Post-Premiere

 

            So, as I expected, yesterday was pretty crazy.  At least I had the morning off to get some rest, eat a good meal, and touch up my reeds.  The bassoonist in my quintet, Edo, lives nearby, and has kindly been giving me rides to our quintet events so I don’t have to take the tram so much.  I was especially grateful to have a ride yesterday so I didn’t have to walk to the tram in my dress and heels.

Edo picked me up in the middle of the afternoon, and I went with him to see his sister, son, niece, and new baby nephew.  His sister is a pianist and artist, and has a beautiful apartment filled with antique furniture and artwork.  She is married to an American man, so she speaks very good English.  It’s always a pleasure to talk to her; she is a very interesting woman.  As an added bonus, I was served some Bosnian coffee and chocolate.  It was nice to have a relaxing moment before the whirlwind that was to come.

Our quintet arrived at the performance venue about two hours early.  We performed in the Bosniac Institute, just next to the Music Academy.  It is a sort of museum and is filled with all sorts of interesting artwork, old clothing, furniture, and other items that symbolize Bosnia’s cultural history.  I want to come back as a tourist so that I can get some information about all of the displays, and spend more time looking at them.

There were so many video cameras, photographers, and reporters that kept us occupied right up until the performance time.  While we were doing a few last-minute run-throughs, there were cameramen getting very close to us to film our faces, fingers, etc.  It was pretty distracting, but I guess it’s a good thing to get so much attention!  Once we were done rehearsing, we had to pose for several photographs, and answer many questions.  Fortunately, none of the reporters asked me to speak in Bosnian!  I spoke a little bit in English, explained what I was doing in Sarajevo, and expressed my excitement about the formation of the quintet.

Around 7:15, I snuck off to a small, quiet room so that I could “hide-out”: collect my thoughts, and get a little bit warmed-up.  The rest of my quintet soon joined me, and we took a few minutes to tune and discuss how we would walk onstage, bow, etc.  Finally, it was time to perform.  We were all a little bit flustered and nervous because of all of the hype.  And, of course, none of us are perfect players, and the acoustics of the hall were a little strange, so we had a few little slips here and there.  However, overall we played our best, and the concert seemed pretty well received by the audience.  It feels good to have the premiere under our belt, and I’m sure that we’ll improve for subsequent concerts as we get used to playing together.

After the concert, the director of the Sarajevo Arts, one of the people responsible for getting our concert organized and promoted, invited my quintet and our guests to the Sarajevo Pivnica (brewery).  It was nice to celebrate afterwards, though we were all pretty worn out from the day’s events.  Whew!

For those who understand Bosnian, here’s the links to two of the articles written about us.  Non-Bosnian speakers can at least enjoy the pictures J

http://www.slobodnaevropa.org/content/prvi_duvacki_kvintet_kulturno_obogatio_bih/24468039.html

http://www.sarajevo-x.com/kultura/koncert-duvackog-kvinteta-per-sempre-u-bosnjackom-institutu/120126095

Our Debut

      There has been so much hype about my quintet over the past few days.  We’ve had two press conferences, there are glossy posters everywhere, and tonight we are being photographed and recorded by the media!  It’s a little bit fun and a little bit nerve-wracking.  On one hand, we are the first woodwind quintet in the history of Bosnia, so we can just smile, look nice, and enjoy “making history” (haha).  On the other hand, we are all professional musicians who want to meet high standard when we perform, especially in front of such a large audience.  I’m trying not to be too nervous by reminding myself that we are well rehearsed. (We ran through the program nearly every day since I got back from Chicago.)  I also hope that seeing the supportive faces of my friends in the audience will help me stay calm.

The Old and the New

          We are performing two reprises this week in the Sarajevo Philharmonic.  On Tuesday, we played Carmen and today we are playing La Traviata.  Performing these operas again has brought back a lot of memories for me.  I remember our very extended, tedious rehearsal schedule for Carmen, and how long the opera seemed by the night of our first performance.  It was a lot more fun to play it this week after only having one rehearsal.  Our performance went pretty well, although we did have some problems with synchronizing a few of the tempos.  The “highlight”, if you will, was when one of the cast members accidentally threw one of the props into the orchestra pit, hitting a violinist.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, and I think her violin is okay.

            My first performance with the orchestra when I arrived here in September was La Traviata.  I was very overwhelmed with trying to understand the language and make a good first impression on my colleagues.  I remember only understanding one or two words during the entire rehearsal. (I had at least learned to count, so I got some of the rehearsal numbers.)  Despite being in a difficult situation, I was proud of how I played, and held my own.  It helped that I had studied the score, and practiced my exposed part ahead of time.

