Friday, January 18, 2008

The day when everything goes wrong

It's Monday morning 8o'clock. My bus from Belgrade to Sarajevo is leaving in two hours and my train to Belgrade is leaving in 25 minutes. I've packed my backs and everything is ready. One last check. Keys, passport, wallet, luggage and my 2nd wallet (Yes, I do have two wallets. The second one is just for bankcard and driving license so if i were to loose one I would have a backup wallet). But wait a minute, where is my second wallet! It's neither in my pocket or in my backpack. Frenetically I'm searching through my apartment without luck. I grab my spare credit card (which has 25% interest on cash withdrawals) and the code which I never remember and head for the train station. I just miss my train but luckily enough there is actually two trains leaving within 15 minutes at this time (This is the only time this happens during the day). So I manage to get to Belgrade and I even have time to buy some food for the 8 hour bus ride.

The bus is supposed to leave at 1010 so I show up at the bus station 0955 and I try to call Stine to see where she is and if she already bought a ticket. A Serbian voice tells me that the mobile is either turned of, not working or out of bounds. I figure I just have to go and buy the ticket and get on the bus and hope she is there. I told her the bus left at ten so she should be here already.

The time is 1001. "Jedno karto za Sarajeva u deset i deset" (One ticket for Sarajevo at 1010).
- Nema (none), there was a bus at 10 o'clock but it just left, next bus is at 1130! My pulse is increasing. I have to be at a meeting in Sarajevo at 19 for a EUS meeting. Not knowing what to do I try to call Stine again, her mobile is still not responding and I try to figure out what to do. Stine is probably on the 10 o'clock bus and she don't know who we're meeting, or the plan when we're coming to Sarajevo. I buy a ticket for the 1130 bus. And I send a message to Enisa (secretary general of Bosnian EUS, whom is picking us up at the bus station) trying to explain the situation and trying to figure out how to resolve it.

I sit down at some stairs. I start to pray. "Dear God! Please help me to get out of this situation I've managed to get myself into. And help my find my wallet". Then not many minutes later I get a call from Samuil:
- Why are you sending Stine alone to Bosnia! She just called me from her Norwegian phone and she is not sure what to do. Just like that! Everything starts to fall back into place. I get Stine's number and I manage to connect her to Enisa. They spend 90 minutes on cafe waiting for me to arrive. And we have a great time in Sarajevo.

I returned to Serbia Thursday evening, and Friday morning my wallet shows up in a taxi in Pancevo. God is great!