This week on Balkan Sis, I sit down with Drita Haziraj — a woman who has lived about five lifetimes in one. Drita survived the siege of Sarajevo as a teenager, spent decades as a radio and TV journalist in Bosnia (Radio Free Europe, Radio Stari Grad, Radio FERN, Radio BiH), and in 2004 created and hosted Naša Realnost (Our Reality), a humanitarian TV show that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for families in need. She rebuilt her life from scratch in the US as a single mother of two, became a licensed Illinois real estate broker, and now hosts her own podcast, Realno with Drita Haziraj. We go back to little Drita growing up in Pale, outside Sarajevo, before the war changed everything, and into what four years under siege actually looked like as a teenager — no electricity, rationed food, snipers, and becoming the person who kept her family fed and safe. She talks about finding her voice by calling into a local radio station during the war to read her own poetry, breaking into a career that was very much a boys' club, and the story that pushed her from radio into television. We talk about how Naša Realnost grew into something far bigger than she planned, and the hard moments that eventually pushed her to leave everything and start again in America — three jobs, thirteen rented homes, and the pride of finally signing the loan on a home that was hers. It's a conversation about war, motherhood, reinvention, and what "realno" — real — actually means. In This Episode Growing up in Pale before the war, and being the self-described "rebel" of the familySurviving four years under siege as a teenager, and becoming her family's lifelineWanting to study theology, being turned away for being Muslim, and finding journalism insteadReading wartime poetry on local radio, and breaking into a career that was a boys' clubThe story that shifted her from radio into televisionHow Naša Realnost grew into one of Bosnia's most recognised humanitarian TV showsTouring Australia and raising over $100,000 AUD for families back homeLosing her mother, and leaving Bosnia to start over in the US as a single mother of twoWorking three jobs, getting her real estate license, and signing the loan on her first homeHer sons' very different experiences adjusting to AmericaLaunching Realno with Drita Haziraj, and wanting women to support each other's work Standout Quotes"War taught me to be so grateful for everything. I wouldn't change that experience, because now I can compare what I had, or didn't have, to how blessed I am.""For an immigrant, buying a home isn't really about the property. It's about the process — that you even get the chance to apply.""When you're a journalist, you're a journalist your whole life. You bring that into everything you do." About Drita HazirajDrita survived the siege of Sarajevo as a teenager, spent decades as a radio and TV journalist in Bosnia, and in 2004 created Naša Realnost (Our Reality), a humanitarian TV program. She rebuilt her life in the US as a single mother of two, became a licensed Illinois real estate broker, and now hosts Realno with Drita Haziraj. Where to Find DritaRealno Podcast: realnopodcast.com, and on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and YouTube (search "Realno sa Dritom Haziraj"). Instagram: @dritadidahazirajReal estate: Chase Real Estate, Naperville IL (chasebroker.com)Charity: Naša Realnost / Our Reality (ourreality-nasarealnostnfp.godaddysites.com)Support the podcast: buymeacoffee.com/realnopodcast/membership
