Dad - In response to your comment....yes I can travel. I am walking pretty well now and we have been taking busses and taxis to make it easier for me. Jason will come tomorrow and he is aware of my foot and will help me continue to care for it.
We left Mostar yesterday. It was so hard - even harder for me than Aldin and Laura because they will be back on the 26th for one night. Many of the kids were crying which made leaving even harder. I tried to make our departure fun by starting a water fight with the older ones. I think I was successful because when we left they were all laughing at me and how soaked I was...winning a water fight is hard when you can barely walk.
The days before we left we got even closer to the kids. The littlest girl (she is four years old) started calling me Mama and following me constantly. I know she has never experienced having a parent so leaving her was especially hard.
I will do a longer update soon. I think I may be able to upload pictures while we are here in Sarajevo.
21 June 2008
17 June 2008
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.
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.
Only a few days left in Mostar
It is hard for me to believe that we have only two and a half days left in Mostar. Although I am really looking forward to the camps and travelling, I will miss all of the kids so much. It will be especially hard for me to say goodbye to the older girls, because it took a while for us to develop a relationship with them but we are now very close.
Classes have become somewhat chaotic now - none of the kids have school anymore, so our class size has doubled. It is working out for the best, I think, because the older kids help out the little ones. Some of the boys who we rarely saw before speak English well and are really interested in learning.
Today after class we took a van of 11 people (Laura, Aldin, and I and 8 of the teenagers) to three very different places near Mostar. First we went to Poticelj, a city that was first mentioned in literature in 1444. There is an amazing fortress and castle that the kids really enjoyed. Laura and I also got to do some shopping. Afterwards we went to the river Buna and the kids swam and played volleyball. The third place we went to was Kravići, Bosnias largest waterfall. The waterfall was absolutely amazing and we are hoping the director will give us teh van again on Thursday so we can go back.
I wasnt able to hike up to the fortress and castle or go swimming because I have an enormous cut on my foot that makes walking difficult. This past weekend Laura, Aldin, and I went to Neum, the only city Bosnia has on the coast. Bosnia has so little coast that to get to Neum by bus requires traveling through Croatia. While I was swimming on the coast I stepped on a sharp rock or a piece of glass. That day wasnt too bad but the next day I could hardly walk. We were staying in our own apartment (for 10 Euros a night!!!) and the people who rented it to us were great and helped me clean it up. They put some antibacterial stuff on my foot and then poured rakija (strong Bosnian alcohol) on it. It hurt like hell, but it must have worked because I went to the hospital once we got back to Mostar and they said there was no infection. Since I am not a Bosnian citizen, I had to pay for the hospital visit, but when Aldin told the nurse that I was working at the orphanage she lowered the cost and told me the hours and days she was working - she is going to change my bandages and reclean the wound for free. Everywhere we go in Bosnia people are so hospitable and nice. When they hear that we are volunteering at the orphanage, they go even more out of their way to help us. I will be sad to leave.
Classes have become somewhat chaotic now - none of the kids have school anymore, so our class size has doubled. It is working out for the best, I think, because the older kids help out the little ones. Some of the boys who we rarely saw before speak English well and are really interested in learning.
Today after class we took a van of 11 people (Laura, Aldin, and I and 8 of the teenagers) to three very different places near Mostar. First we went to Poticelj, a city that was first mentioned in literature in 1444. There is an amazing fortress and castle that the kids really enjoyed. Laura and I also got to do some shopping. Afterwards we went to the river Buna and the kids swam and played volleyball. The third place we went to was Kravići, Bosnias largest waterfall. The waterfall was absolutely amazing and we are hoping the director will give us teh van again on Thursday so we can go back.
I wasnt able to hike up to the fortress and castle or go swimming because I have an enormous cut on my foot that makes walking difficult. This past weekend Laura, Aldin, and I went to Neum, the only city Bosnia has on the coast. Bosnia has so little coast that to get to Neum by bus requires traveling through Croatia. While I was swimming on the coast I stepped on a sharp rock or a piece of glass. That day wasnt too bad but the next day I could hardly walk. We were staying in our own apartment (for 10 Euros a night!!!) and the people who rented it to us were great and helped me clean it up. They put some antibacterial stuff on my foot and then poured rakija (strong Bosnian alcohol) on it. It hurt like hell, but it must have worked because I went to the hospital once we got back to Mostar and they said there was no infection. Since I am not a Bosnian citizen, I had to pay for the hospital visit, but when Aldin told the nurse that I was working at the orphanage she lowered the cost and told me the hours and days she was working - she is going to change my bandages and reclean the wound for free. Everywhere we go in Bosnia people are so hospitable and nice. When they hear that we are volunteering at the orphanage, they go even more out of their way to help us. I will be sad to leave.
