Hard to believe we are coming to the end of this journey through Europe. This is the bittersweet part of the trip where I am looking forward to going home and sad to leave this experience and the thirteen amazing fellows who have been my travel companions over the last three weeks.
Bucharest is a big city that I compare to NYC. Romania was under communist rule until the late 90s and you see this in the architecture of Bucharest. Next to elaborate, detailed stone buildings stands the tall, grey buildings that have no distinguishing features. Walking through the streets, we could have been in any large city In America. Around our hotel there were many high end clothing stores, but no parking anywhere and very few customers. I lost my only lip gloss in the Sarajevo airport, and lucky for me there was a Sephora around the corner. As for the overall traffic, it was a mess with people parking all over the streets and the middle of intersections with no rhyme or reason that I could see.
We had the opportunity to meet with Valeriu Turca, the President’s State Councilor on Communication and PR, as well as Roberta Anastase, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputy. Both buildings were beautiful. The Parliament building is one of the largest buildings in the world next to the Pentagon and we were told several times that this building can be seen from outer space. During our tour, we stopped at the balcony where Michael Jackson addressed the crowd and said how much he loved being in Budapest – needless to say, that did not go over very well, but according to our guide, he was not alone and many famous people mix up Bucharest and Budapest.
Our most interesting meeting was with a group of NGO leaders where I had the pleasure of talking to Tincuta Baltag from the Dinu Patriciu Foundation. This foundation focuses on education in rural areas funding scholarships for secondary and post secondary education for students and teachers. We shared stories about children and education in our respective countries, which brought to light that children issues are the same everywhere. Access to quality education and higher education is a challenge, especially for children living in rural areas. At this same dinner we met Leslie Hawke, mother of Ethan Hawke, who has lived in Romania for 10 years working with Roma children.
As for Romanian cuisine, they love meat of all kinds – my stomach rebelled after the first night and for most of the trip I was living off of Rolaids, sprite, saltines and the Lara Bars I brought from home. I did partake in the hot chocolate that was literally melted dark chocolate with a hint of mint – for an oddball girl who is not the biggest fan of chocolate; this was very thick and very yummy.
I am not sure I will ever venture to this area of the world again, but glad to have this experience now.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Sarajevo
This posting is a bit delayed due to technical difficulties, but still an experience worth talking about. So we last left off in Rome, where the weather was not very cooperative, but the food was delicious. From there I left and entered Eastern Europe with a stop in Sarajevo.
Riding in the van from the Sarajevo airport to the hotel, a bit of worry begin to creep into my thoughts about the 4 days that were ahead , remnants of war were ever present with bullet holes spattered on building after building and some completely destroyed with very little walls remaining. Many of the apartments were tall, grey and worn with a layer of graffiti at the bottom. As we journeyed closer into town a beautiful village like atmosphere began to emerge with Austrian architecture. On either side of the river running through the center of the city were mountains dotted with houses. It was hard to believe these were the same hills where neighbors turned on neighbors during the war and those who dared to come out of their house to forage for food were truly putting their lives at risk.
Our gracious hosts, Sevko Bajic and Edisa Kuljuh from Civil Society Promotion Center (CSPC) have gone out of their way to make this a great experience and help us all understand the conflicts of the past and present, but also the beauty of their country and the people. Our trip started with a day excursion to Visoko where we visited what they called Pyramids, but were more man-made tunnels throughout the mountains. There is currently not enough money to excavate the sites, so there is much more to learn and uncover, but note that climbing up the mountains in the midst of melting snow results in mud-caked shoes!
In the evening, the city turns into a very happening place. Music with English lyrics blasts from the bars while the Fashion Network with the latest runway shows flashes on the big screens. As we walk, we see signs of bomb blasts in the streets and walk past a beautiful memorial to the 1,600 children killed in the war- most by Serbian snipers who sat on the hills surrounding the city and shot into the streets below. The street lights reflect off the memorial so beautifully and as you step closer, you see hand and foot prints in the cement of the base – the realities of a politically contrived war are even harder to understand when children are the casualty.
