Big news: I've left Sarajevo and returned to the US for several months to "figure out the next part of my life..."
It was a tough decision, and it was a very tough few months, lots of tears, some confusion, lots of goodbyes, but I know I needed to get away for a while, and now the confusion is gone--it was the right thing to do. I had a goodbye party for myself last Tuesday and was very happy to be reminded, by all the gifts and love and friends who came, how much I really have.
Well, leaving Sarajevo isn't all I've been up to these past months...I learned to create a 5 cheese vegetarian lasagna and also a chicken soy stir fry from scratch; I met the US Army General, highest up of the US presence in Sarajevo; I toured Istanbul, Bulgaria, and (undesirable parts of) Serbia; I got a clean bill of health at the dentist (visit long overdue); I watched the sequel of Bridget Jones and wished I could write and think like her (I'm just as good a writer, but not nearly clever or witty enough, which irritates me)...
I learned how to cook schnitzel and cut french fry-sized potatoes; I packed my cello yet again for overseas travel (it didn't break) and checked 3 bags into an Austrian airline for the price of two; and I finally successfully ironed the bottom of the pants I own that are always annoyingly too long.
So, out of Sarajevo now and very accomplished (as you've seen from the above), but feeling small and confused. Sarajevo is definitely not "out of me;" and that's why I've gone--I need to think a lot about the future. Things were starting to get serious and I need time to think before hurling into irreversible life decisions.
More from here later as I hobble along in life...maybe in a few months I'll kick out the crutch; right now I'm leaning very heavily on it.
