Why We Drink: A Comprehensive Guide to Bosnia

Written 10/1

Okay, so I promised Matt I would give my next blog post this title.  Matt thought of this title when the American quartet was walking around Bascarsija the other day.  We were joking about how when something is difficult here, the only thing to do is get over it, relax, and have a party!

So this evening, I’m going to write about stepping back, enjoying life, and accepting that sometimes things won’t go as expected.

As I’ve said before, people in Bosnia are quite laid-back.  There are a lot of cafes where people sit around for hours, just drinking their coffee and chatting.  Unlike the US, very few people appear to be doing work while getting their coffee fix.

Lately I’ve gotten a bit frustrated by how long it’s taking to get the internet installed in my apartment. When I complain to my Bosnian friends here about how slow things are, they basically tell me to chill out.  “This is how it is”, or “I don’t know when it will come.  We just have to wait.”  Actually, not having constant internet access available has been a sort of blessing in disguise.  Instead of sitting in my room and going on the internet, I’ve been hanging out every night with my new group of friends.  And as much as I miss Ross and wish I could Skype him more often, there is something very satisfying about the face-to-face interaction that comes from leaving my computer off and spending time with the people physically around me.  The last time that I’ve been this technology-free was the year when I went to Interlochen Arts Academy, which was one of the best years of my life.  I’m not sure I would have had as much fun or have made such good friendships if I had owned a cell phone, or had high-speed wireless.

Besides becoming a better, more experienced musician, and learning about a new language and culture, my main goal for this year is learning how to roll with the punches.  I’m not sure if I’m improving yet, but I’m trying.  It helps not to have the internet to obsessively google search and pre-plan every minute detail of my life.  I’m having a lot of fun wandering around Sarajevo and discovering the history and the monuments as I stumble upon them.

Speaking of planning, or lack-thereof, Sara, Matt, and I were supposed to all go to Germany for Octoberfest this week.  However, we couldn’t plan anything until the last minute, since our official work schedule wasn’t posted until yesterday.  I got quite anxious about planning a trip at the last minute, and drove poor Sara a bit crazy expressing my doubts and concerns. (See, I’m still a bit controlling and neurotic, even though I’m working on becoming more relaxed.  Baby steps.) 

I think that part of “rolling with the punches” is accepting that I don’t have to be “doing something” all the time.  Sometimes, I crave a quiet night alone: practicing, blogging, and watching TV.  So, I ultimately decided to chill in Sarajevo this week, and am not to go to Munich.  Plane tickets got too expensive, and so Sara and Matt are currently on a 16-hour bus ride to Munich.  I get a bit of car-sickness, and so a 16-hour ride winding through the Alps might be quite unpleasant for me.  I think Sara and Matt will have a blast, and it’s probably good that they don’t have to drag along a worrying old married lady. J  Also, I am saving some money, which I hope to use to explore Europe later this year.  I really want to spend time in Croatia, and wouldn’t mind a trip to London or Paris to visit my friend Emma this spring.

A lot of my friends in my building are leaving for their hometowns this week, and so I was a bit concerned about being here by myself.  However, I found out that my friend Morena is staying in town too, so she will sleep over at my apartment, or I will stay in hers, so that we’re safe and not alone at night.  Tim is also around, and Mattia and his family will be here, so I don’t think I’ll get too lonely!

I’m getting hungry for dinner, so I’m gonna shut my computer down and make a pasta salad versions of my “Bosnian Salad”.  We have leftover, cold noodles (p.s. non-English speakers apparently think the word “noodle” is hysterical!) so I’ve been mixing them with olive oil, vinegar, tomato, pepper, and feta.  Yum Yum!