Here we are opening a road asphalting project in temska, a village in the far southeast of Serbia, this week. that work is with CHF International, a community development organization from silver spring, Maryland, with whom I worked from august 2001 until April 2002. this is the traditional village welcome of bread and salt. I'm about to dip the bread in. it's a rich eggy kind of bread, a lot like grandma (and Greg) used to make for Easter.

Baby News:Go back to Staresinic home page

ISAAC MATEJA NDIZA STARESINIC born at 3 PM January 6, 2001 (Orthodox Christmas Eve)

Isaac is an "international name"; Mateja is a Serbian name, corresponding to Matthew; Ndiza is an African name meaning airplane.

 

Picture of Isaac December 2001

Three pictures taken in May.

Below are Isaac, Mike, Strajin "Strajko' Antonijevic (Nevena's father), Svetislav ('Svele' or as kids call him 'Kejo') Antonijevic (Nevena's grandfather) and, I think, a bit of Nevena in the corner.

 
08: baby's best picture! on january 7, day after birth, with dren (dogwood, for health; just after the pic nevena and i each ate a dogwood bud) and orah (a walnut, for toughness, which nevena is also supposed to eat).
01: nurse brings baby to nevena at 4PM, jan 6, 1 hour after birth.
05, 13, nevena and baby.
03:  mike's first pic with baby.
09, 10: various baby closeups, 4 PM, 1 hour after birth.
06: mike and nevena relaxing with baby  on sunday january 7
 

The kid get's better looking every hour, since his head is coming into shape, his chin, which went through something like a wine press, is appearing, his eyes aren't puffy, etc. He has long dark brown and golden hair.

More pictures, added January 28, 2001

The picture below was taken shortly after Christmas 2000, in Belgrade

and this picture was taken Christmas 1999, in Pittsburgh

 

A toast of Slivovitz to the world's newest democracy. We are happy to report that Mike and Nevena made it through. The normally-talkative Mike has only released the following statement regarding his arrest and deportation: 

well, making it through. we didn't know what would happen. i thought i would be in jail for 3 days, minimum. i couldn't believe they dumped me at the border. i hitched a lift to a hotel, called nevena, and said, 'hi peanut! the good news is that i'm free.' they wouldn't even let me tell her i was being expelled. it was a violent arrest; they tried to prevent anyone from knowing about it. pretty scary for me.