We went hiking to Lukomir today. Lukomir used to be this completely secluded village up in the mountains that was only accessible by a several hour hike. The residents were completely cut off from civilization and modern amenities and whatnot. Over the course of the past twenty years or so, the younger generations decided 'eff this!' and moved to the cities, so now the only residents are all in their 80's and only live there during the summer (since, ya know, they don't exactly have central heat). And now, it's become somewhat of a tourist destination so an access road has been created for the lazier breed of tourist so that they can drive up, take a couple pictures, and turn around and head back to Sarajevo.
Well, we hiked. For the first part anyway. I would've liked to hike back, but our group isn't composed of experienced hikers, and I'd put money on a couple people collapsing if they had to hike for 6 hours in one day. But the hike in was really astoundingly beautiful...the Bosnian countryside truly is stunning. Especially where we were. We were hiking along the Eastern rim of the largest canyon in Bosnia. Technically, according to our guide, the canyon separates Bosnia and Herzegovina. I still haven't completely figured out the difference between Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Federation and Republika Srpska. I'm not sure I'll ever get it.
Now, it's not a secret that I've been counting the days until I come home. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I feel that my internship is a complete waste of time (4 weeks to write a 6 page paper? Are we serious?) but a lot of it also has to do with the living situation. I'm a very quiet and private person by nature. Being an only child in a single-parent household for a solid portion of my life is likely the reason. I'm very comfortable with silence. I far prefer it to a lot of noise. I like calm and quiet and privacy. I'm making myself sound like a hermit, I know. I do enjoy being around people and being calm and quiet...it's just that I'm not used to a loud lifestyle with constant interaction. It's a fact. So, living in a hostel with 15 other people for two months isn't exactly my idea of a good time. Especially when the 15 other people aren't necessarily those you would've chosen to live with for 2 months. As we found out sophomore year, even when you live with three of your best friends in the same room for four months, things go awry. Quickly. And even on the days when I stay home to try to get some alone time and solitude, the cleaning lady is barging into my room and going to town.
I've tried to find places outside the hostel to get away from it all. I really have. But there aren't any parks. The library is still under construction from when the Serbians bombed it all to hell. There is literally no place in this city to find even five seconds of blissful, uninterrupted, solitary existence.
This is why Lukomir was so wonderful. On the hike up, yes, I had my headphones in blocking out everyone. I may have been a tad anti-social. Oh well. And when we got to the top, we had time to ourselves to wander. I made a beeline for a rock outcropping away from the rest of the group. So far away that I couldn't hear their voices anymore. It was just me and this incredible canyon. Nothing else. The occasional sheep bleat. A flock of birds flew by and I could hear the wind they made even though their wings weren't flapping. That's how silent it was. There was no noise. And the air was pristine, so my lungs finally got a chance to detox from the cooped-up, cigarette smoke infused air of Sarajevo proper. I had ten incredible minutes of nothing but silence (well, ok, Radiohead might have been playing in my headphones...)
It was incredible. I felt truly happy to be where I was at that exact moment, which has been something of a rarity over the course of the past two months. And yeah, it made me even more excited to get back to Colorado (since I can find all of that there too, along with about a dozen other things that I'm aching for) but for ten minutes, I was happy to be in Bosnia.
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