I cannot sleep tonight. Exhausted by yesterday’s court hearing and little sleep the previous night, when I tossed in bed for hours, I went to sleep just after ten in the evening. But I woke up just before one in the morning. It is close to four already, but sleep is beyond my ken still. As is always the case with me, and especially when I am troubled by something pretty serious, the best way out of it is through writing about it.

Slowly but surely, I am getting reconciled with my fate. I live in a country that is far from free. And Croatia has a long way to go when freedom is concerned. Having not realized that simple fact early enough, I have gotten into trouble with the law. From now on, I shall behave differently. Write differently, to put it a bit more precisely. Always keeping in mind where I actually live, I shall learn to muzzle myself. From now on, I will censor myself most carefully whenever I write about Croatia.

The cost of learning this simple truth, considerable though it is likely to be by the end of my court case, can be thought of as a write-off. It must be accepted as such without unnecessary suffering. After all, money is only money. Assuming that I have learned my lesson, and learned it for good, the write-off will be one and only. And that is all there is to it as long as I choose to stay in this country. Welcome to Croatia!