So after leaving Sasha and Miki's amazing wedding, and after making it to SFO in record time and catching my flight to Munich, I missed my connecting flight to Vienna/Sarajevo (which actually arrived ontime--not late). The flight was booked (by Lufthansa, not me) so that there were only 20 minutes between the first flight landing and the second flight taking off, so even though I ran like the wind, I missed the connecting flight by 2 minutes! GRR!!
There was a fully booked flight to Sarajevo later in the evening which Lufthansa refused to even put me on the waiting list for (even though I said I was sure I could convince someone to give up their seat for me). After crying, begging, pleading, speaking to a manager and using the F-word didn't work, I realized my defeat and relinquished any semblence of control I might have thought I had. I suppose that is probably good for me. As my mother says, it is "another f*ing growth opportunity." ;)
So I am staying the night in Munich (on the airline's dime) and eating dinner and breakfast here for free. I am staying at the Sheraton, which looks like every other hotel room I have ever been in. I could be in any city, so i am using my imagination to supplement my experience.
I am enjoying being cold for what will probably be the last time in several weeks (Sarajevo is known for 100+ temps in midsummer).
so I will get to Sarajevo, Bosnia tomorrow... I am bummed out because I should be there already, and I am missing the opening night party and tuesday morning conference proceedings.
The suckiest part of all of this is that I left Sasha and Miki's wedding so that I could be in Sarajevo for Tuesday morning, and now I wish I had just taken the later flight since now I missed the end of the reception and I am also missing the conference.
man (woman) plans, God laughs.
but I have my own hotel room here with an enormous bathtub and a TV (with German stations except MTV and CNN-- I chose MTV... I just couldn't stand to watch the news. so depressing!) and a direct flight in the morning, so I guess I can't complain too much...
it is OK for now... and plus I got another German stamp in my passport!
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This is the reconstructed bridge connecting Croat and Muslim communities on either side of the Neretva river.
If You Are Interested in My Work
The Old Bridge of Mostar
This is the reconstructed bridge connecting Croat and Muslim communities on either side of the Neretva river.
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Useful Previous Posts for Background Information
International Association of Genocide Scholars Conference
I have been invited to present my work at this conference, which focuses on understanding and thus preventing genocide. The conference is held biannually, and it alternates between a US location and an international location. This is the first time the conference has been held in a place where there was a recent genocide, and the conference has shifted appropriately to give homage to the atrocities that happened in Sarajevo and Bosnia-Hercegovina. For example, we will be spending the entire day on Wednesday participating in a memorial at Srebrenica (where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered and women and girls were forcibly removed and assaulted). The memorial includes a reburial of remains that were excavated/identified in the past year (they have this memorial with proper reburial of remains discovered each year). If you want to learn more about the conference or read about the presentations I will be attending, you can check out the main website at http://www.isg-iags.org/ and the conference website at http://www.isg-iags.org/events/2007iags.html.
Ruby's Book is Available!
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The Contemporary Problem of Mass Rape
Sexual assault is used as a tactic of war and genocide because of its consequences for individuals, families, and communities. The physical and emotional impact of individual assaults are magnified when rape is committed on a mass scale, as in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Rwanda, and Darfur. Forced sexual penetration with insemination and impregnation represents a symbolic conquest of the woman by the rapist and by extension the raped woman’s community, family or culture.
This symbolic conquest becomes applicable to the whole population as survivors, witnesses, families and communities internalize rape as an assault on their collective identity. Although social welfare is uniquely suited to respond to the problems of rape, the topic of mass rape has been neglected. This book makes a plea for deeper engagement by social welfare and social work scholars and professionals in responding to the problems of mass rape.
This symbolic conquest becomes applicable to the whole population as survivors, witnesses, families and communities internalize rape as an assault on their collective identity. Although social welfare is uniquely suited to respond to the problems of rape, the topic of mass rape has been neglected. This book makes a plea for deeper engagement by social welfare and social work scholars and professionals in responding to the problems of mass rape.
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