Review on Carnival and updated rankings of cruise lines!

Fun fact: on several occasions, I have had convos with people extolling the virtues of cruising wherein they responded, "Meh, I tried a cruise once and didn't like it." When I asked which cruise line, every single one of them said Carnival and it was usually one of those 3 or 4 nighters.  So, first of all, the 3 & 4 nighters are TOTALLY different animals from the 6-8 (and more) nighters. Different experience, different quality, different, um, "clientele."

Secondly, Carnival has a reputation for being "low quality" - altho I have a cousin who cruises as much as I do - if not more - and they swear by Carnival, but of course do longer trips, are high point frequent cruisers and get perks, etc. I had never sailed it myself, but when I won a free cruise a couple of months ago, I thought, "Finally! I can see if their ire is well-deserved!" Color me surprised!

First of all, the entertainment was top notch. Possibly the best of any major line I've sailed. I started cruising with sub-contracted gay cruises back in the 80s, so was spoiled by entertainment like Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge, Rosie O'Donnell, Sandra Bernhard, etc. Since that time, with a few exceptions on NCL, I've found cruise ship shows/entertainment......lacking.  But I went to 4 shows on Carnival and loved every one. Was there the occasional "off key" note from a singer? Yep, but not awful or frequent (after 3 covers of Journey, I DO now have a better appreciation for Steve Perry's voice). Their holiday show, in particular, was amazing and heartwarming and inspiring all at once. So big points there.

The service was standard cruise ship excellent. It is SO nice to have folks cleaning up after you! Clearing your plates, making your bed, cleaning your room, etc. And they were good w/o being overly obtrusive. The ship - The Dream - was well-maintained and had lots of stuff to do. Best mini golf I've seen on a ship. Multiple water slides, a good library, lots of bars/clubs/cubbys to hide and read, etc. Lots of trivia.

The food was not the best, but not the worst - and while their buffet was definitely lacking, lunch at least made up for it with a lot of "quick service/made to order fresh" food options: I don't think much of Guy Fieri one way or the other, but they had his Burger bar available every day from Noon - 6, and his "Pig & Smoke" BBQ spot, as well.  They also had a VERY good burrito bar, a taco bar, a Deli with over a dozen hot & cold sandwich options, a Mongolian BBQ, fresh made pizza available from 11am - midnight, and a great made-to-order Pasta bar.  The breakfast buffet was unremarkable, but breakfast in the dining room was good.  Dinner was sometimes good and sometimes average.  Service was great. 

So! How does Carnival compare to the other lines I've sailed? See below! Disclaimer: perceptions of a cruise line can totally be colored by the ship you sail with them - how new, how well-maintained, amenities, etc. So keeping in mind that NCL is the only line I've sailed with more than once (WAY more), take my rankings of the rest with a grain of salt - altho I will say they tend to generally match the "standard industry gossip"

BEST FOOD

1) Disney

2) Holland America

3) Royal Caribbean

4) NCL, MSC, Carnival

5) Avalon

6) AMA

BEST ENTERTAINMENT

1) Carnival

2) Disney

3) NCL

4) All the rest (note: AMA & Avalon don't really have "entertainment" like sea cruise lines do)

BEST AMENITIES/THINGS TO DO ON SHIP

1) NCL / Carnival / Disney

2) MSC

3) Royal Caribbean

4) Holland America

5) AMA / Avalon

SHIP STYLE/MAINTENANCE

1) Disney

2) All the rest (I've not been on an "ugly" or not-well-maintained ship)

STAFF/SERVICE

1) Disney

2) Avalon

3) All the rest (similar to above, it's hard to find a line with shitty service/staff)

CABINS/OPTIONS

1) Disney

2) NCL

3) Avalon/AMA

4) All the rest

COST

1) Carnival

2) MSC

3) NCL

4) Royal Caribbean

5) Holland America

6) Avalon*

7) AMA*

8) Disney

*Note: the two river cruise companies include free excursions in every port - thus their "overall value" would probably rank them in the top 3.

I still have a free Princess cruise banked to use and I still need to try Virgin - thinking the latter will dramatically shift a lot of these rankings!

What I Missed (and didn't) About America

Here's what I've missed and am happy to have back from America:

PEOPLE: As mentioned in my "What I miss from Montenegro" post, this is almost always #1. Of course it's nice to be back with my little monster, but also cool to see/hang with family again, be in more constant/closer touch with other friends, etc. After an initial "re-honeymoon" phase, said little monster is having some struggles - natural due to trauma - but he's still improving and I feel more confident about his future.

FOOD: Granted, a lot of what I've missed is not necessarily healthy - certain fast foods, Dr. Pepper, etc. - but it's nice to be able to get good, varied Mexican food whenever I want again. And Thai food! It's nice to have more choices and to have those choices be available year round, etc.  

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Boomer! While the conference realignment has DEFINITELY soured me on the sport on the whole, I'm hoping to enjoy this last season I'll probably be able to witness here in the states--despite the "challenges" OU is facing this year.

MOVIES: I still love going to the movies.  Back in my SF days, there were enough theaters and enough different movies, that I consistently went every week - and sometimes 2-3 times a week (esp. during festivals). Now I'm lucky to go once a week, but I still love it.

COMMUNICATION: Obviously, it's easier/less stressful to be able to communicate fully and clearly with everyone. If only I had better language aptitude, this wouldn't be so big an issue, and I'm working on my Spanish in preparation for next year.

DIDN'T MISS

FOOD: Yep, this is on both. I'm sad to be back in the land where the government cares so little for its populace that it allows SO. MANY. poisons and known carcinogens in its food. Not to mention preservatives, additives, GMOs, etc.  Fruits & vegetables, in particular, are MUCH less flavorful here, drinks are MUCH unhealthier, and there is just So. Much. sugar and salt in everything.  Gross!

BUREAUCRACY: Oh man, does this country suck whenever you have to interact with a corporation or a government entity. It's not like Montenegro was a paragon of bureaucratic efficiency, but you should expect better from a "first world" country and things have degraded even more just in the near-year I was gone. I was Blown. Away. at the difficulties I had upon my return with various tasks and needed things, and will probably do a separate post on it just because it was so mind-blowingly bad.  

WEATHER: I wouldn't be whining if I could still afford to be in SF, but OK continues to devolve, weather-wise - as does the bulk of the country. As I write this, it's the end of October and we're still having days up in the upper 90s. Not cool.  Figuratively AND literally.

HEALTH CARE: Again, Montenegro had its issues in this regard, but the U.S. continues to suck - AND to devolve - around health care. I developed some chronic pain in my shoulders/upper arms and when I reached out to get a physical therapy appt, I had to wait TWO. MONTHS.  I've watched my mom struggle with trying to understand her options for Medicare/Supplements/Advantage plans and I continue to be Blown. Away. that the U.S. is the only "first world" country without public health care. The idea that there is this massive system/industry that's designed SOLELY to get between you and your medical providers - and make a profit while doing it off of your health - is just disgusting beyond belief and remains one of the most serious blights on this country that I can't wait to escape.

POLITICS: I used to be a political junkie, and still am to an extent. But there is no way I could put into words the disgust I feel with the way politics operates now in this country - particularly in regards to...

