Playing Santa

Internet's Working Again!

Apologies for my poor stewardship in regards to blogging. Now let's play catch up!

Ok, so I made it home safely from Hvar and the olive picking. (wow, it has been a while) The ferry from Hvar to Split, and then bus ride from Split to Zenica were pleasant enough. It was my first time traveling through Europe alone, so I will admit there were some nerves a flowing at first, but they soon settled and I was able to enjoy my travels. The bus ride through the Bosnian mountains was simply magnificent. There had apparently been a snowfall the night before, and so all along the river and roads, and perched upon the pine trees and mountain peaks there layed that perfect, untouched layer of snow that was still sparkling white and oddly enough, heart-warming. I couldn't help but smile the whole way home (even if I was crammed in the back seat corner with a rather large Bosnian man to my left and an elderly woman who enjoyed rocking her chair back into my knees at a steadily painful rate).

But dudes, my time on that island was all and more than I had expected it to be. The opportunity to go and serve the elderly couple who owned the olive fields, to eat and drink at their table, to stumble through broken conversation in their language, to simply fellowship with them, were all moments that I cherish. One day I hope to take them up on their offer and return to help out with a future harvest. (Also, thanks so much Liz and Max for inviting me to tag along)

And when I got back to Zenica, I got back right in time for two things: Thanksgiving with Jeff and Beth and the B-Team...and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1! Ya! The Thanksgiving part was exceptionally filling in the physical sense. Seeing that I ate two very large plates of "main course food", and then basically gorged myself on generous servings of 4 different kinds of dessert, before passing out on the floor watching live streaming of some American football. But even though I was with people that I deeply love and consider to be like family, I still got that nagging feeling that something was missing. So, I just channeled all of that emotional energy into an intense game of cities and knights...and lost =P oh well, I had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving and was so very thankful to share it with the people I did.

....and as most of you already are aware, HP7 part 1 was rad and deserved multiple viewings ;]

Let's see, what else has happened between then and now? Oh I started taking accordion lessons! Jeff and I hunted all around town for a teacher, and finally found Najl. He's an older guy, seemingly something of a local icon, and is super patient and helpful. The lessons are at his house and all in bosnian...which can make for some interesting moments, but through and through it's an incredible experience for me. Who would have thought I'd get a music, language, and culture lesson all in one haha?!?

Last weekend I went up to Vienna to see Jeff and Beth off to America. Beth seems like she's doing really well recovering, and we can all thank God for that! Cancer free! 

But on the way home (I was again traveling alone by bus) I had quite a scary humorous border moment. We were driving at night, so we didn't reach the Bosnian border till super late at night/early in the morning I suppose, and I got summoned for a full body search. I suppose it was because I was the only one on the bus with an American passport, plus it doesn't help anything that I really don't look a thing like my passport picture anymore. Either way, they shuffled me and another younger gentleman into this tiny little room and then instructed us to dump out all of our belongings onto the table so they could look through them. I was about to piss myself. Not that I had anything illegal, or hazardous, or anything like that...just that I had to speak all in bosnian and try think through everything I was going to say as to not say the wrong thing. Which made it increasingly humorous when I got assigned to a guard who thought the whole situation was equally as funny. So here we go. I unzip my backpack and start to dump. At first it's just the norm, you know, clothes, tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant- nothing too complicated when explaining. But then, we start getting to the random essentials that I always travel with and things start to just get awkward. Out comes the barrel of monkeys, with it's unfailingly suspicious rubber banded seal, DVD of the Animated Version of The Lord of the Rings (which the border guard looked intently at for about 2 whole minutes before looking up at me and muttering "Super!" haha, DVD of Gamera, the $2 knock-off of Godzilla, but exceedingly more entertaining, a single domino, 3 or 4 fantasy books, my Bible, and my pipe and tobacco. My heart was racing. There was no way I was going to be able explain all of this in any reasonable amount of time without my headed popping off of my body. But the guard dude looks up and is waiting for a response. So I begin. I make it all the way to my Bible before I really start to feel a sense of nervousness. As I was explaining what it was, and as he was flipping through it, he asks me what I'm doing in Bosnia. So I reply I'm working. And he basically says duh, what are you doing here? So i try my best to explain to him that I'm living with some friends who have been in the country for 9 or so years and we work in the villages and simply help out people who are in need. He smiled and shut my bible. I smiled and looked down at the next two items left: my pipe and tobacco. He lifts up my pipe and immediately shoves it back into my bag, relief. Then he grabs hold of my dark chocolate flavored tobacco and begins examining it closer than he had anything else prior. He asks what it is and where I got it from. I tell him it's tobacco from Kentucky. He responds with a blank face. I realize what was going through his head, and blurt out that Kentucky is in America. With that, he calls over no joke all of his border friends and they, one by one start taking in huge whiffs of the tobacco's soothing scent. And one by one they each tell me how good it smells and how good it is to smoke. I just nod my head and get more and more nervous by the second. Then it happens. The question I had feared. "Mogu li dobiti?" At first I was stunned at the fact that guard man had even asked in this way, instead of just telling me to give him some. But I realized he was smiling when he asked, so I thought it alright to point out that, as he could see, I was running on short supply and that little bit was all that i had left. After a bit of playfully jeering back and forth, he finally let me keep it and told me to have a good evening. So I hurriedly gathered up all of my things and hopped back on the bus. Not five minutes later I was totally asleep, exhausted. But crossing borders is what I do =P 

This past week has been nothing but repeated reassurance that God is an awesome God. Sunday began my month-long stint of living on my own in Bosnia. Which sounds like it could possibly be terribly lonesome and depressing. But surprisingly, I've been in great spirits all week and have felt a constant encouragement that I can't very well explain. On Monday we loaded up the van and set out for our operation Christmas child box passing out extravaganza in the local villages. I can't describe to ya'll how touching it is when we go into a classroom and pass out the boxes, getting to see the excitement and joy written all over the faces of the little Bosnian kids. Then afterwards, sitting down and chatting over some coffee and sweets with the school directors, and just hearing time after time again how thankful they are, and how much of a blessing Jeff and Beth and their kids have been to their communities. At one school the director passed out what seemed like a school newsletter type thing, but in it was an article written about their dear friend Jeff Summay and all the work that he had put in to improving their school. It was great. The Summays are without a doubt making a lasting impact on the hearts and lives of the people that they reach out to. And witnessing this first hand is truly inspiring.

I think that's basically all for now. Can't wait to see yeinz in January. 

