I finally got to Zagreb, and I am really happy to be here! I took an overnight train from Muenster, to Oberhausen to Munich to Zagreb, that was about an 18 hour journey arriving in Zagreb around 9 am yesterday morning. The train ride was an experience to say the least, the ticket was cheap and I was able to get a sleeping car. When I arrived to my car, I was sharing the car with a Croatian family of 5, which would have been great, had I not had luggage for three months! Luckily the train attendant was able to find a compartment to stow my bag until I got to Zagreb. I was not able to sleep too much, by the time I did fall asleep we arrived in Slovenia and I was awakened by the police asking for passports and customs. When I arrived in Zagreb the weather was terrible, it was about 45 degrees and pouring down rain. I was without an umbrella and wearing my suede sneakers, nothing is worse than soggy feet and knowing I left my red rain boots at home.
Once I checked into my hostel and changed into my (waterproof) doc martens, the rain let up. I ventured out to find the Art Academy and met with a few people, Visnja, the international coordinator, and a few of the professors, while chatting with them for a bit, I had a very nice lunch from one of the student restaurants. I was very grateful for the meal because it has been the closest thing to a meal from home that I have had before I left, and it was just what I needed after a very tiring journey. It was then that I was told that I could move into the dorm, again very grateful for this since that meant I could unpack! After the meal and a short tour of the sculpture facilities I went back to the hostel checked out and head to what is going to be home for the next 2 and a half months.
Nothing officially begins as far as classes for international students until next week, but we are allowed to visit the classes. I think next week is when we will be meeting with the faculty to show them my portfolio and then match me with a mentor-professor that I will work with during my term.
Today I came into the central part of Zagreb, to just wander around. I ran into the huge open air market that rivals the strip district in Pittsburgh and puts to shame the farmers market in Indiana! The produce is super fresh and wonderfully inexpensive, I am happy to know that I have a place to get fresh fruits and veggies.
No internet in the dorms yet, more questions to ask to whom, I do not know. Presently, I am in an internet cafe with a Cyrillic keyboard, hence no contractions since I cannot figure out where the apostrophe button is!
All the best
--AM
1 comment:
Hi Lish,
Sounds like you are having lots of fun so far. Did you buy anything at the Woolworth store? That's pretty cool they still have one of those. Not much going on in Indiana other than the weather is beautiful!! Have fun and work hard at school like I know you will do! Oh, you had your name in the paper yesterday on the summer deans list. Way to go girl!!!!
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