Category: Family Journal

An archive of our family’s daily life.

Oliver Turns 4: Srećan Rođendan! Happy Birthday!

billkralovec

The Gang, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Yesterday we held Oliver’s birthday party because the May Day holiday. We invited some friends of ours and their children to come and celebrate Ollie’s big day. The kids, shown above, had a wonderful time, running around, laughing, and screaming and mostly leaving the adults alone for us to enjoy ourselves too. Our pergola is the perfect place to host parties, where both children and adults can have a good time. The name pergola is a bit pretentious, but it is the proper term to describe our back gazebo/patio set up in our yard. We have the incredible vine that has been trained to grow over the lattice and it really is our summer house. We spend as much time out there as we do inside the house during good weather. That is a nice thing about Belgrade, is that the spring and fall is warm and long. We use the pergola from August – mid-November and then again from mid-March to June. We are on holiday and outside the country in July.

Janko loved the strawberries!
Janko loved the strawberries!

We were concerned in the morning because it was cool and cloudy. I spent most of the day cutting the lawn, trimming the vines on the pergola, sweeping, preparing the grill, and getting the drinks ready for the party.  The sun came out later in the day and by the time the party began at 4:00 PM, the day was beautiful. It did cool down later in the evening and we all went in to watch the kids dance party. The main course was of course the Serbian specialty, a BBQ. I prepared “pljekavica” as well as chicken shish kebabs wrapped in bacon. Nadia made a cake for Oliver’s birthday and a dessert for the adults which was a delicious strawberry truffle the kids then enjoyed ice cream cones .

The kids played with sidwalk chalk
The kids played with sidwalk chalk

Oliver received two toy motorcycles, one from our nanny Vera. He also got a water gun and a nice book, “We’re Going On a Bear Hunt.” He laughed and had a fantastic time, being the complete wildman he is. Right before the party, true to form, Oliver fell when Owen was chasing him with water balloons. Oliver had a big bump right in the middle of his forehead. We used to call him unicorn boy because of this and it was appropriate that he did this on his special day. He is such a little character and talks to everyone.

It was nice to have a Serbian touch to the day and Owen’s teacher Verica sang Srećan Rođendan (Happy Birthday). We were laughing at the kids trilingualism, Spanish-Serbian-English. Nadia and I were exhausted at the end of the evening. The party didn’t end until around 9:00 PM.

It was a good day had by all! Happy Birthday Ollie – We Love You!!!! To see more photos of the evening, please check out my flickr.com account.

The Girls Had a Good Time Too
The Girls Had a Good Time Too

Happy Birthday Oliver!

billkralovec

Olliebirthdaycollage, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Oliver turned four years old yesterday. We are having a party today, May 1, as it is a national holiday in Serbia. I’ll be posting photos later.

The collage shows Ollie in his three significant places. The first, starting from the upper left and going clockwise, shows Nadia holding Oliver outside our home in Venezuela. Oliver is then shown mowing the grass in our former home in Iron Mountain, Michigan. Lower right shows him climbing rocks in the Mesa area of central Anzoategui, Venezuela and finally, it shows him in the swamp at our former family country house in Bolivia.

Wykons Reunite in the Balkans!

billkralovec

Bill & Bill, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

The increased communication with the internet never ceases to amaze me. Through my flickr.com photo set and blog, my old friend, Bill Mays found me and found that we were living in neighboring countries. He was visiting Belgrade this week for a conference and we got together to catch up and reminisce about old times.

We are both graduates of West Iron County High School and from the small neighboring towns of Caspian and Stambaugh, Michigan. The odds are highly unlikely that the two of us would see each other again, half way around the world. Bill has had a very successful career in international finance and development and I am the Principal of the International School of Belgrade, Serbia. Bill is based out of Sofia, Bulgaria.

It was great to see him and we hope to see each other more often while we are both in Balkans!

Visit to the Belgrade Museum of Aviation: April 25, 2009

billkralovec

Yesterday we toured the Museum of Aviation located on the grounds of the Nikola Tesla International Airport in Belgrade. The kids loved it and we spent an entertaining two hours in the museum. I highly recommend a visit to anyone with a interest in flight, military history, and with children.

Ollie and Owen are shown above in a cockpit of one of the planes. They were impressed with being able to move the tail and wings with the controls. The building is very cool and upon entering, is like going back into a time warp of the early 70’s. I told Owen, “This is what it was like when I was a kid.” They still had that 70’s fake wood paneling, credit card stickers from long ago, and the funky desks and furniture from the era. They had an impressive amount of planes with many having English descriptions. On display was also a tail of an US F-16 that was shot down during the NATO bombing (the pilot ejected and was rescued) and a British unexploded bomb found in Kosovo, also from the NATO bombing. Here is a link about the history of the building.

