so, who can guess where the above quote is from?? GO!
Well, it's my last day here in Tuzla!! I am getting on a bus to Zagreb @ 7am and my flight leaves at 2:40pm!!! whoooo!!!!!!
DENVER HERE I COME!
CAO TUZLA!!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Oh Dubrovnik, how beautiful you are
Well, according to my mom Dubrovnik has been proclaimed to be the place to go for celebrities, and now I know why! If you ever have the chance to go to Dubrovnik, you should take it! It was absolutely beautiful! It’s a very touristy area; however, if you search out the local places you will definitely find the soul of Dubrovnik and of the Dalmatian Coast. The girls and I took a bus at 9pm Thursday night and arrived at 4:30am Friday morning. The bus ride was actually fine because we slept most of the way. Once we arrived and understood where we were (thanks to the bus driver who didn’t speak English pointing us into the direction of a very large map!), we ventured out onto the streets of the city to find our accommodations that I had booked ahead of time. I found this great little place called the Braticevic Rooms. It was a regular house in a residential neighborhood, which was only reached by walking up a flight of 100 stairs! (And yes, I counted!) Anyway, it was a great room with 3 beds and a huge armoire and bed side tables. We shared a full bath with another couple staying there, but it was totally fine. I loved it because it was far away enough from Old Town and all of the touristy stuff that I felt like we were sitting right in the middle of the culture, which was just great. The family who owns the place was so helpful and we were able to go as we pleased, which was nice.
Friday, we didn’t get much sleep, but that didn’t stop us from getting our butts to Old Town and checking out what the beaches looked like! Since we wanted to see Old Town, we followed the map to the very outskirts of Old Town, right outside the wall that marks the perimeter of the Old Town. It wasn’t a beach at all, to our surprise, but a cool swim spot! It was great to see so many different cultures in one place...and very interesting. Needless to say, the girls and I got more than our fair share of seeing adults and children dressing and undressing out of their swim suits….Rude! : ) We putzed around for some time just touring Old Town, seeing all of the tourists shops, jewelry, clothes, all of the good stuff. Then we found a little restaurant in an alley way in Old Town. It was a little pricey and the food wasn’t fantastic. Then after that, we decided to just play it low key and to rest up for what was left of our great weekend, aka drinking wine back at our little hostel.
The following day, we found this great little beach right behind the Belleview Hotel! It was BEAUTIFUL! The water was crystal clear! Blue and green! Ughh it was really wonderful! It was so relaxing to just get the chance to relax and layout with such beautiful views in front of me. Speaking of views in front of me…some of the lady tourists visiting Dubrovnik felt highly comfortable displaying their breastsssss to the entire beach. HAHAHA Don’t worry, I didn’t jump on that European tourist band wagon!!!! So then once we had had enough of the beach and sun, we headed back to our humble abode to relax and then got ready to have dinner. We headed back to Old Town to get some yum yumms and found this great restaurant in between the fortress and the Old Town Wall. Again, we couldn’t escape the prices but it was worth it. So much so that we headed back there the following morning! I was especially more than thrilled that they had bloody mary’s on their menu. I haven’t had one in the longest of times! Needless to say it felt good to have the Americanized style menu. After dinner we strolled the walls of Old Town and we were hoping to be able to stroll the perimeter of the wall, but it was closed by the time we got there! So instead we once again window-shopped; and since I was getting a bit too much sun on my face I decided to buy this adorable little sun hat! Which I put to great use the following day when Bree and I found this great swim spot that actually looked out towards the spot we had been the day before! It was so cool, it was just rocks and cement platforms and it wasn’t overcrowded either, it was perfect! It was great to just get to hang with Bree and get in lots of swimming. All of the beaches and swim areas have sections of the water roped off for the swimmers, so at this little secluded place I got in some laps in the Adriatic Ocean!!
The following morning was when I headed back here to Tuzla… 9 hrs later… UGH god that was a terrible bus ride. However, it was kind of cool because I was pretty much traveling across Bosnia for the last time, so it was great to get to take it all in one last time.
It’s pretty crazy the things I have experienced in these past 8 weeks. Lots of culture, lots of great people who I have made great connections and friendships with; I’m so grateful to have had this experience.
