years apart, but it felt like not a moment's time had passed since 2006. What a great program that unifies people in just six weeks together! We were able to reminisce on the "good times," enjoy the present and arrange more visits for the future (my presence in England for the next four months has something to do with that I imagine)! My trip in England was wonderful and gave me a good taste of things to come - rain, tea, scones and theater. I am more excited than ever to return in September. Greece has been a great vacation but at this point I am looking forward to returning home for a while and getting off the proverbial road. I still have a lot of processesing to do about the past seven weeks, so my brain will be cranking on that front when my nose isnt burried in a new book! So far I have been able to read Sophie's World, The Alchemist, and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. All of which were absolutely wonderful books that I recommend to everyone.

So now that this epic report is over, I hope you are all well and safe. I have been reminded once again this week that life is precious and I feel so blessed to know all of you and I look forward to seeing you as soon as possible.

In love,
Lauren

(In other news if anyone has two standing tickets to see Coldplay in London September 19 holler at a girl - Im looking to buy)

On the road again

            So I have been negligent with these updates in the past week or so and I apologize, but there was really not much on which to update. I spent the majority of the last week writing and editing my final paper for the course. When that wasn’t the case, I was in lectures, eating lunch, or sleeping. Luckily, the paper was turned in on Thursday and I was able to enjoy my last few days in Vienna.

            On Thursday we took our last trip “into the field” when we went to the UN headquarters in Vienna. As we stepped onto international territory, the air was already HOT as Thursday was also the hottest day of the year (the temperature was close to 38 degrees Celsius, close to 100 farenheit). We learned a lot about the structure of the UN bodies based in Vienna and also heard from a representative of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The information was fascinating, but unrelated to the main focus of our trip in a few ways, which was frustrating since we all had papers to write.

            Friday morning started with a quick map quiz of the Former Yugoslavia, and within the hour of finishing I was off on my first adventure of the day. We took tram 1, which goes around the main ring of the city’s buildings, to the Hundertwasser haus, a beautiful building that reminded me very much of Gaudi’s work in Barcelona. We couldn’t go inside because the buildings house private residences, but the exterior alone was worth the journey.  After returning to the DA for our last four-course lunch, we hoped on the U-ban train to Schonbrun palace, a former summer home for the emperors of Austria. The audio-guided tour, progression of rooms, and organization in general was extremely impressive. Everything ran smoothly (like things do in Vienna) and I definitely feel as though I got my money’s worth. After viewing 40 of the 1441 rooms in the palace (all that are open for display) we were able to walk around the gardens before the weekend rains set in. The gardens were beautiful and full of fake-roman ruins, fountains and gardens in the French style (geometric and ordered, the French think they can control everything).

            Friday evening was the last group-event and we had a delicious meal in Schwedensplatz, down by the Danube canal (I didn’t spend much time by the water this trip, so that remains to be an adventure for next time). After dancing for most of the night, and a walk back to the DA in the pouring rain, we said good-bye to five members of our group and called it a day.

            Saturday morning I went to the Nachsmarket, which is a farmers market full of vegetables, fruits and prepared goods as well as a flea market on Saturdays. It was one of the most fun times I had in Vienna for the combination of people-watching, food-tasting, and the ambiance in general. I had a lunch of tomatoes, peppers and artichokes, which were all stuffed with cheese; it was delicious! I spent the afternoon in bookshops and jewelry stores in the hopes that I could fit more things in my already stuffed-to-the-brim suitcase (no really, it’s a feat of greatness that the bag zipped closed). In avoiding a rainstorm I caved and sat in a Starbucks (a third place even on vacations) and read. Saturday night was filled with another gallivant in Schwedensplatz and a late night packing game.

            And now I am in the Vienna airport, sitting and waiting for my flight, hungry because I forgot to grab food before I went through security and tired due to the lack of sleep over the last six weeks. I have come no where near close to understanding all that I have learned the past six weeks, especially since I have not had the chance to debrief since the three confusing weeks in the Balkans. Luckily, I will have lots of travel time over the next ten days as I plan shift from friend to friend every few days.

            I hope you are all having a wonderful summer and I look forward to hearing from you all!

 

Love,

Lauren

Babel

Today as I was walking towards my museum of choice, I ran across a middle-aged Asian man. He was frantically looking down at his map and then up at a building (granted, it was beautiful). As I walked closer to him (seeing as he was standing in the middle of the sidewalk it wasn’t hard to), he looked up at me with pleading eyes, and spoke in broken English: “excuse me, I want to be here (points at Karlsplatz) is that this building?” I turned him around, and showed him the way…the clarity in his mistake became immediately apparent. This little conversation left me with a few thoughts. First, this man either knew that I was a tourist or hoped I spoke English. I am going to hope that it was the latter while recognizing that the former could have been true. Then I remembered how miserable it is to be lost in a country where you know none of the language. How lucky are that our native tongue is an accepted method of communication throughout the world. Even if I spoke Albanian, I probably would have known some English. And even at that, it is the most frightening experience to be in a country and not be able to communicate at all – this man’s problem in Vienna, Austria sent me right back to my days in Sarajevo, before I knew a few key words and my way around (sort of). It also reminded me how scary it can be to be in a foreign place where you are just another drop in the bucket.

