expat blogger

living in Serbia

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Doves, saints, and the green house.

At our condo in  Serbia...
This is a forgotten blog... I wrote it and then forgot to post it. Better late than never.
End of February 2011
The Doves

Every evening, when looking out from the terrace you can see two doves sleeping on the birch tree branch.  Even when we got about a foot of snow and all the branches were covered, there were the two birds on the only bare spot of the tree. They are a cute couple.  Wonder if they will make a nest in the spring for some eggs?
 Tonight I saw them come back to the tree from the day of foraging in the snow for food. One dove got back before the other, he or she went to it's spot and waited for it's mate. Dove number two followed shortly after. It hopped around the trees branches a bit before taking it's place right beside the other, making that unsheltered branch look cozy with their companionship.
I wanted to get a photo of them, but it is too dark for a good shot. 

The natural but not so romantic part, the branch below is covered in bird droppings.

The Saints
Saturday, February 26 was the second all saints day I have been here for this trip. This time, I was unable to make the hike up to the graveyard. My ankle is too weak to walk up the treacherous dirt road that is now covered in snow. I am a little bummed. Seeing the village neighbors up there is always fun. Going up to such a out of the way place is one of the times I enjoy being a foreigner. I feel like a strange but shiny new toy. People are happy to see me, and I genuinely feel like like I belong in a strange way.

In our town it is a different story. People stare and often I feel more uncomfortable around strangers even when I am just out for coffee. This never happens in the village. I have way to much family and a few friends in my little village, I am always being called over to say hello to someone when on walkabout there.

The village is really the place for me. Even when everyone has their stoves going in the winter months, the skies are not filled with so much smoke that the stars hide behind it. That same lack of smoke, leaves your lungs feeling good. In town I may as well smoke with all the smog given off by the stoves and coal burning furnaces.

The small community of the village just feels friendlier and warm, even in winter.

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