So as you may have known, that before leaving the States, we had joined an organic vegetable co-op. Every two weeks we would drive out to some random person's house and pick-up a box of random fruits and vegetables… our involvement in the program was really quite random. And also before we left, we were talking with my brother about buying a cow… not to graze in our backyard… but to eat. You see, there are farms that you can contact that sell free range, grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free cows. My brother had done this previously, and we were so impressed by the quality and the price… it is based on the hanging weight of the cow, so every cut of meat costs the same… which next to nothing… so if you are willing to upfront he cost of an entire cow.
Anyway, what is my point? In Serbia there is no such thing as buying "organic" fruits and vegetables… because everything is organic. And there is no such thing as hormone/antibiotic free cattle… because they don't use hormones or antibiotics on their cattle.
It is really an amazing concept… and yes, everything does taste better.
Anyway, for people like us… and our ideals in the food we eat… we are living in a wonderland. There are these amazing "green markets" here, which are just like our "farmers markets" back home, except way more elaborate and open every day… even in the winter. But if you come shopping at the green market in the winter time, you better like root vegetables, because you can only buy items that are in season.
How elaborate? Well, besides the myriad of stalls dedicated to produce, there are also a number of permanent structures dedicated to butchers, fish markets, cheese and dairy shops… it’s not just some guy with a cooler full of frozen meat… we are talking about a full blown butcher shop… like the kind in the movies… which pretty much doesn't exist in the States anymore. Think about going to Publix and asking the "butcher" there for specific poundage of a specific cut of meat… what is he going to do or say… "uhhh… everything we have is out in the coolers." At these markets in the dedicated butcher shops… you can request whatever you want… How glorious is that?
Besides these specialty shops, you can also find people selling basic electronics, clothing and toys… so there is a flea market vibe in some sections of the market at well. This is pretty cool.
Now, you have to remember… which I always remind you in these blogs. We speak very limited Serbian. And frankly, the green markets, are not where you go if you want to find a vender that speaks English… although we have found some. So… on our first trip to the green market Serena and I figured out a full proof plan. We would only go to vender who had their prices posted. In Kenya, it is a bartering society… and the last thing we wanted was to try and barter not know in the language… or knowing what the price trends were. So, we would go to a marked vender, point, and say "Jedan Kilo"… which simply means one kilogram. The vender would weigh our order, hand it to us, and rattle off some number so fast that we could not understand. But, that lead us to the second part of our plan. We would smile, nod, and hand them 200 Dinar (less than $4.00) and then wait for our change. Which we always got. 200 Dinar seemed to be a full proof number… we never looked like idiots for giving them to little money… we only looked like idiots when we gave then 200 Dinar… and the only needed to give them 50 Dinar. But the point is that no one tried to take advantage of us… that we know of. It was a great experience… after all of our shopping and paying for a taxi cab both ways… we only spent about $26.00 US Dollars… and had plenty of Beets… and Pears… and Turnips… and Carrots…
Oh… and walnuts. There were some venders there that specialized in chopped nuts. And we wanted some walnuts. But, who needs one kilogram of walnuts… so we tried to ask for a half-kilo of Walnuts… without knowing how to say it vocally. So Serena held up one finger saying "Jedan" and began using another finger to strike through it… or cut it… in half. Eventually, we had the nut vender doing the same thing… and then he started saying something to us in Serbian… which we can only imagine was "oh, you want a half-kilo of Walnuts you strange America nut eaters…" Well, our assumption was correct. We communicated with the international symbol for a half-kilo.
All is right in the world, hurray!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Day 159: Pip, Pip, Cheerios
So, if you have been reading… you will know that Grayson has an obsession… pillow fights. Pillow fights and chocolate. Two obsessions: Pillow fights, chocolate… and naked time. Three obsessions: Pillow fights, chocolate, naked time… and the Backyardigans. Four obsessions!
But the sake of this story… there we need only to focus on the forth: "The Backyardigans"
For those of you wondering, "what the heck is the Backyardigans" I will allow IMDB to fill you in with the details:
"THE BACKYARDIGANS is Nick Jr.'s animated musical adventure series about five high-spirited young (probably early elementary school age) friends, who rely on their vivid imaginations to embark on amazing, epic adventures. In every episode, the backyard transforms into a new fantastic, photo-real landscape that serves as the backdrop for completely original, story-driven musicals. Broadway-caliber music spanning a variety of genres and cutting-edge 3D dance choreography propel the stories forward. The series will inspire children to sing and dance along with these lovable characters and stretch their imaginations as they climb up mountains, slide down glaciers and sail across oceans."
Sounds fun huh? It's actually a pretty darn good show… and for TV really promotes imaginative play. Which leads me to my Grayson story:
The other day after work, Gray and I were hanging out… and out of no where he started calling me "father". "Father, would you like to play pillow fight with me." "How are you today Father?" "Hip, Trip, Cheerios Father." "Would you like a cup of tea Father." And yes, he pretty much all of those things back to back. And I don't know what it was that he said… because he was a little hard to understand… and then it dawned on me… "Grayson, are you speaking in a British accent?"
Now, personally, I don't think Grayson knows what a British Accent is… but he said yes and quickly offered me "a spot of tea". Some how he had gotten the lingo down and was pretending to be British. That's my boy!
So, of course, I throw my accent on and Gray and I have a wonderful time making each other laugh while pretending to be British… all the while, I am wondering how we even started this game… and most importantly… how Grayson ended up being the one who started it.
Well, that question was answered a little later. After dinner Grayson asked to watch "The Backyardigans"… as he always does… and there are four episodes on each disc… so if you are not careful, after one ends, another episode will start right away… and at the start of each episode they tell you the name of the backyard adventure you are about to watch. To my dismay… and Serena's… we here a character call out the title of the episode, "The Great Tea Party"… and then see Grayson cheer, just up and down on the couch, and start shouting, "Hip, Trip, Cheerios"… or rather that was what we through he was saying… Grayson thought he was saying "Pip, Pip, Cheerio."
And after his excitement of the episode was over, Grayson turned to me and said, "Thank you Father."
BTW: Santa could not resist. That sweet little boy was surprised to stuffed animals to all five Bandyardigan characters. And yes, that “Santa Claus” is more than happy to pack all five of them into a backpack whenever the family leaves the house… because that sweet little boy doesn’t want to leave his best friends behind.
But the sake of this story… there we need only to focus on the forth: "The Backyardigans"
For those of you wondering, "what the heck is the Backyardigans" I will allow IMDB to fill you in with the details:
"THE BACKYARDIGANS is Nick Jr.'s animated musical adventure series about five high-spirited young (probably early elementary school age) friends, who rely on their vivid imaginations to embark on amazing, epic adventures. In every episode, the backyard transforms into a new fantastic, photo-real landscape that serves as the backdrop for completely original, story-driven musicals. Broadway-caliber music spanning a variety of genres and cutting-edge 3D dance choreography propel the stories forward. The series will inspire children to sing and dance along with these lovable characters and stretch their imaginations as they climb up mountains, slide down glaciers and sail across oceans."
Sounds fun huh? It's actually a pretty darn good show… and for TV really promotes imaginative play. Which leads me to my Grayson story:
The other day after work, Gray and I were hanging out… and out of no where he started calling me "father". "Father, would you like to play pillow fight with me." "How are you today Father?" "Hip, Trip, Cheerios Father." "Would you like a cup of tea Father." And yes, he pretty much all of those things back to back. And I don't know what it was that he said… because he was a little hard to understand… and then it dawned on me… "Grayson, are you speaking in a British accent?"
Now, personally, I don't think Grayson knows what a British Accent is… but he said yes and quickly offered me "a spot of tea". Some how he had gotten the lingo down and was pretending to be British. That's my boy!
So, of course, I throw my accent on and Gray and I have a wonderful time making each other laugh while pretending to be British… all the while, I am wondering how we even started this game… and most importantly… how Grayson ended up being the one who started it.
Well, that question was answered a little later. After dinner Grayson asked to watch "The Backyardigans"… as he always does… and there are four episodes on each disc… so if you are not careful, after one ends, another episode will start right away… and at the start of each episode they tell you the name of the backyard adventure you are about to watch. To my dismay… and Serena's… we here a character call out the title of the episode, "The Great Tea Party"… and then see Grayson cheer, just up and down on the couch, and start shouting, "Hip, Trip, Cheerios"… or rather that was what we through he was saying… Grayson thought he was saying "Pip, Pip, Cheerio."
And after his excitement of the episode was over, Grayson turned to me and said, "Thank you Father."
BTW: Santa could not resist. That sweet little boy was surprised to stuffed animals to all five Bandyardigan characters. And yes, that “Santa Claus” is more than happy to pack all five of them into a backpack whenever the family leaves the house… because that sweet little boy doesn’t want to leave his best friends behind.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Day 149: Survivor, Serbian Style
If there is one thing that I have learned in my first month is that Serbia really knows how to do reality TV. More specifically: Survivor. Yes, my friends… somewhere on the remote islands off the coast of Panama, 16 Serbian strangers were stranded and forced to create a new society… while voting each other off. So, what makes Serbian Survivor so much better than American Survivor?
Are the challenges harder? Are the personalities of the contestants even more outlandish? Are there less stringent rules and regulations in regards to nudity on television? Do they eat each other rather than vote each other off?