The Museum of Aviation
The Museum of Aviation

All eras of flight are on display including the World War I fighters, World War II, Communist Yugoslavian Air Force, and the history of JAT Airlines. As I said, a very impressive and complete collection! The boys were totally punped and were running around outside on the planes and helicopters, pretending to be James Bond.

The F-16 Tail
The F-16 Tail
Ocean next to the Mig-20
Ocean next to the Mig-20

I think the visit will generate an interest in aviation for the boys. We may buy a model plane and put it together for them. We also have to watch the ultimate in fighter jet movies, Top Gun with the boys.

Ollie’s New Bike: Family Journal April 25, 2009

billkralovec

 

Ollie’s New Bike, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Another wonderful and busy day yesterday with the family. I took Oliver down to get a bike for his birthday. He has seen his older brother Owen riding around Ada and he wants to join him. Yesterday afternoon, we went to the Marconi Bike Store located in the May 25th Sports Complex on the banks of the Danube River in Belgrade. Ollie picked out a “Mustang” 16 inch bike made by the Hungarian company called Capriolo. He was so excited! He went for a ride immediately from the shop and I snapped a picture. What a good little guy! Before he went to bed, he was concerned that he fell while riding on the side walk in the yard because he wants “to ride at Ada like Owen.”

We also met our favorite player for the Red Star basketball team, Vladamir Štimic,   who happened to be walking along the bike path near the bike shop. He is a young player who I think should get more playing time with the team.

Vladamir Holds Up Ollie
Vladamir Holds Up Ollie

 

He is not the most graceful player, but the three games I saw this season, everytime he got in, something good happened. He plays hard and gets a lot of rebounds. I am not sure why the coach prefers the other big men. He is only 22 years old and I expect to see more from him next season. 

After we got back, we had a BBQ at home. I bought hamburgers and chicken shish-ka-bobs from a store that specializes in meat for the grill. You have the option of having them cook it there or taking it out. I also bought some of that delicious bread that goes with the Serbian hamburgers. Serbs are great with meat and they put some sausage into the hamburger to give it an extra kick. 

Nadia has been in a painting frenzy lately. We visited a nice art store downtown and purchased a lot of canvases for her and the boys. The weather has been beautiful and so she painted outside yesterday as the boys watched on. 

We are nearing the end of our Spring Break holiday. I am ready to go back to work, but enjoy the extra time I can spend with the family, projects around the house, and stimulating my intellectual curiosity with extra reading and Serbian lessons. I must make time for more exercise during the work week, but am not sure how. 

It was another beautiful day in Belgrade, with literally, not a cloud in the sky and cool temperatures. 

 

The Kralovec Family Flower Garden
The Kralovec Family Flower Garden

 

 

 

Family Journal: Friday April 24, 2009

billkralovec

We are still enjoying our glorious week of holiday! It sadly comes to an end on Monday, but we have been having some wonderful family time.

My Three Golden Cherubs Watch James Bonds Casino Royale
My Three Golden Cherubs Watch James Bond's Casino Royale

Nadia and I have dedicated ourselves to running daily. Two days ago we ran in the Friendship Park area of New Belgrade. Owen and I stopped to take some photos and had a great challenge of trying to catch Nadia on the way back to the car. Yesterday Nadia and I ran in the Banovo Brdo park. We’re heading out again this morning, taking full advantage of having a nanny hear to watch the little ones.

Nadia Runs Along the Danube River
Nadia Runs Along the Danube River

It feels good to get so many consecutive days of running in. Our busy work schedules and having little children really cuts into our exercise time. I wish we had time to exercise every day. Oliver and Ocean are just too small to take both of them with us.

“We” completed a flower garden yesterday in our yard. It is a spot that is protected from the soccer and play of the kids and is really unused. I put the pronoun in quotes as Nadia envisions gardens, but I do the actual work of putting them in. It is quite relaxing and gives me a sense of accomplishment.

We are using the week also to do things around the house and in our financial affairs. I completed the medical claims for this year. Since August, Ocean is in the lead with $472 worth of medical costs, and Nadia is in second place with $330. We have a family total of $803 worth of bills. The school provides us with AETNA insurance and they will reimburse us for most of it. I forsee using more with Ocean and Oliver’s vaccinations. Today my goal is to repair the cabinents in the kitchen and boys’ bedroom.

We went to the Usce Mall last night and went bowling. Great fun!

Ollie Wills the Ball Down the Lane
Ollie Wills the Ball Down the Lane

Ollie and Ocean with the Čuvarkuća

billkralovec

 

 


A shopkeeper at the paint store gave Oliver a Serbian Easter egg! It is one of the Serbian Easter traditions and I love following the local customs. It is one of the nice things about living in other countries. The Serbs keep one of the Easter eggs, called the čuvarkuća in their homes for the entire year until next Easter. It is supposed to protect the home. The translation is čuvar means guard/watchman/keeper and kuća means home. 

