Folklore Class

I taught the first session of the second class I've been assigned to teach here. It's called American Culture and Folklore, and I think it went quite well. The students are first year students, so they are just beginning. But their language skills and general abilities seemed quite high, and I think they will be very interesting to work with. We talked about key concepts like culture, tradition, worldview, folklore, and related issues. At one point I was explaining assimilation, and I asked them if they had seen Star Trek. Most people nodded and said yes, much more so than is usually the case in my American classrooms (American students claim to have never seen Star Trek). So then I asked if they knew the Borg, and they again said yes. So I said "Then you are familiar with the term assimilation?" They laughed and said yes again. Most of my lecture on understanding culture and folklore seemed to go over well. I got through a lot of material (happily, because I only have 7 total class meetings, many fewer than at home), and they seemed to understand it all quite easily and quickly. We briefly covered many kinds of folklore and art, from foodways, to Lascaux Cave paintings, to Shakespeare and the Grimm Brothers, to Picasso and Pueblo potters.

I asked them if they would be interested in having American students as pen pals on email, and they all said yes, so please let me know if you know college age students who would be interested in having a Croatian college student to chat with online (as an email penpal).

There was an American writer here in town yesterday, Roger Rueff, who spoke about his theory of writing, especially for screen plays. He wrote the screenplay for the film The Big Kahuna. He was interesting, though there was some disagreement over his theory (which was basically that all films should have one main character with one main story arc with one of four possible outcomes). It seemed a bit restrictive, but when challenged he claimed he wasn't saying everyone had to write this way. But he did seem to be suggesting that otherwise the script would not make a good movie. When he was presented with examples that people thought did not fit his theory and yet were still good films, like Almodovar's films, or ensemble films like Crash or The Big Chill, he basically concluded that none of those were ultimately really very moving or compelling films (because there was no character he could relate to). Anyway, I really enjoyed the event overall regardless of whether his theory seems right. It was in the university library museum room, where the walls were all lined with beautiful old manuscripts, fragments of medieval architecture -- stone statues, parts of churches, and so on -- and the chairs we sat in seemed to be beautiful old church choir chairs, big and wooden.

Afterwards a group of faculty and a few students took the writer out for coffee at a cafe overlooking the sea. It was the first really warm and sunny day since I've been here, so it was very nice. All the outdoor seating at all cafes in town (of which there are many) was filled up, for the first time since I've been here. But we found a table and crowded around it. One of the people I met is a professor here in cultural studies. He seemed quite nice and interesting, got his PhD at U of Texas and taught for a while in the States, but came back here when U.S. politics got so disheartening. It was really nice to connect with people and be intellectually stimulated. So it's been a good few days.

Walking Down the Street

Conventions vary around the world for all sorts of things, including which side of the road you drive on, how to greet people (shake hands, nod, bow, kiss on the cheeks, or hug), whether or not to look people in the eye (or when to do so), how to dress appropriately, and a million other things. Here, one of the little things I've noticed about daily life is that I often seem to trip up on which side of the sidewalk to walk on when passing other people. At home we pretty much always stick to the right side, (right?), probably because that's how we drive too (I've always assumed). I think in Japan you always stick to the left side (which is also the side of the road they drive on). And I've been in countries where people just kind of ignore on-comers in certain situations. So for instance a woman might always get out of the way for a man, squeezing herself to a wall or something on a narrow sidewalk, so the man can get by. In Vietnam you have to just hurl yourself into the otherwise non-stop moped or scooter traffic just to get across the street. You see some tourists sort of paralyzed at crossing the street because they keep waiting for an opening. If you make the right moves, you can usually just go (in Vietnam) and people will slow down enough not to run into you, though you have to be sort of aggressive about it, maybe look them in the eye as you cross and make it clear you're not backing down. I've had friends from New Orleans tell me getting people to throw you beads at Mardi Gras is all about eye contact.

Here, people are quite polite when passing each other on a narrow walkway. I particularly notice this because the walk I take into town each day includes one long narrow sidewalk that is frequently traveled by walkers, often carrying heavy sacks of groceries or other goods. And they are quite polite about turning aside and making room for those coming from the opposite direction. It's narrow because on one side are buildings and on the other are cars, kept from parking on the sidewalk only by a series of iron poles cemented into the walk. The whole sidewalk is probably about 2 feet wide. So both parties will adjust to make room for the other as they pass. But which side do you go for?

At first I was assuming that since they drive on the right side of the road here, they would walk that way too. But it doesn't seem to always be true. The thing is, there seems to be no clear convention. Sometimes if you walk on the right side the other party coming toward does so too, and there's no problem. But other times, the other party sticks to his or her left, making me think I should be on the left. But if I've left it too long, the other person may have already switched to the right, so then we're both confused and maybe do one of those little dances trying to pass each other.

An office mate tells me that there is no real convention for this that she's noticed after 12 years of living here. It's more a squaring of the shoulders and a look in the eye (but not aggressively) she says, and sticking to your side. She thinks people are often more preoccupied by avoiding obstacles on the sidewalk than worrying about which side of the street they're on or should be on. What obstacles? Well, like in Paris and other big cities in Europe, where people love dogs but live in apartments without yards or parks nearby, there is often dog poop on the sidewalk. You'll see many a tourist in the city of lights ogling the architecture and stepping in a big pile of you know what, much to their dismay. There are also dripping air conditioners, cars, and so on to avoid. So maybe it is about just picking your side and sticking to it.

Anyway, it's one of many joys and stimulations of living abroad, I think, to have these constant (even if very minor) opportunities to reflect upon the nature of customs, habits, and culture generally while living abroad. Why do we do the things we do, and what are those things? Do most of us ever even think about walking down the street, or how we do it? Out I go now, to brave the dirtied and crowded avenues on my way home. There are, by way, plenty of architecture and other sights to ogle here, but I have yet to step in doggy doo.

Making Connections

Friday evening I went to a concert of a French group of folk singers as part of what apparently was French Cultural Week here. They were six men with excellent voices who mostly sang without accompaniment. But on some songs they also used open backed drums and a tambourine. The cultural center where the concert took place is not far from my place. It’s actually on the route I walk into town everyday, though I’ve never noticed it before. The group’s French was hard to understand since they were from some southern region of France (Provence maybe) with their own distinctive dialect. But they also made many introductions to their songs in English. And most of the audience seemed to understand (laughing at the jokes, etc.).

This is a phenomenon that I have observed overseas before, how people from all over the world often use English as the “lingua franca.” I’ve seen Belgians, Germans and Dutch using English in France; Italians, Swedes, Japanese, and Danish sharing a household with English as the only way to communicate with each other; and many other situations all over the world where the only way to communicate is English. I think it’s a phenomenon that has never happened before in history or prehistory, this global way of communicating. I’m not saying that everyone speaks English, or that they should. And I’m not saying that everyone’s English is equally good or fluent or effective. But I have noticed that no matter where you go, almost anywhere on the planet today, you can probably find someone who can speak a little English. So if you speak English, you can probably get along almost anywhere. It’s really amazing when you think about it.

I also took a little outing with a colleague yesterday. We went to Trsat. She showed me the health food store there (Lotos) and pointed out things that she likes to buy there (like some soy pudding, good honey, and interesting bread). We sat and had coffee in an outdoor café for a few hours and just chatted about life in Croatia and the States (where she has visited several times). I asked her about life in communist Yugoslavia. She said it wasn’t really bad most of the time, nothing like the U.S.S.R., since they could travel and never had shortages and so on. Plus she said life was better in some ways, everything was available and provided (like health care and apartments), and you could afford to go out to dinner and cultural events and so on quite easily (which I gather is less the case now).

I also heard from my Dad’s cousin’s daughter (Cathy) who is an expert in genealogy. She found this blog and wrote me as a result, telling me some details about our family history. Our grandmothers were sisters, so their parents (the Kosmuch/Milosevich family) were the ones who came from Croatia. Anyway, the name of the village they came from is Mrzla Vodica, which is very near Lokve, which amazingly turns out to be just 25 kilometers from where I am now, Rijeka. So I should have no trouble going there and looking in the parish (St. Catherine’s) records for family information. It probably means any Kuzmic families around there may be relatives.

