Shooting at the US Embassy

Written 10/28:

            After a wonderful Skype conversation with Ross, I returned home to some unpleasant news.  I am a little fuzzy on the details still, but it sounds like a man shot a guard, or several guards, in front of the US Embassy.  I am not sure whether anyone was killed, and certainly I am hoping for the best.  I don’t know whether the shooter was arrested or killed at the scene.  I also don’t know his motives, and why he was targeting the US Embassy.

            My friend Ivana’s mother works at the embassy.  When I first heard the news, I worried about her, as well as the two other Embassy workers who I’ve met these past few weeks.  I was very relieved to hear that everyone is okay, though it sounds like my friend’s mother was at the scene of the shooting.

            Some of my other friends were trapped downtown all day, since the area around the embassy went on lockdown.  They finally made it home around 10pm.

            I am a little bit surprised by the news.  I know that there are some anti-American sentiments everywhere in the world.  One afternoon, as I rode the tram chatting with Sara, a young man sat behind us and said, “Fucking Americans”.  However, that was the only time I’ve encountered any hostility.  It seems like most Bosnians are very friendly towards Americans, and that there have been few recent incidents of terrorism or violence here.

            I went down to my friend Admir’s apartment so that he could translate the news for me.  Not many details were being released, but it was interesting to hear Admir’s perspective on the events.  He told me that there are some “terrorists” in Bosnia, and that “they are not Bosnian”.  He explained that during the war many records were destroyed, so after the war, you basically just had to give your word that you were Bosnian to get a Bosnian passport.  So, according to him, there are some people who are not Bosnians who hold a Bosnian passport.  Some may be supporting terrorism, but it is difficult to deport them because they have a passport. 

Of course, please don’t assume what I’ve shared above to be fact, since the information is coming to me from word-of-mouth, and perhaps with some ideas lost in translation.  However, it is quite interesting to hear a Bosnian citizen’s concerns and perspective about terrorism.

I really hope that what happened today will remain an isolated incident.  I am constantly inspired by how quickly the country is recovering from the war, and by the Bosnian people’s open-minded attitudes.  Right here, right now, Muslims and Christians, Bosnians, Serbs, Croats, and foreigners, are living side-by-side in peace.  I constantly hear from my Bosnian friends about how much they admire America, and I sometimes forget to tell them about how much I admire their country.  I really miss my home, but I do not miss how Americans (including myself) can be suspicious, rude, and anxious.  I hope that by living here for one year, I will become more like my Bosnian friends and colleagues: friendly, welcoming, and patient.

            I guess I should close this post by letting you know that I still feel safe at my home in Otes, and that I will try to update soon when I know more information about the Embassy attacks.  So, please, don’t worry!

Update:  The shooting did not escalate into anything more.  Thankfully, no one was killed.  One guard and the shooter were injured, and, of course, the shooter is in jail.  Everything seems back to normal and I still feel very safe here.

Sconcerto

Written 10/28:

            My two days in Italy were nearly perfect.  The only not-so-enjoyable part of the trip was that I let myself down a little bit during the performances.  I think because I was so overwhelmed and distracted, I had trouble concentrating.  So I missed a few entrances, and didn’t play as cleanly as I normally do.  I’m not sure anyone in the audience would be able to tell that I wasn’t playing completely correctly, except for maybe the composer.  And I’m sure the piece was still effective, even though the orchestra didn’t play perfectly, because the actors did such a good job.  But it’s always unpleasant to be unsatisfied with your own contributions.

            On the plus side, my poor performance has motivated me to start working harder on the oboe.  I hope that I can give a good performance on our concert next Friday, playing Tchiakovsky’s Violin Concerto and Sixth Symphony.  Today I buckled down, adjusted my reeds, and slowly woodshed my way through my part.  I feel honored to have been given a principal oboe position in a professional orchestra this year, and I hope that I can provide the leadership expected of me by my colleagues, my music director, and myself.

Bus Trips

Written 10/27/11:

            Now it’s time for a short post about our bus rides to and from Italy.  The Sarajevo Philharmonic rode all together in a private bus.  It was a 12-15 hour ride each way, but it wasn’t as tiring or uncomfortable as I expected.  First of all, I didn’t have to worry about getting the right bus, buying tickets, etc.  Secondly, it’s a lot of fun to ride with all of my friends and colleagues.  And, finally, Bosnians are big fans of frequently breaks (“pausa”) so we never had to stay on the bus for more than three hours at a time.

            I was really looking forward to watching the scenery out the window during the rides through Slovenia/Croatia.  Unfortunately, it was a little dark, cloudy, and rainy both ways, but I think I got a general sense of what the areas looked like.  I was surprised by how flat Northern Croatia is, especially because Bosnia and Slovenia are so hilly.  Croatia was mostly farmland, and reminded me a little bit of the Midwest.  Slovenia must be incredibly beautiful in good lighting.  The fall colors were quite striking, and the hills are lined by cute little towns, whose architecture reminds me of fairy tales.

            The most unpleasant parts of the bus rides were the border checks.  It took much longer to cross the borders into Croatia and Slovenia (entering the EU) than it did to return to Croatia and Bosnia.  We had to wait for quite a while on the bus, and then usually had to get off, line up, and show our passports.

            At the Croatia/Slovenia border, I got in line between several Bosnians and a few Albanians, while Sara, Matt, and Tim stood in a different line.  I showed the guard a US passport with only Australia stamps in the front part of the book.  He started speaking to me, and seemed concerned that I was somehow lost, traveling with a large group of Bosnians across the Croatian/Slovenian border.  Haha.  No, no, I’m supposed to be here, I promise.

            On the way to Italy, I sat in the middle of the bus, with Sara.  On the way back, I switched, and sat in front with our Bosnian/Italian translator Alma.  I guess by switching seats, I broke some unofficial rule, and some of the older violinists started lecturing me about how everyone has to stay in the same seat every time the orchestra goes on a bus ride.  Grumpy old ladies in the front, taking up 2-3 seats each, and everyone else squished in the back.  Oh well.

            As I said before, the trip back to Bosnia was much quicker, with fewer stops and much faster border crossings.  When we were about 2 hours from Sarajevo, I started thinking about how happy I was that we were making such great time.  Suddenly, the bus pulled over to the side of the road.  I wasn’t paying much attention, and had my headphones on, so I asked Alma, “pausa”?  She replied, “No.  Get you instrument and passport and get off.  Now.”  I looked out the window and saw smoke billowing out from the back of the bus!

