Sarajevo

Sarajevo

In January 2005, Mark moved to Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina to work on a tax reform project. We agreed that we would be in different countries until July when I would move with him to Bosnia. This is my story.

July 1, 2005 we left our comfortable home in Burke, Virginia as well as our precious daughters- Melissa (22), Megan (18) and Cara (18). Leaving them at the airport was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I think I cried half way to Munich! I felt like I left 3/4's of my heart back in the United States. But 23years ago I promised, "For better or worse, in sickness or in health, til death do us part". So, off to Sarajevo I went.

We have a lovely large 2 bedroom apartment. It's on "Hospital Road" - which is good in the wintertime as this road is always plowed. (According to everyone here, last winter was one of the worst ever- glad I missed it!) We are right next door to the medical school and an old run down building. We have a view of the mountains and when there are no leaves on the trees, we can see the Olympic stadium.

This building is just down the road from us. This type of building is very common. It's grey with some ornate decorations around the windows and "poc marks" from all the shooting that went on during the war. Just so everyone knows, there is NO shooting going on now. Things are very peaceful here.

Sarajevo was the site of the 1984 winter olympics. They chose this place for a very good reason. They have very cold snowy winters and there are mountains everywhere. The womens downhill skiing was held at the mountain Jahorina. Two weekends ago we went to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular...........




It was an overcast day. I was trying to imagin what this must be like in the wintertime. I suspect it must be a winter wonderland!

Mark works with a great group of Bosnians. They have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable here. They are welcoming, warm and friendly. This definitely has helped me make this transition to a new country. Last weekend we went with a group of people to a marshland about 3 hrs from here. Although the marsh was very pretty and did NOT have mosquitos, it was still just a marsh. However, this caravan of 4 cars would stop along the way and have coffee at the outdoor cafe. (Bosnians LOVE to have coffee in outdoor cafes). We'd enjoy the mountainous view and the good company.

The picture on top is of the marshland. You can see the bird flying on the extreme left with it's reflection. The picture on the bottom was at the outdoor cafe on the way to the marshlands. It was a long day, but oh so worth it.

On July 17th, Megan and Cara celebrated their 19th birthday. They had a big party at our house the night before, which they seemed to enjoy a lot. Thankfully we haven't heard any complaints from the neighbors. None-the-less I was sad to miss their day. What made it worse was that the computer here wasn't working correctly and we had trouble calling them.....they had to call us. Being a mom is just the most wonderful, difficult, challenging, and thrilling job in the world. Being a mom has been everything to me. Being so far away from my daughters has been a strain on my emotions. Sometimes I enjoy the "freedom" and sometimes I feel lost. I have confidence that they are capable young women, who know the difference between right and wrong and have the ability to chose wisely.

BACK TO SARAJEVO:

Mark and I like to walk the streets of Sarajevo. The sights are beautiful.......

This is Mark making plans to meet a friend at a cafe in the old Turkish area. This is a "walking street" and it is filled with little shops and restaurants and ice cream stands. I have done a little window shopping, I'm not sure Mark knows that there are things for sale here. He says he's looked in the shops before......mmmm.....knowing Mark he probably popped in one once. He'd call that shopping!!

Yes, this is me at one of the outdoor cafes. Mark got hold of the camera and took one of me. The building behind me is the famous library where Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was shot. Actually, he wasn't shot in front of the library, he was shot on a bridge a few blocks away. Gavrilo Princip, a Serb, was the one who shot him. This was the start of the first World War!!

This library was built in the late 1800's. In August 1992, a shell exploded in the library wiping out thousands of books and history. It is currently being renovated.

FUN PHOTOS

Here Mark is carrying the world on his shoulders or he's got a pain in his neck and back. He's always copying someone!!

People love being outside. There are a few of these "chess sets" in the parks around town. You will frequently see Bosnian men (yes, men) playing chess with these large sets.
















While we were waiting for people to arrive for our trip the the marsh area, I was looking around the Holiday Inn and noticed our reflection in the window above us. I couldn't help but take a picture of it.







Well, these are some of the current events occuring in our lives. Next week Melissa, Megan and Cara will be arriving and we will head to the Adriatic coast. It should be nice. Can't wait to see it. Mark has been there before. I will have more pictures to share with you then.....much to my family's dismay!!