            In contrast, during my rehearsal yesterday, I could understand almost everything that the conductor said!  I realized that I have learned a good bit of Bosnian, though I still have a long way to go.  I feel very comfortable around my colleagues, though I still sometimes worry about what they think of me. (I can’t help it.  I care very much about being respected and liked by others.)  However, I did not play very well.  I was trying to save my good reeds for my quintet concert on Monday (more on that below) and felt extremely tired and distracted by everything going on this week.  Hopefully I will do better tonight.

            One of the reasons that I’m tired is that I have been rehearsing so much.  On top of my philharmonic rehearsals, I have been working with my woodwind quintet to prepare our premiere concert.  The quintet rehearsals have been fun, but quite physically demanding for my wimpy little oboe muscles. My colleagues have been very helpful by speaking in English and/or translating so that I do not feel left out.  It is great to feel included despite the fact that I’m so different from the others. (They are all Bosnian, male, and older than me.)

I am very excited by the amount of support and attention we have received.  We are apparently the first professional woodwind quintet in the history of Bosnia!  There are very snazzy posters of the group hung-up all over the music academy.  Since I am the only female in the group, I am front and center in our picture.  I feel like a celebrity!  We are performing in the Bosnian Cultural Center and it looks like we’ll have quite a big crowd.  Wish me luck J

Traveling

            I am pretty behind with my blogging!  It’s been quite busy since I got back to Sarajevo early on Monday morning.  I had a very exhausting trip back, so I’ve basically spent all of my free time sleeping.

            So, I guess I’ll start with an account of my trip back to Sarajevo. I left Evanston around 8am on Saturday.  We had a snowstorm on Friday, so I was kind of hoping that my flight would be cancelled and I could stay home an extra day or two.  Of course, re-booking a flight that involves 3 connections would have been nearly impossible.  And I had to make it back in time for a rehearsal on Monday morning.  So, it was probably for the best that my first flight left right on time.

            I flew from Chicago to New York, where I had a seven-hour layover.  It was in the JFK airport, which was actually really nice, with lots of good restaurants.  So I had lunch, wrote my latest blog post, window-shopped, talked on the phone to my family, and read.  I gave myself two hours to get to the other terminal for my flight to Rome, which ended up being a good idea, since I had to ride the subway all of the way around the airport.

My flight to Rome also was on time, but it was far from uneventful.  I had a rather noisy Jewish family sitting behind me, with two precocious children who proceeded to ask questions about every single article in the in-flight magazine.  If they hadn’t asked such intelligent questions, it would have been extremely annoying, but instead it was rather cute.  I was in a row of two seats with an empty seat next to me, so the flight would have been perfect, had I not gotten sick.  I’ve never had to use those little paper bags in the seat pockets before, but they sure came in handy that night!  If I had someone next to me, I would have been very embarrassed; I was fortunate that I could be discreet about the whole thing.

I felt so dirty and stinky when I got to Rome.  All I wanted to do was wash up, brush my teeth, and change clothes.  Unfortunately, I was stuck in a sort of limbo zone between customs and my flight to Belgrade.  I had to change airlines, didn’t have my boarding pass yet, and had difficulty finding an agent who could check me in.  Then, the airlines wanted me to show that I had a return ticket back to the US, I guess in order to prove I wasn’t fleeing the country! I do have a ticket to go back in July, but didn’t have the information on hand.  Fortunately, I showed my Bosnian residency permit and they let it slide.

Once I found a bathroom in Rome and got myself cleaned up, I felt much better.  My layover in Rome wasn’t long, so I boarded my plane and took off for Belgrade.  In Belgrade, I had another 7-hour layover, which was a little more boring than the one in New York.  I couldn’t make phone calls, and didn’t have internet, and there weren’t many options for eating.  However, I eventually got some pasta at one of the cafes, and I killed the time by playing games, reading, and watching videos on my iPad.

Around 9pm on Sunday, it was finally time to fly to Sarajevo.  But, alas, the flight was cancelled!  The Sarajevo airport was closed due to fog, a frequent occurrence in the wintertime here.  The Jat Airways agent informed me that the airlines would take us to Sarajevo by bus.

So, if a flight in the US was cancelled, and the airlines put all of the passengers on an eight-hour bus ride, everyone would throw a fit!  However, the Bosnians/Serbians are much more laid-back and understanding.  In fact, all of my fellow passengers seemed pretty happy about the bus-ride.  They were joking, singing, and taking pictures.  Even though I was very tired, being around such positive people kept my spirits up.

