If you didn't already know, I am David, a 71-year-old British expat living in Bosnia and Herzegovina and someone who has lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the past 22 years.
This podcast blends engaging conversations with locals and narrative-driven episodes that take you on immersive journeys through the region’s history, food, and everyday life.
Navigating Identity: 25 Years Abroad in Bosnia
The dogs are barking at the gate again.
Now whether it's the postman or someone delivering a package, I can never tell. They simply just like to bark.
Today, my mind has been drifting back to a question that has been niggling at me for ages. “After 25 years here and abroad, have I lost my Britishness?”
Having moved to Bosnia nearly two-and-a-half decades ago, I initially clung tightly to my British roots. I would cook traditional English meals, carrying back treasured ingredients like Marmite, mint jelly, and Christmas pudding from my trips to the UK.
My “new” home here in Bosnia transformed every June as we celebrated the Queen’s birthday, (now the King’s), with gin, cucumber sandwiches, and coronation chicken.
The video above is from 2012. It might give you a flavour of what it was like.
Why the Canadian flag? Well Tamara is a Canadian citizen.
My Bosnian neighbours and friends thought the cucumber sandwiches were particularly offbeat, but I adored blending my past with my present.
Over time though, these traditions began to fade.
Our British Christmas for example, on December 25th, distinct from the Serbian Christmas on January 7th, is now more subdued. Yet, I still feel caught in between two worlds.
That’s why, I think, I call myself an “in-betweener,” living in a space where I'm neither fully one thing nor the other.
Lately, nostalgia has been more pronounced. I’ve switched my morning coffee to British “builders” tea, using precious tea bags that have been brought from England.
The local version of black tea simply can't compare.
My morning toast with Marmite which was somewhat of a ritual, has faded a bit due to my supplies running low.
Finding someone to bring back large jars of Marmite has become a mission.
Watching BBC iPlayer brings me fleeting moments of British connection too. With internet and satellite TV, I can keep up with various programmes that I really enjoy “Binge Watching”.
As time passes, and being the age that I am now, my mind has been focussing on life's later stages.
Where will I end up?
While I often miss Britain, I've found the quality of life here aligns well with my means, especially with my pension stretching further than it would in the UK.
Despite the chill in the air today, Bosnia’s dry cold beats the dampness of British winters. A run-in with illness had me sidelined for much of this year, but I’m hopeful for a brighter 2025.
Global expats reading this might understand the balancing act of maintaining a sense of home while appreciating life abroad. Even after 25 years, I’m still often surprised to find myself far from where I started, having arrived on a six-month stint back in September 1998, that never really ended.
Life here in rural Bosnia has its charming quirks. Just today, I received a message with pictures from Tamara’s father, displaying the traditional butchering of a pig. Unlike back in the UK, where regulations are stringent, the countryside here maintains its self-sufficiency, farm-raised and home-smoked meat is the norm.
Sausages and dried, cured meat
Creating content around these experiences once felt daunting, yet people seem interested in what I post.
Today is Saturday, and this post will go live tomorrow.
As the year winds down, I'm looking forward to securing my last year of temporary residency, as I am now eligible to apply for permanent residency, which I hope to have by April time.
I think I’ll feel a bit unusual, being a Brit with a Bosnian ID.
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As ever stay safe wherever you are.
Bests
David and Tamara.
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