The gas spat between Russia and the Ukraine has been resolved. Gas should start pumping back through the pipelines to Bosnia (amongst other countries) in the next couple of days.
An unexpected side effect of the crisis has been an improvement of relations between Bosnia and Serbia. Apparently Serbia, also badly affected by the crisis, managed to negotiate a deal for some emergency gas provisions from some other EU countries and offered some of the gas to Bosnia, at no cost and therefore providing some very much needed domestic heating over the weekend when temperatures were reportedly as low as -29C (See more on this story here).
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
The thing about winter
The temperatures are remaining pretty chilly here. The thermometer hasn’t got above freezing (or even close) for the last 2 weeks or so, and I dropped the boys off at nursery this morning in a fairly bracing -9C. For an English family who squawk when the thermometer touches 0C, this is pretty cold for us. Going outside requires that everyone is wearing a lot of clothes. Getting all the clothes on everyone takes some time, and has altered the pattern of our day.
Getting ready to go out in Winter
1. Tell everyone we are going outside and need to put lots of clothes on. Try to locate fleeces, waterproof dungarees, scarves,socks, gloves, jumpers, coats, hats, boots (x3 – each boy and me) so as to be ready for the marathon dressathon that lies ahead
2. Try to persuade everyone that they MUST do a wee, otherwise they will have a problem once their dungarees are on. No one pays any attention.
3. Try to catch one of them to start dressing them. Squeals of laughter and a new game starts as everyone charges around the house trying to avoid Mummy (who is starting to get a bit cross) chased by the dog who recognises the signs that a walk is imminent.
4. Catch one, who then crys. Forcibly put on socks, jumper and trousers. They complain they are too hot. Ignore and go after the second.
5. Catch the second who also starts crying. Get socks and jumper on but they wriggle off and start the ‘lets run away from Mummy’ game again.
6. I get crosser but decide to ignore everyone and get myself dressed, but then get very hot.
7. Catch the second one and finish getting them dressed. Tempers fraying left, right and centre.
8. Luke tells me he’s done a poo. Think about ignoring him, but he gets terrible nappy rash if left so investigate as far as waterproof dungarees will allow. Can’t see (or smell) anything, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t one there. All clothes come off for a proper nappy investigation. Nothing. All clothes go back on again
9. Adam has taken off his socks and trousers and is running around again.
10. I get cross and shout.
11. Luke tells me ‘there’s a poo in there’, smell confirms that there is. Curse that I missed the signals that he wanted to go and the opportunity to put him on the potty. Trousers etc off for the 3rd time. Nappy changed, all clothes back on again.
12. Still need to catch Adam to get him to put the rest of his clothes on. Luke opens the door, goes out in his socks and gets wet feet. Need to find more socks and put them on and put on boots. Luke walks around the house in his boots getting mud etc everywhere.
13. Finally get clothes onto Adam, including coat and boots.
14. Lost hats, scarves and gloves. Spend 10 minutes looking for them. Locate them by the front door where I thought they were but hadn’t spotted them as they were lying under a pile of dirty laundry taken out of the laundry basket by Luke when I was getting Adam’s clothes on.
15. Get my boots on, find my keys, get out of the house and lock up.
16. Back into house for all the things that i have forgotten.
17. Adam says he needs a wee. Get him to go outside and make wee patterns on the snow. Luke harasses him and the dog is also interested. Adam gets cross and throws a load of snow at Luke. Luke cries.
18. Understand why housewives got into taking valium in the 1950s. Wonder if it is such a bad thing. Realise I quite need a wee too, but can't face the logistics so head on out and hope for the best.
Time elapsed from starting the ‘Lets Go Out And Play In The Snow And Take Jessie For A Walk’ process: approx one hour. Has been up to 1hr 30mins.
Getting Ready to go out in the Summer
1. Check everyone is wearing their sandals
2. Lets go.
Time elapsed from starting the process: About 2 minutes.
Rock on Summer.
