Difficulties and Hrvatski

I'm sorry guys, I really am, but Ian is jealous of our adventures. And you know how much I hate to see Ian unhappy. So, first thing tomorrow, we're going to call our airline and see if they can move our return tickets to next week. Its been fun.
Ahem. Yeah.
So today's blog will be about some difficulties we're having. Also, I noticed that the blog has been very picture heavy, and while I dearly like those pictures, and from the comments it seems as if ya'll do too, putting them on is very time consuming and detracts from the writing. I have lots of stuff I want to say. So... less picturey today.
Travel continues. Or doesn't, really, as we have connected with Spencer's friend Milos' parents, who have kindly offered us a nice place to stay for a week au gratis. So we're in Split until Tuesday. Where will we go next? Ah, the first of our difficulties. I'll come back to that.
The second is difficult for sure but extremely pleasant. Since we're going to be in Croatian speaking countries for a while, I'm going to try to learn a little Hrvatski. Zelim uciti Hrvatski. I can ask how much things cost, count to a thousand (numbers in Hrvatski are the easiest ever), and engage in extremely simple conversation. I can also conjugate a few verbs, but my noun declension... needs work. I bought this little translation book for 65 kuna that has all the grammar in it. Er, well, all the simple grammar anyway. It doesn't show how to do continuing actions in the present tense, or gerundives. Hrvatski has these things, doesn't it? Like, I can say govorim hrvatski. I speak Hrvatski. But how do I say I am speaking Hrvatski? Or I am learning Hrvatski? ucitem Hrvatski?
Grarg! Our third difficulty is that nowhere in all of Split can a guy in need buy a second-hand bicycle. Nowhere. Every bike store we ask at laughs at the very principle of the thing. Stara bicikl? they say. Sto? So, as much as I utterly loathe hate can't stand detest angry at stridently disapprove ardently dislike saying, but getting bikes seems less and less possible. Even renting them is 400 kuna a week, roughly 72 dollars. Although thats not SO bad, everything is mountain bikes, which increase onroad travel times almost twofold. Paying for bikes for that long will rapidly untie the shoestring that staying gratis at Milos' parents house has allowed me to secure. But gah! This was supposed to be a bike trip. I'm beggining to wish we had sucked up the trouble and just taken our bikes from home. Then again-
Sigh... also, its looks as if Spencer and I might split (Split? haha) for awhile, eventually. Relax, we aren't fighting. Thank God, as one of my top fears for this trip, marching in formation, its shield prepared to defend its neighbor Not Making Any Friends, was seeing this trip tear my friendship with Spencer apart. Did that last sentence make any sense? No, thank God, we aren't fighting. He just really wants to see Venice, and... me, not so much. I want to spend longer in Austria. But we'll see.
Life is also somewhat difficult in Split. Since we aren't staying in a hostel, we don't have easy access to other travelers. Other travelers are easy to talk to. There are many easily accessible conversation topics. But... just going up to someone in a Split bar (almost all outdoor, by the by) and trying to kick up a good rozgovor, especially if your hrvatski is bad. Its tough. It has a high potential for utter failure. Utter. Higher, I think, in my limited experience, than it has for success.
I rely so much on being good with words back home! I'm a conversationalist! I like talking! To be reduced to a few memorized phrases, a smattering of poorly recalled conjugations, and a tentative understanding of how reflexive pronoun gender works (I keep calling myself a girl!)... its almost more than I can bear. If it wasn't so goddamn fulfilling to learn all this stuff, I don't know why I'd bother. Seeing people laugh and smile when you say something that the average tourist can't. The delighted expression when you say 'zelim uciti Hrvatski.' Its approval. I like approval. I like it when people approve of me.
Too bad I'm coming home in a week. Ian.
Ian smells. Also I miss him and everyone else.
Also, uh, Milos... what does this mean? Is the grammar bad? Does it even make sense?

Zelim uciti Hrvatski. Ja cu kupiti pizza za vas ako rozgovore. Djevojke dobiju pica, takoder.

I'm willing to bet dimes to dollars that it doesn't make a lick of sense. I want to make sure before I hang it from my back like a friggin battleflag.