Nachricht Nummer : 333 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 30 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.comlink.de (Wam) Betrifft : Zagreb Diary 11 December, 1993 Kopienempfänger : /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN Erstellungsdatum : 16.12.1993 01:14:00 W+1 Realname: Wam Kat Zagreb Diary 11 December, 1993 Dobar dan, After having our talk, Manfred invited me to come with him to Daruvar to have a meal in hotel Termus, one of the most expensive hotels in the area and full with UNPROFOR, UNCIVPOL, UNHCR, and what more is in the area around of the UN or UN relatives. All journalists, at least those with real bugets are also staying there most of the time, when they come to visit Pakrac. All in all we established Pakrac on the map, the amount of visitors is growing, but in the night the town is back to his inhabitants and the volunteers (and of course ArgBat in their compounds). Just at the time that most of the informal work happens, to contact making, the brain storming with the locals, the gossiping (the mayor smashed his 14th car today, that is at least one each month) and the social life. Now when the evening are long (it get's dark at 4 o'clock) this is Pakrac on it's best. As long as UNPROFOR and Red Cross have occupied the only two buildings in town which could be used (and where used, before the war) to make hotels in them, it will take a long time before people can stay at a acceptable level (a nice bit lower than Termus (with it's swimming bad, sport hall, bowling place, restaurant with live music)), considering that not everybody wants to sleep with 12 people in one room, sharing one toilet and one shower, as the volunteers and our guests. We are sure that more and more people will come to Pakrac, in the future (like every Friday at least 6 guests arrived for the weekend today). So we have to find another solution, f.e. building up a kind of rent-a-room service, so the people and the money stays in Pakrac. Another money generation project, maybe something for Duda when she has to stop at UNOV, since her baby will be born. In Daruvar I found out that Manfred had done his contact making basically here among the Internationals, which is also important. When we sat down he ordered three rakija's and put one next to plate in front of the empty seat next to me. "For the deputy of the sector commander" he says. I thought that was a Jordanian, so I reply asking him if drinking was allowed for an Islam. Only not in his country, but every where else it is open. Ten minutes later he arrives and indeed he takes the glass and starts talking with Manfred in Arabic. Manfred has worked for a while in that region as development worker, so he is even able to return the question. I sit and look around, what an idiot world we are in, here we are sitting in a first class restaurant, with live-music (something from which you think, what would it costs to make them not playing), full with English and other strange languages, from all over the world, except from the local ones (if you count out the waiters, the band and a young couple in the corner, who are so in love that they don't speak). 20 kilometer down are the volunteers in their house or in Skorpija by now, and 200 meters more is the front-line. Again I have found Casa Blanca. Prices here in Daruvar are simular to Zagreb, in front of the Hotel the world is white from the last snow and the UN cars. The world is crazy. Manfred introduces me, but the rumours about the hippie wing of the UN already reached out far behind Daruvar. The International Volunteers are becoming "famous" around this parts. We talk a bit about Djakula, his friends are now in Beograd, and the elections tomorrow in Krajina, who makes the best change to win. We talk about things in English as if we are on an isolated Island in the sector. Things and names, which you normally don't say loud, you can hear on the other side of the room. This is the International living room of the UNPA. A strange kind of colonialism I must think of. Outside in Daruvar, in the pizzeria's and dancings the lower "staff" is having their fun. Here we have to the "top layer" of the International family together, co-ordinators, majors, project managers, colonels, sergeants and what ever. It is nice to see ones and a while, but it is liking taking a holiday from Pakrac, when you are in Pakrac. This evening we had it the other way round, since a few days we have rented Papage, a kind of dancing, the owner goes to Germany to work and likes our work so we have our big room for bigger meetings and like to night, some social events, as Vanja's birthday (that is in fact on Monday, but then we will be in Vienna). During the whole evening UN people (in civil) and locals dropped by, I never knew that the local ArgBat commander could play so well guitar. Vanja has a good party and even the local police chief drops by, also in civilian this time. Okay at this evening you maybe have to take a bit more care of your words, but somehow I like it better. Maybe you think that we are partying and making fun, which is in a way true, maybe some times a little to much, but that you realise every time you seen any house around here. We are in the front-line and not every bullet we hear tonight is only because of a wedding. If you saw the hole a mine made in an ArgBat APC, you know well that we don't have to make our ourselves any illusions, this is the war zone, still.... 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. 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