Not knowing a single word of the language, I began studying BCMS 7 weeks and 2 days ago. Considering the life span of the average American woman, 7 weeks and 2 days is a blink. Compared to the pain of my previous Russian language adventures, 7 weeks and 2 days is child’s play. You would think that I have learned next to nothing. The reality: I can do anything. The words on the street are the proof that’s in the pudding, and it all began with a taxi driver by the name of ‘Boris.’

My Saturday was spent sleeping in, sipping instant coffee, uploading photos, and spending time with one of the most lovely families I have ever met in a delightful city called Nikšič (Nikshich). Biljana Amidović was one of my professors at Pitt. She lives with her husband Elvir and their two children in Montenegro’s second largest city. The lot of us went gosti-ing (visiting) on Saturday, and a delightful time was had by one an all. The highlights of the day were rakija (shljiva and losa), beer from Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro, my favorite Russian salad, chocolate covered baklava, and oodles of food. We rode the bus to Nikšič; I bought the bus tickets. Seven weeks of BCMS language study and I bought the bus tickets for 6 other people that have been studying the language for a full 2 years or longer (Natalie, who has been studying BCMS for only 7 weeks herself, bought our return tickets). Amusing ourselves on the bus, we made plans for a beach filled Sunday in Montenegro’s most famous coastal city of Budva. After returning to Podgorica, I had a lovely chat with the woman at the bus ticket counter about the price of fare to Budva and the bus schedule, then I walked outside, negotiated a cab for 4 euros, tried to talk the guy down, told him he was crazy, and proceeded to call a cab company and get us two cabs home for 1.20 Euro each. In the cab, I asked our driver how much it would cost us to cab it to Budva, 26 Euro, he said.

We arrive at our dorms, and there, sitting in his bright yellow cab is Boris. Having calculated that 26 Euros split between 4 people is a far better deal than riding the bus for 6.50 Euro, I mozied up to Boris and asked him how much to Budva. We chatted back and forth, he seemed swell enough, and we arranged for him and another cab to pick us up at 10am. Well, it turns out that Boris is fantastic! Not only did he pick us up and drive us an hour to Crna Gora’s most lovely tourist laden beach, but he picked us up for the same price! I don’t want to over toot my own horn, but I am enthralled with the success that I am finding with this language. I could move to a BCMS speaking country tomorrow and exist very happily (as far as language abilities go). This is an amazing thing!

We spent the day on the beach of Bečići, laying towel to towel next to hundreds of Slavic strangers. The sea stretched out before us, and mountains hugged us on three sides. The combination of my Slavic heritage and 7 hours of laying in the sun have baked me to a lovely golden brown. I am delightfully pleased with my experiences on the Black Mountain thus far, and if I can manage to communicate myself into a few more fantastic situations, I suspect that I will have at least enough entertainment and natural wonder to fill my tank until next year’s international adventure.

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