...oh ya I'm coming home for a brief, two or so week visit in mid January...that's new.

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

Movies: The Machinist | HP7-1 | Mystery Men | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Memento
Music: Action! | Breathe Owl Breathe | Anais Mitchell (or at least the songs on the album featuring Justin Vernon) | Diarrhea Planet | Bon Iver (tis the season)
Books: The Wheel of Time's The Eye of the World

Someone Took Out Their Highlighter

Lately I've realized my life is quite different than it was this time last year. I've changed. Not only in obvious location. Or the additional year of physical alterations. But in spirit. Even typing this out I chuckle at myself for how completely lame and cookie-cutter this statement sounds. Changing in spirit...I mean it seems as if I belong on a house ornament that's being sold in one of America's finest christian bookstores. But no matter how its laid out and looked at, that's how it's pronounced. My thoughts have shifted gears. My priorities are now relevant. My perspective has gotten a new prescription. Life seems to be inviting me in. And man am I enjoying the hospitality. So, the passed few weeks where I haven't been blogging, I've simply been lavishing. I am absolutely blessed. And I am grateful. Life's been good.

A few weeks ago I got to go to my very first Bosnian rock show! Zeliko Joksimovic performed at the local arena and it was awesome! Becky and I danced our asses off and made complete fools of ourselves, virtually pouring every ounce of spirit we had into the moment (it's really hard to say, but I think I might have actually outdone one of my rave performances =P haha) ...Which essentially got some heads to turn and somehow made us some new friends. One lady actually went and got us much needed waters...which Becky in turn, cooled off my "hot for Zeliko head" by dumping it all over my face. It was nuts. I think my favorite part was when dude beckoned for the whole audience to basically shred an air guitar (which is apparently a cool thing to do over here...) and so Becky and I lit it up. It was stupid fun!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uMiGxK7NVc ...this was one of my favorites from the concert!

Speaking of Becky though, for those of you who didn't know, she just recently moved back to the States. Jeff and I drove her up to the airport in Zagreb last week, blasting Ska tunes and practically screaming our heads off the whole way there. She really became a great friend and honestly, without her being here I don't think I would have adjusted as smoothly as I did. Its going to be hard to keep going the uber liveliness of the house without her...let alone pump Jeff up everyday =P But I'm excited to see what God does through her life and time in America! 

As for me, right now I am sitting on Hvar (an island off the coast of Croatia) waiting for the sun to once again rise so I can venture my way down the ancient paths, lined with who-knows-how-old stone walls, climb some olive trees, and participate in the annual harvest. I've said many times over that it sounds like a fantasy. Like a dream that I'm going to wake up from and be incredibly disappointed. But so far, so good. Got my fingers crossed. It's pretty astonishing the beauty of this place. Today I was literally forced to stop what I was doing and sit for a good thirty minutes, smoke my pipe, and just be in utter awe of the beaming sunlight bursting through a cloud mass and sinking into the Adriatic. It was like a freaking painting. Ridiculous!

I trust everyone is doing well. I'd love to talk if you'd like. Hope you enjoyed reading some overviews of the highlights of my last several weeks =P

Grace and Peace,


Čupo (nickname that I have acquired over here...t loosely translates to long, greasy, unkept, burly, hair)


;]


~ books I'm reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (in preparation) | The Bible


~ movies I have watched recently and enjoyed watching them: Hot Rod (of course) | The Royal Tenenbaums | Thank You For Smoking


~ albums that have been stuck in my head: Noah and the Whale "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down" | Death From Above 1979 "You're a Woman, I'm a Machine" | The Mountain Goats "All Hail West Texas" | Stray Cats "Stray Cats" | Neutral Milk Hotel "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" (a tad bit all over the place I know haha)

Dobrodošli Brela!

Here's a bit of last weekend's Croatian experience...

watched the sun come up sitting on this rock

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

;D

A Weekend by the Sea

So last weekend was probably one of the more memorable experiences of my life. Zoran, Sladan's brother, was getting married in a palace located somewhere in the Montenegrin fjord area. So Jeff, Max, and I woke up at the butt crack of dawn Saturday morning and went for a little drive. And I must say, it was unlike any car ride I've ever taken before. Unfortunately since my camera so conveniently decided to was going to run out of juice the morning we set off, I was unable to capture the spectacular sights and scenery of what was laid out before me...but there was one moment however that I just can't help but tell you about. Keep in mind I'll do it no justice, and you won't be able fully appreciate it unless you've seen it yourself (for a picture is even an unworthy imitation) ...but I sure will do my best ;]

It was a rather foggy day, which made for difficult, and somewhat frustrating sight-seeing. Many a time we came across a canyon or some wide open gorge area, and the air would be so dense that it prohibited any sort of clarity as to how impressively gorgeous the landscape was. It sucked. But then we finally caught a break. As we emerged from a rock tunnel that lead straight onto a blue, canyon connecting bridge, it was as if the world just opened up. You could see everything as you were crossing high above the river. High cliff-faces that hosted lush, colorful foliage. A thin layer of milky white fog that seemed to roll along in the breeze. And down below there ran a seemingly crystal blue river, with faint rapids and a winding path. Then it all disappeared again as we entered another rock tunnel just on the other side. I had to gasp. But in the same breath we unexpectedly popped out again and were driving on a road that ran clear on the edge of the cliff. For the next few kilometers, it was little spurts of rock tunnel and then wide open canyon view. It was literally amazing. Without doubt the coolest road I have ever been on. 

When we finally arrived to our destination Montenegro it just started pouring down sheets of rain...which was equipped with some of the loudest thunder and lightening I've ever heard. (which coincidentally blew chunks because I was going to have to wait outside during the wedding because there were limited invites...which I wouldn't have minded in the least except for now it seemed and though there was no avoiding being soaked in the only clothes I brought for the weekend haha...so I just prayed it would let up a bit) And since we were a few hours early, we decided to go look around some and see if we could find us a Kafic to get some caffeine in our systems. We didn't drive round long before we came to a quaint little place that appeared to be lit by candle light. It was strange, but we went in and sat down. Come to find the power had been blown out and the electricity wasn't working...hmm. Anywhoo it made for a little old-fashioned coffee and conversation by candle light. It was neat.