We spent our Sunday traveling to Mostar. We hiked up the rocky terrain of the Medugorje mountain where it is believed three young boys were told of the war by Mary herself. None of the three boys became prophets or community leaders, but all are said to have very nice houses and cars – funny how that works I did feel like a miracle occurred when I made it up the mountain and back down safely in a pair of loafers, so maybe there is something to the hype. We had a gorgeous day to experience the beauty of Mostar which the pictures are worth more than any expressions I create.
I had the opportunity to meet with Jan Zlatan Kulenovic from the Youth Information Agency-and NGO created by George Sorros and Professor Lamija Tanovic from the University of Sarajevo. These conversations gave me both sides of the impacts to the younger generation in a city that continues to be divided and is recovering from a brutal past. The Youth Information Agency engages youth to be a part of the solution and encourages them to participate in civil society. They reward students throughout the country who work together and bring innovative ideas to life. The challenge is convincing the millennium generation to care. According to Professor Tanovic, the younger generation has been impacted by the war through the gap of education. Yugoslavia schooling was centralized with the same history and language, now everything is separate and history is spun to meet the needs of the different sects. In the war, schools were targeted and children were killed. The war children are now in their early 20s and are missing basic concepts from the lack of their primary schooling. Overall this population is disoriented, frustrated and don’t believe positive change can happen. The NGO sector is leading this country in addressing issues and is a positive force. I was glad to have seen both sides of the issue and know that there are organizations and individuals working to be a part of the change needed.
Our political meetings consisted of the Parliament and the International Criminal Court. Most interesting here was our meeting with Judge Phil Weiner from Boston, MA, talking to us about his work to apply international law and develop a court system to determine the standards and criteria when dealing with cases that have not been judged before.
I came to Bosnia and Herzegovina with trepidation and left with an understanding of the country’s beauty, underlying sadness and desire for peace. The optimism of the people has made this part of my journey an enlightening and wonderful surprise – I will miss this place.
Riding in the van from the Sarajevo airport to the hotel, a bit of worry begin to creep into my thoughts about the 4 days that were ahead , remnants of war were ever present with bullet holes spattered on building after building and some completely destroyed with very little walls remaining. Many of the apartments were tall, grey and worn with a layer of graffiti at the bottom. As we journeyed closer into town a beautiful village like atmosphere began to emerge with Austrian architecture. On either side of the river running through the center of the city were mountains dotted with houses. It was hard to believe these were the same hills where neighbors turned on neighbors during the war and those who dared to come out of their house to forage for food were truly putting their lives at risk.
Our gracious hosts, Sevko Bajic and Edisa Kuljuh from Civil Society Promotion Center (CSPC) have gone out of their way to make this a great experience and help us all understand the conflicts of the past and present, but also the beauty of their country and the people. Our trip started with a day excursion to Visoko where we visited what they called Pyramids, but were more man-made tunnels throughout the mountains. There is currently not enough money to excavate the sites, so there is much more to learn and uncover, but note that climbing up the mountains in the midst of melting snow results in mud-caked shoes!
In the evening, the city turns into a very happening place. Music with English lyrics blasts from the bars while the Fashion Network with the latest runway shows flashes on the big screens. As we walk, we see signs of bomb blasts in the streets and walk past a beautiful memorial to the 1,600 children killed in the war- most by Serbian snipers who sat on the hills surrounding the city and shot into the streets below. The street lights reflect off the memorial so beautifully and as you step closer, you see hand and foot prints in the cement of the base – the realities of a politically contrived war are even harder to understand when children are the casualty.
