Merry Christmas

billkralovec

 

Almost the perfect day yesterday as we had a great family Christmas. The house was crazy with our three children, our nanny, and three guests! Just how I like it.

The kids awoke early and loved opening the presents. Owen and Sebey’s favorite gifts were the spy gear. Owen is fascinated with James Bond and wants to be a spy when he grows up. Oliver loved his parking garage and Ben 10 ball. Ocean is pushing around her doll and stroller as I write this.

It was a Christmas miracle and snow arrived around 10:00 AM. It snowed a couple of inches and we went out and had a great time. Snowball fights and a football/soccer game. Ocean sat in the yard and loved the snow. Team Kralovec/Chavez prepared an incredible meal and we stuffed our faces. At night we went bowling to Delta City Mall. All and all a great day.

It was great that we could renew our bonds with Popa, Alejandra, and Sebey. It was also nice to welcome Brad and Vera to our family.

Family Journal: Tuesday December 23, 2008 Red Star Basketball

billkralovec

Tuesday night we attended the Red Star basketball game. You may have heard of Red Star’s soccer team. The professional clubs in Serbia as in Europe have teams in many sports. They also have the different levels, beginning with a youth team, moving through to the “A” professional team.

As I explained in a previous post, one of the leagues Red Star participates in is the Adriatic Basketball League, sponsored by the NBL bank. The Round 14 game was against FMP Belgrade. They are from the Belgrade suburb of Zelenik. Red Star is tied for second place in the league with a record of 11 wins and 2 losses. Partizan is in first place and fellow Serbian team, Hemofarm STADA is tied with them. FMP is in 8th place (out of 14) with a 5 and 8 record.

Most of the players on both teams were Serbian. The Serbs are a tall people and this was reflected in the rosters, as there were two 7 footers and many big men around that height. It was a high quality of play, although the players were not quite as athletic as the USA professionals. It was an evenly matched game as the Red Star’s lead fluctuated from 4 to 10 points most of the game.

The difference were the two American players on Red Star. Andre Owens from Indiana University and Lawrence Roberts from Mississippi State, and the Memphis Grizzlies gave Red Star and extra boost when they needed it. You can see Roberts behind Owen. My sister-in-law erased most of my photos and video I took so I don’t have a video post.

Sebey, Owen, and Papa Enjoy the Red Star Victory
Sebey, Owen, and Papa Enjoy the Red Star Victory

The arena is called Pionir Hall and seats 7,000 people. It is located near the center of the city and it was quite easy to find with our GPS. It was in good condition and we bought the best tickets for $20 each. Best thing is kids are free!!! We were a few rows up at mid court. It was mostly filled and the fans were enthusiastic and polite. Overall it was a great experience and we hope to go again. Red Star proved too much in the end and won their 12th game.

Owen and Sebey enjoyed the game. They loved the cheerleaders performing during time outs and the scoreboard. Owen learned what the 24 second shot clock was and how to keep score. I hope both the boys will play basketball as I did when I was younger. I need to put up hoops somewhere outside and inside the house.

We attended the game with Alejandra and Brad and it was an entertaining evening.

Family Holiday Journal: Tuesday December 23, 2008

billkralovec

We went for a bike ride and run at our favorite place in Belgrade, Ada Ciganlija. I was surprised to see the bike rental shop open and we rented bikes for our guests. We did a loop along the lake. Ocean is shown above during a stop of hot chocolate. It was almost freezing and the wind was “fresh”. A very nice morning.

In the afternoon I did some things around the house. I borrowed a ladder from school and changed some light bulbs, cleaned some mold in the kitchen, etc. Last night we went to the Red Star basketball game and I’ll post photos and videos later. Need to do some last minute Christmas shopping today as well as send out electronic Christmas cards.

Ollie & Ocean in the bike stroller
Ollie & Ocean in the bike stroller

Family Holiday Journal: Monday December 22, 2008

billkralovec

Brad Woodruff is shown telling a story to the boys while preparing for a BBQ. We roasted chicken, bacon wrapped around chicken (a Serbian special prepared by Vera, our nanny), and vegetables. It was a delicious meal and some of us ate it outside despite the cold weather.

The morning was fantastic as the sun came out for a few hours. Nadia and I ran along the Sava River all the way to Ada Ciganlija and back. We then had a BBQ for lunch and played with the boys in the yard. I went into school for a bit to close up the office.

Watching a Movie
Watching a Movie

In the evening we went to the Delta City Mall and bought presents. I took the kids and we played in the playland. We had a great time as they really were sweating from running around so much.After putting the children to sleep, we wrapped presents and put them under the tree. We debated about the concept of Santa Claus. I am in favor of not propagating the myth of Santa Claus. It is a lie and not worth the “magic” is brings to the holiday for the kids. Next year we will celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children on December 19th. That is a big slava here in Serbia that many families celebrate and he is the figure that Santa Claus is based on. We still have a Christmas tree and gifts from us. We’ll also talk about the birth of Jesus and the original holiday of the winter solstice.