THE IGNORANCE: In Montenegro - as in MOST countries not called America - education is valued and sought after. People take pride in, and appreciate, their opportunities to learn, to be educated, to think. Not so here for an ever increasing swath of the country that actually takes PRIDE in slamming education and actively works to make it worse. I'm going to go all Cassandra here and state that THIS one aspect will be the downfall of America. Or at least hasten its already noticeable decline. Sad.  

I'd like to end on something cheerful, or maybe I should have swapped the order of my discussion, but hey, it's the holiday season and I can at least groove on that! (cueing up Mariah's "All I Want for Christmas")

What I Miss (and don't miss) from Montenegro

So it's almost been a year exactly since I landed in Montenegro, and almost two months since I came back "home." Here's what I miss:

* PEOPLE. This is almost always the case. As a nomad, people always ask, "What do you miss about (fill in the blank)?" when I left China, Lesotho, Kazakhstan, Hawaii, etc. And it's the people I met/friends I made. In Montenegro, it's not only the locals like my host family, PC staff, colleagues, etc., but also the other Americans/volunteers.  Hopefully, I will see some of these folks again, and certainly will try to keep in touch through Facebook and what not. I was very lucky to have a great host family with awesome kids, a kick ass cook host mom, and a host dad that had the requisite "dad jokes" at the ready and which goes to show "dad jokes" are a cultural thing that knows no boundaries!

* FOOD. Particularly in regards to eating healthier, eating more fruits and vegetables (I miss the mandarins and cherries!), eating WAY less processed food, food not sprayed with chemicals or filled with disgusting additives the EU bans but America cheerfully allows. The host mom where I was living in Danilovgrad was an excellent cook, served a variety of meals, often meatless, which was nice. I have tried replicating some of her recipes with little success, alas.  I can't even make a simple cucumber salad as good as hers! And even tho she gave me specific instructions on replicating her muesli mix - which i LOVED - I can't get that right, either! Sigh.

* SCENERY. Montenegro is definitely one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The coasts, the mountains, the Old Towns (Kotor!), etc. I highly recommend a visit.

* COST OF LIVING. Of course, as a volunteer, I only got a small living allowance, but I stretched that and even saved some money because your basic items are so much cheaper.  It's different on the coast, and it's not quite as inexpensive as other countries I'm considering for retirement, but it was still much cheaper than here!

* THE KIDS. While in many ways kids are the same everywhere, it was still nice to be around kids not always glued to their phones, more respectful and decent in general, etc. I was particularly lucky that the twins I lived with in Danilovgrad were good kids, Harry Potter fans like me so we could compare which houses we're in, etc. The kids at school were always excited to have lessons with me and we had a lot of fun, and I had a writing club with some older students I ADORED and did SUCH amazing writing!

Miss/don't miss: The Politics. As a political junkie, and history junkie, Montenegro is a gold mine with a fascinating history and VERY interesting politics. But said history/politics are also, often, very sad/depressing/appalling.  But then also very interesting. So there you go!  

As for what I don't miss:

* THE WEATHER. This is tricky, as in general, the weather is pretty pleasant, Mediterranean climate, etc,  BUT it rains a bit too much for me, and Danilovgrad was fucking HOT in the summer, And humid.  No likey!

* INFRASTRUCTURE. It's not necessarily BAD, just inconsistent. You can get around the country fairly well by bus, but it's a crap shoot as to how nice the bus will be, if it's on time, if it has A/C, etc.

Of course I also missed my favorite foods, restaurants, etc. from the states, but that's not unique to Montenegro.  Again, on the whole, Montenegro is a pretty nice little country and I highly recommend spending some time there.

Montenegro Mish Mash / Olio - Bon mots, deep thoughts, and cheap shots as I leave.

Fun fact: What we call Polish sausage in the states, Montenegrins call Chinese sausage (and, when I was in Lesotho, they called it Russian sausage).

Speaking of food, my host mom in Danilovgrad served a cabbage dish one night that I not just endured, but actually liked! A first! I told her so and asked what it was and how it was made. She said it was called sour cabbage and you start by putting a whole, large head of cabbage in a special barrel, cover it in brine, and let it ferment for 2-3 months. Then....and I just stopped her right there coz I will never have a cabbage barrel, nor will I have the patience to "brine" something for multiple months. Too bad, coz it was some good shit! I did get her muesli mix recipe, tho, which was the best, and I WILL be making that!

While there's nothing I can find that says they occur here disproprotinately, I came across a lot of twins in Montenegro, Like, a lot. It was kind of odd.  Also a lot of "half orphans" - kids who've lost either their mother or father at a young age. For a variety of reasons. Very sad.

Speaking of kids, one of the boys in one of my classes - I wanna say 6th grade - asked me once, "Is it true there are a lot of 'Karens' in America?"  And I had to reply, "Yes, Filip, sadly, it's true  - there are way too many Karens in America."

The kids here get to take awesome "field trips" - the 4th & 5th graders spend 3-4 days in "nature school" at a historic/beach town called Sutomore. In 7th grade, they get to spend 3 or so days in Cetinje, the old royal capital; and in 9th grade, the last of primary school, they get to trek up to Belgrade for 4-5 days!  Amazing. 

When school ends, all the kids wear white t-shirts the last 2-3 days for their friends and teachers to sign with sharpies. They don't have yearbooks. They also bring squirt guns the last couple of days and douse each other during every break - and sometimes in the halls between classes if they can keep from getting busted.

One thing I will miss is the "old school" thunderstorms in Danilovgrad. Because it's ringed by mountains, the thunder would echo LOUDLY - I mean, multiple times I experienced window-rattling thunder.  Cool!  And to make me homesick for SF, we even had a couple of earthquakes while I was here - the first was the largest at 5.3 and it took me a good beat or two to realize/recall what has happening. And then I was very excited. Lol.

Altho a small city, Danilovgrad does have the requisite local crazy. Tall, older guy, probably a bit of a drinker, too, who wanders around town, mumbling who knows what. He actually stopped me one day and let loose a barrage of Montenegrin (possibly Serbian), prompting me to say, in Montengrin, "Sorry, I don't speak Montenegrin" ("Izvini što ne govorim Crnogorski."). He stopped short, drew back, narrowed his eyes at me, and then started waving his hands and shouting, "But you just said that in Montenegrin!" and stomped off, ranting.

While I always have "fun" miscues when texting on my phone using dictation, the different names here make for even more fun malapropisms! Podgorica (Montenegro's capital city), for example, becomes Puerto Rico.  And the first time I texted my host family to say I would be home from school late because my coutnerpart, Radmilla, had just informed me of a teacher's meeting, I didn't double check  before I sent, causing host mom & dad to reply, "Who is Brad Miller?" Lol  So, of course, Radmilla then became Brad Miller - but she was a good sport about it.

Probably my biggest accomplishment here during my brief stay was showing the locals to not just take it when corporations try to screw you. One day, the one ATM machine in town from my bank was down so I had to use one from a different bank and of course they charged me FIVE EURO for the privelege! No chump change when you're a volunteer.  So I was telling my host dad about it and that I had e-mailed my bank to ask that they credit my account for that since it was their fault I had to go out of network. He shook his head and said, "Good luck with THAT!"  Well, surprise, surprise, they did - abd fairly graciously, too.  When I reported back to host dad he was shocked. "Wow, we would never think to question that."

