Dance, Dance, Dance!

Today's big event was to go to a traditional folk dance and singing concert put on by the World famous Lado folk ensemble.  It was held at the Vatroslava Lisinskog building.

They have these amazing looking lights hanging on the upper floor where we went to wait for them to open the house doors for seating.  It turns out that they are plastic rods cut at an angle on one end and then there are florescent lights inserted in between them, so that the rods bend and diffuse the light in a really pretty way.

 

This evening particularly featured dances from the eastern continental part of Croatia, where Marina's mom is from.  Wow, it was really cool!  The way they had the mics setup on stage I think we could have heard a pin drop.  The singing was really interesting and the way they had a chorus setup as part of the background representing the village watching the young people on the stage was an interesting take.  They did sing as part of the opening and closing numbers, though.

The first dance number sort of played out workers in the field cutting and harvesting wheat, then a celebration, then leaving with the harvest ast the end of the day, always accompanied by song.  I liked that one a lot.

Almost every new number had a different costume, I think to represent a different region of the East.  There was even one that Marina told me was a very traditional dress for a wedding.  This was the shortest and fullest skirt the women wore.

 

There was almost always a couple or several couples representing the elders or leaders of the villiage off to the side seaming to look on though occasionally participating in the dance.  The dancers both men and women almost aways had something metal on them that would make a cinking sound when they hopped or moved.  There was even a dance where women danced wih what looked like sabers with ong pretty ribbons in the red, white and blue stripes representing Croatia.

In between numbers the string "band" accompanying the dancers would come to center stage to perform on their own.  We heard two types of whistles that sounded either double-reeded or double piped.  Croatia even has a wind instrument very similar to a bagpipe, except that the bottom pipe is bell shaped like the pipe you smoke.

I had a really good time.  Out in the lobby they had honey apple sok (juice) and apple čips )chips) for sale.  Marina had never had apple chips before and asked if we could sample some.  They were the best ones I had ever had, much more flavorful than the ones I've had at home.  I think they have especially good apples here.

Well, due to the continuous applause and the encore that was done of the last dance, we got out at 2215.  It was an incredible opportunity to be able to take advantage of the fact that it just happened to be playing the week that I was staying here.  I am so lucky!

~ Fraise

Meet Marina

I would like to introduce you to one of my best friends.  Marina was born and raised here in Zagreb, but now lives in Salt Lake City, with her husband and two little girls.  She is a marvel.  She has very strong personality, and has her own way of doing things.

She is also very kind and some one I admire greatly.  I find it interesting that once I was given strong counsel to find friends that would help to strengthen me and help me to be my best and when we met, she had just been placed in my path.  I will be forever grateful.

I actually met her because I met Malik at an IT job I had doing french support for a Canadian company.  We became fast friends as she had few in the States, being relatively alone and new in the country.  Thanks to our friendship, I had been afforded opportunities and so many occasions to learn and grow.

I even have the opportunity to share the joy of her children and rich heritage.  I have been able to share unique experiences and have a valuable friend to bounce ideas off of when I need a brain to pick.

I feel that her honesty and her forthrightness are some of the qualities I admire most in her.  I am truly blessed to have such a friend!

I Stand All Amazed

It is amazing what a spiritual recharge just from going to church can do for you.  I don't often share anything about my spirituality here where anyone can see, usually because I feel that there is a time and place for it, but those that know me in real life understand how my personal faith is very much a part of who I am.

There is nothing to help one break away from bad and self indulgent thoughts, or self deprecating inner talk than to go somewhere that is just like going home, even if you don't understand a word that's being said.  I was a little apprehensive on the way to church today, about the language barrier, not to mention finding the new chapel location, when the internet didn't give a specific street number.  As soon as I walked up to the missionaries and then into the chapel door, even though, I only understood very little, everything felt right.  Thankfully many of the members speak English, and I was befriended by a delightful investigator that is going to be baptized this Saturday (who also served as my translator and ride home).  There were six missionaries there, four elders (young men) and two sister missionaries.  They were all so nice and helpful.  I felt right at home.  Almost as if I was on my own mission again.  (In fact I almost reverted back to my own mission slang a few times, but they wouldn't understand franglais = french + english).

