False Accusations: An Update

            On Thursday, Sara, Matt, Alisa and I went to the Ilidza police station so that we could give our side of the story.  Alisa did some research and found out that the police were legally required to provide Sara and I with a translator.  When she called the police station and asked for one, they said they were not obligated to provide one, so Sara and I privately hired an official translator to come with us.  Alisa reassured us that later the Sarajevo Philharmonic could sue the police for not providing a translator.

            Fortunately, when we got to the police station, they read Sara her rights, including the right to a translator.  So, the police made a phone call or two, and it was agreed that the police would pay for our translator after all.  It ended up working out to our benefit, since we wound up with the translator we chose (one recommended by the embassy) rather than one chosen for us.

            The policeman who interviewed us was pleasant and professional.  He had Sara, Matt, and I come into his office one at a time and give our accounts of what happened.  (There are no charges filed against Matt, but he chose to make a report as a witness, since he was watching TV with Sara and I last Saturday evening and knows we were quiet and went to bed early.)

It took forever.  Three hours, in fact.  First, the police had to read us our right and then have them translated to English.  After that, we had to give our report and have it translated to Bosnian.  The policeman typed very slowly, so it took Sara a good hour and a half to give her report.  Fortunately, Matt and I could simply confirm what Sara said, and add a couple additional details, so it didn’t take us quite as long.

While Sara was giving her report, Matt and I had to wait in the hallway of the police station, which was pretty entertaining.  Fortunately, a nice woman felt sorry for us, and brought us some chairs so we could sit.  While we were waiting, we saw a police officer escort a pretty skuzzy guy into his office, and much yelling ensued.  Hmmm.  Later, the guy (a suspect, I guess?) and his friends stood smoking in the hallway until the officer came out and chased them off.  Besides this, there wasn’t very much excitement.  It seems like the police spend a lot of time carrying paperwork from one room to another.  Oh, bureaucracy…

I felt reassured once our trip to the police station was over.  While Sara was being interviewed, I heard some laughter.  It sounds like the policeman who interviewed us thought that our accuser was wasting everyone’s time.  Which is so true!  There are so many “real” problems in our neighborhood, and it seems silly to be wasting government resources on investigating this case.  The policeman also told us, as we were leaving, that if our neighbor bothers us again, we can call the police in Ilidza and they will be there to protect us.  I was glad that we were treated kindly and professionally.  (Our accuser apparently works for the police himself, and I was worried that his colleagues would show bias against us.)  Alisa also seemed reassured that (hopefully!) nothing more would come of this, and that no prosecutor would take up this frivolous case against us.   So, now we just have to wait and see what happens… 

False Accusations

Written 11/8:

As I’ve said many times in my blog, most of the Bosnians that I encounter are good people.  Many of them are extremely welcoming, and excited and curious to meet me.  Just today, on the tram, I was sitting next to an older woman who tried to start a conversation with me.  I could say a few sentences, but then had to confess that, “I don’t understand Bosnian” (“Ne razumiem Bosanskom’”).  She smiled, gave me a very sweet squeeze on the arm, and wished me a good life as she got off the train.  It felt so special to have such a positive encounter with a complete stranger, whose life is so different from my own.

Unfortunately, there are some mean, xenophobic people here too.  There are bad people everywhere, I guess.  On Sunday evening, a man rang the doorbell of my friends’ apartment, and complained that a member of the Sarajevo Philharmonic had gotten drunk and thrown a bottle from a balcony onto his car.  He claimed that someone had witnessed “an Italian guy” do it on Saturday at midnight, and was completely sure that it came from the second floor, where my friends live.  Of course, on Saturday night, we were all asleep, being so exhausted from our week of preparing for the Tchaikovsky concert.  The only people who we in the second floor apartment were my friends Arvida and Morena, having a quiet night at home.  Another neighbor overheard the commotion and came out to vouch that there was no party going on that night.

