Arrival in Yugoslavia!

Travel Diary

Date: June 23, 1981 - Tuesday
Place: Belgrad via Slav[onski] Brod

"I'm on a bus to Slav. Brod - messy writing. I'm feeling somewhat better but I'm VERY DIZZY. Last night I had it and I thought sleep would end it - but I'm still dizzy.* When I stand still, everything moves. It's like everything sways. Yesterday we had our passports checked, got luggage and we didn't even go thru customs - no one looked at anything.** We waited for a bus, got on - rode. Everything looks like MN. Maple trees. Then we walked to the place where I slept last nite. Some families were there, mine wasn't. We didn't even have orientation. Marianna just quickly told us some stuff. The 10 from the original 22 went to our room. 8 girls in one room! (suppositedly).*** Then we went to supper - pomme Frites, cold slaw and veal. It was good. Then we exchanged money and WALKED! We saw Belgrade, and everyone fell in love with it. Then we went back to our rooms & slept. We got up at 6:00 to go to the Bus Station. We traveled to Slav. Brod.**** Here I met Zedika,***** my SISTER. We took another bus to my home.****** Met family."

* I now know I probably had vertigo. I remember before I got on the bus, I told someone I didn't feel well and they brought me a glass of water and a packet of sugar. Hmmm. I'm not sure how that was going to "cure" me.

** Before I left, people were all concerned that I was going to a Communist country. I was advised to not even take aspirin with me. So much for that, we didn't know it at the time, but we got super-star treatment!

*** One of the girls in the group hooked up with one of the local host guys. My 17-year old self was shocked and disgusted that she'd have a one-night stand! I'm also leaving my actual spelling here.

**** I remember at the bus station, the two AFS volunteers were looking around for our bus and finally found it. We 5 (2 volunteers and 3 exchange students) were the only ones on it. Throughout my time in Yugoslavia, every other bus I ever rode was completely packed. I asked Zeljka about it in later years and yes, she thought that "they" (the government??) had arranged for us to have our own bus. In retrospect, I think we were treated especially well since we were Americans and would be bringing back our experiences of this Communist country and they wanted us to have only a positive experience.

***** I spelled Zeljka's name wrong. And I still can't spell it right here. The Z should have a small "v" over it. I mis-pronounced her name ALL Summer. Dumb American! And from the photo in the paperwork I got, her hair was so short, she looked like a boy. Opps.

****** My host family didn't have a car, so I traveled by bus whenever we went anywhere in Yugoslavia. My host family, the Papzovic's lived in a small village a few miles from the larger city of Slavonski Brod.