"Home" in Sarajevo.

Last night we made the bus ride from Zenica back to Sarajevo. I had to laugh on the bus when I realized I was feeling like we were going back "home".

Zenica home visits definitely had their ups and downs - but overall it was an amazing experience. We were able to work with both the current Bosnian therapists, as well as two university students on each team - modeling therapy techniques and providing feedback. The six Bosnian therapists are part of a team here that has recently become an NGO (Non-governmental Organization - basically a non-profit). Most of them have other full-time jobs and they go to people's homes in the evenings to provide therapy to the children. Some of the children have autism, others have other disabilities like Down Syndrome or cerebral palsy. The therapists are mostly speech pathologists, but some are psychologists, and they are all doing many different types of therapy. Scope of practice is a non-issue here, and I have to thank the COTAs and OTs I have worked with in the past for providing me with so much knowledge I could pass on here. These therapists have to work with the children and families on fine motor, gross motor, speech, language, swallowing, cognitive skills, school skills, behaviors, and pretty much anything under the sun. The concerns of the families seemed to be very focused on outward and visible signs of disability (i.e., hand flapping, squealing), and it has been a big challenge to help the families understand the benefits of treating the causes of these "symptoms" rather than the symptoms themselves. As we provide children with more functional ways to express their wants and needs, their screaming and other behaviors will decrease. I left Zenica feeling as though it had been a true success and it was so wonderful to hear that all the groups felt the same way. One therapist from our team works in California with older children with autism, with a heavy focus on taking them out into the community for functional skills training, and by her second day here had the Bosnian children out and about at the grocery store. The only real negative that there wasn't more time. Hopefully though, we have shared enough with the therapists, students, and parents that they can share with others.

Here are some pictures of the area surrounding one of our homes (about an hour outside Zenica) and of the Bosnian therapists going through all of the awesome things we brought.

So after three long days of therapy, we gathered at the hotel for pizza, loaded our 23 bags (yes, for 14 people) into the cars - and headed to the bus station. One of the SLPs in our group speaks the language here and we've learned quite a lot that we wouldn't otherwise have heard. For example, when one taxi driver called another he said "yep, it's a whole bunch of girls and lots of bags". And yes, I said pizza. The food here has truly been awesome (and cheap), but the pizza is spectacular. Thin crust, amazing cheese, and very little sauce. Who would have though I'd come to Bosnia and be obsessed with the pizza. I am pretty sure when I return, I'll be craving Bosnian pizza. Plus, they serve it with ketchup - the sweet kind.

We arrived in Sarajevo late last night, were assigned rooms, and set out to locate them. Of course, room 311 wouldn't be next to 310 or even 309 - or even in the same building as 308, so we had quite an experience finding it. We were directed at first to a totally different building across the courtyard, so we rolled ourselves past all the people (wait, did I say people? I meant men - since there are only ever men anywhere) eating ice cream (yep, grown men eat ice cream sundaes here on a regular basis) to the shady building across the way. We found the elevator, and when the door opened, neither of us moved. The 'elevator' was about 2x2, and didn't exactly look like it has annual inspections. After a look at each other and a shrug, we squeezed on, just to the have the elevator lurch six inches. Let's just say it was quite a scene to see us scramble out of the box, tripping over each other and out of the death trap. So, we rolled ourselves up a spiral staircase, up and down hallways, to find that every room number except ours appeared to be present. So we ambled back down to ask for directions (a third time) and were directed to another part of the hotel (in the original building). We finally found our room, just to find that the air conditioner wasn't working - in fact, the buttons were completely missing and the window was open. Since it's 90 degrees here and we were on the first floor, we figured this wasn't going to work, so we made our way back to reception where they informed us that someone would fix the air conditioner. We tried to tell them that the button was completely missing, but they assured us that it could be fixed. Sure enough, someone was able to fix it - by shoving a metal key into the holes and wiggling it until it kicked on. Oh thee of little faith. We cheered, and said Hvalla (thank you), and sent the man on his way (his reflective vest said "SECURITY"). Of course, the A/C wasn't actually working - just blowing out air, but hey - you've got to pick your battles.

We washed out feet in the designated basin, and went to bed.

This morning, Christine and I made our way down to the breakfast buffet. We were the first of our team to get there, and then realized we were literally the only women not wearing burqas. Now, today I am wearing cargo capris and a loose tank (so you can't see the sweat dripping down my back). In the grand scheme of things, the dress here varies and I've seen many people wearing tanks, strapless dresses, etc. But, as it turns out, we are staying at the same hotel as the Kuwait Consular Office, so all of a sudden I feel like a tramp. Based on the looks I get when I walk around, I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way. =)

So today we have a bit of free time this morning and then we work at the school from 3-7 (I think). This time, we will be in a setting more like a classroom, and are each paired with a specific child and a new university student. We will follow our child through their day in the classroom, and help them participate in activities, providing models and feedback of therapy to the current therapists and students. We do the same thing tomorrow and Sunday. On Saturday we are hosting a conference where we will each be presenting for all the therapists and many of the students from all three cities that are participating in this years program.

And with that, here are some photos of Sarajevo from our first day here.

In the back you can see a little green-topped structure. Back in the Ottoman empire, they were very concerned with hospitality and felt that water and food should be provided to travelers passing through. To this day, drinking water comes out of it. 

Markets in the old section of Sarajevo.

The Miljacka River, which runs the length of the city.

The Miljacka river, and houses on the hills surrounding Sarajevo. During the war, snipers held the city under siege from these hills and the others surrounding the city. The siege on Sarajevo lasted nearly four years (from '92 to '95) and was the longest siege of a capital city in Europe since WWII. Civilians were particularly targeted and the UN estimates that 50% of children at the time witnessed a death and 40% were themselves directly targeted (over 16,000 children were injured or killed). On the left of this photo you see construction of the 'new' National Library, which replaces the one that burnt to the ground during the siege.