We finally pulled into the Sarajevo bus station around 5:30am on Monday.  The bus ride took 8 hours, including the border crossing and all of the obligatory “pausas” for coffee and smoking.  (In true Bosnian fashion, we took a 45-minute coffee break after the first 30 minutes of the trip!  I was worried that if we continued at the same rate, we wouldn’t be back until Tuesday.  Fortunately, all of the restaurants closed after midnight, and the subsequent stops were much shorter smoking breaks.)

I took a cab home from the bus station.  The driver had no idea where Otes was, spoke no English, and it was so foggy that I couldn’t see out of the window.  Fortunately, my limited Bosnian and intuition managed to get me home anyway.  Just in time to sleep for three hours before dashing off to rehearsal.  Whew!

Despite the fact that my trip took 36 hours, and that I got sick, I never felt very angry, stressed, or frustrated.  I am so proud of myself for keeping a cool head.  After all, there was nothing I could have done to change the circumstances.  It helped that I had a great time at home in Evanston and, at the same time, was excited about my upcoming weeks in Sarajevo.  During my initial trip here, I was a bit fearful of what lay ahead.  During my trip back in December, I felt a bit hesitant about going back.  This time, I felt almost entirely positive.  I am sad about being separated from Ross again, but I am liking Bosnia more and more and look forward to spending the next five months here.

Chicago

            This week felt way too short, but I knew it would.  It was nice to check in on my home, to see Ross and my friends, and to take care of a few errands, but four days is not a very long time!  Especially when you lose three days to travel.

            I said earlier that I was worried about whether my home would seem unfamiliar to me after being gone for four months.  I am happy to report that I still feel comfortable in my apartment, and that I still belong in Evanston.  The only difference is that everything seemed bigger: the rooms, the furniture, even our kitchen sponges.  I guess I’ve gotten used to “European sizes.”

            I was not jet-lagged at all!  I think it’s because I didn’t sleep at all during my travels.  By the time I got to Chicago, it was midnight there, and I hadn’t slept in about 30 hours.  I was so tired that I slept perfectly from midnight to about 9 or 10am the next morning.  Presto—I’m on schedule!  I guess that’s one of the few perks of not being able to sleep well on planes.  Going back might not be so easy though…

            Ross had to work on Tuesday, so after sleeping in and eating some Thai food for lunch, he drove out to teach in Aurora.  I used the time to get most of my errands done.  I’m such a nerd—my first stop was the Northwestern library!  I also met up with my childhood friend, Emma, who lives in Evanston now.  It’s kind of sad: we keep missing living nearby each other by one year. (She moved to DC the year I left Baltimore, and now she’s in Evanston during the year I’m in Sarajevo.)  We had some drinks, and caught up.  We have so much in common, so it’s always great comparing experiences with her.  By the time I got home, it was almost time to go out again.  Ross got home from work around 10pm and then we headed to one of our favorite bars for their $1 burger night. (They have $1 veggie burgers too… J)  More food, beer, and friends were a great way to wrap up my first day at home.

            When I woke up on Wednesday, Ross made me a classic American breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancakes with real maple syrup.  We took a nice long walk along the lakefront and around the Northwestern campus.  For Chicago in January, it wasn’t that cold, and most of the snow melted.  Normally it’s very difficult to walk along the lakefront during the winter, so I was glad to be able to do so.  Something about looking out over open water makes me feel very contented.  I’m not sure where the rest of the day went after our walk.  I think we just hung out in our apartment, playing games and watching TV, but the time flew by.  Ross took me to one of our favorite restaurants, The Cellar, for dinner.

            So, pretty much the theme of my vacation was being fed by Ross...  On Thursday, it got very, very cold.  We spent the day inside, and Ross made me one of my favorite pasta dishes for lunch.  In the evening, we ventured out because we had student tickets to see the Chicago Symphony.  The train ride into Chicago seemed so short, maybe because I am quite used to riding the tram every day for about the same amount of time.  We arrived in “The Loop” with plenty of time to walk around, window shop, and have coffee.  Well, tea for me.  I still can’t stand American-style coffee.