Getting ready to go out in Winter
1. Tell everyone we are going outside and need to put lots of clothes on. Try to locate fleeces, waterproof dungarees, scarves,socks, gloves, jumpers, coats, hats, boots (x3 – each boy and me) so as to be ready for the marathon dressathon that lies ahead
2. Try to persuade everyone that they MUST do a wee, otherwise they will have a problem once their dungarees are on. No one pays any attention.
3. Try to catch one of them to start dressing them. Squeals of laughter and a new game starts as everyone charges around the house trying to avoid Mummy (who is starting to get a bit cross) chased by the dog who recognises the signs that a walk is imminent.
4. Catch one, who then crys. Forcibly put on socks, jumper and trousers. They complain they are too hot. Ignore and go after the second.
5. Catch the second who also starts crying. Get socks and jumper on but they wriggle off and start the ‘lets run away from Mummy’ game again.
6. I get crosser but decide to ignore everyone and get myself dressed, but then get very hot.
7. Catch the second one and finish getting them dressed. Tempers fraying left, right and centre.
8. Luke tells me he’s done a poo. Think about ignoring him, but he gets terrible nappy rash if left so investigate as far as waterproof dungarees will allow. Can’t see (or smell) anything, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t one there. All clothes come off for a proper nappy investigation. Nothing. All clothes go back on again
9. Adam has taken off his socks and trousers and is running around again.
10. I get cross and shout.
11. Luke tells me ‘there’s a poo in there’, smell confirms that there is. Curse that I missed the signals that he wanted to go and the opportunity to put him on the potty. Trousers etc off for the 3rd time. Nappy changed, all clothes back on again.
12. Still need to catch Adam to get him to put the rest of his clothes on. Luke opens the door, goes out in his socks and gets wet feet. Need to find more socks and put them on and put on boots. Luke walks around the house in his boots getting mud etc everywhere.
13. Finally get clothes onto Adam, including coat and boots.
14. Lost hats, scarves and gloves. Spend 10 minutes looking for them. Locate them by the front door where I thought they were but hadn’t spotted them as they were lying under a pile of dirty laundry taken out of the laundry basket by Luke when I was getting Adam’s clothes on.
15. Get my boots on, find my keys, get out of the house and lock up.
16. Back into house for all the things that i have forgotten.
17. Adam says he needs a wee. Get him to go outside and make wee patterns on the snow. Luke harasses him and the dog is also interested. Adam gets cross and throws a load of snow at Luke. Luke cries.
18. Understand why housewives got into taking valium in the 1950s. Wonder if it is such a bad thing. Realise I quite need a wee too, but can't face the logistics so head on out and hope for the best.
Time elapsed from starting the ‘Lets Go Out And Play In The Snow And Take Jessie For A Walk’ process: approx one hour. Has been up to 1hr 30mins.
Getting Ready to go out in the Summer
1. Check everyone is wearing their sandals
2. Lets go.
Time elapsed from starting the process: About 2 minutes.
Rock on Summer.
Monday, 12 January 2009
popping down the road
I have long realised that Bosnians, much like our parents, aren't interested in talking to us; they suffer our company in order to play with the boys. The villages I do research in are always asking after the boys, how they are getting on, whether they are learning Bosnian, how they like Bosnian nurseries and so on.
I had the opportunity yesterday to go to lunch at one of the villages I work near Zvornik (about an hour east of Tuzla), so took the boys along for the ride. It's always a fun journey for them, the road is beautiful and there is a tunnel to go through (now with lights in, which is much safer but spoils some of the into the black hole fun which the boys find hilarious). The boys behaved beautifully all afternoon, kissed the right people, ate the right food, didn't spit it out until they were outside, didn't destroy any curtains and were generally charm personified.
Driving back through the snow and singing at the top of our voices, I was struck that the idea of this trip, to a distant part of the Balkans, in the middle of winter with 2 small children would strike some as foolish. But really it is not that dissimilar to nipping down the M4 for lunch with your maiden aunt. Fewer cars, colder weather and a need to make sure you have blankets and emergency food in the car in case of an unexpected event - sure, but pretty similar nonetheless.
