Today is my last day in Zenica.
I will miss the people here greatly. It has been an amazing experience to share Gods love to all my friends. My prayer will be that they will be able to investigate what they believe in. Many of the people that I have met, I will remember for the rest of my life. They have taught me about friendships and an appreciation for sitting down for coffee just to get to know each other.
We tie dyed this week with some girls. One of the girls tie dyed her scarf that she wears to cover her hair. What an experience! She trusted us enough to take off her scarf. All the girls had a good time, and I was so happy that I was able to share one of my favorite hobbies with them.
Tomorrow, I will be in Sarajevo for a day. Then we will go to camp with some of our students. During the camp, we will share more of God´s love, the word and just have fun by the lake.
I dont know if I will have internet access for the next two weeks since I will be in Croatia after camp. Hopefully I will find an internet cafe in Croatia!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Fun Cultural Notes
-The toilet paper smells fresh, like flowers
-I have had the best cappuccino here
-There are more bees then I have ever seen. They are everywhere!
-Wet hair outside will send you to the hospital
-The breeze will give you a headache
-The best tasting veggies are the ugliest ones since they are all organic
-You should never mix foods on a plate yet alone salty with sweet
-Always carry toilet paper with you into the public bathroom because you will regret it if you dont
-Walking barefoot is bad luck
-Once you have made a pita, that means you are ready to get married
-I have had the best cappuccino here
-There are more bees then I have ever seen. They are everywhere!
-Wet hair outside will send you to the hospital
-The breeze will give you a headache
-The best tasting veggies are the ugliest ones since they are all organic
-You should never mix foods on a plate yet alone salty with sweet
-Always carry toilet paper with you into the public bathroom because you will regret it if you dont
-Walking barefoot is bad luck
-Once you have made a pita, that means you are ready to get married
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Brief history of Bosnia. . . .
First i will start with yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was under communist rule under Tito. Bosnia was one of the "states" of Yugoslavia. Under Tito´s leadership Yugoslavia was at peace because he did not give power to the individual states, each region was equal.
However, when Tito died, peace ended. Each region tried to give themselves more power, especially Serbia. At one point, Serbia was overshadowing the rest of Yugoslavia. The leader of Serbia made political decisions that angered Croatia. This fight and pull for power was the basis of the war that occured in the early 90s.
Both Serbia and Croatia has thier own ethnic identity that is seperate from one another.
The basis of the war was the struggle over Bosnia. Bosnia is uniquely occuppied by Serbs, Croats and Muslims. Serbia wanted to take the part of Bosnia that was occupied by Serbs and Croatia wanted to do the same for the area occupied by Croats. However, the leader of Bosnia at the time was a Muslm and did not want to creat seperation within his country even more.
This caused chaos within the country. Although there are parts of Bosnia that is mostly occupied by one ethnic group, there are still minorities. The Muslim minorities was the ethnic cleansing and genociod by the Serbs.
Even today, each of the ethnic groups face prejudice from one another. Many of the students that I talk to try to tolerate each ethinic group, not by trying to reslove it, but just being able to stand each other. Many of the pains and scars are caused by feelings the people had for each other 15 years ago.
This is what I understand of the history and the people as an outsider. Hopefully its accurate. Its very difficult to simplify the complex history of Bosnia, but I hope that I gave it justice.
However, when Tito died, peace ended. Each region tried to give themselves more power, especially Serbia. At one point, Serbia was overshadowing the rest of Yugoslavia. The leader of Serbia made political decisions that angered Croatia. This fight and pull for power was the basis of the war that occured in the early 90s.
Both Serbia and Croatia has thier own ethnic identity that is seperate from one another.
The basis of the war was the struggle over Bosnia. Bosnia is uniquely occuppied by Serbs, Croats and Muslims. Serbia wanted to take the part of Bosnia that was occupied by Serbs and Croatia wanted to do the same for the area occupied by Croats. However, the leader of Bosnia at the time was a Muslm and did not want to creat seperation within his country even more.
