Two Entries in One Day?!?!

Facebook isnt working and I still have another half hour of internet time, so I will update again.

Several entries ago I mentioned the corruption that runs throughout Bosnias government. I knew about this corruption from research and past trips here, but I have learned a lot more about it recently. In Bosnia, many jobs that we consider to be nonpartisan are actually political appointments.
Schoolteachers and directors of orphanages here are not chosen based on experience or talent, but instead because of their money or who they know. This causes many problems, from having incompetent people in charge of public education to the mismanagement and abuse of money dedicated to the children of Bosnia. Even jobs that are not openly political appointments are not assigned based on merit. People cannot find steady employment in a sustainable field without connections. I know people here who speak perfect English but cannot find a job (even though I hear tour guides with poor English every day) because they do not know the right people. Many of the people we know here are in college, and they say that they work incredibly hard to pass their exams (in the college of social work less than 10% who enter graduate), but people with money can simply bribe the professors instead of taking exams.
Bosnia is considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Its unfortunate, since Bosnia has so many needs, but its corruption prevents others from sending aid.


Something I noticed that is not corruption but is another problem with Bosnia and the region was that when busses enter Croatia, most people who get checked or pulled out for questioning have a Bosniak (Muslim) last name. When we were entering Croatia on Friday to get to Neum, Aldins ID was taken to be scanned. He was travelling on a full bus and was the only one to get checked. They let him through without any problems, probably because he was travelling with us. He told us that he gets checked every time he crosses the border and told us that once he and our friend Žuti got pulled aside and they ripped apart Žutis shorts looking for drugs. One can only assume that the reason they are always taken for questioning is because of their name.

This is not a problem in all of Bosnia, however. In Neum, most people were Croatian Bosnians, but Aldin did not have any problems. In fact, the people whose apartment we rented exchanged numbers with Aldin so that they can make a donation to the orphanage.

The next time I am on the internet will probably be Saturday (I will be in Sarajevo). Please look for an update about the past and future of the kids at the orphanage.