Road Trip (05/27/08)

Road trip! Snacks? Check (bueno bar anyone?), Drinks? Check (FANTA please!), Music? Check...well sorta if Croatian ballads and R.E.M. constitute a good road trip mix. Oh yea and don`t forget your passport because we are headed to BOSNIA! 6 hours, 2 pit stops, and some serious power naps and we have arrived in Sarajevo, Bosnia. On our drive we passed through large stretches of Bosnian countryside and once in Sarajevo we explored some of the city.

We came up with some parts of daily living in Bosnia that might factor into the local`s health status.

Rural Bosnia:
1 Hiking up all the hills to go see your neighbor or check on the sheep (who needs a stairmaster anyways?)
2 Picking your own grapes (killer arm work out) and drinking your own homemade wines (its good for the heart!)
3 Eating all of the fresh veggies from your garden
4 Con: the nearest doctor may be 1oo´s of miles away, and forget about ambulances up there!
5 Con: Not a whole lot of traffic safety on the long and twisted roads, poorly marked divider lines, few guard rails, and blind turns are just asking for a car accident

Urban Bosnia:
1 Just like in the Croatian cities you walk EVERYWHERE, so go ahead have that gelato!
2 Cafe culture ie alive and well (de-stress and recharge)
3 Being part of one of the dominant religions, Islam, which emphasises cleanliness, sexual responsibilty and a proper diet.
4 Con: This area was heavily affected by the war, which means mental health, the economy, and people living with disabilities are serious problems.
5 Con: the environment, the city of Sarajevo is definitely polluted and poses hazards to pedestrians in terms of sidewalks and mobility.

Although we`ve only spent a little under a day here you can already tell that Bosnians are a tougher lot, most likely due to the hardships felt from the war. As we learn more about the city and its people tomorrow, we will no doubt better understand the effects of the war on this country.

~Maggie