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.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
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
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
Monday, August 23, 2010
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
Grace and Peace,
Kaleb
Sunday, August 22, 2010
"Information Overload"
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| 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.
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.
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)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
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
Grace and Peace,
Caleb
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