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Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura Profile picture
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3 Jan, 8 tweets, 2 min read
Hello @ the entire United Kingdom, I missed my early years of education due to war and genocide. I had to be stuck inside and wasn’t able to play. I caught up! When schools did open, I absolutely kicked ass at school and so did most of my classmates. Your kids will be fine.
I’m also one of the most sociable people out there. I also moved to the US and missed some school there and didn’t speak a word of English when I started and still....I was fine! Straight A student, college, career....etc. Your kids will be fine!
Your kids and their teachers and your families deserve to be safe above everything. Yes, it is tough being inside on children and parents and yes, everyone wants kids in schools. But take care of them now and we can return to normal soon.
And we also live in a vastly more interactive world now than we did when I had to miss school. There’s online learning, apps, video games, social media...all of these things to keep kids feeling in touch and help them continue to learn. It’s not ideal but it’s better than death!
I love my child and I love your children too. I love their teachers and their staff...and because I love them, I understand while inconvenient and while not ideal, schools must remain shut and we must protect them and each other. It will be okay. Kids are tough and smart.
I also want to say, in 2019 we moved to London in May, which resulted in my child having to miss a few months of school, we had to sort out visa stuff which resulted in another couple months, then Covid hit and she had to miss school again. But she’s doing great. She’s brilliant.
I was super worried about the effects of it but she’s caught up, even when on break we do daily activities (time for reading, maths, social stuff, music...etc). Yes, it requires more effort on my part but also again kids are sponges when it comes to learning. They’re gonna be ok.
So, if you are worried as a parent, please understand that there is a way to get through this that doesn’t endanger others or your family. It’s not easy but life just isn’t easy for anyone right now. We have to do what’s best for everyone. Put those worries away.

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Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura Profile picture
3 Jan
Thanks. What is your evidence that a few weeks/months of missing school will have horrific consequences on children? What is your evidence that in 15 years time, kids that missed a couple months of school socialisation (they still have online learning) will not be fine?
Anyway, I did not have drive or motivation when I started school after the war or even when I moved to the US. It was just school. I came. I showed up. I learned. I did my homework. The same way millions of kids do each day. It’s about the fact that kids still learn and persevere
The frustrating argument about “well what about all these other issues” is that all the other issues they mention (familial issues, poverty, lack of social safety nets) will continue to exist and kids will still be impacted them even if in school during covid. But they wont die.
Read 4 tweets
Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura Profile picture
9 Nov 20
My perspective on the “healing and reconciliation” with Trump supporters as a Bosnian genocide survivor:

For healing and reconciliation to take place, you must have first admittance by the offending party and above all that party must be the one to ask for forgiveness.
As humans, we are taught that forgiveness and the ability to forgive is a virtue. But we are rarely, if ever taught, how to actually take that step, admit our wrongdoing, and ask for forgiveness. Most people are, people that have deeply fallen to propaganda even more so.
I am of the strong belief that we can and should work with people who have differing opinions than ours, political ones and personal ones. I also know that believing “Jews will replace us” and “Immigration are all rapists” is not a matter of political difference.
Read 15 tweets
Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura Profile picture
8 Nov 20
Immigrants have a complex relationship with the United States, while I think it’s easy for people to laugh how “corny” some messages may be I also don’t think many understand the sheer pressure of assimilation in the USA that makes immigrants work so hard to prove themselves.
Some empathy would be good in understanding why many immigrants laud themselves as “proud Americans” and why they work so hard to prove that. It’s because at every turn they are told they have to and that nothing they do is good enough.
Patience is something I think more radical people tend to lack. The road to disconnect from American exceptionalism is immensely long. It used to bother me too, but it’s a deeply ingrained message that takes a lot of work to unearth.
Read 4 tweets
Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura Profile picture
8 Nov 20
I respect Biden’s stance on Bosnia in the 90s, truly. But here is also where I disagree with many of my fellow Bosnians. I can’t be a single issue citizen. Even if he manages to save Bosnia from ruin, I still shudder at his other domestic and foreign policies.
The ongoing disagreement with me and my Bosnian friends isn’t that Biden wasn’t a good advocate for Bosnia. It’s that it’s not the 90s anymore, America is in turmoil, Bosnian-Americans exist and will be impacted by a lack of progressive policies too. Dayton will still exist.
And yes, I am hopeful that I will be wrong. But Biden is a fairly conservative Democrat and while I hope the left does push him on both domestic and foreign policies, his stance on many things of importance to Americans and beyond is worrying.
Read 6 tweets
Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura Profile picture
7 Nov 20
This is a genuine question for my Bosnian friends and colleagues; do you sincerely believe that Biden will change anything in the Balkans? Other than some strongly worded letters when Dodik acts up, I just am not optimistic at all. He supports the current structure afaik.
My disagreements with Biden’s policies aside, he was strong on Bosnia but that was in the ‘90s. He was also the VP, which gave him a modicum of influence and nothing really happened. He is a supporter of the Dayton, so while I understand Bosnian enthusiasm I don’t share it.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be proven wrong. Bosnia is a tiny country that is absolutely reliant on its allies, particularly the big powers for help. That’s just the reality. I’m not against US/European involvement because right now it’s just simply a necessity.
Read 5 tweets
Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura Profile picture
3 Nov 20
I could be wrong in my perspective of this but I am finding a lot of romanticism of the possibility of conflict amongst Americans and as someone that survived a war, I would urge you to put that romanticised notion out of your heads.
Largely, I am not amongst those that believe there will be a civil war or a conflict in the States post-election. Some violence, certainly but a lot of it also seems dramatised and slightly fear mongering too. I think that’s almost a bigger issue. Because....
When people are fed fear constantly they tend to take that fear and direct it in the worst possible manner. I’m not against being prepared for the worst, to be clear, but some of the discourse seems downright irresponsible.
Read 6 tweets

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