Spring is here!

With the onset of warm weather, the slow pace has slowed further. Joining a group of women last week, on makeshift seating in front of a little general store (prodavnica) on the main road after work listening to the friendly gossip was an eye opener.

First, it gave me an opportunity to stop and read the small 8x11 notice announcing direct buses 3 times a week from Brod to Italy via Slovenia on the store window. This information will not only remain unknown to most residents, it also went unnoticed by me for the last couple of weeks when I passed the store during my morning walk! Now, if and only if I had been planning a trip to Slovenia, it would save me some serious connecting time at bus stations along the way. Now, I need to find a direct connection to Dubrovnik, Croatia my next destination of choice!

Second, I also found myself glancing at my watch whenever a combi went by, noticing any differences in the regularly scheduled times as well as if additional times were added for the summer hours.  With much laughter, when queried by a passerby about cost and times to go to Skopje, they yielded to me for accurate information as I travel far more frequently out of my community than them. Though the fare between Brod and Skopje went up by 50 mkd in February the drivers gave us a grace period to get used to the new rates till mid May, after which they insisted for the new rate, especially with students.

Third, I became part of a semi-closed system, in which local entrepreneurs went shopping for clothes to Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey for jeans, blouses, dresses in the ‘latest styles’ and fashions for non-professional working women. These women are too constrained by meager wages and lack of time, spending hours growing their vegetables and other staples, planting, harvesting, canning and pickling all year long along with meeting the obligations of raising young children, food preparation and keeping up the house, to travel to neighboring cities for purchasing clothes. As always I am eager and open to new experiences I wanted to meet this entrepreneur. The following day Dragan, stopped me on the street to introduce himself and set up a time to meet at the opstina to see his wares!

Fourth, watching people walking past offered not only a window to my community, but an insight to the stereotype of construction workers on lunch break back home.  I now have a better understanding of the light-hearted play between the watchers and the watched.  My experience last week of watching people walk by, some self-consciously, others with a wave or with small children and still others stopping to say hello and curious about the foreigner among was delightful. The evening had the ambience of a lazy summer vacation day – a soothing balm to the hectic pace of life and to be indulged in once in a while and indulged in small towns the world over.