Reflection of Great Cities Study Abroad:

Well just like that I am sitting here at home safe and sound after what was an eventful three weeks. When I first started on my journey across Europe I didn't know what to expect. When I arrived in Berlin I got there two days before my program started, and was able to adventure on my own for those two days. When I arrived at the airport in Berlin I was hesitant at first to hail a taxi because I couldn't speak any German at all, but this very nice lady who's name I forget could tell that I was nervous waved at me and told me to come over towards her taxi. So with that I decided to walk over to her and thankfully she spoke English very fluently. She asked me where I was going and I pointed out to her that I was headed to The Ambassador Hotel in Berlin. She said that she had been there many times and was happy to take me over there. So we went over to the hotel, and the entire time that we were riding, she would tell me what this place and that place were. We finally ended up at the hotel and I tipped her and thanked her for all of the information that she gave me. Following that, I checked into the hotel that I was staying in for the two days prior to the start of my program. During those two days I could not believe all of the things that I got to do and see.

The first day that I was there I really didn't get to do much aside from getting food and sleeping. But the first night that I was there was rather interesting. That first night when I walked out, I was greeted with the smells of bratwurst and all other kinds of street food that was being made in these little shacks. The smells just lured me in like a fish to a well-baited hook. Finally when I stopped and got a bite to eat I was fortunate to have what they call currywurst, which is essentially a bratwurst, smothered in curry and BBQ sauce. I mean I had eaten bratwurst before but this was a whole different experience just because it was authentic German street food. Following that I got to experience the feeling of jet lag, which in my mind was not the greatest feeling in the world, I didn't end up getting out of bed until one in the afternoon the next day which was New Years Eve.

New Years Eve in Berlin was absolutely amazing. I ended up going to a place that my cab driver showed me the day before. This was an old church that had been bombed out during the Second World War. What was so amazing to me about this place was that the bells and the clock were luckily preserved and whenever the clock would strike an hour closer to 12 o’clock midnight there would be a display of fireworks. By the time the clock struck 11 the area that I was in was completely packed. I mean people were elbow-to-elbow and shoulder-to-shoulder. People were drinking and talking and just enjoying each other's company it truly was what the meaning of the season was all about. Before I knew it the clock struck 12 and everyone around was hugging, kissing, and making toasts welcoming in the New Year. In an instant this all ended when the fireworks began and everyone's attention turned to the skies as what in my mind was one of the greatest firework displays I had ever seen took place. The sound of the church clock ringing in the background almost drowning out the sound of the pops and crackles that followed the bursts of light given off by the fireworks was truly amazing.

Following this I made my way back to the hotel in which the city sounded like a war zone due to all of the bangs and fireworks that were being set off in the streets. That whole night was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to me and one that I will never forget. Following this began the first part of my study abroad program and the first city of the program.

For the few days that we were in Berlin we became aquatinted with everyone that was part of the trip, and had some amazing tours. With the assistance of our tour guide J.B. we saw everything that Berlin had to offer, in which some of those things were very emotional to me. The two things that were the most emotional to me were the Locations of the first mass grave that was created during the first events of the Holocaust, and the German Stasi Prison that I got to tour. The first of these two was the mass grave. The reason that this was so emotional to me was because of the fact that you can always read words and numbers in a book, but you don't really feel anything by that you have to go and witness these places to fully get the understanding that yes there were this many people here and they all died and were placed here to be "swept under the rug."

The Second of these two places that I saw was the German Stasi prison that housed many people that were trying to escape the Eastern side of Berlin during the time of the Berlin Wall. With the testimony that we heard from one of the survivors of this prison, and the tour that we had was a very emotionally unique experience. There was a movie that I watched during the orientation of the program titled "The Lives of Others" before the trip began and this was about a man who was a playwright that was living on the east side who was under continuous surveillance by the German police due to the fact that they thought he was trying to promote what we know as freedom. This movie had parts of it filmed in the very location that we toured. There was one part of this prison that had a very mind bending feeling and that was the interrogation rooms. In the scenes of the movie there were parts that there were interrogations that were taking place, and the interrogators would use any mind games that they saw fit to get whatever information they needed out of the inmates. When I walked through these rooms I could feel nothing but the feeling that something was trying to be forced out of me like that of those who were being interrogated. Along with that, the survivor that spoke to us said that is what it felt like every time you had to sit in those chairs. So when I go back and watch that movie, I have a better understanding as to what those being interrogated went through. The last thing that really hit home was when we were in an absinthe bar and we were talking to a guy that lived on Eastern side of the wall, and he said that It really did feel like you were being watched 24/7.  