The rain did eventually let a up thankfully, and during the wedding I was able to relax out by the water, smoke my pipe and watch the boats go by as the storm slowly made its way off into the distance and the clouds began to clear around me. I truly felt beside myself as I slipped into a total awestruck sort of feeling. You know the kind you get when you realize there's no mistaking that you are right in the middle of the presence of God. Well if you've experienced that before you can just imagine what it was like sitting there. For there really is no describing it. You just gotta cejf the moment. (I'll try to explain cejf at a latter date...but for now just think "fully enjoy")

I was however invited in to the reception. To which I was introduced, to what I believe was my very first five course meal (with all the wine on the house)...Baby's first time!!! And I must say it was an ideal way to break a four-day fast...and really I just couldn't help but smile the entire time. There was so much happiness in the room. Weddings are such a joyful time indeed.

That night, after some fun confusion at the borders, prolonging our arrival time to Croatia, we finally made it back to the conference area where Beth, Liz, and Becky were attending a lil women's getaway on the coast. (They had left the conference, also driving down to Montenegro for the wedding, and then road back up with us to finish out the last remaining day) There weren't sleeping accommodations for us boys, so Jeff and Max both slept in their respective automobiles, leaving me to sleep on the beach ;D Unlike in America, where it's absurdly ridiculous and illegal to sleep on the beaches, here it was totally okay...which I was quite pumped about. So I made my way down to the seaside, finding that it was made up of little tiny pebbles instead of sand. "How odd," I thought, as I made a little nest to lay my blanket down and get some rest in. About an hour later I woke up to a scooter zooming by me and a confused looking man staring me down. I immediately felt the intense urge to poop, only to realize that there were no toilets around, and even if there had been, I would have had to pay for them =/ So after a bit of panicked searching, I made good use of a bush in a flower bed. Realizing that I was stuck with my pants down and no toilet paper, I was left with only one choice...cleaning myself in the sea =] After a bit of cold water on my butt I wasn't too sleepy anymore and decided to pass the time by taking a late night walk (which is always a swell idea). So, I climbed a tree and hid my blanket and pillow up in the tip top, and began to make my way down the coastline. It was one of those nights where you realize how awesome it would be to be homeless, only if you happened to be homeless in a place like this. Either way I had a smashing time skipping stones over waves and stargazing. Man were they bright and vibrant...mmm stars. After a while I made my way back to the "home base" and found a nifty bit of rock to sit on and watch the ensuing sunrise. As the daybreak got lighter and lighter I began to take notice how freaking blue and clear the water was. It's unreal how much different it is when you take sand out of the equation and substitute in rock instead. It was crazy. I just had to properly go swimming in it. It just looked so inviting, and I couldn't pass up that opportunity. So I stripped down to my long johns and joined an early-morning snorkeler for a sunrise swim. It was unbelievable cold. And after about 30 minutes I found that my time spent in the Adriatic to be sufficient enough. Needless to say I spent the next hour or so shivering and chattering my teeth down to nubs, but it was beyond worth it. Then we drove back to Bosnia and made it safely. God's good...

...holy cow what a weekend!

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

The End of the Apple Saga

Guys, I picked the confounded apple. The thought of it falling and going to waste was just too criminal for me to allow. So, I carefully climbed the not-very-supportive tree that literally had hundreds of little branches twisting and intertwining together making it very difficult to see where I was going...and with Becky's guidance, outstretched blindly and picked the apple that I'd been drooling over for weeks. When I somehow managed to get back down, I was finally able to thoroughly examine dreamy apple only to have my heart sink when I rotated it to the side that had been hidden from me all these days and found, as Becky so delicately put it, a giant butthole looking spot that had yellow, veiny streaks coming from it. "Hmm," I thought to myself. My heart sank. I know it sounds silly but for some reason or another this was a big deal to me. I took it inside to show everyone that I had picked the apple (and when I say everyone I mean Beth cos I don't think Jeff cared one way or the other in the slightest haha) and then I took a big ol' bite. To my dismay it was as Beth would describe a "pithy apple." All I knew was that it had a bite like a peach and tasted as sour as a warhead. (Well maybe not that sour...but it was pretty unsatisfactory) Oh well =D Life goes on.

Today was quite an ambitious day for me...and Jeff. I joined a gym with a couple other missionary dudes who just moved to Zenica. (Let's see how that turns out haha) ...and Jeff says he's coming with us and joining tomorrow too. I don't really know what's up with the sudden, "wanting to exercise dealio" ...but I'm excited about it. Plus it gives me the opportunity to learn a whole new side of the Bosnian language. The fitness side. And if I'm lucky I'll frequently get to see scary big Bosnian workout man in there too! Dude would go around to every machine, set it to its max weight, do about 2 repetitions, flex, and then look about the room, making sure everyone knew that he had just so impressively done what he had done. It was intense.

Also Jeff and I have decided that we are going to read through the Bible together before April. He whipped up a spread sheet and everything already. I'm excited about it. Day 1...complete.

So that's about it for now. We've been playing a lot of Settlers of Catan...which I finally won a game of yesterday (with Becky's help...shhh). Oh we visited Sega and Sevda the other day...and on the way got practically run off the road by a massive truck, which forced Jeff to serve big time, which inevitably caused us to hit this fairly good-sized rock, which not only blew out, but demolished both tires on the passengers side. It was quite an unlucky moment. Scary hilarious, no doubt...but unlucky.

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

Strolling Epiphany

Today I realized why I've sucked butt at blogging lately. It's not that it's slipped my mind...or that I'm too busy doing other things. It's not even that I'm being indolent. It's the simple fact that for some reason I've been waiting for something big to happen. Something to just scream, "WRITE ABOUT ME!!!!" But that's not how it works is it...? Yes, there are going to be some events worthy enough for the "BLOG RIGHT NOW! BLOG RIGHT NOW! ....type feeling." But it hit me today as I was strolling through Zenica, just conversing with Pops, with the sun slowly creeping behind the mountains, and the breeze catching hold my nostrils and stuffing them with that rich smell of burning wood and cigarettes, that as I'm being formed into this man that God is shaping me to be, a more intentional life I must live. Everything is blog worthy. Cos everyday I am learning and questioning and growing and relishing in his presence. Just gotta keep my ears perked up ready to listen, and my eyes open wide ready to see.

