This is a feature story I wrote on my friend Anel Guhdija, who came to America with his mother and father from Bosnia in 1992 during the Bosnian War. This story was intended for people of all ages to show how people can make the best out of life even in the most difficult situations. This story I believe accomplishes giving people confidence in themselves to say to themselves regardless of the situations in life to always put your best foot forward and be always be the best you can be.

OMAHA, Neb. —As cars were lined up in a row one car stands out to a woman, a burnt orange Dodge Challenger with two black stripes lying in the middle. “Is that your car the woman exclaimed as the man driving the Challenger walked into the restaurant over to his favorite spot by the fireplace. “Why yes it is, you wanna go for a spin?” he said. 

Eating his usual tomato soup and grilled cheese with a half cup of water and sprite he couldn’t stop mentioning how he caught her attention. 

Anel Guhdija never was personable in his childhood, a moment talking to a stranger seemed a distant dream 27 years ago. 

Guhdija was born in 1992 to a stay-at-home mother in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while his father worked as a local car designer. His family lived in an apartment complex in the capital of Sarajevo with rooms plastered with bullet holes and a low quantity of water. 

In his free time, he along with his best friend Amir would go to the local park to play soccer.

“Playing with Amir helped me develop learning skills, and taught me how to be a better leader,” Anel said.    

During his schooling, he learned subjects such as the Bosnian alphabet in a building tattered due to the war in Bosnia. 

 Serbian forces in 1992, set up concentration camps to ethnically cleanse Bosnia following the country’s independence. In these camps, men, women and children were taken to be tortured, raped and murdered.   

“Our family hid and ran from building to building to avoid gunfire and being captured,” Anel said. 

In fear of his family’s life, Anel’s father Idriz Guhdija joined the Bosnian army.

Throughout the war, Idriz kept in contact with Anel and his mother. 

“It was hard on my mother and me not getting to see my dad every day. I always had thoughts of would I grow up without a father,” Anel said. 

 Families such as Anel’s, received supplies of food and water from the U.S. and Italy while his father continued fighting in the war.

 Idriz returned to Sarajevo after the war in 1995. For six years he struggled to provide for his family, until they moved to America in 2001. 

The immigration process involved filling out immigrant visas Anel said while receiving several physical checkups until their family was cleared to move to America.

During 1995 to 2001, the U.S. sent Bosnian immigrants in a series of waves. Each wave dispersed immigrants to different regions of the country, Anel’s family was moved to Omaha in the Midwest.  

The government provided their family with a low based apartment while helping Anel enroll at Westgate Elementary School.

“Trying to get used to a new country was very difficult Anel said. “Me and my parents didn’t know English, I had no friends and our apartment was horrible. I remember thinking to myself what in God’s name am I doing here.” 

Through elementary school, Anel enrolled in English Language Learners classes. ELL classes are for immigrant students and non-native English speakers wanting to learn the English language.  

“ELL classes were difficult, but a blessing, the experience as a whole opened my eyes in learning what to do with my life,” Anel said. 

After three years of ELL classes, Anel enrolled at Westside Middle School. 

“In understanding English, I became more personable, people started to gravitate towards my personality. “I started to feel like I was somebody finally,” he said. 

Anel went on to Westside High School where he continued to meet new people as a student before graduating in 2011.

Today, Anel attends Bellevue University in hopes of a career in Homeland Security while working as a store manager at Champs Sports.  

“I want to get into the government to protect our country from what is vulnerable to hackers around the world,” he said. 

 Twenty four years after the war Bosnia’s people and its economy are trying to rebuild. 

Anel said he plans to return to his home country to provide whatever people need.  

“I have gone through the experiences these people have, the war changed us as a country and anything I can do to help I will do it,” he said. 

Walking out of the restaurant after enjoying his usual meal. Anel revs his engines to his Challenger hoping the woman looks his way, she smiled and gave a wink. 

“How lucky am I to be alive,” he said breathing a sigh of relief.