Second Class (with a little on Flannery)

My research methods class met again last night. I had prepared a lot to talk about and some exercises, so we did not really have much discussion. Fewer students came last night than the first week, 12 I think. There are 39 on the roll, but apparently all those with other majors (history, philosophy, Croatian, etc.) who will write a thesis focused in that area will not come to this class at all. So I'm not sure why they are on the roll. But we had a pretty good class I think. At one point I told them about a Flannery O'Connor story. The example I was using about analyzing literature was based on one of her stories -- "Good Country People" -- so I briefly explained the plot. I set it up by describing Joy/Hugla's personality, her artificial leg, her mother, her lifestyle. Then I told them about the Bible salesman and the trip the two took up into the barn loft. I explained that Hulga was feeling superior in her seduction of the man. Then I asked them what they thought would happen next. They did not make any guesses. When I told them that he stole her leg, they all burst out laughing. I tried to explain a little of the Southern Gothic tradition. They seemed appreciative, so maybe I'll try to give them a copy of the story. Apparently Flannery is translated into Croatian, but so far I have not found too many people who have heard of her. My office mate who is a writer (and has spent time -- partly in grad school -- in the States and Canada) does know of her work. By the way, the town I live in (Milledgeville, GA) and the university where I teach (Georgia College) is the hometown and alma mater of this great writer of whom I speak, Flannery O'Connor.

Mostly the class last night was about how to write a thesis statement and conceive of a research project. I had a long day yesterday since the class is in the evening. On the way home, at about 7:45 pm, I decided to stop and get a little pizza for dinner at the pizzeria closest to my house. It was quite good (the classic Margerita), with a thicker crust than is often the case with pizzas here. It came in the same kind of take out box that we have back home. I carried it through the rain (just sprinkling mostly) and ate it at home. By the way, I want to correct one impression I gave in an earlier post about Croatian TV. I think I said most of the films they show are violent and bloody, but I've discovered that's not true. I've seen a number of pretty good art films and what would be called independent or alternative films back home on TV here too. For instance last night they played Surviving Picasso with Anthony Hopkins.

More Rain and Cold

The last few days have been dreary, yet trees are blossoming, so spring is clearly on the way. I did not even leave the house yesterday, though I did a fair amount of work at home, writing syllabi and preparing for tonight's class. I teach my research methods class at 6 pm and am looking forward to interacting with the students again.

I found out Monday that I will soon have another class to teach, American culture and folklore, I think it will be called. This apparently required various kinds of negotiation and permission, because all of Europe is switching their university systems to what is called the "Bologna Process." I don't fully understand what that involves, but apparently it will be an effort at standardization and will make European universities a bit more like American ones (or so it was briefly explained to me). Anyway, in spite of this hurdle, Maja (pronounced Maya), the department chair here, managed to get it approved. Maja seems very nice and interesting, like all the faculty I've met here. She did her PhD in Oxford (England).

There's another vegetarian restaurant in town, MacroVega (maybe I've already mentioned it?), which is quite good. I've eaten lunch there three times this week. Today I chose a mashed potatoes and greens dish with a tomato like sauce, and some beets and corn (kind of a salad I think), and a patty of some grains and veggies, kind of a veggie burger, but smaller and fatter. It was filling; in fact I did not finish the beets. I spoke to one of the owners briefly to ask her if they had a religious affiliation (often vegetarian restaurants are run by Hari Krishnas). She said that no, she and two friends were just very committed to animal rights and being vegetarian, so they decided to open this restaurant. It seems to do a good business. It has brightly painted, orange walls, yellow patterned curtains, I think green patterned table cloths, and many Indian prints on the walls.

A bit later-- I also found a nice tea room today, not far from the office. I was actually driven away by a non-stop smoking office mate. This is the first time we've been in the office together. I had a lot of prep work to do, so I couldn't really leave. But once I finished my prep, some of which I did in an empty classroom to escape the smoke, I went out looking for a cafe, hoping I might find one uncrowded or non-smoking. I wandered some back streets near the office and quickly came upon signs pointing to an interesting seeming tea room. It was non-smoking(!), had an excellent selection of teas, and was a great place to spend an hour on a rainy afternoon. Lots of atmosphere with pink walls, paper lanterns, distressed wood tables, and all the huge variety of tea served in nice porcelain. Everything came with its own little dish, a timer to tell me when to remove the tea bag (green tea with Japanese cherry flavor), a little dish to put the empty tea bag into, another little dish with a sugar cube in it, another with a little cookie in it.

A Trip to the Countryside

Saturday I met another American working in Rijeka, Mariellyn, who is an English Language Fellow working at all the law faculties in the country (to help them improve their English) throughout this whole year (and maybe next year too). She is a former attorney herself, from San Francisco, and she is very friendly. She travels quite a bit, to all the law faculties (colleges) in the country, so apparently she is not here too often, though her apartment is in Rijeka. Now she is gone for another week to Split. But anyway on Saturday I took the bus to this new part of town and met her and her friends who were visiting from Split. One of these -- Stephanie -- is also an American who is married to a Croat. Her husband (a merchant marine) and a few friends from their village were all visiting.

It was interesting to see inside another apartment; this one a three bedroom, also with a view of the sea (though nearer to Opatija). I think her view of the sea is better than mine, and she has a large terrace. But my apartment has bigger rooms and more charm. I liked her place though, and wouldn't have minded something like that, though it's a longer walk into town too. I think we pay about the same amount in rent. And I think the rents are probably inflated for foreigners.

It was also interesting to get to talk to people who have been here a while and ask them questions about life here. They had planned an excursion to some Croatian friends to drop off something Stephanie's husband brought back for them from a recent trip to the States. So I went along for the ride. We went to a seaside village about 45 minutes Southeast of Rijeka (on the way to Split). It was a beautiful drive to a beautiful spot. The houses in the village were all quite nice, and many had out signs that they have rooms for rent for tourists on holiday. It's apparently quite common in Croatia for people (especially in touristy areas on the seashore) to have rooms or apartments for rent in private houses. The government even helps promote these to some extent, with tourists agencies in most town that will help you find the kind of accommodation you are seeking.

These people spoke English very well, since they have lived in the U.S. for years. So we had a nice visit, and this was the first Croatian house I saw the inside of, except for my landlady's. It did not seem much different from an American house, though there was some Croatian traditional "naive" art on the walls. These are basically paintings in a "naive" or folk style of village life in the countryside. We were served coffee, wine, a liquor, and some "cake" the woman had made, a kind of baklava type dessert. It was a really pleasant afternoon. One exciting aspect of it was that when they found out I have Croatian ancestry they asked me for the family names. One of them, my Grandfather's mother's maiden name, Gasparivich, they said was a name from a village right nearby (ten minutes away). They said this is the only village in the country where people were named Gasparivich, so I might try to get back there and search church records or something.

I also went to church with this whole group (who were visiting Mariellyn) on Sunday at Our Lady of Trsat -- the church I have described before. By the way, this is the third most popular pilgrimage site in the country. Catholics are big on pilrgrimages. This particular spot is considered sacred, and the church is here, because the house where the annunciation was made (to Mary) is believed to have been magically transported here, where it rested for three years before it was again magically transported to Italy, its final resting spot. So this spot is blessed, and apparently is particularly visited by women.

The church was so crowded for mass that at least half of the people there had to stand all through the mass. Of course I did not understand any of it, but it followed along like mass anywhere. There was a nice choir and organ. One interesting thing I noticed was that there was a confessional in the back of the church, near where we were standing, that was open (i.e. a priest was hearing confessions), and there was a big line of people waiting to have their confessions heard -- during mass. I guess it's common here, and fairly practical, since you can then be sure of taking communion with a clean slate. But it also struck me as kind of odd, because if you're in the confessional, you are not paying attention to mass, which I always thought you were supposed to do. I am not, by the way, a practicing Catholic (nor a practitioner of any religion), though this was the religion I was raised in, so the rituals are familiar to me.

After mass let out many people, mostly all dressed up, strolled around the area, took their picture in front of the statue of the pope there, or went to cafes nearby. We in fact went to the cafe in the courtyard of the castle, a beautiful spot. It was a bit chilly while the wind blew, but when the wind died down the sun felt lovely. After our coffee we strolled around and saw many people visiting the courtyard and chapel devoted to Mary. There is an image of Mary under a kind of arbor in the courtyard (of the church), where many people light candles and leave them to burn, probably in remembrance of departed loved ones or as part of particular prayers. Many people also approached the actual "statue" -- sort of a bas relief image on a wall -- and touched it reverently as part of their prayers. There were hundreds and hundreds of candles burning away on a table in front of the main image and also on side tables. So there was a lot of smoke and people praying to "the blessed virgin." I was struck by the similarity between this scene and similar scenes I have seen in China and Vietnam, of people praying either to Buddha or female goddesses of fertility. Similar to the candles, they light incense, or burn money, or somehow create smoke, that helps send prayers (I think). And they pray before the image of the goddess or god, and sometimes they touch the image reverently.

Photos and New Template

Surprise! I changed the template to this "Harbour" option. Hope you like it and the new photos. In the change some formatting where the other photos appear may look different depending on the browser you use.

