Bosnian Bulletin #22
December 21, 2000
Merry Christmas, everyone!!
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has
never put it out.... This was the real light -the light that
comes into the world and shines on all people." John
1:5 and 9
Indeed the light does shine here in Bosnia. At this time,
all of the religious communities are preparing for their major
holidays, which fall close together this year.
Tomorrow, the Jewish community will begin to celebrate
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights (Dec 22-29). The Catholic
and Protestant communities are preparing for Christmas services
(24th and 25th). The Islamic community is already observing
Ramadan, the month-long fast that ends with a 3-day festival of
thanksgiving (beginning Dec 27). And, the Orthodox
Christian community celebrates Christmas on the 7th of
January. So, there is an increased awareness of God's
presence shining among the people of Bosnia.
Last Friday, our interreligious choir, Pontanima, performed our
first concert of our 4-part concert series for religious
holidays (not all of the ones listed above) of the 4 major
religious communities here in Bosnia. This one was in
celebration of Catholic/Protestant Christmas. It was a
wonderful concert! The choir sang well and the church
was packed. We had brought in chairs to add more seating
along the aisles and on the sides, but even at that, many
people stood. The doors were open and people stood outside
to listen!! We were surprised at how many political
figures, religious leaders, foreign ambassadors and other
international workers attended. And, for anyone that missed
the concert, there were 5 television stations there recording the
entire concert! We sang songs from 15 different countries
in several different languages. I (Karin) even sang "O
Holy Night!" near the end of the concert. After the
concert, the Catholic community (who was hosting the concert)
invited people to a reception afterward. It was a great
opportunity for face-to-face interaction! Overall, we felt
like it was a great event to celebrate the birth of Christ!
We're very much in the Christmas spirit here. We've had a
little bit of snow, though most of it has melted, and we're
hoping for more! We bought a Christmas tree (from a Muslim
man who was as excited for Christmas as we are!) and decorated it
with Bosnian things, and have strung lights and greens all
over the apartment! We've done some Christmas baking and
are anticipating the arrival of Ryan Loewer and Suzanne Classen,
our Christmas guests, on Saturday. Together we'll go
to an English carol sing-along on Sunday evening, and
then midnight mass at the Franciscan church followed by
a huge feast put on by the Franciscans for Pontanima (which will
sing at the mass) and friends. It is always a smorgasbord
of the best of Bosnian foods and drinks with singing
and laughing that will last until dawn!!
Once again, we look forward to showing our guests around.
Since we last wrote, we had visits from Tim
Pannabecker of MCC Human Resources, Akron; Barry Hart,
associate professor at EMU who had lived here in
Sarajevo at the beginning of our term; and Katie & Gerhard
Neufeld, current MCCers in Croatia. That was their
first visit to Sarajevo since we've lived here! It was
great to spend time with them and share in our joys and
frustrations and celebrate Christmas by sharing in a great big
Indian meal!
In early December, our little church group
(the English-speaking Anglican service) had a Christmas
potluck supper and a time of sharing afterwards. We all
commented on how thankful we are to be away from the
commercialism of Christmas in North America. Here, there
are no Christmas commercials, no sale bills in the mail, and no
countdown of "shopping days until
Christmas"! Nevertheless, we will miss Christmas
"back home" for the time with family and friends and
the traditions that are familiar to us.
And now another "Frequently Asked Question":
**********
What are common occupations in Bosnia? What are average
salaries for those occupations? What are average living
expenses?
First of all, it is important to note that unemployment is very
high in Bosnia. Some figures estimate up to 80%
unemployment nationwide. Many factories (food products,
lumber, metal works, shoes, etc) were destroyed during the war
and have not been rebuilt. Foreign investment is very
limited due to perceived instability, corruption, heavy taxes and
excessive "red tape".
Having said that, common jobs would include: waiters, taxi
drivers, shopkeepers, teachers, health workers, and working
for international organizations (for example United Nations
offices, USAID, World Vision, Catholic Relief Services,
etc.)
Salaries and cost of living varies between the two entities of
Bosnia. In Federation (the Muslim & Croat-majority
entity) salaries for local jobs range from $150-$350/month
(figures are in US dollars for your comparison). In
Republika Srpska (the Serbian-majority entity) salaries range
from $75-250/month for local employment. The salaries of
budgetary beneficiaries (teachers, nurses, doctors) are
irregular. Now in December, they are expecting their Sept/Oct
salaries. Local people working for international organizations
receive between $500-1000/month.
Pensions vary from $20-50. This month they are expecting
their August pension. Just this week the pensioners
protested outside government offices with signs that said,
"We're hungry" and "Shame on you".
Salaries are higher here in the Federation, but so is the cost of
living. Monthly costs for electricity, heating and building
maintenance and telephone might average between
$75-100. High governmental taxes are included in
bills. A monthly bus ticket costs $22. A liter
of milk costs $1. A loaf of bread costs $.50.
The cost of living in Republika Srpska is not as high,
but not low enough to make up for the gap in the salaries.
Many of our visitors ask how people are able to make a
living. Our Bosnian friends would smile and say it's a
"Bosnian secret", which simply means no one knows
how, but they make ends meet. Many people receive
money from friends and relatives who are living
abroad. Those people who are lucky enough to work for an
international organization are often supporting many relatives
on their one salary.
The economic situation is very desperate in Bosnia and
people are exhausted from waiting for improvement.
Still, their generosity amazes and humbles us.
**********
During this Christmas season, we especially want to remember
those for whom Christmas is a difficult time -those who are
experiencing violence, loneliness, hunger or loss. We
also want to wish all of you a very, merry Christmas as we
remember the birth of Christ -the light that shines on all
peoples. We will miss being with you and
sharing in our traditions. Thanks for the e-mails, cards
and especially the photographs!! Enjoy the celebration
of Christmas and the coming new year! (Did anyone notice
that I dated the last bulletin as
2001?? I was getting ahead of
myself!) We'll write again in the New Year.
Sretan Bozic!! (sreh-tehn BOH-zheech = Merry Christmas)
Love and Peace,
Karin & John
Face to Face Interreligious Service
Splitska 39
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia-Herzegovina
home tel: 387 33 207 860
office tel/fax: 387 33 442 468
home: jandk@bih.net.ba
office: ociuoci@bih.net.ba
http://www.progressive-bih.com/ociuoci
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