I had a wonderful time.  They even had Croatian hymn books (apparently they are just printed for here, not sold at the LDS (Latter Day Saint or Mormon) distribution center in Salt Lake City).  I think that this week I will definitely have to work on reading aloud and sounding out so that I can keep up in singing next week at meetings.  I felt so welcome, and I enjoyed getting to know some of the young single adults and youth.  I was invitied to the activities this week as well as the baptism on Saturday.  How wonderful it is to be so far from home and truly feel like to are still with family, and included.   Both my wonderful hosts here in Marina's family and at church.  It is truly the best.  I can see clearer and I feel the warmth inside my heart that I have been needing.  

Marina said that I have coined my own unique phrase while staying here: super fino.  A euphemism that is in part an adaption from French slang using "super" to indicate a heightened or extended version of something and "fino" which is common Croatian slang for "good" or "fine" (usually indicating one's food).  I feel like that indicates my taste for life right at this moment....SUPER FINO!

~ Fraise

On A Side Note.....

I thought I would take some time to show you the wonderful people I am staying with.  Today, I would like to introduce you to the cutest little girls I know.  My nieces, Mirna and Gabby.

Mirna is the older daughter of Marina, and the more rambunctious goofball.  She's always full of energy and she loves her baka (grandma) and daddy very much.  She likes to color with me and we can spend up to about 30 straight at one time coloring and drawing together.  She looks the most like her dad and we suspect has her dad's personality too.

She is definitely not a morning person and we are lucky if we can get hr eat anything other than her herbal tea for breakfast.  In fact she has her own ideas about organized meal s times all together.  She will sometimes sneak things if one of us leaves sweets out and I've gotten her to eat, when she decides to mimic me on occasion.  We have a lot of fun going for walks and to the park and she loves the swings.  She's a little scared of dogs (in all varieties) but loves kats and frequently shouts out "mic-mic" (pronounced mitz-mitz which means kitty kitty) whenever she sees one.

Yasmina Gabriela or Gabby is our usually peaceful and contemplative girl.  She is Marina's younger daughter, and the most like Marina when she was little.  At a year and two months she is already walking (mostly holding your finger, but she has walked on her own) as well as mimiking words and sounds we make.

 Baka sings them a song when she swings an plays with them that starts out "we-we we-we....."  Both Mirna and Gabby are always saying "we-we, we-we."  It was so amazing for me to get here and to see her walking and hear her saying words.  When I saw her last she refused to learn how to crawl and would stand on your lap if you held her.  It's curious how fast babies grow and develop, I find it just astonishing.  She's usually pretty happy and she loves to be tickled.  If she's not being held, sleeping or in her high chair she's always got one adult by the finger dragging them around in the garden or the house.  It's a marvel.

Mountain Climbing Anyone?

Today I had the opportunity to go see the summer house that belongs to Marina's parents, located about 45 minutes outside of Zagreb.  It was something of a mystery.  We left Zagreb with a bright and sunny day outside and as soon as we got closer to the hills it turned foggy.  It burned away some during the day but came back as the temperatures dropped back down towards evening.  It was really fun.  Since Marina's brother Daniel needed to practice driving, the party consisted of myself, Marina's parents, and Daniel.  When we got there we discovered that there was some sort of issue with the shower pipes flooding the bathroom upstairs and so after I swept their porch and Daniel finished picking apples for his dad, we went for a walk and Daniel showed me the village.

We walked to the new swimming pool, an old mini-golf area (just cement no astro-turf folks) and soccer field in the adjoining park, then over to the old swimming pool where there is a hot springs.  Then back up the hill past the house to a look out point, then back down to the house.

He made sure to show me the group of slightly feral cats that like to congregate around and sometimes inside the dumpsters down the hill from their house.  When we got there he counted 7 cats, he said they get in through the top slot when the dumpsters are closed for the rain.