            Seeing the Chicago Symphony after playing in a professional orchestra for half of a season gave me a bit of a new perspective.  I’ve always appreciated the fantastic technical skill and musicianship of the individual players, but I now have a new appreciation for the sound of the orchestra as a whole.  The orchestra plays so cleanly and with near-perfect intonation.  The balance is stellar and, if you listen carefully, every line can be heard.  I’ve read articles that criticize the Chicago Symphony for being “too perfect”, and therefore not as expressive as some second-tier orchestras.  Frankly, I think that’s bullshit.  The players have such strong mastery of their instruments, and such strong understandings of the scores, that they can use an incredible palette of sound colors.  Their dynamic range is huge, and they can stay perfectly synchronized in even the most abrupt tempo shifts.

            The program included Johann Strauss Jr.’s Overture to Der Fledermaus, Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, and Dvorak’s Eight Symphony.  It was interesting to hear the Strauss Overture after playing it very recently for our New Year’s Concert.  My teacher played principal oboe, with a beautifully complex sound that easily projected during his unisons with the violins.  The Beethoven was less familiar to me, and seemed so short despite being nearly 40 minutes long.  It’s either an underappreciated work, or was performed so well that it’s faults weren’t at all apparent.  I was most excited to hear Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony, which is my favorite Dvorak Symphony.  I love the third movement, and all of the flute/oboe unisons.  It’s a bit treacherous to play, but when done right, the sounds meld so beautifully. (That’s why I keep programming flute. oboe, piano trios on my degree recitals!)

I felt inspired by the performance to continue to hold myself to the highest standards.  Of course, I’m never going to be perfect all of the time, but I hope that I will continue to improve and give my best efforts, even during frustrating programs.  The Sarajevo Philharmonic certainly has its weakness, but I think that if all of us contribute our best playing all of the time, and ignore some of the politics and bad attitudes, the level of the orchestra would rise dramatically.

I’ve had so much fun going out late in Sarajevo that I pledged I would do it more often in Chicago.  So after the concert, and despite the temperature hovering near 0 degrees F, Ross and I stopped by a place called “Cheesies” on the way home.  Cheesies serves only grilled cheese sandwiches, and has a nice bar in the back where all drinks are $4.  A $4 drink seems a little steep by Sarajevo standards, but is a really great deal in Chicago, where a cocktail usually runs about $10.

Yesterday was my last day here, and another whirlwind of visiting friends and trying to get in as much quality time with Ross as possible.  There was a huge snowstorm, which was not predicted.  We got nearly 8 inches of snow, I think!  It was quite nice, especially because we didn’t have to go anywhere very far.  I was hoping that it would keep snowing so I could be stuck in Chicago today, but alas.  It’s for the best, since I have to be back for rehearsal on Monday.

            Well, that was an awfully long post, but I have so much time to kill during this layover in New York.  I’ll add some pictures later, since my camera connection cord is in my checked luggage.  So far, travels have been going smoothly, so hopefully I’ll be back in Otes in time to get some sleep before Monday morning.  Fingers crossed!

The Long Trip Home

Written 1/16 at 11:30am

            Well, I still have another hour to kill in my 5-1/2 hour layover in Zagreb, so why not write a blog post, right?  So far, I am doing pretty well passing the time.  I really want to be a more patient person, so I am very proud of myself for not feeling bored and anxious yet.  It helps that I planned ahead, and downloaded lots of things to read and TV shows to watch onto my iPad.

            I remember that when I first came to Sarajevo, I flew through Zagreb, where I first met Matt.  We had a two or three hour layover, and I remember complaining about how tiny and run-down the Zagreb airport seems.  My perspective must have changed, because now the airport seems just fine: clean, with decent coffee bars, and plenty of comfortable places to sit.  Maybe it just feels more comfortable because I understand enough of the language to have a general sense of what’s going on around me.  And when I don’t, it doesn’t feel so intimidating because I’m getting used to not understanding everything.

            I’ve had the past three days off.  If I had known earlier, I would have extended my trip to Chicago, so that I could be there for more than four days.  However, I had a great weekend, so I don’t have any regrets. J  On Friday I got some work done at home, and then went into the city center to teach my student.  I was worried about whether I have been explaining myself very clearly in lessons, but he is learning so quickly!  It’s funny: as a student, I often attributed my progress or lack thereof to my teachers.  Now that I’m teaching more, I feel that the majority of a student’s progress stems from their own hard work and aptitude.

            On Saturday, I went back to Jahorina.  It is so beautiful in the mountains that I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to return.  I wasn’t planning on it, but I got talked into riding a snowmobile. I was nervous, but we didn’t go very fast, and I got to see a lot more of the landscape than I would have just walking around the resort.  Here’s to being open to new things, right?