Two more photos showing a vew from Trsat and the church of Our Lady of Trsat

A Little More of Rijeka

It's still cold and windy, but bright and sunny today. I had to pull up my hood on my walk to town, and a half hour after coming into the office after walking around mostly outside for about 2 hours, my cheeks still feel glowing. But I was determined to see something more of the town today. I found a church very close to the office, St. Vitus. It's a round church, mostly built and decorated in the 18th and 19th centuries. There is a statue of someone (St. Vitus?) under glass and people were praying to it. Maybe it even hold the reminds of the saint. In fact every time I've gone into any church here, no matter the day or hour, there are always a significant number of people inside praying. It's a very Roman Catholic country, and I think part of the new nationalism after the break-up of Yugoslavia and Croatian independence has been a big resurgence in religious sentiment and practice. It shows you are truly Croatian to pray (in a Catholic church). Of course this is not true of everyone, but it's noticeable to me how many more people here are always praying than when I've visited churches elsewhere throughout Europe. I'm not sure how popular the Eastern Orthodox churches are here, since it would be mostly Serbs attending (and I think many of them left after the war). But there are a few orthodox churches in town.

Several people have mentioned to me in emails that they wonder how Croatia is responding to Slobodan Milosević's recent death. I wonder myself. I can't understand Croatian to hear what they say on the news. So mostly I've followed it on CNN International and BBC World. I have asked a few people here about it and what they think. And everyone I've talked to just shakes the head and says what a bad man he was. I think there is a sense of relief that he did not do so much damage in Croatia as in some other places.

By the way, some of you may have received postcards that show Trsat, including a picture of a man depicted in statue. I did not know who that was when I sent the cards. The statue is outside the church and is quite prominent and large. When I've been there, many people go up to the statue, and some seem very moved and even pray before it. Anyway, I asked Vinko the other day who that was, and he looked at me like I'm stupid, "The Papa, Jan Pavel II," which of course means Pope John Paul II. And it does look like him. I just wasn't even thinking it would be someone I knew when I looked at the statue. I assumed it was a bishop or count or someone from Croatia. But apparently the pope visited here at some point and Croatians greatly revere him. Vinko told me that he really helped Croatia a lot in its quest for independence. So if you get one of those postcards, that's who the man in the statue is.

After my trip to the St. Vitus church today, I wandered through some interesting back streets, and eventually found the university library near the center. It houses the museum of modern art. But there was no exhibit today, so basically it was closed. There will be an American writer here giving a talk in a couple of weeks, and it will take place there, so it's good I found where it is. I also found a little Irish pub that sells Guinness beer (my favorite) that I hope to visit in the future (maybe when friends come to visit).

And then I found another vegan restaurant (the second I've found here), called "Macrovegan." I have eaten several times at the other such place near the Korzo called Ganesha. And they don't have a huge variety of dishes. So I was happy to hear that there is another vegetarian restaurant here. I had lunch there just now, gnocchi in a spinach sauce, a nice mixed salad, and a hearty, whole grain slice of bread, all for about $2.50. They also had some crepes with pineapple, carob, and nuts that I was eyeing. But I was so full after the food that I did not get any dessert.

I was speaking to a colleague yesterday who just recently spent a year in Oxford, England. She was apologizing for the lack of vegetarian restaurants and shops here in Rijeka. I told her that I had already found more here than in my town of Milledgeville, Georgia (which used to have one but now has none). I think she was surprised, but I told her that I live in a conservative (and I think I might have said "backwards") part of the country, and people are not sympathetic to vegetarians there. So I'm very happy to be here for a while (which I am). Anytime someone here asks me how I like Rijeka, I sense they really want me to have a positive impression, and they are very happy when I tell them how much I like it. So that has made me think that people are very proud of the country and this city and region in particular.

A Nice Day and an Excursion

My landlord (well the landlady's nephew who is acting as the landlord since she is sick) called this morning to ask if I want a ride to the big grocery store on the outskirts of town. I happily took him up on the offer. We went to Plodine and I had a nice leisurely time looking through what was there and picking out items. Some things you can figure out easily, like cookies and tomatoes, especially since there are pictures on the labels. And sometimes there is even some English on the label. But other things are harder to figure out. For instance I wanted to buy some solution to clean the bathtub, but I couldn't figure out which of the many cleaning solutions there would work on the bathtub (this was actually the other day in town). I did try to ask a woman working there, but she spoke no English. After looking for quite a while I finally noticed one that bottle, "Mr. Proper" with the same muscled guy pictured as on "Mr. Clean" at home, had the word "bath" on it, and showed a picture of a bathroom sink, a toilet and a bathtub shining in the background of the label. So I figured it would work. And today I used it and it did work quite well. So shopping is always an interesting cross-cultural experience.

By the way, I also bought some of the nut roll that looks like pugatitsa today and tasted it. It tastes a little like the pugatitsa we make, but that's not what it's called. I'm still working on learning what pugatitsa is here, and how it's different from this other stuff.

Then Vinko asked if I wanted to go up to Trsat (from the grocery store), and so we did. We visited the church there (our lady of Trsat), and saw more of it because there was no mass going on (as there was the other day). Vinko also took me around through the connected cloister and grounds near the monastery. There is a back garden with a covered area for devotions to the Virgin Mary (Marija here). And there were plaques and other objects decorating the gardens that had been found by the monks in the gardens and on the walls. There were many plaques on the wall given in commemoration to "our lady" or asking for her protection. Many of them apparently had to do with the sea. There was a whole chapel devoted to Mary with the walls completely covered with these types of commemorations, and also what appeared to be devotional artwork. For instance, there was a big (like 6 foot long) rosary all carved from wood, with 1 inch wooden beads, and a carved wooden crucifix. There were also some crutches on one wall, presumably from sick people healed by their pilgrimage there. This is one of the biggest pilgrimage centers in the country.

We also went to a health foodstore (Lotos) and then we went to a cafe, where I had some of the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted -- basically just melted chocolate, it seemed. I might start going to more cafes. Since I don't drink coffee I often don't think of stopping at cafes. But they also have lots of herbal tea here. I see people drinking it all the time, and it's readily available in groceries and at cafes, and people choose it over black tea. And the whole cafe culture (sitting outside or inside in an interesting atmosphere) is relaxing and appealing.

The weather was a little better today, but apparently another cold front is due to come through.

On Books and Reading

I think it's Spring Break (one week of no classes) back home in Georgia now. So perhaps a lot of people there are relaxing and reading. Or maybe traveling and not relaxing. I feel like I'm on a kind of break as well, since I don't have very taxing teaching duties right now. But it's still very cold, so enjoying the beach, wandering leisurely through town, or taking trips to nearby interesting spots are not appealing. Mostly I just hang out in my apartment and take at least one walk into town each day (to go to the office, shop, and just get out). But it's always a windy, cold walk. So what I am doing a fair amount of (as I also usually do during Spring Breaks) is reading, huddling under a blanket and sitting just below the heating unit. I brought some books with me, but I've also been looking for new ones.

There are several bookstores in town, and all of them sell at least a few books in English. The best of these that I've found is on the Korzo and has a pretty big section of books in English. I bought a couple of books last week by Isabel Allende. They're from a juvenile fiction series, fantasy I guess, that I didn't even know she had written. I've been so busy for so long that I haven't even had time to browse at bookstores or check bestseller lists for many of the writers I like (or new writers). So far I have read the second in Allende's new trilogy -- Kingdom of the Golden Dragon (set in a fictional kingdom in the Himalayas). It was fun, though light and well, fantastical. I also got the third in the trilogy (set in Africa), but they did not have the first one (set in the Amazon). They take place in these far away, "hidden" places in our world and involve magical beasts (like real Yetis), talking stones, and so on. A couple of adolescents (boy and girl) accompany their grandmother on her treks as a travel magazine writer and solve mysteries or crimes as they discover these magically interesting people, animals, and places.

I'm also reading my friend Kellie Wells' new novel, Skin, which I highly recommend. She's a gifted writer with a luminous style, complex characterizations, and powerful stories. Check it out (available at Amazon.com or University of Nebraska Press).

Speaking of Amazon, I assume it would be kind of risky (mail wise) and expensive to order things from there to get here. But there is a new bestseller out that I'd really like to get and read, Labyrinth, by Kate Mosse. I know it's probably a DaVinci Code wannabe, and maybe kind of cheesy. But I wish I could find it and read it. The kicker is that I had an English language version of it in my hands at a bookstore at the airport in Amsterdam. But I thought it seemed kind of overpriced (about 14 euros). Plus I was just too tired to think coherently there and deal with carrying yet one more thing. Now I wish I had bought it and would pay that much if I found it here. I've checked all the bookstores here in town, and asked my favorite one to order it for me. But so far, it sounds like they may not be able to. At least they're looking into it. If I can't order it here, maybe I'll find it in Zagreb, which I think I'll visit in about a month. Or maybe I can find it in Italy if I go there (which I hope to as soon as it is even a little warmer).

You may get that I tend to feel the cold pretty intensely. People who know me marvel that I made it through two years of fieldwork in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, especially since it was during some of their worst ever winters. But partly it's that I was prepared mentally for long, cold winters up there (though I still suffered from the cold). Here I expected a Mediterranean Spring. Surely it will come, hopefully soon.