Friday, we didn’t get much sleep, but that didn’t stop us from getting our butts to Old Town and checking out what the beaches looked like! Since we wanted to see Old Town, we followed the map to the very outskirts of Old Town, right outside the wall that marks the perimeter of the Old Town. It wasn’t a beach at all, to our surprise, but a cool swim spot! It was great to see so many different cultures in one place...and very interesting. Needless to say, the girls and I got more than our fair share of seeing adults and children dressing and undressing out of their swim suits….Rude! : ) We putzed around for some time just touring Old Town, seeing all of the tourists shops, jewelry, clothes, all of the good stuff. Then we found a little restaurant in an alley way in Old Town. It was a little pricey and the food wasn’t fantastic. Then after that, we decided to just play it low key and to rest up for what was left of our great weekend, aka drinking wine back at our little hostel.
The following day, we found this great little beach right behind the Belleview Hotel! It was BEAUTIFUL! The water was crystal clear! Blue and green! Ughh it was really wonderful! It was so relaxing to just get the chance to relax and layout with such beautiful views in front of me. Speaking of views in front of me…some of the lady tourists visiting Dubrovnik felt highly comfortable displaying their breastsssss to the entire beach. HAHAHA Don’t worry, I didn’t jump on that European tourist band wagon!!!! So then once we had had enough of the beach and sun, we headed back to our humble abode to relax and then got ready to have dinner. We headed back to Old Town to get some yum yumms and found this great restaurant in between the fortress and the Old Town Wall. Again, we couldn’t escape the prices but it was worth it. So much so that we headed back there the following morning! I was especially more than thrilled that they had bloody mary’s on their menu. I haven’t had one in the longest of times! Needless to say it felt good to have the Americanized style menu. After dinner we strolled the walls of Old Town and we were hoping to be able to stroll the perimeter of the wall, but it was closed by the time we got there! So instead we once again window-shopped; and since I was getting a bit too much sun on my face I decided to buy this adorable little sun hat! Which I put to great use the following day when Bree and I found this great swim spot that actually looked out towards the spot we had been the day before! It was so cool, it was just rocks and cement platforms and it wasn’t overcrowded either, it was perfect! It was great to just get to hang with Bree and get in lots of swimming. All of the beaches and swim areas have sections of the water roped off for the swimmers, so at this little secluded place I got in some laps in the Adriatic Ocean!!
The following morning was when I headed back here to Tuzla… 9 hrs later… UGH god that was a terrible bus ride. However, it was kind of cool because I was pretty much traveling across Bosnia for the last time, so it was great to get to take it all in one last time.
It’s pretty crazy the things I have experienced in these past 8 weeks. Lots of culture, lots of great people who I have made great connections and friendships with; I’m so grateful to have had this experience.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
. loads of hope .
Heyy to All!
So I am pretty sure most of you who have ever watched tv have seen these commercials before; you know the ones where Tide is participating in the 'Loads of Hope' campaign where any proceeds that they receive go to families who have been affected by disaster. Well I thought this would be the perfect place to stand on my soap box to promote this campaign and all of the great things that it has done for the many people affected by disaster in our own country. Basically, this campaign travels around with a mobile laundromat and the volunteers wash, dry, and fold the clothes for individuals affected by the disaster the team is responding to. You can support this campaign by purchasing any yellow cap tide product or a vintage tide t-shirt! Which I don't know about you, but those vintage tees look pretty cool! :D So here is the website below. Check it out! I know it's sometimes annoying to put the effort in, but I mean we all do laundry, and just think about how much you could be helping out with a simple purchase.
http://www.tide.com/en-US/loads-of-hope/how-you-can-help.jspx
I love and miss you all!