This caused chaos within the country. Although there are parts of Bosnia that is mostly occupied by one ethnic group, there are still minorities. The Muslim minorities was the ethnic cleansing and genociod by the Serbs.
Even today, each of the ethnic groups face prejudice from one another. Many of the students that I talk to try to tolerate each ethinic group, not by trying to reslove it, but just being able to stand each other. Many of the pains and scars are caused by feelings the people had for each other 15 years ago.
This is what I understand of the history and the people as an outsider. Hopefully its accurate. Its very difficult to simplify the complex history of Bosnia, but I hope that I gave it justice.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
week two of english classes
sorry i havent had the chance to really update.
its a bit difficult to get to the internet cafe long enough to update the blog.
this week we have mainly been focusing on our english classes. i have been hanging out with all my students. all of them are so amazing.
this week i was able to visit a mosque with one of my muslim friends. it was a really great opportunity to learn about their culture and their religion since the majority of them are muslim. we both talked about what we both beleived in, and it was a very good conversation. i learned a lot about the muslim faith, and she was able to understand a lot about the christian faith.
we also played baseball with our students the other night. they have never played before so it was a great for us to be able to share a bit about american culture. suprisingly enough, the bosnians were very talented! some were better then the americans!!
God is doing great things in Zenica. We have been able to create great friendships that i am very thankful for. what a great experience to hear about other peoples lives.
being in bosnia has definitely taught me to appreciate my life, and think of how blessed i am.
i miss everyone back home!
its a bit difficult to get to the internet cafe long enough to update the blog.
this week we have mainly been focusing on our english classes. i have been hanging out with all my students. all of them are so amazing.
this week i was able to visit a mosque with one of my muslim friends. it was a really great opportunity to learn about their culture and their religion since the majority of them are muslim. we both talked about what we both beleived in, and it was a very good conversation. i learned a lot about the muslim faith, and she was able to understand a lot about the christian faith.
we also played baseball with our students the other night. they have never played before so it was a great for us to be able to share a bit about american culture. suprisingly enough, the bosnians were very talented! some were better then the americans!!
God is doing great things in Zenica. We have been able to create great friendships that i am very thankful for. what a great experience to hear about other peoples lives.
being in bosnia has definitely taught me to appreciate my life, and think of how blessed i am.
i miss everyone back home!
Friday, July 10, 2009
first week of english class
hello friends,
this has been a fun and exciting week. weve had our first week of english classes. its amazing how good everyones English is. a majority of them can hold long conversations. (which is more then many americans)
its been such a great experience to get to know them and understand Bosnian culture. they all really take value in getting to know one another over coffee. its one of my favorite parts of the day.
yesturday, we went to a refugee camp to hand out food with a Nina, a women who works with an organization that gives families grocerys once a month.
during the war, Holland made refugee camps throughout Bosnia for temporay housing, but even 15 years later thez are still being used. one of the main reasons is because the Bosnian economy is bad. its very hard to get a job here because the taxs on businesses are incredible and its almost not profitable. since there arent many businesses, there arent any jobs.
i met one particular family. it was a 27 yr old girl with three children. her husband left her after her kids were born. she recieves approximately $80 a month from the government for her children, but that isnt nearly enough. it just broke my hear to see them. i think a lot of it had to do with the fact that shes 27 yrs old and that i know that the cycle will be repeated and there is nothing we can do about it. her two daughters will probably have a bad self image, get involved in a bad relationship in the future and get left. its so sad.
even 15 years after the war, scars from the war are still with the people. being bosnia, you cant tell that there was a war. but listening to the stories of the locals, you can tell that they are still struggling with it. whether its their family situation, or the corrupt education system or the finacially unstable families the Bosnians still carry the burdens of the war.
this has been a fun and exciting week. weve had our first week of english classes. its amazing how good everyones English is. a majority of them can hold long conversations. (which is more then many americans)
its been such a great experience to get to know them and understand Bosnian culture. they all really take value in getting to know one another over coffee. its one of my favorite parts of the day.
