Hello all, just a little story I wish to share with you from a while back. In April of 2011 I went on a High School Skiing trip to the mountains near Sarajevo in southern Yugoslavia, I can’t remember the name of the resort, only that it was within driving range of the city. My Dad had a bit of a mid life crisis mid-late 2010, much to the chagrin of my Mother he also discovered eBay at the same time, He’d been a Skier in his youth and had the crises had rekindled the flame. Three weeks in and we were up to the gunnels with Skis, boots, poles and enough winter gear to shame the Finnish Army!
Fortuitously the winter of that year meant that it was all put to good use and we all headed out to Glen Coe for the occasion. It was at the same time that the school PE department announced that it was arranging the trip to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; I felt that my skills were of the level that I could undertake it, plus I wanted to travel. There was a slight mar though, the entire trip, to and from the resort was to taken on a bus. Worst. Journey.... Ever. Nah actually there was allot of banter and fun
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The trip lasted a week, and at the tail end we went for a shopping excursion to Sarajevo. We stopped for a bite in a local cafe, I ended up across from a much older Gentleman, I assumed he couldn’t understand me, so I was surprised when He asked in clear English “pass the Salt”, I should admit at this point that I was not versed in the local tongue. We got to talking despite this, it turned out his Name was Joseph, he told me that he could speak English from the literature courses he took in University and that he had wasted said education chasing a girl from Belgrade. I asked Joseph a bit about the history of Yugoslavia, he surprised me by telling me that Yugoslavia is infact a multitude of Nations within a Nation. They are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia (were Joseph was born in 1927), Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Vojvodina and Slovenia
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In Joseph’s words, an Empire in miniature, “How does it all hold together” I asked, he said that all of the republics retain a degree of autonomy as well as an involvement in Belgrade. He also told me that, “Yugoslavian Nationalism” helps as well, it consists of encouraging unity and support for each internal Republic, rather than one individual Republic. It’s a very grey and strange beast. Yugoslavia really is a law unto itself, advertised as one nation, but instead a union of eight, Nationalism that supports a union, instead of frowning on it. Other interesting points, Yugoslavia has no official anthem or language! It really is Europe’s oddball.
OOC, a few notes: If anyone feels this is ill advised please let me know. Also could you maybe take the time to grade this as a writen work, just weather or not I have any knack for story telling.