Pictures Posted from Bosnia and Croatia Trip

It's been some months since I last posted.... I have finally added the pictures from the trip this summer.

There are two albums. The first for the Firefly Camp in Savudria, Croatia and the subsequent trip to Brcko, Bosnia:
Firefly Camp Album

The second album has a selection of pictures from Derek and my trip to Croatia and then my travels to Mostar and Sarajevo, Bosnia in August:

Bosnia Travel Album

Enjoy!

There's no place like home...

After several weeks away, I am finally back home in Seattle . My trip to Croatia and Bosnia was a big success. I made some wonderful new contacts and friends; had some unforgettable experiences; and hopefully will be able to create new projects out my trip as well as forge a greater understanding of Bosnia.

All I can say is that there's nothing like being welcomed by a motley crew of friends like this after 24 hours of travel on 3 modes of transportation through 4 countries!

Hvala, Stephanie

The "Other Side"

I have completed the last stretch of my Bosnia journey. Right now I am in Berlin visiting with friends and family before I return home to the US on the 15^th. I was on a train for over 26 hours from Sarajevo to Zagreb; Zagreb to Munich; and finally Munich to Berlin. I couldn't help but feel I was being transported through time during the trip. I was cutting right through the heart of Europe and where many critical and historical events took form over hundreds of years. Most haunting and surreal was my trip from Sarajevo to Zagreb. The train traveled north from Sarajevo in the Bosnian Federation part of Bosnia for about two or three hours before arriving on the “other side” in the Serbian part of Bosnia in the town of Doboj. Signs in the station were suddenly printed in both latin letters as well as cyrillic; a new train crew with different uniforms arrived on board (like the postal service as well as telephone networking, they seem to be administered by different bodies in the Republic of Srpska from the Bosnian Federation in the south), and suddenly more police with big batons and pistols made a presence on the train. To be honest, I wasn´t quite sure whether passengers would have to present their documents and passports to the police!

The next big stop, about a six hour journey from Sarajevo, was Banja Luka which is the capitol of the Republic of Srpska. I was actally planning to make a visit to BL for a day to get a perspective of how life is in the Serbian part of Bosnia, but then I was having such a spectacular time in Sarajevo and decided to spend an extra day there. I kept asking people in Sarajevo if they knew anything about it or whether it was worth visiting. Most said it wasn´t anything special and wasn´t worth my time. The Lonely Planet Guide for the Western Balkans, which is essentially the bible for the traveller through former Yugoslavia, mentioned that an earthquake in 1969 destroyed 80% of the town and that local Serbs in the town destroyed all 16 mosques, most of which had been standing for more than four hundred years.

So before I explain more about the journey north into the “other side”, let me try to briefly explain as how I understand it, how the current borders or territories of the two entities in BiH, Republic of Sprska and the Federation of Bosnian Herzegovina, were drawn up. In 1990, Yugoslavia which was formally made up of 6 republics (of which Bosnia was one) was starting to crumble during the big wave of changes that occurred in Europe in 1989 and 1990. Slovenia first declared independence in 1990; then Croatia in 1991. War ensued between a newly independent Croatia and Yugoslavia (controlled by the Serb-run Yugoslav army and Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian Communist leader of Yugoslavia who pushed for the idea of a greater Serbia) as conflict embroiled over an area of Croatia where 600,000 Serbs had lived for centuries. Amongst all this chaos, Bosnia declared independence in early 1992 (after 99% in Bosnia voted in favor of independence), wanting an out of an economically instable and corruptly run Yugoslavia and was soon recognized as a new member of the UN. All over Bosnia, Muslims (many being Muslim only by identity but non-observant religiously), Serbs and Croats had intermarried and spoke the same language. The new government was to be made up of Muslims as well as Serbs, Croats and people of mixed parentage and it also refrained from creating an army. Sadly, Milosevic and Serb nationalists led many Serbs in Bosnia into believing that they would be persecuted in an independent Bosnia led by a Muslim dictatorship. Serbs in villages and towns started taking up arms against their neigbors and the Serbs nationalists also had arms from the Yugoslav army. Very quickly conflict began between the Bosnian army (which was defenseless) and the Serbs. Many cities and towns were “cleaned” of its Muslim and Croat residents and became strictly Serb territories. In the south, fighting broke out in Mostar in 1993 between Muslim and Croats who had first fought against the Serbs together. Pretty soon, everyone was fighting everyone. It wasn´t until 1994 (I believe) when NATO started getting involved. When the Dayton Peace Accord was signed in 1995, the two entities Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovnia were created. The Republic of Srpska is the territory in Bosnia captured by the Serbs during the war whereas the Federation is what was not captured by them. This is just a very brief explanation and please feel free to comment if you feel I haven´t accurately portrayed and explained the events and their results. I of course cannot do justice in this explanation to all those who lost or risked their lives in this conflict; had to flee their home; and of course the countless people, Serbs included, who risked their lives to defend their neigbors during this sad chapter in history.

