Assorted Panoramas

Sanatkarlar Parkı, Cihangir, İstanbul

View of Galata from my apartment. İstanbul.

Boka Kotorska. Montenegro

Tarlabaşı Market, İstanbul. 

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. 

Selected Photos

(Preshevo Valley, Serbia)

(Montenegro)

Boka Kotorska

(Njegusi, Montenegro)

(Montenegro)

"Fuck Himalayas!"

Today we had our Montenegrin "wrap-up" session where we discussed everything that we've learned here. To summarize, basically we talked about the EU's involvement with "democratizing" Montenegro, specifically related to the corruption that is here. We also talked about the Montenegrin's unsure identity and how Montenegrins who identify as Serbians must be included politically. Finally, we talked about how there is no agreed-upon history here in terms of the conflicts in the 1990s and how steps must be taken to reveal the true histories.

What was special about this session was that we decided to do it in a mountain village called Njeguši where the founder of modern Montenegro was born. It was incredibly beautiful and located in a mountain plateau 40 km from the sweltering capital city of Podgorica. After our conversation we headed into Lovcen Natl park for what I can honestly say were the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. From the top of the mountain we were on, we could see all of Boka Kotorska, the Adriatic, Croatia, and even the feint outline of Italy. I took a panoramic shot, but my computer here isn't fast enough to assemble it. The view of both staggering mountains and sea was incredible. Our group leader\"Academic Director's" reaction to the sight was "Fuck Himalayas..." and I must say I agree with her.

Meeting Milo

So yesterday we met some Montenegrin students and I called one of them tonight to hang out with her and her friends. We went out to a cafe and chatted: it turns out her dad used to be in the Montegrin version of the CIA. . . She mentioned how Prime Minister Djukanovic (who we have been learning about in a rather negative light) likes to go out and dance to Turbofolk (chalga) music at night and we jokingly suggested that we should go find him. She didn't blink an eye and said sure. So we followed her around Podgorica to what seemed to be a very popular bar. Of course Milo Djukanovic wasn't there. . .

But she told us not to worry, he'd arrive in 30 minutes. And much to our amazment he did! Because her dad used to be in the Montenegrin intellegence service, she knew all Djukanovic's bodyguards and once he entered the bar she was able to convince them to let us meet him. They asked "They're American?" She replied yes.
"Do they have any weapons?" No.
"Ok, we'll trust you"

And so we negociated our way through a human wall of bulky Montegrin bodyguards to meet Djukanovic, wearing a fashinable tight black tee-shirt of course. We shook hands and took a photo, and that was that.

Podgorica House Rules

These rules were posted in my room here in the thriving(?) and certainly sweltering Montenegran capital of Podgorica. The hotel is pretty nice and comes complete with a kitten not bigger than a foot long.

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Appreciative guests have to behave according to house rules that are administered:

The guest gets the room according to the prominent hotel -tariff with the obligation of denouncment in the books with valid documents. The eventual deficiencies or damages in the room, as well as more valuable personal stuffs or higher amount of money the guest has to denounce or leave it on the reception desk. Suspicious guests and guests inclined to different kinds of excesses are not welcome.

The guest is given a bill for the services that are fulfilled, and the eventual praises or objections the guest enters into the book of impressions and reclamations or he informs proper Ministry through contact phone.

The stuff of the hotel is available to the guest for all his demands that are possible to fulfill. The current preservation of the object is done every day and in accordance to the valid Categorization Law and rules which are related to the category that the "Ambiente" hotel disposes of.

Perast: Montenegro

Nationalist quote of the day: "Speak Serbian so the world can understand you."

On the plane to Austria (for my connection) I happened to be sitting next to three Albanian Kosovars. I got friendly with one of them and he told me all about how America is the greatest country in the world and how if there's ever a problem it's ok because he owns an AK47 and ammo for it too. . . .

Greetings from Crna Gora! It's been a really busy few days and I didn't have internet access in Perast: the small town on Boka Kotorska where I was (near the Adriatic). We had the class orientation where we discussed the next 6 weeks. It looks like things will be really serious and incredibly busy, but I will come out of it having a truly full understanding of the most recent Balkan wars and the Roma rights situation. We watched all six episodes of the "Death of Yugoslavia" documentary which I recomend as a great introduction to everything. The craziest quote from it was Milosevic's reaction to Slovenia's secession from Yugoslavia during a heated meeting. He said "Those stingy Slovenians: they just left to check out of their hotel early and save a night's pay"

In Perast our classes were in the most amazing place: we did everything on a patio under a canopy of grapes with a view of the bay. The town smells amazing: obviously a bit like the sea but also kind of spicy. Our acedemic director, who is essentially the main professor, is incredibly knowlegable and I really respect here abilty to be serious in class but then at night hang out with us as a friend.