            Yes, the bus caught fire. Fortunately, the drive pulled over and turned off the engine, and the fire went out on its own.  It was a little scary though.  We all had to stand on the side of the road for a few minutes and decide what to do.  Tim tried to wander off into the field and practice while we were waiting.  Fortunately, some of the orchestra reminded him that it’s a bad idea to wander off into an unused field here, since there are still land mines.

            Of all of the places for our bus to catch fire, it happened to do so right across the highway from a café.  So we had a nice place to wait while the bus company sent another bus.  Matt, Sara, and I ordered some drinks, so the wait wasn’t too bad.  After an hour or two, another bus pulled up, and we loaded it and finished the drive back to Sarajevo.  Home safe and sound.  As an added bonus, I found out that I don’t have to play in the children’s opera tomorrow, so I have two days to catch up on sleep and get my reeds in order.  Next week we are playing Tchiakovsky’s Violin Concerto and Sixth Symphony, conducted by our music director.

Venice

Written 10/27:

            On Tuesday morning, it was a gloomy, rainy day.  Many of the orchestra members didn’t get much sleep, since we were up the night before celebrating our arrival in Italy.  So, although most of the orchestra had planned to go into Venice for the day, only a few of us showed up in the hotel lobby to depart for the train.

            Fortunately, our Bosnian-Italian translator, Alma, decided to come despite the rain, and escorted us to the city.  Alma is a Bosnian painter based in Sarajevo, who also works as a translator for various arts organizations.  She studied at the art academy in Venice, and speaks fluent Bosnian, Italian, and English.  Thus, the perfect guide for a group of Bosnians and Americans with five hours to spend in Venice!  As an added bonus, our conductor for the tour, who is Italian, also came along to show us around.

            We had to walk only a short ways to get to the train station in Pordenone.  The train from Pordenone to Venice left at 8:45am and got us into the city by 10am—not bad.  As soon as we got to the front of the Venice train station, we could already see one of the famous canals, and the jaw-dropping architecture that makes the city famous.

            I was completely overwhelmed as we wove our way through the city.  I hadn’t really taken the time to research Venice, so I didn’t quite know what to expect.  Or, what to photograph!  I started manically taking pictures, hoping to figure out what everything is later, haha.

            Of course, the defining element of the city is the canals.   I knew to expect them, but I didn’t realize how many there were.  I was also struck by all of the narrow cobblestone alleyways and streets.  In fact, they are so narrow that cars and trucks can’t deliver goods directly to the stores, so there are deliverymen running through the streets with wheelbarrows.

            When planning my honeymoon (that was sadly cancelled due my decision to partake in this epic adventure in Bosnia) I was warned that Venice is “crowded”, “touristy”, “dirty”, and “smelly”.  It is true that Venice is quite crowded with tourists—even on a rainy day in October, it was packed.  However, I found the city to be incredibly clean, and smelling quite good.  Some areas smelled like cookies and coffee, while others smelled like garlic and olive oil. It made me hungry all day. J

            I did get a chance to stop for coffee, and later for lunch.  I’m not normally much of a coffee fan, but I’ve started drinking it in Bosnia, mostly because going for coffee is such an important part of the Bosnian daily routine.  I kind of like the coffee in Bosnia, if I add enough sugar.  However, the cappuccino I ordered in Venice was so tasty that I didn’t even need to add sugar!  Definitely the best coffee I’ve ever had.

            After coffee, we wove our way toward the San Marco piazza.  On the way, we passed souvenir shops, pastry shops, candy stores, and, of course, clothing and shoe stores.  I never understood the hype about Italian fashion…until now.  The clothing, shoes, and handbags are immaculately made, and strikingly beautiful.  Good thing we didn’t have time to go shopping, or I might have gone broke.

            Finally, we made it to the San Marco piazza.  Of course, I’d heard of the church before, and seen pictures, but I had forgotten what to expect.  As we stepped out into the piazza, I was awestruck by the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen.  Whoops, that’s not San Marco, that’s the building to its right…haha.  I turned left, and found the real San Marco, which was at least 10 times as ornate as the building I was looking at.  I bet there are few tourists who see San Marco and don’t know what it will look like.  I’m not sure it would have been as shocking if I had done research before going into Venice, so I almost feel like I benefited from being clueless.  J

            We waded around the piazza.  That’s right, it was flooded.  However, there were little boardwalks that you could follow around the circumference so I didn’t get completely soaked.  Sadly, we didn’t have much time, so after making a loop to take some pictures, we began to walk back toward the train station.

            On the way back, we passed a museum that housed a collection of musical instruments.  How could we not go in?  Most of the instruments in the collection were made in Italy during the 18^th century.  However, there were also some older stringed instruments and manuscripts.  I drooled over the collection of nearly a dozen historical oboes.  No time to study them, so I took pictures of the instruments and their labels to look at later.

            At the end of our whirlwind tour of Venice, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch.  I had an eggplant panini, and most of my friends had pasta.  Then we scurried toward our train, which departed at 3pm.  When we got to the station, we found out that the train was cancelled, but there was another one departing at 3:20.  The train going back was a local train, with frequent stops, so it was quite crowded and took nearly two hours.  I’m glad that we left ourselves plenty of time to return to Pordenone.  Our concert wasn’t until 9pm, so I was able to collect myself, lie down for a few minutes, and grab some pizza for dinner.  Did you know that Italians sell pizza with French fries on top?  I didn’t try it, since the slices also had meat, but I’m curious what it tastes like.  Maybe next time.  I definitely hope to return to Italy soon!

Lost in Translation Part 2

Written 10/25/11

There have been some more funny lost in translation moments during these past two days in Italy. 

In the chocolate store, I was told, “these chocolates have room”.  Room for what?  I figured they were filled with air, like a chocolate mousse.  It turns out they are “with rum”, not “with room”.

One of my friends lamented about the lack of the legroom on the bus.  “I cannot sleep because I’m so high.”  I explained that saying your “high” is slang for having taken drugs.  So, now he can complain, “I cannot sleep because I’m so tall.”  Sara had a friend from Norway who kept saying “long” instead of “tall”.  We giggled about how saying you’re “long” might be even worse than saying you’re “high”!

One of my friends confused his English verbs.  So when Matt and Tim asked him what the bidet was for, he replied, “to eat”, instead of “to clean”.  Whoops.  You gotta give the guy credit, since he was switching all day between four different languages.

