http://www.christianabotic.com/multimedia daily 0.75 2024-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1444185550935-3CB6YWUT5O1CZ2HRI6LV/image-asset.jpeg Multimedia - Vinka Apartment 19 Director, Cinematographer, Editor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1711415222750-Y7HDYHSRAXI46NNDZFOR/image.jpg Multimedia - More Pathways, More Potential | The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Still photography by Christiana Botic and Kathleen Flynn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1711415206266-UL8D0LN9F50NHO6YSNY4/image.jpg Multimedia - US Mothers Fighting Against Gun Violence | Al Jazeera Close Up Directed, filmed and edited by Christiana Botic and Lauren Santucci. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1711415234603-BQPH06IAQ7JCE7RDLUH5/image.jpg Multimedia - How This New Orleans School Is Getting Teen Moms to Graduation | Education Week Filmed by Christiana Botic and Lauren Santucci. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1720711356957-F9QO785N8TJUZI6E8IFK/image-asset.jpeg Multimedia - Reaching Rural Students | The Chronicle of Higher Education Directed, produced and edited by Christiana Botic, filmed by Christiana Botic and Kathleen Flynn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1711415256202-VCQ9MKA5HL7U6RIE3RFN/image.jpg Multimedia - Coming Home | Ohio University Directed, filmed and edited by Christiana Botic and Charles Hatcher. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1711415192666-V8J42CC2XDBDX41SSOQK/image.jpg Multimedia - this time around Directed and edited by Christiana Botic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1444185550935-3CB6YWUT5O1CZ2HRI6LV/image-asset.jpeg Multimedia - Vinka Apartment 19 A Kickstarter campaign by Christiana Botic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1711415242732-HX6WIQSCUXR8BKFLCSM0/image.jpg Multimedia - Bre'Monyaa Jones shines as a Blue Diamond | The Evansville Courier & Press Produced and edited by Christiana Botic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1711397068597-22CMX7CN4O8RCYJ8TPCR/image-asset.jpeg Multimedia - Former MLB pitchers experiment with Spider Tack - The Boston Globe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1558717799050-ZIKAB20SG04751XN65OV/image-asset.jpeg Multimedia - Still Here After losing her husband and facing a flood, Linda Mayle chooses to remain in her home. Film by Christiana Botic. 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1554571564539-LRWPSZ2TBD5FZDKGII6J/image-asset.jpeg Multimedia - Gilchrist Convenient Store The unexpected story of an isolated mom-and-pop shop in Sharpsburg, Ohio. Photos and audio by Christiana Botic. 2019. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/560cd96ee4b0dfcb73be1713/668ff82b349adc30fc63a234/1720711404001/ Multimedia - Reaching Rural Students for The Chronicle of Higher Education http://www.christianabotic.com/somethinggood daily 0.75 2022-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793774393-8GSL5F8IXZEF2707YOM2/Botic_Photo+Story_011.jpg Something Good Mikelah Davie, 16, holds her eight-month-old son Isaiah Allison outside their family’s home in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. “His father is missing out,” she said, “because I know he’s gonna be something good in life.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793774393-8GSL5F8IXZEF2707YOM2/Botic_Photo+Story_011.jpg Something Good Mikelah Davie, 16, holds her eight-month-old son Isaiah Allison outside their family’s home in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. “His father is missing out,” she said, “because I know he’s gonna be something good in life.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793687382-O254V6FIMJE2ZGV1UPSR/Botic_Photo+Story_003.jpg Something Good Mikelah looks in on her five-year-old sister, Justice Brooks, and son, Isaiah, at home in Columbus. In the other room, Mikelah’s twelve-year-old brother, Tommy Hayes Jr., plays video games. Mikelah often watches over her siblings while her mom and stepdad are at work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793717649-748YB7A16V542FGIVCTY/Botic_Photo+Story_006.jpg Something Good Mikelah play fights with her oldest brother, Tommy, in her room. Mikelah’s relationship with her brother is more friendly, unlike her relationship with her youngest siblings, which can make her feel more like a parent than a sister. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793745550-C04XO4FS8777T4CKEACI/Botic_Photo+Story_008.jpg Something Good “I can’t not be good with him, he’s like a part of me.” Mikelah holds her son Isaiah while watching over her siblings on the playground outside of her family’s apartment complex. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1598325576553-HOMQDGSXW2Z1YDSE4I9V/Botic_Story00027.jpg Something Good Isaiah sits in the back of Mikelah’s cousin’s car. Mikelah doesn’t have her own means of transport, so she borrows her cousin’s car when she needs to go somewhere important, like church. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1598325317568-M1ID1EETX66LEHND61GG/Botic_Story00017.jpg Something Good A school administrator at Mikelah’s high school, Focus Learning Academy, offers to watch Isaiah in the front office so Mikelah can take an exam. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552422833841-B930R6VNGA90YN4VOPBX/Botic_Web_00096.jpg Something Good Mikelah looks over her shoulder to ask the teacher a question during math test at Focus Learning Academy. The school allows students to pace their own learning, which gives Mikelah the flexibility she needs to raise Isaiah, but also lacks the structure and social elements of a typical high school classroom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793760209-BD8NOQN0WCL0UM35E6FT/Botic_Photo+Story_009.jpg Something Good Isaiah sits outside in the parking lot of New Generation Church on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, while Mikelah finishes talking to her cousin, Lisa Fleming, 18, in the front seat of Lisa’s car. “I kind of miss having him in my belly,” Mikelah said, “sometimes I have phantom kicks.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1553557802684-5QYG86UIRNSNTN97ONBL/Botic_Story00032.jpg Something Good “I’ve done a lot of things that I should have been killed for when I was younger, that’s what I was thinking about,” Mikelah reflected after leaving this service at New Generation Church. Mikelah ran away from home when she was 12, and was returned to her family by the police. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793735575-4Y1QALTOSTFMT284A1ZP/Botic_Photo+Story_007.jpg Something Good Mikelah sweeps the kitchen floor next to her son, Isaiah, while heating up lunch for her siblings. “I’m like the second mom in here,” she said of her responsibilities around the house and taking care of her siblings. Mikelah’s stepfather works nights and sleeps during the day, when her mother works as a city bus driver. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1541793664432-WYYUPGMY3CVX4YB4TMC1/Botic_Photo+Story_001.jpg Something Good Mikelah relaxes at the end of a yoga class at Star House, a center for homeless youth in Columbus, Ohio, that Mikelah’s friends frequent. “It makes you forget about everything else in the world. Then you open your eyes, get up, and it’s like… dang.” http://www.christianabotic.com/yugonostalgia daily 0.75 2024-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343616441-VX74LKZJSZPSKQKFSF00/Botic_iphone_01.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343616441-VX74LKZJSZPSKQKFSF00/Botic_iphone_01.