When was the first time you met someone from Bosnia and Herzegovina? When/ how/ where was your first encounter with people from Bosnia and Herzegovina?
The first time I met people from Bosnia and Herzegovina was at school. One of my classmates when I was 8 was Bosnian. I remember he was not very good in school and he used to say it was because he was a foreigner and French was not his first language. Of course this made it harder, but unfortunately for him his big sister, who was in the same school, was killing it in school. I heard recently that she now heads the French department of a secondary school.
A few years later, a Bosnian girl joined our class and we are still friends to this day. She’s also a French teacher and about to start teaching a Bosnian language class in a local school. She is the one who taught me my first Bosnian words before I went to BiH. I remember how excited she was when I told her I was about to discover her country.
First visit and first impression of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
My first visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina actually lasted a year. I was lucky enough to get a one-year assignment with the UN in Sarajevo. I didn’t know much about the country or the region back then. I remember how much more hilly the country was than I had pictured it. My friend’s relatives, with whom I was staying the first week, were very welcoming. I remember noticing that the women living there let their guests smoke inside, although they clearly seemed bothered by it. But most of all I loved discovering Sarajevo beautiful old town as well as the food. That was in early February of 2014. Right when unrests and riots had started in Tuzla against the political and economic situation and spread to the rest of the country. In the following weeks, citizens forums were set and it seemed to bring hope for the following elections…
As an outsider, in your opinion what is the biggest disadvantage of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Tough question. There is something heavy about BiH, probably from the war but also from the lack of economic perspective and the corruption. I only realized it when I left the country and came back to Switzerland where I felt that people had a sort of lightness about them. But it’s the consequence and not the cause of hardship.
And the biggest advantage?
The nature is truly amazing, there are wonderful landscapes. And the food obviously ! I would kill for Sarma.
What was your most impactful experience?
In my first week in BiH, I had a long discussion with a colleague about Yugoslavia, Tito, the Socialist regime, and how life was like in Bosnia back then. I remember her concluding with nostalgia : ”We had everything back then. Except for freedom of speech, but besides that, we had everything”. At that moment, it was just not an option for me to give up on freedom of speech, no matter what for. But spending a year there, it became imaginable. Living in BiH for a year shifted slightly my political opinions towards more radical views of what a fairer society could or should be.
Where do you see the opportunities for cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland based on your experience?
There is definitely something to develop around tourism, especially ecotourism. I am sure there would be many Swiss travelers who would love to go and explore a country with beautiful landscapes, rich culture and a vibrant art scene. BiH is a wonderful place to visit !
What is your message for Bosnia and Herzegovina people in Switzerland?
I would want to tell them to brag more about their country. Tell your friends how interesting a place it is to discover!
Pictures provided by: Sophie Neuhaus, Neuchatel, Switzerland
Interviewed by: Aldin Vrškić, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Edited by: Tomislav Tadić, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina