Culture Shock -- Phase II

Katie, Tory, and I have all decided we are in phase two of culture shock. As Katie, pointed out this means we have been here (the Balkans) long enough to be in phase two. She said it was something to be celebrated. This is the phase where the rose-colored glasses come off and you see all the negative things in a culture and your own culture becomes idealized (or at least that is my slant on the definition I got from Wikipedia). It is nice to know that these emotions are common enough to have made it to Wikipedia and I am not alone in my struggles to adjust to a new culture. It's weird to be in this phase. I realized that this is about the time you head home if you are doing a study abroad program in a different culture.

My feelings toward the culture here are so ambivalent. I don't hate it here. In fact, most days I think I like it. I can even admit that on days like today when there have been massive demonstrations in the streets and I have to take precautions to avoid being noticed as a foreigner (or even worse as an American). Even with all of that there are things here that I already appreciate. Today after my language class I went out for a drink with my classmates. Most of them sat and moaned about how much they hate it here. It was frustrating. I’m wondering if they are all in phase two. Some of them have been here for the same amount of time as me and others for longer periods of time. It made me think – is it possible to get stuck in phase two? I feel like it could be, especially for people such as me who are prone to a healthy dose of realism (which some of my friends choose to label as cynicism). This made me a little nervous. I don’t want to be one of those people who can is sits and thinks about the superiority of my own culture while sitting in another country. Although I think it would be difficult for me to bask in the superiority of US culture since I personally dislike so many things about that culture (lifestyle and governmental policies), I do see where it would be possible for me to find a sense of superiority within my own personal culture and beliefs. I think it would be very easy for me to just uproot myself from my little bubble in the US only to recreate that bubble within Serbia and never have to truly open myself up to the new ideas and new culture here. In my panic of being the person who gets stuck in phase two, I was wondering if there was some way I could skip over it – if there was some way I was guaranteed to do it right so I don’t get stuck here (here being phase two, not Serbia). I realize that is probably a lame idea since phase two of culture shock is an important step to making it to the next stage(s) of culture shock. I am waiting for that stage where I feel at home in the new culture and have a sense of belonging. I’m not sure if that is the third phase, the fourth phase, or a non-existent phase. Everyone’s definition of culture shock seems to vary after the first two stages. I take that to mean that stage one and two are classifiable and inevitable, but anything after that is what you make of it (my conclusion here could be completely wrong, but it seems to work for now).

So, here I am grappling with letting myself be really open to this new culture and let the good things sink in without letting the bad things overwhelm me. I’m not sure what that means and how that looks, but I am determined not to get stuck in phase two.

Sarajevo Museums

Just a quick word about Sarajevo museums. I will post another entry soon to share more about my Sarajevo weekend.

Tory, Katie, and I decided we wanted to go to a Sarajevo museum on Saturday (since Belgrade museums were largely unsuccessful -- refer to February 6 entry Museums in Belgrade). We first decided to go to the bridge museum; the museum that is placed by the corner where Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assasinated in 1914 (leading to World War I). We were hoping it would still be open since we were getting a late start. We arrived at the museum to find it closed. It wasn't closed due to the time, but for unspecified reasons it was closed for the day. There was a sign saying it would be closed on Saturday and would resume normal working hours on Monday. I guess we picked the wrong day to come (although it was the only day we could come).

We then headed to the art museum. This was a much more successful venture. It was free. We spent our time looking around. There were many hidden nooks and crannies which actually contained whole rooms (small rooms, but whole rooms) of art. It was fun to have to search for the art. It was nice game of sorts.

Overall, we had more success with museums in Sarajevo than in Belgrade. I'm not sure if this is some sort of reflection on the two cities or if it is just random luck. I'm sure I could try to find some greater meaning in this as a reflection of the current political situation, variances in culture, or something else of that sort. However, I'm also not sure it would be an accurate reflection.

My New Orange Coat.

Here's another one of those older entries that never made its way to the blog.

An important fashion update from Belgrade: I now have my own Serbian coat. It is long, warm, and looks like a bright orange sleeping bag with faux fur on the hood. I’m not particularly a fan. The benefits of this coat include: it was cheap (around $12 dollars) and it gets people (the activists at WiB) to quit nagging me about my need for a new coat.

