Povratak kući / Going home

Dragi čitaoci, moj put se bliži kraju, i ne znam da li mi je drago ili krivo zbog toga. Osećam blagu nostalgiju za domom, nedostaju mi moja porodica i društvo, a istovremeno sam se prilično privikla na grad i stekla nove prijatelje u ovoj dalekoj zemlji. Povratak kući će biti velika promena u ritmu; neverovatno je koliko vas Njujork forsira da ubrzate korak, priču, izlazak, večeru. To je ponekad iscrpljujuće, ali na kraju dana, kada vidite šta ste sve uspeli da uradite za tako kratko vreme, shvatite da je bilo vredno dodatnog truda. Pre neki dan sam toliko bila umorna od obilaženja i pešačenja gradom, da sam zaspala već oko 9h uveče. Ne pamtim kada mi se nešto slično desilo.

Dear readers, my journey has come to an end, and I don't know if I'm glad or sad about that. I feel a bit homesick, I miss my family and friends, while I've got used to the city and I made some new friends in this distant country. Going home will cause a big change in rhythm - it's unbelievable how New York pushes you to speed up whatever you've been doing. Sometimes it's exhausting, but by the end of the day, when you think of all the things you managed to complete, you realize it was worth the effort. Few days ago I was so tired I went to bed at 9pm. I can't remember when was the last time it happened to me.  

Prošla nedelja je bila sjajna. U četvrtak je bio Dan zahvalnosti, pa sam tim povodom išla kod Klodin na večeru. Zaista sam se divno provela, i uživala u svim delikatesima koji simbolišu ovaj praznik (poput ćuretine, sosa od brusnica i americke pite od jabuka). Takođe, videla sam uživo neke od Klodininih legendarnih kreacija. I moram da vam kažem da sam ljubomorna: žena ima zasebnu sobu za šivenje! Maštam o tome da imam svoj kutak, gde nikome ne bih bila na smetnji, i gde mene niko ne bi ometao (trenutno šijem u trpezariji, peglam u dnevnoj sobi, a sve materijale držim u bratovljevoj sobi, što nije ni malo zgodno!). Upoznala sam i njenu porodicu, koja je zaista bila sjajna prema meni, i želim da im se svima zahvalim na gostoprimstvu i ljubaznosti.
Takođe, srela sam se i sa Elizabet, koja ima sjajan blog o svojim krojačkim poduhvatima. Bilo mi je jako zanimljivo da ćaskam sa njom (ne biste poverovali koliko tema za priču može da iznedri kovrdžava kosa!), jedino mi je krivo što nismo imale još malo vremena za druženje. No, nadam se da ćemo pre ili kasnije imati još prilika da se sretnemo i da nastavimo druženje.

The last week was great. Thanksgiving was on Thursday, so I went to Claudine's for a dinner. I really had a great time, and I enjoyed all the delicacies that symbolize the holiday (like turkey, cranberry sauce and the American apple pie). Also, I got to see some of the Claudine's famous creations. I have to tell you I was jealous - the woman has a sewing room! I've been dreaming of having my own sewing space, where I wouldn't be in a way and where nobody would interfere with me (I sew in a dining room, press in the living room and I keep my fabric stash in my brother's room, which is not convenient at all!). I also met Claudine's family, who was very nice to me, and I'd like to thank them all for their hospitality.
I also met Elizabeth of Sewn. It was really interesting chatting with her (you wouldn't believe how many talk topics a curly hair can provoke!), I only wish we had more time for hanging out together. Well, I hope sooner or later we'll have more opportunities to meet and continue our friendship.

Juče sam se fotografisala u svojoj novoj haljini za Burda Style. Ako sve bude po planu, moći ćete da je vidite na naslovnoj strani sajta u ponedeljak. No, bez brige, neću propustiti priliku da se pohvalim i da vas podsetim na to kada dođe vreme ;). Jako sam zadovoljna kako je haljina ispala, i još sam zadovoljnija jer sam mogla da zadržim haljinu za sebe! Narednih nedelja će verovatno osvanuti na sajtu i haljina koju sam šila za Noru, tako da ćete moći da vidite sve detalje vezane za nju i izmene kroja koje sam napriavila. Osim haljina, radila sam i na manjem projektu (ne volim ovu reč, ali mi trenutno ne pada ni jedna bolja na pamet!), koji je inspirisan Božićem i poklonima, tako da će i o njemu biti reči na sajtu.