In any case, I was able to help this man, take a lovely walk through the Stadtpark (city park) and spend an afternoon in the Museum for Applied Arts (MAK). It was a wonderful day and I really enjoyed the exhibits. Later in the evening a group went to Prater, a permanent fair. We went on lots of shaky upside-down rides and ate lots of greasy fair food – including a giant piece of fried bread (pizza size) with garlic stuff on it.

I have been able to see a lot of Vienna this weekend. I went to the Belvedere gardens and museums on Friday afternoon (after turning in the rough draft of my paper). I spent a rainy Saturday inside the Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum. I am a little museum-ed out at the moment, so Prater was a nice shift in scenery. I have one week left in Vienna to try and process all that I have learned about the West Balkans and international organizations.

 

I hope you are all well!

Love,

Lauren

All the news that's fit to print

In Vienna my life is unbelievably normal in comparison to the way things were while traveling in the West Balkans. Every day we have at least one lecture. Today we ended up with three. Since nothing exciting has happened, I decided to pick apart my favorite moments to share with you all. So here is a list of Things of Note from Vienna:

1.If feet could talk…mine would be SCREAMING because they are so blistered and gross looking. So I went to the local DM (think CVS) and invested in some nice dead-skin remover stuff. I scrubbed my feet for an unbelievable amount of time. Nice image right?
2. I usually keep my window open because there is no air conditioning and my room (thanks to its previous tenant) absolutely reeks of cigarette smoke. This is wonderful except for the few hours each night when my lights are on. I have created a bug sanctuary in the Diplomatic Academy.
3. I have fallen in love with two new coffee drinks. The first is called mélange and the best way I can describe it is that it is like a small latte. The second is an eis café, which is an espresso version of a coke float. I enjoy both of these drinks (and other delectable foods) at the café a block away from the Diplomatic Academy. The café is situated on a corner, and was built around a fountain (commemorating a clever girl named Elizabeth who outsmarted an old thief) and old trees. The trees are currently flowering, and in the breeze the petals float down onto my lap and into my bag.
4. Vienna is a very walk-able city and I can’t think of something that I have needed that I cannot find within a five-minute walk of my residence. The most wonderful museums and the loveliest gardens are only a ten-minute walk away. As such I have seen unbelievable works of art. The different styles of art represented are wonderful, and I have seen a lot of pieces from specific styles that I have not seen much of before.
5. The past few days have been unbelievably humid and hot. Since we are in the city, this makes the heat especially unbearable. Luckily, there was a wonderful summer storm tonight, which will hopefully cool off the weather for the rest of the week.
6. I love raspberry (hirbeer) gelato.
7. I am constantly amazed by the wonders of technology. I have been able to keep contact with people from UNC (and elsewhere) who are spread all around the world, across five continents. This is possible through e-mail, g-chat, skype, facebook…it is absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, I can also see why governments have made efforts to shut down twitter and facebook, because they really do create social networks.
8. At the end of the month I am heading to England for ten days to spend time with Michelle, Sarah, and the Greene family! I am very very verrrry excited.

That’s pretty much all that I can think of that would be interesting to note. I hope that you all have an absolutely wonderful week!

With love,
Lauren

Four people, one bed

When I walk through the streets of Vienna I can imagine that I am living during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire…until I see a McDonalds sign. After three weeks in the West Balkans, the first few days in Vienna were certainly full of culture shock. The biggest differences are simple but also very pervasive. Vienna is very clean, both on the ground, in lack of garbage, and in the air quality, especially compared to Pristina in Kosovo. There is a good mix of young and old people, as opposed to the mostly young population in Kosovo. There are not cats everywhere (a major bonus). The list seems to go on forever. Since we are on a more normalized schedule I have been able to fall into a routine and have had a good chance to skim the surface of all that the city has to offer. I have seen two of the main churches, a few museums and a few gardens. I am lucky that I still have two more weeks (despite the paper that I need to research and write) to explore more of the city’s sites, shops, restaurants and clubs.

This past weekend I was able to take a short mini-trip to Budapest, Hungary. Budapest was voted the EU’s best city to live in for 2009, after a mini-trip to Budapest I can certainly see why. First of all, Budapest is a beautiful city. The Danube River runs through the city, separating “Buda” from “Pest” (for once this summer, the geographic separation did not parallel an ethnic division). Each part of the city has a distinct character – Pest seems like any European city where as Buda feels like a small village. The buildings are stunning and the many memorials represent heroes from the multiple ruling periods in Hungary’s history. From the Byzantine Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Communist Era and many more the city of Budapest has been governed by a number of different regents and styles of rule.

We (myself and the three UNC students with whom I was traveling) arrived in Budapest on Thursday evening. We spent the evening wandering the “castle district” of Buda and enjoyed a meal overlooking the Danube and Pest. While Hungary is a member of the European Union it does not use Euros and instead uses a local currency called Hungarian Furits, since one euro equals approximately 250 furits, conversions are a little complicated and my math skills (out of operation since senior year) were put to work. After dinner we ventured across the Chain Bridge into Pest and enjoyed cake and coffee with a beautiful view of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Our hotel (where we four shared one bed, hence the title here) happened to be on the Buda side of the river, so after an evening in Pest we took approximately a billion stairs back up the hill. (Mom, I promise to never make fun of you for walking slowly again.) The benefit of the weekend in Budapest was that I now feel like I can conquer any amount of stairs, I know some of you (Allee, Hollister, Eva, Meghan) are laughing at me right now because of my previous misadventures with lots of stairs (read: Duomo), but really, I am a stair expert these days.

