Concentration Camp Survivors

This morning we met with the Association for Concentration Camp Survivors and the meeting went very well. They are an association that provides vocational training, compensation, and general support for concentration camp survivors in Bosnia-Hercegovina. The office that we visited had 6,000 registered members (5,000 men and 1,000 women) and that was only for the canton (regional area) of Sarajevo. The Federal Association has more than 54,000 registered members. Keep in mind that is only the number of *survivors* of concentration camps (not people who died there or after), only people who stayed in Bosnia (many more left the country), and only people who are registered with the association. So there are probably at least 10 times that many people who were in concentration camps during the war, maybe more.

The office we visited offers a lot of great services to survivors. One of the most important and successful rehabilitation programs is occupational therapy (teaching people skills for working). They had 5 computers donated and now they have trained 300 survivors in computer skills which they can use to get work.

Also they teach the women sewing and have a small room with sewing machines that the women use to make clothes, stuffed animals, slippers, bags, purses, hats and everything else you can imagine. The main woman to whom we spoke said that sewing is good therapy and helps to keep their minds off the trauma, but it is also great because they can make some money selling the things they make.

We actually got to buy some items from the women (I bought a bear puppet one woman made, and I love to think about using it in my work at home with kids who have been through trauma). The women were so proud to show us what they were working on and they seemed very pleased to meet us. When I asked if it was OK to take photos, they were extremely excited and posed for many pictures.

One woman in particular seemed keen on being in the photos. She would run to wherever the camera was pointing and pose, smiling ear to ear, and proudly displaying her handiwork. I bought a small purple dress from her that I am hoping will fit Christa's baby girl (Ella).

The woman we met with was very excited about my book and even told Sarah that next time Sarah contacts her, she should say she came to visit last time with the girl who wrote her own book! I told them I would send them a copy, and I am now thinking that I might even see about having it translated into Bosnian, because so many of the organizations I met with were interested in having a copy. I thought I could send one in Bosnian and one in English as a sort of "thank you" for the amazing things I learned from each organization I visited.


Months Later...
In the Spring of 2008, I received a comment that the women in the photos that were included in the original version of this post were not clear about the fact that these photos (with faces removed) would be posted.

When I asked for permission to photograph, I told the woman who was translating where the photos would be, and I gave the women my cards which had the blog address so they could see it, but I think something must have been lost in translation, because I just received the following comment (which is not from the women in the photos but she seems to know them):

I would like to request that you remove these photos from your blog. You stated that you asked if it was ok to take their photos and received their approval. Did you tell them what they were going to be used for? That they were going to be identified on the internet, for all to access and labeled as wartime rape survivors with details of the city, association and group in which they could be found? I know these women quite well and I can identify them. I also know that they had no idea that their photos were going to be placed on the internet. So as a researcher, I would ask that you take into consideration the ethical implications of your actions and their privacy and remove the photos.

I immediately took the photos down from the post, and reposted this to the top of the blog.

Of course I did not mean to use anyone's images in a way that would be uncomfortable or not consented to by them. The worst thing possible would be for me to make these women more unsafe or to feel more unsafe. I thought I had made sure that they understood, but clearly I did not make sure enough. I also thought it would be OK since I had completely blocked out their faces with white circles, so I thought they were not recognizable--I was wrong, and I feel terrible about the miscommunication. Since the person who left this comment left it anonymously without any way for me to contact her/him, the only thing I can do is to re-post this without the photos and hope for the best. I will be more careful and conscientious in the future about the use of images, and more clear in my communications about my intentions.

Žene Ženema

Today I had a perfectly fantastic meeting with a women's group here in Sarajevo called Žene Ženema (˝women to women˝) that provides direct support to women, but also is involved with the empowerment and funding of other women's groups, local organizations, and smaller NGOs. They are working on a number of projects, but focusing on the implementation of human rights laws such as the Geneva Convention and specifically making sure that women's human rights are respected at every level of society in BiH.

I showed them my book (unfortunately I don't have anymore to give out and I had to borrow the copy I had already given Sarah to show to people!) and they were really impressed. It seems to really open doors because the book shows the comittment I have to the issue. The woman, Theresa, whom I met with asked me to send her a copy and I wil definitely do that. It is still somewhat shocking that people actually WANT to read it!

I also have improved at not spitting out all my ideas in the first minutes of a meeting (although often the first question they ask is: ˝what do you want?˝). So this has drastically improved the quality of my meetings, because even though they are asking, they don't always want to hear it before they have a chance to get to know me. So we talked for a good long time before I pulled out the book and we talked about many things before we talked about the subject of rape. It is much better this way.