From Banja Luka, the train chugged north to Omarska and Prijedor and then finally to the border with Croatia. As it travelled along, I saw beautiful rolling, green hills and farms with dome shaped hay stacks. New homes had been built and children were seen in various places riding their bicycles. Seeing the occiasional Serbian flag hanging in windows and the lack of mosques was however a sad reminder what changes had happened in the landscape only 15 years before.

Questions that remain after my travels and volunteer work in Bosnia (and Croatia) this past month are whether peace will sustain. Is having two separate political and administrative entities in Bosnia really conducive to creating a Bosnian identity whereby those who perscribe to it believe in living in a unified Bosnia regardless if they are Muslim, Serb, Croat or of mixed parentage? As someone who has only been a traveler in this country and is by no means an expert, I do not know the answers to these questions. I hope however that the behavior I saw demonstrated by Firefly kids at the camp while they cheered for each other during a football match, enthusiastically waving the Bosnian flag and chating the country´s name, is indicative of how the young generation will bring things forward in the Bosnia.

For a better understanding of the war in Bosnia and its history, I recommend “Love Thy Neigbhour: A Story of War” by Peter Maas. He was a correspondent with the Washington Post during the war and in this book, he explores the universal question of why war between neighbors happens. Using the example of Bosnia, he examines the events that far too often have occurred and will happen again in all parts of the world.

I have also attached a map of Bosnia with some markings which may be helpful to see where Brcko is as well as the where the lines are in BiH that separate Republic of Srpska and the Federation.

Sarajevo

I want to dedicate an entry in this blog to Sarajevo and my experiences there. I wanted to visit Sarajevo as a last stop on my Bosnia trip. My plan was to visit it for three days and I ended up staying there for five days.

What can I tell you about this city and the impression it made on me? How do I do justice to its people and their character and love of life? Quite simply you have to experience it yourself. Everyone who visits it probably has a unique perspective and experience. Some memories that I take with me are of the mixture of Turkish and Austrian architecture; the beautiful but eery call of afternoon and evening prayer from nearby mosques; the sophisticated and cosmopolitan flair of Sarajevan women; and the alluring green hills surrounndig the city. Cemetaries in parks and the hills all over the city are a constant reminder of what Sarajevans went through not too long ago.

Perhaps what has impressed me most about Sarajevans is their ability to embrace the future head on and with such optimism, in spite of their recent history. Many people you will encounter there are jovial but relaxed and eager to welcome you whether it is in a conversation of broken English and Bosnian (that would be me) or for a cup of coffee. Many choose to celebrate its diversity, rich history and not to mention close proximity to the mountains (people still talk proudly of when Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984 and hope to host it again some day). Apparently the most important question when one Sarajevan meets another is not whether he or she is Muslim, Serb or Croat but which of the two rivaling Sarajevan football teams he or she supports! Both teams have rabid fans who span different age groups, economic classes and ethnic communities. I think that Sarajevo may be the one place you will visit in Bosnia where people identify themselves first as Sarajevans and then Bosnians- again regardless of which community they may be from.