Some months later, the same ATM actually ATE my card. THAT was a whole other nightmare requiring multiple trips to the bank and a wait of nearly a month for a new card.  When a PC driver took me to the main bank to get a new one, they said they'd charge me 10 Euro for it. And I was like, "The hell you say!" And I asked the PC driver to politely ask why I should have to pay 10 euro for THEIR machine eating my card. He was a bit nervous questioning her, but he did, and she laughed, and waived it. My driver was agog.  These poor Slavs just aren't down for pusning back/questioning authority.  But a few of them are now!  Thus, my work here is done. lol

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

Why YOU should join the Peace Corps

So I just got back from a training in Albania (Tirana is actually a pretty cool city - except for the traffic) where we were fortunate enough to cross paths with U.S. Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn who is conducting a tour in the area and spoke at our training kick-off.  She talked about the new posts opening up, the increased demand for Peace Corps worldwide, and made the pitch for us to make the pitch for others to join.  So here goes! My top ten reasons why you (yes, I'm looking at you) should join Peace Corps.

1) To Serve/Do Good. Despite my antipathy towards the military-industrial complex, and the military in general, I believe every citizen, upon graduation from high school, should be required to serve their country for two years - be it in the military, Peace Corps, or AmeriCorps (VISTA).  As Jebediah Springfield said, "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."  :)  

2) If you're young, Peace Corps will broaden your horizons, expose you to different cultures, peoples, ways of thinking, etc. Help you grow and mature. 

3) If you're old, it's a great way to wind down your career, or to transition to retirement, or to re-engage if you've been retired a while and are restless.

4) You will learn (or re-learn) adaptability and flexibility. I can tell you for sure that, while it has been easier this second go round in some ways, it has also been more difficult. We all know old folks tend ot get set in their ways. Peace Corps will shake you up, make you re-examine the things you do and why, and force you to get over yourself in many ways.

5) As a sort of corollary to the above, to experience and overcome challenges. Nothing like occasional bouts of no water, no access to many of your comforts of home, etc to help you appreciate what you have/had - as well as help you realize what you can do without. And to strengthen your character and help you learn you are stronger than you may think.

6) To immerse yourself in another culture. I can't even begin to imagine how much more impatient I would be w/o my stints in Peace Corps. Living in cultures that are NOT rush rush rush helps you appreicate the simpler things in life.  Not to mention the different (almost always healtheir) food that's out there, appreciate folklore, other geographies, other ways of looking at things, etc. More embiggening of the soul!  :)

7) TRAVEL! No better way to see another part of the world than on someone else's dime. Not only does PC fly you there and home, they give you 2 vacation days each month and chip in $40 a month in your account just to travel in the region in which you are living. Next month, I'm off to Greece, Turkey, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. I've already traveled a fair amount around Mongenegro and Albania, and after this next trip, I'll be up to 65 countries visited in my lifetime - with a planned trip to Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia next year, which will bring me to 68.

8) Other bennies! For you younger/mid-career folks, after your service you have non-competitive eligibility (NCE) for federal jobs. Of course health care is fully covered while you're here - as well as follow up care for any issues that happened while in service.  Finally, PC also deposits $400 a month into an account while you serve, so you come back with a nice $10K "readjustment allowance."

9) Make a difference in someone's - or many someones - life/lives.  Sometimes you won't know the impact your service will have - that kid who chose a different life path thanks to your inspiration. The family that was saved due to your work or secondary project. In many countries, Americans are still seen as glamorous/rock stars and if nothing else you'll give some folks a thrill just for them to be able to say they lived with, hung with, were taught by, worked with, an American (ooooh!). lol

10) Lifelong connections. One thing I didn't think about when I joined the first time around is the friendships I would make - not only with locals but with other Americans.  Thanks to Peace Corps, I know people in at least 5-6 other states and 4-5 other countries that are good friends and/or I can rely on to crash at their place if needed when traveling/wandering.  It's awesome.

Finally, I would add that you have WAY more flexibility and choice in where you serve now than when I first did it. You basically decide what you'd like to do, then search to see which countries are doing that, and can apply directly. But you can still let PC send you where the biggets need is or surprise you. Either way, do it! Click HERE!

Peace out!

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

Rating the Cities in Montenegro (so far!

Now that I've spent time in six cities in Montenegro, it's time to rate them!  While I haven't experienced a "bad" city here, below is how I would rank the ones I've visited:

1) KOTOR: The reason I came to Montenegro in the first place. If you have the opportunity to take a cruise that stops here, Do. It. And be sure to be on deck or your balcony when the ship sails into the Bay of Kotor. It's breathtaking. The town itself is a UNESCO site, squeezed in between the mountains and the Bay, and the history is fascinating - even more so now that I've learned more about it in my 7 months here.

2) CETINJE: Speaking of history, Montenegro's former royal capital is jam-packed with it, thus my affinity for it as a history major. It's a charming, dare I say bucoclic, little town that is probably better served today by the fact that Podgorica is now the capital. Lots of things to do and see in the area, so if you happen to find yourself here, definitely spend a day or two exploring this place. And click HERE for more of the history.

3 BUDVA: To be fair, I only spent a couple of days in Budva, and really mostly just saw the Old Town/surrounding area. But it's a cool Old Town with some areas going back to pre-Roman times. There are some good beaches, as well, and other nearby attractions such as monasteries, St. Stefan Island, etc. It's probably the most "mod" looking/feeling town I've been in in Montenegro. 

4) BAR: While I didn't spend the night, we had a few trips here as trainees for various reasons, so I got to see a fair amount of the city - altho never made it to their Old Town. I consider Bar a sort of "Budva lite" with similar atractions/reasons to visit. There is a BEAUTIFUL fairly new Orthodox Cathedral that is not to be missed.

5) PODGORICA: If not for Jakarta (now being abandoned as it sinks into the ocean), Podgorica would be the most boring capital city I've ever visited - and I've seen more than 50.  That being said, it's certainly not unpleasant, has some good restaurants and parks, and a lot of trees. Almost one-third of the country's population lives here - not as rare as you would think, but still not common. 

6) DANILOVGRAD: Danilovgrad, my site/placement, is a perfectly normal, average small town. The location is nice in the sense that it's ringed by mountains, with a nice river running through it, but said location apparently makes it brutishly hot in the summer - the hottest city in Montenegro and sometimes in all of Europe. So not looking forward to that! lol  And part of the reason my vacation is most of July. But it's safe, clean, has some decent restaurants, good grocery stores, etc.  There are worst places to live than "perfectly adequate."  

Still to see: Tivat, Herceg Novi, and "the North"

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

The Kids (in Montenegro) Are Alright (mostly)

One of the things kids have asked me here is how I find the people and the students - and how they compare to Americans.  In general, I find worldwide that people are people and kids are kids (ooh, deep!). You find good people, assholes, lazy people, crazy people, everywhere--although, in general, kids seem more similar around the world than adults.

Take the twins I live with. At neatly 11 years old, Dmitri & Sofia are much like American kids: sometimes bratty and whiny, sometimes silly, often bemoaning the restrictions kids face and eager to grow up (at which point they'll wish they were kids again), etc. A week or so ago, Sofia got in trouble for being "unfair" to Dmitri (not sure of the specifics) and was grounded for a week from the downstairs playroom and from playing on her phone.

