Friday, September 14, 2007

My cat is happier than your cat

So I am heading off to Budapest tonight with two others from Azbukum. Yes, I know, Budapest. I was there quite recently, and I will be going there again shortly (next friday on the same train, actually, unless it turns out to be horribley late, because it's supposed to get in only 3 hours before my flight and it takes at least an hour to get to the airport according to LP.) All my intentions were for Zagreb this weekend, a mere 5 hours away by bus, but Novi Sad isn't exactly a transport hub and the buses only leave in the morning. I didn't want to miss class today so I've had a nice afternoon, nap, going to do some homework them some hanging out, then onto the train at midnight. We arrive in Budapest at 5 and will hopefully get to nap at the hostel, then we're taking the train back on Sunday night. Two full days in Budapest and two full nights on the train! It will be exhausting but worth it. I am actually really looking forward to it. I can go to the Soviet statue park, try out a different bath, and revisit the palace of iced coffee and cakes. Plus I was always planning on buying a few souvenirs and presents there, this way I can have them very well packed and arrive by the night train, and spend my full last day in Novi Sad.

Sorry again for the lack of posts. I had a whole complaining entry written out about my land lady but I haven't typed it. I was hoping to escape her clutches this week but the director of program has squashed those hopes. Oh well. Like I said, I am very much enjoying my time here and I feel very satisfied with the amount I am learning, but this is one thing that irks me and puts a dark cloud over everything else. Plus I am in general looking forward to getting back to London. I keep thinking about my room and the computer, books and clothes I have in storage, and the things I can do to make my set-up nice. Then today it occured to me that I will have to start looking for a job in a little more than a week, that is not so exciting. It has been nice to have such a long holiday! I think I will start off applying at the Waterstones about 5 minutes from where I live (I chatted with someone there and he said they should be hiring) for the meantime and try to look for something better (paid) for the long run.

We have had a couple of interesting interludes. Yesterday we went to a "working" monistary outside of novi sad, where they are doing all kinds of things: making candles, rakija, cheese, painting icons, and running a rehab program. We had a hilarious, stone-faced monk who delivered the kind of jokes you wouldn't know were jokes unless you were listening carefully. "You want to go to the dentist? I will show you a dentist." Then we went a kafana called Kraj Svet (End of the world). I thought it would be more end of the worldy, honestly they made it seem like it would be the most remote place we have ever seen--maybe it was for some people but I have certainly been nearer the end of the world. However, the fish soup DID eyeballs and brains in it. And was really good.

The cats are always with us. My fellow cat-mate, I mean class-mate, has a thing about cats too. Today we practiced comaprative and it turned into a war of cats. Yesterday our professor said, "You must miss your cat, where is he?" I replied, "U Sand Franciscu.... stric...." I was trying to remember the Serbian word for uncle from mother but she heard "street"; "NA ULICU?" Poor Tonks.

I think I'll end on a quote from my flatmate while we were joyriding to the zelenica stanza to get our tickets.
Aleks: (describing and English bookstore in Novi Sad) And there was a huge Harry Potter display.
Nate: The definition of American culture right there.
Aleks & me: ...

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