That was a work out for me, I realized how out of shape I am when we climbed the hill and I was tired and had to rest halfway and Daniel said he didn't even feel tired.  We had fun exchanging info on learning languages and my attempts to learn Croatian so far.   Then we all climbed into the car and went to eat lunch at a local restaurant where three of us had pork chops and I tried a bit of her dad's black sausage.  We all laughed when Marina's mom took the carrot and salad leaf garnish off of Zdenko's plate and offered them to Daniel.  Daniel who is more of a vegetarian most of the time said, "Finally some food!"

It was pleasant to drive back (I fell asleep, from my mountain hike I think) and come home to Mirna and Gabby, Marina's daughters (essentially they are my nieces).  Mirna and Teta Ana made apple streussel with philo dough and some of Zdenko's apples, that was super yummy.  I feel really blessed to be able to have such a fun and relaxing day.

~ Fraise

Svježe Mlijeko, Dobar Tek!

(Fresh milk, bon appetit!)  See, I sound Croatian already.  These are a few of the words I have learned over the last two days.  I am having a wonderful time trying to learn, retain and use everything I am being taught.  I'm sure I'm doing better than I perceive, but at least I'm really making an effort, and that's what counts.

Today we went to visit a small open market and a grocery store the size of an average regular Walmart, Konzum.  Apparently they have three sizes of this store, the regular which is the size of a large convenience store, the Super, and a Maxi which I assume is the size of Costco.  That was kind of fun.  Marina walked up and down the aisles with me explaining things about various products, foods and departments, meanwhile looking for good things to take home as souvenirs.  We even picked up some different small honeys at the open market for a souvenir. 

The market was fun though.  It made me think of one I went to regularly in Nîmes, France that was located in an almost garage-like space on the bottom floor of a shopping mall, and they had everything.  Marina says she wants to take me to a huge market that's downtown, as well as the large fish market they have here.  I was able to get some fun photos as well as try the Croatian version of a "pain au chocolat" (a french pastry using the same dough for a croissant but with a bar of dark chocolate wrapped in the middle before baking it).  The Croatian version was more like the chocolate was spread on the dough before it was rolled into the croissant shape and then a zig-zag of chocolate icing is drizzled along its length after it was baked.  It was pretty good.

After lunch Marina, her mom, I and her little girls went to the best park ever!!!!!  Called Maksimir, it was the estate of an Archbishop who eventually donated the park to the city ( I think at his death).  Any way It's like walking into the forest in the middle of the city.  It's their own version of Central Park.

They have a zoo, historical buildings (designed by a Swiss architect to look authentic), and 7 small lakes.  It was beautiful.  Since it was very wet today, the ground was muddy and spongy in places. I saw the biggest slug I've ever seen.  It was bright orange and about the size and roughly the shape of a 8 - 9" medium sized carrot.  Marina says that they are actually fairly common in forested places here.

It was so pleasant and peaceful there.  Marina told me that during the summer the inside of the park is at least 10° cooler and that it's the best park to ride a bicycle in.  I told her I would come back to Croatia just for the park.

Finally dinner arrived and we had the fish we bought this morning at the open market.  Eaten with potatoes, and a kind of green like giant spinach that you wilt and a bean and scallion side.  The fish were fried in an oven outside, both a large fresh water and tons of smaller sardine-sized fish that you bend and strip off of the bones.  Both very tasty with the potatoes and a little bit of olive garlic pesto.

I almost forgot, I had Prošut (prosciutto ham) and Kulen as my meats this morning with we also later tried with a mayo with herbs called Mediterranean, I think this was my favorite breakfast so far.  I also tried another soured milk/yogurt drink called Kefir which had even more of a buttermilk flavor than Kiseli.  Marina told me that kulen comes from eastern Croatia, where they eat spicier and heavier food than they do in Zagreb.

Well, I supose that about wraps it up here.  Laku noć, everyone.

~ Fraise