Apparently Dmitri wasn't satsifed with this punishment as Sofia called her dad at work a few days later to complain that Dmitri was "torturing" her. Dad asks her to find Dmitri and put him on the phone. When he gets on the phone, Dad asks how he's doing. Dmitri says fine. Dad asks, "So what are you doing?" Dmitri: "Torturing Sofia."  lol

In my 8th grade classes a couple months ago, I was teaching conditionals and doing a chain story on the board (e.g., start with a sentence like, "If I go to Egypt, I will see the Sphinx," and then the next person adds, "If I see the Sphinx, I will also see other toursits," and the next, "If I see other tourists" and so on). The sentence I started with for each of the three 8th grade classes was: "If the weather is nice tomorrow," All 3 classes started off with something pleasant/fun: "I will go to the park," "I will ride my bike," "I will play football with my friends." But after a couple of sentences - in every class - the situation turned dark and devoled into them ending up at the doctor's office (getting sick from too much ice cream) or the hospital (severe sun burn or broken leg). When I asked my counterpart about it after the 3rd class, she kind of laughed and said, "Yes, the children here are generally very pessimistic like the rest of us."  Score one for American optimism - a trait frequently remarked on by the locals.

There's the occasional fun English language confusion, of course. I was doing a Jeopary review game with the 9th graders and one question was to use 3 adjectives to describe your teacher. One decent/not great student chirped up with "Expensive!"  A 7th grader, when asked to list 3 well-paid jobs started with "Teacher!" which caused us to take a break while my counterpart and I laughed and laughed and laughed!  

I already mentioned in a Facebook post the 8th grader who snatched a neighbor's car and took it for a joyride before crashing and dying. This goes to show that 15-year-old boys around the world can be crazy, but it was still jarring. The kid was often absent, the only kid in school that smokes, etc. - so it also shows there's bad parents everywhere.

Finally, they are definitely plugged into American culture - probably our "biggest" export at the end of the day. But it's strange the things they know and don't. In my Creative Writing Club, they had an assignment to do a shopping list for a famous person - real or fictional. A 7th grade girl chose Avril Lavigne, but when she shared in class, it turned out I was the only one who knew who that was.  A 9th grader chose Bo Jack (for real!) and I was surprised to find about half the class, maybe a shade more, knew who THAT was.  Finally, an 11th grade girl picked Patrick Bateman (!) - and they ALL knew who that was. I found that disconcerting. Now I'll let you old folks Google "Bo Jack"

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

Montenegrin Language/Sayings

As most of you know, I suck at languages. Montenegrin is now the TENTH language I've attempted to learn (in addition to English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, French, Russian, Kazakh, Sesotho, and Hawaiian), and outside of Spanish and Russian, I can barely say anything beyond Hello, How are you, My name is, etc.  I'm doing a LITTLE better than my first go round with Peace Corps in Kazakhstan as the language classes now have 2 teachers and I really made more of an effort.  But I still won't get beyond low-intermediate.

It doesn't help that the language is often listed as one of the 10 most difficult to learn. And when I say this, I say that Serbian is often listed as one of the 10 most difficult.  See earlier post re: Montenegro/Serbia, and also note that the joke here is that when we return to the states, we can tell folks we now know Montenegrin, Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian, as they are all very similar - and of course no American would know the difference  

On the one hand, it is relatively easy to read as you generally pronounce every letter in a word - much like Hawaiian. And, that is, if you are reading it in the latin alphabet and not the Cyrillic. The problem is, the language is VERY consonant heavy, so you have words like this gem: Srpskohrvatshi which means Serbo-Croatian. Naturally.

The locals here are uniformly shocked when I tell them Americans aren't forced in school to learn a language and that very very few speak even a second, let alone 3 or more. Montenegrin schoolchildren are required to learn English as a second language and then MUST choose a third - usually Russian, Italian, German, or French. 

During training, I actually was watching reruns of "Teen Wolf" with Montenegrin subtitles, and that helped a bit.  And when the host fams here is at their weekend house, I'll watch the occaional American flick on one of their cable channels with local subtitles.  But I just can't turn that corner.  Sigh.

I HAVE learned a couple of "fun" local phrases they have here, tho - of course put downs. One of their faves is "You're zero of a man." Can't get much worse than that! lol

But my very favorite is this one: "You goat of a goat's goat!"  Now THAT is one I hope to remember to use from now on!  :)  

 Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

A Surprise Appearance at my First Extra-Curricular Club!

So my very first day at school here in Danilovgrad, I was introducing myself to one of the 8th grade classes. In between all the usual questions I get, like "Why are all Americans fat?" and "Ronaldo or Messi?" a boy stood up and asked if I supported the LGBT community. At least he didn't flat out ask if I was gay, so I was able to play Melanie Hamilton and said, "Of course, I do; they're people, too." He then responded about how the bible said they were all going to hell and wanted to continue before another student interrupted him to ask if I had yet tried burek.

After class, he tried to engage with me again about it, mostly talking about religion, and I argued with him for a little while - mostly along the lines of how he "knew" his particular religion was the correct one and did he think all Muslims, Buddhists, etc. were also going to hell? To which he replied, "Of course." and tried to continue proselytizing until some of the girls in the class shut him down and shooed him away so they could ask me if Americans really and truly can't find their own country on a map. After that exchange, this boy pretty much disengaged with me. I mean, he still was in class and participated, but he never approached me again, never tried to chat me up like virtually every other kid in my classes, etc.

Fast forward a couple of months to this past Friday. I had my first extra-curricular club meet-up: a Creative Writing Club. There were 10 students - all girls except for......you guessed it, little Mr. Religious Zealot/Homophobe. What's strange is that he came not even knowing it was a Creative Writing Club, he just heard that David was doing an extra-curricular club and he showed up.  

It gets better. For this first class, I printed out the lyrics to about 6-7 songs to have an easy intro class discussing how songs are basically poetry and their first assignment would be to try and write one. I had a good mix of stuff from Country to Pop to Alt-Rock to Rap, from Dolly Parton to Jack Kays to Taylor Swift to Macklemore.  The Macklemore song I picked was "Same Love." If you dont know it, click HERE to listen/watch the video so you have the context.

I picked this song, because: a) it was one of the few rap songs I could find not littered with swear words, and b) for the "irony" of a rapper doing a pro-gay message and how you could use writing to promote a cause.  Again, I did not expect this boy to come to the class.  Of course, he immediately zoomed in on the Macklemore song, and the opening line that says, "When I was in third grade I thought I was gay," and scoffed. "I could write something better than this!" And so of course I told him to try and do just that. He also had some unflattering things to say about Taylor Swift. lol

Will he show up again this Friday? I genuinely do not know and wouldn't put money on it either way.

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

Montenegrin History & Politics - Featuring Big Bad Serbia!

The first thing you should know about Montenegro is that a lot of folks - including many within the country itself - believe there is no such thing as "Montenegro." That it is, rather, Serbian, belongs (or should belong) to Serbia, and that the Montenegrin language is simply a regional dialect/bastardization of Serbian. IMHO, from what I've seen/heard/read, while the latter has a grain of truth to it, the former does not. Montenegro has a fascinating history - as do the Balkans in general - and I highly encourage anyone with any interest in history to learn more.