Yesterday I had a photoshoot with Burda Style wearing my new dress. If everything goes according to the plan, you'll see it on Monday on the website's homepage. But have no worries, I won't miss an opportunity to brag around and remind you of it when the time comes ;). I'm very pleased with how the dress turned out, and I'm even more satisfied that I kept the dress for myself! In the following weeks, the dress I made for Nora will probably appear on the website too, so you'll be able to see more details and the pattern alterations I made. Besides the dresses, I worked on a small craft project that's inspired with Christmas and gifts, so it will be featured on the website as well.

Vikend sam iskoristila za kulturno uzdizanje i obišla Metropoliten muzej, kao i Muzej savremene umetnosti (poznatiji kao MoMA). Ostala sam bez daha! Ljudi koji me dobro poznaju znaju da umem da zaplačem od uzbuđenja kada sam na koncertu ili na baletu (ja sam strastveni ljubitelj baleta, džez baleta i modernog plesa), ali mislim da me niko nije video kako plačem pred slikama. E pa, upravo to mi se desilo sada - osetila sam ekstazu dok sam gledala originalna dela nekih od umetnika, a onda su mi se oči napunile suzama.
Da budem iskrena, prvi put sam shvatila veličinu Van Goga. Ranije, dok sam gledala reprodukcije njegovih slika, nisam bila fascinirana pejzažima, mrtvom prirodom niti autoportretima za koje svi znamo. Jednostavno, ti motivi nisu odgovarali mojoj estetici. Međutim, kada sam uživo videla njegove slike, ostala sam bez teksta. Ako niste znali, njegove slike su prilično trodimenzionalne. Ne mislim na 3D efekat i optičke iluzije, već na teksturu i reljef koji čine motiv koji je krasi opipljivim. A tek boje koje je koristio! Koliko su jarke, žive i nesvakidašnje. Mislim da sam se najduže zadržala ispred slike Wheat Field with Cypresses (namerno neću da prevodim naziv, jer ne znam zvaničan prevod na srpski); slika je ostavljala utisak da se krošnja drveta pomera na vertu.
No, nisam samo cmizdrila po muzejima, neki radovi su me nasmejali. Raspametila me je postavka karikatura i komičnih crteža koji datiraju iz XVI veka i kasnije. Nisam se trudila da zapamtim imena svih umetnika, ali sam se slatko nasmejala nad mnogim crtežima koji veoma duhovito ilustruju ljudske mane i karakter.

I used weekend for more cultural experience and visited Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA. I was speechless! Those who know me well know that I sometimes cry out of excitement when I'm on a concert or a ballet play (I'm a passionate fun of ballet, jazz ballet and modern dance), but I think I've never been seen crying in front of the paintings. Well, that's exactly what happened this time - I felt an excitement while looking at original paintings of some of the artists, and then tears came to my eyes.
To be honest, this was the first time I saw the magnificence of the Van Gogh's paintings. Earlier, while I was looking at reproductions of his works, I wasn't particularly fascinated by his landscapes, still nature and self-portraits that he had. These motifs didn't appeal to my aesthetics. However, when I saw his works in person, I was speechless. If you didn't know, his works are quite three-dimensional. I don't mean by that the 3D effects and optical illusions, but the texture and the relief that make the motif almost touchable. And the colors he used! They're so bright, vivid and unusual. I think I spent most time in front of the Wheat Field with Cypresses painting - I could almost see the leaves moving in the wind on the tree.
But, I didn't just cry in the museums, some of the works really made me smile. I was amazed by the exposition of the caricatures and comic drawings that date from the 16th century and later. I didn't bother remembering the names of all the artists, but I had a good laugh while watching some of the drawings that illustrated human flaws and character in such a humorous manner.

I, na kraju puta, mogu da se pohvalim da sam se zaista sjajno provela, da sam upoznala mnogo divnih ljudi, stekla nova prijateljstva i iskustvo koje nikad neću zaboraviti.

At the end of my trip, I can say that I had a great time, I met a lot of really nice people and made some new friendships. It was an experience I'll never forget.

I, kao epilog, evo još jedne pesme koja opisuje moje trenutno raspoloženje.

As an epilogue, here's another song that describes how I feel at the moment.

Vidimo se u Beogradu!

See you in Belgrade!