The next Location that was on our trip was the great city of Budapest in Hungary. Let me be the first to say that during the train ride over we the ones that I was sharing a cart with became laterally close friends. There were five of us all piled into these 5 little bunks that compared to our side were like giants laying on a pack of chewing gum. Nevertheless, we made lemonade out of lemons. We had stocked up on food and drinks and by halfway through the more than 10-hour ride, we were all just as relaxed as can be. I mean there was even a time that we had about 10 of us in one cart all partying it up all the way to Budapest.

While in Budapest, we had lectures, tours, and plenty of free time in between. There were two things from this city that I really took away with me and three if you count the hot baths. The first of the three was the tour that I took to what is known as the "House of Terror." This was a museum of what those had to go through following the Second World War. Following World War II, what we know as the Iron Curtain went up and divided the West and the East. All of those who were imprisoned in the concentration camps returned home, but due to "unforeseen circumstances" went into labor camps that many know as "The Gulag." These labor camps were developed to house those who were known to be against the Soviet regime. It was very sad for me to hear this because of the fact that the few that were able to withstand the torment of the concentration camps had to basically do it all over again. The people in the Gulag barely had anything. They worked extreme hours, had very little clothing to keep warm, and didn't get to have but about a half-minute to wash up a week. Many of those who survived the Holocaust did not have the same luck here.

The second thing that I really took away from the second city was the lectures that we received. There were two in particular that really had my attention. The first was on a group known as the Roma. The Roma was a group of people that had really no origin, and were nomadic, meaning they just stayed on the move. It was interesting to me to hear about them because it reminded me of my own Native American heritage. Based on how they had been treated and how they were a minority I really could show a lot of feeling and understanding due to what happened to my culture.

The second lecture that really interested me was from a guy that was a native to the country, and it was amazing as to how much pride he had for being from this country. It really gave me a lot more appreciation for being from the U.S. due to the fact that there hasn't been a major conflict on our own soil since the Civil War. Following all the lectures and tours we had a free day in Budapest. This was one of the most amazing days that I had on the trip. Me and a big group of people went to what we had been waiting for the entire time in Budapest, and that was the hot baths.

We went there and had the most amazing time. We set one foot into the water and were instantly melted by the warmth of the water. We sat around in that side of the baths for a while and then decided to move over to the other side, which at first was a major mistake. When we got out of that water I literally thought that my body was going to freeze, but when we got to the other side and took one step in the water we thought we were going to boil due to the water's natural steaming warmth. This part of the trip was truly the highlight of the first half of the trip.

With the first half of the program over we made our way to the next half with our first stop being in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This city was the most unique out of the four that I toured. The reason for that is because of all of the conflict that had occurred almost two decades before. When I walked down the narrow streets, it is hard not to go by a building that isn't riddled by bullet holes from the war that tore the city apart. The first full day that we were in Sarajevo did not disappoint. We had a briefing at the U.S. Embassy, which I really got a lot out of. The one thing that really concerned me is that the peace treaty that was developed during the war back in the early to mid 1990s is what the government is using for the constitution. The peace treaty, which is known as the Dayton Accord, was the peace treaty that was developed to end the war between the two ethnic groups. This is a major concern for me because when we went to the presidency in Bosnia, the advisor referred to the document as the Dayton Constitution. I have a hard time with this because due to this they cannot do anything to amend the document because they treat the agreement as a living-breathing document. What I mean by this is that the document is the only thing that stands in the way of them being able to do anything for their people.

But what really upset me the most about what was said about this was that I felt that the document was being blamed for not being able to get anything new done, and that the National Community was being held responsible. When I was at the embassy, I was told that some of the officials there in Bosnia did feel this way, but it was completely different to hear someone talk about the issues in the way that the advisor did. There was one last place that we toured while we were there that was really monumental to me. This was the site where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.