The second thing you should know is that Montenegrins are very proud of the fact that in their approximately 1,000 year history as what could be construed as "Montenegro" in various forms/shapes/sizes/names, they have "never" been "fully" conquered. This is a bit specious and I've had interesting discussions about this with one of the other PCVs here who is also a history major with much more knowledge of the history of the Balkans. The crux of the claim lies in the mountains that are nearly impossible to completely control. And Montenegro DOES have a history of often getting "autnonomous" status within varous entites that otherwise controlled the surrounding area(s) - e.g., the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire.  While you can read more about Montenegro's history HERE, the long and short of it is:

• Initially called Duklja, it gained independence from the Byzantine Roman Empire in 1042
• In the mid-14th century, it was called Zeta (the name of the river that flows through Danilovgrad and also Montenegro's newest state/province - carved last year out of the Podgorica province) and operated as a theocracy for a few hundred years 
• It was in the 15th century that it first became referred to as Montenegro (Crne Gora in the local language, which literally means Black Mountain)
• In the mid-19th century it became a secularized Principality and was "officially" recognized as independent by the Treaty of Berlin on July 13, 1878
• In 1910 it became a Kingdom, ruled by King Nikola (already ruling the Principality) - their first and only king, as:
• After World War I, it became a part of Yugoslavia, and after WWII, a Socialist Republic within the Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia.
• After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, it became a federation state with Serbia known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
• After a referendum in 2006, with barely around 55% voting yes, the country for the first time became officially known simply as Montenegro. Thus, it is one of the newest countries in the world - also one of the most striking:

I'm not going to recount in detail the horrific Bosnian and Croatian wars of the 90s - you can get more than enough of a taste from the link above. But suffice it to say, it was NOT a proud moment in the country's history - and to their credit, many locals admit to a deep sense of shame and trauma over many of the events that happened during that time.  In 1996, Milo Dukanovic/Montenegro's government DID sever most ties with Serbia and the war criminal Slobodan Milosevic and started on the path to independence.

Today, about 45% of the population actually identifies as Montenegrin, while around 30% as Serb (and about 9% Bosniak and 4% - 5% as Albanian).  For me personally, I've always found the notion of "pride" in your "nationality" as silly. It's simply a matter of luck of the draw as to where your particular seed emerged from a womb. I consider myself a human. A human born in one place, lives and has lived in others, etc.

Anyway, this continues to be an issue as the country has been fighting over a new census for some years now. It was last done in 2011, was planned again for 2021, and has been postponed 4 times since then.  There is concern that a majority of citizens will identify as Serbian and/or speaking Serbian and that the language will then "have to be" reintroduced into schools.  There ARE actually differences, albeit minor, and even a slightly different alphabet - just as there are differences between Croatian and Bosnian. But the joke in PC is that when we return to the states we can claim we speak Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, AND Montenegrin, say a few sentences, lopping the endings off of some words, changing the emphasis and/or vowel pronunication in some others, and of course no 'Muricans are going to know the difference!  :)

Montenegro became part of NATO in 2017, despite (surprise!) Russian attempts to interfere and stop it. You will probably also be unsurprised to hear that pro-Russian Serbs are believed to be behind a lot of the continuing drama over the notion that Montenegro is not a "real" country or nationality, is simply Serbian, etc. Seriously, it will be a happy day when Putin dies and Russia grows up and tries to be a decent world player.

Even now, it's hard to say where the Prime Minister and most of the government's sympathies lie. Again, see the link above for more details, but the past few years have seen the long-time leader finally voted out, to be replaced by a pro-Serbian prime minister, who was bounced in a no confidence vote after just a few months, to be replaced by a coalition government of pro-European parties and pro-Serbian parties.  And Russia continues to meddle/push for Serbian control.  I need to read more about Serbian history and its peoples to better understand where they get off thinking they're all that.  Honestly.  They seem like the Germany of the 30s and 40s.  Maybe I'll change my mind as I learn more.  Maybe.

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

We interrupt this regularly not scheduled blog...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog so I can reminisce on what has been the penultimate travel experience of my life - hopefully some day soon to be matched or even surpassed (I'm thinking summer of 25 when I do a northern Balkans tour after a Virgin cruise!)  Voila:

I left Disney mid-May of 2013. I stayed just long enough to get my one year Mickey anniversary pin! Lol I knew I had the Peace Corps job in Lesotho, pending a background check and security interview, so I knew I would have some time to do some traveling. First, I managed to arrange a cruise with friends that conveniently left in mid-May out of Copenhagen and got to spend a few nights there ahead of time with my friend David. Copenhagen is an amazing city and I highly recommend it. Very clean, and the people are beautiful and very tall (Denmark has the tallest people in Europe - JUST ahead of Montenegro!) Cool palaces, historic theme park, it's definitely one of my favorite cities.

After a few days, we met up with more friends and went on a cruise of the Baltic capitals hitting Talinn (Estonia), St Petersburg for 2 days, Helsinki, Stockholm, and whatever that port is for Berlin in Germany. It was an amazing trip, St Petersburg is indeed an amazing city--especially Peter's palaces. Helsinki was kind of a dud but we were there on a Sunday and a lot of things were closed. Stockholm was cool, very different. Very Swedish.

At the end of the cruise, I spent a few more nights in Copenhagen with my friends Jeff and David, and Doreen joined us on the houseboat we were staying on for games one night before we said our farewells. And then I headed out on the rest of my journey.

I flew from Amsterdam to Paris and spent a few nights there. It was my second time, so I felt I could use a day to go to Euro Disneyland. Also, I had tickets left over from my just ended stint with Disney. Unfortunately, it was very hot when I went, and VERY crowded, so I ended up riding hardly anything. I don't recall them having any single rider lines. But at least I got to go, and I did get some cool pins for my collection so I was psyched.

From Paris, I took a train to Zurich for my first time in Switzerland and spent a few nights. I know this sounds weird, but my most memorable thing from my time in Zurich was this street taco stand near the train station. They were amazing. I actually went back a second time. Oh, and I guess it was also memorable when some rando walked into the Airbnb apartment I was staying at in the middle of the night and woke me up and scared the shit out of me. Giving me a hasty "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know (whatever dude's name was) rented this out." I was very unhappy. I think I did get my money back for that airbnb, or at least half of it. It was actually very well located and I had a nice view. I had the whole apartment. It was like a large studio. Anyway, otherwise, I found Zurich very Swiss. Clean and boring.

From Zurich I flew to Bangkok where I spent a month in Thailand--most of it in Bangkok. I got a cool Airbnb in a touristy/residential area, with an amazing little hole in the wall restaurant around the corner from me where I ate at least one meal almost every day because it was SO fucking good and SO fucking cheap that I could eat like a hog for $3 and get plenty for just $2. And I was a good boy and ordered something different each day even though every time I ordered something I thought "Oh my God, this is so good I should get this again tomorrow!" That kind of sums up thailand. Well Bangkok, rather, except also the kind of cool (IMHO) juxtaposition of the biggest, glitziest malls I have ever seen along with cool, ancient temples and then also the Tuk tuks and the very good subway system I used extensively. And of course the king's palace and grounds are amazing. I highly highly recommend Bangkok, and I would consider retiring there if it wasn't so fucking humid.

I did break up my Bangkok stay with a trip to two islands. At this point I don't even remember how I got there, but I'm assuming flew. I spent a few days in Koh Samui, in an Airbnb that was basically a beach hut which was cool (literally on the beach). I rented a moped one day to go around the island which is not very big. But I still was going to take what I thought I saw on the map was a shortcut that cut across without going all around the edge of the island. But once I crested the hill in the middle, the road really started to disappear into virtually nothing and I actually ended up tipping over on the moped at one point releasing HUNDREDS of butterflies, which immediately made me think of my friend Charlotte who I had worked with at Disney who was terrified of butterflies. I was not happy myself with these and I know I was screaming like a girl. But somehow I managed to get them off me, get the moped upright again, and find my way down the other side. I was definitely going through wooded Deliverance like territory.