I ordered a mineral water.  The waiter was concerned that I didn’t realize that my water would have carbonation.  So he warned me, “your water has gas”.

There have also been a lot of little confusions.  Like when my Albanian friend Arvida, was speaking to a local in Pordenone, but accidentally confirmed, “da”, instead of “si”.  Or when someone asked me on the train to open the window, and, not understanding, I automatically replied, “ne razumiem Bosanskom” (“I don’t speak Bosnian”), instead of “non parlo Italiano” (“I don’t speak Italian”).

Buona Sera

         Right now I’m updating this blog from a hotel room in Pordenone, Italy!  The Sarajevo Philharmonic is performing at the theater here tonight and tomorrow night.  In the meantime, we have two free days, one to explore Pordenone, and one to go into Venice.  (Pordenone is a quaint, small city in Northeastern Italy, just about one hour north of Venice.)

I am falling in love with Italy very quickly!  First of all, it’s nice to have all of the amenities that I’m used to having from the US: wireless internet, a shower head that’s actually fixed to the wall.  To my surprise and delight, I discovered when we arrived here that we’re staying at a three-star hotel.  It’s super clean, with a friendly staff, and a tasty complimentary breakfast each morning.  The hotel is quite similar to a mid-range hotel in the US. The biggest difference is that we have a bidet in our bathroom!  It’s my first time seeing a real live bidet.  I’m a little afraid to try it.

Regardless, the hotel quality isn’t too important because I’ve been out all day.  After an early morning skype chat with Ross (6:30am here is 11:30pm in Chicago, so I got to say goodnight to him for the first time since moving to Sarajevo) I grabbed some breakfast, and then took a walk through town with Sara and Arvida.  My Albanian friends, Arvida and Flobens, speak fluent Italian.  I’m trying to stick with them so they can translate for me, and maybe teach me a little bit too. Sara, Arvida, and I window-shopped, ogling all of the beautiful clothes, bags, and shoes.  The Sarajevo Philharmonic is giving everyone a nice-sized stipend to spend on the trip!  Alas, we had to save the actual shopping for later, since everything in Pordenone was closed for Monday mornings.  I guess Italians do too much partying on Sunday night?

We had a short rehearsal at noon, and then I ate lunch at a Pizzeria near the hotel.  The pizzeria offered a fixed-price three-course menu for 11 euros, which is quite a bargain.  I had four-cheese gnocchi, a caprese plate, and a salad. Mmmmmm…Italian food is so good.  Though I have to confess that I’ve had better gniocci at an Italian restaurant in Evanston (Trattoria D.O.C. rocks), but not for such a good price.

After lunch, I went shopping, and found a belt (my pants have gotten too loose in Bosnia, but I think two days of eating gelato in Italy might take care of that problem) and a new purse (in honor of my mother, who is always nagging me to get a new purse).  I also found some anti-frizz creme and some saline solution, which I’ve been having trouble finding in Bosnia.

Now I’ve got an hour to relax before heading out to play our concert.  And hopefully a wine bar and/or gelato afterward…  Oh Italy, so full of all of my favorite things!

Stayed tuned for a post about our bus ride through Croatia and Slovenia, and, later, about my day in Venice. J

Fame, Fame, Doin' it for the Fame, Fame

 Written at 5:30am on 10/23

            This morning the Sarajevo Philharmonic leaves for Italy!  We are playing two performances of the “Sconcerto” (the piece we played for the MESS Festival) in Pordenone, a small town outside of Venice.  I’m so excited that I woke up a few minutes before my 5:00am alarm, and am already packed and ready to go a half hour early.  I’m a little bit behind with my blogging, so I decided to use this time to catch up.

            On Friday evening, the American quartet had an interview and photo shoot with a journalist from a Balkan news agency.  I’m not completely sure about when/where the article will appear.  We felt like big stars, hahaha.  I didn’t realize that we would be photographed, so I was in my usual jeans, sweater, and a ponytail for the photo shoot. First, the journalist took pictures of the four of us sitting in the reception lounge around a round table.  I think we probably looked pretty awkward.  Then it was time for individual shots.  It sounds like they’re going to crop the picture into a headshot, so I hope I look okay.  After taking the pictures, the journalist said something like “don’t worry, we can fix it with photoshop”, which isn’t exactly comforting!

After all of the pictures were taken we sat down at the round table again, and had a recorded interview.  The journalist obviously had a good knowledge of classical music, and he asked us very interesting questions about how difficult it is to find an orchestral job and about our time here in Sarajevo.  The interview last nearly an hour.  Afterward, the journalist thanked us, and then told me that he wants to learn the oboe!  He’s buying an instrument later this month and hopes to take a few lessons with me, so maybe I’ll have my first Bosnian oboe student soon.

The American quartet went out to dinner with Alisa, from the orchestra’s administration, after the interview.  She showed us a very good chicken and pasta place, and then we went to a nearby bar called Cheers.  We had a lot of fun dancing, drinking, and meeting some of Alisa’s friends.

Hasanaginica

            Last night I had the chance to perform the first (and only, I think) Bosnian opera, called Hasanaganica.  It’s based on an old Bosnian tale, about love, war, death, all the typical opera stuff.  The composer mixes Bosnian folk music (mixed meters, a Phrygian scale with a raised third, etc) with Western classical music (traditional orchestration, a three-act form, Western harmonies, etc).  Although I’ve heard some of my colleagues complain that the opera is very difficult, and not very good, I found my part to be manageable, and really enjoyed the music.  What can I say, I’m a sucker for augmented seconds.  There were a lot of meter changes, switching between 5/8, 7/8, and 4/4, but I just continually counted a steady eighth note so I didn’t get lost.

            I got lots of compliments about my solos after the opera, and felt like a total rock star. J  I appreciate the support from my colleagues, since I easily get caught up in all of the things I wish had gone better.  I’ve been trained to be very self-critical and competitive, which is necessary to attain the level of musicianship needed to get a performance job in the US.  However, after a performance is over, it can be nice to celebrate my achievements and improvements before getting back to work.  After all, it’s only music, not a life-or-death situation.

            This morning the Americans had a meeting to get to know the music director of the Sarajevo Philharmonic.  She seems very nice, and eager to help us, both here in Bosnia and later in our careers. I look forward to working with her for our concert in early November, which she is conducting.