We started Friday morning early and by the end of the day had seen all of the “big sights” in Budapest, to say it simply. We saw the Parliament, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the State Opera, the Jewish Synagogue, The Jewish Museum, The Holocaust Memorial, the Square of Heroes, a few museums, a Turkish bath, and a park. We walked approximately 1241209384385728947 miles, which might be an exaggeration but we were either walking or eating all day long. That being said, we were able to eat delicious meals through chance and good use of a tour book (this is not the first time that Lonely Planet has come to the rescue this summer). Saturday morning was a lot calmer and we just wandered around the city and small weekend fairs before it was time to head back to the train station.

There are a lot of things that the United States can learn from Hungary. First, we need a better train system (it is so easy to get from Vienna to Budapest). Also, if Hungary has wind turbines, the United States can have some too. Budapest is full of green spaces, which are so pleasant and really build a sense of community in a neighborhood. Finally, restaurants in Budapest provide fleece blankets to their clients. This is a wonderful wonderful wonderful WONDERFUL thing and all restaurants should do it, everywhere, end of story. It makes a meal that much more enjoyable when you aren’t shivering while eating your food.

Budapest was a fantastic weekend trip and I am very excited to get back to Vienna to explore some more. One of the most wonderful parts of Vienna is, like Budapest, the open space. Today was a gorgeous summer day and the Museumsquartier and Rathaus platz were both filled to the brim with people – both locals and tourists! There is a ton of free music, including opera that wafts in through my bedroom window. In addition to free music I was able to catch a David Byrne concert of Sunday night (the lead singer of Talking Heads). Listening to his voice sent me right back to my days growing up in Bethesda and to wonderful spring days in Chapel Hill – it was a wonderful experience! The venue was an “open air arena” that was a small courtyard with a stage set up and vendors for food and drinks. The crowd was lively and the band was electric! This past week I also turned twenty! I had a wonderful birthday thanks to love from all around the world – THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU (again) to all of you wonderful friends. I love hearing updates from you all, so please keep the emails coming!

 

In love,

Lauren

L'academie Diplomatique

Greetings from Vienna!

The past week has, once again, been a whirlwind! Settling in one place for three weeks does mean that the schedule is a lot more regulated. A normal day is something as follows: sleep through breakfast (its 7:30-8:30 AM!), wake up, shower, eat in my room (grocery stores are a blessing), go to lectures for three to four hours, have a four course lunch (delicious, Lenoir/AXO should take notes), email/read/research for an hour until about 3, at which point is museum time! Vienna has a million things to offer, and even though I’ve been here now for about four days, I feel as though I have only licked the tip of the iceberg!

The trip from Pristina to Kosovo was nothing short of awestrucking. It wasn’t that anything fascinating happened but that in two hours of a plane ride (really close to one hour of air time) I arrived in the Western World. Yes, geographically Kosovo is a part of Europe, but it is worlds and years apart in terms of development and modernization. I didn’t realize how dusty and travesty-stricken Pristina was until I arrived in Vienna. Now, after reflection, the big dust piles, harsh air, and vibrancy stick out like sore thumbs but I hardly noticed them while I was in the country. Pristina is a very vibrant and young (the average age is 24.3) city. Vienna is extremely more laid back and easy to navigate. The area of town we are in (since we are at the Diplomatic Academy) is nice and quiet and clean. And yet the word “clean” is such an understatement, there were piles of garbage that littered the streets of Pristina, there is no such thing in Vienna!

The museums have been nothing short of fantastic, and even a walk into town or around the neighborhood yields beautiful sights and buildings. I have, of course, already been to Zara and other wonderful stores, which were completely absent in the Western Balkans, its amazing to see the shift in globalization. Wednesday, being my birthday, meant that I got to explore a lot of the city (after class of course) and the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze! Some how, though, I feel as though I will never have the time to explore all of Wien! While we never made it to a discotheque officially, I spent the majority of the day dancing and, essentially, creating a dance party with myself and the entire city of Vienna. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Class has been a much slower pace since we arrived in Vienna. Since we aren’t meeting with new organizations every day, I actually have a chance to try to digest all that I learned and absorbed over the last three weeks. We have spent a lot of time on the epistemology of nationalism and the history of Balkan conflicts. I have had the chance to hone in my research and now intend to focus on the OSCE’s current programs for education reform and how those hold up to the past goals of the organization. I am really excited about it because it will give me a chance to discuss the “status” of education reform in 2009, something that has really been troubling me the last two weeks.

In other news, thank you all for the birthday wishes, it really means so much to me. I am heading off to Budapest, Hungary for the weekend (even though it will not mean a new stamp in my passport) and hope to have many more stories to tell.

With love,
Lauren

Cherries of Independence

The rest of the week was as hectic as the beginning of the week! I will try my best to break down the various events, but I am having a hard time decompressing the information for myself so I am just going to give you my favorite moments.

            Walking back from the USAID office one morning our group (of eighteen, mind you) was walking around a father and his young daughter who happened to be swinging a bucket full of cherries. After USAID a few members of the group were talking about independence in Kosovo and what that meant for its citizens. At the bottom of the hill the father and daughter stepped to the side of the path and held out the bucket for each of us to take a cherry. The little girl was beaming (and also very shy) and the father encouraged us to each take some fruit. As we each thanked him he frankly replied, “Yes, take, these are the cherries of our independence.” What is so glorious about being in Kosovo is that the people really want a country that will work and will work for them. There is a much stronger Kosovo identity than there is a Bosnia-Herzegovina identity.

