June 26, 1981

Travel Diary

Date: June 26, 1981, Friday
Place: the village

"Lord, it's hard to keep track of time here! Today, after lunch, I felt really happy. My life had been somewhat normal. At lunch I had been able to eat! Before that, nothing was normal. The only thing close to it was to sleep - so I did that. Talking, eating, even going to the bathroom wasn't normal. Today, I felt almost normal! I've started to grow up. I have been a baby for 4 days. Now, I'm reaching an adult age. It's strange. Today, we went to a funeral. I was dismayed when everyone else was putting on dark skirts & tops. I came as close as I could. We went to the house, I between Nada* & Zeljka for safety - We stood outside the gate while the priest said words - girls sang. Then wreaths came out, a group of people, and the coffin on a cart. We walked behind to the cemetery - we [had] visited there yesterday. There the priest said words and the lowered it - it was over. I met more friends. Tonite, an old woman came and spoke German. I understood little. Hey, the food here - most of it - isn't refridgerated - I hope I don't get sick."

* Nada is a friend of Z's. She was about a year older and spoke pretty good English, so thus she became my friend too.