Being there and seeing this location was really an experience to me because when thought about, it is where the spark of World War I took place, which was followed by World War II, which was followed by the Cold War. So when I think about it, to me it is where one event took place that sparked almost a century of conflict. And there is basically nothing there now but a museum on the corner of the street. But there was one question that lingered in my head then and still does and that if there will be any increased sense of nationalism since it is the centennial of World War I. I guess only tile will tell. Before the last city on our agenda, we stopped at a place in Srebrenica where the Bosnian Genocide took place.

This was extremely overpowering emotionally for me because of the nature of this tour. A survivor of this event greeted us and he told us his story and how he was able to escape, and what it was like to be a part of that horrible event in which the bodies are still being discovered from. I remember when the tour was over and after seeing those images of the graves and the events that plagued the people involved I went back to the bus and silently wept as I prayed for those that were lost and that could still be lost out there somewhere. It is something that I had never heard about until this trip. It was really something that I will never forget. Following this we made our trek to the last city on the agenda, which was Belgrade.

In my opinion this city was just as equally unique as the city of Sarajevo. This city looked like it had been barely touched by all of the conflict that plagued the other cities that we had visited. During the lectures that we had we learned the history of the city, and how they were trying to get into the European Union. I feel bad for Serbia because they are going through the hardest part of the process now and it looks kind of iffy. There were so many lectures on this topic that I couldn’t keep up with them but they all had the same premise that Serbia needed to join, but the people need to be able to take care of themselves too. The EU is not going to magically solve all of their problems. I couldn’t agree with this more due to the fact that it prevents the event of moral hazard by the country to take place. What I mean by that is that the country has to work and not expect to have everything handed to them. Following the lectures the rest of the days in the evening were free for us to do whatever we wanted. We took this time to get gifts as well as explore the city. Before we knew it though the few days that we had in our last country were over and we were back in the States and that was it.

Now as I look back over all of the countries that I have been to the one thing above all else that I took away from my experience it that we are lucky to be from where we are. I mean look at what all of the countries that I toured went through. It was all within the past 100 years, and compared to the United States it’s only a drop in the bucket. I mean there has been so much conflict from each of these regions that it is really hard not to be appreciative of where I am from. I was very fortunate to have been a part of this program I have a whole new perspective on things regarding the countries that I visited, and I met some amazing people. It was truly in every sense of the term once-in-a-lifetime.          

                 

Last Day In Belgrade... Last Day of 2014 Great Cities Study Abroad Program:

Well today marks the last day of Belgrade and also marks the last day of our trip. I have to say that it has been an absolute privilege to be able to go on this program and be a part of something with such a great group of people. Today all we did was have a little discussion on what we will be taking back with us when we go back to the states. When I was asked this, I knew exactly what I was going to say. I talked about how I was going to take away a greater appreciation for where I am from and that I also have a better understanding of how this part of the world really works. The one thing that I will be doing when I get back to the states is that I will be doing a lot more research on a topic that brought out so much emotion for me. That topic is the Bosnian war as well as the Genocide that took place in Srebrenica. I mean this was something that in my opinion was really swept under the rug due to the fact that when the UN came there to help those that were going to be killed, they did not know that the UN could only help “promote peace.” This struck a raw nerve with me due to the fact that once the UN was there, the Dutch troops took away all of the weapons that Bosnians had and then the Serbs came in and executed them. To me it looked like the UN was leading lambs to the slaughter. But like I said the other day, I was in tears after that tour and have never been the same since. So following that the lot of us decided to go out and explore the city a lot. Me, Morgan, and my roommate Ben decided to break off and go out our own way we decided that we were going to go out and get souvenirs for everyone, which we did, and after that, we went back to the hotel to pack. We are all going to reconvene for our farewell dinner tonight, and tonight we will go out and take Belgrade by storm for one more night of party. As for tomorrow, we are going home.     