            Yesterday, my friend Ivana suggested having a girls’ night out.  Well, it really was more of an afternoon out, because I had to get up at 4:30am today to catch my flight.  I commuted down to the city center with Sara and Morena, and we met up with Ivana at BBI.  After having the obligatory coffee, Ivana suggested walking down to a small brewery she had just discovered.  Unfortunately, the brewery was closed, so we walked back toward Bascarsija to eat somewhere else.  We wound up at the Cheers Pub kitchen.  It was only partially open, but we had some good pizza and bottled beers.  I guess we learned to avoid going out on Sunday evening in Sarajevo…

Added around 8pm:           

I had just enough time in the Paris airport to dash from one gate to another, so I didn’t really get to check it out.  It seems like a very nice airport though.  Maybe it’s good that I didn’t have time to go shopping there, because there were so many beautiful, but expensive, clothes, bags, etc for sale.  The coolest part of stopping over in Paris was that we flew right over the city when landing, and I got to see the Eiffel Tower!  My window wad kind of blurry, so my Eiffel Tower pictures didn’t turn out, but I did get an aerial shot of the skyline.

            I had a hard time switching out of “Bosnian mode” today.  I kept automatically replying “hvala” (“thank you”) and “isvinite” (“excuse me”), even in Atlanta.  I’m sure my brain will switch over properly after some sleep.

            I was a little bit worried about making a short connection time in Atlanta, because I had to go through customs and re-check my bag.  However, I made it to the gate with a few minutes to spare.  They always completely over-feed you on transatlantic flights, but I’m having a hard time resisting the temptation to buy food even though I’m full.  They sell so much food in American airports!  In this one small terminal, there must be 50 different restaurants.  And they have all of the things I miss: Chinese food, carrots and ranch dressing, cheddar cheese, corn chips…  But I held my own.  I have to save room for Cheerios when I get home!

Added 11/17:

            So I am going to finish up this post about my trip, and then take a break from blogging for the next couple of days.  I have such little time here, and I don’t want to waste it on my computer!  But, I have a 7-hour layover in New York on the way back, so I should be able to write a nice long post then. J

            My flight from Atlanta to Chicago was a little bit delayed, for a rather funny reason.  There were so many overweight people on the plane, and so many heavy bags, that the plane was overweight.  Welcome back to America!  We had to sit on the runway and let the plane burn off several hundred pounds of fuel before take-off.

            I finally got into Chicago around 11:30pm, after approximately 30-hours of traveling.  I was so tired, but the second we landed, a huge smile involuntarily spread across my face.  “I’m home!”  I had a seat toward the front of the plane, so I was able to dash off quickly, and meet Ross at my baggage claim.  The excitement helped me feel awake again, at least for the next hour.  My bag made it, and there was no traffic, so Ross drove us home in just a few minutes.

            I was greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread when I walked into the apartment, because Ross had thought to start a loaf of bread in our bread machine before he left to pick me up.  Mmmmm…. Very clever Ross!  Our apartment looked gorgeous, and it was so clean.  So I happily ate some freshly baked bread with Maine blueberry jam and (finally) got some sleep.  I think that I will avoid jet lag, because I was so tired that I slept perfectly from midnight to 10am.  Now I feel very rested, and so happy to be home!

Memory

            I am going back to Chicago/Evanston on Monday.  Of course, I can’t wait to go.  But thinking about my “home” today made me feel pretty uneasy.  I realized how much I don’t remember.  I have slowly forgotten how our apartment smells, what the surfaces of our furniture feel like, which drawers contain what.  I’m sure that my forgetting has been gradual, but for some reason it seems so sudden to me.  I can see Ross in our dining room every day on Skype, and I have occasionally made him give me a “skype tour” of our place.  Without it, I can imagine that I would remember even less!

            I’ve been gone nearly four months now.  After my four-day stint in Evanston, I will return to Europe for another five and a half months.  I wonder how strange it will feel to go home this summer.  I really miss my home, and sometimes I feel like July 2^nd can’t come soon enough.  But now I’m also starting to dread leaving, and having to say goodbye to Sarajevo.  I guess I always knew that returning home would be bittersweet, but now I think it will be harder than I first anticipated.  Fortunately, I have a lot to look forward to this summer: visiting Maine and going to Colorado for my friend Emma’s wedding.

            I don't want to forget my experiences here after I leave.  I know that it is only a matter of time and my memories will be fuzzier, just as they are of my home in Evanston right now.  I'm very glad that at least I'm documenting my experiences quite thoroughly, with photos and this blog.  I hope that it will help me feel more connected, no matter where my future brings me.

