June 28, 1981

Travel Diary

June 28, 1981
Place: the village

Yesterday was mainly boring. We got up early and went to the post office. There I wrote out 10 post cards. Then we walked back (post is in G. [another village]). That afternoon, all we did was listen to records. I wrote 5+ pages. I was shown their [paper] napkin collection. Then at about 8:00 [PM], we left for a disco in G. We stopped before a dismal building - I thought "What a hole!" We waited outside for a bit, meeting friends, then we went in. We were one of the firsts in. We started to dance, a group of us, mainly girls, in our own circle. During a slow dance, Z. went off with her guy and I stood by Nada. A guy (that I secretly named John Travolta Eat Your Heart Out [here forth referred to as J. TEYHO]- because at the beginning he was really dancing fancy and he was wearing a white suit) asked me something. Nada said he asked me to dance. I did for about 3 slow dances. Then he stayed near me. This is when I realized how little language I know. Z. had to translate everything. Then during one song, he sang one line to me (another guy, Celo, was requesting my attention also). He and the other guy walked home with us also. We sang along the way. I, of course, didn't know the lines. Then I sang our school song - what I could remember, and a few from "Hello, Dolly!" That was it. I wonder what will happen from here - if we go to the disco again, I'll probably see them. But it was so strange to have guys come up to me, and have an interest in me. Some of Z's friends, guys, would tell her that I was very pretty and nice. God, I love it here! Guys would offer me cigarettes (which I REFUSED), bubble gum, which I tried to refuse, but I always took some in the end. They also offered me juice, but I wasn't thirsty, so I refused, but they must have thought that I didn't trust it to be juice. Got to bed at 12:45!
"Today, I got up at 8:30 and we went into Slav. Brod to see a folk heritage festival. First there was a parade, then we went to a stadium (of sorts) and all of the groups danced. It got boring. It was very hot going home.
"Saw J.TEYHO and Celo when we walked."

Ah, to be 17 and "in demand" by guys. This was a new adventure for me! What I remember most about that night was walking home. We were on a dark road, no streetlights, in the middle of it, singing our hearts out, not caring that everyone else was sleeping! The sky was so big and bright. And there I was, in a foreign country, surrounded by people that I barely knew, but I already had a connection with. What an amazing experience!

"Celo" I was to learn later, translated literally as "forhead" or more like "Baldy." Yes, at 18 or 19, the guy was already losing his hair.