The Final Round-Up

I’m writing this post sitting on my bed in America, a full week and then some after leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’m sorry for the delay, but it took a while for me to fully realize that my time in my lovely adoptive country was over and that I was set to return to my old life in the States. So here I am, let me give you the highlights reel.

Monday June 16, 2014: The Airports:

This was not a fun day. I woke up and looked over at my empty room and my packed up bags and sat on my bed thinking “How did I end up here? I felt like it was August yesterday.” I walked downstairs to say a final goodbye to my host father who wouldn’t be able to make it to the airport due to work and my host brother. My host mother told me that she’d have to meet me at the airport because she too had a work emergency.  I spent the rest of the morning walking around the house and dreading the moment when the shuttle bus rattled down my street.

Checking in was a breeze thankfully. I somehow managed to fit my Bosnian life into two checked bags under the weight limit and a backpack so I had plenty of time before going through security to hang out with my host mother. We both just blubbered like idiots, and took a bunch of photos in which we’re both red and blotchy, but I’m happy to have them.

After the hard part was over. The YES Abroad had a full day of travelling ahead of us, but it was relatively painless and we got to Washington D.C. all in one piece and ready for bed.

Tuesday June 17, 2014: Final Goodbyes and First Hellos

State Department day! The YES Abroaders dressed up and met with some of the American Councils D.C. Staff before heading over to give a presentation to the Department of Citizen Exchanges at the State Department. Our presentation was about our experiences in Bosnia and Herzegovina and what we learned from them. It went pretty well if I do say so myself.

It was then that a grand reunion occurred. No, not the reunion between me and my beloved family that I hadn’t seen in 10 months, no, no, no, no, not that. I’m talking about the reunion between me, and the Mexican grill restaurant chain, Chipotle. And what a glorious reunion it was.

After Chipotle came another airport, except this time we weren’t saying goodbye to our host families we were saying goodbye to some of the best friends we’ve encountered. I had a flight in a totally separate terminal from the other YES Abroaders so I didn’t really have much time to say any goodbyes, which actually ended up being nice because I don’t think I had any more brutal goodbyes left in me.

Then came the fun part! I took a 40 minute flight back to NYC and during the descent the plane flew low over Manhattan so that I could see all of my favorite attractions before saying a big hello to my family. At the La Guardia baggage claim I frantically searched for my family and 30 minutes after I landed and a payphone call later we reunited! My younger brother and sister made me signs to welcome me home.

Wednesday June 18, 2014: Graduation

You know you’ve had a busy week when graduating high school doesn’t even come close to being the most exciting thing you’ve done since Monday. My last day of school was fun, I mostly walked around and said hello to old teachers and friends. Graduation was fun too, but to be honest I was still in a haze as to what language I should be speaking and what country I was in so the whole ceremony was a bit of a blur.

Well, I guess this is where we leave each other; yet another big goodbye. Thanks for virtually joining me on all of my adventures and reading all of my nonsensical rambling. Hvala puno.

Signing off,

Emma

Lukomir

Recently the YES Abroad crew took our final group trip to a place called Lukomir. Lukomir is Bosnia's most remote and highest elevated village. Its situated at an alitude of 1,495 meters on the Bjelašnica mountain. It is so remote, that during World War II, residents of Lukomir were not even aware there was a war going on, let alone that Bosnia was being affected by it.

The drive to get there was adventure enough. First, we drove into the ski resort populated part of Bjelašnica mountain and then we got off the asphalt and onto a dirt road that just took us up and up through the woods. The next leg of the journey took us out of the woods and into one of the most beautiful, serene, and isolating landscapes I’ve ever encountered. All you could see in front of and behind you were mountains and rocks and this one tiny gravel road that you were travelling on. It felt very “Lord of the Rings”. Our only travel companions outside of our group were the throngs of sheep that local shepherds herded across the landscape.

After about an hour of driving on the tiny, isolated, gravel road we finally came upon the village of Lukomir. This idyllic village looks like something out of a fairytales. There were only about 60 houses in total that were made with clay and stone with thatched, tin, or wooden roofs. We passed the rest of the day walking around and hiking up to a nearby hill to see the stećci (ancient gravestones that are all over Bosnia, and Croatia) and to get a better view of the town. It was an unbelievably gorgeous and very relaxing Sunday. All in all it was the perfect note to end our year of cultural excursions on.

Mindless Rambling

It is a rare occurrence that you can pinpoint, down to the date and time, the moment when your life will dramatically change. It is an even rarer occurrence when you can predict it down to a flight number. This is the strange reality I live in now.