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552344820503-NVYL8YVA1EQFQYC1RA7I/Untitled-2.png Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343630193-J0MSIW7S9BJ7LDNCRJZ5/Botic_iphone_05.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343633089-03T73KA88BLG68YG92VT/Botic_iphone_06.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343625318-VZKC5SOYLKX64XPYC6W2/Botic_iphone_03.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343625237-GU1YPVCX40URAY25BNAF/Botic_iphone_04.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343650708-HOWZ1N015QBF8VCAAFAG/Botic_iphone_10.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343637970-8GMPGUWXKCSM1JV0VZL2/Botic_iphone_07.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343642488-GM4WS4SPQADSBT4WNJCF/Botic_iphone_08.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343649395-Q32RM1TKKM1US57EPN8U/Botic_iphone_09.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343657935-WV18QJ26LW39YW89RRTM/Botic_iphone_12.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343662748-IOZB2TZ53D18YIAJSMW3/Botic_iphone_13.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552345347046-4RBWWPOTWV7E9MYFHQ06/Botic_iphone_16.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573624615350-C997FA0S4Z0VEZUQENAL/IMG_4185.JPG Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343657362-SANSUVE65JDPA9A5361N/Botic_iphone_11.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343669436-AWG5MQ4PQIUYM352C620/Botic_iphone_14.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1552343670285-U8U3UDMR43LPUTS7FPH8/Botic_iphone_15.jpg Yugo/Nostalgia http://www.christianabotic.com/sharpsburg daily 0.75 2023-11-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669368093-YNZ64YJL9FV24AMK3DX2/Botic_Sharpsburg_00002.jpg Sharpsburg Brooklyn Roof, 6, climbs a tree near her home—a rented trailer in Sharpsburg, Ohio. The Roof family has resided in Sharpsburg for nine years, but worry about their future because the community lies in a flood zone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669368093-YNZ64YJL9FV24AMK3DX2/Botic_Sharpsburg_00002.jpg Sharpsburg Brooklyn Roof, 6, climbs a tree near her home—a rented trailer in Sharpsburg, Ohio. The Roof family has resided in Sharpsburg for nine years, but worry about their future because the community lies in a flood zone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556671157566-VYRVN7K1KJ9GTCWLUW1P/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-04-30%2Bat%2B8.33.37%2BPM.jpg Sharpsburg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669360769-34VX58PYYZ46592Y62G3/Botic_Sharpsburg_00001.jpg Sharpsburg Brandy Riley takes a smoke break while working at Gilchrist Convenient Store, the only business remaining in the unincorporated community of Sharpsburg. This store and gas station also operates as a U.S. Post Office for everyone in the 45777 Sharpsburg zip code. “This place is like Grand Central Station,” said Riley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669423200-YOF49GDKIG077NDGQBM8/Botic_Sharpsburg_00008.jpg Sharpsburg Brooklyn Roof, 6, walks toward her family’s trailer holding their new puppy, Chocolate. Many of the community’s oldest buildings have been abandoned, but stand alongside the few remaining inhabited homes because it’s costly to tear them down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669385878-4D06R1QT4A5UOF2P2CZY/Botic_Sharpsburg_00004.jpg Sharpsburg Tiny the squirrel emerges from his indoor, manmade nest to receive affection from his owner. Residents of Sharpsburg cite the freedom to do as they please, without the judgement of neighbors, as one of the perks of living in this rural area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669387472-PYWJ6UKGGVYH191S6X5U/Botic_Sharpsburg_00005.jpg Sharpsburg Siblings Lizzy, 10, and Adam Gilchrist, 6, get ready for school in the back kitchen of Gilchrist Convenient Store every morning. “They were raised here,” said their father Alan Gilchrist, who also grew up playing and working in the family store. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669403322-GPL61P6Z5RIHSFW84A6X/Botic_Sharpsburg_00006.jpg Sharpsburg The heart of Sharpsburg stretching along Joy Road is still referred to as “the village” by locals, though only four of its homes remain occupied. Aside from a lack of industry, major flooding since 1998 has also pushed long-time residents out of Sharpsburg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669402004-57DHBRJTOGTG263NRO0A/Botic_Sharpsburg_00007.jpg Sharpsburg Bern Township Fiscal Officer Denise Tate and Trustees David Bennett and Alan Gilchrist discuss FEMA during their monthly meeting at Town Hall in Sharpsburg. As an unincorporated community, Sharpsburg is not governed by a municipal corporation and is, instead, administered as part of Bern Township. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669416648-K2NA9GV4SSC0NKCUJFZX/Botic_Sharpsburg_00009.jpg Sharpsburg Muddy clothes adorn the porch of Nick and Tricia Russell's home. “I can’t do a house with a yard and people living next door to me,” said Nick Russell, who grew up in Sharpsburg and is now raising his sons there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669454701-S3U2IDIQIUAZZMUPI3DU/Botic_Sharpsburg_00014.jpg Sharpsburg A 1906 map of local postal delivery routes remains in possession of the Gilchrist family, who have lived in Sharpsburg for seven generations. “It’s getting down to where Sharpsburg and the zip code only matters to me," said Wayne Gilchrist of the dwindling population. "I’m trying to hang on to it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573956627562-7ZRARNINT3LKRXUOIXTB/_42A7435_.JPG Sharpsburg With no municipal garbage service, residents of Sharpsburg often burn their trash. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669447065-3W1HD7GWIAEP0C3N3F0X/Botic_Sharpsburg_00013.jpg Sharpsburg At 80, Donna Russell is one of Sharpsburg’s oldest residents. Proximity to family is important to Donna, who lives on the same property as multiple family members, each with their own subdivision. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1598324399628-YD28499XU3DBITKXG2I9/Botic_Essay_00004.jpg Sharpsburg From left: Avalyn, 8, Ellery, 11, Ashley and Jeff Ditty, and their dog Cleveland, spend the evening outside their home, a farm house built in the 1830s. They moved to Sharpsburg in 2015 to raise their daughters in a simple, slow-paced environment. “If you can’t be self-sufficient, you shouldn’t even try to live like this,” said Jeff. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573956088387-7KZ5X8UHBZYA2HM5DTWO/_42A6602_.JPG Sharpsburg Riley Russell, 13, right, drinks from a stream on his family's property, which used to be mined for coal, while his brother Court, 10, runs uphill. Sharpsburg was an active coal-mining town until the mid-20th century. There have been efforts to resurrect the coal industry in Bern Township as recent as 2011, but they were met with resistance from environmental groups in neighboring communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669459131-HX3YU45BW407DZR2QF27/Botic_Sharpsburg_00015.jpg Sharpsburg Though he is looked after by family and friends, the burs knotted in Chief’s mane signify a decline in attention since his owner moved away over ten years ago. Many residents of Sharpsburg leave the community in search of better work prospects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669491032-FEUZAGXQ7GL7AG93HBRY/Botic_Sharpsburg_00019.jpg Sharpsburg Bobby Spaulding, 82, rests in his kitchen after feeding his 15 cattle. Although he is battling cancer for a second time, Spaulding continues to raise cattle with his wife in order to afford their home. While he would like to sell the farm, his wife JoAnn says she can’t leave because “it’s just home.