Living in a State of EXIT

Novi Sad, Serbia

The EXIT festival, with over 20 main stages spread out across the main sections of the Petrogardin Fortress high above the Danube River in Novi Sad, Serbia, was amazing. Returning to Novi Sad also had this undeniably comfortable feeling, like home. That's what scares me about the Balkans, I always feel like I'm home...

I'm basically speechless about the last 24 hours, is it ironic to write about being speechless? Every kind of music was there, Serbian reggae and Latino bands, rap, hard rock, metal, dj's, an entire outdoor dance arena housing a rave with maybe 10,000 people, etc. Basically around every castle wall and through every tunnel you found a new scene for the 100,000 per day crowd. I only came for the last day, mostly to see the Datsuns and White Stripes, who were every bit as weird as they are on cd.

My last night in Sarajevo was fantastic. I actually skipped the UNICEF party to hang out with all my new friends at the hostel. We hit some major bars and clubs, drinking and dancing in classic Eastern European clubs until 4 in the morning. I then wandered the streets and ate pizza until nearly sunrise with a crazy Irishman and a guy from Montreal in front of the Eternal Flame, a national monument to WWII.

Because I couldn't sleep on the night bus from Sarajevo - I was so tired too, and the hostel in Novi Sad had no room ready for me (although I almost slept in the conference room the lovely Dragana had prepared for me), you could find me wandering like a zombie at 6am amongst others in the center of town who had stayed up all night and were still drinking and partying in the streets (the festival is 8pm to 7am for 4 straight days). I slept on a bench like a true hobo for maybe an hour (it is unbelievably safe to do here, unlike America) before being waken up by Vladimir, his sister Tattiana, and her friend Alexandra, who all walked by just as exhausted and laughed at me. Soon we were all having coffee and talking through our heavy eyelids. The brother and sister spoke english, but Alexandra only speaks Russian, which made conversation harder and led to problems later...

I was able to sleep for 2 more hours before heading to the castle at 7, and I ran into my new friends again immediately. We listened to some local bands and danced a bit. Like that scene in the 3rd Matrix movie when the people in Zion start dancing to house music and there is this primitive, animal feeling to the atmosphere, the dance arena was multiple levels around an ancient drawbridge of bodies in motion under massive speakers, scantily clad professional club dancers, and light shows. It took me half an hour to get through the crowd. When the two english speakers stayed in the dance arena, I was left in a somewhat awkward situation with Alexandra at the main stage. At first it went well, I could make her smile by telling her I loved Sarajevo (her home town) or mentioning great legends like Hendrix or Zeppelin. We even managed to have some minor conversations about school and jobs and politics - she is in a 5 year child psychology program in Belgrade. But at the same time, huddled together under a raincoat in the pouring rain with a Bosnian chick who speaks literally no English was like a first date from hell. Thank god we were at a concert, I could just buy her drinks, dance with her and enjoy the music.

It is difficult to go to a concert and dance and drink for 12 straight hours. We often found ourselves exhausted and sitting around enjoying the view, lost from her friends and struggling to communicate! I asked a girl next to me for the time at one point, and ended up meeting another half American at school in Iowa named Irina. As beautiful as Irina was, her male friend Bronco was more interesting. He was from Novi Sad, a bit older and spoke perfect English through his drunkeness. He loved meeting me and for some reason and wanted to tell me all about his thoughts on the war, which was a nice surprise after my experience with the victims in Sarajevo (the morning I left a procession of police-escorted coffins rolled through the center on the way for reburial at the Srebrencia memorial service, while residents lined the streets with arms outstretched, openly weeping).

Bronco was stationed in a Bosnian town called Benaluca during the war, which he loved because the ration of women to men was 12 to 1. Of course you must understand that this ratio existed because all of the men and boys were fighting or had been killed already. But it is still interesting that he loved it enough there to abandon the army and run around with Muslim girls - he is Christian Orthodox (Serbian). From Bronco's perspective, the war was an unnecessary tragedy. He described at length how well the older generation of the united Yugoslavia had been living for decades. Until of course they agitated for independence. "They [Bosnian Muslims] had a good life! Why this nationalism!" So I suppose it is a serious split in basic ideology. I mean, you have to admit that when Bronco explains that the Muslim populations began a small guerrilla war, supplied and encouraged by other Muslim countries (I don't know if this is true or not, but it is a common belief), you start to understand Serbia's desperation to keep things together. He did not deny horrible things had happened, Bronco simply wishes the Muslims had never wanted to break away. I don't agree or condone Serbian actions, but I am starting to understand both sides.

At a certain point I ended up alone at the concert, tired and wondering what the hell I was still doing there. I left around 4:45am, the castle still brimming with people.

So I have finished my Balkan tour, and will head to Budapest tomorrow for a few days before visiting my brother in London. I will really miss this part of the world, it has been a blast - and you didn't even hear about Croatia where I met an Aussie who looks exactly like my old friend Matt and we took some Norweigian girls out on the town!

I am desperately in need of some good old rest and relaxation, which I will get in London. My life is like a long, fantastic dream these days.

Ain't nothing in the world like a big eyed girl
To make me act so funny, make me spend my money
Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose
Like a--oh baby, that's a-what I like!
-Big Bopper