Bosnians Find Time for Fun in New Home

Aida Ajanovic arrived in Fullerton with her family two years ago, her suitcases filled with Versace clothing and a Cartier watch but no money in her pockets for rent, furniture or a car.

The two extremes--financial struggle in the present and reminders of better times in the old country--mark the lives of Ajanovic, 45, and many Bosnian refugees who fled war in the mid-1990s and landed in Southern California.

“When we came, we needed everything,” Ajanovic said. “We had no money, no friends, no nothing.”

Ajanovic, who now lives in Irvine, spent Sunday afternoon sharing her American experiences and reminiscing about life before the war with new and old friends at a picnic sponsored by the Club of Peoples and Friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

About 200 Bosnians who are now scattered from Irvine to Palm Desert gathered at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley, where older people played cards at picnic tables and children competed in burlap sack races.

Bosnian refugees began arriving in Southern California in 1993, said Hasija Bidzan, secretary of the club. There are now about 500 living in Orange County, 300 in the Palm Desert area and 600 to 800 in Los Angeles County, according to figures compiled by the International Rescue Committee, a refugee aid group.

“This picnic is the first step in trying to find a place for us as a Bosnian community in the U.S.,” said Farida Rizvanbegovic, who teaches English classes to immigrants at College of the Desert.

“Three or four years ago, it was almost impossible to get together,” she said. “People didn’t have time because they were trying to get their lives together. Now, they’re doing better.”

Few things can tie people of similar heritage together like food, and there was plenty available Sunday.

Adem Slipac was in charge of the cooking. He served up a Bosnian version of the hamburger known as cevapcici, or ground beef formed into sausage links and served in pita bread with chopped cabbage and onions.

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After the meal, Ajanovic sat on a blanket in the shade and reflected on her two years of struggle in a new land.

Since arriving, she has trained to be a dental assistant and taken courses in bookkeeping and dental ceramics at night while working for a laboratory during the day. Her husband works for a hotel in Newport Beach. The couple have two children, a 21-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son who will enter Woodbridge High School in the fall.

Before she left Sarajevo, she said, her family owned a home and she had a high-ranking job in government, her own secretary and a personal driver. Now, she struggles to make rent and car payments.

“I will never have a life like the one I had before the war in my country,” Ajanovic said.

Still, she is hopeful for her children’s futures. “We are an American family now,” she said.

The Bosnian club welcomes new members, and its secretary, Bidzan, is also available to help refugees locate health and social services from local governments.

Anyone interested can call (213) 738-2556.