Tomorrow Sarah and I (and our translator, Lejla) will take the bus to Zenica which is about 2 hours north of Sarajevo and have a meeting with a women's clinic there. Then we will sleepover there in a hotel or something (there aren't really hostels in that part of the country) and the next day we will take another bus to Tuzla (about 3 nours north of Sarajevo and about 2 hours east of Zenica) to meet with women's groups there. It is so wonderful to have Lejla with us, because she makes everything easier, from ordering lemonade to getting fertility statistics from the Federal Statistics office (which she and Sarah did this morning while I watched crappy TV).

In some ways, I wish I could stay longer, but at the same time I feel ready to come home. This has been an incredible trip!

Yummy Sarajevo Plate

So we have eaten (or had coffee or lemonade) at least once per day at this cafe/restaurant called Bascarcija (ba-shar-shee-ya) which is located in the area of Sarajevo bearing the same name. This is the old town, and the cafe is right on pigeon's square. In fact, the movie Grabavica which is set in another part of Sarajevo (Grabavica) has a scene where the main characters are having a coffee here at the cafe! Very authentic!

Anyway, my father thinks it is funny that I write so much about food, but he will have to bear with me, because this "Sarajevo Plate" is definitely something to write home about!

OK, so to start with, it comes in a really cool pot with a fancy lid that I should have photographed, but I was so excited about eating the food I forgot and then the waiter came and took away the lid... I think they actually cook everything in this pot...anyway... (later on... here is a photo).



A short guide to the Sarajevo plate: Starting from 12 o'clock and going clockwise, there are the stuffed onions, then the meat, then the dolmas, then the potatoes. And obviously you can tell which is the sour cream. Check out the sauce, how tasty it looks... I am getting hungry just looking at the photo and I already ate this once today (and yesterday too!).

So here are the details...

There is a thick and meaty broth-like stuff in which the whole thing is cooked. It is a little spicy but not too spicy (perfect amount of spice for me). Then there are many foods inside the plate that I will now desrcine in detail...

There is meat; otherwise it would not be Bosnian food! I don't know if it is lamb or beef, but Sarah says she thinks it is beef, because beef is cheaper. The meat is tasty, not too tender and definitely chewy but it makes you feel you are eating something REAL. There are usually a couple pieces of meat in the dish, one usually had a bone in it, so you have to be careful.

There are also lots of boiled potatoes, with the perfect consistency. Not too soft, but you can easily slice them with a fork. They soak up the broth/sauce and they are oh so tasty!

Also inside the plate are "dolmas" which are very different from the Greek kind. They are wrapped in a much thicker and chewy leaf (maybe it is cabbage? but I don't like cabbage and I do like these dolmas) and of course they are hot instead of cold like the Greek ones. Inside you will find a bunch of spiced meat and rice. These are my favorite part of the whole plate.

The only part I don't eat are the stuffed onions. Everyone knows how I feel about onions, even cooked ones... so this will be no shocker. I keep wishing my mom was here to eat them (they remind me of a big stuffed version of the onions my mom and aunt eat at Thanksgiving and Xmas). Today I did eat the meat/rice stuffing out of one of the onions and that was very yummy, so maybe I will branch out (or maybe not, because the plate is so filling I still have not finished one, and I concentrate my energy on the dolmas!).

The whole thing comes with the most awesome and decadent bread you can imagine. Like pita on steroids! It is thick and yummy and really indescribable until you eat it. You can dip it in the broth/sauce and then you have all the benefits of what the plate has to offer. They give you a lot of bread, so I put some in my purse and took it home (I am my Nana's granddaughter after all!).

The plate is topped off with a large dollop of sour cream, which just adds a certain something to the whole dish. It balanced the spice and makes everything in the world seem good and wonderful! (OK, maybe I am exaggerating, but this is some fine food!)

The best part is that you can have all this happiness for only 7KM which is about $4.50. I like a meal that appeals to my palate and my wallet!

Pedikura

Today I treated myself to a pedicure, and it was another tiny culture shock experience. First of all, they put me in a small room with a water bubbler for my feet (with cool water, which was SOOOOO nice after such a hot day!). They gave me Elle and Cosmopolitan magazines to read (in English, praise the lord!). I opened up the issue of Elle and the Editor's note was all about September 11th... then I noticed it was dated from 2001. So I a now fully aware of what the fashion trends were 6 years ago (honestly, it all looks the same to me).