            Sara got nervous about the accusations and decided that she wanted to throw away all of our empty bottles, left over from our Halloween party.  I told her not to worry, because we did nothing wrong and there was no reason to do anything.  Unfortunately, as Sara took the bottles down the stairs, a woman (the wife of the accuser) grabbed her bag, started scolding her, and pulled her and the bag back up the staircase.  Poor Sara!  Arvida heard the commotion and came out to translate.  The woman accused Sara, threatening to call the police.  Suddenly, her story changed, and she was so sure that the bottle had been thrown from our apartment on the fourth floor, rather than the second floor.  Arvida told her to go ahead and call the police, since we were in the right.  The woman turned white, and offered not to press charges if Sara gave her money.

            Aha.  She wants to take advantage of us, and blackmail Sara for money, I think.

            Sara stayed with Arvida in her apartment, and sent me a cryptic text message indicating she was in trouble.  After the commotion ended, I headed down the stairs to find out what happened.  Sara seemed very scared and worried, but I was angry.  How can people be so mean, assuming, and rude?

            The man and woman came back one more time to yell at us, threaten us, and ask for money.  Arvida brought Sara and me to the door and translated for us that we were asleep early on Saturday night, and knew nothing about what had happened to their car.  They stormed off, saying that we should expect to see a police inspector the next day.

            The next day, Monday, came and went without incident.  I figured that the couple realized that they were being assuming, had no case against us, and let it go.  Or that they were just trying to take money from us and had given up.  However, today, the man called Alisa, claiming that he was pressing charges against Sara, Arvida, the Sarajevo Philharmonic, and me!  I don’t think anything will come of it, and am not worried, since we didn’t do anything wrong.  As I told Sara, “there’s nothing illegal about taking the trash out”.  Just in case, Sara called the embassy to let them know what is going on, and we obtained a number to call in case of any legal emergencies.

            I have never been falsely accused of anything serious before, and it is at once scary, infuriating, and embarrassing.  It sucks to feel discriminated against, just because I’m foreign.  I did nothing wrong, and I hate that I might be an official suspect of a crime.  If anything, the woman who grabbed Sara should be charged with assault.

            I am also very sad to have bad relations with some of our neighbors.  It is bad to be a victim, but in some ways it is even worse to be viewed as a perpetrator.  I really respect and admire the Bosnian people, and am heartbroken that the feeling cannot always be mutual.  Maybe the man and woman are telling the truth, and their car was damaged.  Maybe they genuinely think that we had a party, and damaged their property.  It is true that us Sarajevo Philharmonic members have had a couple of parties, but we are guilty only of being a little noisy.  All of our neighbors are noisy too, and we would happily keep it down if asked.  If the man and woman truly believe that we are guilty, I feel sorry for them as well as angry.  If so, I really want to look them in the eye, and explain that I am a good person, and it is unfair of them to assume anything about me.

            In conclusion, ARGH! 

Bajram

Written 11/8:

            Since the majority of the population here is Muslim, we have a few days off surrounding the holiday of Bajram (pronounced “Bie-rahm”).  I am beginning to learn more about Islam, so I now know that Bajram commemorates the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son.  I am sure most of you are familiar with this story, since it is a part of the Judeo-Christian literature as well.  In the story, God sees that Abraham is willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and at the last minute intervenes and replaces Isaac with a sheep.  So, on Bajram, it is traditional to sacrifice a sheep.  A lot of my friends thought I would totally freak out about this, but I actually approve of meat-eaters being more connected to the animals they eat (e.g. being involved in the slaughter).  I was also told that Muslims are instructed to eat 1/3 of the sheep themselves and then are supposed to give the other 2/3 away to the poor.  I really like this idea, and it reminds me of the Jewish tradition of “tsedakah”.

            Bajram itself began on Sunday.  The days leading up to it were quite chaotic in and around the markets.  Then, on Sunday and Monday, I went out for a jog/walk and was struck by how quiet and empty the streets were! (Though celebratory firecrackers frequently broke the silence.)  It reminded me of walking around on Christmas morning in the US.