European Gas Prices

billkralovec


Lots of people ask me how much gas costs in Serbia. I took a photo of the meter when we filled up yesterday at Beopetrol gas station in our neighborhood. I put in 50 liters (13 gallons) into Edelweiss and it cost 3,900 Serbian dinars. That comes to $63 at today’s rate of 62 dinars per 1 US dollar. Doing the math then, that comes to $5.80 per gallon. Much higher than anything in the USA! The “dinara” is the plural for the Serbian currency the Dinar.

We don’t buy a lot of gas as we live very close to our school. Most of our driving consists of a weekly trip to New Belgrade for grocery shopping. We are trying to do more on weekends and that will also mean more gas consumption.

To put the $5.80 into perspective, the average gas price in the USA this week is around $1.60. It is about average for Europe with Norway $7.76 being the high and Estonia being the low $4.30. I sure miss the 12 cents / gallon of Venezuela.

Family Holiday Journal December 21, 2008: Visit to the 25th of May Museum

billkralovec

Lil’ angel Oliver sure looks holy in this photo. We stopped at the St. Sava’s Cathedral with his grandfather, Hermes Chavez (affectionately known as “Popa” by the boys) to show him the scaffolding. Hermes owns a scaffolding rental and sales business in his hometown of Santa Cruz. The cathedral is under restoration now that is is finally peaceful in Serbia.

The girls (Alejandra & Nadia) went with Brad & Ocean to the big outdoor market downtown while Hermes and I took the boys the cathedral. We then visited the 25th of May Museum. The museum holds memorabilia and the mausoleum of the former Yugoslav leader, Josip Broz “Tito”. The museum is named after his birthday. The day used to be huge in Yugoslavia. One of the events was the annual running of the baton across the country by socialist youth. The boys were fascinated with the different batons.

They wanted to know which baton was the oldest (1945) and the newest (1985). The first was right after WWII when the Partisans rid the country of the Nazis, and the final one was five years after the death of Tito. There was a wall display of different batons that were gifts to Tito. The boys were picking their favorites. Most had very cool socialist themes. There was the heavy industry factory baton, a red star on top of a standard screwdriver, another with a JNA tank, a rocket missile, etc. Perhaps I’ll have them make their own batons in the Communist Style of the 60’s and 70’s. A big part of the complex is showcasing the gifts Tito received from Heads of State and Yugoslav citizens throughout the years. The current exhibition were a display of all of his hunting rifles and equipment. He was a big-time hunter and there were antler trophies mixed in with the guns, and photos and videos of his hunting trips. Tito started the Non-Aligned Movement and the museum housed many gifts from developing countries including an elephant tusk gong from Burma and a devil carnival mask and costume from Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. My only criticism of the museum is I would have liked a bit more information about his career and personality. I envisioned the place like the Carter Center or Clinton Library, that would be a place to for scholars to study the writings, photographs, etc. of Tito. It was more a showcase of his gifts more than anything else. It does hold his remains. Owen asked should we say a prayer when I explained that his remains were probably buried under the big marble tombstone. I replied that he was an atheist and didn’t believe in God so we shouldn’t.The museum is close to our house, located between Haid Park and the Partizan Football Stadium.

For a man that believed in communist ideals, he sure lived a life of luxury.

The boys yearned to be good socialist youth!
The boys yearned to be good socialist youth!

Oliver, Owen, and Sebey loved running around the complex. The grounds were nice although a bit neglected. They were running up and down the hills and stairs and in between the many trees. We then went home and played soccer in the yard with Brad. Nadia is cooking a delicious soup while everyone else is playing Wii.

Upper Peninsula Mentioned on ESPN

billkralovec

Where he came from, of course, is Iron Mountain, Mich., in the state’s Upper Peninsula. Where the men are men, and the women are, too, as Izzo likes to say.

It’s hard to come out of the snowbound, sparsely populated UP with either a soft streak or a sense of entitlement. Izzo has neither.

What he does have is an abiding loyalty to the place. Every season, he invites a busload of locals — Yoopers, as they’re affectionately known — to a Michigan State home game, providing them with tickets and even entertaining them at his house. The trip is so popular that there’s a waiting list to get on the bus. (Either that, or there’s just that many people dying to visit civilization for a couple of days.)

Sportswriter Pat Forde wrote a nice article on the ESPN.com website about MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo (below). He is from the same part of Michigan as I am. He is shown below dressed as a hippie on the first night of the practices. It was open to the public and the evening was the anniversary of MSU’s 1979 national championship, hence the 70’s theme. If you recall, that team was lead by Magic Johnson. I can still remember the starting lineup, Terry Donnelly, Ron Charles, Greg Kelser, and Jay Vincent. Amazing how Magic could make his teammates so much better. That is a sign of a great basketball player. Izzo has been the coach at MSU for the past 13 seasons and also won a national championship. You can learn more about him from his recruiting website.

