Yvette Barnes (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Yvette Barnes (Bosnian Family - BOSFAM): Yvette earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from San Jose State University in San Jose, California. From 2002 to 2004, Yvette worked as a business development volunteer in Nepal where she trained a Nepali NGO on micro-enterprise development and micro-credit. After returning to the United States, Yvette worked as a project coordinator for a construction firm in Northern California. At the time of her fellowship she was pursuing a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. concentrating in International Development.



Saying Goodbye

03 Oct

My last few weeks in Bosnia were a whirlwind, work was in high gear and social occasions abounded. Now that I have had the time to reflect on my experience at Bosfam, certain things will continue to stay with me: the call to prayer, the church bells are the sounds of Tuzla , the coffee I drank, the food I ate and the places I saw…..mostly though I will remember the women of Bosfam. Beba is someone any person can look up to and admire for her achievements. The weavers whose work I know and stories I heard will remain on my mind. They cared for me like a daughter and treated me as a friend. I know this community, these women are seen by many as victims, and they were…but through the passage of time and the help and support of other people they have all become survivors. What stands out in my memories of Bosfam is the constant laughter and love of all these women who are each individual, unique, and amazing. No matter what, these women knew how to have a good laugh and all of them have a lot of love. Leaving Tuzla on my last day was a sad occasion but as someone once said you never really leave a place you love, you leave a part of your heart behind and carry a part of it with you.

Posted By Yvette Barnes (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Posted Oct 3rd, 2006

1 Comment

  • anon

    October 3, 2006

     

    Good post!

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