We spent our Sunday traveling to Mostar. We hiked up the rocky terrain of the Medugorje mountain where it is believed three young boys were told of the war by Mary herself. None of the three boys became prophets or community leaders, but all are said to have very nice houses and cars – funny how that works I did feel like a miracle occurred when I made it up the mountain and back down safely in a pair of loafers, so maybe there is something to the hype. We had a gorgeous day to experience the beauty of Mostar which the pictures are worth more than any expressions I create.
I had the opportunity to meet with Jan Zlatan Kulenovic from the Youth Information Agency-and NGO created by George Sorros and Professor Lamija Tanovic from the University of Sarajevo. These conversations gave me both sides of the impacts to the younger generation in a city that continues to be divided and is recovering from a brutal past. The Youth Information Agency engages youth to be a part of the solution and encourages them to participate in civil society. They reward students throughout the country who work together and bring innovative ideas to life. The challenge is convincing the millennium generation to care. According to Professor Tanovic, the younger generation has been impacted by the war through the gap of education. Yugoslavia schooling was centralized with the same history and language, now everything is separate and history is spun to meet the needs of the different sects. In the war, schools were targeted and children were killed. The war children are now in their early 20s and are missing basic concepts from the lack of their primary schooling. Overall this population is disoriented, frustrated and don’t believe positive change can happen. The NGO sector is leading this country in addressing issues and is a positive force. I was glad to have seen both sides of the issue and know that there are organizations and individuals working to be a part of the change needed.
Our political meetings consisted of the Parliament and the International Criminal Court. Most interesting here was our meeting with Judge Phil Weiner from Boston, MA, talking to us about his work to apply international law and develop a court system to determine the standards and criteria when dealing with cases that have not been judged before.
I came to Bosnia and Herzegovina with trepidation and left with an understanding of the country’s beauty, underlying sadness and desire for peace. The optimism of the people has made this part of my journey an enlightening and wonderful surprise – I will miss this place.
Our team in the "Pyramids"
The Girls Rule (Kristy, Amy Gardner, Natalie Vestin)
Drive to Mostar
Bosnia Countryside
On top of the world! (From left: Natalie Vestin, Amy Gardner, Edisa Kuljuh, Kristy, Jason Tama and Blaine Griffin)
Coming down the mountain - did you know your shoes feel like 10 lb weights when the mud begins to accumulate?
Physics PhD we met along the way and told us we were climbing up the mountain in the wrong season!
Along our day trip route
Memorial to the Children killed in the war
Closer look at the hand and foot prints around the Children's Memorial
Lunch (sausage type links with a homemade cream and pita bread - of course, the complimentary drink to a high calorie dish is a Coke Light!)
Snack - homemade cream in fresh made pita - yummy
(Jason Tama and Amy Gardner)
Catholic church in Sarajevo
The dividing water - Sarajevo at night
Medugorje - you thought I was kidding about the rocky terrain - and in loafers!
War torn building in Mostar
Sarajevo gang in Mostar
Mostar
Mostar bridge at night
Kristy in her Parliment debut
Bombed out buildings
Parliment
Local Park
Center of Sarajevo
Friday, March 12, 2010
ROMA!
Rome was a whirlwind with way too much to see and not enough time to see all this city has to offer. Don't let some of the pictures fool you, there were no good hair days with only a few patches of sunshine and spending time tending to war wounds from the Battle of the Off the Street Roman Umbrella- where the Roman Wind Gods quickly turned the cute water deflection devices into weapons of self destruction within five minutes after purchasing.....silly humans trying to keep some form of a hairdo - When in Rome....
If I have to come completely clean, the best part of Rome was the food....we had the best pizza, pasta and GELATO I have ever tasted, and if you know me, you know that I consider pizza a food group and myself a connoisseur of sorts! In the four days we were there, my waistline definitely increased, but it was so worth it! One of the best dinners was our farewell at the home of Giuseppe Battaglia and his wife (MMF 2007). Co-hosted by Carlo Papa (MMF 2002) and Mattia Cavanna (MMF 2008), the spread of quiche, roasted artichokes, Sicily Cheese and lemon marmalade (my new favorite), salami, pesto pasta, tomato meat sauce pasta and Tiramisu was all absolutely amazing...and yes, I tried everything!