            Since we were already downtown, the American quartet decided to go to Bascarsija for lunch and shopping.  I found a satchel for Ross, and a few interesting guidebooks to Sarajevo written in English.  There are so many beautiful things in the shop windows, so I had to restrain myself from going overboard with the shopping.  I can’t wait to start buying Christmas/Chanukah presents!  At the end of the afternoon, Sara showed us a shop run by the principal bassoonist’s sister, who is a multi-talented professional pianist/fashion designer.  She very kindly had us stay for coffee.  It was my first time drinking REAL Bosnian coffee (I usually get Nescafe).  I liked it more than I thought I would.  Even though it’s very thick, it’s not too bitter.  Furthermore, you get to drink it with a sugar cube in your mouth, and who doesn’t like eating raw sugar?  Finally, the presentation is lovely: on a large tray with handmade metal serving pots and tiny cups.  I think I will have to buy a Bosnian coffee set of my own at some point before I move back to the US.

Animals in Bosnia

Ack!  We’ve had more problems this weekend with our heat and hot water.  Fortunately, Alisa was able to get an emergency plumber to come to our apartment this afternoon, and, finally, we have heat, hot water, and a leak-free bathroom. (We’ve never had all three at the same time, haha.)  I think that my day-to-day life will be much more comfortable now!

In other news, little kitty was a houseguest for the past two nights, but I reluctantly decided to give it one more meal and then put it outside today.  It’s not litter box trained, and I’ve just been throwing it into a box every time it wanders off to go to the bathroom.  However, we are going to leave for Italy later this week, and there is no way the kitten can stay in the apartment without supervision.  I’m hoping that it’s gotten enough energy to survive outside now.  I saw it out hunting bugs in the courtyard, which is a good sign.  If it comes back to visit, I can feed it at least.

            Since I’ve decided to start writing about more serious problems in Bosnia, rather than look the other way, I will add a bit about what I know/think about the stray animals.  There are so many stray animals here, and no humane society to take them to.  Edo, the principal bassoonist of the orchestra, was trying to explain to my roommate how the stray animal population has recently become a large problem here. As I understand it, the Bosnian government made it illegal to put stray animals to sleep, and there aren’t any resources to set up animal shelters.  I am hearing this third hand, so I might be misinformed about this.

            Regardless, I think that besides being tragic and inhumane, the sizable stray dog and cat population must be a huge public health risk.  I haven’t heard of anyone getting hurt or sick by an animal, but I’m sure it’s inevitable unless something is done. My hope would be that the Bosnian government or an outside aid organization takes charge, and starts by at least spaying and neutering stray animals.  If anyone knows about any sort of Bosnian/European/international humane society, I’d love to support it, or at least post a link to its site on my blog.

A New Perspective on Inequality

Written 10/15:

Right now I’m sitting on my couch, enjoying the company of some wine, television, Sara, and a very skinny kitten.

I found the kitten sitting in our stairwell, freezing cold, and very malnourished.  How could I not let it in my apartment and give it some milk?  I’m not sure what we’ll do with the poor thing, but for now, at least it’s enjoying some food and warmth.  It’s so cuddly, I think because it’s cold.

Although today was chilly, it was sunny and gorgeous.  Sara and I took a nice long walk to the Bosna River source, and ate lunch at my favorite restaurant in Ilidza.  I was in a great mood when I went to skype with my parents and later with Ross.  Sadly, there were a few frustrating “technical difficulties” with the computer I was trying to use, but in the end I was able to talk to Ross using Sara’s laptop—a huge relief.  I was very anxious to skype with him, since I’ve been so busy and unable to skype for almost a week.

After my skype date, I decided to make a quick run to the grocery store.  As I was leaving the store, a young gypsy girl started following me and talking very insistently.  Of course, I had no idea what she was saying, so I tried to just ignore her.  I was a little concerned though, because she kept pointing and was obviously not begging for money.  Suddenly she ran off.  A minute later, she and a young boy came running back, with a grocery bag I had forgotten at the store!  I reached in my purse and handed her a mark.  I tried to hand a mark to the boy too, and accidentally handed him a two-mark coin.  Whoops.  The girls had a fit—of course this is so unfair! So I started giving her small coins, and, finally, found another two-mark coin to give her.  I think the kids might have made more off me in five minutes than they normally make in a week! (People rarely hand child beggars more a very small amount, maybe .10 or .20 marks)  I was rewarded with a huge kiss on the cheek.

Being around very poor children, begging for small amounts of money that are nearly insignificant to most US citizens makes me so upset that I usually try to just look the other way.  This is probably the wrong thing to do, but I am intimidated by the problem, and feel unable to help in any significant way.  As I watch the coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests in the US, I am struck by how the economic inequality in the US, as extreme as it is, seems insignificant compared to the inequality I have encountered in Bosnia.  As I ride the tram and look out the window, there very young children, no more than 10 years old, who are dodging traffic, trying to wash the windows of cars for small change.  Simultaneously, I am passed by dozens of luxury cars: Porsches, Mercedes, Audis.  The is no doubt in my mind that it is wrong that some people have so little, while other have so much.  I should at least try to do more small things that help other people.  More small donations, volunteering, etc.  At the same time, I think that sometimes charities, aid organizations, etc, can be presumptive about what people want and need.  I want to help other people without imposing Western/American presumptions about how others can improve their quality of life.

I’ve been meaning to write and entry about poverty for a while, as well as one about the Roma/gypsy population here.  However, I’ve had trouble processing these subjects enough to feel comfortable writing about them.  Tonight I wanted to simply write an account of my day.  So, I am surprised that I ended up blogging about my thoughts regarding more serious topics.  I hope that I have the energy to continue to think and write about more serious things than my small day-to-day adventures. 

Of course, my friends, I’d really love to read about your responses to this entry.  What sort of obligation do people have to help those around them?  Who is responsible for how unfair the world can be?  Is it ever possible for someone to feel like they are doing enough to help others?  Of course, these questions cannot be answered, and lead to even more complex philosophical questions about morality and ethics.  But maybe they are good things to always keep in the back of one’s mind.

Zenica

           There is an organization called the Bosnian-Herzegovinan-American Society for the Arts and Sciences (BHAAS) that is a partial sponsor for the cultural exhange program that sent me here.  The BHAAS also sponsors concerts in various towns/cities throughout Bosnia-Hecegovina.  The Sarajevo Philharmonic played in one such concert last night, in the nearby city of Zenica.

            A private bus was hired to take the orchestra from the National Theater in Sarajevo to the concert hall in Zenica.  It was a fairly short ride, only about 90 minutes.  Although I’d been warned that going to Zenica was “nothing special”, I still found the ride there to be quite scenic.  Bosnia is such a beautiful country, with its bright green mountains and wide, winding rivers.  The leaves haven’t really started to change much, and I’m sure that the scenery will be even better with late fall foliage.