            I'm sure I'll have more to say about this subject later, as my departure from Sarajevo nears.  For now, I am trying not to think about it too much, and just enjoy the coffee!

Musical Challenges

This week, we played a fantastic concert program: Weber’s Der Freischutz Overture, Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez, and Schumann’s third symphony.  Even though our orchestra is not perfect, I really enjoyed playing such good music.  We had a conductor from Austria who was very energetic, and who worked quite well with the orchestra.  You have to have a good sense of humor to work well with the Sarajevo Philharmonic, because there is no better way to deal with some of the “strong personalities”.

Although the program was fun, it was also very challenging.  It’s a good thing I like challenges!  And it’s a good thing that our conductor took rather brisk tempos throughout.  The first oboe part for Schumann’s third symphony is not terribly exposed, but it is very tiring.  My longest rest in the entire work is only eight measures.  I cannot even think of another orchestral piece that doesn’t give the oboe players at least a dozen measures to rest at some point.  I’m not sure that Schumann knew how hard it is for oboists to play for long periods of time without muscle fatigue and/or lack of oxygen to the brain.  His Drei Romanzen, for oboe and piano, are notorious for testing the endurance of the world’s best players.  If he didn’t write such incredibly beautiful melodies and creative harmonies, I would hate to play Schumann.  But I can’t help but love it.  It’s even better to listen, without having to play, haha.

I was also asked to play the English horn solo for the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto.  It’s a very long, expressive, and important solo, and on top of that, I get a little emotional around the classical guitar this year, being away from Ross.  But this week, I had to distance myself and maintain my composure.

I found it pretty easy to stay focused on my English horn playing, because there is so much to think about.  I haven’t played the instrument very often in the past two years, so I am not entirely comfortable with it.  I play the oboe so much that I can physically feel when the notes are in tune.  I can even feel whether I am at 440 or 442.  I can also quickly test out an oboe reed and learn it’s tone color, volume range, and how it will respond to my air and articulation.  If it’s not right, I can usually fix it.  On the other hand, playing English horn, for me, is like shooting in the dark. (Pardon the uncreative analogy.)  I can’t really feel whether I’m in tune, so I have to listen harder, and check with my machine.  I don’t really know what tone color I want to achieve, and I am a little uncertain about how to fix my reeds.  In the past, I have had a lot of success playing English horn in music school, but I think that it’s mainly due to having professional English hornists as my private teachers.  I miss being coddled by them, but I really want to make them proud, so I did the best I could do this week.

I don’t think that most audience members realize that when classical musicians perform, they have to think of so many minute details that our “emotional” performances are the result of being hyper-analytical.  For example, if I want something to sound “yearning”, I have to find all of the “tendency tones” and add some extra sound and vibrato to highlight their importance.  Then I have to balance them so there is a logical progression between strong and weak.  I could literally spend hours assessing how I want to play each and every note.

Despite all of this, I’ve found if I practice enough, I like to step back and think about the bigger picture when I perform.  It helps stop me from dwelling on anything that doesn’t go as planned, and move forward.  So, I’ve found it useful to think of a picture, emotion, or story that inspires me.  Often, classical music is “programmatic”, meaning that the composer already has a non-musical idea in mind when he wrote the piece.  I like playing programmatic pieces, because I’m not always very good at finding an extra-musical inspiration on my own.

The second movement of the Rodrigo Concerto is not precisely programmatic.  But, as my friend Adi reminded me, there is a story behind its composition.  Rodrigo wrote the piece in response to his wife’s miscarriage.  For me, miscarriage is a little bit too heavy of a topic to think about when trying to play a long English horn solo.  But I was inspired to approach it as a sort of melancholic lullaby.  I hope it came across, even though I had a few problems with my intonation and legato.  The great thing about playing here is that I have a lot of supportive colleagues, who are generous with their compliments after concerts.  It’s always nice to be complimented, and to feel proud for a few moments instead of always being insecure.

So maybe I got a little bit too technical about music for my non-musician readers, and maybe I rambled on a little bit too long about philosophy.  But that’s what you get for reading the blog of someone who double-majored in music and philosophy J

Jahorina

            I haven’t skied since I was a young child, and in the past I have usually avoided winter sports because I hate being cold.  Of course, being from Colorado, I spend about a week in the mountains almost every winter, and I go ice-skating and sledding with my family.  But not without complaining, and my favorite part is always sitting in front of the fire and doing a jigsaw puzzle.