The funeral was held today for Slado's (my language teacher) mother. She had been relieved of a painful bout with cancer and today, as her family and many friends gathered around to watch and pay their respects, she was laid to rest on a quaint Bosnian hillside. I do say it was quite a moving experience for me to be  a part of a Bosnian funeral. And as I stood there today, with my heart going out to Slado and his family as they grieved, the thought of Nana crept into my head. When my grandmother died this past summer I was on my backpacking trip with Kevin and wasn't able to be there in attendance for her memorial service. I haven't really thought about it much since I stood on the beach and let the summer tide slowly bury me in the soft sand for hours. (That in itself seemed to be an adequate heeling mechanism) But today I stood, and those same tears returned. It was a time of much needed reflection and appreciation for life and how much of an impact one can have. I miss my Nana, but I know she's free from pain...just partying it up with Jesus. My prayer now is for my widowed grandfather. May he realize that life is a gift. That Nana's life was a gift. And may he not cast his faith and praise aside for hollow relief from loneliness and grief. Pop, you are loved. And you are not alone.

So, for weeks now there has been this apple hanging on the tree just beyond the balcony. Each day it grows and ripens more and more into this beautiful, ruby red, just deliciously perfect looking apple. And each day I'm torn whether or not to shimmy up the tree and pick said apple. My haunting fear is that on the other side, the side not visible to me, there will be some huge, disgusting bruise or tracings of a worm hole that looks far from appetizing...just a downright hideous feature that will attribute to a horrible tainting of it's flawless appearance from the side facing me. So, I'm left to admire from a distance, helplessly salivating in awe of this hanging fruit. This mental dilemma has seriously gone on for weeks. For I really want to eat Mr. Tasty Looking Apple, but I don't want my perception of its unblemished self to be tinged. It's like when you look at something from a distance, and from that distance it looks golden and beautiful...but as you approach it closer and closer you begin to notice its many faults and disfigurements. I really don't want that to happen with this apple for some reason. For the time being I just want the illusion that it's without fault. Watch tomorrow the wind blow and it fall the some fifteen feet, hit the ground and rot. I dunno man. Perhaps this could be a sermon illustration...or perhaps it could just be me being ridiculous and having too much time on my hands to think of such things. haha =P Kako smiješno! 

...hope all is well...

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

Yo...Polako!

Pozdravi World! Goodness me I've been terribly busy. Hmm...let me take you back about a week or so and we shall start from there =D ....dobro?!?

Okay so last week I was in Vienna participating in a musical history tour type event. Our days were jam packed full of running all around the city, visiting various composers' former abodes, attending fancy productions and whatnot- basically familiarizing ourselves with all of Vienna's finest music related aesthetics. Most times in these types of situations, when I'm out for a good 14 hours per day, just hopping from place to place, it's unfortunately really easy for me to slip into a numbed type state of mind; everything becomes this weird sort of blur and it's hard for me to acutely concentrate, or appreciate what it is I'm actually experiencing. I'm the type of person that likes to take it slow and notice the subtleties of my surroundings. For it's when you uncover what's below the surface that you can fully treasure the beauty of a place. So I took it slow, promising myself that no matter how fast-paced the group wanted the trip to be, I was going to fully let my time in Vienna sink into my memory. And that's just what I did.

When we visited Strauss' apartment, for instance, I wandered into the bedroom, took a look around, noticing a beat-up pair of headphones located on a shelf, with a chair conveniently placed adjacent to the wall. I picked them up, thinking of all who might have had them on before me, sat down, positioned them over my hat on my head, pressed play and shut my eyes. It was a waltz- Strauss' signature. As I listened I tried to ignore the clamoring feet and bodies romping from room to room, taking short-lived glances at some note or artifact placed on a wall, and then moving on, forgetting almost immediately what they had just read or seen. I simply thought of Strauss. I imagined him with his violin; dancing. It was surreal for me to think about the fact that I was in the very room where the dude himself had at one time composed the very pieces of music that I was now enjoying. I opened my eyes and looked up at the illustrations hanging on the walls throughout the room. Each one pictured large masses of people, joyfully lining around the violinist with huge chops and a childish smirk on his face. It was obvious he was proud of the liberating effect his music had on others. It was neat. I smiled along with him.

The trip was full of moments like these. Moments where I truly felt infinite...and simply couldn't help but grin at life's wholesome blessings. 

One day we had the opportunity to go have a picnic at one of Vienna's palace gardens. We placed ourselves right on the hillside that overlooks into this massive area that's just this sea of beautifully colorful flowers. As each of us were unpacking our sandwiches, gleefully stuffing them with doritos and drooling over the rare sight that is dr pepper, I thought to myself, "Hey man, enjoy this. You're experiencing a truly memorable moment. Put yourself in the now." So, I got out my pipe and took a mental note; God's so good.

And I must say I've been in the highest of spirits as of late. Since we've gotten back from Vienna I've begun to feel way more at home. Not that I was weighed down by a sense severe anxiety or anything before I went away... but since being back in Bosnia, I just feel as if this is where God truly called me to be for the year. I suppose reinforced, spiritual encouragement would be a more accurate description. But nonetheless, I'm so pumped to be where I'm at....and I couldn't love being with the Summays any more than I do. They some dang good peoples they are =] 

So ya...just been living as "polako" as I possibly can live. I've come to realize the fact that it's more of a lifestyle than a simple word. Just taking it easy, slowing down, living life for what it is and not stressing. Visiting with friends without an agenda or reason; simply for the sake of intimate community. Counting all of your blessings and not overlooking the significance to each passing moment. It really is a valuable way to live. One that I hope to harness and carry with me. 

Well folks, if you ever want to chat, my skype is "caleb.gill" ...I don't think I had mentioned that on here before, so I just wanted to make it available to anyone interested. I'd love to stay in touch and tell you virtual face to virtual face some of the random things that I'm experiencing, that oftentimes I refrain from blogging about. There's a lot that happens and I'd love to share it with you. Love yeinz. 

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

...Oh and I promise to stay more up to date with this whole blogging thing. The past week was just a lot of GO! GO! GO! ;D

(if you'd like to see more pictures from my trip...go here! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105511&id=1240636878)

Weekly Summation

Holy Wowzers! It's been a week since I posted last. What in the world have I been up to? Hmm...


I pooped a whole lot. Actually everyone did. They all blame me though for bringing the hostile stomach bug into the house...which I probably did but that's beside the point =P The only thing that matters is that everyone is finally fine and dandy. No more shoving each other out of the way in sprint to the toilet.


Beth, Becky and I went out and picked apples off the tree one afternoon. Of course all of the ripest and most delicious looking ones were at the tip top, so I got to shimmy up up up to do some pickin'. It was super fun. I really enjoy climbing trees...and it was just an added bonus that I got some tasty apples out of it.


