No curve was too sharp for them and their bicycle. No puddle was deep enough to stop them. -- Friends by Helme Hein

26 August, 2007

birqa

I was startled this afternoon when I left James' apartment building and in walked a woman in a full birqa. I didn't think I would be shocked by this, but I guess I was caught off guard by a figure in head-to-toe-to-fingertip black advancing towards me quickly. It was sort of ninja like. I can't imagine the pain of wearing that in this heat---it's been upwards of 90 degrees this week.

Michael Moore in Sarajevo

Last night, James and I went to the final movie of the Sarajevo Film Festival, Sicko by Michael Moore. It's an uncomfortable experience to watch an essentially anti-American film in a foreign country, especially a country that has mixed fillings about America's role in saving its people from war. A lot of the jokes were either lost in translation or just plainly misunderstood (James and I were the only 2 laughing when he said he sat down to enjoy fine Canadian cuisine, and he flashed to a picture of onion rings). At the end of the movie, Michael Moore came out to speak for a while about his feelings for Sarajevo (complete with 8-10 bodyguards) and America's concern and care for Bosnia. You realize how gutsy this guy is as he got up in front of an audience of war survivors and rattled his mouth off about a conflict he had nothing to do with. But, the crowd loved him and loved his movie. Fortunately, Moore said only nice things about Americans and we didn't have to shut our mouths and duck out of the theater early.

25 August, 2007

coming home

I'll start with one of the most basic needs in life---a place to call home.
Having been
either semi-nomadic or living with 15 year olds (a.k.a. spawns of the devil) for the last few years, it's nice to have a quiet place I can call home. My apartment is in an area called Ciglane (sig-lawn-ee), up on a hill in the center of Sarajevo. The balcony overlooks the western side of Sarajevo, with views of the green hills, towering mosques, new construction and old cemeteries. I think it's beautiful. I'm on the 4th floor (5th for us Americans) in a fully furnished apartment. My kitchen is orange and hot pink--never thought it could work, but I love it. I'm also blessed with a washer (that also dries!) and a dishwasher.

There are a few shops and restaurants in this area accessed by a short walk down a few flights of stairs. Living in Ciglane is ideal. Old town, cafes and the vegetable market are all close by. The last picture of the building with the fence around it is the Chinese embassy, just across from my building.