Saturday I had every intention of doing homework, sleeping in, and generally being a louse. Even when Jackie posted in the Facebook group saying she was planning to go a waterfall at noon, I still had every intention of doing absolutely nothing of import and disregarded it. At 12:08 I poked my head out of my … Continue reading Skakavac Falls: Part One
“A safe fairyland is untrue to all worlds.” When I posted that on Facebook yesterday, I didn’t know that it would be my last post before a church massacre less than six hours from my home in Charlotte, North Carolina. True, a safe fairyland is untrue to all worlds, and always will be. But an … Continue reading Man Unkind
On Friday Merima, Arnela, and I went to ciglane, or the equivalent of the flea market. Here you can get things for much cheaper than in town, if you need something- everything from shoes and purses to walnuts and apricots. First though, in desperate need of vegetables, we got lunch. Though this was comparatively expensive … Continue reading Back Roads to Ciglane
After the terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad conference experience the day before, we headed from this room: To this one. Where we all recovered from our claustrophobia and cynicism with coffee and cake. Before heading to lunch, where I saw the first “salad” I have seen here. I, of course, ordered a pizza and ate the whole thing. Sometimes, … Continue reading Book Fair Shenanigans and Friends from Canada
Wednesday we had class with one of my favorite professors here, Hasan Nuhanovic. I’ve already mentioned that he survived Srebrenica, but he is one of the few to continue activism afterwards. He sued the Dutch for reparations after the UN negligency there, and was somewhat successful in that endeavor; he’s also the author of a … Continue reading Politicians are Politically Obligated to Appear Moral
Most of you (mainly the family, but most of you) know that I love Mary Poppins. Everything about Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way, from chalk masterpieces to dancing penguins. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is the old woman feeding the birds, and one of my favorite songs from the … Continue reading Mary Poppins’ Pigeons
Our days have more or less turned into a routine. Halfway through this week, our internship told us they didn’t really need us until this Tuesday, so we spent more time traipsing around. Usually though, I wake up, ride the tram to my stop, walk to my internship, get coffee and croissants with Drea, intern, and … Continue reading A Day in the Life of Sarajevo
The night after the Pope left, we went to a bar to watch the Champion’s League Final with everyone. On the way we passed a spraypaint speed artist, who mesmerized us for a while before we met the group (they’d left before us). Frank bought a piece, but I was content with just watching him … Continue reading Champion’s League Final
On June 6, Pope Francis (in Bosnian, Papa Franjo, pronounced Papa Fran-yo) came to Sarajevo. The last time a Pope visited Sarajevo was a cold day in 1997, when Pope John Paul the II came after the official end of the conflict. Though he had tried to come during the conflict, the security threat was … Continue reading Papa Franjo
We’ve kind of fallen into a routine here in Bosnia. From 9am to 1pm every morning we have our internships; from 2pm to 4pm we have briefings with officials, diplomats, and NGOs; and from 4pm to 6pm we have class with our professors. Monday is Balkan History, Tuesday Balkan Security, Wednesday Genocide Studies, Thursday is Peace … Continue reading Of Mint Hookah and Banana Gelato
Traveler at the Edge 