10 June 2008
The Future of Bosnia
Over the past few weeks I have been talking with a lot of people about the war and the future of Bosnia. Their is a huge difference in the perceptions of old and young people. Everyone here thinks that war is awful, but the older people in particular think that war is the greatest evil. Having lived through the war as adults and having lost so many people, they are desperate to keep war from happening again.
Younger people, on the other hand, seem to think that war will happen again within a few years. One of my friends said it was inevitable because of the hatred that still exists. He was very young during the war (he talks about playing a game in which he and his friends would run to see who could pick up shells the fastest after they exploded because he was too young to be afraid) but he says that people who lost their entire family during the war hate all people of other ethnic groups. The easiest way to tell which people are of which descent by their names, and he says that many of his friends will hate someone as soon as they hear his name. He asks how you can blame those people for judging people by their name and background, when name and background where the only reason their family members were killed.
Another friend tells me that it doesnt matter what people think - it is the government and authority figures that want another war. Ordinary people cannot prevent it. There is a lot of corruption in Bosnias government (I will talk about it in another post), so that attitude is understandable.
Living in Mostar makes the possibility of war seem very real. Mostar is essentially two cities in one - there is a Bosniak (Muslim) side and a Croatian (Catholic) side. It is very dangerous for males in particular from one side to go to the other. I have never even been to the other side. Aldin took us to the unofficial but very real border, but we did not go further. The other side is beautiful, so we are planning to go this week either with Alisa or with Aldin. If Aldin takes us he will only speak English (so they wont hear his accent) and we will call him Cory (his nickname, since his last name is Čoralić). I knew that both sides were divided, but not how rare it was for people to visit the other side.
The first day we were here, Velež, the football team from the Muslim side of town, was playing the team from the Croatian side of town in the Croatian stadium. One of the kids from the orphanage was the ballboy for the game. Someone threw a stick of dynamite onto the field (to try to hurt the Muslim players). Ilija (the boy from the orphanage) thought that it was a sparkler and picked it up to throw it away. It exploded as he was throwing it. He has serious burns all over his hand and he may lose part of his thumb and one finger. He is a really good goalie, and was counting on playing soccer as an adult, and the damage may prevent him from doing that.
Bosnians vary in their expectations of the future. Some are hopeful and some pessimistic. Despite the negatives I have seen, the positive change I have seen in the three years I have been coming here have made me hopeful. I think the work we do makes a difference, that young people are realizing that peoples names and ethnicities does not determine their worth as people.
Younger people, on the other hand, seem to think that war will happen again within a few years. One of my friends said it was inevitable because of the hatred that still exists. He was very young during the war (he talks about playing a game in which he and his friends would run to see who could pick up shells the fastest after they exploded because he was too young to be afraid) but he says that people who lost their entire family during the war hate all people of other ethnic groups. The easiest way to tell which people are of which descent by their names, and he says that many of his friends will hate someone as soon as they hear his name. He asks how you can blame those people for judging people by their name and background, when name and background where the only reason their family members were killed.
Another friend tells me that it doesnt matter what people think - it is the government and authority figures that want another war. Ordinary people cannot prevent it. There is a lot of corruption in Bosnias government (I will talk about it in another post), so that attitude is understandable.
Living in Mostar makes the possibility of war seem very real. Mostar is essentially two cities in one - there is a Bosniak (Muslim) side and a Croatian (Catholic) side. It is very dangerous for males in particular from one side to go to the other. I have never even been to the other side. Aldin took us to the unofficial but very real border, but we did not go further. The other side is beautiful, so we are planning to go this week either with Alisa or with Aldin. If Aldin takes us he will only speak English (so they wont hear his accent) and we will call him Cory (his nickname, since his last name is Čoralić). I knew that both sides were divided, but not how rare it was for people to visit the other side.
