I will be working in Bosnia (sarajevo specifically) for a NATO contractor and I am just wondering if anyone can give me some insight to living there? Costs? Living Conditions? Safety? Issues only seen by someone living there? Ability to purchase real estate? Also, my family may be moving with me (2 small kids and my wife) is there any risk of kidnapping or abduction? Also, can I buy a car there or would I have to visit a neiboring country to purchase? Any info would be great as all I have to go by is what the employer is saying, and of course they are going to make it sound like paradise, with a few bombed out buildings of course.
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Haven%26#39;t been to Sarajevo for a few years but the following is probably not too far off the mark: cost of living on a NATO contract would be easily affordable, but would depend on your requirements. Obviously higher if you bring the family - have you thought this through? Wouldn%26#39;t you be better off going by yourself and seeing how the land lies with education facilities in English and suitable properties before bringing them over? By real estate I assume you mean housing? There is a flourishing property market, and also a lot of provision of rental property upgraded to suit the demands of expats on expenses. Best to look in the online editions of local papers like Oslobodjenje or other online resources and get someone to translate for you. I would imagine there%26#39;s not too much risk of your wife and kids getting kidnapped. This is a European country, and one moreover awash with European and US troops, police officers, public servants and NGOs. Why don%26#39;t you contact the Canadian embassy for security advice and tips on how to tap into the expat housing and facilities circuit? And I believe they do have car dealers in Bosnia. And some rather nice restaurants. They might even have Macdonald%26#39;s now, not like when things were really tough and you had to drive into Croatia to get your freedom fries %26#39;n shake. Another point that might make you happy is that you should be able, as a NATO contractor, to use the px facilities various nations have set up for their military personnel. The largest and most popular of these used to be the Americans%26#39;, though I%26#39;m not sure whether there are significant numbers of US troops in Bosnia still. If not, there is a huge US base (Bondsteel) in southern Kosovo. If you can%26#39;t get to buy stuff yourself, as a contractor, the thing is to get a friend in the military to shop for you. You%26#39;ll survive.
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btechpc,
The previous post sounds like someone who%26#39;s been in your situation several years ago. Things have changed somewhat since his/her time in Bosnia, and Sarajevo, in particular.
This move might be somewhat of a culture shock for you, BUT, I am yet to hear any one complain about being there. Let%26#39;s start answering your questions, from what I know...
Costs of living...learn to bargain, someone posted in this forum that out of concern for their safety they paid 1000 euros/month+utilities, that is CRAZY!! You should be able to get something really nice and in the center of the city for about half that, and max up to 650 euros/month. I would suggest getting someone from the embassy to help you around. (I know for a fact that Canadian Embassy has several younger people born and raised in Sarajevo who would be able to help you out, if you contact your embassy, DO THAT...) I would not suggest looking on your own in local newspapers, you could find something in there, but you could also get ripped. Until you get settled down I would suggest checking out neighborhoods in the Center County (Opstina Centar), and would recommend Ciglane and Breka as your starting points. Both used to go as %26quot;high%26quot; scale neibourhoods before the war, and are still somewhat newer apartments, etc...once you get the feel for the city you can decide where you%26#39;d like to live...purchasing real estate, there is plenty of opportunity for that, but you might be better off renting.
Living conditions and safety, I have not felt unsafe in Sarajevo since 1995, but than I have been back every summer, so I might not be the best person to attest to that, however, living conditions have been great for the last two-three years (night life, groceries, markets, restaurants, etc...) things have been picking up steady, and I have not hear of any safety issues. As in any bigger city, there are areas that you should not be caught alone late at night, and always keep in mind that you are %26quot;foreigner%26quot; and therefore a target for local pick-picketers, just like you would be in any other European City. The city has been rebuild to a great extent, esp the heart of it, so I do not think that you%26#39;ll notice too much of that in very busy/popular areas. I have not heard of people being kidnapped in Sarajevo, or any other area in Bosnia. Well compared to the US, Bosnia is a safe heaven for the little kids. It will be different for your kids, that is for sure, they WILL BE PLAYING OUT SIDE with other kids from your building/court, etc...Public transportation is great and I am sure that will keep their interest for awhile too...in the winter, there is skiing, ice-skating, sledding, etc...and in the summer, the coast is just a short drive away...I think your kids will like this experience. Schools in English, I am not sure about, but again, another thing that your embassy could help you with.
Cars, you can buy a car in Sarajevo. I would not buy and SUV, ridiculous, get something small with all wheel drive, since parking might be an issue. I also would look into importing a car, but I am sure there are tax penalties etc.
As far as food, restaurants go, you scored a jack pot. There is no Mickey-D%26#39;s in Sarajevo, but if you cannot live without it, well, this experience might be tough for you. If you are willing to try local cuisine, you%26#39;ll eat well for little money. I hope you do.
The previous post is right in stating that if you need some things that you are used to buying in Canada, you%26#39;ll be able to find it in various bases, so do not worry about that.
So, hope this helps, if you have any Q%26#39;s post in here and I%26#39;ll try and help.
Sarajevo is a beautiful city, people are nice with some exceptions just like anywhere in the world.
Good luck!
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If you have not find the accomodation yet I have a newly refurbished building with two apartments accross the street from Danish Embassy. There are multiple Embassies in the vicinity and the police officer is in front the Danish Embassy 24/7 - 5 meters from the house, with the view of the entrance. You can contact me at olga@dublin.ie.
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It won%26#39;t be a problem for you to find a school in English, there are International Schools in Sarajevo. For example, you can contact QSI - Quality Schools International for details.
You won%26#39;t miss McDonald%26#39;s in Sarajevo or Bosnia in general, traditional cuisine is much better than this :) I wonder why is this such a big issue :P We don%26#39;t have it, because we don%26#39;t feel need for it.
Housing is easy to find, anyone can recommend you something.
Safety is not a problem at all as a you were told by other members. I find second post helpful (when it comes to correct information), so I won%26#39;t repeat things.
If you have any questions you can contact me at tresnja.s@gmail.com
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Bosnia is like every other european country it is not latin america. so don´t worry everything will be fine...
i wish u pleasant stay and welcome you to BiH.
here you can finde a lot of usefull informationa about Bosnia
http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/
and if u have any questions don´t hesitate to contact me
savic@yahoo.com i will be delighted to help u as much as i can.
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