No… I don't think so… Yes… and unfortunately not.
The reasons that Survivor in Serbia is so great has nothing to do with the actually game play (as I call it now)… because there is “game play”… and then there are the extras. In the States, all that you see is “game play”. You see them on the island… living… working… backstabbing.
But, imagine. Survivor meets the "Monday Night Football Halftime Report" meets a Jay Leno style variety show meets "Meet the Press".
I know what you are thinking… "how wonderful!"
Now, before you get too excited you must remember that I have no idea what people are saying… it is all in Serbian, without English subtitles. Yet just like American Survivor… I am riveted. Even more so as I try and figure out this bizarre new format for the show. Let me put it this way… the running time of an episode is two hours… BUT, just like in the State, you only get one hour of “game play”. Bear with me.
Now, my first experience with the show was a couple of Sunday afternoons ago. We do not have many English stations in our temporary house and I was flipping through the channels and low and behold… I found Survivor. And they all talked funny.
I watched it for a little while and then got distracted playing with Gray and making lunch… all that sort of fun stuff… but I left the TV on all this time. Eventually I ended up back in the living room and Survivor was over… now there was some Meet the Press looking talk show. At least that is what I thought it was until they went to a clip of a "Reward Challenge" and then cut back to the panel… and continued to cut back and forth for some time… after a while I came to realize, through body language, that the panel was arguing about strategy. It then became apparent as they cut of various clips around camp and day to day life on the island that the panel was discussing the actions and motives of various contestants in the game. Then all of a sudden… the panel stopped talking and Survivor came back on. I had just witnessed a Serbian halftime report… for Survivor!
Okay… now that was just cool… BUT... it got better. When the show ended and they voted someone off rather than eating them… the program cut back to the panel who interviewed the person who was just voted out… they showed clips of his ultimate downfall… and then… this is what caught me off guard… they introduced a band… who then played about two songs on a very badly designed survivor looking set. Imagine the design staff of Survivor decorating the music stage on Saturday Night Live (but half the size)… but due to budgetary constraints, they could only afford about $25.00 and were only approved to buy from Party City’s “luau” aisle. That was the set. It was absolutely brilliant. Finally rolling credits rolled.
Now, I should point out that the actual “game play” segments of Survivor Serbia look exactly the same as the American version. And frankly, the American Survivor did three seasons in and around Panama and it is quite obvious that they are using all of the same locations… and probably the same structures for tribal councils and the more elaborate challenges.
But as far as Serbian TV in general… everything pretty much looks like the set I described.
They have Big Brother… which I can’t stand no matter what country I am in… and it looks pretty much the same… except it is on ALL the time. It’s like the Truman Show here… 24/7.
Also, there is something that looks like Dancing with the Stars. But, I have been told that it is not… but it looks like it. But image the room that American Idol uses for its first round of auditions… three judges sitting around a table… and about 50 people sitting on bleachers… cheering for people dressed up in ballroom dancing garb… that never dance! Folks, I have yet to figure this show out… and like every other TV program here… it is on all the time. And yes, I have yet to see anyone dance. Every time I flip past it… the same kind of pomp and circumstance that marks the end of an episode of Dancing with the Star is going on. Couples are standing in rows… couples are asked to sit down in what appears to be the safe area. Then they stand up again and join the rows… the Serbian announcer reveals what seems to be a winner… and it keeps going… it’s almost like a round robin of eliminations… “okay you beat Jelena and Miroslav… but, will you beat Branka and Vladamir?” It is all so strange to me.
I wish I knew more Serbian.
Are the challenges harder? Are the personalities of the contestants even more outlandish? Are there less stringent rules and regulations in regards to nudity on television? Do they eat each other rather than vote each other off?
No… I don't think so… Yes… and unfortunately not.
The reasons that Survivor in Serbia is so great has nothing to do with the actually game play (as I call it now)… because there is “game play”… and then there are the extras. In the States, all that you see is “game play”. You see them on the island… living… working… backstabbing.
But, imagine. Survivor meets the "Monday Night Football Halftime Report" meets a Jay Leno style variety show meets "Meet the Press".
I know what you are thinking… "how wonderful!"
Now, before you get too excited you must remember that I have no idea what people are saying… it is all in Serbian, without English subtitles. Yet just like American Survivor… I am riveted. Even more so as I try and figure out this bizarre new format for the show. Let me put it this way… the running time of an episode is two hours… BUT, just like in the State, you only get one hour of “game play”. Bear with me.
Now, my first experience with the show was a couple of Sunday afternoons ago. We do not have many English stations in our temporary house and I was flipping through the channels and low and behold… I found Survivor. And they all talked funny.
I watched it for a little while and then got distracted playing with Gray and making lunch… all that sort of fun stuff… but I left the TV on all this time. Eventually I ended up back in the living room and Survivor was over… now there was some Meet the Press looking talk show. At least that is what I thought it was until they went to a clip of a "Reward Challenge" and then cut back to the panel… and continued to cut back and forth for some time… after a while I came to realize, through body language, that the panel was arguing about strategy. It then became apparent as they cut of various clips around camp and day to day life on the island that the panel was discussing the actions and motives of various contestants in the game. Then all of a sudden… the panel stopped talking and Survivor came back on. I had just witnessed a Serbian halftime report… for Survivor!
Okay… now that was just cool… BUT... it got better. When the show ended and they voted someone off rather than eating them… the program cut back to the panel who interviewed the person who was just voted out… they showed clips of his ultimate downfall… and then… this is what caught me off guard… they introduced a band… who then played about two songs on a very badly designed survivor looking set. Imagine the design staff of Survivor decorating the music stage on Saturday Night Live (but half the size)… but due to budgetary constraints, they could only afford about $25.00 and were only approved to buy from Party City’s “luau” aisle. That was the set. It was absolutely brilliant. Finally rolling credits rolled.
Now, I should point out that the actual “game play” segments of Survivor Serbia look exactly the same as the American version. And frankly, the American Survivor did three seasons in and around Panama and it is quite obvious that they are using all of the same locations… and probably the same structures for tribal councils and the more elaborate challenges.
But as far as Serbian TV in general… everything pretty much looks like the set I described.
They have Big Brother… which I can’t stand no matter what country I am in… and it looks pretty much the same… except it is on ALL the time. It’s like the Truman Show here… 24/7.
Also, there is something that looks like Dancing with the Stars. But, I have been told that it is not… but it looks like it. But image the room that American Idol uses for its first round of auditions… three judges sitting around a table… and about 50 people sitting on bleachers… cheering for people dressed up in ballroom dancing garb… that never dance! Folks, I have yet to figure this show out… and like every other TV program here… it is on all the time. And yes, I have yet to see anyone dance. Every time I flip past it… the same kind of pomp and circumstance that marks the end of an episode of Dancing with the Star is going on. Couples are standing in rows… couples are asked to sit down in what appears to be the safe area. Then they stand up again and join the rows… the Serbian announcer reveals what seems to be a winner… and it keeps going… it’s almost like a round robin of eliminations… “okay you beat Jelena and Miroslav… but, will you beat Branka and Vladamir?” It is all so strange to me.
I wish I knew more Serbian.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Day 136: Jetlag, The Devil
A Schutz Family Flashback:
Man, jetlag is terrible. It is so much worse than when we went to Amsterdam last year. But then again, the circumstances were very different. A year ago we were going as tourists. When you are touring you have limited time and you don’t want to waste any. And I also had the luxury of starting my trip visiting my cousin Winke, who I had not seen for a VERY long time. So it was only natural to fight the desire for sleep and socialize. The day I arrived in Amsterdam I stayed up until around midnight their time and woke up at nine in the morning: a normal night of sleep. That was all I needed and I was ready to go for the rest of the trip.
Serbia on the other hand is an entirely different experience. And I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we are not here as tourist, but as residents. We also don’t have the social stimulation that you would get when visiting old friends or family. So, the first couple nights were brutal.
On our first night I finally couldn’t take it anymore around 7pm. Serena and Gray had fallen victim to a nap earlier in the afternoon to they were not quite ready for bed, but I just couldn’t hang, so closed our blackout shutters and went to bed. When I woke up, I felt great. By that time Serena and Gray had joined me in bed and I slipped out to start breakfast. And that is when things went terribly wrong. When I stepped out into the living room I realized it was still dark outside. I walked to the kitchen to find out what time it was… it was midnight. I had slept for five hours and it was only midnight. There was nothing else to do but watch late night Serbian TV… so I did that for a while… and then watched a movie (I packed a DVD player into my suitcase, thank god)… and about halfway into the movie Serena and Grayson woke up and joined me. I want to say that we all went back to bed around three or four… and reads… all I can say is that we should have set an alarm… we woke up again at 12:30 in the afternoon.
This ritual was repeated on night two. Except this time I woke up around 10:45pm after only sleeping a little under four hours. Serena and Gray of course eventually joined me… and we all went to bed again around four… and then woke up again around ten in the morning (which was much better).
So, after two miserable nights, I was finally able to get my jetlag under control on night three. Serena and I stayed up to watch a movie and we vowed not to go to bed until nine o’clock, which we successfully accomplished. Now, I did wake up again at midnight, but I would let myself get up and finally got out of bed around six in the morning. And that day was my first official day of work; so fortunately, I was pretty much locked into a schedule at that point. Hurray for me.
Serena and Grayson on the other hand is a completely different story. It has been just over a week now and they have not been successful in adjusting… quite yet. It makes sense though; they don’t have a schedule yet. There is not much going on to motivate a normal sleeping schedule at this point. But we’re working on it. We didn’t give Grayson a nap today so we are hoping to get him down at a descent hour, the only problem is that Grayson hasn’t slept through the night since we’ve arrived… but he will… eventually.
We are feeling much better now.
-JP
Man, jetlag is terrible. It is so much worse than when we went to Amsterdam last year. But then again, the circumstances were very different. A year ago we were going as tourists. When you are touring you have limited time and you don’t want to waste any. And I also had the luxury of starting my trip visiting my cousin Winke, who I had not seen for a VERY long time. So it was only natural to fight the desire for sleep and socialize. The day I arrived in Amsterdam I stayed up until around midnight their time and woke up at nine in the morning: a normal night of sleep. That was all I needed and I was ready to go for the rest of the trip.
Serbia on the other hand is an entirely different experience. And I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we are not here as tourist, but as residents. We also don’t have the social stimulation that you would get when visiting old friends or family. So, the first couple nights were brutal.
On our first night I finally couldn’t take it anymore around 7pm. Serena and Gray had fallen victim to a nap earlier in the afternoon to they were not quite ready for bed, but I just couldn’t hang, so closed our blackout shutters and went to bed. When I woke up, I felt great. By that time Serena and Gray had joined me in bed and I slipped out to start breakfast. And that is when things went terribly wrong. When I stepped out into the living room I realized it was still dark outside. I walked to the kitchen to find out what time it was… it was midnight. I had slept for five hours and it was only midnight. There was nothing else to do but watch late night Serbian TV… so I did that for a while… and then watched a movie (I packed a DVD player into my suitcase, thank god)… and about halfway into the movie Serena and Grayson woke up and joined me. I want to say that we all went back to bed around three or four… and reads… all I can say is that we should have set an alarm… we woke up again at 12:30 in the afternoon.
This ritual was repeated on night two. Except this time I woke up around 10:45pm after only sleeping a little under four hours. Serena and Gray of course eventually joined me… and we all went to bed again around four… and then woke up again around ten in the morning (which was much better).
So, after two miserable nights, I was finally able to get my jetlag under control on night three. Serena and I stayed up to watch a movie and we vowed not to go to bed until nine o’clock, which we successfully accomplished. Now, I did wake up again at midnight, but I would let myself get up and finally got out of bed around six in the morning. And that day was my first official day of work; so fortunately, I was pretty much locked into a schedule at that point. Hurray for me.
Serena and Grayson on the other hand is a completely different story. It has been just over a week now and they have not been successful in adjusting… quite yet. It makes sense though; they don’t have a schedule yet. There is not much going on to motivate a normal sleeping schedule at this point. But we’re working on it. We didn’t give Grayson a nap today so we are hoping to get him down at a descent hour, the only problem is that Grayson hasn’t slept through the night since we’ve arrived… but he will… eventually.
We are feeling much better now.
-JP
Monday, December 1, 2008
Day 134 - Sounds of Serbia
Serbia seems to be two totally different experiences, depending on whether or not your eyes are open or closed. All in all I would have to describe Belgrade as being rather industrial. Due to the fact that most Serbs still use coal for heating, winter time brings with it a very nice smoggy haze. That haze though, is a perfect partner to accompany the images of some of the more unique architecture scattered around the city: the buildings damaged by the NATO bombings in the early nineties. Although the sites are a bit eerie, the remaining presences of these buildings are almost poetic, yet I am not terribly sure of the reasoning behind it. Are they a reminder of consequences of aggression? Or the opposite, a reminder to the rest of the world of how they once victimized the Serbs. Either way, the buildings remain. And the Serbian government has no intention of rebuilding them… at least for the moment.
I was the first to wake up on our first official full day in Serbia. It is safe to say that we slept in… but I got up at the perfect time. I had just left the kitchen with a glass of water when I heard the strangest thing. It almost sounded like very loud music coming from the apartment below us. I froze trying to figure out what I was listening to and wondering how often our neighbor was going to annoy us with their music… but as my ears started to adjust I realize that I had been completely wrong in my calculations. I followed the muffed sounds to our back porch and swung open the doors. And there it was… the more glorious church bells. I couldn’t help but just stop, close my eyes and listen to my first beautiful sounds of Serbia.
Later that day, the three of us decided to take a walk and get a grasp of where we were in reference to… well… everything else around us. We ventured out a few blocks when we realized that we are living right around the corner from a soccer stadium… and quickly realized that it was game day. We didn’t figure that out by the lines of fans making their way into the stadium… or from all the street venders that had set up shop for the big day. No, we realized it was game day by the precedence of about one hundred police officers lining sidewalks out front. I had always heard about Europeans and their fanatical love for soccer/football, but I had never witnessed, first hand, something like this. We were so taken back by the police presence that I refrained from taking a picture of a restaurant called “Bart’s” that had a picture of Bart Simpson, himself, pointing the way in… a picture that I still want to get for Jeff.
We decided at that point that our time for exploration was done for the day. We were not interested in getting missed in with the soccer fans… not with Grayson. To we headed home. The game started a couple hours later as it was getting dark. It gets dark here at 4:30pm. And that was around the time the crowd began to cheer for their team. I was amazing to listen to. Imagine an entire an entire stadium cheering together… but not the kind of cheering that we know in the States. This was not the sound of random cheers… or the periodic screams that come with doing the wave… and at no time did I ever heard the word “fence”. No, the Serbian fans were singing. They were all singing together to support their team. And their voices in unison echoed through the chilly night and into our apartment. It was astonishing. I truly believe that everyone should have the great privilege of listen to European soccer fans. Then again… I have no idea what they were singing… honestly, it could have been about a fence… but I’m not going to focus on that.
-JP
I was the first to wake up on our first official full day in Serbia. It is safe to say that we slept in… but I got up at the perfect time. I had just left the kitchen with a glass of water when I heard the strangest thing. It almost sounded like very loud music coming from the apartment below us. I froze trying to figure out what I was listening to and wondering how often our neighbor was going to annoy us with their music… but as my ears started to adjust I realize that I had been completely wrong in my calculations. I followed the muffed sounds to our back porch and swung open the doors. And there it was… the more glorious church bells. I couldn’t help but just stop, close my eyes and listen to my first beautiful sounds of Serbia.
Later that day, the three of us decided to take a walk and get a grasp of where we were in reference to… well… everything else around us. We ventured out a few blocks when we realized that we are living right around the corner from a soccer stadium… and quickly realized that it was game day. We didn’t figure that out by the lines of fans making their way into the stadium… or from all the street venders that had set up shop for the big day. No, we realized it was game day by the precedence of about one hundred police officers lining sidewalks out front. I had always heard about Europeans and their fanatical love for soccer/football, but I had never witnessed, first hand, something like this. We were so taken back by the police presence that I refrained from taking a picture of a restaurant called “Bart’s” that had a picture of Bart Simpson, himself, pointing the way in… a picture that I still want to get for Jeff.
We decided at that point that our time for exploration was done for the day. We were not interested in getting missed in with the soccer fans… not with Grayson. To we headed home. The game started a couple hours later as it was getting dark. It gets dark here at 4:30pm. And that was around the time the crowd began to cheer for their team. I was amazing to listen to. Imagine an entire an entire stadium cheering together… but not the kind of cheering that we know in the States. This was not the sound of random cheers… or the periodic screams that come with doing the wave… and at no time did I ever heard the word “fence”. No, the Serbian fans were singing. They were all singing together to support their team. And their voices in unison echoed through the chilly night and into our apartment. It was astonishing. I truly believe that everyone should have the great privilege of listen to European soccer fans. Then again… I have no idea what they were singing… honestly, it could have been about a fence… but I’m not going to focus on that.
-JP
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Day 133 - Help a Brother Out!
Hello everyone! I am taking a break from talking about myself today to talk about something more important:
I know it is the holidays and economy isn’t exactly the greatest, but I need your help. I am trying to organize a Christmas present for my brother-in-law Jimmy, who is living in the middle nowhere Tanzania serving in the Peace Corp. He has been there since June of 2007.
Currently, Jimmy is working on building a dispensary for the village he has been living in. The overall project will cost $13,916.00. BUT, he has already raised $12,886!!! The final $3,965.00 has eluded him… I hope… up until now.
For Jimmy’s Christmas present, I would like to raise the final $3,965.00 by the end of the year. So, I have one month! So, what do I want from you? Help and support. Please CLICK HERE to go to the official Peace Corp web page that features Jimmy’s project, read about it… and if you feel so called, please donate $10.00. If we can get 13 people a day to donate $10.00 we can completely fund his program before the end of the year!!!
Other Note:
1. Jimmy’s real name is Wilber James Newhall, so don’t get confused by the Volunteer Coordinators name being “Newhall, W. of GA”. That’s Jimmy.
2. Please share this information with as many people as possible. Although, you might not be able to help, someone you know might love to help.
Thank you so much!
___________________
Starting Amount Needed: $3,965.00
I know it is the holidays and economy isn’t exactly the greatest, but I need your help. I am trying to organize a Christmas present for my brother-in-law Jimmy, who is living in the middle nowhere Tanzania serving in the Peace Corp. He has been there since June of 2007.
