the garden

the garden
Originally uploaded by Travis Sharpe

Little by little we're selling most of our possessions. It's strange to think that we won't be in Bosnia for 9 months, but we thought it would be a good time to get rid of a lot of stuff that we don't use so that we can buy some new things in the states that we can use. Some of the clothes for example, I've had for over eight years. I personally don't like shopping in Bosnia as I don't like the european style of clothing. It's too feminine for my taste (too tightly fitted for a man to be wearing).

Getting more to the point of my blog today... things like cameras are very expensive here in Bosnia and so I was able to sell my camera for a slightly better resell value than I could get in the states. Anyway, I've been wanting to take a picture of this crazy garden of my neighbors for some time and I had to run out and get the picture before the camera buyer came. If you want to see another picture of the garden you can go to my flickr account here. (they leave this stuff out, rain or shine)

Disservice

Last night Stacy and I went on a long over-due date and had a wonderful dinner.

While enjoying our food a Chinese family came and sat down at a table near us. Here in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) there are very few minorities living in the country. Even though there are three ethnic groups in BiH their genes are more similar to each other than any two Americans outside their respective family trees. Basically everyone looks the same here in Bosnia, and there is very little diversity in the country.

So, now I'm getting to my story. The waiter comes to serve the Chinese family, and Stacy and I think to ourselves "oh no, not that waiter" (we've had previous experience with this guy). The waiter comes to take their order and we don't hear the full conversation, but we clearly hear the word, Kinez "Chinese". A few minutes later the waiter comes back with their soft drinks, and as he is handing it to them he keeps hold of one of the drinks as the Chinese customer tries to grab it. After the customer wrestles the drink from the waiter's hand the waiter throws a few kung-fu punches in the air. At this point, I smack my hand to my forehead and shake my head in disgust. Then a Bosnian customer chimes in to respond to the waiter's kung-fu moves, "oh Bruce Ree". I couldn't believe my eyes and ears!

If I didn't live in the capitol city I might have expected such ignorance, but there you go... respect for your fellow man regardless of race or religion isn't really a concept understood by the masses here in BiH.

Unfortunately while the picture I added to this blog is funny, if you practiced the philosophy in BiH, "I won't give any business to a place that treats me poorly". You'll find that you'll run out of places to shop/eat.

A Pigeon in Jail

Bosnian police have impounded a pigeon after discovering prisoners used it to smuggle drugs into one of the country's highest security jails.
An official says guards suspected the bird might be involved in drug smuggling when they noticed four prisoners visibly intoxicated shortly after it landed on a prison window.
A Zenica prison official says all four inmates had tested positive for heroin and disciplinary proceedings had been launched against the inmates.
The pigeon has been taken into custody by police who've launched an investigation aimed at identifying those who had loaded it up with the drugs.

A Year for Riots in Belgrade

The Bosnian Jeff Foxworthy List

I found this blog from a Bosnian who posted, "You know You're a Bosnian When" These are my favorites:


you take your shoes off when you enter the house, and every family member has his/her own slippers (plus some extra for the guests)

your neighbour comes over every day uninvited, for coffee

you start your day with a cup of coffee and a cigarette

you have 17 consonants and 2 vowels in your last name

your mother/nena won’t accept the fact that you’re not hungry

you have “pita” (Bosnian food that is like a pastry puff filled with salty fillings like cheese or meat) for dinner at least 4 days a week

you have “sarma” (stuffed cabbage) for dinner the remaining 3 days

a loaf of bread is eaten for lunch every day

you’re 6 and your father sends you out to buy him “Drina” and “Sarajevsko”(brand of cigarettes)

your nena insists you eat something with a “kasika” (spoon) at least once a week

you chop up some onions and then decide what to cook for dinner

your mother insists that “promaja” (draft) will kill you

your mother tells you not to sit on the concrete slabs, or your ovaries are going to freeze

your mother tells you to wear “potkosulja” (undershirt), no matter what the temperature outside

your mother tells you not to sit close to the TV, and not to use cell phones, because you’ll get brain tumor

your mother tells you that you’ll get sick from drinking cold water

you tuck in your “potkosulja” (undershirt) into your underwear

your parents wonder why you take showers every day

a couple of days really means a week or so

your parents have “goblene”(needlepoint) on their walls, and “heklanje”(fine handmade lace) on every piece of their furniture, including the TV

your parents make “zimnica” (canned vegetables) every september

you drive there in a family “golf” (VW)

