I have a Facebook page for my alter ego. He posted a photo of the village of Umoljani in Bosnia and Herzegovina in early November. A lady with whom I have never interacted commented that her family was from a nearby village, Dole. She lives in California now. Dole was a little over an hour away from Mostar, where we went a few days later, so we decided to go there and take some photos to surprise her.

Dole is a small village in an idyllic setting. The few buildings on the “main” road looked unfinished and had remained like that for years. I don’t know if the previous buildings were destroyed during the Bosnian civil war (1992-1995). I also don’t know if this lady’s family left because of the war. Many Bosnians left due to the war, be they Muslim Bosniaks, Catholic Croats or Orthodox Christian Serbs.

When this lady saw the photos dedicated to her, she was very pleasantly surprised. She commented that she still has family members living in the village. She posted a photo of the house in which her grandfather was born. Several of her family members and friends liked the photos too. One who now resides in Vancouver, Canada wrote she wished they could one day meet again in the village.

Driving around felt very intrusive and voyeuristic

Driving around in a small village that does not market itself as a tourist destination felt very intrusive and voyeuristic. Still, I’m glad we did it because the lady and her friends and family enjoyed the photos.

While I do not know the circumstances under which these villagers left Dole, I couldn’t help but think of all the refugee families that are torn apart, scattered, and settling wherever they are not shooed away.

Map of Places Visited