July 29

Today was my Dad’s birthday. I miss him and my family a lot. I haven't mentioned how homesick I am until now because it's not something you really want ot focus on while you're having an awesome adventure filled with learning and excitement...but on a day like today, yeah, I miss my Dad, and my Mom, and my sisters, and friends, and boyfriend, and people who just love me unconditionally. Today we are traveling to Dubrovnik, and on the way we visited the holy site Medugorje. It was beautiful, but what I remember was the rain... and the ultimate salvation: the Italian influence. The food was so good. The espresso and hot chocolate was even better. How can I possibly know? Because I had all of it. Then we arrived in Dubrovnik,  and there was no rain, only sunshine. Here's a view from my hotel room! 


Tonight we went out for Liz’s birthday. I had risotto and a crepe. It was really good, and Sam and I danced to some live music. I didn't have the energy to stay out, so back at the hotel room my roommates and I found out that this hotel had the best TV ever. We stayed up all night watching Friends, Gilmore Girls, and some random cop shows. Cop shows are huge here. I know that's not what you're supposed to do when you go abroad... but sometimes those homesick blues can only be cured by stupid, mindless, all-American TV.

July 28

Most of today I stayed in and wrote my paper on the 1980-1990 Yugoslavia political scene. It’s chaotic, depressing, and an overall ugly paper. I’ve learned a lot but not proud of my work. I’m stuck obsessing over the writing and form, as well as lost on citations because most of my information I’ve gotten from documentaries and meetings throughout the trip.

Although I spent most of the day in I did take a couple short breaks to walk around Mostar. This city is absolutely beautiful, and you can almost feel the history coursing through it. At four we had a meeting with the Croat Democratic Youth Party. It was pretty interesting. I took this dialogue to open my mind up to not only the Balkans, but politics as well. I really hate politics though. It just doesn’t make much sense to me, or it does, but it makes me really sad. I understand the differences between people and parties, but sometimes I can’t believe that no one gets along. Especially here, where it’s so complicated and based on ethnic and religious differences. These guys were also extremely racist towards others and defensive towards their kind. Given, the Croatian minorities in Mostar are overlooked and usually not accounted for even in democratic elections. But, they were also ragging on the Chinese and Middle Eastern immigrants here. It was awkward.

Later that day some friends and I went to get dinner. We awkwardly went to five different restaurants looking for food, but a lot of places either serve drinks only or only serve food at ceratin times. Finally, after finding a place with food and a decent menu we settled on a place overlookgin the river and old bridge. I got a delicious mushroom and French fries platter. It doesn’t sound all the great, but it was. There was a side of really creamy delicious cheese that complimented the mushrooms fantastically. And French fries also go really well with mushrooms… who knew? Anyways, I was happy and fulfilled and that’s hard to come by with me + food in Balkans. The main dish here is Cevapi, which is a pita, sausages and onions. I can’t believe how thin the people are here.

That night we went to Ali Baba. It was a club in a cave. I don’t really like clubs, but it was an experience and almost the whole group was there which made it fun. Nothing really to say about it except that the walls where rock, and like everywhere in Europe house music was playing. 

July 25

Today's agenda involved the international judges for war crimes in BiH and the former commander of militia in the former BiH conflicts. Both were very inspiring but very different. The international judges were American and had ties to Northeastern. I found the female judge more interesting, only because she seemed more honest and straightforward in the matters concerning ethnic conflicts in BiH, former war criminals, and present day issues in the Balkans. I felt she said a lot of things people were afraid to say. My favorite line from her (note: out of context) was a "bigot is always a bigot"---- this was in regards to a lot of political positions were made by measures of ethnicities and balanced "quotas." These policies can easily manipulate the political and social scene. Later, I enjoyed a vegetarian dinner with Aly and Keith as well as a delicious dessert. The best part of my day was when Keith and I played soccer with some local kids while we waited for Aly. So much fun. We ended the night with some beers at local bar, that was really funky, down to earth, and fun. There we met some Swiss guys that were really cool and friendly. One of them was formerly from BiH. We continued to bar hop with friends and the night life of Sarajevo was definitely more my style than any other city beforehand. In addition to the Swiss guys, we met people from around the world and learned that many former Bosnian refugees, people who left in the early 90’s, come to vacation here in the summer. Many of the refugee's children who join them, young people our age, don’t see it as their home anymore, but love it all the same.