Thursday, Friday and Saturday were Bajram (the ending of the Ramadan season and a big time for festivities among Muslim culture). It was my first time experiencing this time of year at a place where it was the primary focus of interest, so it was exciting! Three days of continual firecracker blasts, perpetual cake eating, and frequent people visiting. It was awesome! I think my favorite part about the whole time though was when Edin received his present. The Summays somehow had a connection to where they were next in line to receive this bird that had been past around from missionary to missionary...not even really sure what the logistics were... they're irrelevant. Anyways, it had been decided that ten-year-old Edin was to have the bird. And when he got it I don't know if he could have been happier. He came all around the room thanking and giving out kisses, then spent a solid twenty minutes just staring at Miki Zusto (i think that's the name he settled on, but i could be way off. this is at least part of what I caught from the Bosnian that was being said) =D


Speaking of which, I haven't had language class since my last post due to the fact that my teacher's been out of town. But good thing he loaded me down with a considerable amount of material to learn in his absence. I'm really taking pleasure in trying to learn the language though. I think slowly but surely it's going to pay off.




Introduced the Summays to Into the Wild the other day. Don't really know how they responded to it, but I love that movie. And every time I watch it I pick up on something new...whether it be a thought-provoking quote that I didn't quite catch the last time I watched it, or have I some weird, resounding epiphany on the meaning of what living a healthy, organically spiritual life looks like.


As for right now, I'm sitting in Vienna in awe of the city that I have the privilege of visiting for the next several days. Today I visited some amazing cathedrals (just in time to observe some Austrian mass), visited Beth at the hospital (she checked in early this morning for her next round of treatment...prayers prayers prayers!), walked around trying to get a feel for, and noticing differences of yet another new culture (all the while joking around with Becky in our spot on german accents...ha!), ate a bratwurst where the bread was cored out, filled with mustard, then packed with a big ol' juicy brat, explored the public transportation system, started reading Watership Down again for about the third or fourth time, ate a yummy kabob, pinched Jeff's butt cos Becky dared me to, saw cool, old city ruins, sampled some Austrian beer, and...reworked my essays that I wrote for the music history field trip that I'm participating in next week. All in all it was a memorable day. First time in Vienna! Can't wait for tomorrow!


Grace and Peace,


Kaleb

A Bite to Chew On

I realized it had been a couple days since my last post, so I thought I'd fill everyone in on what's been happening.

So I'm laying here, trying to fall asleep, and once again I have to poop. The past few days have been rather draining, so you could say. I suppose I ate something that my body didn't find too pleasing...because frequently have I been rushing to the toilet to explosively relieve myself. I hope it all settles soon...especially since we're going to Sarajevo tomorrow, and I want to fully experience this amazing Indian restaurant that Beth keeps raving about. I'm pretty excited about traveling to Bosnia's capital. It'll be my first time out of Zenica since I arrived in it. And it'll just be neat seeing more of the country.

Language classes have been super! Sladan is laying it on pretty thick, giving me lots of material to practice and learn. And at times I don't even know where to begin trying to take it all in. But the seemingly thousands of flash cards that I made are very helpful. As is frequent practice with actual native speakers...who would thunk it? I have to keep reminding myself that it's okay that i don't understand what's being said most of the time though. It will come. I've not even been here three weeks yet...wow...

Since the Summay's introduction to stupidhead, we've been playing essentially nonstop. Jeff especially seems to enjoy it. Busting out the cards, shuffling and dealing seemingly out of habit, without even consulting us about wanting to play or not. But I'm certainly not complaining. I think out of all the games we've played so far I've only been stupidhead twice. Which is a fantastic winning percentage if only you knew how many times we've played haha. But man is it fun. Today Jeff was stupidhead at least 7 times in a row...which has got to be a new record ;D It was entertaining rubbing it in his face.

Other than that and visiting people for chatting and coffee, I haven't been up to much. A couple nights ago however I did have this crazy vivid dream which I think I'll share with you cos it's constantly been in my thoughts ever since I awoke from it...

So, it began with me in a room. It was dimly lit (of course) and I was sitting in a chair facing the wall. I couldn't make out much, but I quickly realized that I was bleeding from the mouth and when I put my hands up to try and stop the bleeding I noticed that I was missing all of my teeth. (at this point I should have woken up because this is no good way to start off a dream, but that didn't happen) As you would imagine I completely freaked out and began searching all over the room for clues as to why I would have lost, or had pulled from me, all of my teeth. And all over the room were these photographs- surprisingly vivid pictures of scenes that quite frankly, were not very pleasing to me. They were all of memories, and times that I try to suppress and not ever think about. So when I saw them, as you can imagine, I was hit with intense confusion and fear. It was like everything that I had ever regretted happening was staring me in the face. But then I realized what they all meant. (It's weird how in dreams you're so good at connecting the dots to things that don't seem to correlate at all) But it occurred to me that each picture was an indicator to the placement of each of my missing teeth. And if I wanted them back, I needed to go revisit my past... So next thing I  know I'm off on this super frightening and emotional roller coaster through a bunch of memories, real memories, that I had tried to do away with cos of all the discomfort they bring- each one just a little bit more intense than the last...and in each one I'm gaining back another tooth. I won't go into any detail, because it would just take forever, but right as I'm about to visit "my final memory" I realize the purpose behind all of this. It wasn't about rectifying painful events or mistakes that had taken place in my past. In order to truly radiate a sincere smile, I must first understand the life lessons that come from the past and the trials I've experienced. It's these "learning mistakes" that made me into the man that I am today. There's no use in repressing the unfavorable times. Rather take from them what you can... smiling, cos you know you've made it this far and there's no redoing any of it. Tis a bite to chew on to say the least, and it was rather surreal waking up from it...

...so ya that's what I've been thinking about lately. It was interesting watching The Butterfly Effect today with all of that still on my mind =] Hope all is well!

