Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Scenes from Mostar

Beautiful Mostar-- the river Neretva, mosques and churches, and its famous Stari Most ("old bridge"), destroyed in 1993 but now rebuilt.




















Where I work






The Youth Cultural Center Abrasevic was on the "front line" during the war and sustained much damage... Youth worked to clear out the debris themselves and then the German embassy donated funds for a new roof. Last year the center held 148 events.

Over the river and up the hill

Walk up the hill to the red metal gate and come into the courtyard, where the kiwi vines grow...



















Post for a picture by the front door.





Welcome to my humble abode!

Friday, November 2, 2007

Prekosutra

Geneva consisted of three whirlwind days of jetlag, watching BBC documentaries on the fall of Yugoslavia and the conflict in Kosovo, and finalizing travel details. We did manage to squeeze in cheese fondue and drinking coffee by the lake, however.

Since coming to Mostar, I have: set up a bank account, bought a cell phone, gotten documents for my visa, gone to the visa office, found out I don't have all the documents I need, gone to cultural events organized by Abrasevic (two concerts and a film) and consumed copious amounts of very delicious espresso.

There is a logic to life here. If it rains, we don't go to the visa office. If we don't have the necessary documents, we get coffee and then go out for lunch. In the words of Enniskillen's own Oscar Wilde-- I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly put do the day after.

I have more to say about the town of Mostar and the characters I am meeting here... I'll write up those thoughts tomorrow. Or the day after.


*prekosutra is the Bosnian word for the day after tomorrow