This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Herzegovina.
A student’s life is not the most active. Thus I like to go for a run once or twice a week. Running keeps me fit and makes me feel healthier and stronger, but most of all after the exercise I feel an incredible surge of energy. Running gives me the opportunity to empty my mind and to listen to the rhythm of my steps and the beating of my heart.
If you have ever watched the movie Forrest Gump, you probably remember the scene when Forrest was told to “Run Forrest, run!” Since the movie, you can hear people using this phrase at a person or use the person’s name he/she is familiar to you. Everywhere, runners have always attracted attention from people around them but never have I felt so much in the spotlight as I was running in the town of Mostar.
Lately, I have started running around Mostar, the city I currently live. There are no big parks or special places fit for running, so I simply run on the streets. This means not only crossing many dangerous crossroads but also drawing a lot of attention from people on the streets since there are virtually no other people running in Mostar except to catch the bus in time. People here play a lot of sports but are restricted to sports fields or sports halls. Reactions of Mostar’s inhabitants to this ‘unusual behavior’ of running on the streets include screaming, cheering, clapping, bowing and much more. On the one hand, I feel like I’m in a zoo, but on the other hand, I have never felt so supported.
There are a couple of reasons behind the differences in attitudes towards running in public. People in Bosnia, especially females, are very image conscious and don’t want to draw too much attention when they look exhausted and sweaty; the look is important in this society. Everybody talks to everybody, and in no time the whole town will know that you were running. Additionally, I don’t think Bosnians are that much aware of health issues as people in Western Europe, and they are oblivious to the fact that a run once in a while is recommended given the enormous amount of meat in their typical Balkan diet.
I'm a motivation explorer, personality type hacker, behavioral investigator and storyteller. I help startup founders, entrepreneurs, and corporate managers to understand themselves, the people they manage and how to get the best of their people. Specialty is in psychological personality types and brain-based methods. When I don't do the above, I hop around planet Earth with TravelJo.com to learn the Art and Science of people from everywhere and to give you all the free travel and tips and advice in many cool destinations.
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
2 thoughts on “Life in Bosnia: Run Forrest Run!”
Fares BoumendjelPosted on 8:28 am - Apr 4, 2017
Wow so funny, you really do have a style. I’m surprised that nobody commented on this! really entertaining thanks 🙂
CindyPosted on 9:34 am - Apr 4, 2017
Thanks for reading Fares, this piece was written by Isabel. We collaborated a few years ago when she was studying in Bosnia. Hope you’ll other content we have on this site.