I had no real desire to buy the coat, but everyone at WiB kept insisiting I needed a warmer coat. I thought my coat was doing just fine. After all, it gets cold in Indiana. Well, I was overruled.

One of the activists, S, found me the perfect coat at a little shop close to the train station. The day after Christmas (while Tory and Katie were still here) I went with S to go and purchase it. Katie and Tory were out having some nice, warm beverages while I was at the office finishing up some last minute tasks -- and purchasing a coat. It was orange. They had a creamy, mustard yellow, but there was only one left and it wasn't in my size. So I was stuck with orange. I returned to the office wearing it and everything loved it.

I still don't particularly love the coat, but I concede that the coat is very warm and it was very cold here for a while. In fact, the coat is so warm I only wear it when it is really cold or I start sweating while I stand waiting for the bus.

That's all I have to say about that. I just thought everyone should know that I have made my first step towards a Serbian fashion sense. Let's hope it doesn't go much further. (I don't consider a transformation to a Serbian fashion sense a good thing. Although not everyone has a weird sense of fashion here, I have already seen some odd looks and have heard that sumer will be an interesting fashion show.)

A post without a purpose

I don't have any antecdotes or stories for today's post. I just felt like posting a general update.

My Serbian language class continues to grow. We started out as three then became five. Then six. Then seven. Then nine. Then eight. Then nine. People keep rotating in and out of the class. We've been averaging eight students, but the faces change. We seem to have a faithful core of six with some guest appearances by the same 3 students. (There was also another student who dropped by for a week. He will be back in May for another month's lessons.)

Many of our mid-class breaks consist of somebody sharing their latest Belgrade adventure or complaint. I try not to join in on many of these conversations since they seem to turn negative quickly. Of course none of us are from Serbia and for the most part (with one or two exceptions) we have all moved here within the last 6 months. The reasons we come range from volunteering (me), diplomacy (two students are here with a family member who is working at their country's embassy), adventure, and love (this is definitely the majority of the students). Interestingly enough, the persons here for love seem the most distraught at being here. In fact, one of the students just returned last week from visiting her family and friends (in Holland) and happily announced to us that she would be moving back to Holland permanently this summer. Her husband could stay here or come with her, but she was going.

Another student is here from Ireland with her Serbian boyfriend. Every class (she isn't the most faithful attender so this is about 3 times a week) she talks about the things she hates in Serbia, the things she misses about Ireland, and the many ways Serbia doesn't measure up to Ireland. Yesterday she mentioned that she thinks it might be worse for her to come to class since she is then with other internationals who all complain together about their lives in Belgrade. I thought this was ironic since she seems to be leading the mini therapy sessions.

This past weekend we had an activist from Guatemala come and share her personal story and lead us in activities. It was very interesting. It was nice for me since she spoke in Spanish (which was then translated into Serbian) so I actually understood what was going on (most of the time -- there were still times when nobody remembered to translate for her and so we just smiled at each other in confusion). I found that my answers to anyone started coming out in Englospanbian (some new hybrid of English, Spanish, and Serbian). I couldn't get my mind and my tongue to work together to use the right language (Spanish with the speaker, Serbian with the non-English speaking activists, and English with the English speaking activists).

Cooking is fun with my stove. I seem to only be able to get the burners to go on medium high or high. There is no low heat (or at least not as I can tell). I'm also trying my hand at being inventive in using my kitchen utensils. For instance, when you are making rice and don't have pot with a lid a plate can be substituted for the lid. But take care not to keep the plate on too long or it will crack. Also, be open to the possibility that your rice may not turn out perfectly.

This weekend I am going to Sarajevo to visit Tory. I am very excited about this since it will be a nice getaway. I had to leave the country anyway since my 3 month tourist visa is getting ready to expire so I thought it might be nice to make it into a fun thing rather than just another task to complete.

Museums in Belgrade

As stated earlier, for the next few times I post I will be posting one old entry/adventure and one new one. Here's the old one.

While Katie and Tory were visiting we thought it would be a great idea to see some of the many museums in Belgrade. Unfortunately, these original plans were often waylaid since I spent a lot of the time they were visiting trying to accomplish small tasks, working, and being lost. So, several times the new plan was for them to go to a museum by themselves or for me to meet them at the museum a few hours later.

Well, we learned the hard way that although the Serbian and Eastern European guidebooks boast of the many museums in Belgrade, there is a huge difference between there being a lot of museums and those museums actually being open for viewing to the random tourist.

The first example of this the National Museum situated on the Trg Republika. Tourists might be interested in viewing this museum, but good luck. This museum has been closed for renovations for the last 2 and ½ years (At least – it was closed when Rachel arrived and never reopened during her two year term here). Belgrade visitors: don’t expect to see this one.

A second example of the maze of museums in Belgrade lies in the fact that museums inexplicably close early for the upcoming holidays. For instance, one might go to a museum that is in specifically non-Protestant and find the museum closing early for the day due to the upcoming holidays (as to whether or it was the upcoming Orthodox holidays or Protestant holidays is unclear). Belgrade visitors: beware that hours posted outside the museum can be changed at will.

Our third example lies in the Museum of Modern Art of Belgrade. We had heard rumors that the museum wasn’t that great, but we figured we would give it a try. Tory and Katie did not want to leave Belgrade without having ventured into a Belgrade museum. Unfortunately, I had to do some last minute tasks at work. So, it was agreed I would finish up and then meet them there. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a cell phone that worked in Serbia. Our only possible method of communication was for me to text message them with updates on my status. However, this was not a two-way flow of communication – they couldn’t text message me back. Therefore, when yet another museum is closed for renovation and said museum is your meeting place you find yourself in a pickle. Especially, when your friend text messages you to say, “I’m stuck at work for longer than planned. I will text message you as soon as I am finished and on the way. That way if you are finished you can go to a café and then come back when I text message you that I’m on my way.” Belgrade visitors: I’m not really sure what lesson was gained from this one. Perhaps, expect the unexpected?

Posters and Propaganda

The propaganda machine is in full-blast mode here. There are posters, graffiti, and rumors everywhere. Everyday there are new posters pasted on buildings, walls, columns, and buses. Usually they are just posted right on top of the previous day’s posters. Sometimes somebody takes the time to rip off the posters underneath. It seems like it is a mini-competition between Tadić and Nikolić (the two candidates who are in the second round of the presidential elections) supporters to see who can keep their signs on top. When I walk by a building in the morning, I see Tadić posters, but when I return buy there are Nikolić posters.

Presidential candidate posters aren’t the only posters making the rounds. As I mentioned a few months ago, there are huge signs in the pedestrian underpasses posted about Kosovo. (They say, “It was, It is, and It always will be”). Originally these posters were only posted in English and Serbian, but now new languages have been added. I have seen them in Japanese, French, and German. These posters don’t get ripped down or covered up because they are in glass cases so they are one of the constants in a stream of ever-changing posters. In addition to these posters, a recent appearance has been made by more Kosovo posters (in English, Serbian, and German). The English translation left me confused; it says, “Ahead for Kosmet!” From far way, I was thoroughly confused as to whether this message was supposed to be pro-independence or anti-independence. Was it a “Kosovo will continue to forge ahead for independence” message or a “We will continue to forge ahead in our campaign against Kosovo independence”? I tried to look up the words from the Serbian poster in my dictionary. Well, this proved unhelpful since the first word listed was ‘head.’ Looking further is had the word ‘ahead’ listed as well. This clarified nothing for me. So, last night I was walking around the city with a few of my friends. J (who is Serbian), was kind enough to provide a translation for J (the American one – she is also from Indiana) and I. Her translation was that they were actually saying “A head for Kosovo!” As in, “Give your head up for Kosovo.” We also looked closer at the posters and found that there was a web address and a nationalist symbol on the poster. So, the nationalist propaganda continues.