            The citizens (and the country itself) are a little schizophrenic when it comes to their understanding of Kosovo. While most buildings proudly fly the Kosovo flag, those that do also fly an Albanian flag. Houses, churches and buildings that fly the Serbian flag do not fly the Kosovo flag at all. Kosovo can never unite and its people can never reconcile until the Kosovo flag (and thus identity) is exuded by all of its citizens, regardless of nationality.

            On the Fourth of July all of Kosovo had a celebration full of posters and good times. We were told that Pristina had fireworks, but we were not in Kosovo that day! We managed to take a trip into Macedonia to our Teaching Assistant’s home in Tetova, Macedonia. It was fascinating to see the way that another former Yugoslav country (the title is included in Macedonia’s formal name) functions, specifically Macedonia which is right behind Croatia in steps towards European Union Ascession. If globalization can be any symbol, there was a McDonalds in Tetova, the first one I have seen in three weeks. This was both disgusting (Waples’ class knows how much I dislike the chain) and exciting since it was the fourth of July and most of the group wanted to do something really Ahmurican. After a traditional meal and a walk around the town, we took the bus ride back to Pristina for our last day in Kosovo.

            Prizren is a beautiful city, reminiscent of Sarajevo, and has been dubbed the most multicultural city in Kosovo. The presence of both Orthodox churches and Mosques made this clear, as did the heavy presence of KFOR troops – a deterrence against violence. We were able to visit the building where the meetings that lead to the first understanding of Albanian nationalism took place in 1878, which was a fascinating representation of the conflict that exists today.

            After a two-hour plane ride we arrived in Vienna, in the heart of Western Civilization as it seems. After Pristina, everything is beautiful and shiny. I had forgotten how clean streets look when they are not crowded with garbage. Currently, I am mostly excited about doing laundry and getting my clothes CLEAN after three weeks of dust and travel. We are staying at the Diplomatic Academy and although I have been on the ground now for about 8 hours, I am still not entirely sure where we are situated in the city. A few runs around town will hopefully remedy this ignorance but clearly I might have some trouble motivating (Michelle knows all about this).

            Today marks the next three weeks of my nine-week saga. I am very excited to see what I will learn, eat and experience in my time here! It’s shaping up to be an exciting month. Today also marks my second to last day as a teenager, which is only REALLY weird, but time goes on. Classes start tomorrow (this) morning at eleven, but breakfast is served between 7:45 and 8:30 AM…it’s anybody’s guess if I will wake up or not.

           

In love,

Lauren

This is me and that is you!

Greetings from Pristina! I apologize that it has taken me so long to notify you Internet land peoples but Kosovo has been an absolute whirlwind of a week. We average about 3 meetings a day, which means that we are “on” from 8:30 am – 6 pm. We have met with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Mission in Kosovo, United Nations Mission to Kosovo, European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), and Vetevendosja in Pristina. On Thursday we went to the city of Mitrovica and met with the OSCE Regional Office, the UNMIK regional office and the EULEX regional office. Since we have only been in Kosovo for three days, you can imagine our schedule and the amount of coffee I have consumed, so much for the detox!

Each meeting has been fascinating and has provided a lot of information on understanding this region and the politics here. One of the most confusing things in Kosovo is the status question – while Kosovo coordinated a declaration of independence in February 2008 not all countries have recognized this declaration. Only 60 of 192 UN Nation Members have recognized Kosovo and only 22 of 27 EU nations. This means that international organizations operate under a “Status neutral” or “no status” umbrella, meaning that they recognized institutions but not the state. Talk about complicated! Other than that, Bosnia-Herzegovina was definitely more complicated since the conflicts are of different nature and they are being handled differently. One surprising thing is that where decentralization is the problem in BiH, it seems to be the solution in Kosovo.

The food here is delicious. 80% of businesses in Pristina are in the service sector and about half of those are food. That, in addition to the presence of the international community makes for some delicious eating at very low prices! For example, an espresso is 70 Euro cents, and the average meal is about Six euro. The nightlife here is also very vibrant, due to the young population (the youngest in Europe). The fashion here is stuck in the cheap 1990s, and there are lots of shops for ball gowns everywhere. And by ball gowns I mean really tacky prom dresses.

There is so much to learn in Kosovo and while I am looking forward to moving to Vienna on Sunday, I will very much miss the experiences that I have had so far. On Saturday we will visit our Teaching Assistant’s home in Macedonia! This trip will add two more stamps on my passport, since we will actually get one from Kosovo after Macedonia! Keep the emails coming! I love hearing from you!

 

Love and best wishes,

Lauren

Music makes you lose control, literally

First of all, I feel as though it is my duty to report on the music in the Western Balkans. It is terrible, and I am not kidding. Between the classy mix of Celine Dion and 50-cent that was common in Sarajevo to Frank Sinatra in Mostar to the Beach Boys in Budva, the music has at least been interesting and a great topic for conversation. Its not so much that the music is terrible, but all entirely out of place. In Sarajevo for example, the City Pub, which we often frequented, loved playing Celine Dion. The Viennese Café across the street played movie soundtracks (including Titanic). A restaurant where we ate for lunch enjoyed instrumental versions of many classic rock songs. In Banja Luka, I don’t actually remember hearing any music, but that’s because I have blocked out most of those rainy two days. Mostar was full of Frank Sinatra, house music, and Bob Marley. Budva was all BGs, Beach Boys and Lou Bega. The Balkans has produced a number of singers (I have a few examples now) that have decent music, why these establishments insist on broadcasting old American hits is beyond me.

