Note: Rogatica is simply the closest city I could choose to were we actually were. Srebrenica is approximately 3 hours ENE of Sarajevo, or 1.5 hours NE of Rogatica. There are so many things I have to say about today, and so few ways to say them. We visited the memorial to the Srebrenica Massacre, which is one of the emotionally heaviest sites I've ever visited, barring perhaps the Boston Bombing Memorial (likely because that was my city). It didn't help that our leader for the day was a woman who lost her father, grandfather, and much of her extended family in it. The power and extent of the massacre and memorial are hard to get across in words, so refer to the pictures for more context, but I'll try. For a bit of backstory: Srebrenica ... read more

July 4th. American Independence Day. Also known as: The Day the Bosnians Couldn't Care Less About or The Day Chris, Dave, Ian, Hana, Nick, and Karis Had the Coolest Server Ever. We went to a Jazz Bar called Monument (apparently in the "posh" area of town. If a 4KM bottle of beer is posh, I'm moving to Sarajevo). Our server not only spoke English, but spoke it well and had been to the States. He taught us new drink names (like a Tom Collins...apparently called a Gimeš here), and we in turn taught him new drinks (a Jägerbomb is apparently very American. I shouldn't be surprised). We talked with him, watched the soccer (sorry, football) game, ate Burek (remember that food I didn't know the name of the first day? That's it!), and just bonded with ... read more

There's nothing quite like your first morning waking up in a new place. Particularly when you only got 8 hours of sleep after 2 almost-sleepless days, and, according to your body, it's approximately 4:00 am. Although the realization that breakfast is almost over does wake you up quite quickly when your stomach is grumbling. We went from breakfast on a walking tour of Sarajevo. While we certainly didn't hit all the city - I went further on my own the day before - it was interesting to get a local's perspective. Mo, our guide, was quite knowledgeable and enjoyed telling his jokes...which were that much better with his broken English. There are so many things about this city, like any, that you simply wouldn't know (or at least understand the gravity of) without a guide. For ... read more

After a day full of (stressful) packing, due to my somewhat excessive procrastination - maybe, in retrospect, starting the night before wasn't my best idea - I made it to the airport just before 5 to meet up with my fellow Dialoguers! While I only had met two of them ahead of time, this kind of experience pushes people together very well and I met a whole range of students going to Bosnia. Most are female, and there's a definite skew towards International Affairs or PolySci majors (unsurprising given the political nature of this trip), with a surprising plethora of first-years. After grabbing a snack, we headed over to the boarding area, where I met a few more who caught up with the group at the gate. I'm now posting this from onboard my Lufthansa flight, ... read more