It was good to get off the base and see things from the ground. We passed some familiar points along the road. I thought it was pretty neat to finally see the school where all this great stuff was going and to appreciate the fact that Bravo Company had personalized the peacekeeping experience in Bosnia.

We passed by the school once before we situated the vehicles and parked. The kids saw us and went wild. They were cheering as we parked and disembarked from the bus. Today was a special day for all of us. For one, we were being treated to a show from the kids in celebration of a four day Muslim holiday, Bajram. For the kids, they got a chance to see the SFOR soldiers once again along with the gifts we brought. They made us feel like celebrities.

Mr. Gallagher was an old pro and tried to coax the children into going to sit by the new guys. The kids (and the soldiers) were a little shy at first but eventually everybody warmed up. The kids put on a great show. The grade level ranged from 1st grade to 8th. They presented a dual Master of Ceremony, one spoke in Bosnian and the other in English. They performed several dance numbers. One dance number included girls and boys and was derived from an old Bosnian dance. The boys and girls were not shy at all about dancing. Another dance number included various age groups of girls who performed a dance similar to the “step” dances seen in the US. Some of the moves looked an awful lot like the “Macarena”.

There was a small opera like skit where a narrator told the story and a one boy sang. There was a solo from one of the girls. It was truly enjoyable. I thought it was great.

After the show the soldiers were invited to sit down for a home cooked Bosnian meal prepared by the teachers of the school. It was not just a meal but a feast. There was too much food to eat in one sitting but we tried. They had several traditionally Bosnian dishes. I recognized one of the deserts, Baclava. It was great. One of the teachers took a liking to one of our unmarried soldiers. Not for her own interests of course; she had a daughter and she figured that the way to a soldier’s heart was through his stomach. He wound up eating about twice as much as me.

Soon after the meal I had my first taste of Bosnian coffee. They brew it Turkish style; coffee beans are ground, water is boiled and the coffee is added to the water. Each cup is poured and then allowed to sit for a couple of minutes. You add what you like and drink it down but not to the bottom (unless you like chewing coffee grounds). It was pretty good and since I have purchased a coffee set for home, I will get a chance to brew it that way when I get back.

Next was the presentation of gifts. Bravo Company, through the efforts of Mr. Gallagher and the contributions of many families, presented the principal of the school a printer and several hundred hours of internet access. In this way we hope to connect with the Bokavici school even when we return to the states.

After the fanfare, we went back to the classroom where the kids were and those kids were going “hog wild”. Our arrival back into the room did not settle them down (In fact I think it worsened). I am not sure how it started (I think Hugh Adams started it) but the kids began requesting that we sign their hands and arms. I guess it was their version of face painting. Hugh and the Commander were probably the busiest but I signed a fair many hands and arms myself. I was thinking how their parents were going to react to SFOR Rocks! And USA and Bosnia #1. My digital camera was a big hit too. Since you can see the picture as soon as it’s snapped, the kids were lining up to get their pictures taken. Of course I ran out of disk and then I had to run myself because they were not taking no for an answer. That was when the candy came out – presenting a good diversion. I made my fighting withdrawal, issuing out candy as I went.

The day started coming to a close as Bravo company, once again through the donations of the families, presented gifts to the kids dependent on their age group. These gifts were primarily school related like notebooks, pens, etc. but nonetheless the kids seemed to enjoy them.

I snuck upstairs with a small group to see the pre-schoolers and they put on a little show for us. It was neat to see the kids faces as we presented them with books written for pre-schoolers. We had a good time as Lt. Baush asked the kids to identify all of the animals in the one book. Through the interpreter we heard their answers, first through her laughter and then through her words. I think the interpreter had as much fun as we did and the kids seemed to enjoy the time. Our time with the kids ended too soon and unfortunately we had to go back to Comanche.

It was a good experience for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I remember thinking on the way back that if nothing else, SFOR allows an environment that keeps those kids in school. That helps make what we do here worthwhile and adds some meaning to it.