Living in the Heart Shaped Land

Bosnia is sometimes called “the Heart Shaped Land” due to the distinctive shape of its borders, but it also makes sense when you realize how compassionate people are to one and other here. One thing that has always struck a chord with me about Bosnia and Herzegovina is what a strong sense of community there is among its citizens. You always hear about how there are too many ethnic tensions between Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs, but if this year has taught me anything, it’s that when it really counted, Bosnians came together to help their neighbors no matter what their color or creed.

This sense of community is especially strong in light of recent events. As you may or may not know, parts of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia have been submerged in flood waters after unprecedented amounts of rains caused many rivers to overflow their banks. The floods left 1/3 of Bosnia and Herzegovina affected, they caused over 2,000 landslides, and thousands of others have lost their homes.

Flooded areas in the region

(Al Jazeera Balkans)

Within hours of the new breaking that many Bosnian towns were suffering I noticed a dramatic shift in the people of Sarajevo. My Facebook newsfeed was not only filled with prayers for the victims safety and health, but also places in which anyone could drop off supplies or donate goods to those in need. I’ve never seen people jump into action so quickly. Within a few days there were donation bins in every supermarket and school and caravans of emergency supplies, clothing, and food were gassed up and ready to go. People who did not feel satisfied just donating what little money they had to the cause grabbed their keys, loaded their trunks and headed for the affected areas despite all of the treacherous roadways.

A solder helps a boy evacuate in Maglaj

(AP Photo Amel Emric)

The rain has thankfully stopped and the flood waters have begun to recede but help keeps coming, often times in the most unlikely of ways. Today, for example, I attended an event called “Children vs. Dragons” where 100 kids with and without special needs “play” against Bosnia’s World Cup team in the name of charity. I thought there was nothing that would make me well up with happy tears faster than seeing a bunch of little kids get to play their favorite sport with their idols, but I was wrong. Sarah’s host mother, Sanida, the saint that she is, with the help of some others got in contact with the sole kindergarten class from Maglaj (whose school and town were devastated by the flooding) and arranged for them to come to the game and spend the day in Sarajevo. It was so heartwarming to know that, for at least a day, all of these kids could forget what they’d been through and go back to being kids. When Edin Džeko and the other Dragons took the field they screamed and cheered and chanted along to “Volim te Bosna!” (I love you, Bosnia.) It just warmed my heart.

After the game, we accompanied the kids to lunch at a restaurant called “Bexx” the kids all sat down and enjoyed a nice meal while Sarah and I chatted with Sanida. She explained to us that the owner of the restaurant was feeding all of these children for free out of the kindness of his own heart and that he had given each child a bar of chocolate, a World Cup sticker book, and some stickers (which are basically a substitute for currency now, so it was a big deal). I was awestruck. There had to have been at least 30 kids there and prior to lunch the man had not known a single one of them, but he still wanted to make sure that their day away from the floods was the best day they’d ever had. Oof,  after that I was a goner, it was just too sweet.

I only have a small time left in this little heart shaped land of mine, but I’m happy I get to spend it with people who care so deeply for one and another whether they’ve met or not. People are quick to associate Bosnia with past violence and prejudice, but if they gave it a chance they might be surprised to learn just how much heart this lovely country has to offer.