Then for Cosmo... it was the British version, so in the sex advice sections, it kept encouraging the reader to say "rude" things to your lover. I thought this was hilarious.

So the Bosnian pedicurist kept me in the small room, entertained only by imagining "rude" things to say, such as, "You have smelly feet!" or something like that, for 1 hour. I can only imagine she was chatting with friends, smoking cigarettes, and drinking coffee (maybe even doing someone else's toes?). It was OK, though, because I had no pressing engagements. Bosnian time is kind of similar to "Toshi time" because you know that eventually they will show up and things will be great, but you just don't know quite when.

Anyway, she finally came back and then spent another hour fixing up my feet. The first thing that was different about this pedicure from the ones I have had in the US (and Costa Rica) is that she actually used some kind of straight razor to "shave" the calouses off my feet (maybe too much information?). This was particularly interesting on the "Flynn toe" as those of you who have one can probably imagine and those of you who don't might not want to. Anyway, she was thorough and then painted my nails a nice maroon color which matches my skirt and shirt. So I felt pretty snazzy.

Meeting with Bosnian TV Journalist

Today I had a brief but productive meeting with Duska Jurisic, a journalist for Bosnian Television (actually I think now she is a producer as well and she told me she is also working on her Masters degree in Media). So no wonder it was a short meeting. Anyway I was glad that she had time to meet with me at all. She give me some advice about how to go about conducting my project, and I got to visit the BiH TV and radio station building! So Cool!

The best thing is that she gave me the contact information for a women who started the most well-known organization for survivors of wartime rape, which is called the Center for Women War Victims. I am very excited to finally have her phone number in my hot little hand because no one seemed to have it.

The other best thing is that Sarah found a translator yesterday, so we will be able to actually talk with some womens groups this week (we met with only people who speak English so far, but there are so many others who speak Bosnian). So this is exciting beyond all excitement! And Sarah is beside herself with happiness (I think she was starting to get stressed that she had been here for 2 weeks already with no translator). Plus the woman who will be the translator is the woman we were really hoping would take the job: she is very nice and also spent a year in the US studying at the University of Georgia. Hooray!

On my way out of the TV station, I talked with another journalist and I asked him what his area of focus was. He said, ˝HOT˝ and gestured outside. He reports the weather! So I asked if it was going to cool off at all, and he laughed, shaking his head. ˝Only getting hotter!˝ Actually, though, the temp has dipped under 100 degrees F. It is funny to say that it is cooling off when it si still 96-98 degrees F, but it sure does feel like a bit of relief!

People keep asking me how I can live in a place like California where it is hot and sunny all the time. They do not believe me when I say that is is mostly rainy and foggy where I live. There eyes widen and jaws drop and they ask me incredulously, ˝In California it is raining?˝ Apparantls they have heard that ˝it never rains in southern california,˝ so I try to point out that I live in northern california where we actually have seasons including snow in some places. they think I am telling a fairy tale or pulling their leg. I cannot convince them. After this type of exchange a few days ago, one Brit asked me, ˝don´t you get bored when the weather is all the same, just nice days everyday?˝ I gave up and said yes, it is boring to have sun all the time. I didn´t even try to clarify my point because obviously he was attached to the image of sunny California and I was runing it for him, so he was simply not processing what i was actually saying about the weather in SF. Very amusing. Next time I travel, I will bring photos of me in my heavy coat and umbrella in the rain. Then maybe my words will have some degree of relevance for their recipients.

Shopping in Sarajevo

Today I had a fine time shopping for some things for Toshi´s new apartment in Berkeley. I bought a very nice blue ornamental tablecloth, which I think will be so snazzy for dinner parties. I also bought a simpler white one that is a bit dressy but kind of sheer as well (I think it is meant to be a woman´s head scarf, but it was big and nice, and in the US, who will know the difference anyway?).

Toshi has a door in his apartment that opens on to a shared balcony, which is lovely but not very private, so I got a nice Turkish-style curtain so we can leave the door open without having the whole apartment open to the world. There is a little 3 year old who lives in one of the other apartments and she is quite bold and inquisitive. One of the other neighbors mentioned that if you leave the door open, you may find you have a tiny visitor in your living room... Not that curtains really keep toddlers at bay, but it is just the idea of a boundary that will be nice.