While I was in Sarajevo, I met some incredible people- many of them other travellers discovering the city like me; others living there to conduct PhD research; and others who were local Sarajevans. We would go out in a group at night and sometimes more people would join us spontaneously. On my last night there, I walked with a couple of these newly found friends (whom I felt I had known for far longer) up to a hill overlooking the city. Down we looked onto the city which was starting to close down for the night. Overlooking a large cemetary from the recent war and then the famous city library which was also heavily hit during the war; then over to the Turkish quarter; then over to where there was some night life happening gracefully next to churches and mosques; and then finally over to the hills opposite to where we were; I realized that Sarajevo is a city that is resilliant. The tragedies and colorful events that have occured there have become a part of its charm. I knew taking one last glace down to the city, that I will indeed return one day.

One of many cemeteries around Sarajevo

The bridge next to where Franz Ferdinand was shot in 1914

Sanjin explains how this site from where the 1984 Olympic bobsledding competition happened was also a major point from where Serb paramilitary shot down onto the city a mere 8 years later.

A view of Sarajevo from the hills above.

Sarajevo fashion

Mostar Women's Citizen Initiative

I've been in Sarajevo for the past four days. I've not had the best luck with reliable internet connections so today is the first time I am posting this blog that I wrote four days ago.

Last week I was in Mostar. Mostar is in the south of BiH in the province of Herzegovina. And so you are not confused, it is in the the Federation part of BiH and not in the Republic of Srpska part of BiH. About that.... I had some confusion when I first arrived in Mostar and tried to buy additional credit for my mobile phone on a sim card I bought in Brčko. I unsuccessfully tried to put credit on the phone and it kept saying that there was no credit, in spite of several "natives" trying to help me sort it out. Finally, I was told that adding credit on my phone wouldn't work because it was a Serbian phone number (I thinking they meant the country Serbia). I kept assuring people that I had in fact bought the sim card in Bosnia and in Brčko and that I had a Bosnian telephone number (with the country code 387). But as it turns out, the area code I have was in fact from the Republic of Srpska and that it why I was unable to add credit to it in the Federation. If you are confused and don't really understand the situation, then you are no worse off than I am. It turns out that with the creation of the two entities in Bosnia, there are completely different infrastructures from postal systems, phone networks, etc. With the two different entities in BiH, it really makes it seem like there are two different countries within BiH. Even though it is one country, I get the sense that in the Federation, the Republic of Srpska is perceived as this wild frontier and territory you just don't trek into unless you really have to.

On a different note, I was able to connect with the Mostar Women's Citizen Initiative (MWCI). They are an NGO that formed after the war and women from all the communities in Mostar are involved. Working together, they are committed to finding solutions to problems that are effecting all women as well as youth in Mostar. Women in the community have come together and expressed what issues are of greatest concern to them. One issue was maternity leave for young mothers where there is almost no support from the government. There has also sadly been a surge of drugs and crime related to drug trafficking in Mostar as well as all over BiH (apparently one of the unpleasant aspects imported from the West.....). Apparently children are being targeted as young as primary school now by drug dealers. MWCI is finding innovative ways to educate both children and their parents and to combat this problem. In September they will be having a community wide roundtable so that more people will be come aware of their group and how they can become more involved. Thanks to a connection made with the help of the National Democratic Institute in Washington DC, MWCI has starting collaborating with an NGO in Banja Luka which is in the Republic of Srpska. This is no small feat and as I explained in the paragraph, there is still a large mental wall in BiH between the two entities, so the collaboration between these two organizations is indeed a big deal. Finally I should add that these inspiring women are involved in many different causes and wear several hats to help create a better Bosnia. They come from many different professions and are also committed to other causes such as environmental organizations. I was very pleased to give a small donation on all of your behalf (since we were so successful in fund raising and had some additional funds). They were very grateful and send their heartfelt thanks to all of you! :)

You can also learn more about the Mostar Women's Citizen Initiative through this article from the National Democratic Institute:
Bosnian Women Healing Wounded City

Also, if you are interested, check out information about "Building Bridges", a mini documentary about them:
Building Bridges Trailer



With Ifeta and Zarema from the Mostar Women's Citizen Iniative


At a 16th century Muslim tekija (monastary) in Blagaj near Mostar


Mostar's famous Stari Grad (Old bridge) built in the 1400s by the Ottomans and destroyed in 1992 (or 1993?). The bridge was carefully rebuilt as close as possible to original plans and some of the original pieces are in the reconstruction.