Belgrade Day 2:

Well today was my last full day of lectures and activities here in Belgrade, and I have learned so much today that there could be multiple classes on for a year.  There was one place that we went to that I learned the most, which was the U.S. Embassy. We started off our day with a tour of the U.S. Embassy here in Belgrade. The first speaker that we heard from was Drew Giblin who was a cultural affairs officer. He went on to talk with us about why public affairs are such an important staple in society. I could not agree more with what he said about this topic. What he deals with is trying to develop ways for people to engage themselves and be able to connect with the Americans and Serbians. The reason that I agree with this is because by doing this it will build ties and bring people together culturally. I really did like hearing how there were so many programs that help develop this bond that people can create for themselves. One of these programs is a sports program. Through the sports program, it takes different sports and activities and people can participate in them and also learn valuable lessons that they can use in everyday life. Another program that really interested me was the exchange program that they have set up. The purpose of this program is to send either students or professionals and send them to another country like the from Serbia to the U.S. in order for them to be trained in different fields basically ranging from anything that they want to learn. Once they return back from their studies they are encouraged to then proceed further and develop a way that they can continue to their profession, and possibly if they want help get the funding for a non-profit of their own started. They couldn’t stress enough that when the participants got back from their programs, they were heavily encouraged to continue to expand on what they had learned and apply it to their profession. We also discussed the funding for such programs and how that it is all “one way.” By this I mean that the only thing that the embassy is promoting is the American culture and everything that follows it. They are by law not allowed to spread any other ordeals than that. There was one thing that I found very interesting about what was done to build the strained trust up with the police of Belgrade. This was done by creating a soccer game mixed with red light green light, and by doing it showed many people that the cops aren’t all corrupt like people thought. Also while at the Embassy we got to meet the ambassador. This was really interesting to me because I had never met with one and he also had a lot of interesting points about Serbia joining the EU. One of the things he touched on was the benefit that could be obtained if Serbia joined the EU. He discussed that if Serbia successfully joins the EU then it would be a good segway into them being able to be part of the World Trade Organization. If is this is done it could lead to a lot of foreign investment and that is what Serbia needs to prosper economically. But also for that matter they cant always be going after the big investors. There needs to be an encouragement to develop small business and then by doing this it could lead to the big heavy hitting investors to come follow. I mean there was a lot of talk throughout the meeting at the embassy that potentially Serbia could end up being the silicon valley of the Balkans. But the overarching theme to the entire meeting as well as the meetings from yesterday was that the EU could only save Serbia if Serbia does the work. Also the EU is being looked at as a club with requirements. The two requirements that are needed for Serbia are rule of law meaning that there needs to be a set of policies towards how things will be handled in the country, and the second is that Serbia will not be let in without a stable economy. Which means getting unemployment rate down. Lastly one thing that above all else needs to be done in order for Serbia to fully develop is to build on a sense of pride and not dwell on the past like what has been happening. Following the speech from the ambassador, we leaned about the security of Belgrade. By security I mean just how the crime rate is and what you should and should not do. Basically we were told while we are here even for the short time that we are here we should just use common sense and know when to just get out of what could end up being a sticky situation while here. Like I said today is my last day of lectures and tomorrow we have a meeting in the morning followed by time to share what we are taking back from the trip. I have a good idea of what I am going to say and cant wait to post it tomorrow       

Belgrade Day One:

