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Hello, all. I realize that it has been nearly six weeks since I've sent an update to everyone back home. I am sorry for the delay, but somehow, life has gotten crazy busy here (much like it was back in Nashville), and the time has gotten away from me. I will try to catch you all up on recent events and observations regarding this place we now call home.
We celebrated Eli's birthday on April 25, and Graham and Virginia's birthdays on May 9 and 16, respectively. We had a joint birthday party for the kids at Wes and Virginia's school last Sunday afternoon. We rented the bouncey castle from the Embassy, and the kids played outside on the playground and in the castle. It was a beautiful day -- a little hot -- but the party was great. I felt a little sheepish not having fancy appetizers and an open bar for the parents (a la Serbian birthday parties -- no kidding!!), but I had warned folks ahead of time that this was going to be a good old fashioned American-style birthday party -- low key and for the kids, not the adults. The parents, frankly, seemed happy to beable to drop their kids off and have a few hours to themselves, so who knows, maybe we'll start a new trend in birthday parties in Serbia.
Since I last wrote, we've done quite a bit of traveling -- we spent a weekend in April in Budapest and then traveled to a beautiful mountainous region (called Zlatibor) in the southwest part of Serbia in May. (photo attached) We are wearing the kids out with traveling, I think. We're headed to Novi Sad, a quaint university town in the north of Serbia, today, and then onto Timisoara, Romania tomorrow for a few days. We are loving being able to hop in the car and be in these amazing places in a few hours -- the kids are enjoying it, as well.
We had a visit in Serbia this week from VP Biden. He was on a Balkans tour, and visited Bosnia, Serbia and then Kosovo. Maybe the US press covered his trip? In any event, there was a meet and greet at that Ambassador's house on Wednesday, and we all had a chance to meet the VP. He was great with the kids -- inviting them to sit on the stage while he gave his speech. And then he let everyone get photos with him. Virginia, who was reluctant to go since she didn't "vote" for Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama, was apparently so impresed with the Vice-President that she exclaimed after the event "actually, I do agree with his politics." :)
My Mom comes next week, followed by my Dad two weeks later. The day after my Dad arrives, we will all go to Dubrovnik, Croatia for a few days, then back to Belgrade for a few days, and then off to Italy for 10 days. The trip to Italy was inspired by the desire to see a specialist on Graham's condition there, and for months we had an appointment scheduled with this doctor for June 17 (and had made all of our travel plans around that appointment). Unfortunately, the doctor emailed me a few weeks ago to tell me that he has had something come up and can't meet with us until the 24th. I guess that he didn't realize the effort and expense we've gone to get Graham and the rest of entourage to Pisa, Italy on June 17th, but luckily we'll still be there on the 24th, so assuming he doesn't try to reschedule again, we may be able to see him. Not sure what light he can shed on anything, since Graham seems to be Graham and is doing very well, but we thought that it made sense to try to see this guy while we were in the region. In any event, we were glad that we had a good excuse to go to Italy, and know that we will enjoy the trip immensely!
Belgrade continues to be a wonderful place to live. We can walk to almost everything, although we do use the car some as well. I love driving here since the rules of the road seem to be a non-factor, and you can really do just about whatever you want on the road. Parking is a trip too -- it's each man/woman for himself/herself. The curbs and sidewalks are full of cars, and you basically just park your car anywhere you can find enough space for it. It's really chaotic, but a refreshing break from the tidiness of things back home. Springtime has been beautiful here, and I must say that the roses here are truly amazing. I've never been much of a rose fan, but there are so many gorgeous old rose bushes here that are in full bloom, and walking around our neighborhood, you literally can see roses in just about any color you can imagine. It is getting warm here, but stays cool in the shade, and luckily our house is surrounded by a lot of trees, so the house hasn't gotten too hot yet.
I have become involved with several non-profits here that are working on trying to stop institutionalization of children with disabilities. Most kids born with an obvious disability are sent directly from the hospital to an institution -- parents are pressured by doctors and nurses to place kids in these institutions, and are told that it would be harmful to the family to keep the child at home. Even if the family does decide to raise the child at home, there are virtually no supports for the children in the community -- i.e. no early intervention or other therapeutic services -- and most kids with disabilities are not permitted to attend school.
I had the opportunity to visit one of the country's five institutions a few weeks ago, and wish that I could adequately describe the conditions there to you. The particular institution we visitied (Kolevka) is widely regarded as the best of the lot here in Serbia, and it was just deplorable. 182 kids live in this place, most of them housed in groups of 12 with two caretakers. As with most children who are institutionalized, the children nearly without exception are extremely small for their age (one 11-year old boy looked to be 2 or 3 years old), and delayed far beyond the natural consequences of their disability. I can't tell you, for instance, how many 7 and 8 year old kids with Down Syndrome were in their cribs and unable to walk. Now, we all know that kids with Down Syndrome are capable of walking and doing many other things, but unfortunately, the folks who run these institutions do not believe that children with Down Syndrome (or with any disability, for that matter) have any real potential. So, they are left to languish in their cribs. My heart breaks for these children, and for the many others institutionalized in Serbia and in other countries. I will be working with several organizations here to address various issues related to this problem. If anyone is interested in getting involveed in these efforts financially or otherwise, please let me know.
