A day without vision

From 9:00 to 4:30 I spent wearing a blind fold. Today in our school it was a kind of blind awarness day and the biggest challenge was to spend the whole day with out vision. I perticipated thinking it would be somthing fun and intresting to do. It wasn't very fun, not knowing where I was, bumping into people, asking for help to do the simplist tasks and sitting in class feeling helpless as the teacher kept refering to somthing written on the board.
But it made me realize what so many people with diabilities go through every day! And when I took of the bandna I felt so lucky that I could take it off, that I could see, hear, walk, speak. I have now an even more hightened respect for all the people who can not do these thing we take for granted everyday. I want to write more... but I hve to catch up on the homework I got behind on when I couldn't see. :P

Rafting on the Neretva

On sunday a group of us meet at the school at 8:00 to go on a rafting trip. Besides the fact that we where rafting and that meals where includid I had no idea what was going on. We waited for the van eating paistries from the bakery looking at the sky. Big grey clouds where rolling in and the bits of blue sky wher becomming less and less.
After a hour or so bus ride in winding narrow mountain roads we arrived in a beautiful tiny village on the side of the river. It was so nice to be in the country with green trees and bushes and little stone houses I felt like I was in a fairy tail. BUt the best part was that there was fuit growing on the trees and littering the ground around us; plums and apples and a red berry that tasted like beats that we latter drank the juice of. We walked a few minuets from where the van dropped us off to the house of the guide where we where outfitted in halarious wet suits, fed coffie and juice and instructed not to fall in love with the "skippers" that would be guiding each of the rafts.

On the drive up to where we started rafting it started to rain, and then pour, sheets of water where sliding off the van and we joked that we could just raft down the road. Thunder and lightning greeted us as we got out of the van and sprinted to a lodge where they fed us grilled fish, fanta and bread for lunch. I couldn't resist the plums outside just sitting there so Hilary and I had to go outside and pick a whole bunch share with everyine.


It was still pouring down rain when we got into the rafts and launched into the river. There where 5 to 6 of us in each raft with the sexy skipper in the back steering. In the clam areas we spashed the other rafts with more water and in the rapids we paddeled hard and held on tight with our feet. the trip was two hours long and we floated though amazing canyons that had underground rivers comming out of the sides of them, and beautiful vallys full of almost Dr. Suis looking vegetation. the pouring rain, and claps of thunder added to the adventure and the mist added another demention to the seanery.


when it was over a few of us went for a final swim (we just couldn't get enough of the water ) then we walked back up to the guids house and his wife had perpared a an amazing meal, thanksgiving stats, of traditional food. There where onions and bell peppers stuffed with gound meat, spinich burak pies, cooked vegtibles, rice, potatos, and chicken. we where also given a tast of rakija, a traditional drink that our host had made himself from the plums.
After we where stuffed full of food we where each given a bottle of syrup to make in to the juice that tasted like beats, and we got back on the bus and snuggled up fo the ride home :)

Simple Things

As I start to settle in to a routine and I no longer feel as though I am in a whirlwind of new faces, places and expectations I am able to find the simple things that make me better and bring them into my life: Tape to hang the pictures of home around my room, mountain roads to run on, an extension cord so I can plug in my computer and work on my desk, granola to eat with yogurt for breakfast instead of bakery foods. These things remind me of home and make me fell healthier and stronger and more like who I am. I never thought A roll of tape could do that, but it's amazing how proud you can be to buy a roll of tape when first you have to find a store that sells it, and then you ask for it in a forgein language and then you understand the amount the clerk asks for. And even more amazing how happy it makes you feel to be able to use it to put up pictures.
Running is also been a been a big part of my life in the last week. Getting away from the busy groups of people and doing something independent is one of my biggest motivations. After that is my ability to explore the streets. Mostar is a big enough city that at some points I wonder where exactly I am, but it is small enough that you can never actually get lost. the city is surrounded my small mountains on all sides, so if I just start running up into a neighborhood, soon I am able to look over the city. Looking down over the city gives me a sense of accomplishment and independence.
It is the simple things that are making the life here...my life.

Photos!!!

Here are pictures of My trip to Dubrovnik. The one of the bridge is actually in Mostar it is a very famous, beautiful and old bridge :)... Uploading pictures finaly worked! enjoy.

Trip to Croatia

This last week we had Thursday and Friday off because of Bajram the Muslim Holiday. And so we took advantage of the opportunity and traveled to Dubrovnik a city on the coast of Croatia about 3 hours away from Mostar. The trip was amazing, wandering the old city built over 1400 years ago, swimming in the Adriatic sea, spending time getting to know the kids I will go to school with the next two years of my life. Of course, being my first independent vacation it was a little stressful and there where some opportunities to learn from, but over all it was an incredible trip. When I returned to Mostar and my residence, that sometimes seems stinky, dirty, crowded or even lonely, I felt at home and I realized I had missed the city and living space that only weeks ago had been so foreign to me.
p.s. pictures to come... me and technology are fighting, I am losing

Today was the first day of classes but because of my Schedule I only took two classes, and two hours of each. the schedule here is very complicated. I take 6 different classes, three of them, (the higher level) five hours per week and three (Standerd level) three hours a week. Only every two weeks dose the schedule repeat. right now it is very confusing but I'm sure soon I will figure it out and it will be the least of my worries.
For my birthday today I celebrated by baking Chocolate chip cookies with my second year, Hilary from Oregon. Finding the ingredients and substituting everything and not having the correct mesuing utensils or cooking sheets added a challenge but also more fun. Nobody here had had home made chocolate chip cookies before so it was fun to share that amazing pleasure of life :).
Here are some pictures of a field trip type thing we took to Kravica. Swimming in the waterfalls was an amazing experience I can hardly describe. I felt as though I was drowning as I swam underneath the pummeling water, but coming out on the other side and watching the water fall though the sunny misty air put me in a fairytale word, and made me forget all things hard or painful. I hope you all enjoy the photos. <3