Iron Mountain native and current Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo
Iron Mountain native and current Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo

School Ends – Family Christmas

billkralovec

Nadia and Alejandra Thursday evening did a midnight run to Tempo, the big supermarket here in Belgrade. They decorated the house, buying plants, rugs, etc, and they also rearranged the furniture. What a difference! The girls were getting the house ready for the arrival of my father-in-law, and Alejandra’s boyfriend. It is good to have a full house of family for the holidays. Pictured above is the living room, with Sebey, Owen, and Oliver playing with their bionicles, a present from Uncle Jack.

We wrapped up school yesterday with high school’s last exam and the middle school Christmas party. It was also the big slava of Saint Nicholas. It is cool and rainy this morning as I write this. A bit disappointing as we are all hoping for snow! This morning we are going to the police station to register our guests, as all people visiting Serbia in private homes have to do.

ISB High School Daily Bulletin: Friday December 19, 2008

billkralovec

Today is the final day of the first semester. We will be starting on Monday January 12 with Day #1.

I have an interview at 8:30 AM. Ana will be distributing exams and be the contact person this morning as Bojana will be away. In the afternoon I will be at the Middle School for their Christmas celebrations.

Final Exams:
Today is the final, final exam mathematics.

The Daily Bulletins this semester have been posted on the secondary chatterbox. It will be good to check them next year to see how we can improve.

Things I have learned for the next time we do exams.

•    Give explicit instructions for the students who have accommodations. Separate their exams from the others immediately. Make a separate schedule for them.
•    Remind students to take their calculators to the science and math exam days.
•    Do not schedule exams on big slava days.
•    Put the major Slavas on the school calender for 2009-2010.
•    Use Independent School Management’s 10 Commandments for Exam Scheduling when making the exam schedule.
•    Identify and remember the students who are taking HL exams. Do not make announcements during the HL exams.
•    Make a form to put on the envelope with all of the information. Student list, HL students, proctor name, classroom, date, session, etc. can be put right on the envelope holding the exams to make it easier for the proctor and administrative assistant.
•    Meet with the students who take school transport to set changes in times with the bussing.
•    Remind HOD’s to estimate the time of their department’s exams. We had several that ran a bit short.
•    Meet briefly with teachers before the start of exams to review the proctor guidelines and discuss clarifications.

Krsna Slava Sveti Nikola: Congratulations to the many Serbians who are celebrating today. On the staff, Nevena, Katarina, and Bojana are home today with their families. Sveti Nikola died on this day in 343 AD. He was the Greek Bishop in the city of Myrna in Turkey for many years.
Humanitarian Organization Divac: The Christmas Card Drive is ending today and Vladamir reports between 50,000 and 60,000 dinars have been sold. He will be coming out with the exact amount later today. Congratulations to him and the CAS students for their work. The visit with student leaders to the Collection Center has been postponed until next year.
Second Semester Schedule / Report Cards: Our IBO Coordinators Liz and Branka have been hard at work with schedules and report card preparations. Branka will re-send the report card schedule.
SPACES: Paul McKenzie has done some excellent work on the SPACES Interdisciplinary Project on the Moodlic web page. Teachers involved in the project are now asked to set deadlines for turning in the students’ material for posting. The big SPACES exhibition will be January 30th. Mark your calendars. Also, I would like to congratulate Natasa Skoric and the Grade 10 students on the completion of their epic film for the project.

ISB IB Theatre Arts DP Class and The ISB International Thespian Society 7335 present:
24 HOUR THEATRE
Saturday January 17, 2009 7:30 p.m.
Tickets RSD100. On sale from Thespian Society Members or at the HS Reception from January 12.
The students will arrive on Friday January 16 and begin to work on original theatre pieces.  The audience is asked to join us on Saturday evening the 17th to see the presentation of their original work that they devised over the 24 hour period (with sleep in between).
This is a curricular event enabling IB theatre students a chance to combine numerous components of their IB syllabus into a real production experience, supplemented by the ISB Thespian Society.

Oliver’s Christmas Show

billkralovec

 

Talking With Santa, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Yesterday afternoon we attended Oliver’s Early Years Christmas program. It was held in the afternoon for the Early Years (Age 3) and Pre-Kindergarten (Age 4) classes. Oliver did a great job demonstrating dancing, singing (Yellow Submarine), and acting. He also got a chance to talk to Santa Claus (above). He told Santa that he “was going to Serbia” for the Christmas holidays.

I’ll be uploading video this evening when I get a chance.