Ciao, Serbia

I am leaving Serbia tomorrow. It's kind of hard to believe that it has already been two months. There are so many things I have to do before I leave that's it's a bit crazy. All my laundry needs to be done and I need to pack up my bag, our apartment needs to be cleaned, I have to write some stupid paper that I thought I wouldn't have to worry about until I was back in Denver, we have to say goodbye to all our friends and coworkers here...and the list goes on. Thankfully the weather has cooled down considerably (I am currently wearing a thin sweater and pants - Gasp!) so we aren't wilting from the heat, but that means that my clothes will take significantly longer to dry. Crap.

Novi Sad has been a great place to live for the past two months and I've met some really cool people. I've had some unique experiences and gotten different perspectives on the conflicts that ripped this part of the world apart not too long ago. I haven't agreed with all of those perspectives, and some of them have been extremely uneducated ones, but I think it has been good to gain the few insights and look at things from different angles. I know that if I had been placed in Bosnia I never would have heard those differing perspectives, nor would I have been open to listening to them. It is truly interesting to hear how the past is (or isn't) viewed here and it has been interesting, as well, to listen to the disagreements that Serbians have over the same issues. Nevertheless, I am ready to move on. I am really ready to drink REAL coffee (that actually smells like coffee as well) and not instant, and I am ready to eat something besides pork and ground beef, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Pizza without ketchup is another thing I look forward to. :) These are all things I am sure I will be able to find once I leave Serbia...Italy will be wonderful.

Tomorrow night I will hop on a bus to Sarajevo for the weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of my classmates there as well as finally seeing Sarajevo. Getting in and out of Serbia is a bit of a pain, so our traveling has been limited. There is not a train to Sarajevo...not even from Beograd. Apparently, one needs to take a train to some other town or city (who knows where?) and then switch and get another train to go to Sarajevo. Ridiculous. (But the war has been over for so long and no one is affected by it...BS!) All this means that I have to take a bus through the lovely, winding, mountain roads for many hours...I wish I had some dramamine - ugh. Hopefully I'll be able to fall asleep and avoid motion sickness.

After Sarajevo I will head to Mostar and meet up with Amber and we'll trek up the coast of Croatia before she goes to meet Ryan and I travel on to Italy. That's the tentative plan, anyway. The next month is basically free and I'll be going where my wandering feet take me. It should be an adventure. I'm ready for an adventure.