On Trash and Interesting Things about Croatia

It's been a cold few days, especially yesterday, when there was a very strong wind howling all around the house. Today is also briskly cold, but at least it's sunny. And we don't have the snow that is present in much of the rest of Croatia and Europe (I've seen pictures on TV). But I know it's warm and sunny back home in Georgia, and even when I left the daffodils and a few trees were already blooming. So now it's probably a gorgeous spring there. After my excursion Saturday (when I took the pictures you can see below) I did not leave the house on Sunday, except to throw out the trash. There are dumpsters along the road, one only a few meters from our street gate (which is down some steps and a walkway from the actual villa).

Trash cans, by the way, inside the house, are very small here, more like the size of what we use in the bathroom (for the kitchen). I think it's all part of a different mentality here about consumerism and waste. At home, I've known people who seem to enjoy producing as much trash as possible, filling up even huge trashcans sometimes multiple times per week. I've often thought that some people think it's a sign of their success or something to be able to throw away a lot of stuff. It kind of drives me nuts and I work very hard at home to recycle and try to produce as little trash as possible. Fifteen years ago there was a resurgence in environmentalism, I think, and we were all worried about recycling, toxic waste, and overflowing landfills. But it didn't laste long, I think, and packaging and junk mail just keep increasing and people seem less aware, if anything, about the impact of all our junk on the environment. It's like we're conditioned to produce and process a lot of garbage. But here there is less trash, and people (I think) re-use things more. It's not that they don't want to buy things, but maybe people do buy less because salaries are lower on average. I think the range of salary for college professors, for instance, is between $700 and $1000 per month. But even when you buy things, food for instance, there won't be so much superfluous packaging, so there's less to throw away as a result. Anyway, I haven't filled up my little trash can in the kitchen more than once a week.

I made a big pot of soup yesterday, the first really ambitious cooking I've done since I got here. It's a variation on my mom's German mother's soup recipe, called grumbla noodla (at least that's how it sounds), basically it's potatoes and homemade noodles with milk in it. But I add a bunch of other vegetables as well (garlic, onion, tomato, green pepper, celery, carrot, cauliflower, and broccoli). And since it was all I had, I made my noodles out of whole wheat flour (from the health food store). It turned out quite delicious, and I'll be able to eat leftovers all week. Just the thing to do on a very cold and lazy day, make a hearty, vegetarian soup!

Today I visited the rector's building in the morning, where the international relations office is for the university. This is where the very helpful people are housed who found my apartment and will help me register for a residency permit with the police, and so on. Once we talked about a few bureaucratic matters (papers they need for my permit and how I'll get paid), I asked Darko about some of my family connections to Croatia. He helped me look up a few names in the phone book to see where they might live today. The Kosmuch (as we spell it in the States) or Kuzmić (or Kosmac), as it's spelled here, name shows up in various parts of Croatia, mostly around Zagreb, the center of the country, and the coast (a few in Rijeka). We also looked up the name my mom got that she thinks is the village my grandmother's mother came from, Bistra Vodica, which Darko said means, "clear water" in Croatian. [NOTE (months later): I actually found out later that it was Mrzla Vodica, meaning cold water, and I ended up visiting this village -- see July entries]. We had no luck finding that exact name. But it was interesting to look it all up. Darko has some ancestors who went to the States, so we looked up those names too. In fact they were in Akron, OH, where some of my family also settled. So I may help him to contact those people.

I also walked through a new section of town, to get to the rector's building, and then around that neighborhood. It seems to be the richest, biggest mansions in town, some very beautiful houses or villas. This was all up a hill from where I live, so I climbed a bunch of steps to get there, then walked through winding streets to get back down to the center.

Part of what makes this town interesting is all the influences and history. There were Celts here, Gauls, Romans, Italians, Austrians, Hungarians, and of course Slavs. But the particular region didn't really suffer so much during the recent war (far enough from the border I guess). So there are many influences and much cultural mixture. As I learn more about this, I'll write more.

Two Pictures of Town

Two New Photos: Farmer-s Market Scene and the Canal (part of the River that the town is named for -- Rijeka = River)

Picture of Trsat Castle

Here's a view inside the walls of Trsat (below, left) -- the ruins of the castle / fort. The Greek looking part is a recent addition by the family -- the Austrian Nugents -- who owned the place in the 19th century and restored it and added this mausoleum.

Visit to Trsat

Here's a view of the Kvarner Coast (the region I'm in) from the castle Trsat, which I was able to visit today, our first sunny and slightly warmer day. This is actually from a park near the castle, closer to the church there (called Gospe Trsatske -- Our Lady of Trsat). Next to it there are these steps that lead up to a park, including an ampitheater for outdoor music performance, and a hill that includes monuments to all the stations of the cross, each of which was adorned with at least a rose, and often other plants or flowers as well. And there was a big cross at the top of the hill, along with a platform for taking in this lovely view. You can see some of the port and center of Rijeka, along with Opatija, the town below the snow covered peaks across the bay. Opatija is a resort town, where the Hapsburgs vacationed when Hungary owned and ran this part of what is now Croatia (it was their port). It still attracts a lot of tourists.

I also visited the "castle," called Trsat. It's basically the ruins of a fort that is on a high hill overlooking the region and the Rejecina River, the fast flowing river that helped make this a desirable place to settle. The oldest part is from the 13th century, but much of it was rebuilt much later. There is a kind of little town up there, with cafes, stores, restaurants, and a kind of square, plus the park near the church and another one near the castle. So it's quite pretty, especially today, the first really nice day since I've been here. It was sunny and not quite as cold as it's been. I even took off my jacket.

Then I did a little shopping at the market in the center, near the port. Even though I was there late, just after noon, there was plenty of fuit and veggies left to choose from. I bought tomatoes, celery, broccoli, caultiflower, bananas, pears, a half loaf of brown (whole wheat) bread, and a little apple pastry.

Teaching the First Class Here

I taught my first class last night -- research methods for the 4th year, senior English majors. I had thought that this meant a kind of senior review class (a review of the literature and major theories and perhaps involving a research project), but in fact it seems to mean a kind of research paper writing class. I did bring a few books appropriate for teaching that, but could have brought more had I realized sooner what the course involves. Additionally, this class carries no requirements in terms of writing assignments the students must do or exams. They just need to attend 50% of the classes, and it meets for 1.5 hours every two weeks (on Wednesday evenings). It's meant to be a preparation for writing their senior theses (40-50 pages on a topic of their choice), which they must defend orally before receiving a diploma. It's a new class that hasn't been taught before.

The students were very nice and their English was exceptionally good. I make this assessment as someone who taught English as a Second Language to students from all over the world for 8 years. I would compare these students favorably with the very best speakers we had from elsewhere in Europe. In fact a British colleague here told me they were comparable to English speakers from Holland and Scandinavia (typically the best non-native English speakers), and I would agree. This high level of English among the English majors at university might also be connected to the overall high level of English I've found among the people generally (as I am doing errands and so on).

The students last night were all waiting in the hallway (though the door was open) outside the classroom at a minute to 6 pm (when we were due to start). Once I went into the classroom, they all filed in. The class room had rows of little tables that two people could share lined up two on each side of the aisle with 4 chairs per pair of tables. There was another table in the front of the room with a podium where I stood. But I also walked around the room most of the time and sat on a desk facing the students, as I often do in the States too. There was a chalkboard, and a box of chalk and a slightly damp sponge in a box attached to the wall next to the chalkboard. All the students went straight for the back of the room. There are 39 students on the roll, and probably room for 50 in the classroom. But not all students attended last night. So in fact there were about 3-4 free rows of desks. Usually in the States students will kind of scatter themselves in a classroom. Some always sit right up front, others way in the back, some near the window, some near the door. But here, they all filled up the rows completely starting from the back, leaving all the front desks free.

I tried to read the roll, but my pronunciation of Croatian names, especially family names, was terrible. They finally told me to just read their first names. So I must have been really butchering the pronunciation. I really have to try to learn a little Croatian.

Anyway, I think we had a pretty good first class. They seem very smart and dedicated, and all about the same age, early twenties, from what I could tell. At one point toward the end of class we were just talking a little and they asked me if I like Croatian food. I told them I'm a vegetarian and so have not eaten much Croatian food. They seemed disappointed. I told them I had eaten a lot of Croatian food growing up, since that's what my mom often cooked. And I told them that when I came home one day here I noticed a very strong smell in my building that I recognized as stuffed cabbage, a dish I knew the smell of well from childhood. And they all kind of laughed and seemed really surprised, about more than just that I would know that food. So I asked them what was up. And they said that they were surprised by my name for the dish, "stuffed cabbage." They told me their name for it in Croatian -- I think it's "sarma" -- and that I should say this instead of stuffed cabbage. I asked why, and they said, "Stuffed cabbage! That just makes it sound so awful!" I said but that's really what we call it and it has no negative connotation. But they really disliked that name. It's funny that I grew up eating this dish, but never thought the name for it was in any way bad; in fact I preferred it to the name some of my friends used for the same dish, "pigs in a blanket," which to me sounded unappealing. Just last night on TV I saw some British show where they called this same dish cabbage rolls. I wonder if the students would find that less objectionable. It seemed it was the "stuffed" part that bothered them. Anyway they definitely prefer their Croatian name for it, sarma.

