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

12 December, 2007

Random Ramblings

The QSI Sarajevo bus fleet! VW's are the most popular, and most stolen, vehicles in Sarajevo.
I would guess 2 out of every 3 cars in Bosnia is a VW.
I think there are some sick birds in Sarajevo tonight. We must have had at least 16 runny hits on the Buba while it was parked under a tree. Really, I thought someone had egged the car, it was so bad.

We made our decision. We have to go for the dream and try for jobs in The Netherlands. If it doesn't work out, so be it, and we may end up somewhere really else. But, the dream of riding our bikes to work everyday is too enticing.

People should always look at a place with the perspective that they will be leaving it soon. Even though we still have almost 7 months left in Sarajevo, we are beginning to view the city with "rose colored glasses." Here are just a few of the things we will miss: cherry rakija at Trattorio Uno, our friend Edita, the peaceful nights, somun pita bread, our incredible apartments on the hill, the uneven cobblestone staircases, and cheap, bubbly water.

01 December, 2007


The first street dancer we have ever seen.
Proof that a little sunshine will change everyone's perspective! Bags of bread are often left hanging on the trash cans for people in need.

Today, I like Sarajevo. The sun is shining. The change in weather put a skip in almost everyone's step and a few of the dour looking faces even turned into smiles. We had a Bosnian morning downtown--picked up a few black market DVDs, watched the parade of Sarajevans dressed to the nines to see and be seen, had a mini-Zeljanica (spinach pie) and a cappuccino among the smoke and locals.

We have to make a decision soon. Our dream has been to live and teach in The Netherlands for a lot of reasons, mostly because it's such a friendly bike culture. But to go for 2 of the 5 jobs available next year, we have to quit our jobs in Sarajevo because of timing issues. We are generally happy here, despite the fog and coal burning, and don't want to have to take just any job. Do we take the risk and go after the dream? Or do we stay in relative job security and spend another year in Bosnia, trying to enjoy the small things in life and raising our chances of dying at the fender of a '72 VW Golf or a smog induced respiratory infection? Choices...