I woke up early with a dry throat because I didn’t have much
water the night before and I’m not used to the new hot climate. I walked to see the fresh light on the
water. There were dry hills in the
distance, which reminded me of the Columbia Gorge. Thoughts in my mind forced me to realize that
I’m here, the land of my great grandfather.
I keep telling myself that I need to slow down. Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been running from
place to place, stopping only to eat.
Not the way I desire this journey.
Then when I do stop, it forces me to try to slow down time.
Zagreb was an amazing place at a glance. We left after a very quick two days with not
much rest. We were feeling overwhelmed
by our new culture. It was great to see
our new apartment. It was much smaller
than we expected because the pictures didn’t really show the scale of the place. We are still very happy with it. The view is just amazing from the balcony and
I can see the stadium from there. I’ll
be able to hear games even when I’m not there.
Back to the present…I’m sitting here at the café with a
waterfront view. It’s 7:20 am and I’m
the only one here. I like it that
way. The water here is so beautiful and
clear. The color is turquoise. The sound of the breeze and the current is
small to none. Not a single whitecap in
sight. I’m having a small breakfast by
myself, while letting Katie sleep in.
Most summer days back home I wake up before Katie. I usually fetch her an Americano and a pastry
at Northtown and Essencia Bakery back in Yakima. It makes me wonder how that’s going to work
in Zagreb. That’s the fun part. That’s the mystery. What stones will I look under to find such
little pleasures?
It’s been nice having Lucy here in so many ways. Most noticeably because of the “Croatian
Stare.” Our last time here in 2009, we
got a lot of looks by the locals, mainly because we look different. I was in the main part of Zagreb and we sat
by some Americans. We started a
conversation and they said how we look like Americans due to the fact that I
was a wearing a backwards baseball hat. To
my amazement, I looked around the plaza filled with hundreds of people and I
was the only one wearing a hat. It makes
me wonder how to respond to this, with conformity or originality or a little
bit of both? I think the latter because
I’m simply a reflection of my culture and environment. But that will change
now. Thus bringing up the question, how
is this experience going to change me?
And how much am I going to let it change me? Will I be hardened or open to the
change?
But having Lucy breaks the tension with the locals. They look at Lucy and just smile. They don’t size us up with quick
judgment. Don’t get me wrong here; the
Croatians have every right to be a little leery of strangers. They were in a war just 20 years ago. During that time, I’m sure it was tough to
trust any outsider. Before I arrived, I
made it a major point to study the history of Croatia. So when I encounter a stare or
misinterpretation I can at least come to the understanding of their past. It
will help me be less defensive and more adaptive.
Well I think it’s time to see how Katie is sleeping and give
her a nudge to enjoy the nice morning weather and have some breakfast.
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