Duvacki Qvintet Persempre

In other news, all of the principal woodwind players of the Sarajevo Philharmonic are forming a woodwind quintet, and since we have some free time, today was our first rehearsal.  We rehearsed at the Music Academy, which gave me the opportunity to go inside the building for the first time.  The music academy is situated on the third floor of a building very close to the National Theater, in the city center.  It looks very much like many of the music schools I’ve been to in the US: an old, long hallway, with classrooms, practice rooms, and offices spilling out sounds of rehearsals, lessons, and practice sessions.  Something about the building reminded me of Peabody, and I felt a little nostalgic for my undergraduate years. 

My quintet will hopefully give our first concert in early December, so we began to work on that program today.  We are playing light, easy pieces to start.  My Bosnian colleagues call the repertoire “limonata”, or “lemonade”.  In the US we’d call it a “pops” program.  Even though the music is not much of a challenge, I am looking forward to our concert.  I believe that we might be the first Bosnian woodwind quintet to perform in quite a long time…maybe since before the war.  So, the flutist, Sakib, told me that I will soon be a part of Bosnia’s cultural history!

A Vegetarian Diner's Guide to Sarajevo

Written 11/5:

When people here find out that I’m a vegetarian, they always say, “I feel so sorry for you”.  Or, “this is not a good place to be vegetarian”.  But I’ve had absolutely no problem finding delicious vegetarian food at restaurants here.  The one thing really I miss is spicy “ethnic” food: Mexican, Thai, Indian…but this has nothing to do with being a vegetarian.

So here is my personal guide/reviews of the restaurants I’ve frequented so far:

Pivnica:  I went to the Sarajevo “Pivnica”, which means “brewery”, with a large group of friend after my first performance here.  Of course, they are known for serving their beer, “Sarajevsko”, which is quite ubiquitous throughout Bosnia.  Not only do they serve their more popular blonde beer (my personal preference), but they also serve a “Sarajevsko Dark” beer.  The first time I went, I was impressed.  I got a vegetable risotto that was a little salty, but quite good.  I went back last night with another group, and we had a few problems.  First, Sara, my roommate, ordered a dark beer, and the server brought her a light beer.  She very politely reminded him that she had ordered a dark beer, but he refused to admit his mistake, and lectured her about how she had ordered a blonde.  Later, I ordered their “Pene Alfredo”.  This is funny because they misspelled “penne” on the menu, so instead of ordering penne pasta, one must order pene, which mean “penis” in Italian.  Of course, everyone teased me for ordering the dish, but I wanted pasta.  When the pasta came, it had chicken in it. L  I offered to let my friends eat it, but they insisted that I send it back, since the menu did not describe the dish as having any meat in it.  Of course Mattia had to point of that if I order “penis”, I should expect to get meat.  Haha.  Anyway, I sent it back, and the kitchen generously picked out all of the large chunks of chicken.  Maybe they thought I wouldn’t notice the small chunks…oh well.  So much for Alfred’s penis.  This is the only difficulty I’ve had as a vegetarian in Bosnia, and not a very big one.  I’ve had similar problems in the US.  It’s just part of being vegetarian and eating out.

To Be:  This is a very nice restaurant in Bascarsija.  It is a little pricey for a Bosnian restaurant, but is still quite reasonable compared to restaurants in the US. (I usually end up spending about 20 KM for a meal and a drink here, about $15.)  There are quite a few vegetarian selections on the menu.  I’ve had their vegetarian plate, which was one of my favorite meals in Sarajevo—a plate of Bosnian cheese, grilled eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes, served with bread.  I went again this week and had the vegetable risotto, which wasn't really risotto, just rice mixed with sauce and veggies.  It was still very yummy and satisfying.  One of the best things about To Be is that they are very welcoming to foreigners.  Even if the server doesn’t speak much English, he/she will try to say at least a few words.  They are also very encouraging if you try to speak Bosnian, and will cheer you on.

Vegetarian Plate at To Be

Vegehana:  That’s right, Sarajevo has a vegetarian restaurant!  And it’s good.  They have a limited menu, which is fine with me, since I get overwhelmed by too many options.  Sadly, I’ve only been to Vegehana once.  I ordered a meal with soup, salad, fried cheese, bread, a savory pastry, and a potato dish.  Yummy and reasonably priced.  The only thing I didn’t like was that the fried cheese was served cold, which I found a little weird.  Even though I’ve only been here once, I’m including Vegehana on my “restaurants I frequent list”, because I’m sure I will go back many times!