Travels through Albania and Kosovo

One of the other Firefly volunteers, Mark, travelled through Albania and Kosovo a couple of weeks ago. It sounds like an intriguing experience and he has kindly agreed to let me share his insight on this blog!

Here are his comments from a couple of emails:

Greetings from Santorini, Greece. I did pass through Albania, and I managed to do it without getting robbed, shot, stabbed, buggered, carjacked or captured by bandits. So I would consider that a success!

I came over through the Kosovo border. Sarajevo to Prishtina (capital of Kosovo, which is a United Nations-run protectorate, is on the Euro, and is the cheapest place I've ever been to), Prishtina to Tirana. Three night buses in a row with no sleep and no shower. I came out pretty smelly.

Kosovo:
I took the night bus in from Sarajevo. They sold me a ticket to some town in Serbia then sold me another ticket once I got to that town to Pristina- I guess you can't get a direct bus into Kosovo.

So by the time the bus enterred Kosovo the sun was rising. I remember these flats plains with purple mountains off in the distance and some tiny towns and mosques and not much else. It was really surreal. It looked very beautiful and felt very far away and exotic.

I remember I was nervous being an American on that bus. The border guard at the Bosnian border, bless his heart, took it upon himself to announce to everyone that I was an American. So when all the heads around me turned towards me, I smiled my shy, somewhat embarrassed, friendly smile of American Awkwardness. I remember there were these two old mean-looking Muslim Bobushkas and one of them smiled back at me. It felt nice.

This Kosovar guy I met on the bus came with me to the bus station and helped me get a ticket to Tirana, then he left and I was alone in a faraway and supposedly dangerous land. I was sort of freaking out, and then I saw this girl with a big backpack. I talked to her and she chilled me out. She was the only other backpacker I met there.

Anyways, Pristina... It was full of UN personnel and not much else. Kosovo is a UN protectorate. It's called UNMIK - United Nations Mission in Kosovo. It's on the euro, and I guarantee it is the cheapest place you will ever find on the euro. They speak Albanian there. I was using my few Bosnian words, which is also Serbian, and getting dirty looks, then I switched to Albanian and got smiles.

Pristina isn't all blown-up and bullet-pocked like Sarajevo, I guess because the Serbs just marched in unchallenged. There are quite a few big buildings popping up and they're all UN related. There are loads of internationals there, and pretty girls, and I tried to work up the nerve to chat to both but ended up talking to neither.

Anyways, I spent most of the day wandering around back and forth between these cafes frequented by UN personnel and this market. It was really lively, tons of people floating around. Mostly vegetables and really cheap clothes. Lot of old men with white caps, Albanian style.

That night I caught the bus to Tirana. On the way out of Kosovo, I saw a tank driving down the road! Alongside donkey carts and lines of people, a tank rolling down the highway. My first tank.

Some stuff about Albania:

There are no streetlights in Tirana. You stray off the main road at night and it is completely dark. You see these shadowy faces lurking in the darkness. It is super creepy. I wouldn't walk around at night.

I saw passports being sold on a street corner. When you first enter the country, there is a big sign at customs that says "Welcome to Albania". And then a little kid tries to sell you bootleg cigarettes out of a carton. I think that sums up the trip. The water and electricity in Tirana is cut for a few hours several times a day.

Something kid of fun: They took a lot of those bleak, gray, crumbling communist flat buildings and opened them up to artists, so you'll see purple polka dots on a big concrete block of a building, or a DNA double helix running down the front.

Cant we all get along?

A couple of weeks have passed since I have last posted on this blog. I have had a very positive and intriguing experience during my travels through former Yugoslavia. Over the last few days I have been travelling with Derek through Croatia and tonight I will travel to Mostar in the southern Herzegovina province of Bosnia.