On Cars and Driving Habits

Cars in Europe are usually much smaller on average than we are used to in the States. I've always admired this about Europe -- that and the excellent, extremely widespread and efficient public transportation. It still galls me that there is no way to get from the city where I live in Georgia to the airport or anywhere in Atlanta without a car.

I remember the first time I ever came overseas, for a year abroad in France 25 years ago. One of my very first impressions of Paris (where my plane landed) was that everything somehow seemed smaller and more compact. Okay, I know and appreciate how grand and beautiful Paris is. I don't mean literally smaller. But somehow it all felt more closed in, compact, with narrow streets (except of course for those Grands Boulevards), no lawns (though many public parks), smaller sidewalks, and so on. From the taxi that took me on a wild ride from one train station (where the train from the airport left me) to another train station (where I could find a train to the city I would live in -- Dijon), I had views of this amazing city that I'd studied so much about. And my initial impression included thinking that it seemed compact or miniature, especially compared to what I was accustomed to up until then, Metro Detroit (kingdom of the automobile and all things designed for it). I think my impression of Paris as compact was largely based on the cars being uniformly so small.

As I walk down the street here and see all the cars parked on the side of the road (parallel parked very tightly), there is nary a one bigger than my car at home (a Ford Focus ZX3 -- hatchback). In fact my car would be considered a fairly large, nice, family car here. Whenever I've brought this up in the States, there's always someone who says, "It's because gas is so expensive over there! That's the only reason they drive those crummy little cars." Gas is more expensive here, but at least for good reason -- government taxes that support things like public transportation. It's not just going into the pockets of oil tycoons, which is the only reason prices seem to go up at home. So I think it' something like $1.5 per liter (~$6 per gallon) for gas here.

But I also remember having conversations with French friends way back when about why they all like small cars (as they said they did). And mostly it seemed to be that compact cars were in their minds cool, sexy, and svelte, because you could zip around town in them, park easily, and so on (all reasons I'm realizing as I write this that I like small cars as well). Plus, they would say, you get good gas mileage and know you are doing something a little better for the environment.

Anyway, coming from the U.S., the smallness of all the cars here is one of the things that strikes you most as you walk down the street. In fact when you see a bigger car, like an S.U.V. or a Minivan, that is what strikes you as out of place and unusual. And I have yet to see a pick-up truck, so ubiquitous back home, especially in the South.

Sunset Photo from My Balcony

This shows a bit of the Adriatic sea that I see from my balcony. You can also see part of the port that I'm at the tail end of (and which seems to produce a lot of noise), and the end of an apartment building across the street. This was the first sunset I saw -- yesterday. There are better views of the sea if I turn to the left a little, but the glare of the sun did not make for good photos in that direction. The land you see across the water is the Istrian peninsula, another part of Croatia.

Thoughts on Television and Language

A few words about television television here. I have a TV in my apartment, and Vinko thoughtfully had satellite installed so that I could have more channels to watch. But I think he probably got the cheapest package, probably some kind of basic international package, which is fine with me. Anyway, I probably have 150 or more channels available, including 6 Croatian stations on the main TV, and then 150 or more others on the satellite. But of those 150 or more channels, maybe 20 are in English, and most of those are news stations (I do happily get CNNI, CNBC, and BBC world -- about the only of these 20 I ever watch); there's also kids programming, music videos, and quite a few really cheesy religious channels. There are really very few channels that just play shows in English, like networks. There are HBO and a few other known American channels listed (Discovery, Fox), but they are all blocked on my system.

But this isn't to say I get no shows in English. On Croatian TV whenever they play American or British shows, they play them in the original version (English language) with Croatian subtitles. And they seem to show many of those, though often they are old movies or old sitcoms or dramas that don't interest me much. I never watch sitcoms anyway, except for the Simpsons (which maybe is a different genre). And they do play The Simpsons (which I think is called something like "Simpsone" here). So there are American or English language shows pretty often if I want to watch them. A lot of the American films they play seem to involve blood and gore. There was one the other day that I only watched a bit of about some super smart sharks that kill all the researchers in a station under the ocean (Samuel L. Jackson was in it and got very dramatically chomped just as he was making a speech about how they'd all make it out alive). And there was one last night that had tons of stars in it, including Val Kilmer and Robert Deniro as bank robbers, and I think Al Pacino as the FBI man who chased them. I only saw the tail end. These are probably films most of you know, but I never can see the titles (even if I catch the beginning of the film) because they replace the English titles with the equivalent in Croatian.

One interesting thing about watching even bad films with Croatian subtitles is that it helps me learn a little Croatian. For instance to say "Good day" here is Dobar dan, and "dobro" means good (can be put in front of morning or evening too). So dobro, good, is one of the few words in Croatian I have learned and hear all the time. And when anyone on any American show says anything in English remotely like "good," "cool," "that's okay," "no problem," "yeah, sure," "you bet," and so on, it seems to always get translated into a subtitle that reads "dobro." So dobro has come to seem like a powerful word.

But back to the satellite, there's very little programming I get in English that interests me. I do get one BBC station besides the news -- BBC prime I think it's called -- that has some good programming sometimes. Last night I watched a well done law drama that dealt with animal and human rights. But mostly they play a lot of silly British comedies (which I don't watch) and sometimes informational shows (which I sometimes watch). For instance I watched an interesting one on Sunday about the hanging gardens of Babylon. Some archeologists tried to reconstruct some methods of lifting the water uphill that they think might have been used.

But by far the vast majority of the channels I get on the satellite are in French, for what reason I don't know. The happy news is that I speak French (was a French major undergrad and have spent 3 years living in French speaking countries). So it's been pretty fun getting to use my French again in this passive way. And I'm finding myself starting to think a little in French, and even to say things aloud in French sometimes. All well and good, except that French doesn't really do me any good in Croatia (it's probably one of the least spoken foreign languages here -- more often people will speak English, Italian, or German). And it's kind of discombobulating to be in a foreign place where I know I should be learning a foreign language, and then to have my brain working on a foreign language, trying to understand, remember vocabulary, etc., but to have it be the wrong foreign language. Anyway, I can see all the programming in French I want, though I don't get what I think is probably the best French channel, canal plus. But this other channel called serie club that I do get plays all kinds of series, mostly from the States, including Buffy, Xena, Highlander, and others in that genre, along with crime dramas and Oz (the HBO prison show).

There are also a lot of would-be porn type channels, called things like EuroticTv, sexytv, and so on. At one point I went through every single channel to write down which ones were in English and French and what they showed. So I saw how many of these channels there are. Many of them seem to come from Italy, Arab countries, or I am not even sure where. But the funny thing is that they are not what you are probably imagining. Mostly they just show scantily clad, overly made up women looking supposedly "sexy," but at least partially dressed, and like, holding a telephone or something, maybe suggestively. Then there are tons of words on the screen ( in languages I don't know) and numbers. So I assume they are urging people to call the equivalent of 1-900 numbers. It seems to be quite a global phenomenon. Sad, cheap, sexual taunts. Plus lots of religious channels, kids programming, music videos, and news. And old American series and films. And some original series and programs from all the various countries in their own languages. That's what people around the world watch.

Cool Travel Blogs to Visit

If you enjoy reading about this kind of travel, you might want to check out a couple of other blogs of friends of mine. Chris Grant is a former colleague who is also on a Fulbright right now in Moldova. You can read his blog here: http://faculty.mercer.edu/grant_jc/moldova.html

And Giles Orr is a former librarian at the university where I teach in the States (Georgia College). He decided to become a world traveler and has been backpacking around Southeast Asia for many months now. You can read about his adventures and see all his beautiful photography at: http://www.gilesorr.com/nucleusblog/

Various people are asking to see more photos from here. I'm trying. Yesterday I wasted an hour of online time trying to upload four pictures I took recently. But after all that time of apparently uploading, I got an error message, and all was for naught. Very frustrating, but I will try again.

Shopping and Getting Accustomed

Today is a sunny day, finally. In fact it's quite bright, but it's still very cold and windy. Apparently the wind can be pretty intense here. In fact I read that the islands between here and Venice were deforested during Venitian rule of this area, and since then the fierce winds have made it impossible for the islands to ever be reforested. The topsoil is gone forever it seems, and most of the islands and even much of the coast around here are quite rocky and not so good for farming.