Anyway, I then spent a few nights in Phuket, and I remember getting some amazing deal but I don't know how because I know there's no way I could have afforded this otherwise really cool kind of bungalow built into the side of a mountain at a resort and I had a jacuzzi on my redwood deck that looked out over the ocean. It was amazing. Phuket is definitely more of a party island, altho where I was it was quiet. But you didn't have to go far to get quote into town and it definitely was much more lively. Koh Samui was more laid back. So I feel like I had a good balance. I then went back to Bangkok for one more week to see anything I missed and eat at that restaurant again! Many times. LOL  Also did some cool day trips from Bangkok - including to the ancient capital of Autthaya, which I highly recommend.

From Bangkok, I took a nice bus to Kuala Lumpur because it wasn't that far. I didn't expect much from Kuala Lumpur so I only booked a stay of about three or four nights. I got another airbnb, it was in a hotel so it was nice. But I was pleasantly surprised by Kuala Lumpur. Some similarities to Bangkok in that there was a good mix of the modern and the exotic/historic, and I'm a big architecture person and I did like the architecture as well - but they also had cool modern conveniences like this elevated walkway all through the center of town that was air conditioned. Because believe me, again, like Bangkok, it was muggy hot. Curses on that coz otherwise I would totally consider retiring to one of these places. Anyway, the elevated air conditioned walkways were really cool and I was able to walk maybe two blocks to one from my Airbnb and then was able to take it to a quote exit right next to the Hard Rock so I could get my hurricane glass there. I also went to a cool market, I think a couple actually, several cool architecture and historical things--definitely a place worth a look if you're in that neck of the woods.

From Kuala Lumpur I took a nice bus for same reasons to Singapore and I wish I had spent more time in Singapore, as well. I was assuming, even though I got a good deal on a hotel (a cute little art Deco thing just on the outskirts of the center of the city, but very close to a metro stop), it would be more expensive once I got there. But I actually found a lot to do while not spending a whole lot of money and wish I had stayed another day beyond the three nights I had. Cool museums, amazing architecture, so SO clean. Amazing food. Shopping. Just a really cool place all around. I mean we've all seen Crazy Rich Asians.

From Singapore I went to hell...excuse me, Indonesia. Actually, it was very mixed, but almost like the mirror of Thailand in that the capital city that I spent, stupidly, three of my four weeks there (Jakarta) is one of the most boring, if not THE most boring capital city I've ever been to. Especially considering its size. But even with that size, no mass transit. Just a shit ton of Tuk tuks all over the place. The apartment I had for the first few weeks was nice, but was kind of on the edge of town, but again it's not like there was anything to see. I saw Barack Obama's birth home, and then the school he went to. There was some kind of war memorial pylon or obelisk or statue or something that was worth a look. But beyond that I didn't do shit except probably play on my laptop in the hotel room I was staying in most of the time.

Luckily, I got away twice as I did in Thailand. I went to see Borobudur, which was very cool even though it was hot as fuck and I wish I'd had an umbrella like all the Chinese tourists had who I was initially mocking. Lol. But I'm glad I saw it. And then nearby was another temple of lesser renown I forget the name of but it was cool as well.

Then I took another three nights and went to Bali. Of course that was significantly better than Jakarta, especially now by comparison. I had a nice hotel room at a good price, with a rooftop infinity pool that looked out over the ocean. Very travel agent poster. Lol I enjoyed Bali even though in my later years I've become less enamored of the beach itself (ugh, get all the sand off me - it's like glitter!). But I like being near it.

As I was in Indonesia, my Peace Corps clearance was wrapping up so they arranged to fly me to Lesotho from Hong Kong since China is where I had been living when I applied and I wanted to go back and see friends from Disney before I left - and of course go to Hong Kong Disneyland one more time. Lol

Hong Kong is definitely one of my favorite cities, although I don't know what it's like now. The year I worked for Disney I went there four times, counting that last trip at the end. Every time, I went to Hong Kong Disneyland, which does not hold a candle to the original in Anaheim, although I like it just as much if not more than the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. And I just like Hong Kong's vibrancy. And of course the food. Many very cool, very pretty public parks. And always just a shit ton to do.

To be fair, I probably should have cut out a couple of those Hong Kong trips and went to other places in China while I was there, but I did spend almost a month in Shanghai during training and that was an experience. There are definitely pros and cons to Shanghai. And then of course I lived for a year almost in Guangzhou (nee Canton). And I definitely got around to a lot of cool cultural and historical spots there. And believe me there are plenty. Also made it to Macau, which was a bi of a disappointment.

And I did manage to get down to Shenzhen for a few days, which is in between Hong Kong and Guangzhou and is a trip of a city on multiple levels and probably deserves its own blog post. And also while I was in China I got away on vacation to Vietnam where I spent about a week, in mostly Hanoi but then with some cool day trips. Vietnam was definitely a surprise in a happy way and one of the most beautiful countries - if not THE most beautiful - I've ever visited. Witness:

So yeah, that year before was not too bad, but I don't think I'll ever be able to top that 3-month excursion from mid-May through mid- August where I went to Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong before heading to Africa. A semi-close second would be my Summer of '98 trip in between my Peace Corps Kazakhstan teaching years. Might do a blog post on that too, just to have it on the web before my memory fades!  :)

Vuko Jovovich - My school, the students, etc.

The school where I am teaching (Vuko Jovovich) is a 1-9 Primary School serving all of Danilovgrad and the surrounding villages (although the villages have a 1-5 school and send the kids 'into town' starting with 6th grade). There are so many students - more than 1,000 - that they have to have two shiffs. The first is from 8am - 1:10pm and is for 6th - 9th graders, while the second shift is from 1:30pm - 5:50pm and is for 1st - 5th graders.

Right now, I'm co-teaching with my counterpart's classes, which includes three 2nd grade classes that meet twice a week, one sixth grade class that meets 3x a week and three 8th grade classes that meet 3x a week.. The kids have about 12-14 subjects as few classes/subjects meet every day of the week. They all take Montenegrin, of course, English and then 1-2 other languages (Italian, Russian, German, etc.), some type of math class (and sometimes 2 kinds at higher grades), some type of science, History, P.E., Music, Geography, Computers, Art, and some others I'm probably forgetting.  Classes are 45 mintues with a 5 minute break in between, except for a 20 min. recess in the morning and  afternoon. There's no lunch since the first shift goes home for it, and the second has it before they arrive. They do have a "canteen" at the school and kids buy or bring snacks for the recess.

The 2nd graders are adorable, but not my speed, so Radmilla (my counterpart) takes lead in those classes and I'll do the occasional fun review activity. I take lead on the 6th and 8th grade classes except when she needs to give grammar explanations in Montenegrin. The kids are pretty typical/similar to American kids, although the younger ones are definitely more respectful and well behaved - and like everywhere it seems, the 8th graders (esp. the boys) are generally a nightmare. I'm shocked at how many kids just run their mouth during class/don't pay attention. Starting in March, I'll be teaching mostly 9th graders, so we'll see how that goes,

The male-female raito is really screwed.  Out of the 176 students I see, 101 are boys and 75 are girls. It's still a pretty sexist society and boys are preferred just like they are in many other societies - apparently to the point that parents will abort female festuses. With seixsm comes homophobia, and one of the 8th grade boys asked me my first day if I supported LGBT people. I said, "Of course, they're people, too." To which he replied, "No, they are all going to hell." I assured him they were not, he tried to argue with me, but luckily the bell rang. For what it's worth, many other kids in his class - particularly the girls - rolled their eyes at his proselytizing, so he may be known as a bit of a religious zealot. As most of you probably know, religion is still a big deal in the Balkans - esp. when it comes to Orthodox vs. Muslim. A legacy of their history, the Turks, the Romans, etc.

