VIDEO: 5 Things NOT to do in Bosnia (+ Bloopers)

It had been more than a week since my last video, so I decided my break from YouTube stardom had been long enough.

Here is another light-hearted video from me which is aimed at informing non-Bosnians of the five (5) things they simply cannot do if, or when, they come to Bosnia.

As I said above, this video is light-hearted, so try to avoid taking it too seriously - though, I hope it can be  useful and, perhaps even, somewhat informative to some of you. 

I have included a 'bloopers' section towards the end of the video as a bit of an extra. (It's hard filming this stuff and saying the right words without fumbling!)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video, and hopefully I am able to construct some higher-quality movies for you in the future. (I might need to move away from Windows Movie Maker, though. That program and myself really have a love-hate relationship - believe me!)

PS. I know I speak fast at times - on top of my Australian accent - so I have included a transcript below of what I said in the video in case it is difficult to understand me. (Click "Read more >>" if you can't view transcript.)

5 Things NOT To Do In Bosnia + Bloopers:

TRANSCRIPT

INTRO:

As most of you know, I've been here in Bosnia for more than 10 months now. So, over this period of time I've learned quite a lot of things about this country, its people and its traditions.
So, I thought I'd make a video for you guys if you ever happen to come to this country for whatever reason.
So, today, I'm making a video for you, it's: The 5 things you cannot do when you come to this country.
These are 5 things I've learned over this time, very much so.
Have a look, and hopefully you enjoy.

PART 1:

The first thing that you cannot do when you come to Bosnia, especially if you're going to Sarajevo or Zenica, is look at one of these stray dogs in the eye.
Trust me on this. I've experienced it myself, and it's not a good experience.
A lot of those stray dogs outside, a lot of them are nice guys, you can get along with them, and there's no problem.
But a lot of them are also really vicious and nasty. If there's eye contact for even 1 second, they will not stop short of attacking you and what-not.
So you really have to be prepared and take caution when you're outside.
As I said, I experienced a bad experience earlier this year. Luckily I had something on me to protect me in that moment.
Here, watch this re-enactment of what happened when a dog tried to attack me outside because I looked him in the eye. I mean, c'mon.

PART 2:

Now the second thing I've learned that you cannot do while you are in Bosnia is leave one of these windows open as you open the front door .. because hell will break loose. Just watch.
"See ya, Selma. Enjoy. Ciao."
"Bye."
"S%#^, close the door! Close the door!"

PART 3:

The third thing that you cannot do while you're in Bosnia is bring up the topic of the war, unless it is absolutely necessary.
There's a lot of people here who might not have a problem with discussing it, but there's also many - as you can imagine - who have gone through a lot and the emotions are still raw after all these years. So just be cautious, and don't bring it up for no reason.
Unless they want to talk about it - then talk about it. But, other than that, just don't.
"So, guys, you should tell me about that war. It would've been interesting, what happened, y'know. Tell me all about it for once. I really want to know what happened. Y'know, every gory detail. Just tell me."
"Come on, guys, it was just a question. Seriously. Come on, guys."

PART 4:

The fourth thing I've learned you cannot do in Bosnia is wear shoes inside a house or apartment.
It's very different to Australia where we can just waltz around in our shoes and it's not that much of a problem.
But people here really like to look after their apartment and make sure it's clean.
I've seen a lot of my friends - and myself included - who have walked around apartments with their shoes on without realising. A lot of people look at them and they're not happy at all, to say the least.
So, keep that in mind.
"Thanks for letting me back in, guys. I promise I won't ask that question again. Oh, s%#^, I forgot! S%#^."
"I'm serious, guys. I forgot. I seriously forgot."
"Come on, guys. Let me back in."

PART 5:

The fifth and final thing that you cannot do in Bosnia is, at the kitchen dinner table, say that you "can't anymore," that you're full, or - as they say locally - "ne mogu vise."
The women who cook this food for you will be so offended. They put so much effort into this food.
It's their pride and joy. It's their work of art to make this food. So, if you don't eat every single crumb, they're going to be pretty offended by you.
So, you may as well look a dog in the eyes. You may as well open the windows. You may as well discuss the war. You may as well wear your shoes inside.
If you say "ne mogu vise"; if you say you "can't anymore" at the dinner table, those women are going to get pissed off. They're going to be so offended.
It's suicide to say that to them. So, just don't say it. It's the most important thing.
That's why my voice is being raised. Listen to my words. Don't say it. I learned the hard way.
Just don't - say - it!