Starting to Feel the Whole "Eastern Europe" Thing

I don't know if it's that we just spent 12 days in oh-so-civilized Vienna, or that it's the dead of winter and things aren't very pretty around here, or that we've been here for 10 months and the "honeymoon" period is starting to wear off, or that I'm just in a grumpy mood, but over the past few days, I've really started feeling the whole "Eastern European" thing, if you know what I mean. Let's face it, there's a reason that parts of Europe are considered "eastern," and others are considered "western," and although there obviously are many other reasons for the distinction, one of them has to do with the fact that living conditions in many parts of Eastern Europe are not exactly up to western standards. While the standard of living in Belgrade certainly exceeds what we had expected, the place is still a little "rough around the edges," particularly when compared to a place like Vienna.

Now, I am aware that many of my prior posts have painted Serbia as a great place to live, and in many respects, it is. However, for whatever reason, over the past week or so, I've felt more frustrated and even exasperated at times living here, and I thought that it was only fair to you, my wonderful blog readers, to share the cause of these sentiments with you. And so, here is my currrent list of "the top 5 most frustrating things about living in Serbia:"

1. Smoke, Smoke Everywhere

I've mentioned it before, and I'll mention it again: Belgrade is one polluted place. Okay, so it isn't as bad as Cairo or Jakarta or Mongolia, but it's bad, and it bums me out. In addition to the car exhaust fumes and smoke from all of the coal burning during winter, every restaurant is filled with smoke, which makes dining out a less attractive option than eating at home. Sunny, clear days are rare. Of course, the up side of this is that I believe that the Richardsons will appreciate the relatively clean air in the U.S. when they return perhaps more than they did before! Always looking for that silver lining!

2. Where did these damn dogs come from?

Eastern Europe is known for its plethora of stray dogs. Heck, I was bitten by one in 1993 on the final day of my time in Romania. When we first arrived in Belgrade, I just took the dog thing in stride; I figured that the kids would learn how to deal with street dogs (i.e. ignore them) and that this skill might prove to be helpful to them later in life. Now I'm just over the dogs. Last week, I started running again (after a few months' hiatus), and as much as I love to be out for a run, I'm just petrified the whole time because I never know when I might come face to face with a hungry, stray dog. The good news here is that the dogs, almost across the board, are not aggressive; it's just a little scary when it's you and a dog, and you're not sure what will happen.

3. Shopping

As I've shared in prior posts, Belgrade has some amazing stores. You can find almost anything you would need here, but alas, the operative word in this sentence is "almost." Most of the time, the inability to find every little thing one might need is not an issue for me at all. If you are trying to cook a particular recipe however, that calls for something simple like -- CANNED BEANS -- you will have to drive over a very crowded bridge and past about 20 other grocery stores in town, because the Mercator (God love the Slovenians!!) is the only store in Belgrade where I've been able to find canned cannelini beans. And so, everytime I make my FAVORITE soup (sausage and white bean), I must hike over to the Mercator (which is fine if you have enough time for such an outing) to get the beans. I oughta just buy their whole supply and be done with it. Now, there's a thought.

4. Driving/Parking

I am repeating myself once again by talking about the issues with driving in a place like Belgrade. The issue was underscored for me, however, this past week, when after spending 12 days on highways an city roads in Hungary, Austria and Slovakia, we encountered no problems with the roads, with our car, with parking or with navigating the car on the roads. Within a few days of being back in Belgrade, however, we had had two vehicle mishaps: the very night of our return, as Eli, bless his heart, was driving downtown to go into the office for a few hours, he got a flat tire in our Saab and had to change the tire on the side of a very busy road; and yesterday, while trying to turn into incredibly narrow passage leading to the parking garage at the grocery store, I knocked the side view mirror off of the Honda. Because we needed an oil change anyway, I drove out to the Honda dealership to get an oil change and to order a new mirror, only to be told that they could not fit me in for an oil change until Feb. 20 (no kidding), and that the mirror would cost about $300. After I whined a bit about how DANGEROUS it would be for me to drive without the mirror, they got some duck tape and taped the window onto the car for me, which I will admit, was very nice (and they didn't charge me for this, either!!) Eli found a mirror online for $70, which we have ordered and will have the dealership install when it arrives. In the meatime, I won't be driving the Honda, and Lori and I will share the Saab, which is fine, really, particularly since the Saab is smaller and easier to navigate on the oh-so-narrow streets around this town.

5. Watch out for the Trams!

While this topic is closely related to the topic of driving, it is so crazy that I thought it deserved its' very own paragraph! I don't think that I realized just how crazy and out of control this problem was until we had spent several days driving around Vienna. Vienna, like Belgrade, is full of trams. Amazingly, however, the trams in Vienna are regulated by traffic lights, unlike the trams in Belgrade. Translation: in Vienna, you don't have to be scared every time you drive over a tram track that you might get whacked by a tram; in Belgrade, you do. Fortunately, when we moved here, our wonderful sponsors pointed this little problem out to us and said (I'll never forget): "the most dangerous thing about driving here is dealing with the trams." I got used to it, and I must say that I am very careful when in the vicinity of tram tracks. It wasn't until we were in Vienna, however, that I realized how absolutely ridiculous it is that this country hasn't done something to fix this problem. In an effort to alleviate worry on the part of those who might be concerned for our safety and particularly that of the Richardson kids and Mikayla, though, let me reiterate that Eli and Lori and I all take extra care when crossing over tram tracks, but the point is that we shouldn't have to!

And, so, there you have it. My rantings for the day. As anyone who consistently has read this blog knows, I am a "cup half full" kind of gal. I do try to approach life in a postive manner, and I'd like to think, anyway, that others do not see me as a discontented grumbler. I felt like I was due, however, for a little complaining, and thought it only appropriate that I share these things with all of you.

Have a wonderful, safe, happy and healthy day (and we will, too!!)

Erin