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669497475-FF8OSZ8ZGMAG1XM4BIYQ/Botic_Sharpsburg_00020.jpg Sharpsburg Sharpsburg has a complicated relationship with water. Recreational activities like fishing and swimming add to residents’ quality of life, but living in a flood zone simultaneously threatens their wellbeing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669533085-TMBI76X7GLF7V54USEA2/Botic_Sharpsburg_00025.jpg Sharpsburg Though the community is cut off from many resources, Ohio State Route 550 runs directly through Sharpsburg, connecting it to Chesterhill, Amesville and the county’s largest city: Athens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669525664-4M76DZV4VNO2YQALASPF/Botic_Sharpsburg_00024.jpg Sharpsburg Children play outside freely and wander to neighbors' homes in this small community. Because the area does not have cell reception or reliable internet service, children and adults often find entertainment outside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669512620-AAMNNGWEZ4ZJPKHEX104/Botic_Sharpsburg_00022.jpg Sharpsburg First-time mother April Riley, 19, cleans up at night after her three-month-old twins, Eli and Evan, fall asleep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669528955-6JK872H7O2UT776LPHC7/Botic_Sharpsburg_00023.jpg Sharpsburg Ashley Ditty walks back to the barn with her dog, Cleveland, after releasing horses in the morning at Looking Glass Farm. Ashley and Jeff Ditty named their farm after its original owners, the Glass family, in order to honor their legacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669488786-Z5W6RZDK6M3FH4CYD0UW/Botic_Sharpsburg_00018.jpg Sharpsburg Side-by-sides, motor bikes and ATVs are popular means of transportation in Sharpsburg. While they are used recreationally, many local farmers need utility vehicles to traverse the area’s hilly terrain, particularly during the muddy spring months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1556669471580-CTTIP6I6NA1YOXSOTO2P/Botic_Sharpsburg_00017.jpg Sharpsburg Lizzy Gilchrist, 10, lays in the doorway to the adult only section of her family’s shop. In order to adapt to the changing economic and cultural landscape, Gilchrist Convenient Store sells pipes, CBD products and sex toys. The family says their products reflect customer demand, not personal values. http://www.christianabotic.com/youth-in-mitrovica daily 0.75 2021-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794724710-OLT3AUYUIKT234PPAU3M/02.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Crowds flood the streets of Mitrovica to take photos during prom season, when graduating high school students parade through the city in formal wear. Before the war, children learned Serbian and Albanian, but now they attend separate high schools exclusively taught in their respective mother tongues. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794724710-OLT3AUYUIKT234PPAU3M/02.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Crowds flood the streets of Mitrovica to take photos during prom season, when graduating high school students parade through the city in formal wear. Before the war, children learned Serbian and Albanian, but now they attend separate high schools exclusively taught in their respective mother tongues. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1612032262604-BG3WC9JQO92R7LW9MUEE/A%2Bsun%2Bwith%2Bteeth%2Bweb%2Btext.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1612031889580-LXC7WU4LS9H10B30UXT6/A+sun+with+teeth+web+text.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1590518248631-WRH5ZCMMCYGUCQ52IZ7Q/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-26%2Bat%2B2.36.36%2BPM.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1612029687135-IACCEEHYHJGUE9GIKWM2/image-asset.jpeg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573795436213-D6HCUQ2KMRM17YS6TZG2/Botic_Kosovo_08394_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Aleksandra Vajsel, 15, applies makeup at the kitchen table across from her father before going to meet friends at a cafe in the Serb-majority side of the city, north of the Ibar River. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1576122516665-8RG73AY941UT5MVWTWP6/Kosovo_3.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Behind a statue of medeival Prince Lazar, the Orthodox Christian ruler who died in the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, Serbian national flags hang in the windows and balconies of north Mitrovica's centrally located apartments. North Mitrovia's Serbian residents do not recognize Kosovo's independence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794743103-M0XLJ554PAJX8Y00Q2CD/04.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Nazmi Gusani, 20, looks out the window of his family's home in south Mitrovica. Many displaced Roma families were moved to this neighborhood after the war. Like most Roma people in Mitrovica, Gusani speaks Romani, Albanian, and Serbian. Though he finished school, Gusani still works as a logger because of the poor economy and discrimination against the Roma community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794738494-ZZIK87MQ1MG6CX5ATU73/05.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Once the site of the most ethnic violence in Mitrovica, this bridge reopened in 2017 and is now mainly a site for foot traffic and sleeping dogs. It is guarded by international peacekeepers, though residents on both sides express a lack of confidence in their ability to protect citizens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794757633-9RPADJS37SAYWVD4I339/10.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Socialist apartment buildings provide housing to a majority of Mitrovica's residents, and children from all backgrounds live with their families until they get married. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1590176638123-TJA4RF8LKUPXPNSF3AWP/Botic_20200309_639_1.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Qendresa Hasani, 16, sits patiently while her groom’s family video calls relatives abroad on Hasani’s wedding day, in her husband’s village outside of Mitrovica, Kosovo. In Kosovo, the minimum age to legally marry drops from 18 to 16 with parental consent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604289262513-HBB6LV1TAYQE30CRIKXU/botic_kosovo_02002.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Andjelija Vajsel, 18, has her makeup done by a friend before prom. Aside from an 18th birthday, prom is considered the biggest day in a teenager’s life in Kosovo, though Andjelija says she feels more nervous and excited than she did on her birthday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1578170472980-4W396C4QRZJ0XAVT11FJ/Botic_Kosovo_02057.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Andjelija Vajsel, 18, talks on the phone while having her makeup done before prom. Aside from 18th birthdays, prom is considered the biggest day in a teenager’s life in Kosovo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573839502309-YPDXL5TD5BNT4AXBG4MS/Botic_Kosovo_10729_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Fadil Deliqi lights his friend's cigarette at a cafe near their high school in south Mitrovica. They say it's unusual for Albanian teenage girls and boys to be seen hanging out together as friends because of the "traditional" mindset of their parents' generation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604287747205-RHWSR7WOFG49PFO3CFBQ/C75-16-BotiC-23.