Next, I have endured two more long bus rides since you last heard from me – from Mostar to Budva, Montenegro and from Budva to Pristina, Kosovo (with a pit-stop of sorts in the Montenegran Parliament in Podorica). While the bus rides have been fair, the views have been stunning. Most of the roads on which we travel parallel a river, so there is almost always a beautiful view of white stone mountains, bright green shrubbery and forestry and bright blue/turquoise water. Unfortunately, it has been raining for most of the rides, but at least the weather erases all desire to be outside while we are “safely” in the hands of our bus driver. I say “safely” because they have all (we have had 3) been pretty risky drivers and usually enjoy speeding down mountain roads and have no problem passing cars on said mountain roads. We have spent a lot of time touring around the Western Balkans.

If Mostar was the most beautiful city so far, Budva was certainly the most tourist-driven and fat. At the Bellevue Hotel of the Iberostar Hotel Group, we were treated to all-inclusive buffet-style meals (and drinks) with two pools and a beach section. Even though it cost two euro when the pool chairs were free, I quickly made my way onto the pebbly beach of the Adriatic Sea. Becici Beach, although a very beautiful beach, does not hold a rock to the serenity at Serifos. The multiple beach-front hotels try to cram as many bodies onto beach chairs as possible. While the result on the sand was less than desirable, the view was a breathtaking mix of sea and mountains and the water was cool and refreshing. At night, after full stomachs and free entertainment (including America’s disappointing football loss to Brasil), a small group would take a taxi into Budva. Both nights we sat at the “Garden Caffe,” which boasted live music the first night we were there. The bar café also had special visitors from hedgehog-porcupines, the first time I believe that I have ever seen such an animal in the “wild.”

While Becici beach was fun while it lasted, I was glad to leave the plastic-Disney-world resort even if it meant the beginning of the nine-hour ride to Pristina. We stopped in Podorica for a briefing with the OSCE mission in Montenegro for Parliamentary Development, and after a tour of the Parliamentary building and chambers we got back on the bus. After we missed the border control into Serbia (the route we were taking required a more indirect path) we took a quick U-Turn to hopefully right our wrong, it was more difficult than it seemed it should be.

My first view of Kosovo was a KFOR (Kosovo Force) military base at the border line between Serbia and Kosovo (Serbia has not recognized Kosovo as an independent state) followed by road blockades. After a mix of beautiful lakes, bombed buildings, obscene amounts of garbage, industrial agriculture, factories, stray dogs, UNHCR tents, Portugal’s military base, cemeteries, and a giant poster of Bill Clinton we finally made it into Pristina.

I don’t have much of a feel for the city yet because we’ve only been here for five hours, but I have already realized that while the country does use the Euro, prices are not EU prices. A cappuccino was only one euro, for example, cheaper than most places in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also, the music scene is a little more up to date – I have already heard some Flo Rida and Beyonce, not to say that it is more tolerable, but at least not thirty years old!

That’s all I have for now, Tuesday starts the next round of meetings and hopefully less confusion!

 

In love,

Lauren 

Baby Steps for Change

The past week has been a whirlwind of cities, bus rides and people. We arrived after the five-hour bus ride in a rainy Banja Luka. Over the next day and a half we met with the OSCE mission branch, a local NGO that works with identifying missing persons and providing witness assistance in war crimes cases, and the OHR branch and were exposed to an entirely different perspective. Banja Luka is the capitol (and one of the main cities) of Republica Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of BiH. In the RS it is a lot easier to privatize and overall make decisions because the political parties do not need to work off of fear mongering with ethnic roots. There is a lot more development and progression in terms of centralized government, however this is not all as benevolent as it seems. After our meetings we got back on the big white bus and took the six-hour drive from Banja Luka to Mostar. The drive was more beautiful than I remembered the drive only two days before. We stopped at a waterfall, the top of a mountain that looked like the end of the world, and the source of the best mineral water as of the 1998 mineral water competition – all of which were absolutely stunning. Academically, however, I left the RS on Wednesday more confused with the situation in BiH, and only to become increasingly confused after our meetings in Mostar. 

Once known as the most beautiful city in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mostar’s broken buildings and exposed stonework exist as open reminders of the ethnic conflict that existed here only fifteen years ago. The hillsides, which are all stone and green shrubbery, mirror the greenery that has grown within the buildings since the time that someone lived in the houses and now. On the other hand, the hotel we are staying in is a model of modernity with air conditioning in every room, streamlined furniture and showers with seven showerheads (that manage to spout only absolutely frigid water, but it’s the thought that counts). Mostar is stuck between its wounds from war, continuing conflict amongst Croats and Bosniaks and slow advances towards modernity.

