Last Bits of Bosnia

            Today is the 26^th of June, and quite a bit has happened since my last post.  We not only finished up our time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we also had a big week of classes.

            The last of our days in Bosnia were spent listening to some very interesting speakers.  Amongst them were some former government officials, non-profit organizations, and even a local artist.  After all that we had learned in class about Bosnia, I didn’t think there was anything new to hear.  But I did learn more from the speakers than I think I learned from all of classes combined!  While some speakers were admittedly better than others, I very much enjoyed hearing all the different perspectives on points that I felt we had almost beaten to death in class. 

            After we spent a few days listening to the speakers we left Sarajevo and made our way to Mostar for our last two days.  Once we made it to Mostar we took a quick city tour and found some delicious food for a late lunch.  We were given the rest of the afternoon free before IES treated us to a farewell dinner, and a few of us took the free time to go for a quick swim in the river that runs straight through the center of Mostar.  It was the bluest water we’d ever seen, and we didn’t waste a moment getting in.  We also didn’t waste any time to get out of the water, as it was colder than a penguin’s foot.  Breathtaking would be an understatement for sure!

            The next day we woke up early and started the long journey back to Freiburg.  Overall, I have to say that Bosnia was both a pleasant surprise and one of my favorite destinations thus far in my traveling career.  I’ve really enjoyed learning all that I have about Bosnia, as I would never have considered the subject if it weren’t for this study abroad program.  To anyone who is curious, Bosnia has the most beautiful scenery you can find, fantastic food, and welcoming people.  The sweet exchange rate of two KM’s (Bosnia’s currency) to one USD is also pretty cool too!

            Once we arrived back in Freiburg, we had to hit the ground running to keep up with classes.  We had a good deal of work to complete for our electives, with most of us having both a presentation and another midterm to take care of by the end of the week.  The work wasn’t especially welcome considering the awesome time we’d just come off of in Bosnia, but it did allow us to wrap things up on Bosnia and start in on our section concerning Turkey.  And speaking of Turkey, we have only this weekend and next week before we head off to Izmir and Istanbul.  We’ll be celebrating the 4^th of July on a Turkish beach before we know it!

            Once more it’s been a busy week, but even still I’ve been loving every minute of it.  My plans for this weekend include a two day trip to Amsterdam for some interesting museums and a bit of time to see the city.  I’ll make sure to let you know all about how it goes!