There are, of course, virtually no fat kids. Certainly no obese ones. I can think of maybe 2-3 big or somewhat "chubby" kids out of the 176 I have, and I never see any outside of my class, in the halls, on the grounds, etc.  There is no fast food culture here, needless to say (there are two Burger Kings in the whole country and no McD's, no KFC, etc.). 

When I went next door to the high school last week to meet the teachers and students there, and pitch secondary projects like an English Club, Speech & Debate, Drama Club, etc., I spent a little time in 3 different classes for a meet & greet and for them to ask me questions about America. In every class, I got the, "Is it true most kids in America are fat?" and ""Is it true Americans know nothing about Geography?" questions. I sadly confirmed both. Of course they also asked what I thought of Montenegro, if I liked it, etc. And luckily I was able to say it reminds me a lot of Northern California in its weather (except too much rain), topography, fruits and wines, diet, etc. 

The high school has 4 years, so kids actually go through 13 grades here - altho probably not quite as many kids go on to high school here as in America. A small number stop after primary school and go to a trade school, go ahead and work and/or help on the family farm, etc. So it was a bit weird to see some grown ass looking "kids" in the 4th year class that are probably 18-19 years old.  And TALL.  If I haven't mentioned it before, Montenegrins are the second tallest folks in all of Europe - just a hair shorter than the Danes. The AVERAGE adult male is just over 6 feet. AVERAGE. (Aieeeee, Godzilla!)

Next time: The teachers go on strike! Or not. 

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

Welcome to Danilovgrad!

On the whole, I feel I got lucky with my site placement. Although a small town (approx. 7K people), Danilovgrad is situated on the highway between Montenegro's two largest cities, Podgorica (the capital) and Niksic (famous for beer), almost exactly halfway, and about a 30 min. ride to either. A few "fun" facts:

• It was built to be the capital by King Nikolai and is named after his predecessor, Prince Danilo. But when Podgorica and Niksic were returned to the kingdom after the conference of Berlin, those plans fell by the wayside.
• The highest temperature ever recorded in Montenegro was in Danilovgrad on August 8, 2012 when it hit nearly 113 degrees. I've already been told multiple times by multiple folks that Danilovgrad in the summer is the hottest place in the country. "Yay."
• On 24 March 1999, the Milovan Šaranović barracks in Danilovgrad were bombed by NATO aircraft, killing a soldier named Saša Stojić. He was the first victim of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
• During that terrible time of the Yugoslav wars, a pogrom on April 14-15, 1995 drove out the Romani population of the town. Click HERE for more on this awful story.

Above is a plaza at the end of their main shopping street. I've walked the whole town as it's not very big, but I am VERY well situated as the host family I live with has an apt. in a building that is lterally right behind the school--and on the other side of their building is the Danilovgrad bus station. Across the street is the community health center, and I am in between their two major grocey stores - Voli and HDL - with each maybe a 10 min walk in opposite directions. If you were in either of these large grocery stores, you would never know you weren't in America.

My host family is awesome. Mom (Snezana) and dad (Dragan) are in their late 40s, both with sort of vague IT-related jobs. Snezana works from home 3 days a week. They have 10-year-old twins, Dmitri and Sofia, whose pic I shared on Facebook, and an adult son in his late 20s that splits his time between an apt. in Podgorica where he works, and their weekend home which is just on the outskirts of town. Lots of folks who live in cities also have a weekend home on the outskirts or further. I've been to their weekend home, it' very warm and cozy - esp. compared to their mordern and very spartan/very clean apartment here in town that looks like something out of an Ikea catalog or a Scandinavian Home magazine. 

The weekend home has multiple fruit trees, a small vegetable/herb garden, and a couple dozen chickens for eggs and meat. That weekend home actually has a small urinal in the bathroom - specifically put in by them at Snezana's suggestion! lol As mentioned, they are VERY clean. Probably the most obsessive folks I've been around in terms of keeping their home(s) clean. I'm also lucky in that Snezana is a good cook, makes a large variety of dishes, healthy, and with meat being served MAYBE half the time at lunch or dinner.  Yay! 

I'm also surrounded by mountains with awesome views from my balcony out the back of the building, and then more mountains on the other side of the building looking out towards the school. Being surrounded in a valley is part of what leads to the heat trap hot summer. And it also means virtually no snow in the winter, which is kind of a bummer.  We're also on the River Zeta (pic below) which I'm thinking will look very nice in the spring/summer when the trees are in bloom:

Next time: my school/the kids, my counterpart, and fun anecdotes from my time here so far!

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

Curve Ball on My Second Day of School!

 So my counterpart (Radmilla) calls me about an hour before I'm due at school last Tuesday - the second day of the term - and tells me an emergency has come up with her brother and she needs to go to Podgorica for him. She apologetically asks if it would be okay for me to do her classes.  I am not excited.  Partly because it's her most difficult day - five classes, three of them second graders. One 6th. One 8th. And the 8th is a group I have not even met. I was due to only "lead" the 6th grade class as I had already observed/met them. And then for the 2nd graders, I was to do one fun activity while she taught most of the class.

As mentioned, I was NOT excited. But Radmilla was pitiful enough, suggested the classes could be cancelled in case no other English teachers had a free period to cover them and if I didn't want to do it, etc., so of course what was I going to say as a new PC volunteer?  Then, before she hung up, she mentioned this 8th grade class I had not yet met was, of course - of course - her most diffcult in terms of behavior, with wild boys who wouldn't sit still, wouldn't stop talking, etc.  Sigh. Here's the school, by the way--pretty basic/boring:

Of course that 8th grade class was first up. And yeah, it went about as well as you'd think, considering the above. They all lost their minds to be alone with the American who they had not yet met, and couldn't stop interrupting the "lesson" to ask questions about me, about America, etc. I promised them if they could quickly get through the bulk of the required vocab/grammar, I'd be happy to chat with them at the end. And that worked for about 5 minutes.  It wasn't until I suggested sending 2-3 of the worse offenders (boys - it's almost always boys) to "visit" the Director (principal) that things calmed down to a mild chaos, and even then very little of substance was learned.

Luckily, the 6th grade class was next, and while they were a little antsy, too, with regular teacher gone, at least the behavior was decent and we had a good class.  This one may end up being my favorite class.  Apparently, all these kids are from small nearby villages.

The day ended with 3 straight classes of 2nd graders. Of course they are adorable--and generally well-behaved. Certainly more so than the 8th graders.  But they're also like 7 years old, so there was a lot of distraction, movement, etc. And I had NOTHING prepared since I didn't think I'd be teaching them, so I spent most of the lesson reviewing what they had learned during the last term: numbers, colors, animals, and toys.  Then tried to play Simon Says while introducing parts of the body.  

