The two girls in Banja Luka arrived to Sarajevo on Thursday so we took them on a tour of the city. First, we went to Vijecnica, the national library that was burned down during the war but is now restored. We also went to Bijela Tabija, which means "White Fortress". It is the ruins of a fortress overlooking Sarajevo and the view is absolutely spectacular! Later we walked around and showed them some of our favorite places in Old Town.
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| Inside Vijecnica |
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| At Bijeli Tabija |
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| Walking around Bijela Tabija |
We left for Mostar Friday morning. The car ride there was truly breathtaking. You see deep green mountains with a deep blue green river running through them and it is beautiful. I tried to take pictures for a while but they never turned out so I resorted to just enjoying the view. Upon arrival, we settled in to our Hostel and then went to go eat lunch at the Medresa* which graciously hosted us for the weekend. After lunch we hung out with the Access* Medresa students and then presented our Capstone Projects over an ice cream social. Next, the Access students took us on a tour of beautiful Mostar which included the famous Stari Most, Old Town, and the large mall. After the tour we had dinner at the Medresa, returned to our hostel for tea or coffee, then went to bed.
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| Getting to know a couple of the Access students after lunch |
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| With the Access students in front of the Stari Most |
Saturday Was our busiest day. It started out with breakfast at the Medresa and then we went straight to our return orientation activities. This included talking about some challenges we may face upon return, writing thank you notes to people who helped us throughout the year, reading the advise of YES Abroad Bosnia alumni, and more. Luckily we finished early and were able to spend that extra time relaxing because we had a little trip coming up that the Access class organized for us. We took a bus to visit Pocitelj and Blagaj. These are the two places were visited earlier in the year but it was cut short because of rain, Pocitelj is an old castle. Throughout my time in Bosnia I have seen many old castles but for some reason Pocitelj is different and it is for sure my favorite one. Next was Blagaj. Blagaj is my favorite place overall that I have been in Bosnia. Within Blagaj, is the source of the Bune river and the water is pristine. I am very glad I got to visit again with nice weather. Near the end of our visit we went to a very traditional cafe where I had the best Turkish coffee and the best Turkish delight that I have ever tasted. At that cafe, a couple of the Access students chose pop/soda and as a result we had a very entertaining bus concert on the way back including both traditional Bosnian songs as well as modern American songs. I though that was a really cool way to show that although these students have very different lives than my friends in America, belting out songs on bus rides is a thing that everyone enjoys! We arrived at the Medresa, ate dinner, and then YES Abroad went out for late night ice cream by the bridge. It was a great (almost) end to our orientation.
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| Climbing up the Pocitelj fortress |
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| At the top of the Pocitelj fortress |
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| Tea and coffee in Blagaj |
Our final day in Mostar was Sunday. We didn't do much other than eat breakfast and walk around Old Town and go to a cafe. It was a nice, relaxing way to get our final glimpse of beautiful Mostar. We arrived back in Sarajevo around two PM. I was planning on just relaxing for the day but that really didn't happen. I for some reason chose to go for a run??? and then we(the Sarajevo crew) brought the two Banja Luka girls to try tufahija* as well as helped them find some Sarajevo souvenirs. That got me to start thinking about what I will be bringing back with me. We ended the night on a rooftop cafe with some tasty hot chocolate.
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| A classic group picture at the cafe |
Although our official end of year orientation was just Friday-Sunday, we received a really cool invitation for Monday. The American Ambassador had invited us to her residence for lunch. We(YES Abroad Bosnia) were able to talk to her about a variety of interesting topics including some of the embassy's currents projects and our recent experiences at the Medresa. The Ambassador was very personable and fun to talk to. We really had a great time there. After lunch with the Ambassador, the Banja Luka girls hopped on a bus back to Banja Luka for one last month. This is the shortest time in between us seeing each other and it's strange to think that the next time will be when we leave Bosnia...:(
Well, as my KL-YES year is starting to come to an end there is another group of students around the world starting to prepare for theirs. My American family thought it would be really cool to "continue the cycle" and host a Bosnian student this next year and I was lucky enough to meet her! When I received her placement profile in late April, I was extatic that she lives in Mostar because I knew I would be there for my orientation. So on Friday when we had some free time, my future exchange sister and I met in a cafe. It didn't seem strange to me or anything. It just seemed like I was meeting another friend in Bosnia. It was really fun to talk about the coming school year and trying to describe to her things about our family. While trying, I realized I had forgotten many things about the US, my family's dynamic, and just American life in general. Since she arrives less than two months after me, I think her and I will have a great time learning about the US together. It will truly be a once in a lifetime experience.
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| My future exchange sister and I |
*A Medresa is an Islamic high school.
*Access is a US Department of State program to teach the English language. In this Medresa, it is a competitive program in which they apply to.
*Tufahija is a baked apple and nut dessert.
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