So I am pretty sure most of you who have ever watched tv have seen these commercials before; you know the ones where Tide is participating in the 'Loads of Hope' campaign where any proceeds that they receive go to families who have been affected by disaster. Well I thought this would be the perfect place to stand on my soap box to promote this campaign and all of the great things that it has done for the many people affected by disaster in our own country. Basically, this campaign travels around with a mobile laundromat and the volunteers wash, dry, and fold the clothes for individuals affected by the disaster the team is responding to. You can support this campaign by purchasing any yellow cap tide product or a vintage tide t-shirt! Which I don't know about you, but those vintage tees look pretty cool! :D So here is the website below. Check it out! I know it's sometimes annoying to put the effort in, but I mean we all do laundry, and just think about how much you could be helping out with a simple purchase.
http://www.tide.com/en-US/loads-of-hope/how-you-can-help.jspx
I love and miss you all!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
some pics
The first pic is of Bree and I getting ready to go to the rap concert. The second pic is of Christina and Bree at the concert, the third is the concert itself, and the last one is Tuzla at dusk! Enjoy!
winding down.
Well, it certainly feels like a Tuesday, that's for sure. This week has been pretty good so far and it can only get better! I only have 2 more days of work & then to Dubrovnik I go, to lay on the beach and relax before I head back to USA! This past weekend was pretty eventful, which I wasn't expecting. Friday night, as I mentioned in my last post, the girls and I went with our friend Samira down to the river where there were rappers performing. It was actually a pretty good time and there were a ton of people there! It was pretty crazy.. lots of kids and teens... lots of underage drinking. However, when I asked Samira what the legal age to drink in BiH is, she said it wasn't really enforced. Hmm interesting. It just goes with the statements Alma and Amir have presented to me that under-aged drinking is a serious problem here in BiH... no kidding? However, I think a big part of that is just kids being kids, but that's just me.
Anyway, so the show was great and we got home pretty early. There's only so much rap a person can take... especially when it's in another language. HAHA! I was planning on just laying out at the Salt Lakes, however, Bree's coworker Jennita invited us to her parent's cottage on Saturday! It was adorable! And none of her family members speak any English, so she had to translate, but it was such a great experience and her family were so kind and adorable! Bree and I took a bus (about 30 min outside of Tuzla) and she picked us up from the bus station. Jennita's mom made a ton of food! She had this vegetable soup, these pies with what I think was something similar to a turnip, but it was delicious! And lots of coffee! :D It was so relaxing out there and Bree and I had the greatest and most relaxing time. After we ate, Jennita, her cousin Alma, Bree and I took a walk through the land that they grow all of their crops on. It was such a beautiful walk through nature. And we got to see the area where Jennita's grandmother was born and raised. Now her grandmother lives behind her parent's cottage. She was a great woman. Jennita described her having been 'sick' recently.. which was interesting to me that she used that language, because in first meeting the grandmother you could immediately detect that she had suffered a stroke because she had no control over the right side of her face. She knew we didn't understand the language, but it was funny, she kept talking to us in Bosnian.. that was a bit awkward, haha because Bree and I could only imagine what she was trying to say. But we did get a couple of things, which I was happy about!
We left their home later in the evening and left with a bag full of pears and apples that had been grown on the parents farm! They just kept filling the bag! So thanks to them we have lots of fruit for the rest of the week! :D Then Sunday came and Bree an I just went to the Salt Lakes to relax by the water. I started my 9th book of the summer.. can you believe it?! 9 Books in 8 weeks.. me.. ridiculous. I got a bit sun-burned.. I know, I've already been reprimanded *(hehe love you Frank!)* and I know I should know better. I'm working on it. : ) So all-in-all it was a pretty eventful weekend and very relaxing one too!
Yesterday was my last day working at the hospital. It was a bitter-sweet thing. I am so very glad to have had that experience working there. It was cool, once we were all finished with the groups Dr. Esmina and the rest of the staff took us on a tour of the hospital. It was great to see; kind of sad, but still important. At one point we stopped back in the office for them to show us pictures of a what the psych clinic looked like during the war.. honestly, I would love to see those pictures displayed in a museum.. they were heart-wrenching...The conditions these people had to live in.. was unbelievable. They had taken all of these photos and blown them up, because at the time they used them to petition to get a new building after the war because of the conditions these people were forced to live in. Some of the pictures showed the patients having to eat dinner on the floor because they didn't have proper furniture for them... the walls were water-stained and rusting out.. I wish the rest of the world could see these pictures.
I took this picture in Mostar when I went rafting. I just came upon it when we were walking around Old Town. It means a great deal to me and I wanted to share it with you all.