Srebrenica.

Today we visited the Bosniak massacre grounds of Srebrenica. In the 90's over 8,000 Muslim Bosnians were killed by Serbian forces. Boys and men between the ages of 14-70 were killed and women and children were pushed out. I saw the names and ages of those massacred and found men that would be my father's age if they had lived. A museum style memorial was put up that we saw as well. There was the historical account of the genocide and personal stories and belongings of those who died. The belongings were found after they're bodies were exhumed and counted. The Netherlands paid for most of this, because their U.N troops allowed Serbian military in when they were sent to protect and supply the people with goods. Later we saw a cemetary of Serbian lives lost by the hands of Muslim militia and raids. 

Sarajevo

Here I am having lunch with Lily. That's yogurt, you drink it here. It was actually delicious and really refreshing.

Here's me at the main square near our hotel. Hi Mom and Dad!

Pigeons everywhere in the main square. Kinda gross, kinda fun. Gypsy men sell corn and seeds so people can feed them. They don't fear humans. 

This is where the Archduk Franz Ferdinand was shot. This corner was where the 20th century's fate was decided. 

Sooooo.... Today we got denied entry back into Serbia because of our Kosovo passport stamps. A lot of time is spent arguing and calling certain US offices for assistance. The ultimate decision and plan, because of the political obstinance and the symbology behind these stamps, is that we cannot enter through Serbia but through Montenegro then through Serbia (this is because Montenegro identifies Kosovo as an independent nation and Serbia does not). So off we go... luckily the scenery is beautiful and we decide to have a nice meal and spend the night instead of trying to make the long and winding (literally... the roads go through some seriously windy, curvy, crazy, mountainous roads) journey in one night. Before we get to the hotel, we are welcomed with some other wonderful news: the main road is blocked due to rock slides. That now sets our hotel arrival back an hour. We manage to make the most out of a bus ride after a gas station stop. Also, thankfully, the hotel is 5-stars and is gorgeous. It helps us manage to live. Our professors TA, tour guide, and bus driver were also pretty cool through the whole things. So in conclusion, one word: Balkans.

Arrival in Kosovo

We arrived in Kosovo yesterday and settled into a hotel located in the capital, Prishtina. Upon arrival, the entire vibe of the country was strange. Everything,  I mean everything was new. Unlike the rest of our sightseeing, nothing was shell-bombed, medieval in architecture, or even socialist in interior design. Everything, from the roads to the bed frames, to the local hardware store, looked no older than 5-years old. Our hotel was comfortable, but looked straight out of an IKEA catalog. In the city center, there was a bronze statue of Bill Clinton. The NGO we met the next day followed in sentiment. Before coming to Kosovo, I was a believer in their independence and sovereignty but the NGO leader said himself, "without NATO we would not exist." Questions followed like, "What would happen when NATO left?" Answer: "That will never happen, and can never happen." Ruh roh. Okay. Politics. Do you seriously depend on making a country based solely on international aid? Sure, you can start that way but do you plan on sustaining yourself on it? During our stay, we also saw the Serbian area of Kosovo that was distinctly separated by a physical and symbolic bridge. I'm sorry I have no pictures. Imagine a bridge with army men and hummers surrounding it, covered in racist graffiti, as well as one side being brand-spanking new, and the other dirty, impoverished, and grey. What an experience. I have never seen political stagnance or social distrust so resounding. Shortly after we left, Serbia attacked Kosovo borders.