Asthma in Sarajevo

When I first started researching Sarajevo before coming here, I came across a few websites that warned of the air quality. They mentioned that it was important especially for people with asthma to make sure that they bring enough medicine to last the duration of their stay. I also heard that the air in the winter was the worst, due to the lack of winds that usually move air out of the valley. However, nothing prepared me for the reality of these claims. During my flight from Munich to Sarajevo in September, I knew exactly when we started flying over Bosnia before our pilot announced our descent. I could literally see how polluted the air was.

I had a hard time adjusting to the air when I first arrived here. State-side, I have seemed to outgrow my asthma. It doesn't bug me too much when I forget to take my daily inhaler, and I rarely have to use my fast-acting one even when I do an intensive cardio workout. Here though, I can always tell when I haven't kept up with my medicine. During the first week I was here, I took my fast-acting inhaler before rehearsals because of all of the smoke in our work environment. People smoke everywhere here, and it is almost impossible to avoid unless you become a bit anti-social. It is quite rare to find a place in Bosnia where smoking is forbidden, since it is ingrained in their culture. It bothered me in the beginning before I was used to the smoke. In fact, during our first opera performance, I remember having to drink water to keep from coughing because of the smoke that filled the pit during the intermissions. Nobody actually smokes in our rehearsal or performance spaces, but it creeps back into those areas from the cafe and the lounge. After a couple of weeks though, I rarely had to fight back coughs.

I have also noticed that any time I go away from Sarajevo, I go through the same break-in period when I return. It happened when I returned from Munich for Oktoberfest and after our tour in Italy. After my most recent trip, my transition to the smog was quite bad. In addition to the usual coughing and extra congestion, I was sick with a cold. Luckily though, I was able to avoid the rooms that most people smoked in without feeling too much like an outcast. The first week, the orchestra only had two performances and two rehearsals. The second week, I had nothing with the orchestra and instead played in a conducting recital at the music academy, which is the only place in Bosnia I have found that has “no smoking” signs. However, I never went into the faculty lounge where my friends were drinking coffee (and thus also smoking) because my sickness made me too sensitive to the smoke.

I can confirm that the air here is much worse in the winter. I think that was the main reason I caught a cold when I returned from the clean sea air. Many days when I look out my window in the winter, I can't even begin to see the hills that are only a few kilometers away from my building. I live close to the airport and can also hear when the planes aren't land due to the intense smog. I can feel how the air is more dense with pollution than it was when I arrived in September. I've never been to Los Angeles, but apparently Sarajevo in winter is like LA in the summer.

The moral of the story is that if you are really sensitive to the air for medical or other reasons, be prepared when you come to Sarajevo. It is a beautiful city, especially in non-winter months and is definitely still worth the visit.