Moja Kuća

So I thought I should show you where I am currently living. Over the Christmas Break I will be switching houses with the other exchange student in my town, but until now this is moja kuća. (my house)

The house is two stories with an attic but we only occupy the second floor. There is a front hall, one bathroom, a kitchen, a storage closet, a master bedroom, a sitting room and a back deck.

I am staying with Damir and Snježana Piskač. Here are some pictures of their house that they have opened up to me.

My street - Ulica (street) Vlahe Bukovca 1. My house is the first on the left.

Front view of house. Almost all houses here have fences around the whole property.

The driveway with the garage in the background.

Inside the garage, as you can see we don't put the car in there.

The front doors. My host parents and I live on the top floor and in the Winter my host grandparents live on the bottom floor. It is very common for parents and children to live in the same house just different areas.

The backyard. It is mostly taken up by the dog pen where Beni lives. He looks cute but he isn't very friendly. A lot of people here own very ferocious guard dogs that bark and growl when you walk by the houses.

The front hall. Bathroom on the right and shoe closet on the left.

The hallway. Looking from my room to the front hall.

The kitchen.

The everything room. This room serves as the guest room, (couch turns into a bed) a computer room, a sitting room and a TV room.

Host parents bedroom.

Storage closet.

In attic looking down into the storage closet.

Attic. Mostly just storage.

Back deck. (door leading out to here is off the kitchen) Area is used for drying clothes, (It is common to air dry clothes here) and sitting when its warm out.

The bathroom.

The washing machine is in the bathroom. There is a tube that you stick under the lid of the toilet so it drains when washing. Its best to not go the bathroom when the laundry is being done. The toilet doesn't have water in it until you flush and you have to manually stop it.

The sofa is actually my bed. At night I fold it down and make my bed and in the morning I take the bedding off, fold it up and make it back into a couch.

The room I am staying in. Their daughter (Andreja) really likes the colour red and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. (a band)

Chestnuts and Apples

On Sunday (the 5th) my host parents and I headed to my host grandparents' farm to pick apples and chestnuts. Here are a few pictures from the day.

The first few.


What it looks like when you find them.

I accidentally dropped some.

Working hard!

Chestnuts in the pod. When you fin them like this you use two sticks to pry the chestnuts out, that way you don't prick your fingers on the pod.

Host mom.

The forest floor.

Bucket number one!

Apples.

Me using the pole picker to reach the high up apples.

Heading back to the farmhouse.

The neighbor and her new kittens.

Sunbathing cat. He thoroughly enjoyed being petted.

We packed them like this then moved them to the cellar so they could be kept for winter.

Some of the apples were no good thanks to these huge wasps. I have never seen a wasp so big in my life. They were the size of my pinkie finger (knuckle to tip) and i was worried i would get stung.

Part of the small orchard (9 trees)

Orchard and some grape vines in the background.

Took a snack break to eat one of the apples i picked. Delicious and as fresh as its going to get.

Host mom with a full basket. When you use the pole picker the apples drop into the cloth bag. Although sometimes you miss the bag.

All the chestnuts. We only left a small bucket behind and took the majority home. My host dad loves them and gives them away to his friends and family.

Picking the last few apples.

štrudla od jabuka (apple strudel)

I first had an apple strudel when visiting the castles in Zagreb. They are delicious. When my host family received a crate of apples from the neighbors I suggested we make štrudla od jabuka. So last night my host mom and I made apple strudel. I can't stop eating them so unfortunately they are almost all gone. So here are some pictures.

The apples...

Me grating the peeled apples...My host dad seeing when they will be finished

My host mom pouring oil on the pastry dough. (we bought the dough )

Showing me how its done

First you pour oil on the doughThen you place the grated apple at one end

Add bread grains (absorbs moisture from apples), cinnamon and sugar.Then start rolling.

Lay out on baking sheet

Before putting in the oven you cover with sour cream