you begin most sentences with “jebi ga”, (f*** it) “svega mi” (I swear on everything), or “Tita mi” (I swear on Tito)

you can’t explain what “bolan” means, but you use it all the time - (um yes - I have no idea what it means)

you’re the only one who gets all the Mujo and Suljo jokes

you despise your cousin who’s going out with an “unproforac” (UN worker)

your mother bakes a cake without oil, sugar, eggs, or flour, and she calls it “a war cake”

the time is divided into “before” and “after” the war

your father refers to all politicians with “djubrad” (idiots), “lopovi”(con-artists), and “kriminalci”(criminals)

your remaining friends from high school live in Australia, Norway, Germany, and Malaysia

you don’t want to talk about the war to anyone, but that’s the only thing you talk about with other Bosnians

you have at least three passports, and have lived in at least 4 countries in the last 12 years

A Year for Riots in Belgrade

The extradition of Karadic has brought violence again to Belgrade. Just five months earlier 150,000 people turned out to protest the independence of Kosovo which has until recently belonged to Serbia.

Last night around 15,000 protesters gathered to oppose the extradition of Radovan Karadzic to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Many of these ultra-nationalist see Karadzic as a national hero.

Talking to a friend of mine who lives near me here in Sarajevo, but is on vacation visiting his family in Belgrade says that these protesters are just a loud minority. I fear however that this minority is growing as it could seem that the world is against the Serbian nation. First with the backing of many western countries for the independence of Kosovo and now the UN is putting another Serb leader on trial. Don't get me wrong, this man needs to face justice... I'm just concerned that all of these events will again destabilize the region

His First Night in Jail

Radovan Karadzic spent his first night in jail after 13 years on the run. Karadzic has been accused of war crimes and of genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The hope (at least my hope) is that this might be a turning point for the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina to put the war behind them and set their eyes on the future. I don't want to be unsympathetic to the victims of the war, and I rejoice along with the world as justice will no doubt be served at the tribunal in The Hague.

For more information and video about Karadzic follow these links: Karadzic's profile Karadzic denies 'war crimes' - 1995

The War is Over, but the Killing Continues

Heaven & Hell
Originally uploaded by jim_in_sarajevo

Two mine clearers were killed Saturday when a landmine left over from Bosnia's 1992-95 war exploded while working at an area near the town of Maglaj.

These deaths come just after another tragedy when two men were killed when they triggered a landmine while chopping wood in a forest in northern Bosnia.

Even 13 years after the war ended, more than 200,000 landmines and other unexploded munitions remain littered across more than 3% of Bosnia's territory.

Approximately 480 people have been killed by mines and more than 1,100 injured in the country since 1996. Experts warn it will take decades for all the landmines to be cleared.

Fortunately most of the mined area's are marked with big skull and cross bones signs as seen in this photo.

Not so Brilliant Light

Light Decay
Originally uploaded by Travis Sharpe

For those who already get our newsletter, sorry for the reproduction.

Often I feel like this light in our building's hallway. It's on a delay switch and it only comes on when a tenant presses the switch. The light barely stays on long enough to navigate a few flights of stairs before it goes off again. Many times it doesn't get changed for weeks after it burns out, and the tenants are forced to navigate the stairs in the dark. This kind of light is far from the kind of light that the tenants need.

In the same way the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina need light in their lives. Unfortunately, many of those called to be light in this country have been feeling burned out; much like this light in our hallway.

Stacy and I have not been able to escape this overwhelming discouragement felt by many of us working in Bosnia. We are in need of renewal, and our hope is that when we return to the states for home-assignment this fall we will experience some renewal. The passage that currently haunts me is from Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men". Please remember to pray for us. Thank you.

Generous Slovenian Hotels

Stacy and I have been thinking of getting away for a couple days. We came accross this place that has a room with a lot of extras built into the price. What do you think? Should we go? I mean common, they're just giving away electricity.

Running on Empty

I found this article, and I thought you would be interested to read it:

According to a recent study by AIRINC, a research firm that tracks cost of living data, as reported by CNNMoney.com, the most expensive place in the world to fill up your tank is Bosnia-Herzegovina at $10.86 a gallon. Here are some other pricy places:

Bosnia-Herzegovina: $10.86
Eritrea (In north Africa): $9.58
Norway: $8.73
United Kingdom: $8.38
Netherlands: $8.37

There are other countries rich and poor that are still enjoying cheap gas:

Venezuela: 12 cents
Iran: 40 cents
Saudi Arabia: 45 cents
Libya: 50 cents
Swaziland: 54 cents

Believe me, we walk as much as we can! I (Travis) always walk to work, and Stacy walks to the grocery store about 70% of the time. We only use our car twice a week if we need to get into town for something. We drove a total of 6000 miles in our car last year, and we're looking for ways to reduce even that.

