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I've been in Zagreb a couple days now. It's pretty quiet. I remember more Croatian than I thought, but I still don't know enough vocab and that's frustrating. My MIL and I are getting on pretty well. I'm understanding more of her stories, but I wish I could get everything. She's gained some weight (something that really bothers her and she keeps mentioning) and has some leg and hip pain that makes it harder for her to get around. She's in her 70s I forget she's so much older than my mother. I'm trying to help more (usually I'm here with Denis and I mostly stay out of the way). Today I ran down to the store for potatoes (in kg which was interesting, I learned that 1.5 kg seems to equal 8 med. potatoes), then I offered to do the dishes but that was told that that was too complicated for me and could I peel the potatoes? Sure, but I guess our oxo peeler has spoiled me because I don't know the right way to peel potatoes and had to be given a lesson :)
I've also been hanging out with my 11 year old niece Slavica (pronounced Slav-izta). Her sisters are still at the seaside and her brother is 16 and never leaves the computer so I haven't seen him yet. She's very nice and we keep wanting to chat, but it's hard because I have to keep asking her to slow down and I think that makes her shy. She's learning english in school but is nervous about using it. Yesterday we walked around the main square. I'm impressed with her independence, taking the tram from her home in the suburbs to her grandmother's in the city. I didn't do that at 11, but I guess that's the difference between city and small town kids.
Today, she invited me to a movie. I had no idea what we should see (at 11 it's hard to know and I found I was totally lost without the US movie ratings). Harry Potter comes out here next week and there was nothing obviously tween-y (she likes Hannah Montana). I asked what she wanted to see and we went to see Transformers. I love how in Croatian movie theaters you pick out your seat in advance. They also had a 15 min. intermission.
We were supposed to go in the afternoon, but lunch ran late. Usually she can't go to a 7pm show because it gets out late and the theater is in a slightly sketchy part of town, but they made an exception. (I guess because she was with me, an adult, but she was totally in charge directing me on the right tram and buying the tickets. I got the popcorn.) When we got out I was going to make sure she got on the tram before heading off, but then my BIL called and came to pick us up. Not sure if it was for her, because it had started raining, or because they're not sure if I can find my way back to my MIL's by myself :) I can, but after so many years of following D. around I'm much less comfortable with the tram system than I ought to be.
Transformers was basically what I expected except longer. Lots of fighting robots and splashy special effects. Slavica deemed it "super". I wonder if it was in Megan Fox's contract that she couldn't close her mouth the entire film. She was doing an awful lot of that Victoria's Secret face. I've also never seen a movie with more (unironic) sterotypes. It was bordering on the ridiculous. But yay pyramids and cliffs of Petra (transformed to be really close to each other, don't you know all of the Middle East is basically the same place?). I'm a fan of monuments in movies even when they get blown up.
I'm really missing Denis, but there's internet and I have lots of time to read. (I'm working on Winter's Tale, it's excellent.)
some Croatian/European fashion notes:
1. Croats are fairly fashionable or at least very neat, no sweats, nothing wrinkled. I felt a little schlubby in my Eddie Bauer shorts. This is particularly interesting as clothes cost as much or more than they do at home but the quality is noticably worse, cheaper fabrics and construction.
2. I forgot that there are a lot of women here that look like models. A higher percentage than I am used too. And a lot of the men are tall and thin as well (basketball is big in Croatia as is handball and water polo). Even women you wouldn't describe as skinny are still often short, small framed, petite, or some combination of the above. It's why it's difficult for me to buy clothes here (pants, forget it).
3. Dresses are really in, there are so many pretty ones that I covet.
4. I know harem pants are a trend right now (thanks anthropologie catalog) but I hadn't seen any in DC. However I saw at least 4 pairs in 30 minutes last night. Mostly pulled off successfully by very thin, tan, dark-haired women wearing khaki-colored outfits with fitted tops and dark leather belts and sandals. (Think Laura-Croft-esque with harem pants.)
5. Manpris, oh how I forgot you existed! (Manpris = capri pants worn by men, massively popular here).
6. All white outfits. These are popular with both sexes and are often found combined with no. 5 and clunky leather sandals.
Also we are now clearly dependent on cell phones. The first day I was here we went out and bought a cheap pre-paid one. :)
I've also been hanging out with my 11 year old niece Slavica (pronounced Slav-izta). Her sisters are still at the seaside and her brother is 16 and never leaves the computer so I haven't seen him yet. She's very nice and we keep wanting to chat, but it's hard because I have to keep asking her to slow down and I think that makes her shy. She's learning english in school but is nervous about using it. Yesterday we walked around the main square. I'm impressed with her independence, taking the tram from her home in the suburbs to her grandmother's in the city. I didn't do that at 11, but I guess that's the difference between city and small town kids.
Today, she invited me to a movie. I had no idea what we should see (at 11 it's hard to know and I found I was totally lost without the US movie ratings). Harry Potter comes out here next week and there was nothing obviously tween-y (she likes Hannah Montana). I asked what she wanted to see and we went to see Transformers. I love how in Croatian movie theaters you pick out your seat in advance. They also had a 15 min. intermission.
We were supposed to go in the afternoon, but lunch ran late. Usually she can't go to a 7pm show because it gets out late and the theater is in a slightly sketchy part of town, but they made an exception. (I guess because she was with me, an adult, but she was totally in charge directing me on the right tram and buying the tickets. I got the popcorn.) When we got out I was going to make sure she got on the tram before heading off, but then my BIL called and came to pick us up. Not sure if it was for her, because it had started raining, or because they're not sure if I can find my way back to my MIL's by myself :) I can, but after so many years of following D. around I'm much less comfortable with the tram system than I ought to be.
Transformers was basically what I expected except longer. Lots of fighting robots and splashy special effects. Slavica deemed it "super". I wonder if it was in Megan Fox's contract that she couldn't close her mouth the entire film. She was doing an awful lot of that Victoria's Secret face. I've also never seen a movie with more (unironic) sterotypes. It was bordering on the ridiculous. But yay pyramids and cliffs of Petra (transformed to be really close to each other, don't you know all of the Middle East is basically the same place?). I'm a fan of monuments in movies even when they get blown up.
I'm really missing Denis, but there's internet and I have lots of time to read. (I'm working on Winter's Tale, it's excellent.)
some Croatian/European fashion notes:
1. Croats are fairly fashionable or at least very neat, no sweats, nothing wrinkled. I felt a little schlubby in my Eddie Bauer shorts. This is particularly interesting as clothes cost as much or more than they do at home but the quality is noticably worse, cheaper fabrics and construction.
2. I forgot that there are a lot of women here that look like models. A higher percentage than I am used too. And a lot of the men are tall and thin as well (basketball is big in Croatia as is handball and water polo). Even women you wouldn't describe as skinny are still often short, small framed, petite, or some combination of the above. It's why it's difficult for me to buy clothes here (pants, forget it).
3. Dresses are really in, there are so many pretty ones that I covet.
4. I know harem pants are a trend right now (thanks anthropologie catalog) but I hadn't seen any in DC. However I saw at least 4 pairs in 30 minutes last night. Mostly pulled off successfully by very thin, tan, dark-haired women wearing khaki-colored outfits with fitted tops and dark leather belts and sandals. (Think Laura-Croft-esque with harem pants.)
5. Manpris, oh how I forgot you existed! (Manpris = capri pants worn by men, massively popular here).
6. All white outfits. These are popular with both sexes and are often found combined with no. 5 and clunky leather sandals.
Also we are now clearly dependent on cell phones. The first day I was here we went out and bought a cheap pre-paid one. :)
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