Nachricht Nummer : 480 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 43 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de (Wam) Betrifft : Zagreb Diary on 22 April, 1994 Kopienempfänger : /REG/NEWS/DIARY/WAM, /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN, /SOC/CULTURE/BOSNA-HERZGVNA, /SOC/CULTURE/CROATIA, /SOC/CULTURE/YUGOSLAVIA Erstellungsdatum : 02.05.1994 20:26:00 S+2 Zagreb Diary 22 April, 1994 Dobar dan, When I was having my later breakfast this morning in Faraon, an other pub in Pakrac (who are taken care that the volunteers have at least 3 proper meal per week) the three daughters came back from school. Today the big school strike started in Croatia and all primary, secondary and kindergarten school in the whole country close their doors. The main reason is finances, in some cases teachers hasn't been paid for some time and even if they are receiving their payment regularly is far less tan what they actually need to live. Already nearly 1 and half year ago teacher were discussing to go on strike, but besides some small strikes it took up to now before the teacher union really decided to do it country wide. I remembered that in those days teachers were very angry that Croatia seems to have enough money to repair the road and squares in Zagreb, but don't want to spend any cent on their future, the education system. We talked a bit about the strike and what it maybe can achieve and how they as students think about it, and than we went to a subject about almost every girl (and boy) in Pakrac has been talking the last weeks. You have to know that the most popular group here in Pakrac, but probably everywhere in the World among that age group is called Nirvana. You hear their records and songs coming out of nearly every teenager's room. Not so long ago Curt, the singer of Nirvana committed suicide and that made a lot of impact on the kids in this town. Therefor I asked the girls if they and their friends from school could write letter to Krist (Chris), the bass player, who probably is also going through a hard time at the moment. Chris is by the way a second generation Yugoslav (he didn't want to call himself Croat), born in the states. Since the beginning of this project we like to empower people in Pakrac. Most relief and aid organisations bring money and goods, with the result that more and more people are becoming apathetic, they wait and feel small, not able to do anything, only talk about their misery. Although two old women in Pakrac are so good in that that they were able to talk all the money together for the rebuilding of their houses, every time we had visitors we just took to the women and let them tell about what happened, with notes of 20 dollar and 10 DEM they were able to buy all the material they needed together and in the last three weeks volunteers and others have helped them finishing their "new" places. But rather that volunteers or others are doing it for them, we like, especially the kids, to come up for themselves, not to feel hopeless, but to feel strong and able to change their own situation. This letters to Chris are an example of it, all of them we thinking about it, but none of them really thought that they could write to him. So after we promised that we will find a way together to send this message's almost immediately five or six went to their houses to write their letters. Thanks to the Email project we have started on the secondary school most of them have lost their fair to write in English, so to night I got the first letters back, one of them I like to publish in my diary. Dear Chris, You night think that this letter is shit, but I'm just writing what I feel. I'm not good with words but I have to express my feelings somehow. My of my friends got killed in this fucking war, I thought that I can't go on living without them. I have nothing left, my house, friends, every thing what made a childhood for me is gone. I only have my two sisters, my parents and their love. After that I heard for Nirvana and I started listening to their songs it made me feel good, when I listened to their music just for that time I forgot everything what made me feel bad. I started loving Nirvana more than anything. They came to Ljubljana but I couldn't go, I didn't have money for it. I felt down but I calmed myself with the thought that they will come to Zagreb one day, and I'll see them then. After that Kurt killed himself and I thought "how can he be so selfish" And take away the only thing I cared for, but when I thought more I knew that on one way that wasn't the way to solve his problems but he's still here in me, and will always be there. I know that it sounds like a big farsa but it is the true. We all have to live, if not for us than for the people who care and need us....... A girl from Pakrac After reading such letters you don't know really what to say, I know this girl and heard what has happened with their family, together with their father I visit some weeks ago the rest of their house in Lipik, it is not much more than a pile of stones. They live now more or less as displaced people in Pakrac in a house of a relative who has been killed during the war. A few days ago I saw a video film how they found this house and the destruction in side, I know that most people would have given up if they would have found a place like that. Nevertheless this family went on, although they had to build everything up from nothing. It is one of those examples of people for which the future must have look totally hopeless have taken their faith in their own hands and rebuild their lives again. Very slowly we are starting to see more and more of those people in the town, so...... Mir from somewhere in Hrvatska, 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.ztn.zer.de . 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 (postbox 33), 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. Old numbers can be found by sending a message's with as subject "FILES" to pakrac.info@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de, to order a file send a message with subject "SEND " to same address. ## CrossPoint v3.0 ##