It's Like Watching a Car Crash

One of the longest running shows in the world, and one of the most watched is the Eurovision song contest. Such greats(ironic) as ABBA and The Olsen Brothers have been winners at Eurovison. As an American, I can't really grasp how this yearly event is considered entertainment, and I may never understand the popularity with Eurovision. On the other hand we (the USA) created WWF ('nuf said). After watching this year's entry by Bosnia-Herzegovina, I HAD to share it with my friends (please remain my friend even after watching this). Oh, and NO... the Bosnian version is no better, except for the live fowl on stage. If you have to see that one too, here's the link

EUROSONG 2008 BiH -Laka - Pokusaj English Version

Emotional Calculus

This has been quite a revealing month for me personally. Larry Bolden from Atlanta (www.wellspringgroup.org) came to serve the national pastors in Bosnia-Herzegovina and teach a seminar called "Battle for Men's Hearts". Fortunately Larry was able to stay an extra week and open the seminar up for ex-pats living in the area. I wasn't sure what to expect from this men's conference as I've attend others in the past with little results. Larry's seminar was really trying to help us get at the energy and desires behind our actions instead of dealing with behavioral issues. I went through a myriad of emotions during the five days from sorrow to anger to joy. In the end when asked how the week was I explained that it was "emotional calculus". I think I had resigned myself to being an emotional halfwit, but instead discovered that I have much more to offer those around me than I had imagined. The biggest encouragement at the conference was hearing over and over again from other Christian workers how many difficulties they had experience living here in Bosnia. In fact in 2007 alone over 10 missionaries have returned home (exactly what Stacy and I were thinking of doing). It might seem strange to be encouraged by others difficulties, but what I had realized is that it's not that I'm not fit for being a missionary here in Bosnia, but that it's just plain difficult to live here. Nonetheless, Stacy and I are considering a 9 month sabbatical next fall to do some decompressing, fund-raising, and (hopefully) have a second child in the states.

Grandparents

As Noah gets older he's more and more able to go to the local playground and play on the equipment there, which he really loves. Stacy also likes to get Noah out of the apartment, and she's seen it as a real opportunity to meet other moms. Last week Stacy came to me a little bit discouraged, after a lady for the umpteenth time explained to her how she should dress Noah, and told me that the only ladies at the park are grandmothers. I was really surprised by that. I said there must have been at least 20 kids at the park today, but that day all the moms were grandmas.

One aspect of the Bosnian culture that I really respect is the role that most grandparents play in raising children. Our neighbors, for example, take their children to their grandparent's house almost every weekend and talk to them on the phone throughout the week. Some parents have the grandparents watch their children out of necessity, but many times it's just what happens. The grandparents are included in the rearing of children from all social classes, rich and poor. It is not uncommon, for example, for a father in smaller towns and villages to buy/build a house that has a floor for their sons, so that when they get married their son's family can live on one of the floors (each floor is like a self-contained apartment with a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom).

As one who has spent a lot of time with my grandmother (I lived with her for over five years during my college years), and spent many nights with my great grandmother during my early years, I can say that the experience of having learned from those who are two and three generations older than I has been very enriching. Some may have only read or watched movies about WWII or the Dust Bowl (My family were Okies who were apart of the great migration to California). I had the privilege of hearing stories first hand and have more insight to the emotions, the struggles, and the sacrifices made by so many in those times than from anything I could read in a book. Stacy sometimes comments on my vocabulary like, "how old are you... you sound like an old man." Granted, spending all that time with my grandparents may have made me less "cool", but my hope is that I may have gained just a portion of their wisdom.