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

It's Not Everyday You See Manslaughter

I wonder if it takes seeing a dead guy laying in the middle of the road, with his leg severed and strewn several feet from his body, to remind yourself that life is a gift. No matter how tough or new or uncomfortable a situation gets...it is to be cherished and valued with great vigor and full appreciation. Today I saw the remains of a high speed collision where a car basically demolished a cyclist as he was turning through an intersection. The car was reported to have been going at a good 120 kilometers an hour, and upon impact essentially destroying the unfortunate man out for a day's ride in the brisk, August air. As we were passing by the scene, Beth spotted a man in handcuffs up on top of a hill, with several police men surrounding him. Apparently it was a hit and run. Can you believe that? It was almost sickening to see. My prayer is that the cyclist's family can find peace through this tragic situation. And as messed up and gruesome as the whole thing was, it got me to thinking. Parallel to moving here to a completely new place, efforting getting settled in and whatnot, I've also been struggling with letting go of something that should have been let go of long ago. To me, the investment of over two years of time and effort into something is a difficult thing to just let slip away, even when I'm quite aware it's certainly what's best for both parties. The past several weeks have been exceptionally tough. Just being able to clear my head and find some sort of comfort, has been overly complicating. Those who know me best know all the details of  what I'm talking about and I just want it to be known that I am doing well. Witnessing that scene today in the intersection had the complete opposite effect of desensitization. Rather than numbing me of my grief, it allowed me the opportunity of finding joy in it. Life's too short to dwell on the negative and hopeless situations. Take pride in the lessons you've learned, remember the good times, and progress. I believe I'm well on my way to progressing =]

So, before all that happened today however, I had my first language class with my awesome tutor Sladan (there's supposed to be a line through the "d" ...but I'm not sure how that's done on the computer). He has a degree in English and probably knows the ends and outs of the language far better than I do- so he's quite helpful when it comes to teaching. He's patient, yet straight forward, and knows exactly how far to push you in a two hour session. Today I finally learned the proper way to greet someone, how to introduce yourself, how to ask for someone else's name, age and such...oh and how to count all the way up to 10,001. He said he was only going to teach me up to 20 today, but i was "progressing very well," so we kept going. Sweet. On my walk home across town from his house I spent the entire time trying memorize and practice what I had just been taught. I probably looked like a total moron, strolling through crowds muttering to myself, addressing the occasional person with the passing "Dobar dan" (good day), then immediately referencing my notebook to make sure I'd done it correctly. The language is totally foreign in every aspect to me. It's certainly going to take some time getting used to, but hopefully with enough practice and effort, I'll be able to pick it up somewhat quickly and correctly. Also, I made it all the way back to the Summay's house without getting lost. So Kevin, I think I'm getting better with directions =P

Dude, Beth and Becky made fantastic chili and cornbread today for mealtime. I'm not really sure if it should be referred to as lunch or dinner, because I had it for both ;D ...and both times it was absurdly delicious. In a strange way, eating it made me feel at home. I suppose its just some weird cosmic connection, but every time I eat me some chili and cornbread I'm reminded off good times with family...and football. There wasn't much football action going on at the Summay's house today, but the night was filled with great laughter and some super stupidhead playing (or dickhead as becky so tactfully calls it). I'm glad I introduced them such amazing game, and they seem to enjoy playing it just as much as I do =] Dobro.

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

I Heart Lazy Sundays

Twas a bit nippy this morning when Jeff got me up to go running. I had fallen asleep with the windows wide open and the fan on full blast, so the first couple kilometers into it I was still trying to feel my hands and feet haha. But the run itself was pleasant, instead of going through the mountains, as we normally do, today we ran over the bridge and into town. New experiences are always great fun. As was the privilege of encountering more people out and about as I slowly panted by ;D Then it was back to the house and straight to sleep. I was finally exhausted enough to get a bit of rest (HOORAY) ...which was followed by some tasty sunny side up eggs, scorching hot coffee, and a whole lot of nothing the rest of the day. Jeff and I did however break into his glorious Clint Eastwood movie collection and watched High Plains Drifter...proving to be most engaging. Clint Eastwood is such a man. Oh I also learned of this new card game called Phase 10, and delightfully whooped Jeff, Beth, and Becky at it. I'm pretty pumped to introduce them to Stupidhead tomorrow! ...great fun! After a bit of bonding and card playing I skyped with some Nashvillains, whom I miss dearly. Seeing their faces was long overdue. I am so thankful for technology that actually promotes and yields conversation, as opposed to diluting and distracting me from it. To me, that's sensational. Anyways, that pretty much sums up my second Sunday here in Zenica. Till next time (probably tomorrow)...


Grace and Peace,


Kaleb


...i could forever smoke my pipe and watch the sun slowly fall behind the mountains...proof that bliss is tangible.  

The Quirks of Being a Wallflower

For the past week I've gotten asked by pretty much everyone I've talked to, "So, what are the people like? What are some cultural differences? How's the food? Do you think you're going to enjoy living there?" And since I know very little of the language and am not yet quite accustomed to many of the cultural expectations and traditions, for the past week I've been living as what's known as a Wallflower. Which has granted me the opportunity to take a step back and just really analyze what the heck I've gotten myself into ;D So, after a week of intense cultural study and acute investigation, here are my results haha. (in no particular order except that of which they happen pop in my head)

1, In Bosnia, and most of Europe, the "comma" replaces the "period."

2, The cost of living is much cheaper. For example they use marks instead of dollars- it's roughly 1.5 marks to each U.S dollar...and a lovely sized cone of homemade banana vanilla ice cream only costs just 50 fenings (33 cents) ...so, it's possible I've gotten a lot of ice cream since being here =P

3, What's known as the hipster mullet in the States is actually a common hairdo amongst most boys here...no comment really.

4, It's impolite to place your feet on the coffee table.

5, Except in the river and swimming pools, no bare feet outside, or passed the specified "take your shoes off area." Not even a step is allowed. Me being a Kentuckian it's almost required that I walk around outside in bare feet, so this one's been kind of tough remembering. I got yelled at by a deaf guy for doing it..so ya.

6, Always shake with your right hand. Supposedly toilet paper is sometimes in short supply. Haven't experienced this one yet...

7, It's culturally acceptable to drop your drawers, pull out your man parts, and relieve yourself in the middle of the river while conversing with your peers.

