Although her and her parents were born here in America, junior Selma Sabovic is proud of her cultural background. Her dad’s side of the family is from Montenegro, where as her mom’s is from Bosnia. Sabovic’s parents wanted to carry out many traditions from both of their cultures here in America, so when she was was younger, she enrolled in Bosnian and Montenegrin language and dance classes. There she learned how to better portray her cultures, and learned many new things about them. For example, how close her two cultures are in similarity, aside from being two different countries.

Aside from the language and dances, Sabovic has also become exposed to different types of Bosnian foods. One of her personal favorites is called Palacinke, which resembles a French crepe. It has become a tradition for her mother to make this dish for her every year on the morning of her birthday.

Another very important aspect of her culture is weddings. In the Bosnian/Montenegrin culture, traditional weddings are always very grand, with many family members and friends. After the wedding, the husband’s family usually goes to the wife’s home to pick her up, and she moves her in with her new husband.

“Weddings are so important to the culture. There are always big parties before, and the wedding reception is even greater. Attending Bosnian weddings are one of my favorite things about the culture because of how big the celebrations are,” Sabovic said.

Because Sabovic has many family members who live out of the country, her and her family went to Montenegro to visit some of her distant family. On the trip, Sabovic was able to see the type of lifestyle they live there, and how their culture plays a role in their everyday lives. Sight seeing and lounging on beaches seemed to be the most popular, which proves how peaceful their environment is.

“Being intact with your culture, I think, is very important because it allows you to always have something to be proud of and want to express,” said Sabovic. “I loved being able to see my culture first hand and experience for myself the lifestyle they live.”