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Mateja Vasic, 17, kisses his girlfriend Katarina Arsic, 17, during a rock show at a Soho Bar in north Mitrovica on the Orthodox New Year. Couples kissing or holding hands in public is typical on the north side of the city, but is less common in the south. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794776080-VMI8Q8LC3T1KZRIHZOIL/12.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) A young couple smokes weed above the lights of Mitrovica at night. There are no official reports on drug use in Mitrovica, but it's more accessible for young people to buy drugs than to go to the cinema. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1576122369046-Q2LBE9MU2E44VZVISADO/Kosovo_12.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Zuki Beqiri ,17, lifts Sadete Gashijani, known as Nana, into the air on the streets of Roma Mahala, the Roma neighborhood where they live in south Mitrovica. Nana works with Roma youth at an organization called Community Worker DRC, so all the kids and teenagers in the neighborhood know her well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1590693282953-C4EYPWP9VOHS3G57JGGU/13.jpeg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Andjelija Vajsel, 18, hugs her father goodbye before leaving their home in Mitrovica, Kosovo for the summer. Mitrovica has the worst unemployment rates in all of Kosovo, so Andjelija must leave her family to work in Montenegro for several months in order to save money for university in the fall. As a bartender in Montenegro, she will make more than her father does as a career security guard in Mitrovica. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794752586-OLRDOCF76YZVE76KSHAL/08.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Political posters are a common sight in Mitrovica, like these claiming the occupation of Serbia since Kosovo declared independence on Feb. 17, 2008 plastered over images of Vladimir Putin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794818948-4AYNER8KMVXFRLL2VGMD/16.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) After their neighborhood in north Mitrovica, which housed 8,000 people, was razed to the ground in 1999, Roma people were displaced to UN-run camps built on land affected by a former lead-smelting factory north of the city. After suffering extensive lead poisoning over the course of 9 years, the remaining families from these camps were moved to the new Roma Mahala in south Mitrovica. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794807714-RTBF14YHB937ORA0TGSA/17.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) "They told me I look like the Prime Minister, which I take as a compliment," says Aleksandra Janicijevic, 17, of her friends reaction to her bow tie. Like much of the region, teenage girls in Mitrovica are expected to dress and style themselves in traditionally feminine ways. Aleksandra finds this boring, and instead likes to play with fashion and push the boundaries of what is considered attractive or acceptable for women to wear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794836788-8KGTBKJ1A7ASDGU8AO5M/18.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Diellza Shala, 18, brings snacks to the kitchen in her family's home in a village outside of Mitrovica. Diellza will study to be a doctor in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, next year. She will likely commute for an hour each way every day to attend classes because it is too expensive to live in Pristina. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1590176611736-5U7XK1ZOEMN5E18T21JV/Botic_20200119_278_2.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Men and boys from the Serb-majority municipalities of North Kosovo gather along the shore of Gazivoda Lake in Zubin Potok, a village near Mitrovica, before participating in Epiphany cross diving. Beyond being a significant religious event, this is also a show of traditional masculinity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573795459624-1EJU9GFE83F2EEWUH4Y8/Botic_Kosovo_14684_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Garbage collects around the roots of wildflowers next to the bridge in Mitrovica. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573841115452-E5HB8THKH4USQS28N5PL/Botic_Kosovo_13492__1.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Ilda Krama, 19, stands above the neighborhood in north Mitrovica where her mother lived before she was expelled during the war. Ilda's mother is Albanian and her father is Bosnian, so she was raised speaking both languages in south Mitrovica. When she became a teenager, she started crossing the bridge and says she surprisingly felt more at home on the north side. She is currently enrolled in a Serbian university in north Mitrovica. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604290342553-2WJQPQI85WPDW6HQWIUS/botic_20200214_057_2.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Passport photos of Tringa Sadiku, 20, belonging to her visa application, which she spent months preparing, for a music program in Western Europe. She believes she must leave Kosovo in order to achieve her dream of becoming a professional classical guitarist. Due to the pandemic, she can’t leave Kosovo even after completing this painstaking process. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573794842570-JMH24BMW86VPPYT1OKLJ/20.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Nikola Drazevic, 18, looks through his bedroom window in north Mitrovica. Born to a Roma family in Mitrovica two years after the war, Nikola was adopted by a Serbian couple in the north when he was six years old. Although they live in the same city, he has not seen his birth family since he was a child. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573839446040-0MX3KN0UC9DAHPBN7RUH/Botic_Kosovo_08441_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) A flower from Andjelija’s senior prom remains in the Vajsel family home long after the event as a reminder of the joyful occasion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573839427434-DRN19KWYBWRJT7RGFH5A/Botic_Kosovo_03387_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) The Mitrovica Rock School provides one of the only spaces in Mitrovica for young people of Serbian, Albanian, Roma and mixed backgrounds to collaborate together as musicians. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573839567529-8TP4PB12QNH1WCYY34SN/Botic_Kosovo_14353_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) The four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo have not paid for electricity since 1999. Because there are power sources on both sides of the border, it is difficult to determine whether their electricity is paid for by Kosovo or Serbia’s taxes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1590178646341-XVNP4U323A62XDAZYFTA/Botic_20200214_478_3.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Dressed in yellow and blue, the colors of the Kosovo flag, children celebrate Kosovo Independence Day at Bedri Gjinaj primary school on the south side of Mitrovica. Kosovo declared independence on Feb. 17, 2008. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1590176639611-RGOSLRAA2R48JY8D1ZHK/Botic_20200316_0563.jpg Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Every day Marina Milentijevic, 20, walks from her job at a cafe in Mitrovica to her home in the nearby town of Zvecan. Marina prefers theroute along the railroad tracks, passing by Trepca mines where her father works. Trepca once accounted for 70% of Kosovo’s gross domestic product and employed tens of thousands of people in Mitrovica, but has been largely nonoperational since the war and is still the subject of property disputes between Kosovo and Serbia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573839506913-YJQMYL877XED34VQKW0Y/Botic_Kosovo_10952_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Aleksandra Janicijevic, 17, hopes to leave Kosovo one day and become an actress. Like many other young people, she says there is no way for her to pursue her dreams here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573839583224-MO0R1CR97OFC6UR6FKWM/Botic_Kosovo_16512_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Zuki Beqiri, 17, picks a flower along the lake in South Mitrovica near Roma Mahala where he lives with his family. Zuki wants to stay in Kosovo, and to become a famous singer and rapper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604287734598-8MWJSDK331OCMM3V8QL1/C75-16-BotiC-27.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Tringa Sadiku, 20, sleeps on a bus from Kosovo to Skopje, North Macedonia, where she will apply for a visa in the hopes of traveling to Germany and Poland for her studies. Citizens of Kosovo, including those holding Serbian passports, do not have the same freedom of travel as other Europeans. They must go through the expensive and arduous process of applying for visas to enter most countries in Europe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1573839608198-IN68V7W5BXJ7BNAOCK0Z/Botic_Kosovo_18110_.JPG Sun with Teeth (ongoing) Teenagers and children play on the streets of Roma Mahala at dusk. About half of the people in Kosovo are under 25, making it the youngest population in all of Europe. http://www.christianabotic.com/moments daily 0.75 2024-01-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495890578-UX6MDH06AJVZM8I4U562/Botic_20200309_639.jpg SIngles Qendresa Hasani, 16, sits patiently while her groom’s family livestreams videos for relatives abroad on her wedding day, March 9, 2020, outside of Mitrovica, Kosovo. “There are some feelings that you cannot describe,” Qendresa said of the day. “There’s sorrow, happiness, anxiety, everything all at once.” In Kosovo, the minimum age to legally marry is 16 with parental consent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495890578-UX6MDH06AJVZM8I4U562/Botic_20200309_639.jpg SIngles Qendresa Hasani, 16, sits patiently while her groom’s family livestreams videos for relatives abroad on her wedding day, March 9, 2020, outside of Mitrovica, Kosovo. “There are some feelings that you cannot describe,” Qendresa said of the day. “There’s sorrow, happiness, anxiety, everything all at once.” In Kosovo, the minimum age to legally marry is 16 with parental consent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1618063910105-6EYKXRFJ9AOZE01Z60U9/C75-16-BotiC-05.JPG SIngles Forest Park Seniors Gavin Knust, left, and Abby Eckert, right, rest up on the way to a football game at North Posey High School in Poseyville, Ind., Friday, Sept. 27, 2019. "I just see myself as one of the guys out there," said Eckert, the third female kicker in the history of Forest Part High School football. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495910654-X4YDFP0ISXP35XPH3M6S/20190907_CZB_1132.JPG SIngles Crowds gather to watch the Hog Wrestling competition at Dale Fall Festival in Dale, Ind., Saturday afternoon, Sept. 7, 2019. Each year at this popular event, children and adults in teams of four attempt to wrangle a pig faster than their peers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495885211-8TZWWQQ656Z3JEI8O6FS/Botic_20200223_2432_2.jpg SIngles Halubajski zvončari, traditional bell ringers based on mythical creatures in Croatian folklore, are led through villages in the Viskovo region near Rijeka, Croatia on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. Though Carnival is celebrated throughout Croatia, this group of men in Viskovo are recognized by UNESCO for their full-coverage masks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495937445-TZIP79UXA20SPADP6YD9/Botic_004_.JPG SIngles Denis Avery smiles at his girlfriend Adrian Davis and their six-week-old son Cyrus Davis after bath time at their apartment in Monticello, Ny., Oct. 13th, 2019. Davis, who takes classes through the Sullivan County Breastfeeding Coalition, says breastfeeding is “just a connection between mother and child […] something that dad can’t intervene and take.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495923101-HDIRRLO2QZGB02K63A33/Appended%2BMaterials_1%2Bcopy.jpg SIngles Residents of New Orleans East leave New Orleans City Council in tears on March 8, 2018, after council voted in favor of building an Entergy power plant in their neighborhood. Community members cited numerous environmental, health and financial concerns in opposition of the project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495941471-YZ9AFCPPN7ATM99FXP06/20190921_CZB_0718.JPG SIngles Tippecanoe of Ancient Fife and Drum Corps of Lafayette, Ind., play drums atop the New Harmony Atheneum at Kunstfest, a German festival in New Harmony, Ind., Saturday afternoon, Sept. 21, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587500003187-O21Z9C3HR7RAL7YZDMAK/2FrogFollies.JPG SIngles Faith Vance, 4, of Mount Vernon, Ill., looks underneath her father Quinton Vance's 1948 GMC at the 45th annual Frogs Follies held at Vanderburgh 4-H Center in Evansville, Friday afternoon, Aug. 23, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654113280590-9Z6YV6CV1W75G0L845W0/Photo+Nov+24%2C+2+28+53+PM.jpeg SIngles Bre’Monyaa Jones, 17, of Evansville practices a routine with Boom Squad’s dance team, the Blue Diamonds, before they perform in the Evansville Christmas on North Main Parade in Evansville, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019. “It just makes me feel good, feel confident,” Jones said of dance, “it makes me fearless.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705619194689-TN37H5IRL5WDYN6RHC49/SpotNews_Flooding.jpg SIngles Anny Rivera, right, Maria Jose Velazquez, 5, center, and Valerie Zuniga, 5, overlook flooding from their front porch on Oakville Street in Lynn, Mass., after a storm on July 9, 2021. “For as long as we’ve been here it’s always been a problem,” said Rivera of the flooding in her neighborhood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1618063915076-MH0C416M9GRB08RPZ1UU/C75-16-BotiC-04.JPG SIngles Abby Eckert, Forest Park High School senior and kicker for the football team, waits for the Rangers to score a touchdown on Friday night at their game against North Posey High School in Poseyville, Ind., Sept. 27, 2019. As the third female kicker in Forest Park High School history, Eckert is part of a growing legacy that’s changing the face of football in her rural community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705618949968-3EMP99YZSLGS5NCR5LHZ/SpotNews_Flooding.jpg SIngles Anny Rivera, right, Maria Jose Velazquez, 5, center, and Valerie Zuniga, 5, overlook flooding from their front porch on Oakville Street in Lynn, Mass., after a storm on July 9, 2021. “For as long as we’ve been here, it’s always been a problem,” said Rivera. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495958977-0UJOGONJOWXKSQZBOIJB/Botic_20200119_293.jpg SIngles Men from Serb-majority municipalities of North Kosovo gather along the shore of Gazivoda Lake in Zubin Potok to participate in Epiphany cross diving on Jan. 19, 2020. Each year on the day of Christ’s baptism, Orthodox priests throw a gold cross into the lake and the person who retrieves it receives blessings for a year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654113297528-FF0EXYZLXXMTFT36YCBW/Feature_Azmans_02.jpeg SIngles Ancka, a Slovenian customer whose been shopping at Azman & Sons Market in Cleveland, Ohio since 1961, walks behind the counter to handpick her sausage links on Oct. 15, 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705608161509-8V8K9I73021R07PWO2YX/Hechinger_11.JPG SIngles Ce’Vanne Ursin, 12, right, and her sister CanyonSunday Ursin, 8, in front of the closed Washington Elementary School in Kenner, La., which they attended before its closure, on Sunday evening, July 23, 2023. The Jefferson Parish school board, representing Louisiana's largest school district, decided to close 6 schools in 2023. As a result, thousands of kids were shuffled to new campuses, a move that disproportionately impacted Black students with nearly 1 in 10 having to change schools. