Burec

I want burec.

I do.

I searched all over town for my sweet sweet addiction, and the closest I came was some white flour pastry with about a teaspoon of meat in it.

I searched for recipes and I couldn't find anything that resembled what I ate in Belgrade.

I know there are some Serbs who read this, so if you want to earn a lifetime of gratitude, please send me your grandmother's burec recipe.

I'm bored. It's 9:45 pm and I'm at an Internet cafe trying to finish up a bit of work for tomorrow morning. It's dark and rainy and the people here are starting to piss me off. They just turned off the lights so they can watch Star Wars, but now I can't see the keyboard.

At least they're not playing the Hampster Dance theme song over and over again like the last time I was here.

I called the missionary girls yesterday to see if they wanted to go out for tea. The number didn't work because no one told me you needed 0256 in front of the local number.

I tried again today with the area code and still no answer. I kept getting the rapid beeping noise and the phone told me to dial the number again. I did. And did again. And again. I'm sure the cooks at the pizzaria beside the phone booth were amused to see me jam my phone card into the phone slot over and over.

There's nothing funnier than a foreigner, in flip flops and shorts, carrying a Romanian-English phrasebook, trying unsuccessfully to make a call. I was ready to burn that phone booth down. It's cursed!

I tried again from my cell phone and I reached their host father (who spoke good English. I came prepared with my Romanian phrasebook and "pot sa vorbesc cu ____?").

They weren't in, so I tried again. And again.

Finally, I got in touch with one of the girls, but it seemed they're pretty booked up with church functions.

Bible boys. Bible girls. They're all the same.

On a more positive note, Srdjan and I settled on a date, finally. I'm going to Serbia the weekend of the 15th to see the monasteries I posted pictures of. It's the same weekend as TMBase but I'll still get to go Thursday night. And maybe Friday night too in case I decide to leave on Saturday morning and come back Monday.

It worked out for the best for both of us. I'm psyched!