Sarajevo, Široki, Konjic, and other excursions

A beautiful day in Sarajevo!

The past few days have been a whirlwind, starting off with our visit to Sarajevo, Dayton's Sister City. Our first stop was the fountain pictured above, where legend has it that those who drink from it will return to the city. I think it's safe to say that that's probably going to be true for all of the DRSS students.

Our first stop was the spring-fed fountain in the bazaar in the Turkish part of Sarajevo. Legend has it that if you drink from the fountain, you'll return to Sarajevo. For me, that was true (and it was less than a year ago).

After that, it was time for some ćevapćići. Our friends took us to Željo, their favorite ćevapćići place, where they finally let us have some! They had been telling us not to try it anywhere else but in Sarajevo, although some of us may have cheated a couple of times! After that we did a really quick tour of the city because we had a few important places to get to in the afternoon.

Our first stop was in the covered market next to Hotel Europe.

And of course, Mr. Nuñez will be pleased to know that we stopped by the spot where where, on June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, sparking the events that led to WWI. History! Perhaps a smile wasn't the most appropriate pose, but it was interesting standing in a spot that had such a tremendous impact on world history.

Up next was a visit to Markale Market, which is the spot of an infamous massacre that took place in 1995, whereby Bosnian Serbs launched shells into the market, killing 43 people and wounding 75 others. Though tragic, the incident pushed US decision-makers to act and (eventually) ended in the Dayton Peace Accords. Today, there's a monument and you can see the spot where the shells hit. It's a great place to buy fresh produce, and the cherries and rasberries we bought there were really great.

Up next was the Old Synagogue, which was created back in the late 15th century as Jews were fleeing Spain after the Spanish Expulsion of Jews and Muslims in 1492. The local Muslim leaders of Sarajevo allowed them to settle and build a synagogue there. Last time I didn't get to go inside, so it was nice to finally see it. We also stopped to see the main Catholic church and the Herzeg-beg Mosque during our visit, so we hit all of the Abrahamic faiths we could!

Up next was a visit to Telemach, one of our sponsors on this trip. Ana, Bethany, and I were all interviewed about our program by the local press as well, so look for us on N1 Sarajevo!

We toured Telemach next, where we had the opportunity to learn about the services they provide, as well as ask and answer some questions from those who work there. We were guided by Edina Kurić Zorlak. During our visit I was able to say to the Telemach employees who asked us about our visit that this is one of the most amazing trips that I and my students have ever been on before, and that I can't wait to return. We're so grateful for Telemach's support as well! Vedran was an excellent translator too!

Up next was a visit to the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we met with two diplomats, John Silson and Drew Giblin. It was a unique opportunity to learn about the US mission in BiH and ask questions of diplomats who are on the ground in a foreign country. We also had the opportunity to meet with Ambassador Cormack after our briefing and ask her some questions. Afterwards we got a group photo!

Our meeting with Ambassador Cormack at the US Embassy in Sarajevo. During their visit, the students talked about innovative solutions for local economic development, entrepreneurship, and ways to improve the role of youth in society. It was a great visit and we're grateful to Ambassador Cormack for taking the time to meet with us!

On our way we found what appeared to be a meat market named for Dayton. I'm not sure what that means, but we thought it was pretty funny.

Up next we climbed up to the tallest building in Sarajevo, which has a 360 degree view of the city. It was an amazing view and a great spot for a group photo!

The group right after our briefing at the US Embassy.

Afterwards we had some snacks and espresso (in my case) with an amazing view of the city.

Bri, Bethany, Nikola, and Gloria enjoying a break at the top.

Much of the ride there and back was through the Dinaric Alps, which are like the "Grand Canyon of Europe" according to Vedran. I have to agree!

Traffic was kind of crazy coming home, so we didn't have much time to make it to Blagaj before they closed, but we got there in time to hear the call to prayer for the end of fasting for today, as we are visiting during Ramadan. We didn't get to go in this time, but we had an amazing view and dinner by the spring!

Our next day was really special as we got the opportunity to visit FEAL, a large aluminum company that is doing work around the world (even in the United States now). They specialize in taking aluminum and creating a variety of "profiles," which eventually become everything from windows, to doors, to facades. The tour was led by Marko Novak, head of the marketing department, and he was very not only an extremely generous and knowledgeable tour guide, but he also came to do the tour for us on his day off and spent three hours talking with us, showing us everything they do, and taking us around the entire plant. The kids (and I) were amazed to see the process of how they take the raw material and turn it into so many different products!

Our tour guide and head of the marketing department, Marko Novak, greeted us as we began the tour. He was such a great guide!

We started off in the showroom to see what they mean by "profiles." We saw many of the examples of what their business produces, and Marko explained to me that they essentially provide the entire country with its aluminum needs (in addition to exporting a lot more, including in countries like the UK, Germany, and Iran!)