Every few buildings throughout town is still in shambles, and the boulevard that served as the frontline of the gunfire in this city from 1992-1994 is still entirely in ruins (except for the trees that have sprouted amongst the stonework). The religious symbols and houses of worship, which were all desecrated during the conflict, exist on extreme scales. Overlooking the city from the Croat (catholic) part of town is a giant cross, reminiscent of the HOLLYWOOD sign in Los Angeles. The bell tower of the Catholic Church stands almost twice as tall as any other building in the town. But the many minarets, which mark the mosques of the city, are equally prominent. The tourism agency is the most active of any of the other cities we have been to and the “old-town” market accepts euros and not convertible marks.  The few buildings that have been rebuilt have been done so with the traditional style and also the modern flair that we also saw in Sarajevo and Banja Luka. Perhaps the most stunning part of the city is the Old Bridge, a replica of the Turkish bridge from the sixteenth century that was blown up in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004. The highest point of the bridge is 21 meters above the river, and it was built out of stone from the same quarry as the original and in the same style. The bridge is one sign of the combined present and past of Mostar.

Mostar is by far my favorite city. It has the beauty and old-world feel of Sarajevo and the honesty of the field offices in Banja Luka. Today we met with the OSCE mission branch and the OHR branch in Mostar. Mostar is a unique city because it is under special jurisdiction. Essentially a battlefield during the early 1990s, Mostar was divided into six municipalities in 1994 as a part of a temporary statute to stop the violence between Croats and Bosniaks. In 2004, as a condition to become a candidate for EU accession, Mostar was united as one city under a new statute that was imposed with the Bonn powers by the High Representative. While this statute worked and kept peace for four years, Mostar has not had a major since November 2008 when the council could not come to a conclusion on who the major should be (the major is not directly elected in Mostar). This is an exasperation of the ongoing political conflict in BiH, which is very clear in Mostar because of its importance to Croats as the center of Croat constituent peoples in BiH and a clear link to Zagreb.

It is increasingly difficult to wrap my head around what peace will mean in this country. Each field office is extremely honest with us, which is wonderful, but it is also difficult to reconcile three differing opinions at the same time. There really is a three-sided story in BiH, to be entirely honest. No one group is in the right, and no one group (as easy as it may be to point fingers) is to blame for the conflict. What is necessary now is to find a viable way to find sustainable peace and return in this region in every sector. Unfortunately, the International Community, which in addition to all of the good it has done in this region also created and perpetuated a lot of bad practices, is planning to fully withdraw from BiH. I cannot imagine the state that this country will find itself in, when and if that does happen.

In any case, my time in BiH has been an even mix of eye opening, depressing and inspiring. I have hope for this region, but my hopes are becoming more realistic. Change in this region can happen, but it will take a lot of time. For change to occur baby steps need to happen, and as of now, there have been baby steps there just need to be a lot more.

In other news, I would love to hear from all of you, so please send me emails!

 

With love,
            Lauren

Never Never Land in the heart of BiH

            As I stretched from my nap and looked out the bus window, I could have sworn that I was in a different country, Neverland perhaps? I had managed to drift off to sleep for a few hours of the six-hour bus ride from Sarajevo to Banja Luka, the capitol of Republica Srpska, one of the two entities of BiH. The bus was hugged on either side by rich green foliage with intermittent tunnels and exposed rock. A couple hundred feet below us (in a huge white charter bus) was a beautiful turquoise river. The view was one of the most majestic that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, the gorge that the bus wove through was covered in mist from the rainy day and it actually illuminated the countryside. It was almost impossible to imagine that war had devastated these areas less than twenty years ago.

            And at the same time, every turn offered a new view of a burned or bombed out building that had not been repaired. In some places the buildings stood alone as remnants of the entire community that was ethnically cleansed, a prevalent action in the northern part of the state. In other areas the bombed houses were a functioning part of a larger settlement, either as an inadequate form of housing, a storage facility, or an empty shell of someone’s former life. The same applied to religious structures – we passed more than one burnt out Orthodox Church or Mosque. While refugees and displaced persons, an estimated 2 million from the war, are entitled to the right of return and property in Annex 7 of the Dayton Accord, in many respects property was returned to individuals, but they did not return to their own lives. The results are what we saw from the bus window, the exoskeleton of the former lives of two million individuals (most of whom have not physically returned to their former lives) in the middle of breathtaking countryside. (Side note, for those with access to Facebook, my attempts at capturing the view will be up shortly.)

            Each house we passed had its own garden, and some areas boasted small farms, complete with livestock. Not much, in fact, was different from Appalachia or areas of Western Virginia, such as the landscape surrounding the New River. With a thirty-minute stop, to divide up the trip, at a small restaurant reminiscent of a ski-lodge (with good food at an excellent price), the six-hour trip was not long. Banja Luka approached quickly between reading for pleasure (Three Cups of Tea), for class (about Montenegro and Kosovo), car games (Geography) and sleeping. So far Banja Luka seems like a wonderful town. There is, however, gorgeous architecture, especially in the Orthodox Church. There is also a bell tower that announces the time, reminiscent of Carolina and the Sound of Music, not surprisingly. We left the hotel soon after arriving in order to explore some of the city, which was unfortunately pretty much asleep at nine pm on a rainy Monday night. Banja Luka is, however, the capitol of the RS and a college town, so Tuesday and Tuesday night should provide a better understanding of the real life of the city.

            Over the next two days we will have a variety of meetings with different field offices of the major organizations with which we met in Sarajevo including the OSCE and the EU Police Mission. I am really looking forward to hearing another opinion of all that we have learned about.

            With Love,

            Lauren

Sunshine and Rain

In Sarajevo, the majority-population of Bosniaks (or Muslims) are called to prayer five times a day from the innumerable mosques around the city. The hills that create the valley tower over the tallest towers and communist housing blocks are a rich forest green. The roofs of the houses along the hillsides are all red. The roads are a mix of cobblestones and pavement. There are roses everywhere and fruit stands are abundant. Everything about this city is fantastic, people are friendly, their personal histories are heartbreaking and the beer and food is delicious.

