ups and downs in Sarajevo

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After much encouragement from readers (I'm so flattered people are checking for updates!) and the discovery of a cheap internet place in Sarajevo, I'm going to try to write a longer entry.

Bosnia is fantastic, and the people here are incredibly nice. Every day we experience extreme highs and lows, staying in a Soviet apartment block surrounded by bullet-riddled buildings, then stumbling across impromptu parties, wandering through beautiful old labryntine streets and talking and talking to people.

We are staying in Sarajevo with a Turkish guy who works for the EU police, and he gives us rides in an EU car. There is another couchsurfer too, Tanya from Germany who biked for 3 years through South, Central and North America and is now taking a roundabout way of biking home for Christmas.

Yesterday we woke up, had traditional coffee (very strong, it comes in a little dispenser with a espresso cup, 2 sugar cubes and if you are lucky some Turkish delight - which I never really liked before now). We went to the national Museum and saw the Sarajevo Haggadah, which has survived WWII and the most recent war, but they don't let you in the same room as it. We hung out at a bookstore/cafe - it has been forever since we saw one - and our waiter became very passionate on the subject of the war when he saw me looking at a map of the city at the time. He told me that they had no tanks because the Yugoslavian army was their army until they declared independence and got attacked by it. His brother helped steal the first tank they had, and his father was a driver. I wanted to meet him for coffee and talk more, but he works 12 hour days at this coffee shop so I can only talk to him while he works, and his boss yells at him to keep moving.

Generally, the people refuse to talk about the war. Even when we tell them we are American, thy either say 'cool' or say that all people are the same. As nice as we thought Croatians and Slovenians are (and they are generally very kind) the Bosnians have made it a way of life - in fact it is how they survive. We were walking down the street of a sort of poorer of suburb of Sarajevo today and we saw what seemed to be the grand opening of a discount supermarket. One man, who spoke no English but spent two months in Germany during the war so he could say one or two things to Tanya, pulled us over and said 'nein' and rubbed his fingers together for money and showed us that there was free beer, juice, candy, coffee, chips and sausage to be had. There were about a hundred people in line (well, Bosnians don't really line up - they have retained the breadline mentality of lines, you really have to pay attention to the line to get anywhere), from Gypsies to businessmen. We drank beers and ate cookies and tried to communicate (I made friends with the free Mentos and coffee guy).

A word on the Gypsies - I had never really encountered them before, but they are really interesting phenomenon. You hear terrible stories about them, that they are rich, that they hurt their children to get more money, so that I can't imagine anyone ever gives them any money. They are all skinny and all the women carry babies. As soon as they can walk they approach you on their own. I have learned 'oprostite' (sorry) but I feel I am saying it wrong as it has no effect. You have to walk away or even push them, and apparently they are much worse in other places. They are in a bind though - beause of their reputation, no one will hire them. I am curious to learn more about them, but it is impossible to have a conversation.

Time to go get cevapcici!

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Comments

[duffy]

europe?
jan and sarah floating around uncharted terrortory. parties food parties food. getting cold in philly. phillies win. riot. obama wins. more riot. miss you and tony. but things good in america,