New Purchases, Connections, & Pics

Today I finally had a chance to go to Chapters. Unfortunately, they don't carry any books on BiH. Thus, I had to buy Croat phrase books; I bought 2 that are pocket-size. The Croatian and Serbian alphabet look to be the same (they don't mention Bosnian). Here are some useful phrases:

Excuse me (to get attention): Oprostite (aw praw stee te)
Excuse me (to get past): Ispričavam se (ee spree cha vam se)
Sorry: Žao mi je (zha aw mee ye)
I (don't) understand: Ja (ne) razumijem (ra zoo mee yem)
I don't speak Croatian: Ne govorim hrvatski (ne gau-vau-reem hr-vaht-skee)
Leave me allow (lol): Ostavite me na miru! (aust-ah-vee-te me nah mee-roo)
Go away! (lol): Odlazite! (aud-lah-zee-te!)
I'm lost!: Ja sam zalutala (fem) (Ja sahm zah-loo-tah-lah)
Does anyone here speak English? Dali ovdje itko govori engleski? (dah lee auv-dye-eet-koh gau-vau-ree eng-les-kee?)
Can you help me? Možete li mi pomoći? (mau-zhe-tee lee mee pau-moh-chee?)
I speak very little Croatian: Govorim samo malo hrvatskog (gau-vau-ree sah-moh mah-loh hr-vaht-tskog)

I'm going back to Chapters tomorrow to get some Europe travel books. I also need to pre-order Bosian books/CDs. Moreover, I bought some recommended books for my pre-departure, and my stay in Bosnia.

Moreover, I have reached out to past Beyond Borders/ Intercordia students who have gone to BiH. One is meeting me to show pictures of her stay in BiH. The other has sent me his blog site. I've already read 1/4 of his entries and they're making me so excited. The following are some of the points that stood out to me:

• Everyone knows each other and or they recognize foreigners VERY quickly
• “Everything is a memory”: They don’t like visitors taking pictures of things that have been shot at because it is not a fond memory for them to relive
• He got a tick, which I’m worried about (he calls it "an adventure" and recommends that I stay clear of the tall grass)
• Most structures have bullet marks from the war in the 1990s
• Cafés and construction are the main source of employment for citizens; however, according to Mike many people just lounge all day
• 1 side is abandoned and the other side is full of people staying in apartments
• With that said, there seems to be more buildings and cafés than people

• He hid his passport under the rug and feared it getting lost. (I'm glad that I'm not the only one)
  
  Here are pics from Mike (BiH volunteer 2006):
  

Art Academy at the University of Sarajevo

Sarajevo

Memory of the War

Typical Homes in BiH (note the bullet holes on the side of the house)

One of the Homes

Apartments in Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje

Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje Walking Home from Youth Centre

On the Hill Looking Down on Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje

Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje Youth Center

Contruction

(Thanks Mike Little - SJU)

PowerPoint on Bosnia

Bosnia Herzegovina Ppp

View more presentations from sgeorge86.

http://www.historycentral.com/nationbynation/Bosnia/Index.html
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2868.htm
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationBosniaAndHerzegovina.aspx
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentAvianFluAmericansAbroad.aspx
http://www.cemes.org/current/LGI/172-eng.htm
http://www.ddh.nl/org/gvakuf/project.html
http://www.europ-assistance.com/uk/travel-information/sanitary-risks-health-advices-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina_BIH_5.html
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=35000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo
http://www.blurtit.com/q384498.html

Ramadan

The other day I was researching about the Bosniak population, who are primarily Muslim (40%), and I can across the word "Ramadan". Being a devoted Catholic who is not very familiar with other religions, I was unaware of what this word meant. That's when I started reading about Ramadan, which happens to be a very important Muslim religious holiday. I found the holiday to be very facinating and below I have included some interesting facts on it:

It occurs during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the moon instead of the sun. Thus, it moves back approximately 11 days every year. This year, 2009, it will be from Friday, August 21st- Sat September 19th.

People who participate in this holiday must fast for an entire month. This includes eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset (until after their 4th prayer). This is a sign of sacrificing for God. It is a time for deepening their faith and spirituality, i.e., praying and contemplating life decisions and what truly matters more frequently. It puts an emphasis on asking for forgiveness of large sins, restraining from everyday evils, and doing good deeds. It also encourages people to increase their " patience, sacrifice and humility". "Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning."

The major focus is religion. In addition to their usual five daily prayer, Muslims participating in Ramadan spend several hours praying and studying the Quran in their mosques. They usually recite a prayer called Taraweeh prayer (Night Prayer), which is around 2-3 times longer than the daily prayer. Many pray throughout the whole night.

The 27th evening is the most important time of Ramadan. It is called Laylat-al-Qadr (the Night of Power). It is believed to be the evening when the Holy Quran decended from heaven to reveal to Muhammad that during this evening God will decide the fate of the world for the upcoming year.

The end of this holiday is a three-day celebration called Id-al-Fitr(the Feast of Fast Breaking). It is on the first day of the next lunar month called Shawwal. People collectively pray with their families and friends, and exchange gifts. Some cities even have fairs to celebrate the end of the religious holiday.

References:

http://www.holidays.net/ramadan/story.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

http://www.when-is.com/ramadan-2010.asp

Slowing Learning the Language...

I thought it would be fun if I posted the words/phrases that I am learning so that you could learn some too! :D I'm going to try to memorize a couple per week. Let's start with the basics:

Good morning: Dobar dan! or dobro jutro (note that the"j" sounds like a "y")

Good afternoon: Dobar dan! (Note: you're supposed to roll your "r"s.. something that I need to practice)

Good evening: Dobra večer (Note: č sounds like "ch" in chick; also note that the ending change... there are many rules that you need to follow in order to determine the ending vowel but I forget them because I haven't taken basic Croat. in 4 years)


The following I already know:

How are you?: kako ste/si? (Note: the "i" sounds like a "long e" as in see)

Hi: zdravo

Bye: doviđenja (Note: "đ" makes the "dg" sound)

You: ti/vi And: i

No thank you: ne hvalano

Thank you: Hvala

Your Welcome: Molim

New Phrases:

I am Canadian: Ja sam Kanadski

I cannot speak that much Croatian: Ne mogu da govorim da mnogo Hrvatske

Do you know any English? Da li znate bilo engleski jezik?

Can you speak English? Da li govore engleski jezik?

Links:

• http://www.rjecnik.net/
• http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate/result.shtml
• Babylon
  

Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje in Bosnia-Herzegovina - Google Maps