Well, how to end on more of an upbeat note??? I can share a couple of funny, random stories that shed some light on the quirkiness of this part of the world. This week, I went to a Home Depot-like place to buy a trampoline. I met a very helpful Serbian guy who worked there and who spoke excellent English. I wanted to use a tax-free form for my purchase (U.S. citizens can purchase products tax-free, which is significant since the sales tax here is 18%), so Predaj (the helpful employee) took it up to the office to begin processing the form. A minute later, he came down and asked me to come upstairs, saying "we have a few problems." Hmm. Realizing that this was a rather odd request, I reluctantly agreed. I was greeted upstairs by one of the owners of the store who knew that I was affiliated with the U.S. Embassy and who wanted to share with me a grievance he had against the Embassy (relating to a transaction that had occurred years before). I explained to him that I did not work for the Embassy, but that I could pass his concerns along through my husband. At that point, the conversation became much more pleasant, and the gentleman offered me coffee and ice cream. So, here I am sitting in the business office of this store, having coffee and ice cream with these Serbian guys. Weird. And, for my trouble, they offered me a free "gift" -- i.e. anything I wanted from the store -- so I got a free surge protector out of the deal. Go figure.
Second story is that there are these trucks that drive around town washing the streets. Two guys walk behind the truck with hoses and they hose down the streets. Ironic, because the city is still filthy. Anyway, the other day, I drove up behind one of these trucks, and one of the guys said something to me in Serbian that sounded like he was asking me if I wanted him to wash my car off. I said yes, and they blasted my car (which it desperately needed). When he was done, he started talking to me, and I couldn't tell if he was asking me for money or not, so I just drove on. Today, I encountered the same truck and the guy, once again, seemed intent upon washing my car. So, they again blasted my car with water, but this time, I decided that I should look for some money to give him. I found a 50 dinar note in my wallet which is worth about 75 cents. When I rolled my window down, the guy was talking to me in Serbian, and when I handed him my 50 dinar note, he smiled, said thank you in Serbian and waved me through. So, I guess that the 75 cent car wash service by the city street cleaners is one of the best bargains in town!!!!
Hope everyone is doing well there. I could go on for days about all that is going on here, but I know that these long emails are hard to digest. Hopefully, it will not be another six weeks before I write again!
Best wishes from all of us here in the Richardson household!!
Erin
We celebrated Eli's birthday on April 25, and Graham and Virginia's birthdays on May 9 and 16, respectively. We had a joint birthday party for the kids at Wes and Virginia's school last Sunday afternoon. We rented the bouncey castle from the Embassy, and the kids played outside on the playground and in the castle. It was a beautiful day -- a little hot -- but the party was great. I felt a little sheepish not having fancy appetizers and an open bar for the parents (a la Serbian birthday parties -- no kidding!!), but I had warned folks ahead of time that this was going to be a good old fashioned American-style birthday party -- low key and for the kids, not the adults. The parents, frankly, seemed happy to beable to drop their kids off and have a few hours to themselves, so who knows, maybe we'll start a new trend in birthday parties in Serbia.
Since I last wrote, we've done quite a bit of traveling -- we spent a weekend in April in Budapest and then traveled to a beautiful mountainous region (called Zlatibor) in the southwest part of Serbia in May. (photo attached) We are wearing the kids out with traveling, I think. We're headed to Novi Sad, a quaint university town in the north of Serbia, today, and then onto Timisoara, Romania tomorrow for a few days. We are loving being able to hop in the car and be in these amazing places in a few hours -- the kids are enjoying it, as well.
We had a visit in Serbia this week from VP Biden. He was on a Balkans tour, and visited Bosnia, Serbia and then Kosovo. Maybe the US press covered his trip? In any event, there was a meet and greet at that Ambassador's house on Wednesday, and we all had a chance to meet the VP. He was great with the kids -- inviting them to sit on the stage while he gave his speech. And then he let everyone get photos with him. Virginia, who was reluctant to go since she didn't "vote" for Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama, was apparently so impresed with the Vice-President that she exclaimed after the event "actually, I do agree with his politics." :)
My Mom comes next week, followed by my Dad two weeks later. The day after my Dad arrives, we will all go to Dubrovnik, Croatia for a few days, then back to Belgrade for a few days, and then off to Italy for 10 days. The trip to Italy was inspired by the desire to see a specialist on Graham's condition there, and for months we had an appointment scheduled with this doctor for June 17 (and had made all of our travel plans around that appointment). Unfortunately, the doctor emailed me a few weeks ago to tell me that he has had something come up and can't meet with us until the 24th. I guess that he didn't realize the effort and expense we've gone to get Graham and the rest of entourage to Pisa, Italy on June 17th, but luckily we'll still be there on the 24th, so assuming he doesn't try to reschedule again, we may be able to see him. Not sure what light he can shed on anything, since Graham seems to be Graham and is doing very well, but we thought that it made sense to try to see this guy while we were in the region. In any event, we were glad that we had a good excuse to go to Italy, and know that we will enjoy the trip immensely!
