BBI: Home Sweet Home

As a foreigner who doesn't have international calling or access to internet to my apartment yet, BBI has become my safe haven. BBI stands for Bosnian Bank International, which I think is the company that owns the building. It is essentially a Bosnian mall equipped with everything American malls have and more: a food court, expensive clothing stores, restaurants, a grocery store, and a fitness center. We went there our second day to get food and phones and were quite thrilled to discover that it also has free wi-fi. Score! That's where I have been for the bulk of my internet access during my time here. I am unsure how to truly convey the sense of security and comfort I feel going to BBI. It feels like a little piece of America amongst this strange land. Sure, they have inclined people walkers instead of escalators, but it feels nice and commercialized.

Besides free wi-fi, I think one of the coolest things about BBI is their giant chess boards right outside. I had to wait a week to get a picture of this because there is hardly ever anybody playing when I walk by. Jennifer, if you and Mark ever come to Bosnia, you have to play a game here. I haven't payed enough attention to the games to see if the people playing are actually good, but I imagine they would be. Who would go play a giant game of chess with lots of spectators if they weren't any good?

When we have double service days (translation: two 3-hour rehearsals in one day with a 5-hour break in between), I usually go to BBI to use the wireless. You can use it up on the 4th floor where the food court is without feeling too obligated to buy anything. BBI is equipped with a great DM store too. It's a German chain that has mostly beauty products and a little bit of food. That is where I have had the most success in finding American brands of things like shampoo. It's a bit more expensive than the Bosnian brands, but at least I know what it is.

The first time I went here was with the other Americans, Alisa, and Mattia. Mattia is an Italian horn player who also lives in our building. We were downstairs waiting for our id pictures to be developed when he and Tim decided to check out the arcade. Yes, there is an arcade in the mall. :) I should have snapped a picture while they were playing one of the car racing games. Oh well. I may have been distracted by the wi-fi.