I had the opportunity yesterday to go to lunch at one of the villages I work near Zvornik (about an hour east of Tuzla), so took the boys along for the ride. It's always a fun journey for them, the road is beautiful and there is a tunnel to go through (now with lights in, which is much safer but spoils some of the into the black hole fun which the boys find hilarious). The boys behaved beautifully all afternoon, kissed the right people, ate the right food, didn't spit it out until they were outside, didn't destroy any curtains and were generally charm personified.
Driving back through the snow and singing at the top of our voices, I was struck that the idea of this trip, to a distant part of the Balkans, in the middle of winter with 2 small children would strike some as foolish. But really it is not that dissimilar to nipping down the M4 for lunch with your maiden aunt. Fewer cars, colder weather and a need to make sure you have blankets and emergency food in the car in case of an unexpected event - sure, but pretty similar nonetheless.
Friday, 9 January 2009
winter sports and fun
Whilst we were gallivanting around in Sarajevo over Christmas, they were busy updating the amenities in Tuzla. Most obviously is the new ice rink (on top of a rather nice clay tennis court) by Slana Banja park. It's proving to be quite a hit with the general population and at 5KM for an hour is great value for money. Adam is very keen to try it out, I'm less keen and have put off the moment of truth until the weekend when Daddy is also on hand to deal with bruised bottoms and tears. Yesterday, he was satisfied with watching some friends of ours, Amel and Ivana, have a go. Amel was a reluctant skater, most happy when clinging to the edge of the rink.
"Amel!" shouted Adam "you're not very good. I don't think your ice skates are working very well".
Next door to the ice rink they've put up 8 big trampolines. Oh my goodness me, how much do the boys love trampolines? Our daily routine has a whole new element to it. Now I pick the boys up from nursery, drive to the park for an hour of dragon fighting and exploring through the woods (otherwise known as a dog walk) which is then followed with a big long bounce. It's terrific. Who am I kidding - I love the trampolines too!
MORE ON GAS SITUATION
The temperature this morning when I dropped the boys off at nursery was -12C. There is still wrangling going on between Ukraine and Russia about the gas pipeline which has left about 100,000 homes in Bosnia without heating, mainly in Sarajevo, Zenica and Zvornik. I read an interesting blog comparing the situation in Sarajevo today to that during the 1992-95 conflict (click here). Fortunately for us, Tuzla doesn't rely upon gas supplies at all so we are toasty warm but watching the electricity supply carefully.
"Amel!" shouted Adam "you're not very good. I don't think your ice skates are working very well".
Next door to the ice rink they've put up 8 big trampolines. Oh my goodness me, how much do the boys love trampolines? Our daily routine has a whole new element to it. Now I pick the boys up from nursery, drive to the park for an hour of dragon fighting and exploring through the woods (otherwise known as a dog walk) which is then followed with a big long bounce. It's terrific. Who am I kidding - I love the trampolines too!
MORE ON GAS SITUATION
The temperature this morning when I dropped the boys off at nursery was -12C. There is still wrangling going on between Ukraine and Russia about the gas pipeline which has left about 100,000 homes in Bosnia without heating, mainly in Sarajevo, Zenica and Zvornik. I read an interesting blog comparing the situation in Sarajevo today to that during the 1992-95 conflict (click here). Fortunately for us, Tuzla doesn't rely upon gas supplies at all so we are toasty warm but watching the electricity supply carefully.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Gas spats and snow
Like much of Europe, Bosnia has been having a bit of a cold snap this past week. Temperatures haven't been above freezing point for a while now, the next weeks predictions are for a high of -2C and lows of around -15C. Last night about a foot of snow fell and everything has suddenly turned white. Normally, snow and cold aren't too much of a problem here, people are used to it, all the cars have (or are supposed to have) winter tyres and snow chains. Houses are well heated.