            We arrive in Zenica around 4pm and had a brief rehearsal/sound check so that we could appropriately balance the amplification of the soloists.  The concert hall was not very resonant and looked a lot like a high-school auditorium.  It was not nearly as beautiful as the one in Sarajevo, but at least it was clean and functional.

            After our sound check, the American quartet grabbed a quick bite to eat across the street, and then went to the lobby of the concert hall for a pre-concert reception.  The pre-concert reception was quite nice, with wine, cheese, and appetizers.  I heard the wine was quite good, but I was about to play a concert and decided to forgo consuming any alcohol.  The best part of the reception was that we finally had a chance to meet members of the US embassy and the BHAAS.  Although we only talked briefly, I tried to honestly describe the experiences that I’ve had since arriving in Bosnia.  I hope that my feedback will help the BHAAS continue to support and improve the cultural exchange program.

            You know how at fancy arts events, there’s always a very well-dress, well-intentioned woman who gives an awkward, overly long, speech thanking the sponsers/donors, etc?  Well, apparently, this is a universal phenomenon.  At the reception last night, there was an attractive, middle-aged, woman in a very low cut dress, who handed out awards thanking notable members of the BHAAS.  She also spoke during our concert.  On the bus ride home, I had a Bosnian friend translate what she said, and it sounded like it was pretty funny.  She said something along the lines of “I guess the orchestra can’t just get up on stage and perform this music, but they actually have to practice before the show!”  She also made a very cringe-worthy mistranslation from Bosnian to English.  She asked the American quartet to stand, acknowledging that we’re here as part of a cultural exchange supported by the BHAAS.  First, she announced my name and instrument, and I stood and smiled as everyone clapped.  Then, she said, “also, Sara Lap (her last name is Laupp), on the faggot.”  See, “bassoon” in most other languages is something like “fagoto”, “fagot”, etc.  Unfortunately, there were quite a few Americans in the audience who couldn’t help but giggle.  How embarrassing for Sara.  During intermission we had to attempt to explain to our Bosnian/Albanian friends about the complexities of American slang referring to homosexuality.

            The concert itself went fine, and the guest soloists played particularly well.  I especially enjoyed hearing young Bosnian musicians perform with the orchestra. (A young guitarist and a young accordion player were invited to play short solo pieces with string accompaniment.)  By the time we got home, it was 1am, so I’m happy to have the weekend to recover!

Another mini-"adventure"

During the rehearsal break on Wednesday morning, I amused quite a few Bosnian maintenance men by managing to lock myself in the bathroom.  It wasn’t my fault!  While I was in the stall, someone tried to open it from the other side and the handle came loose.  So when I tried unlock the door, the handle just spun around in circles.  Yikes!  Fortunately, I’ve been studying Bosnian while I eat breakfast every day and I had just learned how to say, “help me, please”.  So I shouted “pomozi me, molim vas!” and a woman ran out to find a maintenance guy.  Of course, the maintenance guy brings along a whole gang of other guys who work at the National Theater, I think mainly to laugh at me. J They kept trying to talk to me in Bosnian, I just kept repeating “ne razumiem” which means “I don’t understand”. I also tried asking them to find someone who could translate for me, but they just focused on getting me out.  Alas, after a VERY long 5-10 minutes, I was freed.

Long Time No Update!

Written 10/16       

           The problem with busy weeks is that I think of a lot of topics for my blog, but don’t actually have much time to write.  So, it is Sunday afternoon, and I still have yet to write about my experiences from early last week.  I hope I can remember everything that I meant to write about!

            I spent all day on Wednesday and Thursday in downtown Sarajevo.  We had two rehearsals on Wednesday, so during the break in between I finally had the chance to try Vegehana, a vegetarian restaurant in Old Town.  I got soup, salad, bread, fried cheese, a potato dish, and a pastry for 7 Marks, about 4-5 US dollars!  The food was fantastic, and it was so much fun to be able to try everything without worrying about avoiding meat.  I think I will become a frequent visitor.  An added bonus is that the restaurant is non-smoking, and smells nice and clean.

            I think that most of the orchestra found it difficult to focus during the rehearsal on Wednesday evening, maybe because it was such a long day.  So we didn’t play very well, which was frustrating.  After rehearsal got out, I decided to go out to a bar with a bunch of friends to unwind.  We had a good time, and I got to try walnut brandy, which I highly recommend.  It’s quite tasty, and not too strong.

            The rehearsal on Thursday morning was short and sweet: just a quick run-through of the rep.  I was glad that the conductor picked up on the fact that the orchestra was feeling a little burned out, and didn’t push us too much.  As a result, we had quite a bit of energy for the concert the next day.  Even though the pieces weren’t as clean as they should have been, the orchestra made it through a three-hour concert without petering out.

            On Thursday afternoon, Sara, Matt, and I had coffee with our American conductor and soloists, and later went to lunch with Sunshine, a woman from the US embassy.  It was great to spend the afternoon talking with other Americans who are also living/visiting Bosnia, and comparing our experiences.  Everyone was very interested in supporting our cultural exchange and helping it improve in the future.  I tried to give honest feedback and describe the few problems that we’ve had.  I hope I made it clear how much I am enjoying the opportunity to come to Sarajevo and learn so much in a short amount of time.  I’m a little worried that I spent too much time describing our problems, didn’t share enough stories about our positive experiences.  However, I am not sure that our program will ever improve unless we give feedback about how it could be better.  Every day, I am challenged to find a balance between being assertive (taking care of problems on my own), asking for help, and taking the time to relax and enjoy myself.

Slobodan Dan No More

Written 10/11

Our week off is over—back to work!  Today we had our first rehearsal for our next concert, which is on Friday in the neighboring city of Zenica.  The concert is sponsored by the Bosnian-Herzegovinan Society for the Arts and Sciences, a foundation based in Chicago that partially sponsored the exchange program that brought me here.  So, I believe that we will be able to meet some people involved with our exchange program on Friday for cocktails.  I’m looking forward to talking to them, and sharing both the positive and negative aspects of living in Sarajevo.