Then there is the graffiti. Graffiti in Belgrade is a political act. Most of the graffiti here is not the meaningless tagging that appears in the U.S. (Tagging = graffiti that is the “artist’s” name or symbol). There is some of that here (particularly of the type proclaiming that Jane loves John forever), but I would say at least two-thirds of the graffiti here has some political or social message. Which makes it very interesting. Since my arrival, I have been seeing “We won’t give up Kosovo!” everywhere. I have also seen a lot of the “Kosovo is Serbia!” variety. These are usually accompanied by a web address for a ultra-nationalist group.

The recent addition to the graffiti of Belgrade is the message saying “EU? No thank you.” J (the Hoosier) and I found this really funny that they would remain so polite about it (because EU, No thank you does not rhyme in Serbian so they weren’t going for poetry there). [The political context for this graffiti (in a nutshell) is the following: There is currently a lot of debate amongst Serbians as to whether or not they should join the EU (or more realistically, move towards joining the EU). One of the huge differences between the presidential candidates is that Tadić is pro-EU and Nikolić is against Serbia joining the EU.

The last venue of the propaganda (or the last I am going to discuss) lies in the rumors that have been generated regarding Hollywood actors and Kosovo. On Friday, during my mid-class break several of my fellow students were talking politics. The Kosovo question came up and the three of the students in my class made comments about their feelings on the subject. All three supported Serbia’s claim to Kosovo. I was not surprised that the Russian felt this way, but I was a little surprised the Australian and the student from Cyprus wholeheartedly supported Serbia. However, they are all three married to Serbians. One of the students then informed us that a lot of Hollywood actors are supporting Serbia and are against Kosovo independence. The actors specifically mentioned were George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie.

Last night when I went out for coffee with J and J (the Hoosier and the Serbian) we discussed this rumor. J, the Serbian, had heard that George Clooney and Sharon Stone were against Kosovo independence and were willing to lead a protest. We discussed our surprise that U.S. movie stars would take such an interest in the issue and have such strong positions (particularly ones that are against the mainstream U.S. opinion or at least the U.S. policy). We decided this was something we needed to google when we returned to their apartment. As soon as we returned from the cafe, I googled it. I found a lot about George Clooney and Sharon Stone in connection to the Kosovo issue. Apparently, George Clooney’s publicist has made a statement saying that George Clooney never made a statement against Kosovo independence. I found two separate articles trying to trace the statement back to the original source. One claimed it was first published in a German newspaper, while another article claimed it first appeared in a Serbian television news clip. Whatever the case, it is viewed as fact there that George Clooney is supporting Serbia’s claims to Kosovo. I did find this reported on several major Serbian news sites (a few of which have sense run retractions with the statement from Clooney’s publicist).

I did not find anything on google about Brad Pitt or Angeline Jolie making statements about Kosovo. I did find some Serbian nationalist websites that were claiming that Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, and Sean Connery were all supporting Serbia on this issue (along with George Clooney and Sharon Stone). However, when I tried to verify these statements nothing came up. I could only find these sorts of claims on Serbian nationalist websites and message boards. I sincerely doubt that any of these celebrities came out and supported Serbia and made statements against an independent Kosovo. Perhaps, the y did, but I doubt it. The point is that it is viewed as fact here by many people that they are supporting Serbia. The propaganda machine is hard at work and they are not only using international historical figures (such as President Lincoln, JFK, President Washington, Churchill, etc.), but they are also creating modern edge to their campaign by using international movie stars and celebrities. So far no billboards have been posted with a quote (used out of context as the quotes of JFK, Lincoln, Churchill, and Washington are being used) by George Clooney (which of course would be accompanied by a picture).

P.S. Don't miss the other new post entitled New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve

As I have previously mentioned, I have several blog entries that I have started and not finished from the past month (since Christmas until now). My new strategy is to add the finishing touches to one each time I post a new entry. So, for the next few entries expect something new and something old (but new to you).

This was my first New Year's Eve in a big city. I keep trying to decide if that is what made it feel so different from my normal New Year's Eve experience. Or was it the fact that it was in a different country? Or that it was celebrated in a different language? Or that I wasn't with old friends and family? I still haven't decided, but here is some highlights from the evening.

