Welcome to Bosnia and Herzegovina!

We made it to Mostar!

After our morning in Dubrovnik, our friends Mateo and Ana arrived in Dubrovnik to pick us up and take us to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) after a bit more sightseeing.

One of our stops was at a small cafe that sits along the Adriatic. I think it probably has the best view of any restaurant in Dubrovnik, and all you have to buy to see it is a Coke!

This is why we are sitting on the rocks overlooking the Adriatic. Amazing view.

Before arriving in Mostar, however, we visited Vjetrenica. Vjetrenica means "wind cave," and for good reason. When you walk into the cave, the temperatures drop and it is very windy, as multiple entry points for the wind all filter through the cave and come out through one spot.

The drive to and area surrounding the cave was beautiful. This field is right next to the caves, and we rode bikes along the field before heading into the cave.

I got to ride bikes on the first day! Just happened to be wearing my "I bike D8N" shirt :)

We had to wear jackets because it's very cold in the caves, especially with the wind!

The cave was first mentioned historically by Pliny the Elder, who talked of a "cave with strong winds" way back in the first century CE. This drawing is from medeival times and is in honor of one of the previous owners of the cave, a man who was buried inside.

Hiking along the trail, looking for the fairies that supposedly come out when you sing. They must not have liked our singing enough to visit...

The cave is full of natural beauty, and I spent too much time taking it all in that I only got a few pictures!

This was a cool spot in the caves. It's a small table with "chairs" around it (all made of stone). No one knows when it was put here, but it's a nice stop to rest. During the war, soldiers stayed in the caves for shelter, and so have bandits (in the past). Regardless of who put it here, it's a nice spot to rest!

The cave is well known for its biodiversity by biologists. One of the most famous animals found in Vjetrenica is the Olm, or "human fish." It's a unique salamander that lives underwater for its entire life. The eyes are not developed, so the fish is blind, but it has a very strong sense of hearing and sense of smell. The caves are one of the many natural wonders we will see during our time in BiH and was a great first stop!

We saw the human fish!

Before visiting the cave, we had lunch at Gostionica Zavala, a former traing station that's been converted to a restaurant where the students had their first introduction to Bosnian and Herzegovinian food. As I suspected they would, they loved it.

Like in Dayton, old rail lines are being converted to bike paths. From here, you can ride your bike approximately an hour and a half and travel to Dubrovnik along former railway lines.

Our first introduction to BiH food... as I promised, it included lots of meat! All of it was amazing.

The students loved it all!

After the cave, we traveled to Mostar, where students settled in with their homestay families for the night to get some rest before their internship begins.

I got to see my first handball game, which was a lot of fun. Also, we (Mostar) won!

The next day on Monday, June 5, the students officially began their internship program at INTERA Technology Park and spent their first full day in BiH. The day began at INTERA Technology Park with an introduction to INTERA led by Chief Executive Officer Vedran Šimunović and Chief Technology Officer Mladen Kostić, who talked to the students about the work INTERA does as an incubator and the many trainings and projects that they have.

Our home for the next two weeks!

Welcome to INTERA!

We had a great welcome, which included pictures of us from our time in Dayton last week.

Mladen gives a presentation about INTERA and what the company does.

We also toured the exhibition room that has many of the local products that are produced in Mostar and the Herzegovina region.

Bethany was super excited to see the CNC machines!

While at INTERA, we stopped by Telemach, a large communications company that provides citizens of BiH with internet, phone, and television services. They are headquartered in Sarajevo, but have offices in Mostar at INTERA. We are very grateful to Telemach becuase they provided funds for the trainings our students are receiving while in Mostar, as well as for our food during the trainings we are doing while at INTERA, during our internships, and during some of our activities. We are very grateful for their partnership and we look forward to visiting their headquarters when we travel to Sarajevo on Friday!

Many thanks to Telemach for providing the funds for our lunch on our second day today! All of us had "pita," which means "pie" in BiH. It's a traditional dish that's a pastry filled with meat, or cheese, or spinach.