An American conductor is leading this week’s concert cycle, so once again our rehearsals are in English. (yay!)  We are playing a lot of short pieces, including Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture”, which is one of my favorite concert overtures.  The orchestra did not play the Brahms very well today, which was disappointing, but I’m sure we’ll be better by the end of the week.  We are also playing a Mozart flute concerto and the Rodrigo Concerto de Aranjuez, featuring a Bosnian-American guitarist and an American flutist.  Both of the soloists live in Pasadena, the hometown of my in-laws!  I was able to talk to them only briefly today, but they suggested having lunch with our American quartet sometime later this week.  I’m looking forward to it.  I’m really surprised Ross hasn’t encountered the guitar soloist before, considering that he’s from Pasadena and knows Ross’ former teacher, who’s also Bosnian-American.  The classical music world is awefully small!  On top of all of the connections mentioned above, our conductor for the week conducts in Midland/Odessa Texas, at a concert hall where Ross was invited to play a solo recital a few years ago.  And (according to google) she conducts operas in Chicago and has accompanied at Northwestern.  So many coincidences...

I had a lot of fun at the rehearsal today, listening to the guitarist play so well.  Hearing classical guitar brings out a flood of emotions for me, since it was a constant part of my life for so long that now is (usually) missing.  I have realized that I really enjoy hearing Ross practice in the other room.  It’s a good thing he plays the guitar, since I’m not sure I could ever feel that way about some other instruments. (I won’t specify any by name, lest I offend someone.)

After rehearsal ended, the rest of the day was pretty non-eventful: riding the tram, eating lunch, skyping, practicing, eating dinner.  This evening, I went down to a gathering at Admir’s apartment to watch a soccer game.  Bosnia was playing France, and if they won, they would go on to the Euro-cup, so the game was a big one.  The game ended up being a tie, so we’ll have to watch a rematch later this week.  (I have to get into soccer so I can feel like a real European, haha.)

Bosnia played Luxemburg the other night, and won 5-0.  The reason I know this is that Sara, Morena, and I were having a quiet evening in the apartment until we heard what sounded like explosions.  Sara had the gumption to look out the window, and reported that some people from our building were throwing down firecrackers from the roof.  I said “I bet there’s a soccer game on”, and flipped to a local channel.  Sure enough, there was a game on, and Bosnia was kicking ass.  The firecrackers are a little loud and scary, but it’s fun to be here in the midst of a very good soccer season.

And I thought Comcast was bad...

10/10/11

Well, today wasn’t so great either.  We once again had a little flood in our bathroom.  This time, Sara was running the washing machine and when she checked on it, she realized that our floor was sopping wet.  I suggested that she go downstairs and ask Matt and Tim for help again.  Fortunately, Matt arrived just in time.  The hose that drained the washing machine was loose, probably because we were fiddling around with the pipes and hoses trying to fix our other leak on Saturday.  Right as Matt walked in, the hose completely popped off, and water came gushing out!  Matt had the soundness of mind to grab the hose and hold it over the toilet until the washing machine had drained completely.  Otherwise, our entire apartment might have flooded.  It was a lot of water!

Once the washing machine drained, Matt managed to reattach and secure the hose.  I did laundry tonight without any problems, so all is FINALLY well with Megan and Sara’s water.  (Knock on wood)

I think by the time I’ve lived here for 10 months, I may know enough to become a plumber. (Hahaha)  We are learning very quickly how to take care of maintenance issues ourselves, since there isn’t a maintenance man in the building.  Or maybe there is, but we don’t understand enough to figure out how to call and get help.  I am so glad we have a Bosnian friend from the orchestra (Admir) living downstairs, so if something ever goes REALLY wrong, we can get help through him.  It’s tiring to live an hour’s commute from the National Theater, but I think it’s worth it to be living nearby so many of our friends and colleagues.

Beside the flooding problems, we had more problems today with getting internet in our apartments.  The internet company actually came this time, but the paperwork was incorrect, so they couldn’t install anything.  I am trying not to get frustrated, but I couldn’t help getting a little teary about the prospect of going another week or two without a reliable way to communicate with Ross on a daily basis. 

Sara cooked a really delicious pasta sauce for dinner, with tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and onion.  Having a tasty, filling meal accompanied by some good wine (from Mostar!) really cheered me up this evening.  I am so lucky to have a roommate that not only puts up with me while I’m grumpy, but also hangs out with me until I feel better.  We both told long, nostalgic stories, reminiscing about Northwestern.  It made me miss home but, oddly, comforted me at the same time.

Our break is coming to an end, and we have a rehearsal early tomorrow morning.   I can’t wait to “go back to work”, since being busy makes the time fly by.  And that means that before I know it, I will be in Italy!

Ack

Written 10/9:

           Some days, things go my way.  For example, on Friday, I found out that the internet company will try to come back on Monday (rather than weeks from now) to install internet in our apartments.  I also learned that we are getting bonuses for travel to Zenica next week, and Italy later then month.  And I was recommended for teaching a master class or two in the music academy.  So lots of good news at once! 

            Yesterday, things didn’t really go my way.  L  Nothing too terrible happened, but we had some issues with the water in our apartment.  Late in the morning, the water went out.  I was relieved when I stopped by Matt and Tim’s apartment downstairs and the water problem seemed to be throughout the building, and not just in our apartment.  The water came back on in the afternoon, but had a weird rubbery smell and taste.  Sara and I carried on, getting work done and having a normal day.  It helped that I was fasting for Yom Kippur, so not having water didn’t really matter, since I wasn’t trying to cook anything anyway.

            After breaking fast, I suggested to Tim, Matt, and Sara, that we go into town for a drink.  (It was Saturday night and I didn’t want to be bored.)  Matt was a little shaken up because he had just been a tram accident!  Nothing major, but his tram derailed, and everyone had to get off and walk to another station.  (Poor Matt has terrible luck with trains.  He and Sara had to evacuate a train a few weeks ago because something was burning.  Also, when he got back from Germany this week, he was pick-pocketed on the tram! Fortunately, there was no cash in his wallet, so someone dumped it in a cemetery. A Good Samaritan found it, noticed Alisa’s business card in it, and called her.  So Matt got his wallet back almost as soon as he noticed it was missing.)

Anyway, right before we were about to leave for drinks in Ilidza, Sara noticed that, “our washing machine is leaking”. It turns out that the washing machine wasn’t leaking, but a pipe right above it was dripping.  It was just dripping a little, so I put a bowl under the leak. Matt and Tim took a look at the pipe, and noticed that the leak had to do with a certain screw.  Tim tried to turn it, but the screw was stripped so we had water spraying every where!  Yikes.