I came into the office and found out a little about my schedule. I will teach Research Methods to senior students (English majors) on Wednesday evenings. And then I may help out with a few other classes or get another class of my own later in the semester (maybe in a few weeks). There were people in the office today, partly to conduct some "defenses" (final oral exams) for students to graduate (with a B.A.). So I finally got to meet some people here. Everyone seems very nice, and since it was English professors (one from Zagreb, two from here), their English was excellent. One man was telling me a little about the country's history and how it was before the wars (the more recent wars). He said he was in the States and Britain and even had opportunities to move there, but he chose to stay in Croatia because he thought the country had so much promise. But he thinks things have been really hard the last 10-15 years. And everyone affirmed that Rijeka is really the best place to be in the country, better than Zagreb, or even other coastal cities. They said not to worry, that as soon as the weather changes, it will be marvelous. One man told me it will even get too hot, into the 30's (celcius).

I was happy today to find that the little health food store I found the other day -- Ganesha (maybe spelled differently) -- serves vegetarian lunches. So while the other profs used the office for the students' defenses, I went there and had lunch. It was very delicious, some kind of green veggies (kale I was told, but uncertainly) mixed, I think, with mashed potatoes; I also had a salad with lettuce and potatoes and other veggies, a piece of homemade bread, and a kind of falafel like patty that was good. There were many other options too, including homemade tofu sandwiches, homemade seitan, pasta, and soup. I think I will go there for lunch often. It seemed to be a very popular place, too. There must have been 50 people in and out (most buying sandwiches or take-out hot food) just in the 20 minutes or so that I was there. I got more food than I could possible eat (maybe because the woman did not understand I just wanted a little of each, or maybe that's the only way they sell it), so they wrapped up my leftovers to take home.

I also bought a few things there, which were quite expensive in retrospect. I do more or less have the money down, 6 kunas to a dollar, but it is still confusing to divide so quickly and realize the price while you're trying to pay and people are waiting, and so on. So I bought a roll of digestive cookies for something like 4 dollars, and a jar of peanut butter for over 6 dollars, and some sunflower seeds (only a few cups) for 6 dollars, and an organic chocolate bar for 4 dollars. About 20 bucks for one little sack of food. Meanwhile the big double sized lunch was less than 5 dollars. Eating lunch there will be the thing to do, rather than buying the overpriced groceries. But I guess organic and health food is more expensive in the States too. Then I went to the grocery store on the Korzo and mostly just looked around at what they had for sale. I always find grocery stores in foreign countries fascinating, what they have, what they don't have, how they organize it, how they sell it, and so on. Probably the most ubiquitous things worldwide are bread, potatoes, pasta, coffee, biscuits, tomatoes, eggs, paper products, and other staples. There are also always products from Nestle everywhere I have ever been. It's amazing how you can be in a little, tiny spot on the road in Africa, where someone is set up just to sell coffee to people stuck there waiting for public transportation, and they'll have Nescafe instant coffee and cocoa. They may only have a tiny little hibachi type grill filled with charcoal to heat the water, and no real supplies beyond what they can carry there with them, but no problem finding Nescafe. Anyway, I noticed that much of the chocolate available here was from Nestle.

I bought some bread and tea, and some basil (I found a dried version of it there in a little jar just like at home). I also saw in the bakery section something that looks like the Croatian delicacy that our family makes, that we call pugatista. I asked the women if that is what it was, and they said no. But they knew the word, though they pronounced it a bit differently (the s had an sh sound for one thing). They said that is just a special kind of bread, not necessarily with a (walnut or poppyseed) filling rolled in it. I told them my grandmother was Croatian and she used to make it with a sweet ground nut mixture rolled in it, and they said, yes, you can make it that way too, but it is not the same as what was for sale there (which honestly looked like the pugatista we make). So I'll have to ask around to find out more details on what pugatista is here and what this other thing is and how it's different. I did not buy any because I already had a heavy sack to carry and I figured it would probably get smushed.

I have also been on a quest to find laundry soap that doesn't have dyes or perfumes, and so far I haven't found any. I asked the very helpful English dept. secretary, Neli, if she knew where I could get some. She wasn't sure so she called a friend, and they consulted about it. She recommended one brand, Meli, that she thought would be the most mild, but she said most Croatians want very strong smelling laundry detergent -- I guess they are always advertising new smells. Maybe they think that without the smell you're not really getting it clean. The stuff I've been using smells quite strong, and in fact reminds me of the stuff I used to use in France. It may even be a French brand. But I really prefer no smell at all. Anyway, Neli thought I should try this German store in town that she thought might have something I would like. So I'll look for it.

First Saturday Market

Saturday (yesterday) I walked around town for about four hours. It was again a rainy and gray day, but at least in that morning the rain was only a light sprinkle, so walking around was pleasant enough. I think it was also a little less cold than it has been (maybe 50 degrees). I found an underground passage I’d heard about the other day that I think makes the walk in to town a few minutes faster, cuts out most of a big hill, and takes me by more businesses (stores, a post office, etc.), which are useful. The passage seems likely to be a creepy place, and in fact I’ve seen people there who look homeless (well, one man), and kids skateboarding, and teenagers making out and smoking (all in just the four times I’ve been through it so far). Plus there’s a “Club XXL” down there, which looks like abar/pool hall. I don’t think the “XX” part of the title means the same thing here, since it didn’t look like a strip club. And overall I think the “tunnel” / passageway is in fact perfectly safe. I think things are generally quite safe here. Matko told me so my first evening here. He said, “Based on what we see on T.V., you have to always be afraid to walk alone at night in the U.S., but not here.” And I’ve read in several guide books that the crime rate in Croatia is quite low and there’s really very little need to worry about anything beyond pick-pocketing, and then only if you don’t take care to hide your wallet.

And I think this must be true. In all my walking around town so far, no one has followed me, looked at me speculatively (as an easy mark), or in any way made me feel uncomfortable. And based on my experience elsewhere in Europe, I know these things are quite often the case. Of course, it might help that having lived in Europe before I know more or less how to walk down the street, not making eye contact, looking like I know where I’m going, etc. But then again, I have been doing a fair amount of gawking. At the market the other day I was obviously only looking and had a silly smile on my face most of the time, because I love open air markets and miss them in the states. Plus it was just such a lively and interesting scene. So I suppose anyone there could have easily picked me out as a foreigner or tourist.

Everyone I’ve spoken to here has been very kind and helpful. A couple of times when I’ve asked people for directions, they’ve stopped what they were doing, sometimes walking in the opposite direction with me, to help me find what I’m looking for. When I first went into the faculty of philosophy (the department in which I work), I asked what looked to be a student coming down the stairs if she knew where the English department was, and she took me right to the door, two flights back up the way she has just descended. I told her she could just tell me, but she insisted, because she said, “There is only one little door, and it is not well marked.” She also asked me if I would be teaching there, when I said yes, she responded, “Cool!”

In terms of teaching, I have yet to learn my schedule or classes. I think I will start my research methods class this week, though when exactly I will learn tomorrow. And then if I get another class, it will not be for two weeks. This is fine, though I would like to feel that I’m a little more involved in a community here.

During my hours of walking around yesterday I went to the T-com building and signed up for internet access at home, which is dial-up (the only thing available -- at least in my neighborhood). Then I walked along the Korzo and wandered into the open air market that is near the center. There were all kinds of things for sale (clothes, household goods) but mostly food, lovely fresh vegetables and fruits. The one thing I was looking for especially was basil, because I hadn’t found any in the grocery store the other day and I wanted to make pasta sauce today. But I did not see basil anywhere. I did see parsley, cilantro, all kinds of herbal teas (chamomile is happily quite popular here), and a few unidentifiable others, but no basil. Maybe it’s not the season yet. There were oranges, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes and other root veggies (beets, carrots, radishes, etc.), peppers, many kinds of greens, garlic, and lots of other fresh produce. Plus there were dried beans, nuts, and other dried foods (herbs, fruits, and mushrooms maybe?), along with eggs, bread, pastries, meat, and probably lots of other stuff I’m not remembering. I saw several stands selling “bourek,” which I know a version of from Turkish food, and it looked like it might be the same thing. But since I’m vegetarian and don’t know yet how to ask whether or not there’s meat in it, I did not want to chance it. And I wasn’t hungry. But I do want to try it if it is the bourek I know (potatoes, cheese, and yoghurt between pastry dough).

There was also a grocery store set amidst all this, along with lots of little shops, and hawkers on the street selling watches, perfume, and other things. I also saw one very old woman (in a babushka) with what looked like hand embroidered cloths. I almost went to investigate, but I knew if I even looked closely, I’d feel compelled to buy, and so I figured I’d wait until I could ask someone what are typical handicrafts here, typical prices, and where is the best place to buy them. Plus I figured she’ll be there (or someone else will) next week or pretty regularly.

