Some of you may doubt the title of this post but ye' of little faith, read on.
Aleksandra and I met coincidentally. She has been staying with flatmates who (coincidentally) the few other Americans I know who have traveled to Bosnia, also stayed with. I had come over to look at the house and to meet the others. Aleksandra was home doing work. She is a PhD student in Conflict Management (like Conflict and Peace Studies but with less optimism) and later in the evening we happened to be departing the house at the same time. As we trotted down the hill in the dark we got to chatting and decided to get a cup of tea at nearby Kino Meeting Point.
Kino Meeting Point, might turn out to be my new favotrite spot. It is a cozy art gallery/movie theater/bar where young people gather for films, drinks, and conversation. It has an intellectual ambiance, perhaps also owing to provocative art on the walls and careful lighting. The theater also shows several non-mainstream films.
After we finished sipping our herbal čaj (tea), and over an hour of talking about her research, the upcoming elections in Bosnia, immigration patterns in Europe, and her conservative upbringing in Poland, Aleksandra stood up. Wrapping her scarf around her neck she asked if I wanted to join her for a movie on Thursday. "It's a Woody Allen film," she said casually. "Meet here at 9." "You like Woody Allen movies?" I stuttered. "Oh yea. Especially his old ones. Manhattan is my favorite." "Love and Death is my favorite!" I nearly shouted. "Yea" she continued, "I always am quoting his movies and no one knows what I am talking about."
We took a picture.