Once Bitten, Twice Srpski (That means Serbian in hrvatskosrpski)

Did you know that the word "Vampire" is derived from a Serbian word? The term was used in reports by Austrian policemen between 1725 and 1732, regarding a Serb citizen rising from the dead to attack living villagers. This anecdote is emblematic of my whole perception of Eastern Europe, pre-departure: mysterious, archaic, 'old world.' And when we're talking about the Balkans (and when we do talk about the Balkans, I don't necessarily mean the Balkan peninsula, but the countries of the former Yugoslavia), all those perceptions of what "Eastern Europe" means are taken to soaring new levels. This is the site of the last war in Europe, a region not only in what is/was politically Eastern Europe (behind the Iron Curtain, and then further cloistered by Tito's break with Stalin), but with a cultural influence that can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire.

So no, I am not expecting to become a werewolf or be be dodging bullets. But when we talk about Western Europe, we can talk with more certainty. We can almost relate. We at least have an image of what things could be like in our minds. But all that we, or at least I, have about Eastern Europe is vague perceptions. Old wives tales, not facts. Vampires, not visuals.

With 3 days and counting before I leave, I'll have to settle for the gloom and presentiments. I could say I am nervous. I could say that my research project right now is vague enough to comprise volumes, the group size (10 students, including myself) is intimidating and makes me feel like I won't be able to keep up and the prospect of performing that research using 3 dialects of a language I can only speak a few phrases of is bone-chilling. I could say the joke around the house these days is that my host family will be Roma and that I'll fall in love with their daughter and never come back. I could say that it is 50 degrees in Zagreb right now compared to 11 degrees in New Hampshire and despite all my fears and worries I feel like it is Christmas Eve all the time. Let's just say I am excited. Nervous, but excited.

Global friends: my biggest fear is that the time will move quicker once I leave, that my four months will slip through my fingers. I guess the best I can hope for is just to absorb as much as I can and bring it all back with me. I hope that the Balkans will be bizarre and strange and stunning beyond all my expectations. I really just hope there aren't vampires. SCARY!