If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you care about me, or my project, or the Fulbright. I’m glad you’re along for the ride, and I should thank you at this juncture for your support of my work and my life in whatever form that takes.
If you’ve been around me—on either side of the Atlantic—in the last few months, you know how focused I’ve been on launching this grand tour in the best ways possible, and I am happy to report that I’ve succeeded as far as I can tell.
So, thank you for your help in making this a reality for me; I’m indebted to you more than a little blog can express. To paraphrase Tennyson’s Ulysses: “All that I have met are a part of me.” I am truly blessed with fantastic family, friends, colleagues, students, and the people I depend on for answers, and the people who depend on me for answers.
I’ve been out of the USA for a month now, and if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been blog-wise for the past two weeks, I’ll tell you: I’ve been meeting about a hundred fascinating people from every possible corner of Zagreb. I hope I’ll stay connected to them in the near and far terms. Besides my fellow Fulbrighters, Willie Osterman, Larry Moneta, and Kathleen Beaudoin (she’s stationed in Rijeka on the Adriatic), I’m glad to say that the grad student Fulbrighters (Rebecca Rumora, Grace Shigetani and Mia Psorn) all bring some nice energy to the festivities in Croatia this year.
My friends Teri and Mike Pitts invited me to an embassy wine-and-cheese function up in the hills north of Zagreb. I met plenty of people (including the new ambassador, James Foley!) who were genuinely interested in me, curious about how I could turn comedy into an academic topic, and intent on using my skills to promote the US to the people of Croatia, from Zagreb to the smaller hamlets dotting this gorgeous country’s landscape. I apologize for leaving out names of people I met, but trust me, they were all fascinating.
I spent the start of that next week finishing the paper I was invited to present at the 30th Annual Zagreb Literary Talks in the first few days of October.
In the middle of the week, on September 30, the Fulbrighters in the fall 2009 shift (some will leave in January, and some others will arrive for the spring 2010 semester . . . I’m the only lecturer here for the full academic year) convened for the Croatian side of the orientation process. I renewed acquaintances with some of the Fulbrighters I met at the orientation in Washington, DC, in July, and met more support people from the Embassy and the Croatian Ministry of Science, Sport, and Education (I think I got that right). We went over many practical topics—most of which I’d confronted in my first two weeks here—and some new ones (like avoid the “Princess Club” . . . let the name suffice to describe that clip joint). The orientation day ended with a beautiful reception at the home of the Deputy Ambassador, the charming Vivian Walker. The three contact people I’ve met up with the most are Sasa Brlek, Marija Crnić, and Bob Post.
I’ve been meeting and greeting colleagues at the Faculty of Philosophy (where the Comparative Lit and American Studies/English departments reside). Few meetings so far, and I’ve been scrambling to coordinate the course packets for the three classes I’ll teach this semester. Boris Senker and Stipe Grgas are my two most direct contacts, but I’ll be working with a bunch of people. Sorry to delay those other names, but I’m sure I’ll be posting about the academic work soon enough (CLASSES START OCT. 12 FOR ME).
Meanwhile, at the ZLT, I met and interacted with several dozen scholars, professional playwrights and novelists, and theatre practitioners from Croatia and elsewhere. The conference was held in the space run by the Croatian Writers Association, and the building is smack-dab in the heart of Zagreb on the main square, Trg Bana Jelačića. It even has a fabulous restaurant connected to it that provided meals for the duration of the talks. Wow! Two other Americans (Carolyn Roark and Cheryl Black) joined the fun here, as well as the brilliant British critic and writer John Elsom. I got to practice my German with Lucija Šarčević (Croatian but teaching in Germany), and generally blended as much as possible with the native writers, like Miro Gavran and the two hardest working organizers of the event, Ana Čikos and Nikola Đuretić. Everyone there handed me books and more books! No shortage of literature for me to read here. I even caught up with a Croatian scholar I met in New Orleans at ATHE a few years back, Sanya Nikčević; more on her later. Again, I apologize for leaving many, many names out here. Here's a little clip of my opening gambit for the paper I presented (with Ana and Nikola on either side of me):
On the Sunday at the close of the ZLT, a big bus took the participants to Đakovo in the eastern part of Croatia called Slavonia. Đakovo has three claims to fame, as I could see: the horse farms that raise the fantastic Lipizzaner horses, a rare red-brick cathedral, and (judging by the lunch) abundant platters of roasted meats. The long day presented more of an opportunity to bond with the writers and scholars on a lovely excursion (my first adventure outside of Zagreb so far . . . look for a new blog entry devoted to the horse, cathedral, and lunch video).
The next day, Sanya and her husband, Rolando, took Carolyn and me to Istria for a further adventure. Cheryl (the other American at the ZLT) sadly had to return to school in Missouri after only four or five days in Europe (boo!). Istria is the westernmost province of Croatia, nearest Italy. More on that adventure in a later blog . . . need to edit the footage!
Finally, let me return my thoughts to the people back home in the States: in West Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, DC, and elsewhere who never have left me for a second and whose energy fuels my activities more than I can say. I could not have made this trip without your (continued) support: you know who you are . . . whether you’re sending me a care package, or mailing an important document, or reminding me of the Saints’ success, or keeping my house in impeccable shape, checking my mail, or emailing me needed work to use here, please remember I am indebted to you and I hope you can find your way here to share in the Croatian fun in person during the next months. I’ll be back home before we know it, and I intend to bring back beaucoup memories and stories to tell for years to come.
Oh, and one more thing: the Croatian keyboard has a few extra letters like č Đ Č ć Š and so forth . . . and the “Y” and “Z” are switched in the layout, which will take some getting used to (or, rather, "the used to which will take some getting"????). I apologize here and now for missing a diacritical mark and otherwise misspelling this new language . . . it will happen.
Much Love to All,
Jaz