After visiting INTERA we met up again with Edna and Rijad, two of the students who participated in The Entrepreneurs Academy here in Dayton at The Entrepreneurs Center. They took us on a tour of the University of Džemal Bijedić, where they are both students. Everyone was very busy preparing for their big presentations about their three-month long internships in local companies around Mostar. Vice Dean of the College of Economics, Veldin Ovčina, also met with the students and provided them with an overview of the college's programs. The presentations would take place on the following day after our visit, so we appreciate them taking the time to show us their university all the more!

Edna and Gloria reunited!

Rijad and Edna take us around the campus.

Edna introduces us to the bust of the university's namesake: Džemal Bijedić, the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1971 to 1977 and founder of the university.

The university's motto: "I can. I will. I have to."

The students met with Vice Dean Veldin Ovčina, who spoke to them about their programs at the College of Economics and answered their questions about studying at the university.

Next we traveled to the University of Mostar to have a tour of their Faculty (or College) of Economics and learn about the many programs they have. The students enjoyed learning more about the university that Nikola, Dario, and Mateo attend (and Ana's alma mater). Some of our students hope to travel to these colleges on an exchange program one day! Now I just need to get UD and Wright State on board...

Visiting the University of Mostar with current student, Mateo, and alumna, Ana.

Dr. Zdenko Klepić (former Dean of the College of Economics) and faculty members (far left), our students, Ana, myself, and Eva Klepić, the vice president of the student union.

The students had a presentation and chance to ask questions about the University of Mostar with faculty members and Eva during their visit.

Finally, we met with Mr. Bešlić, the Mayor of Mostar. He was kind enough to speak to our students and shared his excitement about our new partnership and talked to the students about the importance of their studies and the partnership they are participating in. Afterwards, the students ate dinner with their homestay families (as did I - thank you Jelena and Vedran for the amazing food!) and each of them had some amazing home-cooked meals. The food in BiH is so fresh and local, and you can truly taste the difference. I hope I don't gain too much weight during the visit!

Meeting with the Mayor of Mostar, Mayor Bešlić.

Part of the reason all of the food is so fresh... Vedran and Jellena have a wonderful garden and fruit trees in their backyard.

After dinner, Mateo showed us the current project being undertaken by Minores, an organization he helps coordinate which seeks to address issues surrounding homelessness in Mostar. It's been a long time coming, but they now have a building they hope to use to help house the homeless while they are receiving assistance and training in order to re-enter the workforce.

Mateo explains how Minores began and how they came to acquire this building, an old military barracks.

They have many plans and already do some programming similar to organizations like Clothes That Work and Daybreak back in Dayton. It was great to see the vision and future plans for the organization, although funding is needed in order to make it a reality. If you have any interest in helping, please let me know so I can connect you!

Mateo provided us with a tour of the building and explained his hopes for the future, which includes space for a shelter, education center, training programs, and even

Finally, we visited the Old Town, or "Kujundžiluk" (bazaar) for the first time. We are very grateful to Ana's and Mateo's friend Vesna for giving us a tour of the city, telling us about its rich history, and showing us all of the famous sites, including the famous Stari Most, or "Old Bridge."

Many thanks to Vesna Lovrić for giving us a personal tour of the Old City, it was great and we learned a lot!

This isn't the main bridge, but this smaller bridge actually served as a model for the larger (main) bridge, the Stari Most.

The Stari Most (or Old Bridge)! We had to take many pictures in front of it, of course.

The original was built during the Ottoman era, but it was destroyed during the war. This is the second one, which was rebuilt a little over 10 years ago and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We made it to the top!

Ok... last one!

We ended the evening by doing a little exploring of Kujundžiluk (and a little shopping) before turning in for the night.

Doing some shopping before turning in for the night.

Finally, as I write this post, we are beginning the second day of our training. Today, Mladen is showing the students how to use SolidWorks, a 3D CAD design program that allows students to create models that can be created using additive and subtractive manufacturing methods, such as 3D printing and CNC machining. Mladen is an excellent teacher and the students are learning a great deal!

The students had SolidWorks training in the morning with Mladen.

Later today we will visit local companies before evening activities. Two things are certain at this point: we are learning a lot and having a great time!