When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandmother’s house in downtown Detroit. She’s the one whom I mentioned before was Croatian (maiden name Kosmuch). She lived in a neighborhood of Detroit with primarily Eastern and Central European immigrants, including many other Croatians. I used to go with her on walks every morning, to the butcher, grocer, baker, and so on. Anyway, I remember her often speaking this language I couldn’t understand, which was Croatian. Many of the women we’d encounter on these walks wore babushkas. I have only seen a few women here wearing them, but between that and the language (which I guess maybe I have some slight memory of – at least of the sound – from back then), and the look of people’s faces (which are reminiscent of my family and all those faces in that Detroit neighborhood from my youth), there is a certain level of familiarity in what I see and experience here. Or maybe I’m just imagining it. But it’s interesting either way. Mostly everything still feels foreign, as it is. But there are these tinges of familiarity, or seem to be, from time to time.

Once I left the market (where I purchased only bananas), I set off looking for the big health food store I’d heard about near the steps to Trsat (the castle). I have not yet found it, though I found a few more little ones. But I did come across another store in the chain of big supermarkets, Plodine. It’s good to know there’s one in walking distance (though it’s a good 15 minutes at least). I bought a ten pack of toilet paper and a little box of 100 Kleenex (for about $1.20 and $2.50 respectively – just the opposite of what they’d cost back home). I’ve already learned to carry a sturdy plastic sack with me whenever I go out, so that I can carry groceries home. Like in most parts of the world, you don’t automatically get sacks to carry your groceries home in here. You either buy them (for maybe 20 cents apiece) or bring your own – a much more ecological system.

Then I walked back home, at which point I was exhausted. On the way home I actually met an American who is working here as an architect – Nathan from Nebraska. We barely exchanged names and told each other where we work – he pointed out his office – before we parted ways. Later I wished I had asked him more about himself, how long he’s been here, how he likes it, etc. Perhaps I will look him up or run into him again. I wonder if there are many Americans here. I also met a French man who lives here (married to a woman from Rijeka) the other day at the tourist information office. I helped translate for him with Dominique (the man who works in that office, and whom I’ve already popped in to ask questions of multiple times). The French man was very thankful since he needed help with a business matter. But I did not think to ask for his information either, though he kind of tried to talk to me afterwards briefly. The problem I have is a certain level of shyness when meeting new people. For instance, I also know my neighbors in this building are all nice people, but I feel funny about just knocking on their doors and asking to talk to them, even though I’ve been told I could.

Once I got home I was quite tired and sore. Perhaps I should at this point disclose that I had major abdominal surgery just two months ago. It went well, I shouldn’t have any lingering problems, and the doctor cleared me for this travel, but still, I realize I shouldn’t overdo it. And between preparing for travel, the actual work of traveling, and then getting settled here, I have been doing a lot of lifting, walking, and general heavy work. So my abdomen finally felt pretty sore yesterday after my four hour walk. So I have done literally nothing today, which was again miserable in terms of the weather, cold, dreary, rainy (at times snowy), and windy. The few things I’ve done have been a little laundry and cleaning, and then to make dinner (pasta sauce as planned, which even without the basil turned out well).

I do feel better today, ready for the week ahead, which I honestly don’t know how I’ll fill, but exploring more and beginning teaching are likely. I hope the weather finally clears up soon. It’s been rainy and cold every single day since I arrived (five days now).

Photo of the Villa

The "villa" in Rijeka where I'm living. My apartment includes all the windows on the 2nd (middle) floor in this picture, and the little balcony (in front of the second window from the left). The sea is to the left (and down a hill) from the photographer. The public park in the foreground is right next to the villa continues down the hill, across the street below it, to the sea.

First Posts (four days of entries) -- Arrival and First Impressions

28 February, 2006 ~ Rijeka, Croatia5:55 pm (17:55) local time

I left Atlanta at 6:20 pm on NW/KLM, approximately on time, except for the long line of planes we had to wait in on the runway. We landed in Amsterdam (my transfer point) on time too, but then had to wait for our terminal to open up. It was snowy there, and they were apparently backed up in de-icing planes. We waited on the runway about a half hour before pulling up to our gate and deplaning. I had plenty of layover time (2 hours), unlike many other people on our flight, who were very agitated about the delay. The eight hour flight was pretty comfortable since I had both the seats next to the window to myself and could stretch out a little. Still, I only slept about an hour, partly because I watched the in-flight film (Pride and Prejudice) and partly because I was keyed up. I was very tired during my 1½ hour layover at the Amsterdam airport, which seemed smoky to me. But I found a non-smoking area to wait in until they allowed us into the gate for our flight.

The flight to Zagreb was on Croatian Airlines and I thought most of the passengers were probably Croatian. There were some guys (a group of three) sitting next to me who reeked of alcohol and cigarettes, so I imagined they were in Amsterdam to party. One was dressed in tight black (polyester?) pants and a black turtleneck and reminded of the “wild and crazy guys” from SNL. At the airport in Zagreb my luggage didn’t arrive on the belt in the first batch. Pretty much everyone else had collected theirs and gone, so I spoke to the other people there to ask if they were missing pieces, and they turned out to be an American legal team here working on war crime trials. They said I would really like Croatia and especially Rijeka, since it’s Mediterranean. My luggage (both very heavy 50 pound pieces – partly full of books and gifts for people here), did then show up on the belt. I went through customs very quickly and found the embassy driver waiting for me just outside the customs gates (with a sign with my name on it). What a welcome sight he was. He (Goran) had a big Ford SUV parked right at the entrance/exit, so it was a very smooth arrival and easy trip to Rijeka.

Goran drove me straight to my apartment here in Rijeka, though we did take one turn around this side of town to find the right street and house. The countryside on the way here was all snowy and mountainous, and there was not much traffic. Goran said this was partly because the highway we were on is new and nice and you must pay a toll to drive it, so many Croatians take back roads. There were these forms along the road, like signs, but cut out in the shape of bears, so I asked Goran if that meant there were bears around, and he said that there are, though they are smaller than American bears, and not fierce.

My landlady, who is 87 and doesn’t speak English, had her nephew (Vinko) and his son (Matko) here to greet me. In fact, she has been in the hospital for a few weeks, and I still have not met her, though Vinko is very nice and helpful. Goran and Matko carried in all that nightmarishly heavy luggage (plus three heavy boxes of books I had shipped through diplomatic pouch straight to the embassy), for which I was very thankful. I was, by that time, going on about 22 hours with only a few brief snatches of sleep, so I was exhausted and overwhelmed. But I saw right away how nice the apartment is.

Vinko and Matko, who both speak English (Matko especially well) showed me how everything in the apartment works, and generally answered my questions and told me about the neighborhood. We arranged to meet the next morning at 10 am to meet with the international relations office and get the paperwork started for my residency permit. We also went up to the neighbors – Beba and her son Christian – and they let me use their computer to look for a phone number we needed. Everyone seems very nice. And the place is pretty. I have views of the sea from my very tall windows and lovely balcony.

I am utterly exhausted and hope I can sleep the night through to be ready at 10 am tomorrow (which will be 4 am back home – at the time my internal alarm is adjusted to). I tend to feel jet lag pretty deeply and have trouble adjusting to new time zones. But I find that if I avoid caffeine, drink a lot of water, and just try to make myself stay up until approximately the time to sleep in the new place, it works fairly well. I am just going to eat a sandwich that I brought all this way and then make up the bed to go to sleep.

2 March, 2006 ~ Rijeka, Hotel Continental

It's Thursday at 10:30 am here in Rijeka, Croatia (where I arrived two days ago) – so everyone back home is probably sound asleep (since it’s 4:30 am there). I am adjusting pretty well to the different time zone. I slept almost 8 hours during the actual night here the last two nights (often a challenge for me with jet lag), thought not continuously. Yesterday I spent the whole day with my landlord, going to meet the international relations people, going to the police to register (a requirement for all foreigners with 24 hours of entering the country), and going on errands. The landlord (Vinko) took me in his car to a very large supermarket on the outskirts called Plodine. But I did not buy as much as I would have or look around as I wanted to because he was waiting in the cafe for me, and he had already spent the whole day on my business. Still, I got 4 big sacks full of food and staples, plenty to last a week or more.

My apartment is very nice - tall ceilings and windows give it an even more spacious and elegant feel than I expected (I had seen pictures before I left). It has views of the Adriatic Sea from most windows and the balcony. There are beautiful wooden floors in a kind of herringbone pattern, along with some antique furniture and some new furniture. The kitchen and bath are new, and all seems comfortable so far, although it’s a bit cold now. But I have a down comforter on the bed, so it has been fine to sleep. I’m sure most of the time I’ll be here it will be quite warm. I've been assured by several people that the weather will turn nice very soon and that winter is almost over.