Meal at Vegehana

Metropolis:  This is my favorite restaurant in Sarajevo.  It’s casual yet classy, cheap, with a good menu, wifi, and amazing desserts.  Who could ask for anything more?  There are quite a few vegetarian selections, but I always get the same thing, the vegetarian sandwich, because I like it so much.  Fresh bread with a soft cheese and grilled vegetables, served with potato wedges.  I also like to order the “aroma kafa”, which is a mix of iced coffee and icecream.  Guilty pleasure.

Pizzeria Ilidzis:  This is the best restaurant within walking distance of my apartment in Otes.  It is situated in the park in Ilidza, right near the path that leads to the source of the Bosna river.  There are probably at least a dozen vegetarian selections on their menu, as well as good coffee and good wine.  I really like their Spageti Funghi, spaghetti with mushrooms.  Pizzeria Ilidzis is also a great place to get coffee and a snack.  They have very good dessert crepes.  I’ve gotten the ones filled with nutella.  They are very rich, so I’d recommend splitting them.  Pizzeria Ilidzis also serves a traditional Bosnian pastry that is like a fried doughnut, served with cream.  They are too oily for my taste, but most of my friends love them.  I also like their homemade polenta here, which is served with a mix of yogurt and cheeses.

Nice outdoor dining at Pizzeria Ilidzis

There are also a lot of small, cheap restaurants that serve a traditional sausage dish called “cevapi” (pronounced che-va-pee).  Or course, I don’t eat cevapi, but I often come along with my friends who do.  I’ve found that I can order “kajmak” (pronounced kai-mak) and get a filling portion of flat bread and cream cheese for only one or two marks.  However, I’ve learned not to call the bread “pita” bread, because here “pitta” is something entirely different.  “Pitta” is sold at many “Pekara”s, bakeries, and is a flaky round pastry with various fillings inside.  There are three vegetarian kind of pitta that I like: sirnica (cheese), zeljanica (spinach), and krompirusa (potato).  They are very salty though, so I have trouble finishing a whole one.

Internet

Yesterday, the internet was finally installed in my neighbor, Admir's, apartment.  We still have to get a wireless router, but it looks like I should have internet in my apartment up and running by next week.  Finally!
So, dear readers, I might finally have enough time online to add photos into this blog.  Stay tuned!

Sarajevo Social Life

 Written 11/2:

            One of my favorite things about living here is that I already have a big group of friends.  Of course, the American quartet instantly bonded, since we all came to Bosnia together, not knowing anybody else.  I feel like my American friends are best able to relate to how I feel about life in Sarajevo, and I know I can trust them when I have problems.

            However, I didn’t expect to have made so many other friends as well, both within my building and in the orchestra.  Any time I’m bored, I can walk up or down the stairs, and knock on the door of a friend’s apartment to chat, have coffee, or drink a beer.  All in all, there are ten of us from the orchestra living in my building, so we’ve got quite a good-sized community.  It’s kind of like living in a sitcom, especially with all of the funny lost in translation moments. J

            There are also many young members of the orchestra who speak excellent English and have been very welcoming.  Even the members who don’t speak much English are quite friendly.  One of the American guys, Matt, is dating the principal cellist, Ivana, so she often hangs out with my groups of friends.  (She speaks English with a perfect American accent—I think her grandmother is Canadian.)  Alisa, one the orchestra’s administration has become a good friend of ours as well.

            I really like that people in Bosnia make the time to regularly interact with each other in person.  While I lived in Baltimore, and later in Evanston, I sometimes got pretty lonely for a group of buddies like I had in high school.  Of course, I have met some wonderful people in both cities, and have made some great friends, but sometimes we barely see each other.  The excuse is always that we’re too busy.  But I don’t think that’s really true.  We have plenty of time to surf the internet, update our facebook profile pictures, watch a complete TV series on DVD.  We are addicted to technology.  I like watching TV and reading facebook updates as much as the next person, but I have found that they are not a good replacement for face-to-face interaction.  Maybe it’s because I grew up in a rather large family, but I really like having others around me most of the time.