Well today was my first full day in the city of Belgrade and it did not disappoint. The first thing that i got to do is visit the National Democratic Institute sector here in Belgrade. There we learned about what is being done to continue to help democratize different countries here in the Balkans. I learned that by raising public awareness this could lead to electoral reform. This is a big deal because I learned that many people don't know who their elected officials are here in the country. This is an ongoing concern because if no one knows what is going on then how are they going to be able to have their voices heard. I got to hear Tom Kelly who is the director for the National Democratic Institute here in Belgrade, and he said that if they are doing a good job, then they are actually working themselves out of a job. Also that due to the people that are in power, they only look one way and that is to the presidency not towards the people, because of this here there is no way for those citizens that are politically active to have their voice heard. This is why there is a need to find ways for the public to get their opinions expressed. Following this discussion we went to see the Serbian Parliament. This was really cool because it was the first parliament that we actually got to sit where the members sit and get a small feel as to what it is like to sit in where different policies are developed. Due to the fact that there are so many parties, there is a need for coalitions to be formed. the thing is that those coalitions that are formed end up being very weak due to the fact that there so many different interests and because of this it makes the coalitions weak. What was interesting to me is that when the Minority leader was talking to us he said that Belgrade was a "open communist" country. what he meant by this is that there were some capitalist things that were going on at the small scale. This is interesting to hear because it sounds a lot like the was Budapest was with the Goulash Communism. essentially they were the same. It was also interesting as to what his opinion about Tito was. Despite the lack of freedom it was actually not bad. And also he lead the anti-facisist movement. The biggest challenge here in Serbia is that of unemployment. The main thing that is now being pushed is how to improve the wellbeing of the citizens and be able to cut the unemployment. Following this we went to a meeting to discuss what has to be done in order for Serbia to become part of the European Union. This lecture was kind of confusing for me because i thought that they were very optimistic point of view as to what being a member of the EU will do, but the question was brought up about if Bosnia could ever do it successfully, and I have a hard time agreeing with their answer that they can at this time. They think that if Bosnia joins then all of their problems would be solved, but i don't think that will be the case. I think that there may possibly be a spring that will occur when the people have finally had enough and then and only then they will be able to start from scratch. Following all of those lectures we went and toured the city. We ended up at this old fortress that was really cool. I like old ancient structures so this was awesome for me. while we were walking around, we came to this ledge that had an amazing view of most of the city. We walked around for a while until we decided to go this coffee shop that was built into the fortress. I ordered an espresso and had the greatest view of the sunset ever. The sun went down to the point that all of the buildings in front of the sun put off these silhouettes that looked absolutely beautiful. After that we walked back to the hotel and now I am just in the process f deciding what to do for dinner. Tomorrow is basically our last day because on Saturday we are having our farewell day and Sunday we are headed home. So this means that my blogs are starting to wind down but I still have a few days left and tomorrow we go to the U.S. Embassy here in Belgrade. So I will have PLENTY to write about if it is anything like the last one I went to.

Off to Belgrade Serbia:

Well today was a day that I don’t think that I will ever forget. We started off on our way to Belgrade our LAST CITY!!!!! This is a bittersweet time due to the fact that there isn’t much time left for my tripe to Europe, but I have had an amazing time so far. While on our way to Belgrade, we stopped off in a place called Serbinetsia and toured a place that I never knew existed. The place was a cemetery/ memorial that was created for the Muslims that were victims of the genocide that destroyed the Muslim population in 1995. In my opinion, this place reminded me a lot of Arlington National Cemetery. I mean all you can see for a ways is nothing but white marble tombstones for those that were murdered during the genocide and that their families were fortunate enough to be able to find the remains of their loved ones and have a proper send off for them to the other side. I had an extremely difficult time when I was there due to hearing the story from one of the survivors of the genocide and how bad it really was. I had to choke back a lot of tears during the trip so far but this tour was the one that made a lot of them come out. I just cannot believe that this was so recent and that it was because of differences led to a huge group of people just being erased. They may have been killed, but the loved ones that are still alive keep them remembered. Following the tour, all I did was get back on the bus and while it was still quiet I sat let the tears that were held in start to come out and I just prayed. I prayed for those that were affected by this great terror that plagued them for as long as it has, and I prayed for being as thankful as I am for being in a country that does not have these things going on, and lastly and most importantly, I prayed for the ones that are still lost due to this terror and that hope, peace, and light can find them so they wont be lost anymore. As for the rest of the trip to Belgrade, we stopped after the tour at a local buffet to eat lunch which I am still full from. There was so much food I didn't know what to pick first. I actually think it was the first time I have had a real vegetable the whole trip. So we finished up and all piled into the bus and made the rest of the trek to Belgrade. We have a very busy 2 days here before our last day which is on saturday, but I will be looking forward to my experience here in my last city and with that I say Greetings from BELGRADE!!!!!!!!  

