I wrote these personal observations in response to a friend's email asking me to simply tell her about Sarajevo and how I feel here. It was fun thinking through it and I promised her and you that I will continue to 10. This is kind of silly, the stuff that blogging is made from, but I also think it is important that all of us could describe 10 things about where each of us live that we enjoy and adore, making us such willing citizens. So, I hope that this run-down of thoughts will give you a little more insight into my life over here and once again feel free to say hello and we can stay in touch.
1. Sarajevo has such a strong sense of story. It certainly is not a merry-go-round happy one, but is so beautiful and eloquent and so rich with all the colors and sounds of a multi-cultural intersection; since this fusion happened hundreds of years ago, east meeting west and european merging with the oriental, their is a uniquely singular voice. For me, I want to write and live my story into this one.
2. Their are three different words for intersection in Bosnian. Simply, their is a male form of the word and female form barely differential (raskršće vs. raskrsnica) and their is a classic lit form that is romantically historic (sredokraća). For me, this language is insanely hard and proses many problems to the learner but, in so much, lies the challenge that surely will involve a few chapters of my Sarajevo story.
3. I love Bosnian coffee. I usually get a velika kafa sa miljekom- longer pulled shot with steamed or cold milk- and it is growing on me as I have only ordered only one cappucino since Ive been here. In Sarajevo you have a great mix of posh and historic Austro/Oriental heritaged cafes and then, all of the little Mom and Pop places around the periphery of the city center that are usually filled with smoke and old men reading their papers, counting teeth and playing chess. I don't fit in but the exercise of feeling awkward and then comfortable and then going back to show that I wasn't a lost tourist is great. All the neighborhood patrons are miffed the next time I enter when the bar-man knows what the stranger wants.
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