AHS-2018-02-12

Interviewer

Ado Kekic

Date of Interview

Fall 2-12-2018

Interview Location

St. Louis, MO

Length of Interview

1900-01-01

Date of Birth

1970

Gender

Female

Religion and/or Ethnicity

Muslim

Description

Born and lived in Brcko with parents and brother until the age of 14, Father had a business with multiple employees while mother worked in a shoe factory, Considered a middle class family who enjoyed vacations on the coast during the former Yugoslavia, Remembers changes before the war happening such as going to school with soldiers in the streets and being told to go back home, Witnesses to Serbian soldiers planning attacks on the city before the attack using JNA warplanes, Witness to the destruction of bridge connecting Brcko to Croatia by Croatian forces and they feared the Serbian army would use it to cross into the country, Forced to flee county first to Gunja where grandfather lived and later Zagreb, Life was difficult and as a child did not know what was happening, Moved eventually to Germany where life was still hard as language and land was unknown but still felt safe, Began to learn the language and went to school to become a hair stylish, Met future husband and together applied for refugee in the United States, Daughter was born in Germany and after her birth moved to St. Louis, Had to once again began life in a new place with a new language, Felt lost with everything from the streets to the cars being different, Opened up a cafe with husband that catered to Bosnians, With help with mutual friends and contacts able to become employed in a German hair studio using her German language skills, In the city life was harder and the school system was not the best, In order to give children the best education moved to Affton, Did not have a life normal for 20 year old but still enjoyed her life, Providing children with the best possible education is the best thing that happened to her, Believes that no side won anything in the war, Hometown is now empty and cannot see Bosnia every returning to the Bosnia it was before as many people were killed and many different forced to flee, Belives that the tensions of the past are mostly gone and that few still hold on to the propaganda and all sides and the hate that came with it, Wants future generations to always think and be smart about their actions and live their lives to the fullest.

Keywords

Brčko, Gunja, Zagreb, Germany, St. Louis, Culture Shock, Education, Propaganda

Pre-War Residence

Brčko

Wartime Residence

Brčko, Germany

First Country of Residence

Croatia

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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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.