8, The worse the food actually is for your body, the better. Cevapi tastes most excellent but it's essentially the greasiest sausage links imaginable, rolled up in soggy pita bread, stuffed with extraordinarily tasteful onions, smeared with cheese butter. YUM!
9, The coffee is potent, addictive, and expected to be drunk until your body physically can't manage any more of it.
10, The local weather channel is hosted by scantily clad women. So far I've seen a "hot cop" (as Jeff called her) and a poorly done cheerleader interpretation.
11, The movie theater in town shows American films with Bosnian subtitles. So that's festive.
12, Becky talks about Tony a lot.
13, It's to be expected that when a Bosnian musician is performing live, the entire show is them lip-synching. BLAH! Give it to me raw and wiggly!
14, Pipe smoking is somewhat of a rare phenomenon.
15, It's difficult for the language to sound pleasant. I'm not saying people are upset or angry in the least when they speak, it just sounds rather intimidating. 
16, Most cars run on diesel fuel.
17, A local can easily pick a foreigner out of a crowd simply by our walk and the way we carry ourselves. I've noticed that the proper way to walk is to throw your shoulders back, stick out your head a bit, and just sort of saunter like you haven't got a care in the world where it is that you're going, or how long it takes for you to get there. It's amazing.
18, It's the season of Ramadan right now, so all the devouts are fasting during the day, only eating when the sun isn't up. But, it's surprising really to see how many people could seriously give a rat's ass about the entire thing. 
19, My body feels tired at night, but I'm unable to fall asleep. There may be various factors that come into play here (jet lag, excess coffee intake, general insomnia) but it's kind of annoying =]
20, The weather is blistering hot midday, and nippy at night. They say it's expected to begin cooling off drastically here in the next month or so...hooray for that. (I say that now...but by december I'll be jonesing for a warm sunny day haha)
21, The plums (among other fruits) are much smaller here, but taste better, and again...are cheaper. 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of plums that were shaken off local trees only cost me 1 mark...ya.
22, My dreams have been strange as of late. 
23, There's a lot of trash...everywhere. Apparently going green is not the thing. There's not one recycling center even remotely close by. Jeff laughed at me when I proposed the idea of me buying a load of trash bags and going around picking up garbage. But I'm going to do it regardless ;]
24, Gypsy kids are persistent when it comes to asking for money. 
25, The women's place is in the kitchen. In all honesty though, the role of the women here isn't as degrading as I thought it would be prior to coming. From what I've experienced they're still involved in everything and included in conversations and such. They're just also expected to perform their womanly duties.
26, The pace to life is much slower here...which I couldn't be more thrilled about. Rushing and stressing to be somewhere is essentially obsolete.
27, The foundation to success in the field of mission work is primarily allowing yourself to devote time to the people and form lasting, genuine relationships with them.
28, There are a lot of wild dogs.
29, The mountainous landscape is beyond beautiful and not something to be taken for granted. 
30, Short shorts, manpris, picking at your bellybutton, showing off your chest hair, and being proud of scars are all ordinary, male things =D
31, When you're out and about in public and need to use the john (and don't feel like whipping it out) you gotta pay for it...unless of course you're in a restaurant...of course. (Becky acted like I was a downright fool when I asked if it costed anything to pee while we were eating yesterday)
32, Running with Jeff is enjoyable.
33, Air conditioning doesn't exist. Well it does, but it's super uncommon, and cross breezes are looked upon as some scary voodoo. So lots of time it's warm in the houses.
34, Jeff's really good at air hockey. Next time we're at the arcade I'm demanding we foos it up.
35, The open air market is a fun place to go. Inexpensive clothing and such, fresh food, lots of people.
36, My tattoo is healing well. Praises be!
37, Having the television on for background noise is a cultural normality. No one really ever pays attention to it or could even care less what's on. I don't understand why conversations need background noise. But oh well.
38, There's little to no wildlife. It was pretty much all driven out during the war.
39, Several women have already asked me if I came to Bosnia to find a wife.
40, The Summays really get the whole Christian thing. I'm super happy to be here in Bosnia and I can't wait for the ensuing months.


HECK IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK!    =D


Grace and Peace,


Kaleb  

Marathon? Perhaps.

At 5:30 this morning i was awoken by Jeff Master Runner to go for an early morning run through the nearby Bosnian hills. So, with crusty eyes and a sluggish step I rolled out of bed, slipped on my shirt, and proceeded to dig through my bag, searching for a pair of running friendly gym shorts. And when I say "runner friendly," I mean a comfortable, cheerily brisk pair of shorts that are cut well above the knee to pleasantly maximize air flow =] And yesterday when I told Jeff that I'd gladly wake up and go running with him, I was positive that I had packed just the perfect pair in my travel bag. But, as I pulled one article of clothing after another out of my backpack, I soon became worrisome that I had mistakenly shoved them in my main suitcase- the one with all my other clothes. (I suppose that's what I get for packing just 30 minutes before I left for the airport) And as it turns out, that's exactly what I had done. So, as I'm standing there, debating on whether or not to cancel my run and just go back to bed, I spot my short jorts (jean-shorts) laying invitingly on the floor in an ever so creepy manner. So, I say to myself "Self, why not? They're shorts right?" WRONG! Not 2 kilometers into our run I start feeling this irksome rubbing all along the insides of my thighs...oh my! Before I knew it I had slowed down considerably in comparison to Jeff speedy pace, and tried my hardest to just focus on all the beauty that surrounded me, hoping to get lost in the excellence that is Neutral Milk Hotel (music that I was listening to at the time)- but to no prevail. I had to stop.  I had to view the damage. So I sneak down to the river, unbeknownst to Jeff, who's long gone in his world of ACDC and Green Day, and I scout out the surrounding area...and peer into my pants....ya. So, there I am, stuck with a major dilemma...do I keep running in hopes to catch back up with Jeff, or do I turn back and sulk in my terrible mistake of choosing to run in jorts. By the time I'd made up my mind, Jeff had practically decided for me, as he was already well ahead, running like a champ. So, I get back on the road and slowly start walking back towards the Summay's house, bow legged from the pain, and alone. It was my first time on my own in Bosnia, and even though Jeff had heavily assured me that I was in a safe place to be...it was still a bit nerve-racking. Wild dogs were chasing me, barking in confusion, a steady rate of small European cars were flying past me, staring me down, and I just knew I looked ridiculously out of place. I stuck out like a sore thumb. And I'm not usually one to feel just downright uncomfortable by awkward situations...but this was tense...and nothing I did, no way I shifted my walk would alleviate the pain on my inner thighs. So, I just started running again. Don't ask me why, it just seemed like the only logical thing to do...and at least I would get away from this ever so unfriendly pack of wild dogs with demon eyes and smelly flies =] (like my clever rhyming haha) The first few minutes were just as painful as the first couple kilometers, but then the irritation suddenly let up, and I was running naturally again. Praises be! As I ran I prayed. I prayed for Jeff, that he'd be able to accomplish his goal of 10 kilometers that day pain-free. I prayed for Beth, as she started her third round of chemo. I prayed that my family and friends back home would remain well- allowing them to keep focus on life's positives, and find immense joy in even the smallest of things. I let my mind slow down...to the point where I felt I became conscience of everything around me. The wind was cool and refreshing, the smell was of rock and river, the lyrics to the songs that I was listening to were laid out like pictures in front of me, the trees rustled and shook. Everything around me seemed to somehow tune in with my senses. The feeling was quite similar to the feeling I get when I french inhale from my pipe. (except it felt a lot healthier...since i was improving my lungs as opposed to destroying them) But I just let God take over. And before I knew it I was already back into town. I then turned around and kept running, back the other way...hoping to catch Jeff and finish up his run with him (which I eventually did). All in all I'd estimate that I ran about 5 kilometers...maybe a little more. But certainly more than I had envisioned me doing at the very beginning of my run...and for that I am thankful. Who know's, maybe my dad signing me up for that marathon next May wasn't such a ludicrous idea. Maybe, just maybe, these early morning runs with Jeff will readily prepare me for those grueling 26.something miles. All I know is that I'm going to take it slow, allow God to work through my patience, and wait until I get some actual running shorts before I set out again on those Bosnian hills ;D