Saturday was spent exploring the city. We saw some of the local religious buildings, the bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated to start WWI, refurbished buildings, and bombed out buildings. In Sarajevo the buildings have plaques on them that commemorate the individuals who died when the building was shelled. We took taxis up to a restaurant on the top of one of the ridges and ate delicious chevapi and salata overlooking the absolute sprawl of the city. A few of us walked back down the hill towards the center of town and the river (don’t worry mom, we stayed on the roads). Back at the Motel, a few girls did a workout DVD and the granddaughter of the motel’s owners joined us! I had more fun dancing with the six year old than doing the actual squats. The day was glorious and the barbeque that night was also fun. Saturday night it started raining around eleven and it is still raining almost 30 hours later!

Sunday was a rainy day, full of sleeping, and reading and writing. A fog has taken over the city and covers the tops of the hills (I know, I’m getting poetic). We took a group dinner to the brewery just up the river from our motel. Afterwards we had yummy Socher cake (chocolate and raspberry) and espresso at the Viennese Café of the Hotel Europe. The café had recently reopened after an extensive rehabilitation (the building was shelled during the war) and was gorgeous on the inside (brown and blue), perfect for a rainy day. After a quick run across the street, we had a beer at the City Pub. Went back to the Hotel Europe for an espresso and then returned to the City Pub with a supposed CNN correspondent.

Tomorrow marks the end of our stay in Sarajevo. After meetings in the morning we will get on the bus for the six-hour drive to Banja Luka. I plan to sleep and to read. It will be very interesting to go to not only another city in BiH but also a primarily Serb city (Sarajevo is close to 90% Bosniak). The time here has been fantastic and I look forward to the new adventures of the up-coming week! I love getting emails from you all so please keep them coming!

 

With love and best wishes,

Lauren

Bonn Powers

For those of you who are confused about the current situation and standing of Bosnia-Herzegovina, this article might help to ease some of the confusion. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/world/europe/20bosnia.html?_r=2&hp

More to come soon!

With love,

Lauren

Thursday and Friday

The past two days have been full of briefings, events and meals that I have yet to fully explain. So I guess now I will try! Also, this is probably the most boring thing I have ever written, so I do understand if you are not interested!

            Thursday was dedicated to learning about the justice process of war crimes. In the morning we visited the International Criminal Tribunal to the Former Yugoslavia and were briefed there. After a lunch in the building’s cafeteria we took a European Union Police Union truck to the state Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina that deals with War Crimes, Organized Crime and general crime on the state level. After a taxi ride back to the hotel we regrouped and head up the hill to the Phoenix pub where we met informally with some individuals involved in the international political scene in Sarajevo for dinner and drinks. The pub offered Pimms, which promptly sent me back to my summer in England during High School. After watching youtube videos (as mentioned below) and testing the local brandy, called rjakja, a group of the group went out to a dance club called Sloga. When we first arrived there was a band playing covers of American and Bosnian songs. After a few hours the music switched over to a more common “house” or techno music including some songs that I happened to know from Zumba. For my fellow dancers one of the songs was the one that Tara teaches when the step goes forward, back, walk around. I recognized it almost immediately and had to forcibly stop myself from teaching the packed club the dance that minute. The walk home included a late-night food stop at one of the local bakeries (although not as good as the secret bakery in Florence).

            Friday’s briefings did not start until 1:30 PM, which was a welcomed change from waking up at 8 AM every day. After a lazy morning, some delicious nectarines (all of the produce here is fantastic) we hoped on the tram to the USAID building. There we met with US Ambassador English to Bosnia-Herzegovina and other members of the US Foreign Service. After a walk down the river we went to the Office of the High Representative and met with the Deputy Officer. He was a very aware man but also equally hopeful, which was a refreshing change.

            The weekend is free of briefings but will be full of adventures, and as such more interesting information from my end of the world. Happy weekend to everyone!

 

With love,

Lauren

Just another day in Sarajevo

            On Thursday I learned a lot in terms of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a country and the current situation that exists in Sarajevo at the moment. Bosnia-Herzegovina was established as a new country in 1995 with the Dayton Agreements, as a peace agreement Dayton has worked wonders because there has not been any serious violence since 1995 in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The constitution that Dayton created for Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) was far from a simple arrangement. Those who have taken George Rabinowitz’ POLI 100 know that he emphasizes the inefficiency of the American system of government. Bosnia-Herzegovina makes America look like the most-efficient well-oiled machine in the world. In 1995 BiH was divided into two entities – the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Republica Srpska (RS). Because Dayton was a peace agreement – it made a lot of concessions based on accommodation. The Federation is further divided into ten cantons, and also into municipalities. The Republica Srpska is further divided into municipalities. What makes BiH very complicated is that many state competencies are decentralized to the entity or even cantonal level. In education, for example, each of the ten cantons in FBiH has a minister of education, as does each entity, as does the state of BiH. The minister of education and the various committees do not have serious power over any of the other twelve ministers and the other twelve are not at all accountable to the main minister of education or even the state of BiH. This means that framework agreements and laws that are enacted on the state level are not implemented on the cantonal level because they don’t have to be.