I also am so happy because I bought a nice green silk that will cover the (crazy flatscreen) TV that Toshi has installed in the bedroom. The TV is a bit ominous when we are not watching it (small loft bedroom, big TV). Oh but it is nice when we are watching a movie or something!

For myself, I bought just a small thing, a kind of covering for the face that matches my bellydance costume. It has a headband part and then a veil with coins on it so that only the eyes show and the rest of the face is veiled. It is very dramatic and I can´t wait to try it out when I get back with my whole costume (some parts of which I bought last time I was in Sarajevo). Yippee!

Hacienda

So Sarah and I found one place in town that offers free wireless for its customers... and it is a Mexican restaurant! So funny. We have been eating quesadillas (pictured here), enchiladas (below), fajitas, and drinking margaritas (OK, actually I haven´t had a margarita there yet, but I will tonight because they are highly recommended by Sarah who has tried 2 flavors during our excursions to Hacienda).

Last night when we got there around 9pm, the tables downstairs were all ˝reserved,˝ so we were shooed upstairs (to a nice quieter part of the restaurant with less cigarette smoke!). Then they started testing the sound system and we realized we were seated under a speaker--bummer! There was so much squealing interference (what a girl will put up with for free internet!). Finally, after we had finished our little fajitas (fajitas poquitas en espanol), a nice waiter turned down the speaker above our heads and we enjoyed a few minutes of comfortable internet surfing. (YAY!)

When we went downstairs, the empty restaurant had been transformed in to a crazy nightclub. The beautiful (and YOUNG) people were out in droves. There must have been 100 of them inside and another 100 milling about in the street outside waiting to get in. We looked around and joked to each other, ˝you eat a fajita and look what happens!˝

We managed to push our way through the throngs of people out to the less crowded street and we decided that another night we will go out and try to experience the nightlife (when we are not lugging around our laptops!). It was funny because I am still young and so is Sarah, but we both felt kind of old and fuddy-duddy compared to the rest of the crowd. The drinking age here is 18 I think (it might even be 16, I am not sure) so everyone seems very young to me.

When i got back to the hostel, Sarah and I hung out a bit in the courtyard, as the day had cooled down significantly and it was finally comfortable to sit outside. There was even a nice breeze, which felt like a Godsend.

I watched some TV in my room (can you believe it, I have TV in my room). Lots of channels have American and English movies and shows, with Bosnian subtitles, so that was fun. As it got later in the evening I stumbled upon what looked like a cool show. It was in English (with subtitles) and the main character was this Deaf psychic. When she signed (using ASL) the subtitles would explain what she was saying in Bosnian but not English, and I was able to understand most of what she was saying through a combination of understanding a little of both.

As the film progressed though, it became very disturbing, as it was about this creepy murderer who filmed himself killing little girls in sadistic ways. The cinematography was really intense, especially the ˝psychic sequences,˝ where she would see him killing the girls but always be too late to stop him. I kept watching, thinking that I had already seen so much and I was sure that the film would end with the killer being caught or killed, or at least that there would be some kind of closure by explaining why he was doing this or something. NO such luck. The film had one of those really ambivalent and troubling endings that leaves you feeling unsettled. The super-creepy last shot was a close-up of the killer´s eyeball.... just to give you a sense.

So what this pointed out to me (besides the fact that I should immediately turn off all scary movies and not watch them once I realize they are scary) if that as an American, I am always assuming that films will end with closure and a nice ending that make me feel satisfied. The more foreign films (and some experimental US films) I see, the more I realize that this assumption is not only invalid; it can be dangerous!

So I was totally creeped out, and everyone was sleeping except for me, so I called Toshi. That is the great thing about the 9 hour time difference: I can call in the middle of the night and not wake him up! We talked for a little bit, and hearing about Toshi´s woes about the film he is working on, etc made me feel better and checked me back in to reality.

Frizerski Za Zene (Women's Hairdresser)

I had a cultural experience the other night (it is amazing how everyday things can become a learning and growing experience). My hair grows ridiculously fast, and it was starting to get very shaggy (my friend –and Toshi’s cousin-- Rebekah cut it so stylishly before I left for my first trip to the region). Normally I am VERY picky about letting someone cut my hair, but I figured it really needed a trim, so I would trust in the universe (and the Bosnian hairdresser).

Sarah got a little trim and that seemed to go well, so I gestured about where I wanted my hair cut short and where to leave it long.

I had the most vigorous and fantastic shampoo of my life with a fruity smelling shampoo and conditioner. There was a young lady who washed and blowdried my hair and an older guy who actually cut it.

