Settling in.

   Half the time when i'm writing these postings I feel like some explorer sending letters home via the post, like now. It is now a little over a month since our arrival in Sarajevo. The children have gotten used to their new normal, probably because we have all our stuff, and all their stuff is set up in their rooms. 

  Our social sponsors have been great, and I foresee a thank you meal in our future for them. The locals are friendly, and barring a few commodities, we can get most of our foodstuffs on the local economy. This is all a pat, simple answer or explanation for people who just want a quick answer to, "So how is life at your new post going?" This is the short answer for the people who don't really care to hear more than that. 

So, if you are one of those people, you can stop reading now because the rest of this post is the LONG answer to, "So, how's it shaking in Sarajevo, and how are you settling in?"

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 I really like Sarajevo.
 There, I've said it.

 I really like the country, or at least what I have seen so far in this short period since arrival. So far, every country we have been posted to featured prominently in the current events of our youth (dissolution of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall / Reunification, the Bosnian War). Turkmenistan was a bit of a mixed bag, there was a lot of wonderful there but it was linked to the friends we made, not the workplace environment. Germany was nice, but Berlin is nothing like the rest of the country, and the scars from the war are like big psychological shadows cast over everything, which is sad. That, and when you live in a tourist district it gets 'drunks caterwauling at 2 am outside your window' crazy. Sarajevo (so far) has been a big change. For one, we're not living in an apartment, we're living in a town home in the hills above downtown Sarajevo. So, no one doing dumb stuff in the streets late at night or early in the morning. And it has a little fenced backyard. With an apple tree, no less.

  There are, wherever you look, very obvious signs of the war that took place here. From Sarajevo roses, ruined buildings, bullet holes and large holes in the side of buildings that have been bricked (but not mortared) shut, it is everywhere. But still the general impression (I get) is that despite tensions in the region, and corruption in the country, growth is happening. Life continues. New buildings are going up and you can see the old, new and ruined together all over the city. There are graveyards. Big graveyards, and the dates on many of those tombstones match up with the war. But they are just part of the urban landscape here. The closest one to us is right next to a local market (that I have not had the chance to visit yet).
 The kids are doing a lot better. We were sick for almost the entire first month after arrival. Between illness, jet-lag, and kids acting out (because nothing is familiar and everything is new) it was pretty rough going for awhile. Olivia is doing much better at everything. She still has fits, but they don't happen as often. Wyatt is (mostly) sleeping through the night. Their rooms are set up as close to the way they were in Germany as I can manage (save for the new ART! we picked up over home leave). It was noticeable, the change in behavior for both of them, so lesson learned. Set up the kid stuff ASAP.
 I have met a few people here already (aside from our social sponsors). Some of them are parents, some are not. There are regular playgroups within the Embassy community here. I plan on taking Olivia and Wyatt to as many of these things as I can. I want them to make friends, and have fun. I think they have a good shot at doing that here. I don't know (yet) how school might work out here for Olivia, as I am currently dealing with preschool options here.
  They have a lot of Borek here. If you don't know what that is, look here. It is delicious, albeit terribly unhealthy for you. We eat at home more often than not, but when we have ordered out it has been pretty good. A lot of the stuff in the grocery is Turkish or German. Most of the labeling is in English, which is shocking especially when it is a German product you are familiar with, that was only printed in German when you saw it last. They have the German DM chain here, too. We picked up two woodcut prints this weekend from downtown. One is of the bridge is Mostar, the other is of a mosque in oldtown. I will eventually frame them at some point, just as soon as I find the materials. At least I won't have to go looking for mat board, since we brought a bit with us.

 I am trying to stay as positive as I can. I am normally a pessimistic curmudgeon but so far, the optimism has held (mostly). We have to decide sooner or later if we will be here for more than two years and I don't really have an answer for that yet. We'll see.

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