Anyway, so the show was great and we got home pretty early. There's only so much rap a person can take... especially when it's in another language. HAHA! I was planning on just laying out at the Salt Lakes, however, Bree's coworker Jennita invited us to her parent's cottage on Saturday! It was adorable! And none of her family members speak any English, so she had to translate, but it was such a great experience and her family were so kind and adorable! Bree and I took a bus (about 30 min outside of Tuzla) and she picked us up from the bus station. Jennita's mom made a ton of food! She had this vegetable soup, these pies with what I think was something similar to a turnip, but it was delicious! And lots of coffee! :D It was so relaxing out there and Bree and I had the greatest and most relaxing time. After we ate, Jennita, her cousin Alma, Bree and I took a walk through the land that they grow all of their crops on. It was such a beautiful walk through nature. And we got to see the area where Jennita's grandmother was born and raised. Now her grandmother lives behind her parent's cottage. She was a great woman. Jennita described her having been 'sick' recently.. which was interesting to me that she used that language, because in first meeting the grandmother you could immediately detect that she had suffered a stroke because she had no control over the right side of her face. She knew we didn't understand the language, but it was funny, she kept talking to us in Bosnian.. that was a bit awkward, haha because Bree and I could only imagine what she was trying to say. But we did get a couple of things, which I was happy about!
We left their home later in the evening and left with a bag full of pears and apples that had been grown on the parents farm! They just kept filling the bag! So thanks to them we have lots of fruit for the rest of the week! :D Then Sunday came and Bree an I just went to the Salt Lakes to relax by the water. I started my 9th book of the summer.. can you believe it?! 9 Books in 8 weeks.. me.. ridiculous. I got a bit sun-burned.. I know, I've already been reprimanded *(hehe love you Frank!)* and I know I should know better. I'm working on it. : ) So all-in-all it was a pretty eventful weekend and very relaxing one too!
Yesterday was my last day working at the hospital. It was a bitter-sweet thing. I am so very glad to have had that experience working there. It was cool, once we were all finished with the groups Dr. Esmina and the rest of the staff took us on a tour of the hospital. It was great to see; kind of sad, but still important. At one point we stopped back in the office for them to show us pictures of a what the psych clinic looked like during the war.. honestly, I would love to see those pictures displayed in a museum.. they were heart-wrenching...The conditions these people had to live in.. was unbelievable. They had taken all of these photos and blown them up, because at the time they used them to petition to get a new building after the war because of the conditions these people were forced to live in. Some of the pictures showed the patients having to eat dinner on the floor because they didn't have proper furniture for them... the walls were water-stained and rusting out.. I wish the rest of the world could see these pictures.
I took this picture in Mostar when I went rafting. I just came upon it when we were walking around Old Town. It means a great deal to me and I wanted to share it with you all.
Friday, July 24, 2009
tgif
Well, it's finally Friday. I wasn't sure if it was ever going to get here. Nothing really new going on over here in Tuzla, except that by 5:30pm I will be home in 13 days! :D This week was pretty slow. The hospital was pretty interesting this past Monday. We were actually able to talk with the clients, via translator of course. But it was great because we were just talking about life things and, I don't know it was just nice to have that opportunity to talk to them in a clinical/therapeutic way. I wish I had gotten to spend more time there...
Throughout the rest of the week I was pretty busy at CRP. I completed all of the workshops I put together for students in secondary school. It ended up coming to 5 workshops total and I put together all of the slides with all of the info related to each topic; 1. Looking at schools in Bosnia Heryegovina, 2.Finding Financial Aid, 3.How to produce an effective and strong resume and cover letter, 4. How to prepare for an interview, & 5. Writing a personal statement. Most of these workshops were designed to make the students more confident in their capabilities when applying to college, but I also wanted to reach the kids who were in that in between, of going to university or working first. I was really happy with the way it all turned out! And it was great, yesterday I met with Alma *(not my sup, a different Alma)* and she really loved all of the work that I did and told me that hopefully in the near future they will be able to put all of the info that I gathered into a booklet to provide for the students, aka, these workshops are really going to be implemented into the school systems here!!!! Even though it may not happen right away, it was just great to feel like I contributed something of significance to the organization and to the community, even if it is on a smaller scale, I am entirely satisfied with that and really happy. I still have one more piece of the project to complete (writing letters to a student and to a politician of why they should go to college, or get involved in the program), but I think this will be a pretty easy piece.
