Perhaps soon was not the right word since it seems to have suddenly been 3 days since I last wrote but at least I’m here now? Last we chatted it was the fifth, so I’ll start on the sixth. In the morning I finally tried the local пекара or bakery. There’s tons of little ones all over the place here. For about 50 dinar I got the most delicious chocolate knot-like pastry for breakfast and then headed over to class. Today the TA Mladen was lecturing and we went through a LOT of history. Starting from the 1100’s all the way up through the Ottoman Empire. After class I somehow felt like I knew both more and less at the same time. We got a good picture of how much overlap and changer there has been in the region over time and how fluid identity is when looked at over such a long course of history. We also learned about the role of migrations caused by the Ottoman Empire and how something so long ago can have a direct impact on relations today. Even though the conflict lines are often drawn along ethnic lines, it is hard to ignore how much language and religion play into ethnic identity. Also confusing things is the issue of de-facto vs de-juro control, who was technically in charge versus what was actually happening on the ground. A lot of times it wasn’t the same as powers vied for control over the region even as they struggled for independence.
The afternoon was pretty laid back. Corn is big here so we had to try the popcorn for lunch, so yummy, those back home would appreciate it. Then in the afternoon we walked back over to Kalamegeda (we seem to do this a lot, but it is a nice walk). We took at walk through the weapons museum with Mladen as our tour guide. Nearly all the descriptions were in only Serbian so we wouldn’t have had a clue what we were looking at without him. The museum was laid out as a historical progression, which is my favorite way view an exhibit. It started with ancient weapons and exhibits and moved all the way through to modern day, showing Serbian gear, that of captured Americans, and of anyone else who passed through the region in its long history. I’ll admit to some… trepidation almost at seeing the outfit of the captured American soldier. Being able to read the name on the uniform, Carpenter, and seeing everything he had with him, down to the safety lights in a display case brought home that this was in fact an exhibit of military history, and I wondered what had become of this soldier.
After the museum we meandered our way through Belgrade, stopping to look in all the little stalls along the way. Then, after a brief trip to McDonalds for the free internet, we headed out for the night. That night’s plan was Mexican food, done Serbian style. After a brief adventure finding the place we sat down not knowing what to expect. It was a nice change of pace to have a menu in Serbian and English with some Spanish thrown in. Although the translations were sometimes amusingly off and the food wasn’t really Mexican (think Mexican if you took out the tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, and onions and substituted in corn, cabbage, mustard, and extra meat) it was still a fun experience. I think that’s where I’ll leave off for this entry and pick up on the 7th in a moment.
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| On the way up to the museum |
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