Currently, Jimmy is working on building a dispensary for the village he has been living in. The overall project will cost $13,916.00. BUT, he has already raised $12,886!!! The final $3,965.00 has eluded him… I hope… up until now.
For Jimmy’s Christmas present, I would like to raise the final $3,965.00 by the end of the year. So, I have one month! So, what do I want from you? Help and support. Please CLICK HERE to go to the official Peace Corp web page that features Jimmy’s project, read about it… and if you feel so called, please donate $10.00. If we can get 13 people a day to donate $10.00 we can completely fund his program before the end of the year!!!
Other Note:
1. Jimmy’s real name is Wilber James Newhall, so don’t get confused by the Volunteer Coordinators name being “Newhall, W. of GA”. That’s Jimmy.
2. Please share this information with as many people as possible. Although, you might not be able to help, someone you know might love to help.
Thank you so much!
___________________
Starting Amount Needed: $3,965.00
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Day 132 - Steak, My Kindom for a Steak!!!
Now that we have internet I thought I would try and catch you, the reader, up on some funny and interesting stories that have happened since we have arrive. Here we go!
On my second day I ventured out to find a market. Found one… after walking about 6 blocks straight up a 75 degree hill. I walked around with my basket trying not to look stupid or say much. I went to the butcher and pointed at some nice looking steaks and said "Dva" (meaning “two”)… and the butcher looked at me and said, "Dve?" (which also means “two”… but I had used the feminine form of the word… and I guess steak is not considered feminine). So, once having my monosalavic case/gender ending corrected I simply said "Da" (Yes). Little did I know that he needed more information. My "Dve” was referring to the number of steaks I wanted… but he was selling steak by the kilogram. So after some very nice interpretive dance I received my two steaks. So at which point, with my steaks safely laid to rest in my basket, I looked up to say "xvala" (thank you)… and then the butcher cut me off saying, "is there anything else I can help you with today, sir." That's right… not only did he speak perfect English… he called me "sir". The nerve of some people, right?
Later when I got home, Serena informed me that my beef steaks were actually pork. Hmmm… well I swear they were red. Dang it!
-JP
On my second day I ventured out to find a market. Found one… after walking about 6 blocks straight up a 75 degree hill. I walked around with my basket trying not to look stupid or say much. I went to the butcher and pointed at some nice looking steaks and said "Dva" (meaning “two”)… and the butcher looked at me and said, "Dve?" (which also means “two”… but I had used the feminine form of the word… and I guess steak is not considered feminine). So, once having my monosalavic case/gender ending corrected I simply said "Da" (Yes). Little did I know that he needed more information. My "Dve” was referring to the number of steaks I wanted… but he was selling steak by the kilogram. So after some very nice interpretive dance I received my two steaks. So at which point, with my steaks safely laid to rest in my basket, I looked up to say "xvala" (thank you)… and then the butcher cut me off saying, "is there anything else I can help you with today, sir." That's right… not only did he speak perfect English… he called me "sir". The nerve of some people, right?
Later when I got home, Serena informed me that my beef steaks were actually pork. Hmmm… well I swear they were red. Dang it!
-JP
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Day 130 - Thanksgiving
There is a lot to be thankful for this year, but it all seems trivial to me until we get more news from Mumbai. Talk to you soon and Happy Thanksgiving.
-JP
-JP
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Day 129 - Soccer & Snow
So, we have a pretty large dinning room in our temporary house. To give you an idea, the dinning room table seats about twelve. It is pretty ridiculous actually. Our permanent housing will not be nearly that big, but it has been fun living like kings in the digs that we have now. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with our upstairs neighbors tomorrow, they are hosting all of us "orphans" here in Belgrade that are still in the process of getting settled… about 20 or so of us. So, in preparations, this past Sunday we moved our dinning room table upstairs… so we have this very large empty space in the middle of our apartment. So, what do you do with all that empty space when you have an almost three year old? You him his first soccer ball of course!
The dinning room is now referred to as our soccer field… or as I like to call it "Stadium Schutz"… it is only fitting since we are living between to the two largest rival futbal clubs in the city. It is loads of fun.
It has been raining pretty relentlessly over the past few days and getting home last night was near miserable. The only thing making it bearable was the knowledge that I was living in Belgrade… how crazy is that? Although, I am living a normal 9 to 5 grind, the realization and wonder of living here creeps into by head from time to time and it is a great feeling.
So, it's been raining and when I got home Grayson and I of course had to play a game of soccer… and while we were playing I looked up and out the window and saw the most beautiful thing. The rain had become snow. The largest and thickest snow flakes I have ever seen. Now keep in mind, it wasn't all that long ago that I was living in Charleston, SC wearing t-shirts and shorts in February… and last year in Switzerland was the first time I had experienced the every elusive "White Christmas" and now, it looks like we will be celebrating a "White Thanksgiving". Very cool.
Also, on another cool note, I received my new business cards today. Although, there would seem to be anything overly special about them… the anomaly is that they are double sided… English on one side… and Cyrillic Serbian on the other. Just call me ЏонПал Шоц.
Take care,
-ЏП
The dinning room is now referred to as our soccer field… or as I like to call it "Stadium Schutz"… it is only fitting since we are living between to the two largest rival futbal clubs in the city. It is loads of fun.
It has been raining pretty relentlessly over the past few days and getting home last night was near miserable. The only thing making it bearable was the knowledge that I was living in Belgrade… how crazy is that? Although, I am living a normal 9 to 5 grind, the realization and wonder of living here creeps into by head from time to time and it is a great feeling.
So, it's been raining and when I got home Grayson and I of course had to play a game of soccer… and while we were playing I looked up and out the window and saw the most beautiful thing. The rain had become snow. The largest and thickest snow flakes I have ever seen. Now keep in mind, it wasn't all that long ago that I was living in Charleston, SC wearing t-shirts and shorts in February… and last year in Switzerland was the first time I had experienced the every elusive "White Christmas" and now, it looks like we will be celebrating a "White Thanksgiving". Very cool.
Also, on another cool note, I received my new business cards today. Although, there would seem to be anything overly special about them… the anomaly is that they are double sided… English on one side… and Cyrillic Serbian on the other. Just call me ЏонПал Шоц.
Take care,
-ЏП
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Day 128 – JohnPaul Hath Discovered the Internet… and it was good…
Whelp… we are here... for a little over a week now. And to be honest, it is pretty great. I am sure the Belgrade honeymoon will fade, but for right now I am really enjoying myself. Even more so since I finally discovered that we have internet!
Much to our surprise, when we arrived in Munich for a three hour layover from 7:30am – 10:30am our time… 1:30am – 4:30am US time… after spending 8 hours on the second most turbulent flight I have ever been on… and for those that know Serena… she is not a great flier. It was not very fun. But fortunately, Grayson slept the entire flight. He was really great. Unfortunately, Grayson woke up from a full night’s sleep at 1:30am in Munich. ARG! But don’t worry, somehow his battered and tossed around parents mustered the energy to take him on walks and buy him candy... and hey, I finally made it to Germany, although I only saw the inside of the airport. Hmmm… I’ll have to work on that.
But I digress… when we arrived in Munich we decided to splurge a little bit and purchased web access to check our emails… knowing that it might be a while before we had access again. Whelp, that is when we found out that when we arrive in Belgrade we would not be moving into our permanent housing, we were going to be in temporary housing for up to thirty days. At first we were pretty disappointed. But, you also have to realize that it is quite normal to start out in temporary house so we got over ourselves pretty quickly. The apartment is great by the way. Very roomy… and after a few days I discovered internet!
It’s pretty funny actually. After about two or three days cut off from the world, especially Serena being stuck at home with Gray, with no internet access, I decided that we needed to do something about it and got the ball rolling to try and get connected. Little did I know, it would be easier than trying to schedule an installer to come to the house. You see, in the apartment we have an office, and in this office we have a desk. And when I first looked at the desk I noticed that there were a ton of cables, a DSL router, and Vonage box. I thought it was pretty weird that those items had been left behind and didn’t think much about it… until Tuesday. On Tuesday night, after I had started calling around to get internet service started at our temporary residence, I started staring at all the equipment cluttering the office… and started putting it all together. It had been a while since I had dealt with DSL, but I gave it a shot. And about ten minutes later, we had internet access. It all worked, amazingly enough I hooked everything up correctly on my first try.
So now we have internet. Well, sometimes. It is not the most reliable service… but, we will survive. And via Skype we had the opportunity to call some of our family when the service has been running smoothly.
So, yeah, it is very nice to be connected. And my next order of business was to get the cable and internet up in running at our permanent residence. I heard that it can take up to a month sometimes to schedule a service call and after being in a temporary place for 30 days, I wanted to make sure we had everything up and running before that move. That turned out to be amazingly easy as well. On Wednesday I started bugging the GSO’s office (who handles resident issues) to see how to go about getting hooked up before the move. Well, later that day, the GSO received an email from the guy who is currently living in what will become our house. He wanted to know if the family moving in after him would like to transfer his DSL service into their name rather than turning it off. SCORE! So, we are totally set.
I am going to be getting together with the guy next week to transfer the name and he even invited us over to get a tour of the place this weekend. He will be leaving on November 30th, and after the GSO’s office cleans it up a little, we will be set to move in. So, the good news is that we should be receiving the first part of our shipment (the items we sent Air Freight) in early December and we will be moving into our permanent housing before Christmas. It will probably be January before the rest of our household items and car arrives. But we will survive. All in all things seem to be going very smooth.
