Being from the United States, it is often said we know little to nothing about anything but the U.S. Upon my arrival to Eastern and Central Europe, I realized how true that statement actually was.
When I arrived in Bosnia, I was even more struck by all of the histories and people I was ignorant of. Throughout our trip, I learned a multitude of things I had never even heard of within any history book I’d opened in the States.
I witnessed historical sights and monuments, heard stories of empires, and wars. I was more so horrified upon learning that Bosnia and Herzegovina had undergone a horrific international war in which genocides, bombings, shootings, and violations of human rights all occurred from the years 1992 to 1995. There is a pain and exhaustion that I felt that I had never really experienced before.
The cobblestone roads I walked on all seemed different. The shopping streets in Mostar, the Old Bridge, the mountainsides in Sarajevo in which snipers would hide. The buildings that I recognized, once completely torn down still under reconstruction. So many cities in Bosnia had to be rebuilt.
But the people in Bosnia are fighters. They are kind and open hearted, but more so, they have pride. They have pride in their home, in their fight, in their progress, and their people. In Mostar, anyone who could talk either Spanish or English would strike up a conversation and we would talk for hours. I ate alone at a sandwich shop and spoke to the chef and the manager for an hour, went to dress shops and spoke with the workers for the same amount, stayed up until 2am talking to a writer, learned about the war and about all of the histories hidden in the land, and about what the people truly appreciated about Bosnia. In Sarajevo, a place which is currently experiencing its own conflicts, bartenders would laugh and dance with me. As I cannot speak Bosnian, when someone couldn’t communicate with me we’d find a way. We’d signal, point, count, or use our phones. I also achieved a goal I had when I arrived in Romania of one day carrying a pigeon (as the ones in Houston are nowhere near as cute as the ones in Europe). In our talks and tours of the city and its museums, I learned more than I could have ever dreamed of. I was asked to view Sarajevo as something more than the violence committed against it.
The Bosnian War is an important part of the country’s history but it is not it’s only history. The mountains surrounding Bosnia are absolutely breathtaking and the waters are composed of the most turquoise blue. The trees are greener than green and the cobblestone roads tell stories of the thousands before me who have walked their path.