I’m Julie. I am 20 years old and a junior at The College of Wooster. I’m spending my Fall 2009 semester abroad in the Balkans. The program, SIT World Learning, is based in Zagreb, Croatia. I will be staying with a host family there. I will also be traveling to Belgrade, Serbia, where I will have another homestay, and to Sarejevo, Bosnia, where our group will stay in hostels.
The aim of of the program, as I interpret it, is to learn about the area in its post-Yugoslavian state. We will learn all about the cultural tensions among the recently formed countries and the history of the many wars they have been involved in. With this knowledge, we can better understand their daily progress and how they are moving forward through peacebuilding organizations.
For more information on the program, go to: http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/ssa_hrr.htm
Well, I guess that explains it a bit! Awesome – have fun and learn a bunch!