He seemed to be the “master stylist” and she seemed to be in training. They were an amazing “tag-team” because one of them would be working on another person then they would switch off.

After my hair was cut, they spent a good long time blowdrying it (I have so much thick hair it takes forever to dry, even though it is short now). They put a mountain of mousse in my hair (so much mousse… definitely the pile of it was bigger than my head). I tried to protest, but the Bosnian stylist was having none of it. He ignored me and continued making me in to one of the “beautiful people.”


After all this mousse and blowdrying my hair completely straight, he made a cool zigzag part and then used hairspray too. I don’t think I have had mousse OR hairspray in my hair since I was about 13, and WOW, now I have both. So my hair looked very cool, but it was very crusty to touch it! (haha)

After it was all done, we took these photos and told him we would email the pictures. He then told a few ladies (in Bosnian) who were waiting for haircuts that I have something on my head. I clarified that it is a birthmark, but I felt a bit “exposed” and I didn’t know why random ladies need to know about the condition of my scalp. But there are no secrets here…

Before I left the shop, the stylist forbid me from wearing my hat (luckily it was late in the day and not too sunny!).

New Hostel

We moved to a new hostel last night which is cheaper and we each have our own room and bathroom. Mine even has a big bathtub (but no shower curtain, so the floor is now a small swamp post-shower!). The wireless is not working, though, which is a big bummer. But they say a guy is coming some time today to fix it. Apparently we are only the second people to even want to use the wireless, so we are the test subjects it seems.

On to other things…

We had a nice meeting yesterday with a woman named Jasna whom we met at the conference. She works for the University of Sarajevo Institute for the Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law, and she gave us a ton of good advice about how to go about conducting our respective projects. She also gave us some more contact information for women’s groups that might be good collaborators for us.

We also visited the library of the Institute and I left some flyers for my books in the library. Sarah is going to read my book and then donate her copy to the library when she is done, which makes me feel very good. I wish I had more copies—they went like hot cakes as soon as I offered them to the conference participants.

After all this excitement, we met with a translator whom Sarah may hire for her project. It was very interesting to sit in on the meeting, and the woman Lejla is very smart, beautiful, and speaks impeccable English. She is a student and spent last year studying in the US at the University of Georgia. Being able to vicariously experience the process of setting up a research project here in Bosnia has been very helpful for me in terms of thinking about my own project, both process and budget. All together, being part of Sarah’s process has been very useful and encouraging to me.

Yesterday I also bought an incredible book that one of the conference participants recommended to me. It is called Zlata’s Diary, and it is the diary of an 11-year old girl living in Sarajevo during the war. Many people have compared to Anne Frank’s Diary and certainly there are parallels. I have almost finished it, because it is a fast read (although upsetting to hear about the war from a child’s perspective). I highly recommend reading it if you have a chance. It is widely available and I am sure they have it on Amazon or at your local bookstore.

The Trout? You Can´t Handle the Trout!

So I have been eating a ton of tasty trout, pulled from Bosnia´s rivers and set upon our plates with heads and tails on... and Sarah and I keep joking about Jack Nicholson´s famous line from the movie, A Few Good Men... ˝you can´t handle the truth!˝

Yesterday we ate at a Cafe that was called, ˝To Be or Not to Be˝ before the war. During the war, the proprietors crossed out the ˝or not to be˝ part. For them at that time, not surviving was simply not an option. Sarah ate what she described as the best tuna salad of her life, and I had a pretty mediocre but filling chicken risotto.




They also had this interesting and bizarre image posted where I could see it throughout the meal. I am told that people ate everything they could find in Sarajevo during the war, including the pidgeons. I assume that is what this artwork refers to, but perhaps there is a deeper humour that I do not understand.


This morning we went to Club Bill Gates (yes, really) and the only thing we could distinguish on the menu was ˝nutella˝ so we assumed it was crepes (which it actually was!).

They came with very heavy whipped cream and a whole bunch of tiny blueberries.

The crepes were so heavy and sweet (and it was so hot out--over 100 degrees F) that each of us could only finish half of 1 crepe... but they were tasty!!!


I also tried doner kebob for the first time yesterday. It is a kind of meat where they cook it slowly on a spit and slice off pieces which they put inside pita with tomatoes and spicy sauce. Actually very yummy and also cheap!

