Somehow, it just dawned on me today that Friday is the Fourth of July. Initially, i was melancholy about the fact I will miss it. In my mind, there are four major American holidays: Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Now, New Years is the one exception where it's almost cooler to NOT be home, but the others, it's a real drag to be celebrating away from friends and family, and especially to be in another country.
And this year, I have managed to miss all 4 major holidays, plus, my birthday as an extra bonus. Before, I let myself get too carried away and depressed over the matter, I had to take into account all of the other interesting and amazing experiences I did get to experience in place of what I missed. When I tally the results, I know that missing those holidays for one year is completely worth it. I am still on the fence on whether I should milk it to the family though... you know, a hefty sigh followed by, tomorrow is the Fourth of July.. sigh. Yeah, my family will be making homemade ice cream, hamburgers on the grill and watching fireworks. sigh. I am not sure what benefit I would hope to come from this moaning and groaning, but I feel any sympathy points I can get from them the better. Am I terrible or clever? I'm not sure.
Currently, I am in Croatia, and will be until the following Wednesday, which leaves me a whole other week to survive. Before I start belly-aching about how wretched it is to have to be staying on an island off the coast of Croatia for 12 days, going to the sea everyday, eating fresh grilled fish daily, taking 2 hour long naps after lunch, and walking the promenade with a gelati in my hand, I should express it isn't all bad... as you can see.
I can't seem to stop singing Croatia's praises, Dalmatia in particular. It has everything you could ask for! Great weather, sea, mountains, lovely architecture, rich history, friendly people, and all for a reasonable cost. To me, it's as if Croatia is Greece and Italy's red-headed, step-brother, the one everyone forgot about. In my mind, so many things are similar, but perhaps things like communism pushed it's glory back in the shadows. To me, it's the overlooked jewel of Europe.
Imagine, sitting on a beach of white, smooth, rounded pebbles, overlooking the most placid blue sea that stretches flat for miles, until it meets the feet of some unusual rocky mountains that create the perfect backdrop. To your left is a quaint town, with thousands of boats in its harbor. A large square or courtyard lined by restaurants with awnings of various colors spilling into it lies in the center of the town. People sit, sipping a cold, refreshing beverage while looking out over the port and noting how lovely the light stone buildings with their typical hunter-green, wooden shutters are.
The street running parallel with the sea is filled with ice cream shop after ice cream shop, all offering the most delectable and creamy gelato. Every age, size, and nationality can't resist one, and the streets are filled with people shamelessly licking away at these scrumptious treats.
On the beaches, there are hordes of people from all over, but mainly from central Europe. If you listen you can hear Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Austrians all chatting away. Men run around in small speedos, and more times than not, are accented by giant guts that hang over leaving only the sides of their nylon/lycra blend bathing suits visible. Women are worse. All ages, shapes and sizes let it all hang-out with no regard to public scrutiny. Bikini bottoms here always seem to have a concave cut allowing the bottoms and sides of the butt-cheeks to hang freely. The thong also exists, but not as prevalent. Women also have no problem removing their tops, or taking a ridiculously long and casual time to put them on. Did I mention all ages wear bikinis? Well, they certainly do. No grandma, floral print one-pieces with those little skirts attached here. No sir. I can't leave out the children. Children up to the age of about 3 are completely nude. While ages of about 4 to 10 go around in bottoms only. I guess it is the same philosophy Sally Mann subscribed to.
Now, to start the unbearable part, because I know right now it all sounds like paradise minus the banana hammocks. Like you would picture in Italy or Greece, many people ride around on mopeds, especially young men. Young men with dark tanned skin, nearly black hair, and sculpted muscles gleam in the sun.
Let me remind you where I have been the last 8 1/2 months. I have been in a small town where the only men around are older married German men or young, barely-legal high school boys. I nearly forgot cute men my age even existed. It's as if I have been in some suburban prison and have been freshly released into the wild. A place where hot young men roam freely on their mopeds without shirts, taunting me, reminding me of the male species. It's like putting a starving animal in the butcher store. I feel I can't be held accountable for my actions`, which really only goes so far as shameless staring and a gaping mouth. It's torture though!
The other cruel and harrowing aspects of being here are the lack of any schedule, which sounds ideal unless you are suppose to be working and you have no idea what you are suppose to do. So, I meander and putter about for a bit before retiring back to my tiny room to do nothing in particular. Additionally, living in such small quarters with paper thin walls really reduces any privacy and that is something I so desperately need,
Lastly, there is the eldest. She continues to be a complete brat and often times I am certain she is the spawn of Satan. I think I am disturbed that a 6-year-old girl uses such cutting remarks with an attitude well above her years. She truly can be the rudest and most disobedient child I have ever encountered. However, other times she is super thoughtful and sweet? It's odd and frustrating. I almost think she has a chemical imbalance and is bipolar or something similar.
I suppose that in the end after all is considered, it's not sooo bad to have an all-expense paid 12 days in Croatia, but I can't help and be eager for Czech and my more structured life. I am actually slightly eager to get summer over completely, which is not good.. I'm trying to learn to live in the present instead of always dreaming of the future.