yesturday, we went to a refugee camp to hand out food with a Nina, a women who works with an organization that gives families grocerys once a month.
during the war, Holland made refugee camps throughout Bosnia for temporay housing, but even 15 years later thez are still being used. one of the main reasons is because the Bosnian economy is bad. its very hard to get a job here because the taxs on businesses are incredible and its almost not profitable. since there arent many businesses, there arent any jobs.
i met one particular family. it was a 27 yr old girl with three children. her husband left her after her kids were born. she recieves approximately $80 a month from the government for her children, but that isnt nearly enough. it just broke my hear to see them. i think a lot of it had to do with the fact that shes 27 yrs old and that i know that the cycle will be repeated and there is nothing we can do about it. her two daughters will probably have a bad self image, get involved in a bad relationship in the future and get left. its so sad.
even 15 years after the war, scars from the war are still with the people. being bosnia, you cant tell that there was a war. but listening to the stories of the locals, you can tell that they are still struggling with it. whether its their family situation, or the corrupt education system or the finacially unstable families the Bosnians still carry the burdens of the war.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
zdravo from Bosnia!
Bosnia had been so exciting the past couple of days.
Our travel day was very uneventful. We all got our stuff and made it safely. Leaving people I love and care about is defintely the hardest part about leaving.
Our apartment is is very cute and comfortable. We live in a dorm style apartment next to the university. The second floor is where the girls live. It has a furnished living area, kitchen, bathroom, and 2 bedrooms. The boys have just 2 rooms upstairs with a very small kitchen and bathroom in their room. The rooms aren,t connected so we all hang out in our living area.
So let,s do a recap on the last couple of days:
DAY 1
We got a tour of the city by a couple of students. They were very nice and hospitible. I was very suprised because Zenica is not the city I imagined it. It,s a lot more busier then i anticipated. European drivers are crazy. They drive fast on small cars and park on the sidewalk.
There is the Bosna River that runs through the city, except it,s pretty dirty because of the pollution. People here take pride in their coffee and love to sit and have coffee or as they call it, kafa.
DAY 2
We went jogging in the morning. We definitely got funny looks since locals here don,t normally go running. It probably doesn,t help that none of us look Bosnian except for our staff worker. The rest of the day we just settled down and relaxed. =)
JULY 4
Independence day is one of my favorite holidays. There,s nothing better then a hot vegas summer day with fireworks, so i was definitely bummed out that i wouldn,t be home.
However, we had such an amazing day! We went to Banja Luka (banya luka). We drove through Bosnia. We stopped by Travnik for kafa bz a beautiful stream. It was very unusual because my kafa came on a platter with a box of matches, a cigarette and turkish delight. After that, we then drove through the very green countryside of Bosnia. It was insanely green, naturally, which is very foreign to a girl that grew up in Las Vegas most of her life!
When we got to Banja Luka, we went to cevapi (che va pee) and one of the lady,s that we met up with put american flag toothpicks to the waiter to put in our cevapi. It made me so happy! It was so thoughtful. We then went on a tour of the city. On our tour we went to a fortess that was built in the Turkish Empire. They had a stew competition and because we are so noticiably american, they wanted us to try their stew and take pictures of us eating it. It was so much fun! WE then continued on by going to another cafe by the river. Banja Luka is known for the beautiful blue river, Vrbas River. It,s very clear and it flows super fast. Along the way we p icked some Mullberries and ate it! =)
We met two girls my age that gave us a tour. She was very nice. One of my favorite parts of this trip is being able to meet people with amazing stories. After walking for some more, we went to another cafe by the river. I can definitely get used to this lifestyle! =)
Tomorrow, we,re starting our engleski classes! So we have some fun times to look forward to.
I,m eventually going to post some pictures and post a blog on the history of Bosnia because that is a very huge part of the local,s lives. It impacts the way they live and how they preceive others.
