Living in Bosnia has been my dream since I first went there in 2015 and met some very motivated, interesting and inspiring people. I felt like I already knew quite a bit about the history and culture, but now I feel like I’m part of the local community. Everyone was so welcoming, open and did their best to make me feel comfortable, safe and in the right place. Because of the good atmosphere, organisation and teamwork at Svitac, I felt like a member of the organisation since the first week. Since the beginning I have been given many opportunities to experiment and find my skills to use them profitably in the organisation. I have done theatre with children and adults, taught German, organised many different creative and play workshops and learnt French with adults. I also learned how to make pita (a Bosnian pastry), how to enjoy Bosnian coffee properly and that when something goes rather “polako” (slowly), sometimes it works all the better. In summary, I can say that it was a great year full of new experiences, a diverse international team and learning a new language. I hope I was able to give something back as well. I’m glad I came and I’m sure I’ll be back soon! Vidimo se!
Anne Bonitz
was a European volunteer with the organisation Svitac (Bosnia) from October 2015 – September 2016.