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705619109942-4VZX3GN6DFZP6QR7QCJU/Botic06262021_BraintreeFireworks_06.jpeg SIngles Boston Circus Guild member Liz Knights walked on stilts at the Braintree Fourth of July celebration in Braintree, Mass. on June 27, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654113281449-8RGTVMSVKSVMPEB2H2UO/bujanovac-43+copy.jpeg SIngles A photo of Nita Azemi as a small child hangs in her bedroom in Bujanovac, Serbia, next to the words “just keep dreaming.” Azemi grew up in this small town in Serbia’s Presevo Valley where Albanians make up a majority of the population. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654113290296-QA77A6HRGDXUJHXY7NVI/Feature_Azmans_01.jpeg SIngles After processing sausage, Raymond Smerritt, left, and Vince Zachary take a smoke break in the office behind Azman & Sons Market in Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 14, 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495958143-3A9ONCZCNQZE73KO3WMF/Botic_Essay_13617.JPG SIngles Lizzy Gilchrist, 10, of Sharpsburg, Ohio helps her neighbors care for their twin babies, Eli and Evan Hammer ,4 months, who were recently brought home from the NICU, May 5, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654113289541-F56WR9EWR2VAOGPY6IFY/Vinka01.jpg SIngles My grandmother, Vinka Botic, 94, who suffers from dementia rests in bed while her caretaker Zora brushes the hair from her face, Jan. 25, 2017, Belgrade, Serbia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1605987359493-WZWAL8OOLLJZKVM7NAYW/Botic_20201020_0198.jpg SIngles Sister Anastasia, 75, tends to the graves at Marcha Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox women’s monastery in Richfield, Ohio, where she is the only remaining nun, Oct. 20, 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587496017694-4HM9JKQWZJMWE7HVMYNM/Botic_20200225_4783A.JPG SIngles Young boys from the village of Viskovo, Croatia scream in celebration as the Effigy burns on Pust, the final day of Carnival celebrations before Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587515385154-XDIBBZDMGSCQ5Y0MB5FD/Botic_Essay_12641.jpg SIngles Lizzy Gilchrist, 10, of Sharpsburg, Ohio, left, watches the sparks fly from a massive bonfire in her cousin’s backyard in Albany, Ohio after her grandmother’s birthday party, April 20, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654115480875-PN76N0NJYX5XFMS6VVWA/Vinka01_3.jpg SIngles My grandmother, Vinka Botic, 94, who suffers from dementia, rests in bed while her caretaker Zora brushes the hair from her face, Jan. 25, 2017, Belgrade, Serbia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604293482790-37T08KPGXFOU7CW4YWO8/C75-02-BotiC-05.JPG SIngles Men light flares to welcome traditional bell ringers to their village in the Viskovo region of Croatia during Carnival season, Feb. 23, 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1598323790197-XJK2K7JAYQZMU1S86TAB/042A0270.jpg SIngles Miloje Miletić, 83, bows his head for a moment of peace between hosting visitors on Orthodox Christmas at his home village of Velika Drenova, Serbia, Jan. 7, 2017. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587496024603-G3ZKW7FBJO713FXSGI41/Singles_012.JPG SIngles Milana Janjic, 85, sleeps through the afternoon at her family’s apartment in Belgrade, Serbia, Jan. 21, 2017. After being diagnosed with Alzheimers, Milana suffered two strokes and is cared for by her granddaughter, Alksandra Janjic. “The person I talked with, in some ways looked up to, just went away,” Aleksandra said of her grandmother. “Of that person, there’s nothing left, and she’s just this fragile person that I have to take care of every day.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1603899754295-JFZ5M6UTV61J4X19A7WU/Botic_20201020_0835.jpg SIngles Sister Anastasia pauses to look back at the church as she walks to her home at Marcha Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox women’s monastery in Richfield, Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. As the only remaining nun at the monastery, Sister Anastasia must maintain the grounds and prepare for Sunday services largely by herself, though she is 75 years old and living with Diabetes. “I thank god for my diabetes,” Sister Anastasia said, “it’s like Paul having the thorn in his side.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587495950301-S4KK2410PLL1XRFOTR9R/Botic_20200214_478.jpg SIngles Dressed in yellow and blue, the colors of the Kosovo flag, children celebrate Kosovo Independence Day at Bedri Gjinaj primary school in Mitrovica, Kosovo on Feb. 14, 2020. Kosovo declared independence on Feb. 17, 2008, and has the youngest population in Europe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1638386513766-XVIJD35I38KIRUEWGTKP/vinka1.jpeg SIngles My grandmother, Vinka Botic, sits at the edge of her bed in her apartment in Belgrade, Serbia, where she has lived alone for a decade since my grandfather passed away, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1587499912308-4784YFGV0IK95S9XTT1U/Botic_Essay_12272_2.jpg SIngles After a water balloon fight, 10-year-old Lizzy Gilchrist dries off next to baby chicks staying warm under a heat lamp in her cousins’ garage in Albany, Ohio, April 20, 2019. http://www.christianabotic.com/the-bellmen daily 0.75 2022-06-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291616555-5VJHRPW9Q9QP14PL8788/C75-11-BotiC-A-01.JPG The Bellmen Halubajski zvončari, traditional bell ringers based on mythical creatures in Croatian folklore, begin their three-day journey of ringing bells around their waists while walking, stumbling or crawling through villages in the Halubje and Kastav region near Rijeka, Croatia before carnival, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291616555-5VJHRPW9Q9QP14PL8788/C75-11-BotiC-A-01.JPG The Bellmen Halubajski zvončari, traditional bell ringers based on mythical creatures in Croatian folklore, begin their three-day journey of ringing bells around their waists while walking, stumbling or crawling through villages in the Halubje and Kastav region near Rijeka, Croatia before carnival, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1611630522454-A7QFX64LUZ4T6P9ZEA9W/Botic_C_Bellmen_001.JPG The Bellmen Though Carnival is celebrated throughout Croatia, this mask tradition from the Halubje region is recognized by UNESCO. Many nearby traditions have open-faced masks required by Roman rule so that participants could not conceal their identities, but these bellmen have maintained their full-coverage style throughout history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291614652-OZXR7PCJ1R5RTQBQCDWE/Botic_20200223_2064.jpg The Bellmen Though Carnival is celebrated throughout Croatia, this mask tradition from the Halubje region is recognized by UNESCO. Many nearby traditions have open-faced masks required by Roman rule so that participants could not conceal their identities, but these bellmen have maintained their full-coverage style throughout history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1611630293806-28J2J3DDI2AFW6RWEPBR/Botic_C_Bellmen_002.JPG The Bellmen This centuries-old walking route through dense woods, open fields, tiny villages and picturesque towns in the hills above Rijeka is rarely seen by outsiders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291654794-YJ60989P80BLJ4IFGMFH/C75-11-BotiC-A-02.JPG The Bellmen Young Halubajski zvončari take a break while walking in the woods. This custom, which dates back to pre-Christian times, is passed down to boys as young as 2 years old. The some 250 men who currently participate in these festivities hope to continue passing down the tradition for many more generations to come. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291645542-JGML7T568UBNGQJKUD9U/C75-11-BotiC-A-03.JPG The Bellmen Older Halubajski zvončari, who have been participating in this custom since childhood, take off their masks to catch their breath after shaking the bells around their waists for several hours. The 12-hour or longer days of walking in sheepskin and heavy masks become tougher with age. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291656977-659AO41KFDGDB3CEEDT6/C75-11-BotiC-A-04.JPG The Bellmen Women along the zvončari’s route cry as they watch this centuries-old tradition. Historically, zvončari would visit villages to ward off evil spirits and search for wives, but now their presence is mainly seen as a celebration of local history and a show of pride. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604293193790-U83CMG1U3004FSWSF7U2/C75-02-BotiC-05.JPG The Bellmen Men light flares to welcome the Halubajski zvončari, who pass by through their streets each Carnival season, to their homes. The villagers on their path spend days preparing food and drinks for their arrival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291689574-8UAL4CTYBM2PHMCJVH0Z/C75-11-BotiC-A-05.JPG The Bellmen Exhausted, a Halubajski zvončari wrangler sleeps on a bench in Kastav, Croatia, a main stop on the second day of their journey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291697503-TB52KKGYA4IFL29457OS/Botic_20200224_3870_1.jpg The Bellmen Men stop to pee in the woods in a rural area of the Halubje and Kastav region during their long days of walking, sometimes lasting more than 12 hours. While some other carnival masking traditions have allowed women to join in recent years, such as the celebrations in Slovenia, Halubajski zvončari remain men-only. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291670500-IF52C2II1WTVZ5SHLXVJ/Botic_20200223_3481_3.jpg The Bellmen The zvončari stop for a break along the road above the coastal city of Rijeka. Rijeka is well known throughout Europe for its carnival celebrations, but revelers down below remain largely unaware of the vibrant pagan festivities taking place in the hills just beyond their tourist digs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291706550-GNLGK86DGBE09L6MZJR8/C75-11-BotiC-A-06.JPG The Bellmen Throughout the region, Halubajski zvončari are invited into yards, homes and basements for food and rakija, a local homemade brandy. Many begin drinking alcohol at 7am before their walk begins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291727128-PVT5SVNJX3LO6DRN2B3O/C75-08-BotiC-03.JPG The Bellmen A cloud of fire and fog greet the Halubajski zvončari on the third night of their ritual. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291757835-8LB5C3LDKLEY22LBGQW7/C75-11-BotiC-A-07.JPG The Bellmen In the final stretch of their three-day tour of the region, Halubajski zvončari walk through a deep fog to the village of Viskovo, where they will burn an Effigy representing evil from the last year in order to move into a new year. This is known as Pust. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291740252-9J7WJNPP3RPVIIDHQX4T/Botic_20200225_4737.jpg The Bellmen Though previously exhausted, the burning of the Effigy and lighting of fireworks brings ferocity back to the bellmen, who jump, yell and pump their fists in the air until the fire eventually dies out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1604291761430-XZESGETH3B4LK5LCHBST/C75-11-BotiC-A-08.JPG The Bellmen Young Halubajski zvončari scream in celebration as an Effigy burns on the final day of Carnival, Feb. 25, 2020. Through this three-day process, these boys are taught to embody masculine ideals of the region and to carry on their people’s history through the practice of bell ringing for years to come. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1618075100574-ZRF8GY4LMULIM7NO8OI6/Bellmen_010.JPG The Bellmen Carnival 2020 comes to an end. http://www.christianabotic.com/i-was-there-too daily 0.75 2023-10-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1619712216609-J0PAU06S8UQJIFAPC3MM/Botic_Doc_01.jpg I was there too https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1619712216609-J0PAU06S8UQJIFAPC3MM/Botic_Doc_01.jpg I was there too https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1619712209335-J1L66XF51XJPKWLWGJIJ/01_Intro.PNG I was there too https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1619714806653-BS43XYJKCK2SAI8AF1TF/Botic_Doc_04.JPG I was there too 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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1683991667421-MJTX6O8Z360893IEV31C/Screen+Shot+2023-05-13+at+10.27.22+AM.png Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1683991665153-TI4X3COBS28V40CV8S96/Screen+Shot+2023-05-13+at+10.27.06+AM.png Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654710890660-B9MJRO8US7T86FI9642Y/clipping99-100.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711106121-1ZKV19Z98YKA2W4QMH2T/clipping71.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654710907405-XF4NFVE74GGYA1UVLT8M/clipping99-1068.jpg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711067184-G7AZCUIEXWZ65TED5PN2/clipping17.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711416248-DX60V7R31FBLCBA9E5DD/clipping529.jpg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711100055-F4E6L0FZBTJW1COEVTJL/clipping54.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711010238-V7TOTR61SIT6WSXPM328/clipping78.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711104041-6AGIJNCY7KGHJUE0EJE1/clipping63.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711667597-S4Y7431UCIDQ6S88PDK0/Screen+Shot+2022-06-08+at+1.06.53+PM.png Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654110075496-DYZGLCYFI0N47P4B1985/PMP_02a_8124572663_01a.jpg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654109979291-OWVECC76F23ZLWTG9C42/PMP_02b_8124572663_01b.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654109984897-AWHNMFNLDEP0UU7SLBFQ/PMP_02c_8124572663_01c.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654710897909-A34ILVCQ9NQWBCHBVUNF/clipping99-103.