My time in Bosnia is dwindling down and honestly I'm heartbroken. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see my family and friends back in the USA, but I just wish I could do so without having to leave all of my Bosnian friends and family. Exchange creates this situation where in the beginning of the year you are forced to say goodbye to dear family and friends you couldn't imagine living without to go meet friends and family you will love to the end of the year where you are forced to say goodbye to your new dear family and friends you can't imagine living without to return to your old friends and family. It's kind of poetic, but mostly just depressing.

There is a silver lining to all of this though, my reluctance to say goodbye is evidence that this whole experience, both the ups and downs, has been nothing but rewarding. If it hasn't been so, I'd be ready to get on the plane right now. But the fact is that I am most certainly not, and even seeing planes fly over Sarajevo is a sinking reminder of my upcoming departure.

I don't want to be such a downer though, my last month here hasn't just been me feeling sorry for myself, I've gotten to do some lovely things! The weather is finally springy which means that all of the cafes have laid out their outdoor seating and people stay up chatting on porches in the evening warmth. So in conclusion, I'm very, very sad to go, but I am very, very thankful I got the chance to come. It's hard to believe I'll ever have a better year then this one.

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.

A Little Trip over the Border

Last week for the May 1st holiday (it Labor Day in most of Europe) my host family packed up the car and headed for Serbia! We were driving to my host mother's cousin's house in rural Serbia outside of Belgrade, it took us a few hours, but on the way we had some good ole road trip fun.

Crossing the border into Serbia was a breeze. At the time, we were the only car going into Serbia, but at least a hundred cars were headed out, all they did was glance at our passports and send us on our way.

The town where my host mother's cousin lives was a tiny little village with only one long street. On the side of the road there were natural thermal springs that locals and tourists alike could swim in. Her cousin gave us a quick tour of the town and then we spent the rest of the day chatting and getting acquainted.

The next day we drove into Belgrade to see all the sights. Belgrade was the former capital of Yugoslavia and is the current capital of Serbia. It is much larger than Sarajevo. It reminded me of Washington D.C. mixed with New York and my family and I acted like total tourists, but we had a great time. We saw the Kalemegdan fortress, the Victor Statue, some Orthodox Christian churches and a zoo! It was quite a busy day, but the last thing on our list was to find this shopping center called Delta City that was rumored to have an H&M. That may not seem like a big deal, but when you take in account the fact that Bosnia doesn't have any H&M stores the stakes are higher. The problem with Delta City though was that it was way far away from downtown Belgrade and buried behind apartment complexes. We tirelessly search though and after an hour of aimlessly driving around we spotted it. Huzzah!

Before we knew it we were back in Bosnia. Our Serbian hosts took us to an Ethno selo for coffee and quick bite to eat. Then we had to thank them and depart. We piled back into the car and headed to Tuzla to spend the night at my host grandmother's house.

The next morning we made the trip home to Sarajevo. Going on vacation with my host family was such a fun experience, but my favorite part of the weekend was when we got back home and had a family dinner in the living room overlooking a Sarajevo sunset. Sarajevo may be a little rough around the edges, and it may the city not be for everyone, but it is sure as heck the city for me. I can't even bring myself to think about my departure in a little over a month, its just too depressing.

Hey hey hey...

Well this is a flattering surprise! Thank you YES Abroad. It should noted, however, that I do all of those volunteer activities with my partner in crime, and fellow YES Abroader Sarah Edgar.

http://www.yes-abroad.org/impact/march-2014-yes-abroad-student-month

Tito's Bunker

Last Thursday the YES Abroad kids went on a field trip with our history class to a nearby town called Konjic. Konjic is a the site of  Josip Broz Tito’s Atomic Bunker. The construction of the bunker lasted for 26 years, from March 1953 to September 1979, but Tito never once visited it. It was one of Yugoslavia’s best kept secrets; our guide told us that workers were blindfolded when they were brought to the building site to ensure that no one would know of the bunker’s whereabouts.

Today the bunker is controlled by the Bosnian Ministry of Defense and functions as both a tourist attraction and a contemporary art museum. As our guide led us past at least 150 portraits of Tito we saw the air conditioning room and went inside some sort of giant fan chamber (it’s hard to explain), sat in conference halls, and past bedrooms that looked eerily similar to the dorm I’ll have next year in college. It was, without a doubt, one of the strangest field trips I have ever been on.

After the bunker, the whole class went out to lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Neretva River. Lunch was followed by an hour and half to explore the town and after a lovely day we hopped back on the bus and headed for Sarajevo.