            After quite a to-do, and help from Tim, Matt, Morena, and Admir, the leak was plugged.  We went out for drinks, finally, but everyone was a little cranky after all the commotion.

So far, things are back to normal and the water is starting to smell and taste okay again.  Fingers crossed.

TV Guide

            Since I had this week off, I’ve been watching quite a bit of TV. Probably more than I should.  I’ve been trying to watch some Bosnian TV every day, to get used to hearing the language, but after about a half-hour, I am overcome by temptation, and switch to one of the channels in English. 

When I was trying to think of a blog topic today, I didn’t feel like writing about anything too heavy.  As I was giving up, and about to turn on the TV, it occurred to me that I could blog about TV!  Sarajevo’s mix of cultures, languages, etc, is quite evident on TV, and flipping channels can actually be quite educational and interesting. So…

Here’s a basic summary of what our cable TV is like:

Channels 1-30 are mostly in Bosnian.  There are a lot of local news shows, which seem very similar to local news shows in the US.  There are some public access channels as well, one of which sometimes shows the orchestra. (I saw a brief clip of our Brahms 4 concert one evening!)  It seems like there are a few Bosnian sitcoms.  And sometimes sports are on, particularly soccer.

Some of the “Bosnian” channels are actually Croatian, Slovenian and Serbian channels.  It’s usually hard for me to tell them apart, because the languages are so similar. I can distinguish the Slovenian channel because there’s a little word on the side of the screen that says “Slovenia” on it.  The only other way for me to tell what’s what is that the Serbian channels have Cyrillic writing, and both the Serbian and Croatian channels have local news that focuses on their respective countries.  I think there might be separate channels for Republica Srbska (the Serbian territories within Bosnia) and Serbia itself.

Also, I’ve noticed that the “Bosnian” channels sometimes play soap operas in other languages, with Bosnian subtitles.  I’ve seen soaps in English, Spanish, and Russian.  Watching Russian soaps with Bosnian subtitles is quite mentally taxing!

            The channels in the 30s are mostly in English.  Channel 33 is my favorite.  It’s called “Foxlife”, and plays sitcoms all day, including How I Met Your Mother, Nurse Jackie, Sex and the City, and Entourage.  I think the subtitles are Croatian, because “Hello” is translated to “Bok”, a common Croatian greeting.  There is also “Foxcrime”, which plays crime shows (of course) and “Universal” which plays movies, and sometimes “ER”.  Some of the channels in the early 40s are in English too, including CNN on 43.  CNN is the only English channel without Bosnian/Croatian subtitles.

            Next, there are a bunch of sports channels.  Some of them give commentary in Bosnian, and some in English.  At any given time, there is usually soccer, American football, golf, baseball, and cricket.  I’ve asked my Bosnian friends whether people play cricket here, and they say no, so I’m not really sure why they always are showing cricket on TV!

The last 20-30 channels (Channels 50-70 something) are a mix of German, Italian, and music television. I find it interesting that the English channels have subtitles, but not the German and Italian channels.  The German channel plays a lot of American sitcoms with German dubbing.  Sara loves this channel.  The Italian channel plays a lot of game shows, singing competitions, and sometimes movies.  Morena loves this channel.  So maybe I will end up learning some Italian and German words from the TV shows that my friends watch.

There is a lot of music television on Bosnian cable!  There are two MTV channels and VH1, and they actually play music videos instead of reality shows.  There are also a lot of Bosnian musical performances on TV, mostly of pop and folk music.  After watching some singing competitions, I must say that Bosnia, despite being much smaller, seems to have better amateur pop singers than the US.  (Well, at least than the people who get on American Idol.)  The TV folk performances are quite impressive as well, and are usually accompanied by elaborate costumes and dancing.

Shows start and end at weird times here. (e.g. 9:10am, 11:55pm, etc)  I think it’s because there are fewer commercials.  In fact, I think there are about 20 commercials in Bosnian, and they just keep repeating them on all the channels.  Haha.  I already know most of them, like the a soup commercial where they say “ooh ooh” in the middle, and the Nivea lotion commercial with the pregnant lady moisturizing her belly.  Also, each channel will advertise what’s coming up later on their network.  Foxlife has really annoying commercials that manage to make even their good sitcoms sound like junk. 

            So there you have, Megan’s guide to cable TV in Bosnia. 

Eating Out in Bosnia

           This week has been very relaxing, but pretty non-eventful, so I don’t have much to blog about.  I was supposed to FINALLY get wireless internet in my apartment on Wednesday.  Alas, due to some miscommunication, it didn’t work out.  Maybe the internet company will come back again next week.

            Tuesday was the 9^th anniversary of when Ross and I started dating.  I got to talk to him on Skype before he went to work, but it was really sad not having him around to celebrate.  November 17^th (when he arrives in Sarajevo) can’t come soon enough!

            Okay, enough whining.  The topic of today’s blog post is: Bosnian Restaurant Etiquette.  It took me a while to get used to the way that restaurants work here, because they are run quite differently than in the US.  I think I now have a good general sense of what to expect and how to behave.

1.     Seat Yourself.  Or, at least, this has been the policy of every restaurant I’ve eaten at so far.

2.     If you sit near a lot of people, the server will probably come up and take your order.  However, if you sit in a more isolated area, you have to get the server and tell him/her when you’re ready.

3.     There is usually one menu per table.  Be prepared to share.  I’ve been known to steal menus from other tables J

4.     It’s okay to wave down your server if you need something.  They will probably leave you alone if you don’t, since people like to sit around and talk for hours.  Say “isvini” or “isvinite” (pronounced eesveeneetay), meaning “excuse me” to get a server’s attention.

5.     A lot of cafes/bars don’t have food, so make sure that you’re going somewhere with food if you want it.

6.     Most places serve a mix of Bosnian food, pasta, pizza, and crepes.  There aren’t too many other choices.  Pizza can be weirdly sweet, and it’s sometimes served with ketchup!  Pasta seems to usually be a good bet.  If you want something else, look around and see what other people are eating, because that’s probably what’s good.

7.     Some restaurants with Muslim owners do not serve alcohol.  If you want a glass of wine or beer, check that they serve alcohol before you sit down.

