Everyone I talk to, I am always emphasising how glad I am to have started my year here in spring, and not in autumn which is usually the case with gap years. I’ve just got the impression that this good weather, the sunshine and the colourful trees popping up everywhere is making my start a whole lot easier. The first few months, figuring out my new life, getting to know people and more importantly actually becoming part of a group of friends, finding things to do after work and at the weekends, …
Don’t have anyone to hang out with this afternoon but still fancy doing something? No problem, I’ll just take a stroll down to the park, read my book, take some pictures of the blooming magnolias and cherry trees, soak up some Vitamin D. Do have someone I want to meet but don’t know very well yet? No problem, I’ll go and meet them at one of the lovely cafés in town and sit in those lovely yards and gardens.
A trip to Sarajevo at the weekend, spending lots of time walking through town, eating ice-cream and just getting to know other people – so much more enjoyable and easier than on windy autumn days. I think. Or at least when I compare it to three and a half years ago when I started my exchange year in Poland and the first few months being September, October, … all there was to do was sit around at home and keep cosy (not knowing anyone yet this mostly happend alone).
Of course this is only one part of my time here – the work at school has its ups and downs and so does my mood. And talking about the weather always seems a bit like small talk. But just to make my point I’d like you to enjoy the following photographs of my first (and hopefully not my last..) Bosnian spring and understand how grateful I am for how my first five weeks here have passed.
Zenica.
Sarajevo, just an hour’s bus ride from Zenica (not this bus).
Sarajevo, countless bridges and mosques
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Apart from mosques you can find Catholic churches, Orthodox churches and Synagogues (the latter seen here).
Everywhere you go in Sarajevo it’s uphill.
Traditional Bosnian pottery…
… and rugs. These two pictures were taken at a so called Etno Village near Tuzla, where I visited a friend for a weekend.
What else can I say? Being a vegetarian isn’t proving itself difficult at all, I just cook for myself and occasionally have a pita, a yummy pastry filled with spinach, white cheese or potatoes and made by every good Bosnian woman, so I want to learn too. Teaching at school is fine most of the time, though I don’t teach a lot. I’m still getting to know everyone and everything.
Now I’m looking forward to a five-day trip to Serbia and then a traditional Bosnian 1st May celebration in a beautiful village three hours from Zenica. Pictures will come. Hvala!