Im not, Im not, IM NOT!

Nisam Gladna, Nisam Zima, I Nisam Luda.

These are the three phrases that I am constantly telling everyone here! For those of you who I know just thought "Oh lord, time for google translate" Ill be kind and translate them for you, therefore eliminating the need to open yet another tab on what im sure is your already very full computer.

First and foremost. Nisam Gladna. It means, quite simply, that I am not hungry. Now I try to refrain from using this so as to not cause any offense. I eat my first helping, quite enjoyably. Then I eat the second that I am given, not hungry but willing to eat it because -to be honest- my host grandmother makes killer food! Its by the middle of the third helping that im feeling helpless. I cant eat anymore! I will explode. I might just keel over from the sheer amount that I have somehow managed to inhale! and so, quietly, I say no thank you to the fourth helping. Nisam Gladna.

Next comes Nisam Zima. No, I am not cold. I am asked this usually at school when I go out for a coffee and dont feel the need to take my jacket. As the coffee shop is a whole thirty seconds (soooooo far), I usually make it there and back in five minutes. Five minutes in weather that is still hovering quite nicely around 8 to 10 degrees. Brisk, is the word I would use to describe it. Or even -when it nears 7 or 8- cool. But cold? Not by a very large margin! I make a conscious effort to have my jacket with me in case I get chilly, but putting it on takes me longer than walking to the cafe! So no. I appreciate your concern, and you make me giggle with your earmuffs and scarves. Nisam Zima. Why? Because Ja sam is canada. I am from Canada.

and finally, Nisam Luda. This usually follows Nisam Gladna, or Nisam Zima. Sometimes however, it just follows me being my normal self and goofing around with some of the amazing people that I have met here in good old Hrvatska (Croatia). Or maybe it follows one of the random dance moves I sometimes feel the need to break into (I blame my dad, I get it from him). But almost always it follows a really good laugh. Nisam Luda means no. I am not Crazy.

So here I am. Ja sam Meghan, Ja sam is Canada, Nisam Gladna, Nisam Zima, i ne, Nizam Luda.
I am Meghan, Im from Canada. Im not hungry, Im not cold, and no, Im not crazy!

Have a great day, I know I am!
Meghan

Embarasment

As an exchange student, Ive seen a new trait in myself that has begun to emerge. The obsesive need to be on time for everything, even breakfast. There is one problem with this trait. Promptness is not a huge thing here in Croatia. Everything is very relaxed, very laid back. This paradox has caused no shortage of humiliating moments on my part.

Take tonight as an Example. Every friday we are involved in the local Rotaract meeting. It is set to happen at 7:00pm.... Exactly 7:00pm. On this particular week, I happened to glance at my clock and notice that the time was 6:50. Like a mad woman, I raced out of the house and took off with the bike (Much to the confusion of my non english speaking host father) peddling far harder than I ever have before.

5 minutes, 7 near tree collisions, and a chilly nose later, I was huffing and puffing my way into the "Kavana Dora", a small cafe where we routinely meet. Now dont think of me as unfit, my 5 minute bike ride from hell would take me 15 minutes on a normal day.

As I walked into the cafe, proud as a lion, I made my way back to the booth Rotaract frequents. It was 6:55, surely some of my fellow Rotaracters would be there? I could not have been more wrong.

Sitting cozily in my booth, or our booth, was a couple in an intimate liplock. I turned red as a tomato, choking on my english apologies, apologies they may not have even understood. I practically tripped over myself in a bid to get out the door and back into the chilly evening air. The waiters thought I was insane.

I waited. And waited. And then I waited a little more. It was almost ten after when the first Rotaractor appeared, happy as can be and whistling a tune. He couldnt quite fathom why I was standing outside in the cold, so I rattled of an excuse about us tough Canadians. Though it was true I wasnt quite as cold as everyone else seemed to be, the real reason I didnt reenter the Dora was that most of its occupants currently thought me a few cards short of a deck.

We stood akwardly outside, while he smoked a cigarette and I tried not to gag (Smoking here is a bigger habit than in Alberta, and I have not quite gotten myself used to the smell.) Soon, more Rotaractors began to apparate, but instead of going inside to the booth (That I would later find out had already been vacatted by the love sick two) they stood outside with us. I guess its just an instinct to join in with what others are up to, but it seemed that I had caused a chain reaction.

It wasnt until the last of us arrived (twenty minutes late!) That someone questioned our motive in standing outside in the cold.

"Well..." One said, "Meghan was out here so I just... kind of stayed out here." For the second time I turned red as a tomato, and for the rest of the night, even after we had entered the heat of the cafe, I had the great honour of being the butt of all the jokes...

