Yesterday, I wandered around western Mostar looking for the vet’s office. Hopeless. In Mostar, about 5% of streets have signs and numbers. I thought I knew where it was. Forget it. I did stumble upon a betting shop in the middle of nowhere, and a great view of the mountains surrounding Mostar.
I gave up and wandered away.
I walked down to the site for the as yet unbuilt synagogue. A dire empty lot that looks like any other vacant lot, except for the gates decorated with Menorahs, and a sign describing the project. The cornerstone sits in the center of a weed strewn lot. Where did the money go? Why has this sat undeveloped for 12 years? Will it ever be completed? The Orthodox church, too, remains unbuilt. Yet, on the western side, the Croatian center is open and busy with activities. Outside the center is a creche, which has these larger than life-size cut-out figures of Mary, et al inside a beautiful wooden manger. Someone told me Mostar has only about 30 Jewish families, who live a quiet life. What will happen if the government manages to agree on the “Sejdić-Finci” agreement? i always forget that Croatians are a minority majority because here they are the majority. What will happen if they lose their majority status is the fear. It is perhaps too easy to equate the divisions here with our civil rights movement. It is easy to understand the difficulties this country faces by walking around and living in this divided city. No one even mentions the Roma, who are both visible and invisible.
I went home and looked at the map on line. The vet can be found a street that is three different streets. According to the internet map, this vet is on a cup-de-sac but with a different street address. If I find this place, it will be one of those small victories that make my day here.
Amy in Mostar 