Sarajevo Day 2:

Well today was very informative to say the least with very different perspectives on major topics in Sarajevo. Our day was extremely busy with lectures and briefings all day. We started off the day at the Bosnian Parliament with a lecture from one of its' members. The purpose of the Parliament is to ensure the organization of the constitution as well as the organization of assembly. These two things we learned were created out of the Dayton Accord. The Parliament has two sectors, the House of Representatives, and the House of Peoples. The House of Representatives is interesting because not all of its' members are elected the same way. There are 42 members of the House of Representatives, 28 of them are elected directly by the people, and serve sets of four year terms. But what is interesting is how they are elected by the different parts of the public. 28 of them are elected by electoral elites, and the other 14 are elected by electoral members of the caucuses. The other part of Parliament is the House of Peoples. these are 15 delegates in which five of them are Bosnians and are elected indirectly by Bosnians. This is interesting to me due to the fact that there is a sense that only certain ethnicities can vote for their respected people, this makes me feel like in some cases that there is a barrier as to who can vote for who. Another thing that interested me was that how the process of creating an amendment was different to what is done in the U.S. We learned that the reviewing is done by a committee then it goes to the House of the Peoples, then it goes to reading in Parliament which is done on a first and second reading phase. What was interesting about this was that there is a possibility that there can be a chance for another amendment to be developed into what has already been put out. Now there is something that happens when someone wants to run for president. when someone wants to run they have to declare themselves when they fill out the census what ethnicity they are now due to this they may be discriminated against so some just put other but when they do that they cannot run. This is becoming a big issue for Bosnia and it was said that if there is no way to figure out how to end this discrimination then there is no reason for them to join the European Union. There is one thing that Bosnia needs more than any other thing at the moment and that is foreign direct investment. If there were more FDI then it could help cut the unemployment rate which at the moment stands at about half of the population. Once we finished our tour of there we then went to the Office of the High Representative (OHR). While there we got a rundown on how and what they do. This was very interesting to me due to the fact that from what I understood between yesterday and today, the OHR are the ones that have the final say in what happens At the state level. The state is what is referenced to as the highest level in the government here in Bosnia and the federal is below. So the OHR was created under what is known as Annex 10 of the Dayton Accord, and acts as an enforcer to civilian interests. In 1997 the group met and came to an agreement that things were not moving along as fast as they could, so there was a motion to make major improvements. So there was motions to make the higher representatives able to substitute actors to adopt laws, and also be able to remove officials that were obstructing the way for peace. The OHR also tries to promote local responsibility which means that there needs to be some effort by locals to take action as to what they need done, and not to expect the OHR to do it for them. This was interesting to learn because there was a group of protestors that were in front of the OHR saying that the OHR is responsible for doing what the protestors needed, but that is not the case. The other thing that was touched on was that during the war in 1992-1995, the youth that were there to study and further their education after high school had to be relocated to other less conflicting places and due to that the ones that were in power during socialist and communist times were able to remain in power. This was bad because the same old same old could take place and the country would remain stagnant. One of the things that should have been a real eye opener was that based on the current constitution and Bosnia's situation currently, there is no possible way for them to join the European Union. Based on all that was discussed to me it sounds like Bosnia is a very volatile state and it makes me wonder what could happen to the state as I know now. The last lecture that we had was in my opinion by far the most interesting. It had to do with the idea of what business will be like in Sarajevo as well as the rest of Bosnia in the foreseeable future. One of the major challenges is your ability to culturally adapt. Also what you thought you knew does not matter any more at all you have to relearn a lot in order to adapt. The main thing that I took away from the last lecture was that the communist mind frame still lingers. What i mean by this is that if you were to become rich instantly many people would think that you were a thief and that you stole the money. It is things like this that make me wonder about what was said a bout democracy for the state. The question of whether or not democracy was brought in and developed too soon was brought up, and I can't help but to agree with that. I believe if business would have been focused on before government then maybe people wouldn't think about where people are making large amounts of money.                