Today we found a new hostel where we can stay the next few nights, which is closer to the old town (and not up a heinously steep and cobblestone hill like our current hostel). For only 2 euro more than I was paying at the current hostel, I get a very large room to myself and also a private bathroom!!! They have a kitchen which is free for guests to use (the other place where we are stying now you have to pay to use a knife/fork and they only have a small fridge, not a kitchen for guest use). They also appear to have air conditioning at the new place, which I have to say will be a Godsend. AND IT HAS WIRELESS INTERNET IN THE ROOM!!!! So I can chat or video chat for free (instead of paying like a million dollars a minute on my cell phone) starting on Wednesday!!!

Sarah and I have decided that today is ˝Happy Tuesday˝ because we keep having the most awesome windfalls and easily finding things we are looking for, etc. For example, Sarah found a translator for her project today who is affordable! And Club Bill Gates was such a funny experience and a cheap meal!

I am literally melting in the heat. It is unbearably hot by 8:00 in the morning and it stays that was until at least 8:00 at night. The apothekas (pharmacies) tend to have AC (˝klimatarizando˝ is now my favorite word which I look for with a certain hypervigilence that can only come from melting brain syndrome). So Sarah and I have been looking at lots of unnecessary medicines in the name of cooling off a bit. (By the way, they sell Viagra over the counter here to anyone who wants it). Siesta is the name of the game for beating the afternoon scorch.

Everyone concerned about my alabaster skin will be pleased to know I am bathing in sunscreen repeatedly during the day, staying in the shade, wearing my hat and cover-up shirt (long sleeves in this heat-- ugh!). So far, so good. I am not even pink!

One of the things I like best about Sarajevo are the mosques. They are on every street: small ones, big ones, simple ones, fancy ones... but the thing they all have in common is a fountain or water spout outside with cold, clear, fresh water which you can drink or splash on your face. Very refreshing!

The other nice things about the mosques is that they have a call to prayer 5 times per day. At these times, the entire city is filled with the sounds of singing in Arabic, reminding people of the importance of connecting with their faith. The main mosque has rugs outside where you will see people praying at all times of the day, but even more respond to the call to prayer and then the mosque and courtyard are filled with people kneeling, laying down, then kneeling, then standing up and repeating this sequence in a beautiful and full-body prayer. I would like to learn to pray in this way. It seems so much the best way to pray, because the whole body, voice, mind, and spirit are engaged in the connection with the divine.

Here is me, first thing in the morning, with mismatched socks... gotta love it!

And here I am in a ˝mall˝ where you can buy every kind of western fashion that you can imagine.

We also saw these Barbie dolls yesterday and it was so funny to see the Muslim Barbie next to what looks like a ˝streetwalker˝ Barbie.

Safely, Happily in Sarajevo (at last!)

Today I got to hear the Muslim President of Bosnia speak (my first event once I finally arrived at the conference). I am so glad I didn't miss it. I had only ever seen him on CNN so it was pretty awesome to hear him speak in person.

There are headphones which you can wear when the speaker is using Bosnian and the headphones provide immediate translation. I can't believe the fortitude of the interpreters, because often it is one person translating the Bosnian in to English and then any English into Bosnian. THere may be other languages available as well. amazing.

I also got to hear a speech and large-group-format-discussion with Carla Del Ponte, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal on Yugoslavia (ICTY) which was amazing except that most of the questions from the audience focused on the failures of ICTY, most of which were no fault of the Prosecutors.

I just finished watching a screening of Grabavica, which won the "best European film" award at the Berlin Film Festival (I missed the film when I was in Berlin because I didn't hear about it until after the festival was over and the film had won). It is an incredible story about a woman who was raped during the war and her relationship with her daughter who was born as a result of the rapes. I recommend the film to everyone (except children). It was a sensitive, honest, human telling of the story of so many Bosniak women and it has really had an impact in terms of helping survivors of rape to become visible in a culture (and world community) in which they have been invisible.

The director of the film was there and I got to ask her a question after the film (about the process of making it, which she said the wrting alone took 5 years). Amazing! She was swarmed after the screening, so I will try to approach her in the next few days to talk one on one if possible.

And Sarah, the other PhD student from Berkeley who told me about the conference is an instant kindred spirit. We have so much in common in terms of our work but also our style of being in the world, importance of human relationships, respect for people, etc. So we are sharing a room in the hotel (which is quite nice actually, despite the initial reports that the room was smelly and hot). Sarah got air conditioning working in our room, so she is instantly my hero (although she was already pretty high up on my list of awesome people).

So I am making friends, making connections, and basically doing what I came here to do. YAY!