-JP
5 DAYS LATER
Okay, so after I wrote this entry and just before I had a chance to post it… we lost our internet access. But thank god for Jasko! He’s a local tech guru that a bunch of us use. He totally fixed us up and we are finally back on line. And because of how great he was to work with, I no longer plan to continue that other guys plan, I am going to cancel it and let Jasko hook me up. It will be much more reliable.
-JP
Much to our surprise, when we arrived in Munich for a three hour layover from 7:30am – 10:30am our time… 1:30am – 4:30am US time… after spending 8 hours on the second most turbulent flight I have ever been on… and for those that know Serena… she is not a great flier. It was not very fun. But fortunately, Grayson slept the entire flight. He was really great. Unfortunately, Grayson woke up from a full night’s sleep at 1:30am in Munich. ARG! But don’t worry, somehow his battered and tossed around parents mustered the energy to take him on walks and buy him candy... and hey, I finally made it to Germany, although I only saw the inside of the airport. Hmmm… I’ll have to work on that.
But I digress… when we arrived in Munich we decided to splurge a little bit and purchased web access to check our emails… knowing that it might be a while before we had access again. Whelp, that is when we found out that when we arrive in Belgrade we would not be moving into our permanent housing, we were going to be in temporary housing for up to thirty days. At first we were pretty disappointed. But, you also have to realize that it is quite normal to start out in temporary house so we got over ourselves pretty quickly. The apartment is great by the way. Very roomy… and after a few days I discovered internet!
It’s pretty funny actually. After about two or three days cut off from the world, especially Serena being stuck at home with Gray, with no internet access, I decided that we needed to do something about it and got the ball rolling to try and get connected. Little did I know, it would be easier than trying to schedule an installer to come to the house. You see, in the apartment we have an office, and in this office we have a desk. And when I first looked at the desk I noticed that there were a ton of cables, a DSL router, and Vonage box. I thought it was pretty weird that those items had been left behind and didn’t think much about it… until Tuesday. On Tuesday night, after I had started calling around to get internet service started at our temporary residence, I started staring at all the equipment cluttering the office… and started putting it all together. It had been a while since I had dealt with DSL, but I gave it a shot. And about ten minutes later, we had internet access. It all worked, amazingly enough I hooked everything up correctly on my first try.
So now we have internet. Well, sometimes. It is not the most reliable service… but, we will survive. And via Skype we had the opportunity to call some of our family when the service has been running smoothly.
So, yeah, it is very nice to be connected. And my next order of business was to get the cable and internet up in running at our permanent residence. I heard that it can take up to a month sometimes to schedule a service call and after being in a temporary place for 30 days, I wanted to make sure we had everything up and running before that move. That turned out to be amazingly easy as well. On Wednesday I started bugging the GSO’s office (who handles resident issues) to see how to go about getting hooked up before the move. Well, later that day, the GSO received an email from the guy who is currently living in what will become our house. He wanted to know if the family moving in after him would like to transfer his DSL service into their name rather than turning it off. SCORE! So, we are totally set.
I am going to be getting together with the guy next week to transfer the name and he even invited us over to get a tour of the place this weekend. He will be leaving on November 30th, and after the GSO’s office cleans it up a little, we will be set to move in. So, the good news is that we should be receiving the first part of our shipment (the items we sent Air Freight) in early December and we will be moving into our permanent housing before Christmas. It will probably be January before the rest of our household items and car arrives. But we will survive. All in all things seem to be going very smooth.
-JP
5 DAYS LATER
Okay, so after I wrote this entry and just before I had a chance to post it… we lost our internet access. But thank god for Jasko! He’s a local tech guru that a bunch of us use. He totally fixed us up and we are finally back on line. And because of how great he was to work with, I no longer plan to continue that other guys plan, I am going to cancel it and let Jasko hook me up. It will be much more reliable.
-JP
Friday, November 7, 2008
Day 110: Almost Time To Go
Man, I really need to start writing more. The time is just flying by. It seems like I left Atlanta… well, not yesterday… but not that long ago… and here I am, almost a 3rd of a year has passed. And we are still in Washington, DC.
Crazy.
But, that number is quickly dwindling. In six days we will finally be moving on to our ultimate destination: Serbia. It is all very exciting. But so much to do. So much in fact, that it will be impossible to complete everything on my to-do list. Oh well, if I don’t get it done in the next 60 days, it wasn’t worth doing, right? Or at least, I can do it in two years when we come back.
Hmm. When I started writing this, I thought I would have more to say… but I don’t. Sitting along in an apartment (Serena and Gray are out of town again) in Washington isn’t nearly as interesting to me as arriving in Serbia. It’s kind of like Christmas as a kid… it has almost been two years since applying for this opportunity… and now, finally… the day is approaching. But, it still isn’t real. The surreal feelings that had had when I first arrived in DC have long since faded and now, simply put, this is what I do… but unfortunately… actually getting on a plane and going has eluded me. In six days… the time will come… and I am sure I will stop sleeping sometime in the next four days.
Oh, some great thing since I last wrote. Halloween! We had a wonderful Halloween this year. Grayson has become obsessed with superheroes and on a trip to the stop picked out the coolest Batman costume I have ever seen. For those that know me… you know that Batman is my favorite superhero… but, please keep in mind, I was not on this shopping trip and had no influence over Grayson’s decision. But I will say that I must be doing something right when it comes to this fatherhood thing.
So, yeah, dawned in his Batman costume, Grayson went trick-or-treating for the first time. It was really cool. He was so excited. Anticipating the night like it was Christmas. For about a week before the big night, Grayson was obsessed with practicing. He would pick-up his little pumpkin candy bag and close himself in one of our bedrooms and shout “trick-or-treat!” It was very cute stuff.
The apartment complex we are in allowed residents to sign up as “trick-or-treat” houses and then we picked up the list and went out for the night of our lives. Now, I will say that trick-or-treating in an apartment complex is kind of weird… we all have very well lit interior halls… to it didn’t really have the “feel” of a real Halloween, the Halloween of our youth, running around dark neighborhoods. But, Grayson didn’t care… he was simple interested in a five day sugar high. Which he got.
Take care,
JohnPaul.
Crazy.
But, that number is quickly dwindling. In six days we will finally be moving on to our ultimate destination: Serbia. It is all very exciting. But so much to do. So much in fact, that it will be impossible to complete everything on my to-do list. Oh well, if I don’t get it done in the next 60 days, it wasn’t worth doing, right? Or at least, I can do it in two years when we come back.
Hmm. When I started writing this, I thought I would have more to say… but I don’t. Sitting along in an apartment (Serena and Gray are out of town again) in Washington isn’t nearly as interesting to me as arriving in Serbia. It’s kind of like Christmas as a kid… it has almost been two years since applying for this opportunity… and now, finally… the day is approaching. But, it still isn’t real. The surreal feelings that had had when I first arrived in DC have long since faded and now, simply put, this is what I do… but unfortunately… actually getting on a plane and going has eluded me. In six days… the time will come… and I am sure I will stop sleeping sometime in the next four days.
Oh, some great thing since I last wrote. Halloween! We had a wonderful Halloween this year. Grayson has become obsessed with superheroes and on a trip to the stop picked out the coolest Batman costume I have ever seen. For those that know me… you know that Batman is my favorite superhero… but, please keep in mind, I was not on this shopping trip and had no influence over Grayson’s decision. But I will say that I must be doing something right when it comes to this fatherhood thing.
So, yeah, dawned in his Batman costume, Grayson went trick-or-treating for the first time. It was really cool. He was so excited. Anticipating the night like it was Christmas. For about a week before the big night, Grayson was obsessed with practicing. He would pick-up his little pumpkin candy bag and close himself in one of our bedrooms and shout “trick-or-treat!” It was very cute stuff.
The apartment complex we are in allowed residents to sign up as “trick-or-treat” houses and then we picked up the list and went out for the night of our lives. Now, I will say that trick-or-treating in an apartment complex is kind of weird… we all have very well lit interior halls… to it didn’t really have the “feel” of a real Halloween, the Halloween of our youth, running around dark neighborhoods. But, Grayson didn’t care… he was simple interested in a five day sugar high. Which he got.
Take care,
JohnPaul.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I can't believe it's fall already! The high today was 67. The trees will begin to change anytime. I love this time of year.
My friend, Julie, visited with her daughter last week. They drove my VW up from Atlanta and then flew back. We spent last weekend in Baltimore for a wedding of one of JP's 50 cousins. We have another to attend next weekend. Then I think Gray and I will fly off to Indy for a last visit before we leave. It will be nice to be home for a while.
Apparently our neighborhood in Belgrade gets foggy and spooky around mid October. Too bad we'll miss Halloween there.
Yesterday Grayson and I walked into our building with a friend. A man had entered the elevator and was holding it for us. Grayson reached the elevator first and stopped outside the ope door. He looked up a the older man carrying a grocery bag and asked, "Are you going up or down?" Of course he was going up because we were on the first floor, but that is beside the point. It was really cute.
Grayson is really big. And he'll be 3 in four months! My goodness. There's no going back now. We just treasure him--one silly phrase, look and bruise at a time.