A little later today Christina and I have to present our findings on the other workshop that we have been working on (the CPR and first aid trainings in remote villages). It's my sup's last day, hence why we are presenting today. I think that should go very smoothly and quickly. And it's Friday.. so you know what that means.. relaxxxxx. Tonight my co-worker from the hospital, Samira is taking Bree, Christina and me, down to the river where there is going to be a concert. Apparently, this person is a rapper, and he was born and raised here in Tuzla. He started out here in Tuzla, rapping at the very place we are going tonight, and that's how he got his 'stardom.' So this should be interesting...
My plan for the rest of the weekend is to get sun! I am going to be lounging at the salt lakes all weekend and also in town getting some last minute souvenirs and things. Also just preparing for my trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia! I am really pumped about that! The girls and I are going to be taking a direct bus from here this coming Thursday night. The only reason we are cutting out of work a little early is because everyone is going on holiday in the office. Actually, I think there are only going to be like 2 people here in the office all next week too. But yeah so we leave at 9pm Thursday and we should get to Dubrovnik around 6am Friday morning... I know.. a 9 hr bus ride... I booked a room for us at a hostel, but it's really just someone's house that has apartment type rooms off to the side of it and that's how these people make money, off tourists like us :D Needless to say, next Thursday can't come quick enough! Then back to Denverrrrr! :DDDDDDD
Throughout the rest of the week I was pretty busy at CRP. I completed all of the workshops I put together for students in secondary school. It ended up coming to 5 workshops total and I put together all of the slides with all of the info related to each topic; 1. Looking at schools in Bosnia Heryegovina, 2.Finding Financial Aid, 3.How to produce an effective and strong resume and cover letter, 4. How to prepare for an interview, & 5. Writing a personal statement. Most of these workshops were designed to make the students more confident in their capabilities when applying to college, but I also wanted to reach the kids who were in that in between, of going to university or working first. I was really happy with the way it all turned out! And it was great, yesterday I met with Alma *(not my sup, a different Alma)* and she really loved all of the work that I did and told me that hopefully in the near future they will be able to put all of the info that I gathered into a booklet to provide for the students, aka, these workshops are really going to be implemented into the school systems here!!!! Even though it may not happen right away, it was just great to feel like I contributed something of significance to the organization and to the community, even if it is on a smaller scale, I am entirely satisfied with that and really happy. I still have one more piece of the project to complete (writing letters to a student and to a politician of why they should go to college, or get involved in the program), but I think this will be a pretty easy piece.
A little later today Christina and I have to present our findings on the other workshop that we have been working on (the CPR and first aid trainings in remote villages). It's my sup's last day, hence why we are presenting today. I think that should go very smoothly and quickly. And it's Friday.. so you know what that means.. relaxxxxx. Tonight my co-worker from the hospital, Samira is taking Bree, Christina and me, down to the river where there is going to be a concert. Apparently, this person is a rapper, and he was born and raised here in Tuzla. He started out here in Tuzla, rapping at the very place we are going tonight, and that's how he got his 'stardom.' So this should be interesting...
My plan for the rest of the weekend is to get sun! I am going to be lounging at the salt lakes all weekend and also in town getting some last minute souvenirs and things. Also just preparing for my trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia! I am really pumped about that! The girls and I are going to be taking a direct bus from here this coming Thursday night. The only reason we are cutting out of work a little early is because everyone is going on holiday in the office. Actually, I think there are only going to be like 2 people here in the office all next week too. But yeah so we leave at 9pm Thursday and we should get to Dubrovnik around 6am Friday morning... I know.. a 9 hr bus ride... I booked a room for us at a hostel, but it's really just someone's house that has apartment type rooms off to the side of it and that's how these people make money, off tourists like us :D Needless to say, next Thursday can't come quick enough! Then back to Denverrrrr! :DDDDDDD
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
here's a few more rafting pics!
The first pic is the 2nd raft that Bree and I jumped into, going through a rapid. The second pic is of the cliff that I jumped from into the river below! That's me right on the ledge!
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