I <3 Sarajevo!

Day 7 here in Bosnia-Herzegovina and I think it's safe to say that Sarajevo is now my favorite city of this trip so far :-D My words really can't do justice to its beauty/charm and unfortunately I won't be able to load pictures for a while because I lost my USB stick (actually it wasn't even mine...sorry dad!!) In addition to indulging in the delicious pastries and ice cream (which can be found on practically every corner!), I've also been practicing my Bosnian with the local taxi drivers. Granted I only know about 4-5 words/phrases, but they are usually very encouraging/happy to hear me try. In fact, one of my drivers today was so thrilled he offered me one of his cigarettes in congratulations...I politely declined :)

Interviews are going really well, so far I've met with representatives from the UN Development Program, the Trauma Center, and the British Council, all of which are involved in the reconciliation process in some way or another. One thing everyone is talking about is the persistence of the ¨2 schools under 1 roof¨ model in which there is technically integration but children of different ethnicities still learn in separate classrooms. It has been interesting to compare this phenomenon with what I heard in South Africa about the impact that integrated schools can have on helping a younger generation move past old tensions.

Yesterday Dzenana and I drove out to Vrelo Bosne which is this gorgeous park about 20 minutes from downtown Sarajevo. The shade from the trees and the cool water from the river were a welcome change from the insane heat :)

This week is pretty busy with interviews but I'm really looking forward to my day trip to Zenica tomorrow. I'm meeting with some people from Sezam, an organization that does reconciliation training with teachers. That's all for now but hopefully I'll get a chance to post again before leaving for the UK!