Belgrade continues to be a wonderful place to live. We can walk to almost everything, although we do use the car some as well. I love driving here since the rules of the road seem to be a non-factor, and you can really do just about whatever you want on the road. Parking is a trip too -- it's each man/woman for himself/herself. The curbs and sidewalks are full of cars, and you basically just park your car anywhere you can find enough space for it. It's really chaotic, but a refreshing break from the tidiness of things back home. Springtime has been beautiful here, and I must say that the roses here are truly amazing. I've never been much of a rose fan, but there are so many gorgeous old rose bushes here that are in full bloom, and walking around our neighborhood, you literally can see roses in just about any color you can imagine. It is getting warm here, but stays cool in the shade, and luckily our house is surrounded by a lot of trees, so the house hasn't gotten too hot yet.
I have become involved with several non-profits here that are working on trying to stop institutionalization of children with disabilities. Most kids born with an obvious disability are sent directly from the hospital to an institution -- parents are pressured by doctors and nurses to place kids in these institutions, and are told that it would be harmful to the family to keep the child at home. Even if the family does decide to raise the child at home, there are virtually no supports for the children in the community -- i.e. no early intervention or other therapeutic services -- and most kids with disabilities are not permitted to attend school.
I had the opportunity to visit one of the country's five institutions a few weeks ago, and wish that I could adequately describe the conditions there to you. The particular institution we visitied (Kolevka) is widely regarded as the best of the lot here in Serbia, and it was just deplorable. 182 kids live in this place, most of them housed in groups of 12 with two caretakers. As with most children who are institutionalized, the children nearly without exception are extremely small for their age (one 11-year old boy looked to be 2 or 3 years old), and delayed far beyond the natural consequences of their disability. I can't tell you, for instance, how many 7 and 8 year old kids with Down Syndrome were in their cribs and unable to walk. Now, we all know that kids with Down Syndrome are capable of walking and doing many other things, but unfortunately, the folks who run these institutions do not believe that children with Down Syndrome (or with any disability, for that matter) have any real potential. So, they are left to languish in their cribs. My heart breaks for these children, and for the many others institutionalized in Serbia and in other countries. I will be working with several organizations here to address various issues related to this problem. If anyone is interested in getting involveed in these efforts financially or otherwise, please let me know.
Well, how to end on more of an upbeat note??? I can share a couple of funny, random stories that shed some light on the quirkiness of this part of the world. This week, I went to a Home Depot-like place to buy a trampoline. I met a very helpful Serbian guy who worked there and who spoke excellent English. I wanted to use a tax-free form for my purchase (U.S. citizens can purchase products tax-free, which is significant since the sales tax here is 18%), so Predaj (the helpful employee) took it up to the office to begin processing the form. A minute later, he came down and asked me to come upstairs, saying "we have a few problems." Hmm. Realizing that this was a rather odd request, I reluctantly agreed. I was greeted upstairs by one of the owners of the store who knew that I was affiliated with the U.S. Embassy and who wanted to share with me a grievance he had against the Embassy (relating to a transaction that had occurred years before). I explained to him that I did not work for the Embassy, but that I could pass his concerns along through my husband. At that point, the conversation became much more pleasant, and the gentleman offered me coffee and ice cream. So, here I am sitting in the business office of this store, having coffee and ice cream with these Serbian guys. Weird. And, for my trouble, they offered me a free "gift" -- i.e. anything I wanted from the store -- so I got a free surge protector out of the deal. Go figure.
Second story is that there are these trucks that drive around town washing the streets. Two guys walk behind the truck with hoses and they hose down the streets. Ironic, because the city is still filthy. Anyway, the other day, I drove up behind one of these trucks, and one of the guys said something to me in Serbian that sounded like he was asking me if I wanted him to wash my car off. I said yes, and they blasted my car (which it desperately needed). When he was done, he started talking to me, and I couldn't tell if he was asking me for money or not, so I just drove on. Today, I encountered the same truck and the guy, once again, seemed intent upon washing my car. So, they again blasted my car with water, but this time, I decided that I should look for some money to give him. I found a 50 dinar note in my wallet which is worth about 75 cents. When I rolled my window down, the guy was talking to me in Serbian, and when I handed him my 50 dinar note, he smiled, said thank you in Serbian and waved me through. So, I guess that the 75 cent car wash service by the city street cleaners is one of the best bargains in town!!!!
Hope everyone is doing well there. I could go on for days about all that is going on here, but I know that these long emails are hard to digest. Hopefully, it will not be another six weeks before I write again!
Best wishes from all of us here in the Richardson household!!
Erin
hello
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Erin, I enjoy these stories so much, I cannot explain.
ReplyDeleteSerbian inviting strangers to their office/home is a "normal" thing, I would say. They would want to show their knowledge of the language or try and get a favour from you. It is all about having connections in the right places over there, which you know by now. Haha! Do not feel frightened! However, I would not feel surprised if some guy tries and hit on you. Usually they are harmless, but be prepared to yell, if needed! haha!
I love the story about parking and car wash. Parking in Raleigh is so neat, but for many places you need a permit, which is tiresome. I have not seen street washers though?!