Bosnia

Today we went to Bosnia. It was an awesome ride over. We had to travel through the mountains. They were a bit curvy. The most amazing part was where the bottom mountain range leads straight to the Adriatic Sea. Speaking of the sea, the water here is ice blue!
Once we got to the border of Bosnia and Croatia we had to stop and get our passports checked. I really wanted mine to be stamped, but the guy was really stern. Apparently in years past the Bosnian border guys have shown no emotion. They told us to not take pictures, don’t smile, and don’t look suspicious. We did just that and he let us through.
Once we got to the city, we got a tour of the college located there. The first thing we noticed was that the trash system was terrible. There were bottles, paper, and food wrappers everywhere. It was a really dirty city and campus. After the tour we had a lecture about politics. After being here for almost three weeks here, it seems like everyone here has Americans figured out. During lectures or while speaking with locals, they will make comments about how they know all about Americans. Do they? Does the media’s portrayal really give them enough information to make an informed opinion about us? Maybe this is the American girl coming out in me, but we are all individuals! We are not all alike. Even in our small group of 20, we have a wide range of ethnicities, social economic status', and personalities with different interests. It just bothers me when a city official of Makarska says, “The world doesn’t know about Croatia, but we know all about Americans.” It rubs me the wrong way.
Another interesting part of the day was the trip to the mosque. Our group of four that toured it on our own wore headscarves. It was just like what I would have imagined. There were carpets on the floor everywhere all pointing east. I’m glad I got to see that.
Before walking down the market there was a bridge over looking a river. On the top of the bridge was a guy about my age in a Speedo. He was waiting for someone to pay him about 40 Euros to dive into the river. Apparently this has been going on for years, young men trying to make a little cash for diving into the water. I didn’t get to see one dive in, but Dr tir (our teacher) did.
I think the most prevalent part of the trip to Bosnia were the gypsy children asking for money. There were a lot of young girls who were wearing a similar shirt that was too small showing their belly, a dirty long skirt (sometimes with pants on underneath), and ratted hair. They would approach us and hold their pitiful hand out and give us their sad eyes. We were told it was an organized crime, so I didn’t give them any money. Plus, I saw Slumdog Millionaire. I know they are working for someone! These girls were amazing. They approached Bianca and kissed her on the arm. If they were of a certain age, we would see them will infants. As we passed they would speak english. They seemed to know a lot of languages for being uneducated.

Weather Update: Its hot. We leave our patio porch open at night to let the breeze inside. We also try to keep the lights off. On the bright side, its great weather for tanning at the beach!