AHS-2018-10-06

Interviewer

Cheryl Green

Date of Interview

Fall 10-6-2018

Interview Location

St. Louis, MO

Length of Interview

1900-01-00

Date of Birth

1990

Gender

Male

Religion and/or Ethnicity

None Given

Description

Born in Trebinje Bosnia to a father from that city and a mother from Montenegro, Family left Bosnia at the outbreak of the conflict to Montenegro, Stayed in Montenegro for a few months and then became refugees in Germany for 7 years, Learned German fluently and adjusted to life there, Stayed in a small town where family was the only refugees, Made friends with the help of soccer which made life easier, After studying in Germany moved to St. Louis where he felt of out sorts, Remembers other Bosnian children of the neighborhood warning him about certain areas in the city, Was amazed to have so many other Bosnian now living so close to him, War made it that family was scattered all over the world and communication was very difficult until Viber and WhatsApp became available, Visited Bosnia after graduation and enjoyed the trip, Enjoyed seeing his grandparents and experiencing the culture and traditions of the country, After returning to St. Louis felt a sense of pride that he was Bosnian, Identifies as Bosnian American as being born in Bosnia is a very important thing and is a big part of him but grew up in St. Louis and has the marks of all that on him as well, Learned English pretty easily in about 3 or 4 months but at the same time forgot Germen which he thought would never happened, Remembers first trip to Bosnia that he was scared that the war would happen again, All around him in the city of Sarajevo buildings were destroyed and falling down, There was bullet holes everywhere and in the apartment where they were staying there was a large hole in the bathroom from a shell that had fallen there, If there was no war belives that family and himself would have stayed in Bosnia as they had land and an apartment in the country, Would have loved to move back to Bosnia but feels it is too late now as he has grown up fully in the United States and this is now his home, Wants future generations to remember to judge people off their character and nothing else, Not to hate simply because someone tells you to hate but to look at each person as an individual and treat them off what their character deserves.

Keywords

Trebinje, Montenegro, Germany, St. Louis, Identify, Sarajevo After War, Future

Pre-War Residence

Trebinje

Wartime Residence

Trebinje, Montenegro, Germany

First Country of Residence

Montenegro

First US Residence

St. Louis, MO

Document Type

Oral History

Collection

Affton High School

Digital Format

MP4

Digital Publisher

Center for Bosnian Studies

City

St. Louis, MO

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