Highlights of the fellowship included a guided tour of the Quirinal Palace, built in 1583 and the summer home to Pope Gregory XIII, then Nepolian, King Victor Emmanuel III and now the residence of the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.
From the cultural perspective, we visited Merlini and Storti Restoration Studios who restored the Caravaggio paintings then toured the exhibit at the Scuderie Del Quirale museum where his most representative works are included.
From the business perspective we met with Economists and MMF Alums, Antonio Bassanetti (2004) and Roberto Torrini (2003) from the Bank of Italy. Italy has experienced two consecutive years of negative growth. Unemployment rose and retail sales and manufacturing declined. Italy also has a large aging population and they currently have a weak state of public finances.
Another interesting visit was with the Italian Department of Civil Protection where we met with Agostino Miozzo, Director General of International Relations and Voluntary Service Officer. The best comparison for the US is their version of FEMA. We were at the operation headquarters and had an interesting talk and tour about their disaster relief protocol and process.
But enough chatter, on to a few pictures of this leg of the trip….
Our Group at the Palace: (from left to right) Tour Guide, Stacey Ackerman, Jason Tamam, Anton Seals, Kristy Teskey and Shannan Hicks
If I have to come completely clean, the best part of Rome was the food....we had the best pizza, pasta and GELATO I have ever tasted, and if you know me, you know that I consider pizza a food group and myself a connoisseur of sorts! In the four days we were there, my waistline definitely increased, but it was so worth it! One of the best dinners was our farewell at the home of Giuseppe Battaglia and his wife (MMF 2007). Co-hosted by Carlo Papa (MMF 2002) and Mattia Cavanna (MMF 2008), the spread of quiche, roasted artichokes, Sicily Cheese and lemon marmalade (my new favorite), salami, pesto pasta, tomato meat sauce pasta and Tiramisu was all absolutely amazing...and yes, I tried everything!
Highlights of the fellowship included a guided tour of the Quirinal Palace, built in 1583 and the summer home to Pope Gregory XIII, then Nepolian, King Victor Emmanuel III and now the residence of the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.
From the cultural perspective, we visited Merlini and Storti Restoration Studios who restored the Caravaggio paintings then toured the exhibit at the Scuderie Del Quirale museum where his most representative works are included.
From the business perspective we met with Economists and MMF Alums, Antonio Bassanetti (2004) and Roberto Torrini (2003) from the Bank of Italy. Italy has experienced two consecutive years of negative growth. Unemployment rose and retail sales and manufacturing declined. Italy also has a large aging population and they currently have a weak state of public finances.
Another interesting visit was with the Italian Department of Civil Protection where we met with Agostino Miozzo, Director General of International Relations and Voluntary Service Officer. The best comparison for the US is their version of FEMA. We were at the operation headquarters and had an interesting talk and tour about their disaster relief protocol and process.
But enough chatter, on to a few pictures of this leg of the trip….
Our Group at the Palace: (from left to right) Tour Guide, Stacey Ackerman, Jason Tamam, Anton Seals, Kristy Teskey and Shannan Hicks
The Palace walls and ceilings
Staircase
Where the Pope addressed the people
Papal Store
Colosseum
Rome at Dusk
Trevi Fountain
Trevi at Night
Pantheon
A few pics from Amsterdam
Amsterdam upon arrival
Be wary of the Amsterdam bicyclists - they are not playing around!
Amsterdam Flower Market
Amsterdam at dusk
Amsterdam Sights
Amsterdam side street
Red Light District
Amy Gardner, Kristy Teskey, George Walker, Shannan Hicks
Modern Holland Windmills
Hanging out at the Farm with Host Family
Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore!
But, you can click your clogs three times to get back home...
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