ARRIVAL: After a full day of travel, I arrived in Belgrade smelling of smoke (in Munich and Belgrade, smoking is allowed in the airports and restaurants—is this 1950?), and with an unbelievable amount of stuff (yes, even my kayak made it). Luckily, I was greeted by four school staff members to help me move into my apartment. It is a beautiful apartment in a VERY upscale neighborhood. I will never be able to move back into the slums where I used to live.
While Serbian is a very difficult language, just about everyone here speaks some English. This is very helpful in trying to do things such as riding the bus (more difficult than you would think) and set up cable internet, but not so helpful trying to learn the language.
After misreading a map, I found myself on a marathon walk to downtown Belgrade. When I realized my mistake, I tried to get my bearings and realized all road signs are in the Cyrillic alphabet where c’s are k’s and s’s are c’s (yep, it is confusing!). With a few new blisters I finally reached my destination then braved the bus back.
SETTLING IN: After a few days in Belgrade, I have met a few coworkers who are incredibly fun and helpful. My principal even took me to the Merkatur (similar to Walmart, but more expensive). It seems odd to have my boss know what I eat and which brands of sheets I prefer. I tried to buy some aluminum foil and was not successful. There were boxes that looked like foil and had the word folije on them (similar to foil). Apparently, this means saran wrap.
I have also spent some time exploring the city. There is a
beautiful bike trail that I have been running on that runs around a city island/park. The park is complete with a bungee jump station (I am chicken) and nude sun bathers in the afternoons—this really isn’t the US.
Downtown Belgrade is very interesting as it has just about every type of building you can imagine. There are beautiful churches and old style buildings right next to communist era ugly cement buildings right next to buildings that were bombed by the US less than ten years ago (why don’t they hate us?). There is also a walking street through the middle of downtown lined with cafes with outdoor seating—wonderful because I don’t come away smelling like an ash tray. However, just because an item is on a menu, does NOT mean they serve it.
While Serbian is a very difficult language, just about everyone here speaks some English. This is very helpful in trying to do things such as riding the bus (more difficult than you would think) and set up cable internet, but not so helpful trying to learn the language.After misreading a map, I found myself on a marathon walk to downtown Belgrade. When I realized my mistake, I tried to get my bearings and realized all road signs are in the Cyrillic alphabet where c’s are k’s and s’s are c’s (yep, it is confusing!). With a few new blisters I finally reached my destination then braved the bus back.
SETTLING IN: After a few days in Belgrade, I have met a few coworkers who are incredibly fun and helpful. My principal even took me to the Merkatur (similar to Walmart, but more expensive). It seems odd to have my boss know what I eat and which brands of sheets I prefer. I tried to buy some aluminum foil and was not successful. There were boxes that looked like foil and had the word folije on them (similar to foil). Apparently, this means saran wrap.
I have also spent some time exploring the city. There is a
beautiful bike trail that I have been running on that runs around a city island/park. The park is complete with a bungee jump station (I am chicken) and nude sun bathers in the afternoons—this really isn’t the US.Downtown Belgrade is very interesting as it has just about every type of building you can imagine. There are beautiful churches and old style buildings right next to communist era ugly cement buildings right next to buildings that were bombed by the US less than ten years ago (why don’t they hate us?). There is also a walking street through the middle of downtown lined with cafes with outdoor seating—wonderful because I don’t come away smelling like an ash tray. However, just because an item is on a menu, does NOT mean they serve it.
Overall, the transition has gone quite smoothly. It is frustrating when something that should be easy (i.e. setting up internet) is incredibly hard because you do not know where to go or how to ask for help. The good news is that my coworkers are incredibly helpful!
No comments:
Post a Comment