            I like that we always have an excuse for a party in Bosnia.  Last Saturday, Sara and I hosted a Halloween party.  It seems like most Bosnians know about Halloween from watching American TV, but it’s not really celebrated here.  Well, maybe a little bit.  I saw some squash jack-o-lanterns sitting in front of one of the houses in Otes this past Sunday.  Anyway, all of our friends were very excited to celebrate the holiday and dress up in costumes.  Sara and I cooked some food, put out a big bowl of candy, and Sara even found a pumpkin at the market in Ilidza.  I had a really good time taking pictures, talking, drinking, and dancing.

            I also have a lot of fun in smaller groups, going out to eat, explore, etc.  Yesterday, a flutist from the orchestra, Adi, drove the American quartet to a restaurant at the top of one of the hills surrounding Sarajevo.  Despite a little bit of fog (there’s always fog) the view was spectacular.  It was so nice of Adi to offer to show us a part of the city we had never seen, and all four of us really enjoyed his company, and hearing about what it’s been like to grow up in Sarajevo.

            I really look forward to Ross’s visit in two weeks.  I think he will really enjoy hanging out with all of my friends, and I can’t wait for him to meet them.  I hope that living here might help both of us become more relaxed and outgoing so we can enjoy more time with friends once I’m back in the US this summer.

Learning the Language

Written 10/31:

            I’m back to my normal routine this week, with daily rehearsals for our concert next Friday.  So, I’d like to write a brief post about the Bosnian language, and what it’s like to be learning it here.

            Before I moved to Sarajevo, I decided that I really wanted to learn Bosnian as well as possible in one year, regardless of whether or not I can get by just speaking English.  I don’t know any language besides English very well.  I can have a simple conversation in Spanish, and have studied a year of French and Russian, but my abilities are very limited.  I’ve always wanted to learn a language beyond the basics, and hoped this might be my opportunity to do so.

            Now that I’m here, I’m not sure that I will be able to learn as much Bosnian as I’d hoped, because the language is so difficult.  However, I’m not deterred from studying, and I continue to want to learn as much as possible.  Every morning, I wake up about 30 minutes before I need to, so that I can study during breakfast.  I have a pretty good textbook, called Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian by Ronelle Alexander and Ellen Elias-Bursac.  I’ve made it through chapter 4, and it has helped me learn some basic words, phrases, and grammar.  I’ve learned some additional vocabulary and phrases by trying to talk to both strangers and my Bosnian friends.  Soon, the American quartet will begin some tutoring sessions with a member of the orchestra’s administration, who also happens to be a Bosnian-English tutor.  I’m really looking forward to having more help, and someone to answer all of my questions.

            The reason my book is called “Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian” is because the languages are extremely similar, as are the languages of Montenegro, Slovenia, and Macedonia.  So, the advantage of learning Bosnian is that I should be able to eventually communicate throughout most of former Yugoslavia.

            On of the reasons Bosnian is so hard is because the grammar is pretty complex.  Unlike English, the nouns are altered depending on the context.  So, if a noun is a subject of a sentence, it has one ending, and if it’s the direct object, it has a different ending.  And if it is following certain prepositions, possessive, and so on, it changes.  To further confuse things, there are distinctions between masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns, as well as animate and inanimate beings.  Ack!

            Another reason why Bosnian is challenging is because some of the phonemes are sounds that we never have to make in English.  The rolled “r” is pretty straightforward—lots of languages have a rolled “r”.  However there are words that contain “mj” and “lj” (“j” in Bosnian is kind of like an English “y”) that are almost impossible for me to pronounce, as are the words with few or no vowels.  My friends Ivana explained to the American quartet that “lj” is like saying “l” without actually touching your tongue to your palate or teeth…what?!

            I get laughed at a lot.  I’m pretty outgoing about trying to speak Bosnian in public, much to the amusement of the people of Otes.  But, hey, it’s the only way I’m gonna learn, right?