The bus ride today was short and uneventful in the sense of something magical or adventurous happening. Like snow bears appearing or a giant dragon popping out somewhere. Nothing of the such happened.
I awoke between 6 and 9 in the morning, drifting in and out of sleep. For the most part I had a good nights rest, until hunger forced me out of bed and down to breakfast. Today we headed out to Mostar, the city that my group presented in one of our projects. I decided to wear the new shoes and coat I bought, still a bit iffy about the whole washing before you wear it deal. A quick glance outside my window told me that it had snowed the night before. Now a slim layer of snow covered the ground. After stuffing everything together I went downstairs and had my breakfast.
By nine we were out of the hotel and on the bus. The hospitality of the ladies working at the hotel left a good impression on me, even Dushka commented on how nice they were and that one of them had not only ordered dinner for her, but had put down salt on the ground to melt away the ice. Outside apparently was very slippery on the steep hill we sat on.
I have to say I felt better wearing ‘fashionable’ clothes. But I also felt self-conscious a bit. It is a very bizarre feeling that I had, because it felt like I was looking everywhere for someone to approve of me. Later on I realized that I wasn’t used to getting looked at because I dressed nice, and would have to wear more ‘fashionable’ clothes in the future to get used to people starring.
Dushka and Borris gave us a look at the Olympic area and tower in Sarajevo. Before the war it was a place of prosperity, but after it looked like another cold, grey building in the city. At least that is what I thought. I also thought that the American embassy could use some color on their prison like structure. They also took near the biggest cemetery in the city, where the hills were covered in sections of black for Christian and white columns for Muslim.
“Isnt that funny? They are separated even after death,” I said outloud to no one in particular.
Back on the road I promptly fell asleep, only to wake up occasionally to view the passing scenery that slowly got colder and heavier with mist and snow, and to listen to random conversation. Dushka told us of houses that were abandoned or entire towns that were left empty during the war. A few people had come back and modified the houses, but the majority of the town had been taken back over by Mother Nature. It didn’t really phase me, because the building reminded me of the ones left by earlier settlers in the Bahamas.
The bus stopped in one town that had a major part in WWII. I think it was called “The Wounded Battle” where Partisan soldiers who were wounded passed over one of the destroyed bridges by Tito. About 4,000 wounded men crossed over with the help of the local people. It was part of a strategic trick against the German army who were closing in on them. There was a museum that we entered without any heat and shady looking bathrooms. Between 1991-1995 it had gotten damaged and was still in the process of being renovated. It was situated right next to the river that housed the iron bridge that was destroyed and later used as a sort of crossway for the wounded soldiers. We stayed for about an hour, with Dushka translating the man in charge before heading back on the road.
The bus is called the magic school bus, and Borris is Ms. Frizzle because of the magic he can do with the bus. He is a very skilled and safe driver and never ceases to amaze us. On the icy roads he went slow and safely, until we got lower into the mountains where the warm air melted away the snow on the road. The weather practically changed before our eyes from snowy to a nice warm feeling. It didn’t take long to reach Mostar and when we did I couldn’t help but think which side we were on, because after the war the city was divided by the bridges with Bosnians on one side and Croats on the other. Apparently, as I found out later one, the hotel we are staying at is on the Bosnian side.
The hotel is very nice, but the rooms are cold. They have this old looking heater that doesn’t seem to want to work, and when I took my nap today after eating lunch at a nearby restaurant with Catey, Rob, and Mei, my feet were freezing. Hopefully I can figure it out before we go to dinner tonight and come back to a warm room.
At 3:50pm we left to go to the Nasen Dialogue Center in Mostar. A small little place just around the corner, it took less than five minutes to walk in the very windy weather. We were greeted by one person who directed us to one of the rooms, and there we were educated on what the center did, how they are progressing, their experiences, activities in the school and general public, and the interference of ethno politics that strive to rule over people based on their differences.
Dinner was at 6:40, and we left the hotel to walk along the street and into a little shopping center. The pavement was made of big pebble rocks, so my feet hurt when I stepped on the stones. I looked at Mei who also walked, every day, in high heel shoes and asked her,
“How can you walk like this?!”
“Now you know my pain darling,” she replied back. I had to hook arms with Catey to help me not fall. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant and it was this nice little place to dine in. The group we picked up, members of the NDC that were in our level of education or higher, dispersed at each table. We just so happen to sit with a very handsome, nice guy called Gabriel. Well, that is his Christian name, but his real name has this awesome role of the tongue on the r. He. Was. Cute! All of us thought so, and usually our tastes are very different. Sadly he had a girlfriend, so that killed all my motivation and he only became eye candy. On the other hand, he talked to us very openly and answered our questions. Very polite and conversational, he told us about what he does, how the interaction is between the Croats and the Bosniacs, what his nationality was (which is Croatian) and a lot of other things. We talked about politics, tv shows, my hair, the meaning of beauty, tons of things that you normally wouldn’t talk about with a person you just met. I found myself catching my self two times because we slipped so easily into dialogue. I had to remember he was just a host.
For dinner we had two appetizers, the main meal, and desert, which was a crepe with warm raspberries and ice cream. I finally got my hot chocolate where in the beginning I didn’t get it because I thought it was actual melted chocolate. When the waiter handed me my drink I was so happy, and immediate started to drink it despite the hotness. Suddenly I got this strange feeling and looked up, realizing that everyone was watching me.
“Why is everyone looking at me?” I asked, laughing and feeling unsafe at the same time.
“Well it looks like you’re really enjoying it,” Mei told me. I feigned shyness and insecurity by picking up my drink and turning away from the group, holding up my hand to block out the rest of their faces. They laughed at this and Catey mimicked me.
Surprisingly the man knew a lot about the Bahamas compared to most US people that I met. Apparently he watched documentaries on it.
When people was about to leave someone mentioned a party. It perked my interest for only a few seconds before I decided that this wind and full stomach needed a nice warm bed. My fun was different from everyone else’s, and I didn’t need to get drunk in order to have a good time.
Overall, a good day. Tomorrow Split!
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