My friend, Julie, visited with her daughter last week. They drove my VW up from Atlanta and then flew back. We spent last weekend in Baltimore for a wedding of one of JP's 50 cousins. We have another to attend next weekend. Then I think Gray and I will fly off to Indy for a last visit before we leave. It will be nice to be home for a while.
Apparently our neighborhood in Belgrade gets foggy and spooky around mid October. Too bad we'll miss Halloween there.
Yesterday Grayson and I walked into our building with a friend. A man had entered the elevator and was holding it for us. Grayson reached the elevator first and stopped outside the ope door. He looked up a the older man carrying a grocery bag and asked, "Are you going up or down?" Of course he was going up because we were on the first floor, but that is beside the point. It was really cute.
Grayson is really big. And he'll be 3 in four months! My goodness. There's no going back now. We just treasure him--one silly phrase, look and bruise at a time.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Finger Picking Good
A couple of weeks back Grayson really wanted this penguin toy at a toy store in the mall. There were three little penguins that all took turns climbing up an automatic escalator and then back down again. Grayson loves escalators so his fascination made sense. I just didn't feel the need to spend $15 on another plastic toy made in China. Not that I have anything against China, but you know what I mean. Eventually all of this stuff just gets thrown into the same pile in the same room and it may as well all just melt together.
Well, JohnPaul spotted a Grayson-sized guitar and saved the day. After two days at home two strings were busted (both oddly at the hands of JohnPaul), but it's gotten some good play time. And a guitar store is across the street so re-stringing the little guy has joined my official to-do list.
Well, JohnPaul spotted a Grayson-sized guitar and saved the day. After two days at home two strings were busted (both oddly at the hands of JohnPaul), but it's gotten some good play time. And a guitar store is across the street so re-stringing the little guy has joined my official to-do list.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Day 50 – How The Time Does Fly… While Standing Still
By JohnPaul
Day 50? Could it really be day 50? Good gravy, has it really been 34 days since I’ve last written. Okay, I’ll stop acting surprise… yeah, I know… I’m sorry… I’ve been a little distracted ever since Flag Day. Go Serbia! And then, of course, Grayson and Serena finally got here. Go Grayson and Serena! And finally the Cyrillic alphabet… Go “Д”!
To be honest, I started writing a post on day 38… but I haven’t gotten around to finishing it until now. I will try to be more forthcoming with our life in the days, months, years to come. But then again… I am sure you are all coming to this site for the Grayson goggle montage more than my meandering words.
Anyway, we’ve had a lot to adjust to… which is a bit annoying… but something we are used to… things never seem to stay the same for long when it comes to us. Much like our stay in Washington, DC. Some of you have been asking when we will be leaving… and if you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said September 18th. But, that has changed. Apparently, they, the Foreign Service, were looking over their files and realized that they had called me by mistake. They were really looking for a Juan Pablo Schlutz. Anyway… we’re packing our bags and we’ll be back in Atlanta by the end of the week.
No… not really. The position I am taking in Serbia is not what they call a “language designated” position. What does that mean? Well, it means that I am not expected to speak Serbian in order to perform my day to day job duties. But, as you can probably imagine, whether or not your position in “language designated” it helps to know as much of the language as possible… just to function. Most people in Serbia, young people that is, speak English. But street signs are still in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet… some in the Serbian Latin alphabet (not as common). That is correct… two alphabets… I don’t have time to explain… maybe I will try to explain it over a “ПИВО” when I come for a visit.
Anyway, because of this functional need for the language, on a whim, I requested the Serbian Fast course (8 weeks). And I got it. It’s pretty cool. Now, we leave on November 14th. I have never studied a language in this way before. .. Learning it is my job… and my only job responsibility. Frankly it rocks. One cool thing in that about half of the other people in my class are also going to Belgrade, 38 weeks after I arrive, but they are coming to Belgrade just the same. (They are in the year long “Basic” course). That’s right folks… the year long course is called “basic” and the 8 week course is called “fast”. But it makes sense if you think about it… I’m sure you can’t call the course, “We really only have time to teach you enough to get into trouble”, I’m sure it wouldn’t have fit on the book cover.
My days in class seem to be cycling from absorbing, to deer in the headlights, to total frustration, to breakthroughs… since I finally have the Cyrillic alphabet down… which I have discovered may be something to be proud of… but not exactly a great party trick… I am hoping for more breakthrough days... fast!
ЛАКУ НОЋ,
-JohnPaul
Day 50? Could it really be day 50? Good gravy, has it really been 34 days since I’ve last written. Okay, I’ll stop acting surprise… yeah, I know… I’m sorry… I’ve been a little distracted ever since Flag Day. Go Serbia! And then, of course, Grayson and Serena finally got here. Go Grayson and Serena! And finally the Cyrillic alphabet… Go “Д”!
To be honest, I started writing a post on day 38… but I haven’t gotten around to finishing it until now. I will try to be more forthcoming with our life in the days, months, years to come. But then again… I am sure you are all coming to this site for the Grayson goggle montage more than my meandering words.
Anyway, we’ve had a lot to adjust to… which is a bit annoying… but something we are used to… things never seem to stay the same for long when it comes to us. Much like our stay in Washington, DC. Some of you have been asking when we will be leaving… and if you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said September 18th. But, that has changed. Apparently, they, the Foreign Service, were looking over their files and realized that they had called me by mistake. They were really looking for a Juan Pablo Schlutz. Anyway… we’re packing our bags and we’ll be back in Atlanta by the end of the week.
No… not really. The position I am taking in Serbia is not what they call a “language designated” position. What does that mean? Well, it means that I am not expected to speak Serbian in order to perform my day to day job duties. But, as you can probably imagine, whether or not your position in “language designated” it helps to know as much of the language as possible… just to function. Most people in Serbia, young people that is, speak English. But street signs are still in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet… some in the Serbian Latin alphabet (not as common). That is correct… two alphabets… I don’t have time to explain… maybe I will try to explain it over a “ПИВО” when I come for a visit.
Anyway, because of this functional need for the language, on a whim, I requested the Serbian Fast course (8 weeks). And I got it. It’s pretty cool. Now, we leave on November 14th. I have never studied a language in this way before. .. Learning it is my job… and my only job responsibility. Frankly it rocks. One cool thing in that about half of the other people in my class are also going to Belgrade, 38 weeks after I arrive, but they are coming to Belgrade just the same. (They are in the year long “Basic” course). That’s right folks… the year long course is called “basic” and the 8 week course is called “fast”. But it makes sense if you think about it… I’m sure you can’t call the course, “We really only have time to teach you enough to get into trouble”, I’m sure it wouldn’t have fit on the book cover.
My days in class seem to be cycling from absorbing, to deer in the headlights, to total frustration, to breakthroughs… since I finally have the Cyrillic alphabet down… which I have discovered may be something to be proud of… but not exactly a great party trick… I am hoping for more breakthrough days... fast!
ЛАКУ НОЋ,
-JohnPaul
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Goggles
I don't know exactly when it began or why, but Grayson's obsession with goggles over the last weeks has only slightly waned in recent days. At first we thought he was idolizing Phelps like the rest of the nation, but every time he saw a photo of Phelps on a magazine cover he'd say, "Look, it's Dada!"
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Different Playgroup, Different Day
Today Gray and I joined in on a Foreign Service playgroup at a park here in Falls Church. You guys probably don't know, but a previous client of mine is here with her husband. He is in Urdu language training right now and they leave for Chennai, India in October. When she was in labor at Northside I found out that he had passed the FS Exam and was really excited for them. At that time JohnPaul had also turned in his application, but it was still a distant dream for us. Anyway, I contacted her to find out where they were when we got the notification that he was officially accepted. As fate would have it, she and her (now 14 month old) son arrived here to meet her husband 8 days before Gray and I arrived.
We had dinner down by the grills the other night and today I hitched a ride with her to playgroup. There were three other moms there. One's husband an FSO (Foreign Service Officer), one's husband with DS (Diplomatic Security) and another husband is with USAID (United States Agency for International Development). One of the moms sells Arbonne and is coming over to give me and my friend a mini-makeover tonight. I am looking forward to that though. Makeup is on my list of things to stock up on so I thought I would give it a whirl. Plus she and her family were in Nairobi the same time that I was there, so conversation should be good.
We had dinner down by the grills the other night and today I hitched a ride with her to playgroup. There were three other moms there. One's husband an FSO (Foreign Service Officer), one's husband with DS (Diplomatic Security) and another husband is with USAID (United States Agency for International Development). One of the moms sells Arbonne and is coming over to give me and my friend a mini-makeover tonight. I am looking forward to that though. Makeup is on my list of things to stock up on so I thought I would give it a whirl. Plus she and her family were in Nairobi the same time that I was there, so conversation should be good.
Fly like an eagle, into the future...
A cute pick of Gray outside of the bird exhibit at the National Zoo on Monday 8/11.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
D.C. Adventures (Serena)
Gray and I arrived Saturday morning. Short and uneventful flight. I am just happy to leave the stress of "finishing up" in Atlanta. I know we aren't in Serbia yet, but in my mind we are just stopping through D.C. for a nice long vacation before our flight out in late September.