After the tour of the showroom and screening a short film explaining what the business does, Marko gave us some snacks and we had a chance to talk with him about everything from what his company does to what his job looks like and what life in Široki is like.

After that it was time to visit the factory, but before then we saw a picture of the factory today... it's HUGE! They have over 600 employees, and they're working seven days per week in three shifts year-round. Truly amazing in scale.

One of the coolest things was seeing the extrusion process up close. This is where they heat the aluminum up to 500 degrees celsius and press it through dies to make profiles, such as an aluminum metal stud or bicycle wheel.

Bethany was trying hard to contain her excitement, but when Marko gave her a profile from one of their plant buildings she about lost it!

We also had a tour of the facilities where they treat the aluminum in order to make it meet certain conditions needed by their customers.

Visiting the guys who are responsible for bending the aluminum that becomes a bicycle tire.

At the end of the day, we were given some very nice gifts by Marko and the folks from FEAL. We are so grateful for the tour and the three hours we spent there truly flew by. I think Bethany may be filling out her application to work there as I write this!

After FEAL we traveled into the countryside to see a beautiful park, Blidinje. It felt like we had been transported to Ireland with all of the greenery, sheep, and stacked stone fences lining the mountains.

Up next we traveled to a park called Blidinje, which is within the mountains here.

On the way up we stopped at a small shrine to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things. He's also associated with travelers, Without going into religion, I can definitely say that we have been treated very well by those who cherish him!

This part of BiH felt like Ireland, thanks in large part to all of the beautiful hills and sheep. Of course there were also some sheep herding dogs, and they're very friendly!

Before the park, we stopped at a really nice restaurant owned by a friend of Ana's for a light lunch of bread and cheese and cured meats. It was delicious. The restaurant is known as Hajdučke vrleti, or "Bandit's house," so named for Hadjuk Mijat Tomić, a local bandit who led a band of outlaws. I think (maybe) he's kind of like the Croatian version of Robin Hood.

Up next we visited this beautiful church that sits in Blidinje.

The whole church was full of amazing artistry, as evidenced here with the Last Supper on the altar piece. This Franciscan Church will soon house a monastery.

We stopped for a picture in front of the hills as well before exploring the area on foot for a while...

...and visited this natural spring for a drink before a short hike into the woods.

Quick selfie with the church we visited in the background.

Finally, after a fun day, we spent the evening at a "BBQ under the stars" at Mateo's house out in the countryside. Vedran and Mladen put together an awesome spread that included some delicious hamburgers and ćevapi (which I even got to take a turn grilling!) and we had a fun time helping prepare the hamburgers as well.

Our best impression of the no-smile BiH photo pose. We're weird here because we smile in all of our photos!

Some other Americans who are visiting BiH were at the BBQ as well, and the students had a good time hanging out with them and playing cards and chatting about their experiences in BiH.

Finally on Sunday we went rafting to round out the weekend, which was a great way to experience the natural beauty of the area. It was also just a lot of fun!

Getting ready to launch into the Neretva River.

The view from the river was beautiful.

Victoria and her "homestay mom," Ana, enjoying a break on the river.

After the rafting we had an amazing lunch at the rafting place. We had burek again (meat pie), although this time served more traditionally. It may be my new favorite food from BiH! Many thanks to Ana and her friends Gorana and Mateo for organizing this excursion for us, and to Dario for joining us. It was a great way to end the weekend before the students begin the embedded part of their internship experiences on Monday with local companies that align with their career interests.

Chicken and potatoes... somehow they just taste better in BiH.

Burek, a meat pastry, is probably my new favorite food. Not sure how I missed this last time!

Glad Dario could join us for lunch!

Only three and a half days left in Mostar, and none of us are ready to go home! As I finish this blog, the students are halfway through the first day of their embedded internships with local companies here in Mostar and learning what it's like working in a foreign country. More to come soon!

More Training (and fun!) in Mostar

One of the great things about Mostar is their street art (and street art festival).

We left off yesterday's post mid-day with the CNC training students received from Mladen Kostić, Chief Technology Officer at INTERA. The students enjoyed learning how to use SolidWorks and the basics of how to use the program to create things that could be created using additive or subtractive manufacturing methods.

Mladen goes over the CNC machine that students would use to create the materials they were manipulating in SolidWorks.

Up next was visiting a local CNC machine company, Ćićak, where students were led on a tour of the company and saw the machines they use to create parts for export.

Dragan leads us on a tour of the factory he manages and explains what kind of work they do for different customers.

Pretty sure Bethany was the most excited, as she works at Gem City Manufacturing in Dayton and is going to school for CNC machining, so she loved seeing all of the equipment and learning about what's similar and what's different.