            I surprised myself this winter because I recently became very eager to check out the mountains around Sarajevo.  Maybe it’s because I’ve felt more adventuresome since I decided to come here.  Maybe it’s because Chicago weather has thickened my blood and the cold doesn’t bother me as much any more.  Maybe it’s just that I’m sick of the smoggy gloom in the valley and crave fresh air.  Regardless, I was happy when my friend Alisa invited me and some others to go to the Jahorina (Ya-ho-ri-nah) ski resort this past weekend.  I was a little worried, because I don’t know how to ski, but she reassured me that there is plenty to do there besides ski.

            It is very easy to get from Sarajevo to the ski resorts.  During the holiday season this year, a bus is running from the city center to Jahorina.  It is only a 30-minute ride, and cost less than $10 round-trip.  Since we weren’t skiing, Sara and I decided that four hours on the mountain would be plenty of time, so we took a bus at noon rather than early in the morning.  At the bus stop, we met Alisa and her friend Azra, and started to board.  Alas, even though we were ten minutes early, the bus was already full!  I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to go, but we were allowed to stand in the aisle.  Good thing the trip was so short!

            As we wound our way up the mountain, there was more and more snow, and the landscape started to look quite pristine: the only things outside the window were evergreen trees, their branches heavy with snow.  We entered the ski resort area, and I was shocked to see how new and beautiful it was.  No different than the fancy ski resorts in Colorado.  The buildings were charming rustic cabins and chalets made of wood and stone, with steeply sloping roofs.  It was such an iconic ski village, so now I can see why Sarajevo was chosen to host the 1984 Olympic Games.

One of the hotels

Sara and I arrive in Jahorina

The bus dropped us off in front of a castle-like four-star hotel, near a couple of ski lifts.  Azra had been to Jahorina before, and offered to take us on a long walk.  We headed up the hill, but soon got a call from out friend Mattia, who had come up earlier to ski and was ready to meet us.  So we headed back towards the bus stop, and met Mattia to have lunch.  We ate in one of the many restaurants, which served classic Bosnian comfort food.  Maybe I am influencing my friends, or maybe it’s a coincidence, but we all ordered a lot of vegetarian food!  I got polenta, Mattia got some Bosnian doughnuts and kajmak (soft cheese), and everyone else got pasties stuffed with spinach and cheese, I think.  A nice warm bowl of polenta is perfect after wandering around in the cold.  Even better is pairing it with hot, spiced wine, which I did.  J

After eating, we rented some sleds.  We went down a hill that didn’t seem very steep, until you’re sitting at the top of it on a sled, looking down.  I made Alisa and Azra go first, and then went with Sara.  I almost chickened out, but was glad that I didn’t.  It looked really scary, but wasn’t so bad after all.  And I wanted a video of me sledding, so I could show off to my sister Hannah and Ross.  While they were in Colorado without me, they made a very long and steep sledding trail, and kept bragging about how fun it was.  I felt a little left out, so I was glad to have my turn to sled this year.

Alisa and Azra about to take the first plunge

I also rode the ski lift with Alisa, Azra, and Sara.  Apparently, people were telling us we were crazy, but I didn’t understand why.  We went up, and had a great view of the skiers and the mountain.  Suddenly, the ski trail veered away from the lift, and we were silently floating above jagged rocks and barren branches covered in shiny, jagged icicles.  It felt like another world.  It was beautiful, but as we kept going, it got more foggy, windy, and cold.  By the time we got to top of the mountain, we couldn’t see anything, and it felt miserable.

We don't know what we're in for yet!

Uh-oh.  Are we ascending into hell?

Then we turned around.  Into the wind.  It was awful!  So awful, it felt almost as bad as January in Chicago…haha.  The snow was blinding, and we were all screaming because the wind was burning out faces.  I got some funny pictures out of it though.  Everyone’s hair turned white from the snow and ice.  Fortunately, it got warmer as we descended.

So cold

So very, very cold!

After the very cold ride, we went inside to warm up for a bit.  I had some very delicious homemade tea.  I’ve never had tea like it before.  It tasted very herbal and a little vegetal, almost as if they had used the pine needles from outside.  I liked it, especially with lemon.

            By the time we had warmed up from the ski lift, there was only about an hour left before we had to board the bus.  So we sledded again, but found a less steep slope.  On one run, Sara nearly took out a small child.  And Mattia showed up to give the best sledding performance of the day.  He veered off at a 90-degree angle, straight into a fence!

We were a little nervous about getting on the bus because it was so crowded on the way to the mountain.  So we showed up very early, and sat  inside a restaurant with a view of the stop.  It was a good idea, because we were able to score seats before the bus filled up.  I have never been on a return bus trip in Bosnia without a bunch of guys in the back drinking Rakija and singing.  The return trip today was no exception. J  Hey, what else is there to do on a bus, right?

