Trainings and Language

Dobar dan!

So far I am very impressed with the organization I am interning with. Everyone I have met has been very kind, hospitable and warm; as well as intelligent and informed. This organization is doing quite a lot within Serbia, as well as connecting and collaborating with other organizations in both Serbia and Bosnia. I have already been very inspired by all that they do.

I will predominantly be working within the HIV/AIDS section of the organization, which is involved in very exciting research on the issues PLHIV (People Living with HIV) have to face in Serbia. And they also do trainings and are involved with various individuals and groups within the PLHIV population. So far I have been helping to edit some articles on their research, which they are planning on publishing and observing trainings (in Serbian) for Program Development.

Believe it or not, it has been quite fascinating watching these trainings in Serbian. The subject matter of the trainings is fresh in my head from two classes I had on Project Development and Program Evaluation, and the preliminary drafts of the research done on the PLHIV population in Serbian. So, as the trainers draw diagrams I get a rough an idea of what is being said. Because people are so expressive within the Balkans I am able to follow the emotion and intensity within the dialogues during the training. At certain points I would focus on facial expressions, looks in peoples eyes, how frequently eyelids blink, types of smiles, raising of eyebrows, tones in people's voices, eye contact between people, arm and hand movements, and varied body movements. Although I do not know for sure exactly what was being said, I can percieve the rest of the communications being made. It is fascinating seeing the way participants look while they were learning; how they ask questions; and how, when brainstorming, almost everyone would talk excitedly at once. I feel so comfortable with what many would label "DRAMATIC" ways of nonverbal expression here, and the intensity of it...it is like home to me.

The sound of the Serbian language is also rather fascinating to me. There are certain words taken from the English language, like: "problem" (literally the same), and very Latin influences. There are many sounds I recognize from both Italian language and Slavic languages. The blends this makes are endlessly intriguing, at times sounding very harsh and at other times quite soft...but always with a certain flow and fluctiation of sound. Slowly, certain Serbian words are sticking out to me, the few that I know, and I hope that in time, as I learn more words, the sentence structures will begin to make more sense as well. Although the pronunciation of Serbian words is very simple, the grammer and sentence structures are extremely complex. We'll see if I get to know this by the end of my time here!

Dovidjenia!