Monday, October 22, 2007
Top Ten Ways You Know You Woke Up in BiH...
Alright, I couldn't find a real copy of the Land Mine Awareness P.S.A. I saw on F.T.V. this morning, so the one above, from 'Adopt A Minefield' is here in it's place.
The one I saw depicted a lovely teenage girl going out to pick a few apples, an older man, (perhaps her grandfather or father?), shouts a warning but it's too late, she did not notice the 'Bouncing Betty' under the apple tree. The last sequence shows one red apple neatly in half falling, but at first you think it's blood it is such a red apple. It scares you pretty badly and it is meant to scare you. Better to be scared badly than a little bit blown up.
Now dear readers, I am only in Sarajevo, I am in a safe area, and you do not need to worry about me. I stay on pavement or areas I am absolutely sure are safe.
Even in Sarajevo some areas are not de-mined,but, I repeat, I'm in a safe area. I hang out in safe areas.
# posted by Katja R. @ 11:24 PM 
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this commercial is very impressive...if I think about the fact that my country has been leader in mines production in the 90s, I feel ashamed and unbearably angry.
anyway, I'm planning a tour through Bosnia for next summer and I'm visiting some websites with advice and information about tourism in Bosnia. everywhere it is said that it's better, if you plan to go hiking or just trekking, to reserve a guide who knows where it is safer to go. that's very impressive too, and unfortunately a reason why just a few tourists are willing to visit your absolutely beautiful and interesting country.
have a nice day.
cheers
lesha
anyway, I'm planning a tour through Bosnia for next summer and I'm visiting some websites with advice and information about tourism in Bosnia. everywhere it is said that it's better, if you plan to go hiking or just trekking, to reserve a guide who knows where it is safer to go. that's very impressive too, and unfortunately a reason why just a few tourists are willing to visit your absolutely beautiful and interesting country.
have a nice day.
cheers
lesha
I remember campaigning for the AP Landmines Treaty back in the 1990s. Afghanistan, Angola and Bosnia were the "big three" back then. We have the Landmines treaty and that helps provide a bit of money for mine clearnace work but there's so much to do. And we haven't stopped the cluster bomblets yet.
# posted by 
: 11:33 AM
: 11:33 AM
@Lesha: I am actually an American, I live in Bosnia, on my mother's side I have SOME Bosnian ancestry, on my fathers I have some Serbian and some Bosnian ancestry, I need to mention that on both sides i's back in the 1400s.
I love it here, I hope for an extended stay here, but I am an American born citizen and my family lived in the States a long time.
Now on the subject of guides, most Americans are bad at languages, and even without the problem of land-mines, it's probably better to have a guide for many parts of Bosnia, because most Americans really have no idea of the history of this lovely country, or even the many fascinating ways it fits into American history aside from the recent awful war,or despite the fact that Bosnia is a country with a really different history from the United States there are odd parallels between the United States and Bosnia.
For me it's been a wonderful experience to have come here. I am making many friends here and I really do love the country and the people.
I love it here, I hope for an extended stay here, but I am an American born citizen and my family lived in the States a long time.
Now on the subject of guides, most Americans are bad at languages, and even without the problem of land-mines, it's probably better to have a guide for many parts of Bosnia, because most Americans really have no idea of the history of this lovely country, or even the many fascinating ways it fits into American history aside from the recent awful war,or despite the fact that Bosnia is a country with a really different history from the United States there are odd parallels between the United States and Bosnia.
For me it's been a wonderful experience to have come here. I am making many friends here and I really do love the country and the people.
Oh Lesha, if you want and I'm still here by next Summer, do let me know how we can be in touch, I'd love to go out for kafa with you! :).
@Owen, I too campaigned against land-mines in my own way. Back in 2000 there was an important local Democratic Party gathering and I went of course because I was active then. One friend of mine was on Platform Committee and I think I was on the same committee. A guy wanted to strike the language for the treaty banning land-mines and I got up and said 'Listen I have been to a country with lots of land-mines twice, how many others in this room can under ANY circumstances say the same. 3 guys raised their hands, all veterans. So I said 'Would you guys agree land-mines are uncivilized and unbecoming to an honorable military operation?' All three resoundingly said that they felt land-mines were wrong.
I pointed out that land-mines are as likely to kill one's own side as to kill the enemy and of course land-mines are forever, they migrate. So I pointed that out, and that was still not enough for the guy. So I said, Listen I've been to land-mine country three times, I've been to both BiH and Croatia, to areas that have mines, I personally hate land-mines, I personally have seen what they do to agriculture, to recreation, business and I don't appreciate them. Land-mines to me represent a form of terrorism!' That brought the house down! :) Needless to say the stupid amendment did NOT carry!
I pointed out that land-mines are as likely to kill one's own side as to kill the enemy and of course land-mines are forever, they migrate. So I pointed that out, and that was still not enough for the guy. So I said, Listen I've been to land-mine country three times, I've been to both BiH and Croatia, to areas that have mines, I personally hate land-mines, I personally have seen what they do to agriculture, to recreation, business and I don't appreciate them. Land-mines to me represent a form of terrorism!' That brought the house down! :) Needless to say the stupid amendment did NOT carry!
Lesha, over at Dan's Srebrenica Genoicde Blog at http://srebrenica-genocide.blogspot.com/he (current topic is the admirable Srebrenica Quilt being produced by Bosfam in association with the Advocacy Project) (hope you didn't mind me slipping that plugin YG) has two useful links. One you probably know about - Explore Bosnia at http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/; the other you may not have come across - Green Visions, at http://www.greenvisions.ba/gv/ is run by someone who seems very aware of the landmines issue in the context of tourism and particularly eco-aware tourism in Bosnia.
# posted by : 2:07 AM
: 2:07 AM
It would be nice and fun to meet you in sarajevo...wow, I'm just looking forward to being there!
I'm also giung to visit tuzla, travnik (read andric and I MUST go there), mostar and if there's time I'll go everywhere my heart will take me.
:)
as for the language, I've been to croatia, kraijna and herzegovina and almost everybody could speak English..then, there's the international language of rakija and slijvova and that's enough to talk for hours ;-))
cheers
I'm also giung to visit tuzla, travnik (read andric and I MUST go there), mostar and if there's time I'll go everywhere my heart will take me.
:)
as for the language, I've been to croatia, kraijna and herzegovina and almost everybody could speak English..then, there's the international language of rakija and slijvova and that's enough to talk for hours ;-))
cheers
@owen
I know the blogs and links you mentioned. I visit the blogs as often as I can. And I got a lot of information from greenvisions and bihtourism. furthermore, I have a friend working for the Italian Osservatorio sui balcani (do you know it?), it is the most important Italian institution dealing with Balkans and especially Bosnia.
thanks a lot for your advice, owen.
thank you yakima for hosting my comments :)
cheers
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I know the blogs and links you mentioned. I visit the blogs as often as I can. And I got a lot of information from greenvisions and bihtourism. furthermore, I have a friend working for the Italian Osservatorio sui balcani (do you know it?), it is the most important Italian institution dealing with Balkans and especially Bosnia.
thanks a lot for your advice, owen.
thank you yakima for hosting my comments :)
cheers
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