The weather here has been unbelievable. We were transported through time to the beginning of a beautiful fall on the East Coast. High of 80 degrees, cool and dry breezes. Downright chilly evenings with the windows open. Okay, back to reality. I know it's just a fluke and that the heat and humidity of August is on its way back beginning tomorrow, but to me it was like a secret welcome to my new adventure. This is the weather I live for every year. And it was waiting here for me upon my arrival-a brief whisper to comfort me and let me know that I am on the right path. Enough about my obsession with temperate climates.
Gray and I have conquered the Metro and are armed with our maps. We've been to the zoo, the State Department building, Albert Einstein and managed a long stroll through Georgetown (most of which he slept through). I haven't been to Georgetown since I stayed for three days right before flying out to Kenya for Peace Corps in September of 2002.
The exterior of the apartment buildings resemble barracks, but the interior gives way to modern comforts and our two bedroom is pretty spacious. Plenty of room for visitors (hint, hint) with a large second bedroom with full bath. Grayson wears himself out daily thanks to the pool, playground, tennis courts and sand volleyball court on site. It's nice and we will settle in just in time to pull up our tender roots and re-plant a bit further away. Looking forward to it though!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Day 16 – Post Assignments
By JohnPaul
Okay, I know… I haven’t written in a while… but I thought I would wait until I have some real news. Here it is, short and sweet.
We’re going to Belgrade, Serbia!
Okay, I know… I haven’t written in a while… but I thought I would wait until I have some real news. Here it is, short and sweet.
We’re going to Belgrade, Serbia!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Day 8 – Pack-Out Blues
By JohnPaul
So… our pack-out got totally screwed up today. Between me and Serena we received five confirmations about our move… or more importantly when the movers were coming. They were supposed to come today to pack the house in boxes to get it ready for the movers who are coming tomorrow. In theory, once the house is packed it should only take the movers a couple hours to load the truck. Well… I’m not sure how that is going to go since the packers didn’t end up coming today. Or at least we cancelled them when it got to 2:30pm and still no sign of them. To add insult to injury, my mom volunteered to entertain Grayson for the day so Serena and Anita could coordinate the move. So now, for tomorrow, Anita is on Grayson duty and Serena has to meet the packers at the house at 6:30am… because the movers are still scheduled to be at our house with the truck at 9am tomorrow morning. Brilliant, huh?
I did have a funny conversation with the packer today… at around 5pm, when he called me to confirm for tomorrow. He was like “they called me around noon. I was on my way to pick-up the truck and my crew around 2:30pm when they told me not to worry about it today.” He sounded very confused. I was like, “well you were supposed to be there first thing this morning. I’m not sure why you didn’t know about it until noon… since your company has been confirming with me for the last two weeks.” He didn’t seem to be very with it. But, all in all it is our fault. When we met with the VERY “with it” moving company rep for our pre-move consultation he asked us what kind of customer service needs we wanted to make sure things go well. He used examples like timeliness and movers that don’t smell… Serena and I being new to this world of having movers didn’t say anything. In hindsight, I hope the movers are lathers up with deodorant tomorrow… for Serena’s sake… since timeliness doesn’t seem to be a strong point.
Take care,
-JP
So… our pack-out got totally screwed up today. Between me and Serena we received five confirmations about our move… or more importantly when the movers were coming. They were supposed to come today to pack the house in boxes to get it ready for the movers who are coming tomorrow. In theory, once the house is packed it should only take the movers a couple hours to load the truck. Well… I’m not sure how that is going to go since the packers didn’t end up coming today. Or at least we cancelled them when it got to 2:30pm and still no sign of them. To add insult to injury, my mom volunteered to entertain Grayson for the day so Serena and Anita could coordinate the move. So now, for tomorrow, Anita is on Grayson duty and Serena has to meet the packers at the house at 6:30am… because the movers are still scheduled to be at our house with the truck at 9am tomorrow morning. Brilliant, huh?
I did have a funny conversation with the packer today… at around 5pm, when he called me to confirm for tomorrow. He was like “they called me around noon. I was on my way to pick-up the truck and my crew around 2:30pm when they told me not to worry about it today.” He sounded very confused. I was like, “well you were supposed to be there first thing this morning. I’m not sure why you didn’t know about it until noon… since your company has been confirming with me for the last two weeks.” He didn’t seem to be very with it. But, all in all it is our fault. When we met with the VERY “with it” moving company rep for our pre-move consultation he asked us what kind of customer service needs we wanted to make sure things go well. He used examples like timeliness and movers that don’t smell… Serena and I being new to this world of having movers didn’t say anything. In hindsight, I hope the movers are lathers up with deodorant tomorrow… for Serena’s sake… since timeliness doesn’t seem to be a strong point.
Take care,
-JP
Friday, July 25, 2008
Day 5
By JohnPaul
Whelp… today was the last day of the first week… only five more to go, maybe. The catch phase here is “Well, it depends”. As you can imagine, the world being such a big place, although there is specific training… once you get to post things can be different. Ah, the adventure!
Our pack-out is Monday, which I can only imagine will be an adventure of its own. Being that the moves couldn’t schedule us until the 28th, I have completely lucked out of having to deal with those logistics. But, Serena on the other hand? Well, I can hear the anxiety in her voice. Imagine putting everything you own into piles: Unaccompanied Air Baggage (which will meet us in DC), Temporary Storage (which will join us at our first post), and Permanent Storage (with will join us when the adventure ends… however long that is). My hats off to Serena for taking care of that for us. I can’t even imagine.
Speaking of Monday, our bid list is due on Monday. Bids are the list of possible posts in order of preference. I went ahead and turned mine in today. I feel a whole lot better getting that out of the way so I can stop obsessing about it for the weekend. Belgrade is my number one… I have been telling the others in my group (all bidding on the same locations) that if they bid Belgrade as their number one I’m going to break their legs… but being a fairly nice guy, I’ll make sure I get them to the hospital. You know? You have to keep karma balanced.
Although, the others don’t seem to be as lucky when it comes to knowing what they want. I’m a pretty decisive guy though. Tonight a group of us are all getting together to watch videos about some of the posts on our bid list. About half of my orientation class are living in the same complex, and being that I have a one bedroom apartment (the rest have studios) I have been nominated to host our little party. This is perfectly fine with me… I can just stay in my room. Which is awesome, because I am so drained… and with the hectic schedule… stress of starting something new… the anxiety of not knowing what is still to come… and not having my family here to share in the adventure (yet)… as let me to start feeling a bit run down. Today was a half day though… and I have a weekend to chill. All of us here staying at the Oakwood complex seem to be feeling the same way and plan to stick close to home… no exploring DC.
I’m hoping after this first weekend I’ll feel up to venturing out. Both sides of my extended family live in the Baltimore area and I want to get out and visit. But this whole thing is still very new. There is a lot to process. I’m looking forward to rest. Doing laundry. Getting my footing in DC. Once the first full week is under my belt, I think I’ll be ready to take on the rest of the city.
Take care everyone!
-JP
Whelp… today was the last day of the first week… only five more to go, maybe. The catch phase here is “Well, it depends”. As you can imagine, the world being such a big place, although there is specific training… once you get to post things can be different. Ah, the adventure!
Our pack-out is Monday, which I can only imagine will be an adventure of its own. Being that the moves couldn’t schedule us until the 28th, I have completely lucked out of having to deal with those logistics. But, Serena on the other hand? Well, I can hear the anxiety in her voice. Imagine putting everything you own into piles: Unaccompanied Air Baggage (which will meet us in DC), Temporary Storage (which will join us at our first post), and Permanent Storage (with will join us when the adventure ends… however long that is). My hats off to Serena for taking care of that for us. I can’t even imagine.
Speaking of Monday, our bid list is due on Monday. Bids are the list of possible posts in order of preference. I went ahead and turned mine in today. I feel a whole lot better getting that out of the way so I can stop obsessing about it for the weekend. Belgrade is my number one… I have been telling the others in my group (all bidding on the same locations) that if they bid Belgrade as their number one I’m going to break their legs… but being a fairly nice guy, I’ll make sure I get them to the hospital. You know? You have to keep karma balanced.
Although, the others don’t seem to be as lucky when it comes to knowing what they want. I’m a pretty decisive guy though. Tonight a group of us are all getting together to watch videos about some of the posts on our bid list. About half of my orientation class are living in the same complex, and being that I have a one bedroom apartment (the rest have studios) I have been nominated to host our little party. This is perfectly fine with me… I can just stay in my room. Which is awesome, because I am so drained… and with the hectic schedule… stress of starting something new… the anxiety of not knowing what is still to come… and not having my family here to share in the adventure (yet)… as let me to start feeling a bit run down. Today was a half day though… and I have a weekend to chill. All of us here staying at the Oakwood complex seem to be feeling the same way and plan to stick close to home… no exploring DC.
I’m hoping after this first weekend I’ll feel up to venturing out. Both sides of my extended family live in the Baltimore area and I want to get out and visit. But this whole thing is still very new. There is a lot to process. I’m looking forward to rest. Doing laundry. Getting my footing in DC. Once the first full week is under my belt, I think I’ll be ready to take on the rest of the city.
Take care everyone!
-JP
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Day 3
By JohnPaul
You know? Most times when I post things like this I have posters remorse. For those that know me well, I am a raw emotions kind of guy. But when I post… sometimes I feel like I have said to much, or that I come across kind of strange. But then again… that’s just me. Who I am. Brandon, thank you so much for your comments. I avoided checking my blog yesterday out of mild embarrassment. But you kind word have driven me to continue posting with my normal rawness. I hope that we stay in touch. I am just as interested with the misadventures of my friends as I am with posting the misadventures of my own life.