Most stuff is brand new in the apartment. I am the first person to get to use this apartment since my landlady got control of it. Vinko and Matko told me the story last night that she originally had the whole building (it came to her through her family of which she was the only child). But when communism took over the country the party took control of the building and said it was too big for one family, so they broke it into apartments. Then just recently she petitioned to at least get this one apartment back. Apparently some other family had been squatting there for years and so it was in terrible condition. I think Vinko – the landlady's great nephew and her only family – did most of the renovation himself. He is an engineer and seems quite meticulous, so it's very nice and really brand new. Even the sheets and towels have never been used. And the stove and oven are brand new (and so smelled the first few times I used them). There is a dishwasher too and a washing machine in the bathroom (dryers aren’t used much in Europe – but I have a drying rack and will have a line on the balcony). Vinko doesn't even know how to use all of the stuff, so he's been giving me pamphlets and instructions to figure it out. And he’s very accommodating about asking me what else I might need and then providing it. There are other neighbors in the building (maybe five apartments in all) who seem very nice and keen to meet me.

I have not met the people in my department yet. I called my mentor yesterday, but got no answer. I think I left a message, but the instructions were in Croatian, so I'm not totally sure.

It's rainy today. I was going to try to find the department and walk around town, but so far I have only made it to this hotel, which has an internet cafe. It's very smoky here - everywhere. I tried to find a terminal by itself but someone just sat next to me and lit up. Everywhere I've been the smoke has been oppressively thick and annoying (to me). On a more positive note, food-wise there's a strong Italian influence, so lots of pasta, pizza, and good cheese in the stores.

2 March, 2006 ~ 15:55 pm ~ Rijeka, English Department Office
In response to questions from a friend about some of my earlier reports: Q: “You have to register with the police? Wow!” A: The good thing about registering with the cops once here is that you do it instead of getting a visa. So it did save me a lot of bureaucratic hassle. While we waited in line at the police station Vinko told me that the other people ahead of us (who were arguing vigorously with the woman at the counter) were Macedonians trying to immigrate. They seemed to just keep arguing the same thing over and over. There was also someone ahead of us later from Kosovo arguing a bit with the same woman (we had gone to fill out forms in between). Who knew Croatia would be a hot spot of people trying to immigrate? My case (for registering) went very smoothly by comparison. Overall the police building was jam packed with people for various business. The longest line was apparently to do with drivers licenses.
Q: “When did the communists take over that building and break it into apartments?” A: The building I live in was taken over and broken into apartments shortly after WWII. And my office mate/colleague whom I just asked that question of told me that it wasn't ever really communism here. It was socialism. So it was the socialists who seized it. She said if they’d really had communism it would have been a paradise, but since they didn’t ever have anything like a paradise, it was never really communism, but a mixture of communism and capitalism, i.e. socialism.

I’m going to check into wireless possibilities for internet access. So far I haven't even taken out my laptop. There seems to be more use of dialup from what little I've seen. Later: wireless is not available where I live. I ended up with the only dial-up service they allow for foreigners, about $1.20 per hour during peak times (half that at non-peak times). I'm still pretty out of it all around. It's an accomplishment for me to sleep during the night and eat at the right times (which is not when my body wants to do those things). And I feel good about having walked to town and back twice today – it takes 15-20 minutes each way.

I have now met a few colleagues and seen the dept. It's crowded and different from what I’m used to, but sufficient. In fact this office is much like those I used as a grad student. It should be fine – seems like most Croatians don't stay in their offices much anyway. I'm the only one here now. I met one of my colleagues yesterday and she was nice. Her name is Branka. There are ashtrays on the tables (five desks). Everywhere here reeks of smoke. It reminds me of when I was a kid (not in a good way) when all my relatives smoked.

3 March, 2006, Friday ~ English Department Faculty Office ~ 14:49 (2:49 pm)

Things here are fine, though cold. It actually snowed the last few mornings, but it did not stick. By mid-morning both days it turned to rain. And the rain has been non-stop. It's a soggy, cold walk into town, where I am now in the office I share using the computer. Practically the last thing I put into one of my suitcases was an umbrella, and I'm very glad for it now. On the walk home one evening in this cold rain, when I was very tired and trying to find the underground passage I need to take to get to my street (a kind of short-cut), I stepped into a hole in the sidewalk that was of course full of water. My foot twisted, so my shoe and sock were soaked. Ah, the joys of being an almost clueless foreigner stumbling about in a new town.

It's been a little hard figuring things out because I don't speak Croatian and I don't live with other foreigners who typically can help explain how things work for those of us who don’t yet understand or feel familiar with most aspects of the culture. I am going to try to learn at least a little Croatian. Darko, the head of international relations for the university who found my housing, offered to exchange Croatian lessons for English lessons (though his English is very good and my Croatian is non-existent). And I have to say virtually every single person I've asked for information has spoken at least a little English, and often quite good English, much more so than in Hungary, for instance. So that has made it all much easier

I had kind of a hard night sleeping last night because first it was really cold (my apt has very large rooms and tall ceilings, so heating it is a challenge), then I woke up from weird dreams, and then I couldn't get back to sleep for a while because there is construction or something going on at the port right across the busy road (also a lot of traffic noise). I can't believe the construction or work goes on all through the night, but it does. I would hear the "beep, beep, beep" of a truck backing up, then a load being dumped (loudly), and then scraping and banging noises. The port is literally right across the street, though I'm at the end of it, so I still have something of a view, especially since we're on a hill (above the port). There's a little beach just at the end of the little park below our building. Because of the rain, I have not explored nor investigated so much. By the way, I woke up at about 3:30 am, and I figure our Thursday yoga group was probably at a restaurant right about that time, which made me a little homesick. But once the lull (clank, grind, bang) of the bulldozers kicked in, I finally fell back to sleep.

An interesting genealogical note: I asked my landlord Vinko about my Croatian Grandmother's surname, Kosmuch. He said it's definitely Croatian, probably from right around here. That was nice to hear, so maybe I'll find some long lost relatives. Vinko actually helped me draw up a little genealogical chart of our family, which I guess is one of his interests. His son Matko (a theology student at this university) was going to help me find some stuff in town today and sign up for Internet, but the weather is so bad (rainy and cold) that Matko called to postpone for some other day.

I think I'll start work Monday or one day next week. Everything seems really laid back in that regard. My mentor (dept. head) is not even around right now because of some health problems. So work is a bit confusing since no one else knows what I shall teach or when, etc. But everyone I’ve met has been kind, helpful, and seems friendly and interesting. So I’m not worrying.

The town seems pretty and interesting. Of course it's on the sea, and is a big industrial port city, so it’s not entirely pretty. But it has it charm. There's a river that runs right through town, and a canal, with lots of seagulls (and the ubiquitous pigeons). The river and canal are crystal clear, and I don't know if that means they're clean or so polluted that nothing lives there. And the town is very hilly; in fact there are mountains everywhere I've seen in the country so far, all the way from Zagreb straight to the sea (here). Up on one big hill in town are the old castle (Trsat) and a church. I haven't gone up there yet. I think there's something like 600 steps to get there. And in the rain (non-stop the last two days) and cold, I haven't wanted to tour much yet. I have walked up and down the Korzo – the main street downtown that is a pedestrian shopping street. There's a McDonald's on the Korzo, which I will never visit. But Goran, the embassy driver (who drove me here) said that he's been to the States, and McDonald's here tastes much better than McDonald's in the States. There are also lots of pizzerias and seafood restaurants. I haven't really found many bakeries yet, but then I haven't had much chance to explore (so that is to say I haven't stumbled on a bakery – though there was a shop selling pastries right on the street I walk to and from to get to town, and the woman there persuaded me to try a few, which were so-so). There seem to be a couple of shopping malls on the Korzo, and a bookstore, lots of clothes and shoe stores, and other shops, also many cafes and restaurants.

There is a tower in town (just near this office, which is near the center) that leans a bit, "just like the tower in Pisa," Vinko told me when we passed it on the way to the police station. It does lean and looks architecturally similar to the leaning tower of Pisa (which I climbed years ago), but this tower leans only a little, not nearly as much as that one in Pisa. And there are many churches in town, including one orthodox one (or at least one that I've seen). I haven't gone in any such places yet, because as I said, I've been kind of focused on getting settled and getting business taken care of rather than touring. I did go into the city hall on the Korzo one day to ask directions. It seems pretty modern.

I've eaten all my meals at home, and they've been simple and utilitarian so far because I haven't had energy for more. I did have one meal out with Vinko – pizza in a very typical Italian style (that first day here amidst our errands). It was a nice little pizza café that was maybe part of a hotel – both right on the sea just south of town. I was happy to see some more of the sea, away from town. Vinko pointed out the islands, Krk and others.

Today when I leave here I may go look for a big health food store I heard of. I found a little one yesterday, but apparently there is a much bigger, better one not far from my house.