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711092804-ETXPA7JASWF6KVY8XO4L/clipping40.jpeg Tearsheets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654711102588-IT5KOPEBU39KJUCZB0IB/clipping62.jpeg Tearsheets http://www.christianabotic.com/portraits daily 1.0 2024-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112383294-HA58GJ8MIHZ41IN698PK/01_Nana.jpeg Portraits Vinka, Serbia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112383294-HA58GJ8MIHZ41IN698PK/01_Nana.jpeg Portraits Vinka, Serbia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112383218-KR4689GLU67IPBZFILS2/Botic_20200831_184.jpg Portraits Camille, Ohio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1674159197872-JSVL4BO4POLD50WNT0RQ/EducationWeek_Botic_018.JPG Portraits Jia and Croix for Education Week, Louisiana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1704939885704-1GAHG68DU9DJC5EHMWAH/Hechinger_22_1.jpg Portraits Ce'Vanne for The Hechinger Report, Louisiana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112385395-J47LABXSPJFHVC5CM0UB/Botic_HateWeGive_12.jpeg Portraits Walae Hayek for The Boston Globe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1689883317867-PG3OIOVDD7WXFLWGKDU7/LGBTQEndofLife_CZB_001.JPG Portraits Dietz for The Washington Post, Louisiana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1689883235048-3LYGMH8MUDBF3KDDBCD7/20230330_DietzPortrait_0778.jpg Portraits https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1689883237788-BCDUZD4KAMEE5H2C7KWS/20230330_DietzPortrait_0414.jpg Portraits https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1674159196457-A5SXHCRTMXV20BTBGPP4/EducationWeek_Botic_005.JPG Portraits https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112385558-JM4JK88UG24SPI3HMFHZ/Botic_CampbellHome_05.jpeg Portraits Mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell for The Boston Globe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112380781-1N3JPTHY7Y03SYBCZZPU/Botic_20201012_1402.jpg Portraits Tobi, Ohio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112396108-ZABRLTMGMT9B615DCTNO/Botic_20201002_1712.jpg Portraits Lizzy, Ohio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112411620-US0V5AP2XBNTJJTEVB3H/Botic_20200208_063.jpg Portraits Aleksandra, Kosovo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112496151-5G5DS111XT3BUODF51CX/Botic_03.jpeg Portraits Megan and Mewtwo, Ohio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654112399402-G37TZJMJZ8WMFYGINIDD/baka-1.jpeg Portraits Milica and her great-grandson Kosta, Serbia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1654114368035-XSETRF9R8EDIWW0OX4KJ/20190927_CZB_1978_A.jpeg Portraits Abby, 2019. Indiana. http://www.christianabotic.com/raising-carter daily 0.75 2024-10-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609020637-J9NC9LD8L3XADB7C6QPD/media.jpg Raising Carter Carter Overton, 5, looks through a magnetic building block in his bedroom on Sept. 28, 2023, in Sedalia, Mo. As a result of hydrocephalus, Carter has poor eyesight and often uses touch or holds items closely to see them properly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609020637-J9NC9LD8L3XADB7C6QPD/media.jpg Raising Carter Carter Overton, 5, looks through a magnetic building block in his bedroom on Sept. 28, 2023, in Sedalia, Mo. As a result of hydrocephalus, Carter has poor eyesight and often uses touch or holds items closely to see them properly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609101719-TT6RSKG3QACN61ORVY73/media.jpeg Raising Carter Carter laughs while his grandmother, Oola Staten, 45, blows hair clippings off of his neck after a haircut at her salon, Oola’s Beauty Shop. Due to his mother’s drug use and other legal issues, Oola has been Carter’s legal guardian since 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1729522599428-653N22H648JCOIRM8KE4/Sedalia_CZB_Carter_014.JPG Raising Carter Carter hugs his mom, Carlese Overton, 26, while reading a bedtime story at the dining room table at home. Carlese has been living with her son and mother, who is Carter’s legal guardian, since she was released from jail in July 2023. Since her location is monitored using an ankle bracelet, Carlese has consistently spent more time with Carter over the last two months than she has previously in his life. “My mom told me if I do good for a whole year she’ll help me find a place, and she’ll give me custody of Carter,” Carlese said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609115394-EGYFN5Y2OXAVWLUUWSXK/media3.jpeg Raising Carter Carter pouts while his grandmother Oola pushes his cousin, Honesty, 3, on a swing. Carter has some behavioral issues that may be connected to his medical conditions, and he struggles with transitions throughout the day. “We don’t let nothing stress us,” Oola said. “He’s a kid, he’s just a kid.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609116106-18401O0TJHXJAYEVH6S4/media4.jpeg Raising Carter Carter is told to get back in line by his kindergarten teacher, Ashlea Snapp, at Heber Hunt Elementary School. “For kids like him who need more emotional support, changes are really hard,” said Ashlea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609116932-JU4MDTX5B0Q77TG9XYR3/media6.jpeg Raising Carter Carter practices spelling his name using Wikki Stix as guides during occupational therapy at Heber Hunt Elementary School. Carter attends occupational therapy to help with motor skills and special education to help with behavioral issues. “When kids have behavioral delays, they’re often super intelligent,” Ashlea, Carter’s kindergarten teacher said. “He knows how to do all these amazing things, but pencil grip is hard for him.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609262604-860UP8ELLAQJKFL9Q4JG/media7.jpg Raising Carter Carter reaches for the toy his mother Carlese is in line to purchase for him at JCPenney. Carlese promised to buy this toy for Carter as soon as she got paid by Tyson Foods Sedalia, where she has held a job since being released from jail. Though it cost nearly half of her weekly paycheck, she bought the toy to keep her word to Carter. “I don’t have to prove myself to nobody but my mom, Carter and my family,” she said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609116145-W7DWJRADV6IRKJPUP1FR/media5.jpeg Raising Carter Carter dances with friends during his kindergarten class at Heber Hunt Elementary School. “He is very crazy, but also very entertaining and loveable,” said Paige Overton, Carter’s aunt. “There’s never a dull moment when he’s around.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609117667-5PP31JLIKPZ4TCXPU986/media8.jpeg Raising Carter Carter watches videos on his grandmother’s phone in her bedroom, ignoring her calls for him to come eat breakfast in the kitchen. Carter’s family, who has collectively raised him, hopes that his mother will continue to be present in his life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1705609117728-B9YUDOPG1TWFS985W0K6/media9.jpeg Raising Carter Carlese holds Carter before bedtime. http://www.christianabotic.com/natgeo daily 0.75 2023-12-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1516141237004-6NG820S8KM7LYIMR261S/unnamed.jpg National Geographic Fulbright - Older Slovaks Hold On to Fading Traditions in Serbia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1516141539357-7K5H5GR0BVA6EKHBOCYM/Vinkin%2BBrat%2C%2B2014.jpg National Geographic Fulbright - What's in a Name? An Exploration of Identity in Serbia and Croatia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1516141034327-80Z7MJN3TKC3PVLI1B35/pust-71.jpg National Geographic Fulbright - Chasing Away Winter With Slovenia's Mythical Kurenti https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1516139842770-W43GK8H9D2S7Z1WVBHZY/croatia-refugees-8.jpg National Geographic Fulbright - Asylum Seekers Face Uncertainty in Croatia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1516141355889-E7CQT1NNFSQ41L0MUO1D/Amir-3.jpg National Geographic Fulbright - The Disappearance of Refugee Aid in Serbia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/1516140376192-4DQ9IZ7Y98MDH8A951CE/bujanovac-29.jpg National Geographic Fulbright - South Serbia's Youth Look to a Future That Blurs Ethnic Division http://www.christianabotic.com/about-1 daily 0.75 2025-11-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53600df6e4b02647464a55b3/50a73318-10e8-44ae-a9c1-5c01fb88b8e6/IMG_3382.jpg About Photo courtesy of Lauren Santucci http://www.christianabotic.com/national-geographicfulbright-copy daily 0.75 2023-12-12