Dubrovnik: Part III - The Hotel

the view from my room

I was quite thankful that I had the opportunity to go to Dubrovnik. My colleagues were going there to teaching in a classical music seminar for musicians from Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia, so I tagged along too. The week-long seminar involves nightly concerts and daily master classes for strings, accordion, harmonica, guitar, flute, clarinet, and trumpet. I went to some of the concerts but did not participate in the masterclasses, since there was nothing for bassoon. Instead, Edo and I played duets in the lobby one night before dinner. The seminar was held in a 4-star hotel on the western side of Dubrovnik. I managed to get a sea side room with a spectacular view of the cove the hotel faced, and I definitely couldn't get enough of that view. There were a few walking paths along the sea that I explored almost every day I was there. I always saw someone fishing on the rocks below.

Having never stayed in a 4-star hotel before on my own expense, I intended to take advantage of some of its best amenities: the pool, jacuzzi, and sauna. The day in the sauna was the best. When I met Alisa and her friend there, they fixed me some tea and told me to take a “tropical shower.” I'm not entirely sure what was tropical about it, but it smelled great and felt fresh. In addition to a main lounging area, the sauna had three specialty rooms: one dry, one steamy, and one in between. I honestly, had some problems in the steamy one and had to leave after only maybe five minutes. I did not enjoy most of that time because I spent it concentrating on breathing in the intensely humid air. I guess is wasn't a place for someone with asthma. My favorite room was the one in between, which Alisa first described to me as the one “for babies.” Oh well. The best part of the sauna wasn't any of the steam rooms though, it was the foot jacuzzi. My feet were quite sore from my adventure on the mountain the previous day, so as soon as the jets turned on, my face lit up in relief. It was exactly what I needed.

sunset plus the shadow of a fisherman on the rocks

Away from the sauna, I gained a new perspective on my colleagues' lifestyle and attitudes. I was the only one of the Americans to go on the trip, so I was constantly surrounded by Bosnians. I learned that out of all of the regions that used to make up Yugoslavia, Bosnia's people have the most notable sense of humor. When anything happens whether it's good or bad, jokes will apparently pop up there first. It's not like in America, where we have to wait a certain amount of time before joking about something or else risk it being deemed inappropriate. I also noticed that they aren't afraid to go after what they want. As a musician, I am always determined at least to become a master of my trade. However, I felt pushed by my colleagues to become a little more strong-minded. If you stand around without deciding what you want in their culture, nothing will happen. You have to decide what you want and take the actions to see it through. It's not enough just to tell someone that you're going to pay for the next round of coffee. You have to actively butt in and get to the waiter first. Speaking of, Bosnians are also quite generous with their friends, sharing whatever food or alcohol they are enjoying at any given time. Without any special prompting on my part, my roommate kept on buying me things like candy bars when she went to the super market. Even walking around the old town, when Edo would stop in a market and get a juice for his kid, he would get a beverage for everyone else too. I have never seen sharing on this scale in the US...not even in the more rural areas of the country. I might have to bring back this mentality when I return home in June.

the rocks below one of the walking paths

I also learned a little bit about Croatian culture, at least through the eyes of my Bosnian friends. I found it entertaining that the Bosnians kept on mocking how the people of Dubrovnik speak. I don't know enough Bosnian to hear the difference, but apparently they have a weird accent, even to other Croatians. It must be similar to the differences between the Boston accent and the Southern accent in the States. I also heard tradition Croatian music in the bar on the main floor of the hotel. It had some similar characteristics such as the mode, but it seemed to have a more relaxed and mellow feel both in tempo and timbre. I wonder if it reflects pace of living in Croatia. It seemed like Croatians do things at their own pace even more so than Bosnians. One of the nights we were down at the bar, it took at least 20 minutes for a waiter to even come to our table. I'm not sure if that's just how they are or if that's how they are when a bunch of Bosnians are partying in their bar.

One great thing about spending an entire week away from my English-speaking friends is that my Bosnian improved quite a bit. I learned even more ways to say hello and goodbye and to wish people well. I was almost always in a group with at least three other people, and I enjoyed listening to them speak to each other. I felt bad every time they stopped and repeated a story in English so that I could fully understand. Most of the time, I observed them intently, trying to use their hand gestures and facial expressions to infer what they were saying. I don't think it actually worked, but it helped get Bosnian into my ear. Alisa's friend was the person who helped me the most with my Bosnian. When Alisa wasn't there, I would speak to her in English and she would respond in Bosnian (well, Serbian really). We understood each other pretty well without a translator. She spoke fairly slowly and simply, and I think she is the only person I have met who speaks to me at least 90% of the time in Bosnian. By the end of the week, my mind was much more adept at producing the sounds in the Bosnian language. I would no longer sound out words slowly, letter by letter like I have in the past, and it felt good. I was quite proud of myself when I returned to Sarajevo. I managed to take a cab back to my apartment by myself without saying one word in English. Yeah!