However, Russia and the Ukraine have been having a bit of a spat about something, and have turned off the gas pipe line in the Ukraine. This has had a knock-on effect for the supplies of gas in Bosnia which have stopped overnight (see article here). People are starting to panic and have bought out electric heaters in the stores. Tuzla is less affected than most, as many of us are on the municipality heating which is supplied by the industrial coke burning plant on the outskirts of town. However there are rumours that this isn't as secure as we had supposed; a similar smelter in Zenica may have to halt, halting that city's municipality heating whilst they are at it.
In the absence of gas, many will turn to electricity to heat their homes, which will cause rather a large surge of usage in the national grid, which may not be able to cope with it. Indeed, we have noticed the electricity going up and down like a yo yo anyway these past few days. I'm off to stock up on candles, locate our torches and test their batteries and to find our camping gas stove in case we lose power for a while.
As Bosnia hasn't got the cash or infrastructure to hold any gas reserves, this spat (which has nothing to do with Bosnia) has the potential to cause real misery here. Fingers crossed they sort it all out like the grown ups they are supposed to be.
UPDATE
Time to stop being flippant. Large parts of Sarajevo, Zenica and Zvornik (where I do most of my research) have now lost heating. They estimate there are 100,000 households are affected. I'm very rude about the massive power station on the outskirts of Tuzla, particularly when they light it up luminous green, but right now, it is my favourite thing in the world. Long may it keep pumping out noxious fumes.
However, Russia and the Ukraine have been having a bit of a spat about something, and have turned off the gas pipe line in the Ukraine. This has had a knock-on effect for the supplies of gas in Bosnia which have stopped overnight (see article here). People are starting to panic and have bought out electric heaters in the stores. Tuzla is less affected than most, as many of us are on the municipality heating which is supplied by the industrial coke burning plant on the outskirts of town. However there are rumours that this isn't as secure as we had supposed; a similar smelter in Zenica may have to halt, halting that city's municipality heating whilst they are at it.
In the absence of gas, many will turn to electricity to heat their homes, which will cause rather a large surge of usage in the national grid, which may not be able to cope with it. Indeed, we have noticed the electricity going up and down like a yo yo anyway these past few days. I'm off to stock up on candles, locate our torches and test their batteries and to find our camping gas stove in case we lose power for a while.
As Bosnia hasn't got the cash or infrastructure to hold any gas reserves, this spat (which has nothing to do with Bosnia) has the potential to cause real misery here. Fingers crossed they sort it all out like the grown ups they are supposed to be.
UPDATE
Time to stop being flippant. Large parts of Sarajevo, Zenica and Zvornik (where I do most of my research) have now lost heating. They estimate there are 100,000 households are affected. I'm very rude about the massive power station on the outskirts of Tuzla, particularly when they light it up luminous green, but right now, it is my favourite thing in the world. Long may it keep pumping out noxious fumes.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Tuzla vs Sarajevo
The second week of our luxury jaunt was spent in Sarajevo. Still only a 30 minute drive to the ski slopes (so we did pop back for another go) but with culture as well. There's no disguising that I adore Sarajevo; having grown up in London I will always have a fondness for the bigger cities and their bustle and chaos, but I was surprised by how stressful I found the traffic and the parking situation there.
Back in Tuzla I can see the benefits of a smaller town but that hasn't stopped me drawing up a list comparing the two:
Things Sarajevo has that Tuzla doesn't
1. A functioning airport (people say Tuzla has one, and that it is an international airport, but I don't know where it is and as far as I can tell the only destination has been Marakesh, once, which seems highly dubious to me).
2. Skiing
3. Traffic problems
4. A Chinese AND an Indian take away that delivers. We tried both last week in a state of high excitement. They were both great, but we may be poor judges as we haven't had Chinese or Indian food or flavours for months now.
5. Internet supermarket shopping that delivers to your door in 2 hours.
6. A Zoo (which I am not so excited about) with a HUGE playground (which I am).
7. Trams, which are a great afternoons entertainment for a 1 and 3 year old.
8. Cinemas which even show the odd film in English. Tuzlans say they have a cinema but no one knows where it is, nor what it is showing.