I have to admit… I miss Grayson a lot. Not to say that I don’t miss Serena… but as some of you know, we spent a lot of time apart when we were dating… nothing like three weeks… but being adults, we know that this separation is temporary and for the benefit of our family as a whole. But Grayson? He doesn’t really understand. The nice thing about it is the fact that he can talk on the phone these days. I’ve talked to him every day and heard him say “I miss you dada” and “Love you to dad”. It melts my heart. Yesterday, when Serena asked him if he wanted to say “hi to dada”, he took the phone and simply said “I miss you dada”. That kind of thing from a 2 year old is hard to hear. As we talked he wanted me to come home… but I told him about the new house I was setting up for him. The complex we are at has a playground and a swimming pool… and I told him that when he comes, we are going to swim all day. He started to giggle. Of course, I can’t see what is going on on the other end of the phone, but Serena told me after that Grayson was about to “break down” until I started talking about the swimming pool and playground. I miss him more than anything. Today he took the phone to tell me all about how his went to Chuck E. Cheese. It was a great story… you should have been there.
I know this transition is hard. I know that this new life style is going to be a hard one for Gray to adjust too… but I truly feel that we are doing the right thing. Having spent over 25 years out of my 30 in the same place, I feel honored and fortunate that I will be able to raise my son in a global environment. The world seems like a big scary place sometimes… but as technology becomes more advanced, the world is becoming a much smaller place. This transition might be hard… but in the end it will be great. Great for Grayson. I am excited to see the kind of man he becomes.
Don’t get me wrong though. I love my home. My home will always be Cobb. A place that has given me so much. This change was not an escape… but an opportunity. An opportunity that I would not have had if it wasn’t for where I came from and the sacrifices my family made more me. Those things I will always recognize… and my home I will always miss. But, an adventure I have always craved. And that is when we now have.
-JP
PS: Belgrade, Serbia is our number one choice… say prayers or send out good thoughts… whatever you are into.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Day 1
By JohnPaul
Greetings from Washington, DC! Or as I like to call it… Yuengling Country! That’s right. For those of you than know my taste in adult beverages… it is plentiful here. If I hadn’t been in orientation all day I would think that I am on vacation.
For those former colleges of mine from Cobb out there… if though thought our one day orientation was rough… try three weeks. Lol. It’s not that bad though. It is all very informative… stuff we need to know. But sitting in one place for a long period of time can be hard. Especially for me.
Today I got my list… that would be my list of possible posts… forgive me for not posting them here, I am not sure of protocol… so I would prefer not to post publically. If you would like to know the options, please email me.
The whole experience today has been pretty surreal. Am I really doing this? Most of the orientation class (around 60 people) is former military. Just about as many have overseas experience… and who am I? A theatre guy with an attitude. Many times today I had these “pinch me” moments. Am I really doing this? Is it real? Am I really on this bizarre vacation and at the end of the week will I be back at the Mable House? Don’t get me wrong… the Foreign Service is what I want. More than anything. I am just dumbfounded that I am here.
I’ve been making friends though. The other 12 OMS (office management specialist) are great. We come from all different back grounds… and you would all be proud. When we had to introduce ourselves, with our group of OMS, to our Career Development Offices I said: “May name is JohnPaul Schutz, I have worked the last seven years in arts management, I married a former peace-corp volunteer, and I am here because of a ‘what the hell moment’”. And what a moment it has turned out to be. No stone unturned, right? You never know unless you try. And as the days go by I am sure the feelings I have will subside.
It is amazing how powerful the entire experience is. First thing this morning we were sworn in. It was actually surprisingly emotional. I have never sworn an oath to my country more than the obligatory morning pledge in public school. But for some reason, taking the oath today, I felt empowered. It is a very different life that I am about to embark on. What got me even more is when an Ambassador addressed us this afternoon stating that we are all there for a reason… that we poses the skills that the country needs. That for each of us in the room there are countless people who want our seats… he went on to recognize the fact that when he joined the foreign service twenty-plus years ago that the world was a different place… yet in all that is going on in the world… we were willing to step up to the plate and serve.
For those of you that know me well… pats on the back are not exactly what I need… it’s nice… but they are not something that keeps me going… and furthermore… I was not expecting the amount of pride that I feel when presented with the fact that I am serving our country.
It’s a scary world out there… I know that. But, this is where I am supposed to be. It is a crazy feeling.
-JP
Greetings from Washington, DC! Or as I like to call it… Yuengling Country! That’s right. For those of you than know my taste in adult beverages… it is plentiful here. If I hadn’t been in orientation all day I would think that I am on vacation.
For those former colleges of mine from Cobb out there… if though thought our one day orientation was rough… try three weeks. Lol. It’s not that bad though. It is all very informative… stuff we need to know. But sitting in one place for a long period of time can be hard. Especially for me.
Today I got my list… that would be my list of possible posts… forgive me for not posting them here, I am not sure of protocol… so I would prefer not to post publically. If you would like to know the options, please email me.
The whole experience today has been pretty surreal. Am I really doing this? Most of the orientation class (around 60 people) is former military. Just about as many have overseas experience… and who am I? A theatre guy with an attitude. Many times today I had these “pinch me” moments. Am I really doing this? Is it real? Am I really on this bizarre vacation and at the end of the week will I be back at the Mable House? Don’t get me wrong… the Foreign Service is what I want. More than anything. I am just dumbfounded that I am here.
I’ve been making friends though. The other 12 OMS (office management specialist) are great. We come from all different back grounds… and you would all be proud. When we had to introduce ourselves, with our group of OMS, to our Career Development Offices I said: “May name is JohnPaul Schutz, I have worked the last seven years in arts management, I married a former peace-corp volunteer, and I am here because of a ‘what the hell moment’”. And what a moment it has turned out to be. No stone unturned, right? You never know unless you try. And as the days go by I am sure the feelings I have will subside.
It is amazing how powerful the entire experience is. First thing this morning we were sworn in. It was actually surprisingly emotional. I have never sworn an oath to my country more than the obligatory morning pledge in public school. But for some reason, taking the oath today, I felt empowered. It is a very different life that I am about to embark on. What got me even more is when an Ambassador addressed us this afternoon stating that we are all there for a reason… that we poses the skills that the country needs. That for each of us in the room there are countless people who want our seats… he went on to recognize the fact that when he joined the foreign service twenty-plus years ago that the world was a different place… yet in all that is going on in the world… we were willing to step up to the plate and serve.
For those of you that know me well… pats on the back are not exactly what I need… it’s nice… but they are not something that keeps me going… and furthermore… I was not expecting the amount of pride that I feel when presented with the fact that I am serving our country.
It’s a scary world out there… I know that. But, this is where I am supposed to be. It is a crazy feeling.
-JP
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Schutz Happens 101
By JohnPaul
Greetings everyone and welcome to Schutz Happens. As appropriate or inappropriate as the name may sound, I feel that it is a fitting title to place upon our new life... and blog. I have to admit that I have always wanted to start a blog and no matter how many times I actually started one I always came to the conclusion that I didn’t have anything interesting to talk about. Now, on the eve of what will be my last day on my job with the Cobb County Cultural Affairs Division, I realize, looking back, that I actually had a fair amount of interesting things going on… that I could have shared. Thankfully for those parties involved in my “grooming” for the last seven years I hadn’t discovered the bliss of aimless meanderings presented in blog form until now. So, yes, for some of you this post is a “hello”, but for many of you, it is a heartfelt “goodbye” and this blog is a way to stay in touch with the travels of the Schutz Family. To those involved with the before mentioned “grooming” (you know who you are), I tip my hat to you and I will mention that it is all your fault that I am leaving (just kidding)… you shouldn’t have done such a fine job. Seriously, I owe this next and wonderful chapter of my family’s life to the faith and freedom you have given me in both my professional and personal life.
And to those I leave behind at the Mable House and The Theatre Project, although I may be taking my final bow, I am profoundly changed by having the chance to work so closely with all of you and I look forward to hearing updates often.
This night is rather surreal. I have (I can use the present tense because it’s not over yet) a great job working for the county that I have been the resident of for my entire life… and now I am leaving. It is a little strange. Especially when you think that just three weeks ago I found out that I had been accepted into the US Foreign Service. Even more shocking is the fact that I was only given four weeks to pack up my entire life and leave for good. Tomorrow marks my last day with
All I know is that my name is JohnPaul Schutz and I am an Office Management Specialst for the US Foreign Service… and I should find out where I am going in about four weeks. And then three weeks later I will be on the first plane headed in that direction… theoretically.
Thankfully I am not taking this journey alone. I will be trudging into this new life hand in hand with my returned Peace Corp volunteer wife, Serena, my two and a half year old amateur gymnast son, Grayson, and my “Oh My God, I should have stayed in
Anyway, I have been hogging the spotlight for a while… which I am know to do. I studied theatre for the love of God, it is bound to happen from time to time. But, in this blog you will hear from the whole family… primarily me and Serena… but you might heear from Gray and Anita as well… depending on how well their computer skills improve on our travels.
Our purpose is to keep our friends and families informed. And share our experience with others who might be interested in serving their country as a Specialist in the US Foreign Service.
Take care everyone!
-JP
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