My supervisor felt that it was very important that I was not alone for New Year’s Eve. While I appreciated her thought, I think by this point I would have loved some alone time after weeks of business, stress, and exhaustion. Of course, I ended up listening to my supervisor’s proposal and coming to the office to celebrate as she suggested. For New Year’s Eve I came to the office and had a delicious dinner with Vi and S, two of the WiB activists. We had pork chops, bread, vegetables, and baked potatoes. I had baked some chocolate chip cookies earlier for my landlords and brought a few that were leftover for dessert. We then sat around and chatted, watched TV, and dallied around on the Internet until it was deemed late enough to go out. Vi decided she wanted to stay at the office to chat online with some of her friends rather than go out with S and I. I think she has some sort of online boyfriend. So, at 10:30 pm S and I made our way out into the cold, windy streets of Belgrade in search of a celebration. And here is what we found:

We made our way to one of the square in front of the parliament building. There was a pop musician singing on stage. It was very crowded. There were lots of people and we spent a lot of time pushing our way through trying to find someplace where we could see the show. Each time we found a spot were could see (as long as we looked through the “window” of the heads in front of us) S would decide we needed to move to a better spot. Several times it was because she thought we could find an even better view. Once the reasoning was that the people standing next to us were very drunk (and only getting more so) and she was afraid they would turn into a rowdy bunch. Twice she decided we needed to move because the spot in front of us had become a “path” for others to push their way through (meaning we were getting a lot of elbows and there was a near constant stream of people moving around us). In the end, we ended up in a spot where I was able to catch rare glimpses of the stage and the performer through the heads swimming above me. However, she had finally decided that we were probably not going to find a better spot and should just stay in one place (which was along my line of thinking after the first move – when we could both see fine, weren’t surrounded by drunkards, and weren’t being constantly pushed by the crowd). So I rang in the New Year smashed between some guy’s smelly armpit and S, relishing in the fact that I could join the crowd in counting backwards from ten to one (which I would have been unable to do had New Year’s Eve come one month earlier), shivering with cold, and wishing I were sitting in my apartment with a nice cup of cocoa and a book. As soon as we shouted one, we saw fireworks in the sky. People did not break out into Auld Lang Syne, but did give each other the traditional hug, kiss, and well wishes. S and I wished each other a Happy New Year. Along with the traditional methods of celebration (hugs, kisses, cheering, and well wishes), there was an additional celebratory method that was new to me: firecrackers.

We stayed at the square for another fifteen or twenty minutes watching the fireworks and listening to the music. We then started to walk towards Republika Square to catch some of the performance there (a popular band had been playing there). The short walk to Republika Square was anything but peaceful because of the previously mentioned firecrackers. Several times our route spontaneously changed in an effort to avoid the firecrackers. Once or twice I made a quick jump to the left or the right so the firecracker would go off near me, but not on me.

People were setting them off everywhere. It sounded like gunfire or explosions. Not something you want to hear in the midst of a huge crowd. People would be walking and throwing them as they walked. The police officers just stood watching people light them up and throw them. I’m not sure if this was because this was all considered perfectly legal and normal, or because they decided not to bother since there were so many people with firecrackers.

I just know that all the firecrackers, loud noises, smoke, and sudden exploding noises made me really nervous. So, S and I stayed for about 20-30 minutes at the Republika Square concert and then we headed back to the office. That was enough excitement for me. I was ready to head back to the warmth of the office. S and I walked back to the office and then we spent time browsing the internet, chatting, and eventually sleeping. Overall, it was an enjoyable New Year’s Eve (minus the firecrackers). I think in the end I am glad my supervisor insisted on a New Year's Eve with others; it ended up being fun and it was definitely something to remember.

I did not really celebrate Serbian New Year’s since New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday night (January 13th) and I had class the following morning. Also, I didn’t really know anyone who was actively celebrating it. My understanding is that it is more of a quiet family celebration. I spent the evening in my apartment reading, washing dishes, and cleaning. At midnight, I was able to look out my window and see lots of fireworks and lots of teenage boys running around screaming and setting off firecrackers. I closed the curtains and went to sleep.