9. Tourists
10. A big city mentality
11. A lot of cultural events including an internationally reknown film festival, a jazz festival, a winter festival. You name it really.
Things Tuzla has the Sarajevo doesn't
1. The Bosnian National Theatre
2. Municipality heating (actually I don't know if Sarajevo has an equivalent but it is one of the best things about living in Tuzla during the winter - see previous post)
3. Big salt water Pannonian lakes for swimming in with associated cafes and bars for that beach feel
4. Parking (and lets not underestimate this one, parking in Sarajevo is a total shocker, always)
5. Easy to navigate and to drive around
6. Ilincica - the big, almost mystical woods and park on the hills behind the city, something out of Lord of the Rings
7. A big figure of a fireman up a ladder outside the fire station. Admittedly not so exciting for many people, but if you are a under the age of 4 this is pretty cool.
8. Ice rinks and trampolines set up on the tennis courts during the winter.
9. A Human Rights Film Festival
Thinking about this I realise that there are a lot of things that both cities have that are unusual in Bosnia. The immense sense of pride in their city is one. The genuinely multi-ethnic nature of both cities is unusual, possibly stemming from the fact that both cities retained their multi-ethnic population throughout sieges and massacres during the war. To be Tuzlan or Sarajevan appears to transcend ethnic labels. I suspect this contributes to the fondness that I have for both cities.
Back in Tuzla I can see the benefits of a smaller town but that hasn't stopped me drawing up a list comparing the two:
Things Sarajevo has that Tuzla doesn't
1. A functioning airport (people say Tuzla has one, and that it is an international airport, but I don't know where it is and as far as I can tell the only destination has been Marakesh, once, which seems highly dubious to me).
2. Skiing
3. Traffic problems
4. A Chinese AND an Indian take away that delivers. We tried both last week in a state of high excitement. They were both great, but we may be poor judges as we haven't had Chinese or Indian food or flavours for months now.
5. Internet supermarket shopping that delivers to your door in 2 hours.
6. A Zoo (which I am not so excited about) with a HUGE playground (which I am).
7. Trams, which are a great afternoons entertainment for a 1 and 3 year old.
8. Cinemas which even show the odd film in English. Tuzlans say they have a cinema but no one knows where it is, nor what it is showing.
9. Tourists
10. A big city mentality
11. A lot of cultural events including an internationally reknown film festival, a jazz festival, a winter festival. You name it really.
Things Tuzla has the Sarajevo doesn't
1. The Bosnian National Theatre
2. Municipality heating (actually I don't know if Sarajevo has an equivalent but it is one of the best things about living in Tuzla during the winter - see previous post)
3. Big salt water Pannonian lakes for swimming in with associated cafes and bars for that beach feel
4. Parking (and lets not underestimate this one, parking in Sarajevo is a total shocker, always)
5. Easy to navigate and to drive around
6. Ilincica - the big, almost mystical woods and park on the hills behind the city, something out of Lord of the Rings
7. A big figure of a fireman up a ladder outside the fire station. Admittedly not so exciting for many people, but if you are a under the age of 4 this is pretty cool.
8. Ice rinks and trampolines set up on the tennis courts during the winter.
9. A Human Rights Film Festival
Thinking about this I realise that there are a lot of things that both cities have that are unusual in Bosnia. The immense sense of pride in their city is one. The genuinely multi-ethnic nature of both cities is unusual, possibly stemming from the fact that both cities retained their multi-ethnic population throughout sieges and massacres during the war. To be Tuzlan or Sarajevan appears to transcend ethnic labels. I suspect this contributes to the fondness that I have for both cities.
Monday, 5 January 2009
skiing in Sarajevo
Happy, merry and a merry happy festivities and new years to one and all. Back in Tuzla, our happy merry season has drawn to a close and looking at the detritus of 2 weeks worth of unpacking littering the house, I can reflect that it was a good merry happy festive moment.
