A Month Come and Gone!!

If you can believe it, I have officially lived in Sarajevo for a month. The transition has been smoother than I was expecting, no doubt due in part to all the support I've had at home and abroad. So, THANK YOU for all your prayers, support and encouragement!

In light of the one month anniversary, I'm resorting to my standard bullet points to help organize my thoughts and this post.

First off, some announcements: 

• WEEKLY POSTS? HAH!!! I'm taking the pressure off of myself to update this blog on consistent weekly basis. Depending on the week, here are my reasons:
• I have too many things to write about and can't pick one.
• I can't formulate even ONE clear thought or story to write on. 
• I don't have time to make a thoughtful post and want to make sure I only post well-thought and edited posts.

            I still plan to update it on a regular basis, but it will better without me feeling like I have to have it done at a specific time every week. I really enjoy using this as an outlet and communication device.

• CAMERA CASUALITY!  During a recent excursion through Bascarjia, my camera went for a dive that even my Kat-like reflexes couldn't prevent. BUT- I'm excited to let you know that Woodmen of the World Life Insurance had already decided to send me a GENEROUS care package of whatever I wanted. So..... guess what I'll be using it for?? :) In the meantime, I'll be taking advantage of the pictures I had taken previously and ones I find on the internet.

Without further ado... a month's worth of reflections and randomness!! 

• BAKERY AWESOMENESS!!!! It will be a feat in itself if I make through this year without gaining the "freshman 15." In a 5 minute walk, I can pick up a freshly baked loaf of bread from scratch for the equivalent of 60 cents. I'm sorry to say that my beloved Panera has nothin' on these bread-making fool's.

• SIMPLE PLEASURES ARE THE BEST!!! Here are the things I have been the MOST excited about in the last month: being given index cards (you can't find them here), finding a few ziplock baggies (also not found here), replacing rain-soaked jeans with comfy fleece pajama pants,  seeing my one of my nephews  (Nolan) walk for the first time through Skype, hearing a sermon all in English (thank you Lord for podcasts), and successfully navigating myself in taxi rides (this would include knowing when they try the LONG way). 

• THE MIS-USE OF THE WORD "NEED"! Okay, I'm not living in Africa or anything, but there are a few things that I don't have and would have felt lost without in the states: a dryer, PAM, a microwave, toaster, Walmart, instant mixes of anything, measuring cups in.. cups (not liters, grams, etc),  and a car. It really hasn't been that big of a deal, although I would love to find some of those measuring cups. :)

• FITTING IN? I know the chances of me getting to where I can fit in are slim (especially when I need to open my mouth), but I have found some clues to not get me stared at as a foreigner when walking on the street: wear dark colors, NO open toed shoes, walk slowly, and dress up. 

• TIRED!!! Apparently adjusting to a new culture is exhausting, even when you do a good job of resting. Your brain is constantly at work digesting the language and culture, not to mention the spiritual pressure of constantly being on guard amongst such a dry culture. I've been especially tired the last few days and have taken a few hours to "veg out" on episodes of 24 to give my brain a rest! 

• LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE!  I'm finding the ability to laugh at myself is one of my most important qualities here, especially amongst my various cooking mishaps and during my adventures out practicing my "Bonglish" (Bosnian-English).

• APPARENTLY I KNOW... UHH... NOTHING.  I've found this to be true on multiple levels: teaching English grammer to an advanced English language student (past present continuos? past perfect continues? Huh??), cooking (I've always depended on instant stuff and whatever was the fastest...), spending time with other various colleagues that live here, and trying to understand even a taste of what these people have gone through during their lifetimes. 

• ABOUT THAT LANGUAGE THING... It doesn't take a genius to learn a new language. It takes time, perseverance, patience, motivation, and practice (all of which I hope I have an increasing amount of in the next year and covet your prayers regarding...). Yes, some find it easier than others, some learn a lot quicker than others, and some are able to grasp it at a higher level than others who work just as hard, but what I previously thought as being crazy hard ends up just requiring a LOT of elbow grease and commitment. 

• WORLD AWARENESS. While living in the states, it can be very easy to ignore the needs of the rest of the world, even if you don't mean to. I wish more energy was spent on world news than just filling up time with random local stories and celebrity gossip. I have been shocked at how much more plugged into world affairs I am now without even trying to be.  I recently found a cnn website that is trying to help with this: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

• THE TRAGIC BEAUTY.  As I've been struck by the overlooked beauty of this culture (see previous post), my heart has also been increasingly burdened by the spiritual needs of this city. My prayer is that God would make known his GREAT desire to bring reconciliation and redemption through Jesus to all the people here, and that He would show me how He wants me to play a part in what He's already at work doing.  "For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting,and His faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100:5

In Closing....

• Just as I don't know what the future holds, I don't have any idea what direction this blog will go! I look forward to continuing to share my experiences with you all and LOVE hearing your feedback. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to hear my experiences on or impressions of, or really anything else. I can't thank you for all the support throughout this process!