Nachricht Nummer : 245 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 43 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ZER.sub.org Betrifft : Zagreb Diary 20 August, 1993 Erstellungsdatum : 27.08.1993 18:19:00 S+2 Realname: Wam Kat Zagreb Diary 20 August, 1993 Dobar dan, So we came to a conclusion that we have to give more information about our work to the locals, but also trying to involve all those smaller and bigger aid organisations which are visiting the city nearly every day, partly just to see what has happened, partly to deliver goods, Christina from Germany, who was volunteer in the first group which just left 3 weeks ago will return next week to Pakrac with a first transporter filled with aid for the local nurse. Just at the entrance of the centre next to the main bridge over Pakra, the flower shop and uppersides the UN building an small office is for rent. We are planning to rent it if we can find to owner and turn it into a type of information center. The leader from the reconstruction committee also thought that it was a good idea, they planned to rebuild one of the old 1640- build houses in the center into a town museum, but knowing the houses I think that the planning, in the beginning of the winter, is a little too enthusiastic. Walking through Pakrac you can find at least one of the working brigade very easy, they are working every where were on the public places the grass hasn't been cut for two years, so they cut and burn it, sometimes this burning is accompanied by loud explosions, some bullets which were laying in the grass and hadn't exploded yet. I hope that we don't need the big first aid kit which the Dutch brought last Sunday. Glad that nobody has the idea to cut the grass at the front-line yet. The situation in most of the workplaces have become more relaxed again, but still the situation is not like a week ago, nevertheless the radio programme of yesterday had a bigger respond than normal, walking and sitting in the town you could notice that nearly the whole town is checking in on the radio. Especially the kids reacted on the plan to paint one of the walls in the town, we announced it, but we still have to find some paint for it, the wall we have got from one of the local pubs, which is passed by every body who enters the town. When we stood in the local paint shop and heard the prices we got a little shocked, at the same moment one of the UN trucks passed and I looked at Nick, we got the same idea. Shit, the UN, if somebody must have a lot of white paint it must be them. All their vehicles and building have that colour. Standing in front of their building watching the big sign on it saying UN, we started to imagine what you can make out of that word, brUNch, lUNch, sUN, rUN, and a lot word, we had about 50 words in no-time, but after the experiences this week we think that we should wait with such jokes, but it would be nice to change the word every day. UNfortunately there is not much fUN possible. In this kind of area the world is rather serious. Serious or not, there is always a possibility for a little joke. When we asked in the evening a teacher of the European Peace University from Austria what he thought what we should do in this area after the reactions this week. He answer "You are pioneers" and the whole group started to laugh. It started with some gniffeling but soon the whole group was loudly and the speakers question mark on his face became bigger and bigger. After repairing some buildings in the Pionirski Ulica and knowing that the Peace Hostel in Zagreb is just next to Pionirski grad the word pioneer is really working on our laugh muscles. Pioneer were as in every socialist country more or less the counter parts of the boy shouts in the west. The real laugh started when somebody proposed to call the school "Pionirski Dom" and start to wear red and white things around our neck or something. At that moment the coin also dropped by the teacher and he smiled along with the rest. But yes we are pioneers, every day you realise that nobody has done this kind of work before so soon after a war. And surely not in a war which is not over yet. And that we have often our thoughts and dought about the step we are taking came out this evening. Immediately after Mr. Platzer from UNDP in Vienna arrived with the both teachers from the peace university arrived together with the 4 Austrians who are going to work in Pakrac for a year a very serious session took place. Although it was already late the meeting went on for hours and was rather open towards each and every one. It is clear that in such discussion meaning and feelings are near to eachother. I was glad that during this meeting it wasn't the aim to make decisions but just brainstorm a bit about what has and must happen. Theory and practice are different, somebody said, between those on the workfloor and on the chairs is enormous gap, and again everybody started to laugh, all our guests were sitting on chairs and all volunteers on the floor. But it is the reality, not only the volunteers, but everybody who "normally" lives in this area is far away from the green tables in Geneva and if we didn't listen ones and a while to the world service we would even know what is been discussed over there. Here the local situation influences the tensions in the air. If I think back on the security meetings of UNPROFOR some time back in Zagreb I remember that it was weekly said that there was no change in sector west, nothing happened there, if you are in the sector you have a total other idea about what nothing happens means. Of course the amount of "war" is next to nothing, but since we arrived in this area at least 10 people died from courses directly related to the war. So quiet is rather relative. Bok I Mir from Zagreb, Wam ------------------------------------------------------ Zagreb Diary can be found on a lot of different electronic networks, it is copyright free and can be ported to any network or other means of communication you like, but please drop my a line, you can reach by sending a message to wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de or wam@zamir-zg.comlink.apc.org. Zagreb Diary is dedicated to Tyche, Pjort and Rik, so that they found out what there father have been doing all that time in Zagreb. Financial support for Grassroot relief work in Croatia or BiH can be send to Kollektief Rampenplan (atn. Lylette, Postbox 780, 6130 AN Sittard, Netherlands, tel:. +31-46-524803 and fax: +31-46-516460 or to Zagrebacka Banka, Zagreb, accountnr.: 2440291594, to Kat, Pieter Jan Herman Fredrik, Brace Domany 6 6fl nr3, 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. ## CrossPoint v2.1 ##