Two weeks of luxury for us, with the first week skiing near Sarajevo. I was a bit worried about this. My entire family (and their girlfriends) were flying out for Christmas and I wasn't sure if it was going to live up to billing. There was unlikely to be any turkey, it was going to be very cold, there hadn't been any snow and we had no idea what the accommodation would be like. We've never been skiing with the boys who haven't shown much enthusiasm for the cold and snow. There was the potential for a disaster.
I needn't have worried. The apartments were amazing, it snowed buckets, the rental equipment was brand new, the lifts open the day we needed them to and everything was so much cheaper than the Alps. The family settled in beside many fires and were pleasantly surprised by what Bosnia had to offer.
The boys were given a sledge for Christmas and spent most of the week careering down various hills at highly unsuitable speeds and loving it. Adam ventured onto skis, and surprised everyone by a) not hating it and b) executing a few rather good parallel turns. He was less keen to try out the button lift so relied upon the lift of Mummy or Daddy dragging him up the hill. We may not have done as much skiing as usual, but we certainly got exercised. Luke is not such a fan of the snow and proved to be more of the apres ski hot chocolate kind of boy.
Being Bosnia the ski resort is remarkably child friendly. The nursery slope was gentle with a button lift which adults could walk beside to ensure children remain upright and reach their destination. Restaurants were not too crowded and no one minded if you lingered over your (homemade) blueberry juice. Indeed the waiters were more inclined to entertain the kids than bring the bill allowing the odd long, decadent hot chocolate.
With Christmas only celebrated by the (catholic) Bosnian Croats in Bosnia, Christmas is not a particularly big deal in much of Bosnia. This meant that the Christmas week was not particularly busy. So once the snow arrived, (overnight on our first night) there were no lift queues and very clear pistes with plenty of powder and no one else. D and I were the first ones up the lift on Christmas morning to find a clear run, amazing views and not another soul. I completed the moment with a suitably spectacular face plant.
In fact the whole skiing outing proved so successful we are thinking we may have to repeat it for a weekend in February. This is a huge and unexpected bonus.
Two weeks of luxury for us, with the first week skiing near Sarajevo. I was a bit worried about this. My entire family (and their girlfriends) were flying out for Christmas and I wasn't sure if it was going to live up to billing. There was unlikely to be any turkey, it was going to be very cold, there hadn't been any snow and we had no idea what the accommodation would be like. We've never been skiing with the boys who haven't shown much enthusiasm for the cold and snow. There was the potential for a disaster.
I needn't have worried. The apartments were amazing, it snowed buckets, the rental equipment was brand new, the lifts open the day we needed them to and everything was so much cheaper than the Alps. The family settled in beside many fires and were pleasantly surprised by what Bosnia had to offer.
The boys were given a sledge for Christmas and spent most of the week careering down various hills at highly unsuitable speeds and loving it. Adam ventured onto skis, and surprised everyone by a) not hating it and b) executing a few rather good parallel turns. He was less keen to try out the button lift so relied upon the lift of Mummy or Daddy dragging him up the hill. We may not have done as much skiing as usual, but we certainly got exercised. Luke is not such a fan of the snow and proved to be more of the apres ski hot chocolate kind of boy.
Being Bosnia the ski resort is remarkably child friendly. The nursery slope was gentle with a button lift which adults could walk beside to ensure children remain upright and reach their destination. Restaurants were not too crowded and no one minded if you lingered over your (homemade) blueberry juice. Indeed the waiters were more inclined to entertain the kids than bring the bill allowing the odd long, decadent hot chocolate.
With Christmas only celebrated by the (catholic) Bosnian Croats in Bosnia, Christmas is not a particularly big deal in much of Bosnia. This meant that the Christmas week was not particularly busy. So once the snow arrived, (overnight on our first night) there were no lift queues and very clear pistes with plenty of powder and no one else. D and I were the first ones up the lift on Christmas morning to find a clear run, amazing views and not another soul. I completed the moment with a suitably spectacular face plant.
In fact the whole skiing outing proved so successful we are thinking we may have to repeat it for a weekend in February. This is a huge and unexpected bonus.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
