AHS-2015-04-12
Interviewer
Joe Bingesser
Date of Interview
4-12-2015
Interview Location
St. Louis, MO
Length of Interview
1900-01-00
Date of Birth
1994
Gender
Male
Religion and/or Ethnicity
None Given
Description
Born in Berlin to parents who had fled the Bosnian city of Derventa due to the war, Father was an officer in the JNA and noticed the Serbian takeover of the armed forces, Uncle was killed during the war as a result of mortar fire and father was wounded in the same attack, First memories are of living on a 7th floor apartment in Germany and sitting on the window sill, Bosnian culture is about taking life slow and relaxing and based off of how many experiences you have in life and not how much money, Feels that Bosnians living in America have lost this culture, Identifies as American since he was born in Germany and lives in the United States, Cannot see himself ever moving back to Bosnia, Speaks in length about Bosnian cuisine including cevapi, pita and others, Speaks about the home life of Bosnians and how they clean their homes and the tradition of taking off your shoes when entering someone’s home, People on the street or in life in general do not recognize him as anything different then American, Feels that there is a lot of misinformed people in St. Louis in regards to Bosnia who commit hate crimes against Bosnians
Keywords
Berlin, Germany, United States, St. Louis [MO], JNA, Derventa, Bosnian cuisine, Identity, Home life, Hate crimes, Growing up Bosnian American
Wartime Residence
Berlin
First Country of Residence
Germany
First US Residence
St. Louis, MO
Document Type
Oral History
Collection
Affton High School
Digital Format
MP3
Digital Publisher
Center for Bosnian Studies
City
St. Louis, MO
Copyright Note
These oral histories are made available by the Center for Bosnian Studies for research, educational, scholarly, and/or creative purposes only. All uses should adhere to the principle of fair use established under Section 107 of Title 17 the 1976 Copyright Act. More on fair use is available here: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/.