Ollie carefully handed it to me and we put it on a shelf in the kitchen. We’ll see if it makes it the entire year. 

Family Journal: April 21, 2009

billkralovec


My dad and brother Andy are extremely handy with their hands. Both of them are excellent carpenters, electricians, plumbing, etc. I am not quite so handy and like to blame my genetics and scenes like this above.

Yesterday, our head of maintenance Goran and his crew came over to the house yesterday to do a few odd jobs. They reinforced one of our benches in our outdoor furniture and then took down this unused satellite dish that has been sitting in our yard for years. It was attached to our fence and quite an eyesore.

The school treats its expat employees extremely well. The maintenance crew has done much work in our house this year. They have re-wired our kitchen and outdoor lights, repaired our telephone outlet, moved a big couch, etc. All we need to do is complete a web-based form work request and they are there the next day. We appreciate their care, and it allows us to focus on school work rather than house work. It is one of the advantages of living overseas. Nadia and I have greatly benefited from having help with domestic chores such as cleaning, washing clothes, shopping, cooking, etc. All of our utility bills are paid for, etc. It really frees up time to maintain a blog, spend more time with the kids, reading, etc.

I have pledged to get better at home upkeep and repair. I recently fixed an extension cord and bought an adjustable wrench! Yes, small steps compared to what my dad and brother can do, But, I am using the wrench quite often and see that a good tool kit is essential. I plan on my dad consulting me this summer on the perfect tool kit. I see the need to learn how to drill a hole to hang stuff or put up shelves, to repair cabinets with wood glue or screws,

We are relishing the time off from work. Yesterday Nadia and I went for a run together around the lake at Ada Ciganlija. We then played soccer, basketball, and ate lunch outside in the yard. In the late afternoon, we went to the US Embassy Commissary for shopping. We also went down to the pijaca “Zeleni Venac” which in English is the Green Circle Market to get our watches repaired and buy some flowers for the garden we are making.

Today, April 22, marks the one year anniversary of my blog, billkralovec.com. I did 250 posts this year! I renewed my subscription to wordpress.com and will continue the domain name for another year.

Family Journal: April 20, 2009

billkralovec


We started our week of holiday at home. For Nadia and I it truly is a holiday as we can use the nanny and our resources at home to relax. Sometimes, traveling with young children is more work than our jobs.

Yesterday Owen and I started the day with a run around the lake at Ada Ciganlija. We went shopping in the afternoon for summer things, like an outdoor broom, sprinkler, etc. We had a nice picnic in the grass and in the evening, Nadia prepared a good meal of pasta and we had a fire.

Owen and Ollie Enjoy Ice Cream In Front of the Fire
Owen and Ollie Enjoy Ice Cream In Front of the Fire

Ollie and Owen are shown above playing a game of egg-tapping. This is a Serbian Easter tradition. Serbs boil eggs with onion skins to produce a nice, burgundy color. Many paint intricate designs on the eggs. Vera brought over some eggs she made yesterday. We played the egg tapping game where opponents tap the top of the eggs together. The egg that does not crack wins. In a family competition, Oliver had the strongest egg and won!

Ollie is tierno with Mama
Ollie is "tierno" with Mama

Family Journal: Easter Sunday Lunch

billkralovec

Sunday Lunch, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We discovered a really nice place for lunch yesterday. We visited Salaš 137 just outside of Čenje, a small village near Serbia’s second city of Novi Sad. Salaš, pronounced, salash, is the Serbian for country ranch. These places often have a restaurant, country museum, and activities for kids. This particular salaš was particularly nice, a perfect place to take the family.

The boys take a break from soccer.
The boys take a break from soccer.

I spent the morning doing yard work and playing with the kids. I managed to take Ocean for a run in the jogging stroller, I was definitely feeling the Belgrade marathon in my legs. We finally got the kids and car packed and left for ranch in the afternoon. It was warm and overcast, perfect weather! The food was traditional Serbian cuisine. We ordered the house specialty, lamb, as well as salads, potato dishes, roasted vegetables, and the special Serbian “gutbomb” of chicken wrapped in bacon and filled with cheese.

Ocean on the Teeter-Totter
Ocean on the Teeter-Totter

The ranch was recommended by various mothers in the ISB community and thanks to them. The ranch also had a huge soccer field and playground. Perfect for three hyperactive kids waiting to eat. We also went on a horse ride in a cart around the property. Cenje is in the heart of Vojvodina, the northern part of Serbia. Vojvodina is an rich agricultural area, flat as a pancake. It looks like Iowa.

I highly recommend the place for a weekend afternoon get-a-way. They also have a hotel for longer stays. The ranch is located just north of Novi Sad, about 90 kilometers away from Belgrade. If you type in Čenje into a GPS, it will take you to right to the place. For more information, you can visit their web site.