Grace in Bosnia & Herzegovina 2019

I am still learning the best ways of traveling alone in a new place, and tonight I found an amazing tool: Couch Surfing, the app. While I originally thought it was just good for staying at locals' homes for free, there is a social feature in which you can meet up with people living or traveling in the area. Recently I saw an event on the app for someone's birthday party. A couch surfing member organized an event for her birthday at a local restaurant/ old cinema and opened it to any travelers or locals interested in attending. I decided to give it a try last night, so I brought a girlfriend that I actually met through the Facebook Sarajevo Young Ex-patriots Group with me. We found a table of 10 people from Couch Surfing that consisted of people from the following countries: Wales, Argentina, Chile, Spain, England, Turkey, Finland, America (only me), and Bosnia! What lively conversations we had. Not only did I get to check out this restaurant/ old cinema, Kino Bosna , but I ...

Today was a big day because as a team we submitted our second grant proposal this week! I supported the team by translating some parts and proof-reading others. Who knew all that peer editing from high school would come in handy :) I'm growing to love the people in the office more and more. It's very nice to start the day sharing some cream and BREAD with my coworkers. Always so much bread . . . with every meal. After work my coworkers and I all piled into my boss' car and she drove us to her house for Iftar that she had prepared (Iftar is the meal at which Muslims break fast during the month of Ramadan)! What a beautiful home she had, and I was so grateful to be invited as a friend. Not only was the company and home fabulous, but wow the food was "ukusna" (delicious)! Seida, my boss, cooked dolma and Sara and it was amazing. Dolma is peppers stuffed with meat and other spices while sarma is meat and spices rolled in kale leaves - they look like the middle easte...

Work preceded as normal today, but at 16:00 I had the chance to present my website ideas to an IT specialist who is working on our new website, and he liked my layout and ideas! No work day is bearable without a good lunch however, so Joy and I took a lunch break by going to ASD Ž Restaurant for Dolma... however we didn't get dolma. The language barrier has been a significant obstacle when alone since less people than I expected speak English. We asked the owner for Dolme and he asked in English "chicken or tomato?" so Joy asked for tomato and I asked for chicken. Turns out we ordered two bowls of chicken soup and tomato soup with bread . . . however, the soup was delicious  and it only cost us 6KM total = ~$4 - a happy mistake. I kept walking and I loved looking at the variety of restaurants, cafes, shops, and vendors. I look forward to trying them all and reporting back After a long day at work, I decided to explore the city on my own for a bit, so I crossed the ma...

My partner, Joy, and I received a list of tasks to be completed by the end of the summer today and we could not be more excited. Our boss, Seida, asked us to focus on the new website, selling Zene za Zene's products that are created but their beneficiaries (i.e. rugs), enhancing their social media presence, and of course raising money. Though it seemed like a lot at the moment that it was handed to us, Joy and I chatted and figured out where our interests and skill sets lie, thus we will both be working on communications, and I will be more focused on the website and doing marketing for the products that the organization is trying to sell. A step away from the logistics of the work we will be doing day to day this summer, I want to appreciate the work environment that I observed today in Sarajevo. Everyone is independent and productive, but we came together to share lunch and to drink coffee. I appreciate my coworkers and thank them for their patience as I try to expand my voca...

What a beautiful apartment to wake up to! If you're ever staying in Sarajevo for at least a month, definitely check out this website ! We have two living rooms, two bedrooms, wifi, a kitchen and dining room, and a bathroom. Everything and more that we need! Also the real estate coordinator, Timur, is absolutely fantastic and he even picked me and my travel partner, Joy, up from the airport. He also gave Joy a tour of the Old Town since she arrived yesterday the morning. This morning we met our coworker from Zene za Zene (Women for Women) named Nermana and she walked us to work. Not only is she an extremely sweet woman, but she is also very funny and kind. I was so excited to meet everyone at the office, and especially Seida, because I've interviewed with her twice before for the fellowship application process, and she seemed amazing. Today we met all four staff members, Nermana, Seida, Amela, and Belma - the stars of Zene za Zene in Bosnia. They treated us to some te...

Hello and welcome to my blog summarizing the experiences that I have and the things that I learn throughout this summer 2019. This summer I will be working for Women for Women International as a storytelling intern in addition to supporting the organization with fundraising and marketing. I am grateful to the  Beeck Center  for choosing me as one of their GU Impact Fellows this year. The GU Impacts program through the Beeck Center for Social Impact allows a cohort of around 20 students annually to take part in a sustainable internship domestically or abroad that focuses on social impact. The aspect about this fellowship that I appreciate the most is their emphasis on sustainability and also their intentional recruitment of partners who are looking for non-locals (i.e. Americans) for their associated skills not due to gaining a reputation. The GU Impacts Coordinator who set up most of these partnerships asked the organizations if this was a job that a local could take and if ...