I really enjoyed my stay in Brćko although I was unable to explore it sufficiently because of the oppressing heat that would set in around 10 every morning. Fotunately I was able to get to know Gordana, the director of Svitac (Firefly Bosnia), better. We discussed some ideas for future projects and grants for Svitac as well as a potential youth partnership between Svitac and a youth organization in Seattle. Another idea is a grant for better internet connection at the youth center in Brcko (anyone interested in collaborating with this exciting idea when I am back in Seattle, please let me know!). I feel in addition to the amazing experience at the summer camp, this trip has been very worthwhile. Especially if it plants the seeds for future generations of Americans getting to know Bosnia better and vice versa.

I was also provided some interesting insight into the situation between the different ethnic groups in Brcko. To give you a better understanding of the current political structure in BiH (Bosnia Herzegovina), it was decided in 1995 at the Dayton Peace Accord that the nation BiH would be divided into two administrative entities. The Republic of Srpska administers 49% of the country and is is where a majority of Serbs live; and the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina administers 51% of the country and is where a good part of the Bosniak (Muslim) and Croat population lives. This may seem extremely confusing and to add to the confusion, Brcko and the Brcko District is a self-governed district that is also administered by international bodies (I won,t say forces because the US military was here to help stablize peace in the district but I believe they pulled out in 2004 and turned it over to a local force made up of the different ethnic groups). Brcko has been its own district since 2000 and I must admit I am still confused as to how and why it became its own entity when it was formally part of the Republic of Srpska between 1995 and 2000 (although don,t qoute me on this). I think it became a district to prevent Serbia (the nation) from annexing the Republic of Srpska and taking territorial claim over the Serbian area of Bosnia and thus leading to another conflict or war. Make sense?

In Brcko, it seems on the outside that the Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks all live peacefully and happily among each other in this sort of experimental, hybrid utopia. Indeed, the schools are integrated (except for religious classes) as well as most work places, particularly in the local government. Brcko is also becoming one of the most economically prosperous areas in BiH.

Looking deeper, I wonder if it isn,t as perfect as it seems. People seem to be civil to one another and live their lives. I wonder if the Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats in Brcko do spend time with each other and socialize with each other after school and work on their own accord at the end of the day. Would the youth who happily spent time with each other at the Firefly Camp in Croatia feel awkward hanging out with each other back home? Gordana mentioned that she hadn,t realized it until an international volunteer pointed out that there are distinctly Bosniak or Serb cafes in Brcko. Probably the strangest thing I discovered while there were the separate post offices for both Serb and Bosniak communities (and perhaps there was a Croat one that I wasn,t aware of as well) only about 75 meters apart from one another!

Although apparently secular, I was offered the insight that many people have become more religious after the war. More mosques as well as Catholic (for the Croat community) and Orthodox churches (for the Serb community) have gone up or been rebuilt (many destroyed during war). People who may not have previously been devoutly religious now show an attachment to their faith and thus their national/ethnic affiliation. Maybe it,s necessary in this day and age so that there is no awkwardness as you try to figure out someone,s ethnicity. May save some awkward moments later!

In the work place in Brcko, there is a system of quotas or affirmative action so that qualified individuals are not discriminated against if they are from a certain ethnic group. This differs say from Republic of Srpska where you may be blocked from employment or a place to live if you are Bosniak or vice versa in the Federation (if you are Serb or Croat). In Brcko you cannot be discriminated against but at the same time the quota system may work against you if you are applying for a position for which many other people from your ethnic group have already applied!! This makes employment and job prospects for certain individuals in some industries a bit tricky.

I,ll conclude this blog though and say that there is no perfect system. In spite of its inperfections and flaws, Brcko is a model for other communities in BiH. Perhaps the younger generation and their children will grow up optimistically and identify themselves as citizens of Brcko or Bosnia rather than as Serbs, Bosniaks or Croats. The enthusiasm, cooperation and carefree attitude I saw demonstrated by youth at the camp certainly gives hope to this!