July 8: One night in Bosnia!

Monday started off bright and early at the Bellevue Hotel. We all woke up and got ready for the long bus ride from Plitvice, Croatia to Bugojno, Bosnia. Our bus passed by a landscape so beautiful it felt like a fairytale! Rolling hills and towering mountains so high they were above the clouds were brimming with lush greenery. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Una in Jajce, and had a delicious meal of french fries (we were very excited for the fries), chicken breast, bread, and salad.

Photos from our beautiful drive:

Not only was the food delicious; the view was beautiful. There were waterfalls, and everyone stopped to watch the powerful water flow into a pool in which some people were swimming. We then made our way to Bugojno and were greeted with refreshments and the smiling faces of the Bugojno vocal ensemble.

Kimani and Enahm atop the walls around the pools.

Sofia and friends admiring the waterfall at our lunch stop.

First meeting with the host choir

Once we had rehearsed, we split up into our host families. When we finally got to the home of our “host sister”, Tijra. Food had been laid out on the table by her mother. There was so much food that it felt like a grand feast! Tijra’s mother, with much hospitality, kept insisting that we eat everything on the table! There was chicken, soup, lasagna, spinach rolls, and salad. Once we could eat no more, we prepared ourselves for the concert collaboration and put on our formal attire. We took a taxi to the concert space and soon found ourselves in the midst of a flurry of chatter, excited children, and even news anchors who came to interview us. Two of Boston City Singers’ prominent seniors, Alexis and Siveny, were interviewed for this momentous occasion.

Jane with Paula, our tour guide, translating for Bosnian TV!

All at once, the concert began as singers filed onstage and sang Imagine by John Lennon. Each choir proceeded to share their music, and we enjoyed the Bugojno choir’s performance because they sang traditional as well as modern songs. When BCS came onstage, the crowd seemed to enjoy our music, and enjoyed the music even more so when both choirs joined together to sing “Bugojno Moje”, which was a song we learned in Bosnian. Sophia and Jinho sang solos and the crowd loved that they were singing in their language.

World Rhythm Ensemble doing their thing.

"Bugojno Moje"

After the concert, people in the audience thanked us for coming and said that it was so fun to watch us because it looked like we were having fun. Then we met up with Tijra and a few of her friends and walked around the city, stopping at their favorite spot to hang out, a restaurant by the name of “Little Big”. We chatted over pizza and refreshments and saw many other children from the other choirs because it was such a popular destination for people in Bugojno to go. We got to know each other, and learned that our new friends were big fans of Ariana Grande and Lorde! When we got back to our hostess’s home, her mother yet again implored us to eat her food, this time a delicious chocolate cake with watermelon. To end the night, we played Uno with Tijra and her little sister, Hana. It was a great day, and we slept well in a comforting home with a very welcoming family.

-Cora and Hannah

Singer of the Day: Siveny, for great helpfulness and awareness of other people's needs. As well as going on Bosnian television along with Alexis with very short notice and representing Boston City Singers extremely well.