Hello there!

Well dear me, hasnt it been a while since I last wrote.
Settling into life in Croatia is not nearly as difficult as Id anticipated, thank goodness.
Classes have been going great, and Im starting to learn the language.
Ive signed up for the school musical (against my will, might i add!) and am looking forward to it being performed sometime in December. Maybe, If youre lucky, ill even film it for you!
A few weekends back, Katie, Aidan and Myself spent the weekend in Zagreb for our Rotary student orientation. Unfortunately, the tactic they decided to use to keep us on the straight and narrow was fear mixed with the slightest hint of guilty responsability. Now Im not saying it was uncalled for, or that it didnt work, because I sure dont intend on breaking any Rotary rules now! (Not that I did to begin with, but you get the picture) The only problem is me looking over my shoulder for all the dangers mentioned, the ones that the rules were made for. Im as jumpy as a caged animal!!

On a brighter note, I have been attending Rotaract and Interact weekly, and rotary monthly, and Im loving it. I spend all week looking forward to the Friday evening rotaract meetings, I absolutely adore them.

Now that my first month has gone by, and I went a little over the monthly budget I set for myself, Its really time for me to crack down on money! If its not a necessity, I shall try and restrain myself. (For the good of eurotour, expensive eurotour!)

I am just finishing up my quarterly report, nice and on time like the good exchange student that I am! And this weekend I will be taking a trip out to the coast to drop my lucky host sister off at college!

Thats all for now, and I promise to write more often!
Have a good one
Meghan

And Life goes on

Well, what is there to talk about? Nothing that exciting has been happening lately, other than me settling into life in Croatia. We took a day trip today to a vinyard owned by family friends, I helped make wine, and it was amazing. I felt like someone had taken me and thrown me smack dab in the middle of a movie set.
Im making friends, starting to have a life here. Its fun, because now I have people to hang out with. We go shopping, have fun. They even took me to a movie festival, where a kiss cover band made fools of themselves in the best way possible.

There is a running joke at school now. Because my name is Meghan, and the other exchange students names is Katie? Well apparently the logical conclusion was for others to think of Megan Fox and Katy Perry. I mean, Im not complaining. If they want to make the connection between me and one of the hottest starlets out there? Well hey, I dont see the harm.

The money situations been a little crazy. My debit card is not working, so Im relying on the monthly allowance from rotary and my visa. Its not a big deal, as Ive no need for anything yet, but knowing I have the money would be nice. Hopefully that will be figured out by the end of the week!

I skyped my parents for the first time this weekend, which was nice. Id expected, even if its only been slightly more than two weeks, to feel that little slice of homesickness, but surprisingly enough there was none. I enjoyed seeing them, I enjoyed talking to them, but that little tug to go home? The one I knew so well when I lived in Montreal? It wasnt there. Maybe its because this time I knew to look for it, or maybe Varaždin is very similar to home, but as of yet I feel no need to return.

I went to both Interact and Rotaract meetings this past week, and will hopefully continue to be a weekly patron of both. I really enjoy the people

Thats all fom over here on my side!
Have a Good one!
Meghan

My Weekend in Bol plus first day

Alright, So I havent updated you guys since Wednesday.
Thursday morning, Igor came to pick me up. He drove me, the american exchange student Katie, and the other Canadian Aidan to Zagred (about an hour)
Once we arrived in Zagreb, we got on a bus and met all of the other exchange students. Kenice, Morgan, Kate, Ian, Celine, Ryssa, Lauren, Margot, and Nicole. We drove for five hous on a bus where we finally arrived in Split, on the coast of the Adriatic. We stopped in Split and had a nice little lunch at a small seafood restaurant.
We then took the Ferry to Bol, where we learned a small song to sing to the Governer we would be meeting upon arrival. We got to the island of Brač (town of Bol) and sang the song (In a group of people, to my chagrin!)
We were then given time to change into our bathingsuits, and around 5, we all went swimming for a few hours.
The next day, friday, we all went to the beach, where we stayed all day swimming and eating a wonderful lunch at the hotel. That night we wee invited to a Gala, and we got all dressed up. The Gala was at a small restaurant on the beach, with beautiful lights and wonderful food. We met many Rotarians, as the Gala was for a Rotary Tennis tournament. Afterwords, the rotarians went to their hotel, and the exchange students went to a small cafe/bar and ahad coffee for our last night at the coast.
The next morning, we had to be down to the ferry by six am! I could barely move I was so tired. The bus took us home, and during the bus ride we had to sing a song from our country.
The next day, once I had returned home, I took a walk around Varaždin to find my way around.
This morning I woke up early for my first day of school.
 At 730, Lidija drove me to the school and I met my class. The first day of school here, You only have to go for an hour or two, so after some of my classmates took the other exchange students and I around Varaždin. I got to see the skatepark, the cemetary, and other cool sights.