Again, good kids, pretty well behaved, but exhausting to entertain and I was definitely feeling it by the end of the day.  Peace Corps wants us to teach around 15 classes per week, with 3 more hours allotted for planning/grading (ha, more like 5 is needed) and then 3-5 more hours for extracurricular stuff (e.g., Drama club, English club, etc.).  Unfortunately, Radmilla's schedule includes 18 lessons: 9 for the three 8th grade classes, 3x a week each, the 6th grade class three times, and then the three 2nd grade classes, twice a week. I would love to not have the second graders, but that leaves me with 12 hours, so we're still trying to figure stuff out.

After a month or so, they want me to switch to Teacher Linka, who has all the 9th grade classes, so my schedule will change; and then afer a couple of months with them, they want to pass me around like a show pig so the other English teachers/grades/kids get to...I dunno...."experience" the American?  Not too thrilled about it, but I did get here halfway through the year.  I'm hoping/assuming/planning to "ask" to have a set schedule for the next school year so I'll have the same kids all year - if I could pick, only 5th, 6th, 7th, and/or 9th grades.  We'll see.  Pray for me.

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

The Holiday Season in Montenegro

As I'm such a nomad, I have spent my fair share of Christmases "alone" - but this one was a bit harder than most as I'm still missing my little monster something fierce, and I had JUST arrived at my "permanent" site 5 days before.  Plus, they don't celebrate Christmas until January 7th (Orthodox), so Christmas Day itself was definitely a bore.  The twins DID play "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on their piano, so that was nice, but definitely one of my most "disappointing" Christmas DAYS itself.

ANYWAY, there were some still some festivities I was able to engage in.  There was a school holiday concert on the 29th to also mark end of term. As I shared already, the twins played piano, and there were multiple groups/grades who did traditional Montenegrin dance in costume, various other sketches and musical pieces - including a festive one of 10-12 year old girls, all dressed in white with tiaras doing a dance along to Mariah's "All I Want for Christmas" (suck it, haters!).

Of course by the time I arrived for this concert, the Cultural Center was packed, so I stood in a doorway - which was fine with me, as more air, but I was spotted by one of the teachers from my school and she insisted I come sit in the front row with the school Director and other local "dignitaries."  Such is the life of the American celebrity in town. Ha!

The day after that, there was a small, semi-impromptu gathering in the apartment building courtyard where, again, the twins played piano, in addition to some other kids playing, in appreciation for this generous dude in the building who bought Christmas gifts for every child in the building!  I would say there was about 20-25 gifts in all.  So pretty cool.  Also got to meet a fair number of neighbors, who seemed too shy to chat up the American - to my host mom's distress.

On New Year's Eve, I was out with the host family at their weekend house which is where/when we did Secret Santa (New Year's is almost equal in importance to the locals as Christmas). I had drawn Dmitri and was hoping to find some Harry Potter related thing but no luck for our given price range (no more than around 10 euro).  They had a nice copy of "The Little Prince" so I snagged that - only to get home and discover they already had it! PLUS, what I thought was wrapping paper for just under 3 euro turned out to be a poster of the night sky/constellations that was just under THIRTY euro and I was too dumb to notice until leaving the store, then felt too embarrassed to try and go back and communicate it with my crap Montenegrin, so I kept the receipt and decided I'd have a "fun" dumb foreigner story for Secret Santa and I could tell him if he REALLY liked the poster, he could keep it, or return both to get a nice Harry Potter encyclopedia which was about the same cost as the poster!  Duh!

WELL, it turns out Dmitri is an astronomy buff, and the twins were psyched to have the poster to put up in their room (fun fact, the twins were born under the sign of....wait for it, Gemini/the twins).  AND he also wanted the copy of "The Little Prince" just for himself (as opposed to the older, smaller, family copy).  So it all worked out for the best even though I spent WAY more than I should have.  But then THAT part is totally normal Christmas for me!  LOL

And of course I did go check out the TINY Christmas market they had in the town square - 6-8 little traditional brown cottages, most all serving drinks.  There was a small stage, as well, where singers performed and even a small carnival ride and grab games for the kiddos.  Small town life in Montenegro! Here is a pic of the lights/market - I really need to get my google fi fixed, as this local phone/camera I bought is crap.  

Finally, have I mentioned how much they LOVE fireworks here?  There were quite a few set off around town for New Yea'rs Eve, of course, and then there were more the evening of New Yea'rs Day.  And THEN they had to have some on Christmas Eve. And THEN of course on Christmas Day/evening, as well.  Then even a few the day after that just coz!  :)

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.

Cultural Differences - Where Montenegro Gets it Right (and not so right)

Okay, now that I've been here about 3 months (3 months??? seems like longer), here's a few differences that the U.S. could stand to emulate, along with a few that make me miss "home:"

* Hot water heaters: for the bath/shower, they have smaller water heaters in the bathroom that you only turn on about 20-30 minutes before you bathe and then turn off when you're done - cutting electricity costs and saving energy.  

* Sticking with the bathroom, a downside is that many places - older, more rural, still have outdated toilet plumbing and thus you can't flush paper. So they keep little covered wastebaskets next to the toilets for that. This is how it was EVERYWHERE while I was in Kazakhstan and I got so used to it that when I was med-evac'd to the states and staying at the PC hotel in DC, I did it the first couple of times there. Felt bad for the maid!  Luckily, where I am now is a more modern building so don't have to do that!

* Like most civilized places - and, luckily, I know this is increasing in the states - people remove their shoes upon entering the house (some even outside the door) and immediately put on house shoes. Another thing that happened in Kazakhstan and got me in the habit of doing it 25 years ago - reinforced in Hawai'i', where it is also the norm. I mean, honestly, who wants your nasty shoes tracking in whatever offal you've tromped through outside (shudder). 

* Even though tourism is the biggest industry here, there's a problem with littler in many areas - exacerbated by the fact that garbage removal is a little less "standardized."  Where I lived during training, there was basically just a small "dumping ground" where I waited on the van for school where folks would dump their bagged trash - which was often then torn open by all the roving dogs (there's a LOT of roving dogs and cats here). At my new place, there are dumpsters, but I have yet to see regular, door-to-door pick up of trash here.

* Blankets are all covered here in "blanket sheets." A bit awkward to put on, but thus allowing for easier cleaning. Basically a pillowcase for your blanket. Then, if you need more, you can put another uncovered blanket on top of the covered one so that it doesn't touch your filthy body!  :)

* Stores are closed on Sundays. And, in fact, they recently LEGISLATED this because they did allow them open on Sunday in the past, mandating that employers pay extra to staff on those days - but since (surprise, surprise) many emplloyers weren't doing that, the government just said, "Fine, you can no longer be open on Sundays at all.'"There are exceptions for hospitality industry stuff, and if there's only one grocey store in town they can ask for an exception, but that's it.  

* Like most civilized countries, health and education here are free - all the way through getting your Masters! Some health services DO cost (elective, some dental), and there are also private providers if you want to pay for "higher quality" and/or quicker access, but since life expectancy here is about the same as in the U.S., they're obviously not hurting.

* Finally, an "interesting" old school cultural note: Back in the old days (and, apparently, POSSIBLY still happening in isolated rural/mountain enclaves), when a wife was unfaithful to her husband, she would have to bake a large loaf of bread that she would then place on her head before her husband then whacked her on said bread/head with a huge mallet, killing her. Ah, if only Eve had known what she unleashed by eating that apple!

Disclaimer: Any thoughts, observations, opinions, etc. are of course mine and not necessarily the views of Peace Corps.