Grace and Peace,

Kaleb

"Information Overload"

don't the summay's have a lovely view?!?

Information overload is an accurate description of what it's like to submerse yourself in a culture where you have no idea what is being said...ever, all the conversion rates are swimming (more like drowning) in your head, and all the while you're trying to understand and familiarize yourself with so many cultural differences...and I LOVE IT! 


Last night some of Jeff's Bosnian friends stopped by to visit and chat. It was my first experience with a lengthy, Bosnian conversation and I had no idea what was being said =] By forcing myself to tune into the interesting dialect of the new language, along with focusing on the casual hand motions to try and follow as best I could on what was actually being discussed, I actually gave myself a pretty serious headache. I was totally oblivious. To my knowledge Jeff could have been ranting about how much I smell and that he wished to God I'd bathe haha. i don't know. There was one part of the conversation that I did catch however... when Jeff was telling Sega (Shaygah) who I was and who my parents were, he rubbed his head as if he was bald ;D ...context clues for the win! I'm itching to start my language training...I wanna converse. After they left we were soon afterwards visited by Jeff's deaf mechanic neighbor guy whose name slips my memory. To me, he seemed like a friendly man. I introduced him to some of my pipe tobacco- which he in turn, rolled a cigarette with. So, we smoked and he and Jeff talked (dude is strangely excellent at reading lips) and it was quite interesting to watch. I think he really enjoyed my tobacco cos he kept looking over, and knowing that I knew nothing that was being spoken, he would just give me a wink. It was comforting? Anyways he left and Jeff went to bed and I stayed up amazed by the Bosnian night, stoked on it's beauty. The mountains were so soothing. I felt alright with everything. I must have sat outside on the Summay's deck for at least three hours, just looking... and praying. I played some guitar, smoked a few pipe bowls, then decided I'd better get some sleep cos I had no clue what Jeff was planning for the next day.

As it turns out a Sunday in Bosnia proved to be about as eventful as a Sunday anywhere else. We woke up with the agenda wide open and didn't really move from one spot until lunch time. Jeff decided we were going down into town for lunch, so we drove down there and walked around for a bit before finally stopping at this little restaurant to eat. I couldn't tell you the Bosnian name for it, but in english it's translated "The Ember." ...and it was delicious. cevapi = mmm. After a bit more walking around the town and driving to see some nearby villages, we retired back to the deaf mechanic guy's house and I met his family.
There I was first introduced to Bosnian coffee (thankfully I remembered Ben's words of advise to never say "bottoms up" unless you want a mouthful of grainy coffee grounds that taste like chalk but worse). I met their 10 year old son, who had learned english from watching cartoons, and we had a great chat about ninja turtles and some dragon show. It was awesome! I love talking about dragons...especially with kids who are as equally as pumped and fascinated by their majestic qualities. After a while of serious, enthusiastic dragon talk, we eventually went outside to practice our jump roping skills. He was impressed that I could even jump rope and showed me some of his tricks that he could do. I never really was much of a jump roper back in the day. I'd say my peak was several years ago when I got up to maybe 40 jumps in a row without tripping over my feet. (never could do the criss-cross or double spin thing) But dude pleaded for me to try...so I did. And after about 10 minutes of lessons I got the criss-cross move down! I was so excited! Not once in my 19 years of living had I ever been able to do that fancy criss-cross move...until today. I suppose it just took the excitement and encouragement of a Bosnian kid to get my coordination to work correctly =]

Then it was time for church. Foreign churches are always a treat to attend. Everyone was so friendly, all the songs and repetition helped with learning the new pronunciations, and I had the opportunity to worship the Lord. Life's good.

Grace and Peace,

Caleb (Kaleb)

Left Thursday, Arrived Saturday

So, after one of the best nights of my entire summer experience with some downright amazing friends- playing stupidhead, smoking pipes, sharing stories, and going for an exciting walk on an extremely foggy night, i was up and awake and quite ready for my journey to Bosnia! The drive to the airport was a memorable one. I don't often get the opportunity to take long car rides with just my parents anymore so it was neat introducing them to some new music and allowing them the opportunity to talk down my nerves about my trip. Although I'm super excited about living and learning a new culture, I'm not going to lie and tell you there wasn't any sort of nervousness flowing through me. But thank God for parents and their ability to pump you up when you need it most. It was tough saying goodbye to the friends and family who had come to the airport to see me off. Even though it was a fabricated excuse for you guys to skip school, I truly felt loved that you were there...so thank you ;D All of our flights were all kind of a blur. I purposefully stayed up way past the point of exhaustion Wednesday night in order to guarantee some shut eye on the planes. BEST IDEA EVER! ...cos when we landed in Croatia i was pumped and ready to walk around with Jeff and get a taste of a new world. We walked around the cobblestone streets, visited some breathtaking cathedrals, talked culture, ate some delicious tasties, and then sat and people watched as we waited for our train that would take us into Bosnia. What a cool way to travel by the way! It was my first time taking a European train for that long of a distance...and i thoroughly enjoyed it. Then the sun rose...and i was able to see the gorgeous countryside of Bosnia...wow. We followed the river though the mountains all the way to the station. From the station we then walked up up up, all the way to the Summays house, and after Jeff gave me the tour i instantly fell asleep and took one of the best naps I've ever taken =D Welcome to Bosnia, Caleb!!!! WOOT!!!


Grace and Peace,

Caleb