            Additionally, Dayton set up an office of the High Representative which had executive powers called the Bonn powers in 1997. Up until 2005 reforms in this country were going really well and there was a good chance that the international community (that had had a strong presence for ten years) would be able to remove its influence. Unfortunately, while the international community has decreased in the last four years, the positive reforms that were made have been replaced with downfall after downfall. While the Bonn powers were still in existence (to ensure that reforms were passed in BiH and in each entity) the high representatives opted to not use them, which leads us to today. On May 14 the national assembly in Republica Srpska made a conclusion that the state of BiH had taken away too many of the entities capacities over the last fourteen years and as such determined that they would take them back. In the national assembly any conclusion is binding, and thus this conclusion could be effectively seen as a declaration of war. The current high representative opted to not use his Bonn powers immediately but instead wrote a letter to the national assembly requesting that they change the decision by June 11. Today is June 19 and not only has the RS not revoked its conclusion but the Bonn powers have not been used. This morning was a meeting of one of the High Representative’s Steering Boards with members of the international community. There are currently no updates on what he will decide to do.

            In addition, the International Monetary Fund announced this week that it would give BiH 1.2 million euros if they did a 10% cut in spending across the Board. Yesterday was the first day of demonstrations that are scheduled for the rest of the month. While there was some violence, business as normal exists in the rest of the city and we have not been threatened at all.

            It is a fascinating time to be in Sarajevo because we are right in the middle of this change and because we are talking to the organizations that will be effected by any change in OHR policy or in demonstrations by nationals. I also did a lot of YouTube watching yesterday. If you’re interested you should look at Joe Biden’s 2003 speech to the Western Balkins, Sarajevo under siege, or Miss Sarajevo by U2 Official Video. The last two were hard to watch because it showed the city that I am in now, fifteen years ago, under constant attack. It looks nothing like that presently, but it was still shocking to see a road that I walk down every day (that is not yet even in perfect condition) in complete shambles.

I am off for three briefings today, but I hope to update you all more on the daily life in Sarajevo (and my day yesterday and today shortly)

 

With love,

Lauren

Sarajevska Adventures

            The more time that I spend in Sarajevo, the more I come to appreciate and love the city and also begin to understand the war – both its causes and effects. Today we had a long day full of briefings from the Organization for Security and Cooperation and Europe mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina (OSCE).  In the morning we were briefed by each of the four branches of the organization’s mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina – Human Rights, Education, Democratization, and Security. The meeting was about two hours long, and while there was a lot of information I feel as though I left the meeting more confused than when I entered the meeting.

            For lunch we went to a restaurant in the main level of a nearby housing block – the architecture of this city is very fascinating. But we were able to eat with five of the younger interns at the organization, to get a real feel for the situation. I spent most of my time talking with Panos, a man from Cyprus who grew up in Greece who works in the education department, and Stephanie, a woman from Ireland who works in the Human Rights Department as a Legal Advisor. They both told fascinating life stories and it was very nice to get a frank opinion on the condition in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

            After lunch we went to the building where the UN was headquartered until the 2000s, but is now occupied by a number of organizations including the European Union’s Police Mission. There we had a briefing by the head Political Advisor who was also extremely honest and clear with his understandings of the situation and his aspirations for the country as a whole.

            On the tram (a bus connected to a cable) ride back towards the center of town we saw the landscape shift from the communist housing blocks, to the brand new car dealerships, and then seamlessly into the Austrian-Hapsburg style buildings. I stopped with a few other students and our professor and teaching assistant to have coffee with the Head and Deputy Head of the Education department at the OSCE mission.  That was probably my favorite meeting of the day and the most informative – this was due to the topics of conversation, the addition of coffee, and the small/intimate setting. I hope to write my research project on the process of education reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina, it was important for me to have the last meeting today to really get a more complete and honest understanding of the situation as it currently stands. I would try to recreate all that I heard for you here, but I honestly haven’t fully processed the information myself.

            After walking back from our informal session, the whole group of sixteen students decided to get dinner together. Of all places in Sarajevo we chose to eat at a Mexican restaurant! It was quite an experience reading the English translation of a Spanish menu in the middle of Serbo-Croatian Sarajevo! Regardless, the food was good and the company was great, we really had a chance to talk all together and to bond on a more informal level. On our way back towards the motel, we ran into some of the interns who we had lunch with and decided to stay out for a little longer to talk to them more. We ended up at the “City Pub” which had an English feel to it, but was filled with nationals and internationals alike. The local beer is called Sarajevska, which is the feminine possessive form of “Sarajevo,” the name of the city in which we are currently staying. At first I thought that it was the name of the production company and while this remains true, the product is called (translated) Sarajevska Piva (Sarajevan Beer) and one of the local bottled waters is called Sarajevska Voda (Sarajevan Water).

            Tomorrow is another day that will be full of briefings and more things to see and to learn. This weekend I hope to go into the hills to see a full view of the city and to get a different perspective on life in Sarajevo (don’t worry Mom, I’ll be safe!). Everyone who I have talked to has said that their favorite thing to do is Sarajevo is just to walk around. Even after being here for four short days, I can see why. The city is bustling with life, there are always children and families around, as well as teenage groups and grandparents. There is an abundance of outdoor cafes with umbrellas that create a shade that is approximately fifteen degrees cooler than being in the sun. It has truly been an experience being here, and I am looking forward to exploring more of the city in the next five days. 

With Love,

Lauren