So I am finally here! Sarajevo is by far one of the prettiest places I have ever been. I think I have finally recovered from jet lag and am settling into some kind of routine (although routine doesn't really exist in Bosnia as I have come to learn.)
My flights were all pretty good. On my long flight on the way to London, I talked to a German girl sitting next to me for a few hours. She was very sweet and it was interesting to hear about her life at the university there. On the next flight, I talked with a sweet couple from Australia who were going to visit family in Croatia. I am always really shy initially to talk to the people sitting next me, but they always end up being really great and then I wonder why we sat in silence for so long.
When I got to Sarajevo, I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to find Taylor (the mom of the family I'm staying with) but the airport turned out to be super empty and super small! Taylor and Josh live about 30 mins away from the airport and Sarajevo is set up like a long skinny strip (similar to Las Vegas guess). It was late, so I didn't get to see how pretty the city was until morning. The next morning, I woke up and went to church with the Irby's (the kids Israel (4) and Elijah (3) are great by the way, very full of energy and imagination). At church, I met a lot of the Irby's friends, 2 other married couples, 2 guys, and 3 girls. I just love listening to worship in another language because it's so different to the way I normally experience God. The sermons are usually translated into English, so I was able to follow along.
The rest of this week I have been watching the kids while Taylor and Josh go to their language studies and have gone on a couple adventures, riding the tram, and walking around the city center. I got to watch Israel's ballet class (so cute!) and observe a preschool class that Taylor teaches occasionally to help her with her language. We also hung out with the Svaki Student team a bunch of times this week, one of which was going to a gorgeous park called Vrelo Bosne and playing frisbee in the rain! I have really enjoyed getting to know all of them! Everyone has been so nice and friendly to me, it is such a blessing.
It has rained more times in my first week here than it has all summer in Phoenix! Hahaha I was surprised that the rain was steady for hours, not just hard for 10 mins, quite a change from what I'm used to. Overall, the weather has been amazing, consistently 75-80 deg for the high! Ahh pure bliss! I'm excited to see a real fall soon with gorgeous oranges, yellows, and reds on the trees!
This upcoming week promises to be awesome! On Wednesday, Taylor, the kids, and I leave for the coast of Croatia to stay in a nice hotel on the beach for a conference.
Prayer requests: Please be praying that I would be able to start picking up some more basic Bosnian and be able to start navigating the city a little more on my own! :)