Queuing "Taking one's place in a line"

I recently experienced a different side to a frustrating cultural difference last week. Sara, a new team mate needs to go through the arduous process of getting her residency permit. As I am the acting team leader I was obliged to help her. I have been through this process a number of times for my own family and for other team mates, but recently a law was passed that requires us to have a rent contract with our landlords as part of the visa process. Before everything was done under the table, so the landlords could escape taxes.
The day started meeting at the landlord's brother-in-law's apartment and being offered the local moonshine, as is customary in certain homes. I declined saying, "thank you, but I have a lot of work to do today". Thinking to myself it's only 10am and wondering if he will ask me a second time to accompany him in his morning binge. Thankfully he didn't press the issue, but offered coffee instead. I accepted and we exchanged small talk for a short time. Soon Sara, I, and the landlord, Dusanka, were out the door to procure the necessary papers for this rental contract. We fortunately found the right people and were explained what the process involved. I had drawn up a rental contract prior and all we needed is for Sara and Dusanka to sign the bottom. When we arrived at the tax office the lady looked at the contract and said, "you'll have to get these signatures notarized downstairs". A quick side note... EVERYTHING needs to be notarized in this country. So Dusanka, Sara, and I head downstairs to get the signatures notarized after being told by the tax lady that this is the process. As I approach the glass doors I see a mass of humanity bunched together all hoping that they can get their documents notarized. We enter the room and Sara and I head, dutifully, to the back of the line to wait our turn. Dusanka on the other hand, having been given a mission from the tax lady, heads to the front of the line and exclaims, "I need these signatures notarized". Sara and I look at each other amazed and perplexed. I'm on the edge of bursting out in laughter because I finally experienced the possible rational behind a Bosnian cutting to the front of a line. You see, they have something to do, and in this case Dusanka was told by someone in authority that she has to do this thing, and therefore, she goes to the front of the line. So the next time I'm standing in a line and a Bosnian inevitably cuts in front of me, I will just say to myself, "ah he/she must be following orders."

I'd Like Five Kilos Please?

Growing up my mom would send me to the store to buy a few things. She would say something like, "I need 2 onions, 3 tomatoes and a cumber". Now that I think about it Stacy sends me on similar errands. The point is when buying, in particular, vegetables and most fruit I think in terms of the number of tomatoes or apples that I want. Here in Bosnia things are a bit different. When you go to the market place you have to ask for fruits and veggies in weight. We usually don't buy a lot at once, so I'll buy a half a kilogram of apples for example. Right away this is seen as funny to Bosnians as they normally buy their produce in bulk, and almost never purchase less than a kilo (2.2 pounds) of anything. In fact it's not uncommon to see people buy upwards of 5 kilos (11 pounds) of a certain fruit or vegetable. Once I saw a lady with a cart full of red peppers. I'm sure it was about 20 kilos that she was buying. What they do with all this produce is beyond me, I'm sure they pickle it or something like that.

This blog was inspired by an advertisement that I saw this week. I was passing a furniture store that was selling foam padding. I thought, "oh, Stacy always talks about how our mattress isn't very comfortable... I'll go see for how much they're selling this foam padding." Walking closer to the window I saw some numbers "7.50". "Hmm, I thought... 7.50 a meter, that seems reasonable for foam padding." Then I reached the window where I was able to read the small print below the numbers "7.50". The advertisement was for 7.50 per kilogram. At that point I lost all my social composure and burst out laughing (laughing in public is rarely seen). Someone should tell these people that selling foam (basically a big sponge) by weight may not be the most profitable. I didn't go into the store embarrassed that I didn't know how many kilos of foam we needed for our bed.

To Google or not to Google-What Was the Question?

I'm slowly coming to terms with the modern computer jargon, especially these crazy verbs like: "Do you facebook?" or "try googling that". I hear people talking to each other in these terms and no one seems to question the correctness of this type of language, so it must be universally accepted. I laughed to myself the other day when I was thinking about how I would turn these words into verbs in the Bosnian language (I won't explain it because it would only be funny if you knew the language). Oh, and yes I am one of those guys who laughs out loud for no apparent reason. Man, I enjoy my inner monologue.

Now that I'm teaching English again at our reading room I started thinking... What would the simple past tense of "to facebook" be? facebooked? "Hey what did you do today?" "Oh I facebooked, and then I…". Then the present progressive, "I am currently facebooking", or the past progressive: "Man I am tired, I was facebooking until one in the morning". Okay, who knows this tense: "John has been facebooking all afternoon."

Alas, I can make fun of this internet culture no longer, I have relented and have joined my first online social network. Now you can find me facebooking with the rest of the online world. I wonder if C.S. Lewis would have facebooked?
p.s. - my spell check did not like these internet words… someone should inform google that they are now a verb. Oh, and if you can use the verb facebook in any foreign language... please leave me a comment.