8.     Expect to pay between 1-3 marks for drinks (except for wine, which is a bit more) and 5-15 marks for food at a mid-priced restaurant.  I’ve had a mineral water and a meal for as little as 2 marks at cheaper places! (A dollar=about 1.6 marks)

9.     Sometimes, they bring the check with your meal.  Otherwise, you may have to flag down your server and ask for it.

10.  If you are just getting coffee, I think you can leave money on the table, as long as it’s just a few marks.  Otherwise, get up and find you server to pay him or her.  Sometimes, you are asked to pay someone else in the front.  Don’t be shy, or you’ll just end up waiting around for hours!

11.  Tips aren’t really expected.  If you do leave a tip, usually just round up to the nearest mark, or hand in one extra mark.

Why We Drink: A Comprehensive Guide to Bosnia

Written 10/1

Okay, so I promised Matt I would give my next blog post this title.  Matt thought of this title when the American quartet was walking around Bascarsija the other day.  We were joking about how when something is difficult here, the only thing to do is get over it, relax, and have a party!

So this evening, I’m going to write about stepping back, enjoying life, and accepting that sometimes things won’t go as expected.

As I’ve said before, people in Bosnia are quite laid-back.  There are a lot of cafes where people sit around for hours, just drinking their coffee and chatting.  Unlike the US, very few people appear to be doing work while getting their coffee fix.

Lately I’ve gotten a bit frustrated by how long it’s taking to get the internet installed in my apartment. When I complain to my Bosnian friends here about how slow things are, they basically tell me to chill out.  “This is how it is”, or “I don’t know when it will come.  We just have to wait.”  Actually, not having constant internet access available has been a sort of blessing in disguise.  Instead of sitting in my room and going on the internet, I’ve been hanging out every night with my new group of friends.  And as much as I miss Ross and wish I could Skype him more often, there is something very satisfying about the face-to-face interaction that comes from leaving my computer off and spending time with the people physically around me.  The last time that I’ve been this technology-free was the year when I went to Interlochen Arts Academy, which was one of the best years of my life.  I’m not sure I would have had as much fun or have made such good friendships if I had owned a cell phone, or had high-speed wireless.

Besides becoming a better, more experienced musician, and learning about a new language and culture, my main goal for this year is learning how to roll with the punches.  I’m not sure if I’m improving yet, but I’m trying.  It helps not to have the internet to obsessively google search and pre-plan every minute detail of my life.  I’m having a lot of fun wandering around Sarajevo and discovering the history and the monuments as I stumble upon them.

Speaking of planning, or lack-thereof, Sara, Matt, and I were supposed to all go to Germany for Octoberfest this week.  However, we couldn’t plan anything until the last minute, since our official work schedule wasn’t posted until yesterday.  I got quite anxious about planning a trip at the last minute, and drove poor Sara a bit crazy expressing my doubts and concerns. (See, I’m still a bit controlling and neurotic, even though I’m working on becoming more relaxed.  Baby steps.) 

I think that part of “rolling with the punches” is accepting that I don’t have to be “doing something” all the time.  Sometimes, I crave a quiet night alone: practicing, blogging, and watching TV.  So, I ultimately decided to chill in Sarajevo this week, and am not to go to Munich.  Plane tickets got too expensive, and so Sara and Matt are currently on a 16-hour bus ride to Munich.  I get a bit of car-sickness, and so a 16-hour ride winding through the Alps might be quite unpleasant for me.  I think Sara and Matt will have a blast, and it’s probably good that they don’t have to drag along a worrying old married lady. J  Also, I am saving some money, which I hope to use to explore Europe later this year.  I really want to spend time in Croatia, and wouldn’t mind a trip to London or Paris to visit my friend Emma this spring.

A lot of my friends in my building are leaving for their hometowns this week, and so I was a bit concerned about being here by myself.  However, I found out that my friend Morena is staying in town too, so she will sleep over at my apartment, or I will stay in hers, so that we’re safe and not alone at night.  Tim is also around, and Mattia and his family will be here, so I don’t think I’ll get too lonely!

I’m getting hungry for dinner, so I’m gonna shut my computer down and make a pasta salad versions of my “Bosnian Salad”.  We have leftover, cold noodles (p.s. non-English speakers apparently think the word “noodle” is hysterical!) so I’ve been mixing them with olive oil, vinegar, tomato, pepper, and feta.  Yum Yum!

Being Jewish in Sarajevo

Written 9/28:

Happy New Year Everyone! L’Shanah Tovah!

First of all, I have to confess that I have failed to find members of the Jewish community in Sarajevo before the high holidays.  I had hoped to visit the Old Synagogue and the Jewish Museum by now, but I haven’t yet figured out exactly where they are. (Yeah, excuses, excuses, but I’ve been quite overwhelmed and busy adapting to my life here.)  However, I know they are in the “centar”.  I’m sure I’ll discover them one day when I walk by.  It’s very difficult for me to find things via map here.  First of all, a lot of the streets are not labeled.  And Google Maps, as helpful as it is in the US doesn’t seem to have much about Bosnia.

I have a small story to tell, as a preface to the rest of this blog entry.  When I was a little girl, I remember the day, in my parents’ bedroom in our old house on Glencoe Street, when I asked my mom what the word “minority” meant.  She explained the words “minority” and “majority” to me.  I replied, “oh, so Jewish people are the majority and Christians are the minority.”  You see, because I went to Jewish elementary school, almost everyone I knew was Jewish.  So my mom had to explain that even though I knew mostly Jewish people, there are actually very few Jews in the world, compared to Christians and people of other religions. Hmmm.

Since I’ve left Herzl, I think that most of the people I’ve met are not Jewish.  However, living in urban areas within the US, I still encounter many Jews, and usually have friends to celebrate the holidays with.

Tonight, I had a bunch of friends from my building over for apples, honey, and, of course, some drinks.  It was interesting to hear from my European friends that they did not know many, or any, Jewish people from their home countries.  I totally felt like a “minority” tonight!  I know that there are very few Jewish people in Sarajevo (according to my guidebook, less than 700), and even fewer in the rest of Bosnia and throughout the Balkan region.  But I also know that at one time, there were so many Jews living in Europe, especially Eastern Europe. It struck me how much anti-semitism, and especially the Holocaust, affected the Jewish population here.  However, I also wonder if the Jewish community is more isolated in Europe.  I know that there are very observant Jews in Chicago who mostly socialize within their own community, but they certainly aren’t isolated.  I see Orthodox Jews all of the time, out walking in the park, at the grocery store, etc.  Maybe the Jewish community here is more inconspicuous.

10/3/11 Update:

Today I found the Sarajevo Jewish Museum.  The courtyard was open, but it was completely empty, and the building was locked and abandoned L   I guess I’ll try again later.