Till next time
Our travel day was very uneventful. We all got our stuff and made it safely. Leaving people I love and care about is defintely the hardest part about leaving.
Our apartment is is very cute and comfortable. We live in a dorm style apartment next to the university. The second floor is where the girls live. It has a furnished living area, kitchen, bathroom, and 2 bedrooms. The boys have just 2 rooms upstairs with a very small kitchen and bathroom in their room. The rooms aren,t connected so we all hang out in our living area.
So let,s do a recap on the last couple of days:
DAY 1
We got a tour of the city by a couple of students. They were very nice and hospitible. I was very suprised because Zenica is not the city I imagined it. It,s a lot more busier then i anticipated. European drivers are crazy. They drive fast on small cars and park on the sidewalk.
There is the Bosna River that runs through the city, except it,s pretty dirty because of the pollution. People here take pride in their coffee and love to sit and have coffee or as they call it, kafa.
DAY 2
We went jogging in the morning. We definitely got funny looks since locals here don,t normally go running. It probably doesn,t help that none of us look Bosnian except for our staff worker. The rest of the day we just settled down and relaxed. =)
JULY 4
Independence day is one of my favorite holidays. There,s nothing better then a hot vegas summer day with fireworks, so i was definitely bummed out that i wouldn,t be home.
However, we had such an amazing day! We went to Banja Luka (banya luka). We drove through Bosnia. We stopped by Travnik for kafa bz a beautiful stream. It was very unusual because my kafa came on a platter with a box of matches, a cigarette and turkish delight. After that, we then drove through the very green countryside of Bosnia. It was insanely green, naturally, which is very foreign to a girl that grew up in Las Vegas most of her life!
When we got to Banja Luka, we went to cevapi (che va pee) and one of the lady,s that we met up with put american flag toothpicks to the waiter to put in our cevapi. It made me so happy! It was so thoughtful. We then went on a tour of the city. On our tour we went to a fortess that was built in the Turkish Empire. They had a stew competition and because we are so noticiably american, they wanted us to try their stew and take pictures of us eating it. It was so much fun! WE then continued on by going to another cafe by the river. Banja Luka is known for the beautiful blue river, Vrbas River. It,s very clear and it flows super fast. Along the way we p icked some Mullberries and ate it! =)
We met two girls my age that gave us a tour. She was very nice. One of my favorite parts of this trip is being able to meet people with amazing stories. After walking for some more, we went to another cafe by the river. I can definitely get used to this lifestyle! =)
Tomorrow, we,re starting our engleski classes! So we have some fun times to look forward to.
I,m eventually going to post some pictures and post a blog on the history of Bosnia because that is a very huge part of the local,s lives. It impacts the way they live and how they preceive others.
Till next time
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Santa Barabara
hello!
After my third day of training, I'm definitely getting excited for Bosnia. I've spent a bunch of time with my team, and I'm excited that I will be spending the next six weeks with them. It's a great group of people.
I learned about the history of the Bosnian War. It's devastating to hear how many people have lost their lives and it's such a fresh wound for the people still. It'll be very intriguing and interesting to hear the stories of the people.
I've also been hanging out by the beach and Santa Barbara. It's such a beautiful city!
I am super excited to announce that I am fully funded! =]
However, the rest of my team is not, and I would love to see them funded!
I'm leaving in two days. Getting excited! I just want to be in BOSNIA alreadyy
After my third day of training, I'm definitely getting excited for Bosnia. I've spent a bunch of time with my team, and I'm excited that I will be spending the next six weeks with them. It's a great group of people.
I learned about the history of the Bosnian War. It's devastating to hear how many people have lost their lives and it's such a fresh wound for the people still. It'll be very intriguing and interesting to hear the stories of the people.
I've also been hanging out by the beach and Santa Barbara. It's such a beautiful city!
I am super excited to announce that I am fully funded! =]
However, the rest of my team is not, and I would love to see them funded!
I'm leaving in two days. Getting excited! I just want to be in BOSNIA alreadyy
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