Winter's Back!

So we had a little warm spell for a while here and I was worried that the rest of my winter was going to be reduced to a wet, weather-confusing few months but never fear, the snow is back and well, better than ever. Granted this makes my walk to and from work a little...tricky. It's gotten better now because the snow has been packed down but those first few days were a little dangerous, especially for someone as clumsy as me walking down the steep (and even the not so steep) hills.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I still got to take advantage of the surprisingly warm weather and spend my weekend (two weekends ago) outside, even going on a little hike on the same mountain outside of Fojnica that I've done a few times now. The weather was really foggy (this region, especially Sarajevo is known for fog this time of year making it very frustrating to try to fly in and out of the city) but it was really cool because once we got to the top, we were above the fog, and it was really sunny and beautiful. We could look down on the fog, like we were above the clouds. It was a really amazing scene.

My work week was a little hectic, and while that's a welcome change from the usual lack of tasks, it proved to be a little frustrating. I was assigned a project proposal for a grant application that was due last Friday; which is great, I get to write and get a lot of experience with not only our organization but also the NGO process. It was a little challenging though because the project wasn't already planned so I had to do the grant application while planning the project, in two weeks. But the really frustrating part didn't happen until once I was finished (or so I thought) and then there were a bunch of changes or significant activities that they wanted included within the project that no one told me about. It really stressed me out for a few days because I was trying to make it a really good proposal but at the same time I was constantly having to change huge sections and of course it all ties together (with the deadline approaching) but finally, everything seemed to come together and I sent it in on Friday. It felt great. I'll always take the stress over nothing to do and also I got really good feedback on the proposal so ultimately, it was a good experience to have and although it was a little hectic and my frustration seemed to increase with my coworkers lack of organization, I realize that this is an authentic experience not only in Bosnia but also in the world of small NGOs so it is a good experience to have (I can say this after I had a relaxing weekend to take my mind off of it, ha).

My weekend was just lovely. I went to Doboj or rather Tešanjka to visit my friend Anita, who was the English teacher in Fojnica the two summers that I was there. I got to see her at Colleen and Mario's wedding and was invited to go stay with her. Well this fall went so quickly I never got the chance but this weekend worked out for a visit and it was just what I needed. I was excited to see Anita and also see Doboj which is in the Republika Srpska (RS) which I had never been to. Turns out, it's not much different. Which is something that I find really interesting, I mean, it seems like such a big deal, to go from the Federation to the RS but besides the Cyrillic on the signs (and there are still a lot of signs in the Latin alphabet) there's nothing that really sets it apart. Anita and her husband live in Tešanjka which is a village outside of the city Tešanj which is in the Federation and they are just a few minutes drive from Doboj, in the RS. When Anita was explaining the demographics of the towns and villages she said something that I think is really true, she said that you can try to separate the people but you never will be able to. It seems fitting, especially when so close to the RS-Federation border which really doesn't mean much in everyday life. Doboj is a really nice city. It seems to be planned very well and it has a beautiful park in the center square with the streets around it, a nice place to walk around and Anita said that in the nicer weather every cafe/restaurant has seating outside. It also has a fortress which is closed in the winter but in the summer it has different cultural events with music and a restaurant up top with a great view. Her village is also really nice and while we talked about the differences between Fojnica and Tešanjka (Fojnica being much more walkable and convenient), Tešanjka is really picturesque and we got to go on a few walks around her house and take in the winter wonderland.

Because of the weather there wasn't really too much to do, but I had a great weekend. Anita and her husband are so wonderful and it was so great to just spend the weekend with friends, eating well and having a low-key, warm weekend surrounded by pretty snow. It also felt good to get out of Sarajevo, see a different part of the country (it was about a 3-3.5 hour bus ride) and I really should've done it sooner. But! I can't wait to come back in the spring and visit again. I just realized when I put these pictures up that I didn't take any of Anita or Damir which is a shame but there's always the next time.

I'm not really sure what's in store for this next week. Since I've completed that project I need to ask for another task and as for home life, my internet has yet to come (haven't even gotten a call) so I'll have to go back to the place and continue to hassle them. If you reading this find it annoying that I still haven't gotten my internet then just think how much more frustrated I am! Hopefully in the next week or so something will happen.