Zdravo!

I think I should give up hand sewing because needles are not friends with me. But I have long raggedy trouser hems and even longer non-raggedy ones that are impossible to wear. I don’t know if Italians are tall or I’m short – I need to lop off a good 6 inches at least before they begin to look respectable.

Anyway I don’t care if needles and hems aren’t my friends- I’m making plenty of people friends in Sarajevo, and managed to catch up with my dear giantess Šahida today. I’ve been here since Tuesday but only went about Baščaršija today for some cevapi (Sir Smiley will be wholly unimpressed by my managing only 5) and then cake and tea at the Book Club, which is a nice library/ cafe with fairly indie music (Portishead and such) in the background. Not grungy enough to be like a Northern Quarter dive but it was my kind of place.

I start classes next week- I feel like I’ve just been chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool in the staffroom all week so far and I’m ready to start earning my keep. I’m being overwhelmed by generosity on all sides not least by the House of Smiley who are planning a trip to the mountains on Sunday. I’m also scheduled for Mrs N’s Ladies’ Fitness class tomorrow, which comes not a moment too soon. By my second day here I was coasting along on the tram to school and back, and grocery shopping no problem. Of course it would be better if I could actually speak to people but until then I just smile :)

The school itself is incredible- I was awed the moment I stepped up the marble staircase. Most of the teachers are quite close to my age, roughly the 23-28 range, and came to work here soon after graduation. Many also have a wicked sense of style- one girl in particular has a tailor create her own designs and they are Amazing, seriously. One was a knitted dress of white laceweight kidsilk like stuff with black ribbon trim and looked so cool I told her I wished I could get the pattern, and she said I could ask her tailor. Then, later she put on her coat and I actually broke of my conversation with, I think, my supervisor, to turn and stare at its magnificence. It was a kind of heavy, velvety cherry red fabric (kind of like the texture of Mrs C’s turqoise sofa) with webs of silver streaking around. Definitely arresting, and her being roughly 10 feet tall certainly helped add to the effect.

Apart from the fashion though, the school is like the kind of visionary place that our Mrs Ross would love AGGS to be, but it's not because she is building a business image not a community. This place on the other hand really seems to invest in both their students and their teachers; it seems like one class or another is constantly involved in some kind of cultural excursion or competition- just this week one group of biology students came back from the World Water conference in Turkey, some others are going to Zagreb in a week or so, and there's talk of San Remo, Albania and all kinds. They have both a day school with the national curriculum and another full afternoon timetable of IGCSE and Cambridge certificate students. So it's challenging stuff but the students seem eager judging from the RS discussion class I took. I got them to pretend to be a trial of a Bible translator, with a priest who opposed him and the judge who decided the translator should be burned at the stake- the kid who started off talking said "I don't think it was right to burn me alive" so clearly William Tyndale's ghost was presenting the argument for his defense.

I met with the Director as well who was very kind and gracious to me, while I continually thanked and praised everyone. I really need to stop doing all this kowtowing appreciation though cause it’s getting tiresome I’m sure- but people keep being nice so what am I meant to do? Like for example the Director invited me to join their trip to Albania- I mean seriously that’s awesome, it not like a small thing... And Pops has okayed it already so whoop! Also a good example of delightful kindness is the fact that the Smileys remembered my love of cherry juice last winter and had the fridge ready stocked with the sweet sweet (well, sour sweet really) nectar.

The flat is in itself a new experience of luxury- especially, but not limited to, the luxury of solitude. There is also cable tv which means I'm watching many strange and intriguing things on National Geographic, as well as learning to cook from the man on Bosnian morning tv. The tv cooks all wear the poofy tall chefs hat which is nice. But then they always splash a ton of some mysterious sauce over everything which renders their cooking demos useless. Chefs, if you're going to use so much sauce please tell me what's in it! I bought Vegeta so I'm hoping that's it..

To go back a few days to my last night in Italy- Jumi khala did a typical Ammu-style stressing out to the max to cook me a magnificent leaving feast. Mmm it was lovely and I thank her. I invited Valeria to eat with us- the kids were all agog with curiosity, especially Yusuf who was amazed at the idea of her eating with her hand like the rest of us. He kept a critical eye on her bhat-management skills during dinner and rebuked her when she used her left hand at one point. My little Fievel Mousekevitzy Fatima took us (well guided us in hopeless circles really) to the Uncle’s bead store, where I stocked up on some treasures. Val broke my heart a little when she told me a movie was going to be shot nearby the day after I left and were hunting for Bengali extras.

That was part of my Italy dream, though not many people knew- to get to be a movie extra. If I had only picked a flight on Thursday instead of Tuesday... Like the way I forgot there was a Venice Carnival going on and I booked my flight to Italy for the day it finished. Anyway these are minor regrets and I’m sure my chance will come again :) And if all my choices in Life and Transport were wrong before, at least the one to come to Bosnia seems blessed to the nth degree.