1. Take a hot shower (yessss)
2. Wash my clothes (YESSSSS!!!)
3. Go to the doctor (Noooooooooooooooooooo!!)
So in reference to my first blog about Ghana, my friend Becka warned me of things I can possibly get while I was in Ghana. And yes, I got one of them. Ill give you a hint of the things that she mentioned: anthrax, malaria, ringworm, thyphoid.
Still guessing???
All right, lets just say where there is a ring, there is a way (if the title of the blog didnt give it away!). I actually went to the MD first because my mom was having a heart attack about it, but all I had was this red blotch on my chest. No ring. So I thought maybe it was just some irritation. I went to a dermatologist and she too suggested it was just exema or some irritation. She gave me some cream, and literally that next day, a ring developed around it. Ewwwwwww. Soo... its nothing serious, basically ringworm is just a fungus thing that I got from the kids in Ghana, most of the volunteers got it as well, and I'll live. It just looks gross AND it sucks because most of my tshirts are v-necks and its seriously right there in the middle. All things considered of the things I could have gotten in Africa, that is the least of my worries!
So Serbia! Here I am! It had worked out that I was planning on coming here anyway and my parents happen to have a medical conference during the same time. AND, they somehow convinced my brother to come as well, so a nice happy family reunion, minus my sister who is actually in Chicago. As luck would have it, his flight literally came within 15 minutes of mine! Yea!
We own an apartment here (its the apt my dad grew up in), so it really does feel like "home" coming here. My parents remodeled it, and it looks really nice! We automatically had to adjust to typical European life of a small space with one bathroom. It hasn't been too bad, it's actually the men that take the longest in my family! hahah!
We basically spent the few days here running around and visiting all my parents friends.
I'm brushing up on the lingo quite well, and doing one thing I haven't done in awhile... EAT MEAT AND SALAD! Yessssss! Im carb'd out after Ghana and the meat and fruit here is delish. My brother and I rented bikes one day and did a really nice tour around the river. Phew, FINALLY got exercise!!
Above is the Castle Kalimegdan...
And above here is my brother George at Ada Cigana. Below is the beautiful sunset over the River Sava which merges into the Danube river.
And as any trip to a parents' hometown, we get some family history George and I saw where my parents met for their first date,
and where my dad proposed... supposedly in a stairwell at this restaurant. :-) Always fun to hear stories like that.
The last time I was in Belgrade was about 6 years ago and although it still looks "run down" so to speak (they still have some bombed buildings on 'display'), I feel that it is sloooooowly changing for the better. BUT, what hasn't changed is the smoking. It seems like everyone smokes and it is literally always in your face. Ughhhh...... I forget how spoiled we are in "non-smoking" cities like Chicago, but it has been something to get used to being around smoke all the time. It's everywhere - restaurants, bars, markets... and I just hate the smell that lingers on your hair and clothes. I was wondering why I was getting these headaches, the smoking! I need to do a "Smoking Kills" protest sometime. Anyone in?
Besides the stink of smoking, at least you can go far with $$... it is fairly cheap here. My fam and I went to dinner several times and have all gotten soups, salads, meals and drinks and it has never been more than a whopping $40 for all of us. Not too bad.
Although we spent less than a week here, I'm glad that I am coming back after my Scandinavian adventure to spend more time exploring the city (about 3 weeks). I've already done grocery shopping and have taken the bus several times, so hey, by the time I leave I'll be a pro navigating the city!
So yesterday my parents and bro left for Croatia, and I tomorrow am leaving for Norway (I had already planned this ages ago and couldn't change tickets), to go on a cruise that will travel through Norway, Greenland, and Iceland!! Then I go back to Norway to spend a few more weeks there before I head back to Serbia. I'll be on ship for a few weeks, so I apologize if I am MIA... again.
My ringworm (haven't named it yet) and I say "Dovidjenja" (good-bye in Serbo-Croatian)!!
