Bosnia and Herzegovina - #72HT

I was amazed during this trip in this magic road and this moment was also the one that I could cross the border from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the first time in this trip I was leaving the European Union territory and going to visit an unknown destination that most of the European don't use to go. In fact I met just few people that was able to share experiences with me after visiting countries in the Balkan.

Bosnia isn't that famous as tourist destination and exactly like me few years ago, until now so much many people don’t even know where it's located in the map, even being a country since 1992.

What I knew about Europe in my high school was just what we could see in the History class that most of the time taught us about the middle ages, wars, industrial revolution focused in the countries that has more importance today. EU members, mainly from the western and southern part. I’ve never studied about Yugoslavia War for instance in the school for instance

The history that I found in the books in the past is the same about the news that we have today. Who concentrate the power of education and economic are going to always talk about you. Tell me, what do you know to about African Empires. Have you ever heard about the history of Mauritania that was part of the Ghana Empire before the 1000 AC? Probably not, me neither. The only thing that heard about African History in the school was about colonization and nowadays even having a lot conflicts, social problems, diseases, hunger and not having access of basic human needs, we still see more news from the "center of the world" than this quiet and "non important region". Try to scape from this mainstream canals of communication, search other resources and travel! 

About my ignorance, in Brazil we are so fascinated in sports. The World Cup and Olympic Games are moments that the entire country stops to watch it. It was how I knew that Yugoslavia became other countries overtime, because the soccer club and the Olympic team just became different clubs and teams after the war. It seems so silly, but also playing video games I could understand a little bit more of Geography, like when I use to play with a Serbia and Montenegro team and after few years they were 2 different ones. It seems so simple and silly, but it was how I was educated, but I'm not a special one, until now I know Europeans that couldn't say to me where Bosnia is located in the map. Can you do it for instance? 

In Brazil as well we have a strongly predominance of American movies. Sometimes we could have access to European movies, but most of them from France, UK or Italy. If I could imagine Europe before arriving here I would have just the picture of London, Paris and Rome. I've been in these three cities afterwards, but in my personal experience there are so many cities that I would prefer to visit again. After the boom of the Internet and the cinema festivals, it's really easier to see more diversity, but 10 - 15 years ago, most of the movies were just available in the cinema, TV and other medias. 

Overtime when I arrived in Europe and started to travel and meet people around that they could share some cool experiences and future tips, I could understand more about geography and culture.

Honestly the biggest motivation that I had in going to the Balkans was because one German girl that I met two years ago told me that one of the coolest countries that she ever been was Bosnia and the capital, Sarajevo, is the place that she was completely in love.

When I decided to go the Balkans I just remembered her words and feeling and I felt like give the chance for this unknown destination to surprise me and I was completely opened to check what was inside this box, getting the stamp in my Brazilian Passport from Metković, Croatia, before crossing the border and get another one in Doljani in the Bosnian part.