Wintertime Outings

            So after three days of staying at home, I finally got myself out of the apartment yesterday afternoon, although just for a walk around Ilidza and Otes.  My first thought was, “what took me so long?”  Even though it’s a bit cold and slushy, my neighborhood is absolutely beautiful in the snow.  Once I got to the park in Ilidza, it was so peaceful and hushed.  There were quite a few people walking along the path, but besides them, the only sounds came from the ravens cackling.  At 2 o’clock, the stereophonic calls to prayer, being played by the surrounding houses, added to the mix.

Park in Ilidza

            My creative neighbors in Otes have invented a new winter sport.  Step 1: tie your sled to the frame of a bicycle.  Step 2: convince a friend to pedal the bicycle through an open field while you hang onto the sled for dear life.  Looks like a lot of fun for the sled-rider, maybe not so much for the bicyclist.  But it seems like a good way to go sledding without any hills. J

            Last night, I went into the city center with the American quartet and our friend Mattia.  We wanted to go back to the nightclub Sloga, but alas, it was closed.  I was happy about this though, because I wanted to check out the Holiday Market.  Since Sloga was closed, I was able to convince my friends to go with me.

            The Holiday Market (“Sponsored by Coca-cola.” It seems like half of Sarajevo is brought to you by the Coca-cola company!) is a series of tents, set up in a square on the west side of Bascarsija.  I think that during the day, there is a lot of Christmas-y stuff, like a tent where you can bring your little kid to see Santa.  However, at night, there is a big tent with food, drinks, and live music.  We were lucky that when we got there, Alisa was already inside with a group of her friends, and an open spot next to them.  So we got to meet Alisa’s friends, and enjoy the band, which was playing traditional (I think) Bosnian music.

At the Holiday Market

            The tent was very warm, maybe too warm.  But I was wearing a t-shirt under all of my winter layers, so it just felt cozy to me.  I did not have any food (nothing vegetarian) but I did have some glogg/mulled wine.  It was hot but not scalding, and had a very strong smell of cloves and other spices.  Yum!  I definitely want to go back before the tents close around the middle of the month.

Enjoying mulled wine

            Things at the Holiday Market started to die down before my group was feeling ready to go home, so we wandered over to Cheers Pub afterward.  I have been only once before, and it was super-crowded and loud, so I was a tiny bit apprehensive about going back without any earplugs. However, since it was a cold Wednesday night, Cheers was neither crowded nor noisy.  We basically had the upstairs room to ourselves, with the exception of an overly-affectionate couple sitting right behind Tim.  They were really going at it!  Public-displays-of-affection seem much less taboo in Sarajevo than they are in the US.

            I am definitely over my cabin fever after going back into the city center again today for a Bosnian lesson.  Every time we have a lesson, I feel more and more confident about speaking the language.  It is much easier for me to read, write, and understand than it is for me to speak, because I usually can’t think fast enough to come up with the words.  And I am a little bit embarrassed about my bad grammar and confusing accent.  But I know that if I don’t try to speak, I will never get any better at it.

            After the lesson, with all of the vocabulary and grammar fresh in my mind, Sara and I went to buy sandwiches at a fast food place.  The guy who works there is very nice, and is beginning to recognize us, but we have trouble ordering from him sometimes because he speaks absolutely no English.  However, today I was able not only to order, but also to have a successful short conversation with him.  It felt quite empowering, even though I was answering very simple questions about where we were from.  Sometimes I feel pretty isolated by not being able speak the same language as everyone else around me.  I can’t wait to learn more, so that I can become increasingly more independent.

Happy New Year

           So the New Year’s festivities have passed and I know I had fun (despite being a little emotional) because the three-hour party seemed like it only lasted a few minutes.  There was a karaoke machine, so many of my colleagues sang and danced to a combination of Bosnian and American hits.  It felt lovely when midnight came and I realized that I had literally a dozen friends to embrace and wish a happy new year.  But I missed Ross even more than usual.  I couldn’t help crying a little bit due to the mix of feelings, but recovered quickly as my friends comforted me with hugs and their goofy senses of humor.

            I have yet another week off now.  I enjoy having enough time to relax and explore the city, but it’s harder to be as adventuresome during the cold weather.  I spent the last two days in my nice, warm apartment, but am hoping to get out and do something new later today.  So, I don’t have much else to talk about for now.  More later. J