Sorry this entry wasnt as long, but I needed to write quickly so I could help Lidija with dinner.
Have a good day
Meghan

The Vinyard

Today, I had the best strawberry Ive ever tasted. It was pure magic. But to get to that story Im afraid you will have to listen to the rest of my day first. Lidjia took me to the police station to make me legal with a VISA (oh the epic visa sega continues.) Then, we had a wonderful Lunch at the neighbours, who happen to be my host grandparents Pepi and Barica. Have you ever tried White pumpkin soup? I have, and it is FANTASTIC. I learned Josh (pronounced yosh, as all Js are Ys over here) means more, as Ive never quite eaten enough apparently! Dobro je means its very good, and will be something I repeat with frequency here as their food is spellbinding sorcery of some kind (No other explanation has come to mind).

After lunch, and a little bit of bonding over T.V with Petra, my host Aunt Maja offered to take us to the Vinyard. Because my host family owns a vinyard. Sorry, I dont think you heard me, let me repeat. OWNS. A. VINYARD! We drove there, (Pepi, Maja, Petra and I) and Petra looks at me all nonchalantly and asks "Want to see the castle?". I think my heart skipped a beat. Anyone who knows me knows that historical architecture? A sure way to win me over. I practically floated down the little path and through the trees in delight, until finally, there it was. Towering over the trees, up on its own little hill, was one of the most beautiful, most elegant, attention demanding peices of art I have ever seen. Just wait, it gets better.

The castle was on a lake front, a lake front where you could rent......Paddleboats! Petra and I went out on the lake so I could really look back and see the castle, and of course take pictures! After an hour on the boat, and another halfhour in this charming little lake front bistro, we walked around the castle, right up to the front gates!

After a while we returned down the path to the little vinyard, and Maja showed me the gardens, where I was gorged with blackberries and raspberries, but the temperature had killed out the strawberries. She found one, handed it to me. I took a bite and realiyzed I hadnt fully lived until that moment. It was, to say the least, the highlight of the evening.

I have been invited to a three day trip to the adriatic seafront. I leave thursday mornig and return Saturday night. It includes swimming, a Gala, and bondig time with the other rotary students. All in all Im looking forward to in extremely.

Thats all for today, and Im not going to lie i probably wont update this blog daily, but everytime something happens that makes me want to write about it? I will, no questions asked.

Have a good one,

Meghan

First day

My first  full day in Varazdin, Croatia has finally come to an end. I arrived at the Zagred airport yesterday afternoon after an eight hour ride from Calgary to Frankfurt (During which my neighbour had a small dog and a large weakness for airplane wine.) and a two hour ride to Zagreb, where I arrived in 38 degrees. I was greeted by my host Mother, Father, Cousin and brother, and also my Rotary supervisor and his young daughter. After Nikola (supervisor) and his daughter said their hellos (and goodbyes) they left, and I drove with my host family to Varazdin. I was pleased to find that my host cousin spoke english, as the rest of the family in the car spoke little to none! We arrived at the house, and I was quickly greeted by their dog Boss. I also met my older host sister, who also speaks english. I was given enough time to shower (a shower which, quite frankly, I still don´t understand), and then it was off to a traditional Croatian wedding.

The night was fun, with dancing and meal after meal. I met more of the extended family. The only problem was my inability to keep my overly jetlagged eyes open. We went home, and I quickly fell asleep. The next morning (nearly afternoon to my surprise) Nikola (my host brother, same name as my rotary supervisor) offered to take me into town, as the biggest festival in Croatia happens in Varaždin, and today was the final day. We biked to the main square, and the walked around. He showed me my too be school, a beautiful cathedral, and the castle in the middle of Varazdin. It was fantastic. We returned home, and much to my chagrin, my jetlag hit again and I fell into the clutches of sleep. When I woke up, Petra (my host sister) offered to make me spaghetti, and Lidjia (mother) told me tomorrow we´d go for my visa (more on the visa dilema later). After, Petra and I went back to the town square to go to a small coffee bar where we talked and drank lemonade. She took me to meet Donata, a girl who will be in my school, and Donata and I walked around the festival, where we met up with Katie, the exchange student from Virginia. We walked around the festival for hours, laughing, eating, dancing, until ten thirty.

I´ve learned how to say a few things in croatian, such as thank you, hello, please, orange, etcetera. Hopefully I´ll learn enough by next monday to be ready for my first day of school!