Last Day in Sarajevo, Bosnia/Herzegovina:

Well today was my last day in Sarajevo, and man all that I can say is that it was interesting. The first part of the day we toured a place that was a tunnel that was created during the war in 1992-1995. The tunnel has called the “Tunnel of Hope.” Its purpose was to connect the city of Sarajevo to the outside world. The tunnel was built under an airport, and was a way to get weapons as well as goods and people from one side to the other without being detected. While we were there we watched a video that showed parts of the war taking place between the different ethnic groups that make up Bosnia. I couldn’t believe at how much devastation actually took place. I mean it was really heartbreaking to see all of those people killing each other as well as many of the buildings that were just being lit up with gunfire.  During this video we saw the construction that was being done on the tunnel, which really looked backwoods and was only big enough to get people through in a single file line only carrying the bare minimum that ended up being what they could carry with their hands. Following the video we were allowed to go into a segment of the tunnel, and it really was an interesting experience because of just being able to feel that there were that many people that walked up and down the same tunnel that I was in carrying the goods to the other side so people could eat and basically survive. Following the tour we headed back into the city, and after watching the video I saw many of the same buildings that were left to ruins and riddled with bullet holes, and it really amazed me when I realized that this country still has many open wounds from a war that in retrospect was not too long ago. We then arrived at our next meeting that was scheduled for the day, which was at the U.S. embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there we were briefed on the current situation that the country is in, and that there is cause for concern due to many things. The first thing being that there is no real constitution, because of the fact that the only thing that it is looked at like a constitution is the Dayton Accord. This is very problematic because all that that document was created for was to end the war that ravaged the city in the early to mid 1990s. But the one thing that I heard that really angered me about the politics here in Bosnia is that since the finance minister was fired, military veterans cannot get paid, and this is a big problem. These people need that money in order for them to be able to live. For most it is the only money that they can make due to being disabled or other reasons. Without this money they are forced to go out and find things in the garbage that they can burn in order for them to at least keep warm. Also the children that are living in conditions like this alongside their parents are forced by themselves to go out and cut down wood to burn. Now this is not a problem, BUT when you have OVER 9000 and I say again 9000 minefields that are still active after the war has been over for close to 20 years now. There was a case just last week that some kids got killed due to this very fact, and on average there are at least a few cases of this a month. This is something that is UNACCEPTABLE and no one should have to go through that but that is what happens when the government is set up the way it is. But do you think that the ones in power want to take responsibility for their actions? NO. During the briefing we heard that the ones in power are blaming everyone but themselves for what has happened. Lastly during the briefing we heard how what is to be rumored one of the most ruthless criminals that there is in regards to money laundering and etc. was actually the one that was getting the most done. That is interesting to me because it feels like a Robin Hood scenario where he is a thief but gives it to those who are worse off than he is. So that was the gist of what we heard at the briefing. The next place we went to was to talk to the Bosnian Presidency advisor, and this discussion really had me confused and belittled based on what he talked about. The first thing that I found upsetting is that they believe that the Dayton Accord was a permanent solution since we do not live in what he called a perfect world. This upset me due to the fact that I felt as if they were trying to blame people in the he said that. There were more things that he went over including the idea that they would be willing to cut salaries in order for those who are going to be affected by the firing of the finance minister and as a result wont be able to get a check for the ones that are veterans. In my opinion I think that what he was saying there was a lot of populism, now don’t get me wrong he was a good speaker and all but he is a politician and is the type that can pull you in to believing anything, but for some reason it didn’t seem believable to me. Lastly I got the feeling that there was a lot of blame towards what he called the “Dayton Constitution” rather than an agreement. The idea that I got was that they treat the document as something that is living and breathing, and due to this they are never able to amend anything. I don’t know but it all just seemed to me to be very contradictory to me between what I heard at the U.S. Embassy and what I heard from the presidency advisor. Lastly we heard from speaker from the International Commission on missing persons. During this lecture he discussed what the organization is, how it worked, etc. I had no idea that there were that many people lost or killed in a place that is no bigger than West Virginia, but due to the war there were many that were killed and put into mass graves of just lost all together. So he talked about how they have a procedure on how they go and look for those who were lost, and how they go by returning them to their families. It made me really happy and at the same time sad that there is a group that does this. This is because I understand that they are trying to reunite people with the ones they lost, but I have to say that it saddens me when there needs to be something like this. Following this lecture we went back to the hotel and hung out for a bit and then we went out with the kids that had been showing us around to a local bar and had a few drinks and just enjoyed the nightlife in Sarajevo. We had drinks, laughs, and just were happy to be there and it felt kind of euphoric in a way. So me and my friend Morgan decided that we would head out early due to the fact that me and him had to pack so that is what we did. I came back got packed up and went to bed