The first day we were here, Velež, the football team from the Muslim side of town, was playing the team from the Croatian side of town in the Croatian stadium. One of the kids from the orphanage was the ballboy for the game. Someone threw a stick of dynamite onto the field (to try to hurt the Muslim players). Ilija (the boy from the orphanage) thought that it was a sparkler and picked it up to throw it away. It exploded as he was throwing it. He has serious burns all over his hand and he may lose part of his thumb and one finger. He is a really good goalie, and was counting on playing soccer as an adult, and the damage may prevent him from doing that.
Bosnians vary in their expectations of the future. Some are hopeful and some pessimistic. Despite the negatives I have seen, the positive change I have seen in the three years I have been coming here have made me hopeful. I think the work we do makes a difference, that young people are realizing that peoples names and ethnicities does not determine their worth as people.
05 June 2008
"I like children without parents."
Almost every day we go to a gas station next to the orphanage to buy drinks or snacks. One of the cashiers, who speaks a little English, asked why we came so often. We told him that we were working at the orphanage. He gave us some candy to give to the children, explaining "I like children without parents." We understood what he was trying to say, but its just one example of the funny things that happen to us because of the language barrier every day.
We have been learning more things about the kids pasts, but with our limited Bosnian and their limited English it is hard. Two of the girls got into a fight the other day, and we found out it was because one of the girls told the other her mom was crazy. This girl, Lejla, is actually an orphan, so she responded violently. Many of the children at the orphanage are not actually orphans - instead, their parents are mentally or physically incapable of caring for them. The war inflicted so much damage on the adult population that the children who were born after the war ended are impacted as well. Another girl told us that her mom is alive, but in a mental hospital in Zagreb.
Although the orphanage provides clothing and food for the children, their upbringing is vastly different there. Many of the children are mentally challenged and the vast majority have emotional problems and anger issues, which is understandable consiering that they have had no regular adult role models or parent figures. The older kids try to keep things under control and will often separate the little ones if need be, but they are not a substitute for parents.
We are planning a movie night and a dance for the older kids sometime next week. We like to plug in Lauras ipod to speakers and sing and dance with the older ones which is a good way to teach them. We have also been listening to their music and having them translate it. One of the older girls, Merima, had never spoken a word of English to us. The other day she saw me without Aldin and came over and started talking to me. It turns out her English is pretty good. We have realized that some of the older girls are shy around Aldin, so Laura and I sit with them whenever we can and talk with them. Even when we understand things they say in Bosnian, we make them translate. This week we have definitely gotten to know the teenage girls better and we are having a lot of fun with them.
The little kids are still having a lot of fun and classes are going well.
We have been learning more things about the kids pasts, but with our limited Bosnian and their limited English it is hard. Two of the girls got into a fight the other day, and we found out it was because one of the girls told the other her mom was crazy. This girl, Lejla, is actually an orphan, so she responded violently. Many of the children at the orphanage are not actually orphans - instead, their parents are mentally or physically incapable of caring for them. The war inflicted so much damage on the adult population that the children who were born after the war ended are impacted as well. Another girl told us that her mom is alive, but in a mental hospital in Zagreb.
Although the orphanage provides clothing and food for the children, their upbringing is vastly different there. Many of the children are mentally challenged and the vast majority have emotional problems and anger issues, which is understandable consiering that they have had no regular adult role models or parent figures. The older kids try to keep things under control and will often separate the little ones if need be, but they are not a substitute for parents.
We are planning a movie night and a dance for the older kids sometime next week. We like to plug in Lauras ipod to speakers and sing and dance with the older ones which is a good way to teach them. We have also been listening to their music and having them translate it. One of the older girls, Merima, had never spoken a word of English to us. The other day she saw me without Aldin and came over and started talking to me. It turns out her English is pretty good. We have realized that some of the older girls are shy around Aldin, so Laura and I sit with them whenever we can and talk with them. Even when we understand things they say in Bosnian, we make them translate. This week we have definitely gotten to know the teenage girls better and we are having a lot of fun with them.
The little kids are still having a lot of fun and classes are going well.
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