We had to get a picture before we left. Ana's dad, Marinko, works here too!

Next, it was time for some more fun. First up was a trip to Stolac, a beautiful village with the Vidoški Castle ruins at the top of the hill overlooking the town. We climbed up to the top for an amazing view of the city and surrounding region and heard a little history of the ruins from our friend and guide, Gorana!

The town of Stolac, a beautiful little village.

The walk up to the top was pretty brutal... we took lots of breaks.

But, the view was worth it!

The students and our guide, Gorana, at the top!

Happy to be walking down on the way back instead of up again :)

Up next was paintball, which was a ton of fun. We split up into pretty even teams. I can't remember how many times each team won and lost, but we all had fun! Thanks again to Gorana for helping us get there!

Ok so maybe the black team vs. the camo team had a numbers advantage, but only two of us on the black team had been before, and both of us were wearing glasses!

We grabbed a late snack (crepes) before turning in for the evening of another amazing day in Mostar. Thankfully we got to sleep in a bit the next day!

The next day began with training from Dino Joldić of AirRec, a local photography company that uses drones to capture aerial footage. The students started out with some demonstrations and working on a drone simulator to learn the skills necessary in order to fly a drone properly, then they actually got to fly one!

Bri works with Dino on mastering the controls.

Victoria's drone takes flight!

Before continuing the training for the day, we had lunch at a local restaurant that sits on the river… literally. We sat out on a small little islet that is surrounded by the river and had some amazing river food that Mateo recommended, including eel, frog legs, lobster (I’d call them crawdads), and other local delicacies. All of it was delicious, and kudos to the students for being adventurous eaters!

The bridge to lunch.

Beautiful river and amazing food, winning combination.

Surprised me how much I liked the grilled frog!

Up next was a tour of the first floor of INTERA, which is where ventilation system company Alfa Therm is housed. They took us on a tour of the company and showed us the various departments that are housed at INTERA, including the CNC machining and metal working in the basement. It was interesting to see a company that is completely vertically integrated and doing every step in the process needed to create ventilation systems for large buildings in BiH and Croatia.

Our tour of Alfa Therm included all of the departments.

They have some impressive technology that allows them to put sensors on every part of their systems in order to monitor whether everything is running smoothly or not.

They also had a complete CNC machining area and metal work space in the basement... I had no idea it had been there the whole time!

In the late afternoon students ended the day with Ivan Pavlovic of EZ Training provided students with an overview of 3D printing on the ground floor of INTERA.

Working on 3D printing with Ivan!

Afternoon activities included shopping at the mall, meeting up with Nikola and Dario to get coffee, and swimming at Mateo’s house.

Coffee time!

While they were busy doing that, I traveled to Neum with Vedran to greet his family, which was a lot of fun. The BiH coast may be small, but it makes up in beauty what it lacks in size!

Amazing spot... just visit!

Selfie in Neum w/Vedran!

I also met Jelena’s family, including her niece Lara, whose favorite subject is English. I can definitely tell, she speaks it better than I do already!

Lara is the one closest to me. Can't wait to take one of the tours she wants to lead one day!

Heading up to Jelena's family's home felt like a trip through Ireland at one point!

On Thursday the day began with robotics and Arduino programming, which allowed students the opportunity to program controllers which could complete tasks using switches, LEDs, and potentiometers. The training also gave them an understanding of how to use setups and loops in programming as well as how to populate a breadboard. Gloria explained to me that it will be helpful for the robotics course she’s taking next year, and it was a new experience for the students.

You can't read it but I believe this says "Mr. Grieve." They programmed me...

Learning Arduino coding.

Lunch was at INTERA, and it was great pizza… but with mayonnaise. I was wondering how long it would happen, but I’ve finally found a food in Bosnia and Herzegovina that I don’t like (or food combination, more accurately). The pizza was great too, so I don’t understand why they’d put mayonnaise on it! Still, Bri seemed to enjoy it!

Pizza is always better without mayonnaise...

After a bit more training at INTERA and programming, the students traveled to the Center for Technical Education, right across the street from the mall, where Ivan explained the programs they have for local students in robotics, Minecraft, computer design, and more. We also got to see their maker space, which all of us wanted to play in for a while longer!

Checking out some of the work that the local students have done recently in their maker space.

They also have a cool robotics lab for the students to use.

After that, it was off to the mall, where we got some shopping in before evening activities, which consisted of visiting the Koskin-Mehmet Paša Mosque, eating way too much food at Šadrvan, and shopping before playing soccer (sorry... football!). We lost, but it was a great way to end the evening (even though my poor goalie skills lost us the game). And, I finally got to see Dario and Nikola today!

The mall!

The view from the top of Paša Mosque!

Dinner at Šadrvan was way too much, but delicious!

Tomorrow: Sarajevo!