Everything starts with Buna and Bunica, and Mostar is the first and unique. Those who know him describe him as a philanthropist, a born rebel, and a charismatic, and spontaneous person. He built a career as a psychiatrist and a life with his Lithuanian wife in Chicago, where he came about thirty years ago alone, "with a plastic bag and a few hundred dollars in his pocket." He has won numerous awards and recognitions for his clinical work focused on children and adolescents, and today he owns a private psychiatric practice in Chicago. In this interview, read which celebrities he went to class with, which BHAAAS he hangs out with in Chicago, with which music he grew up and is "still growing," why he describes his best and worst habits as "killing for a psychiatrist," how the COVID pandemic brought a new member to his family, and finally, enjoy a real little essay about Buredžići, born from memories of Mostar and his childhood. You participated as a symposium leader and lecturer at the 13th Days of BHAAAS. What was your favorite part of the conference? The opening in City Hall was beautifully designed, festive, and elegant. The medical symposia were excellent, and I was particularly impressed by the amount of knowledge and the desire to share knowledge with many young colleagues who live and work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I appreciate that my colleagues are trying to improve child psychiatry in a country where it is still at the level of improvisation. I was extremely impressed by the volunteers and their enthusiasm, "to knock you out of your shoes." Where did you spend the summer of 2022? The summer started as usual, with the Days of BHAAAS, and then we spent our vacation in Europe, which we have been looking forward to since the COVID quarantine period. This time we went to Lithuania (where my wife is from), France, and Austria. Back to BHAAAS. What motivated you to become a member, and how do you participate in the work of the organization? From the first moment, I saw BHAAAS as an organization where I would find myself, where I could do something concrete for Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though I no longer live there. In the first period, I could not be active; the beginning of BHAAAS was the time of my specialization and sub-specialization and at the same time the beginning of my marriage and the birth of my children. Before specialization, I was quite active in the BiH refugee community in Chicago. I worked a lot then as a therapist with people who mostly survived the horrors of the concentration camps in BiH, so I must say that it left a mark on me. I am glad that the time has come when I can give more to BHAAAS. I see it as a kind of voluntary patriotic enjoyment through work, knowledge, and profession, as a gift to younger people, which becomes a natural path for someone in my profession. I am especially glad that through this work I met many exceptional people, members, and activists whom I would never have met without BHAAAS. Chicago has been your home for quite some time. What is your favorite thing about that city? From the first day I came here, alone, in '94, with a plastic bag and a few hundred dollars in my pocket, in English like Tarzan, and to this day with a heavy accent after 30 years, I have never felt like a foreigner. The Midwest is very open; it's a wonder how people accept you and welcome foreigners in a particularly nice and immediate way; people always come here from somewhere. Before I flew to America, I went to the library in Zagreb to read "Where and what is this Chicago?" My friends asked me how you will be there alone. I answered, "I have no idea how I will do it, but I know I have to and I will." What is your favorite place in the world? Everything starts at Buna and Bunica, and Mostar is the first and unique. Of course, Sarajevo and Chicago have their places on that list today, but Mostar's sun, light, sounds, stone, water, the smell after the rain, that southern quick temper—that's something I can't see and feel in other places. I can only imagine and try to feel in Florence, Siena, Istanbul, and other places, but it is not like in Mostar. Yes, my favorite city in the world is Mostar. Now about Amer, what are your best and worst habits? I can work a lot; that's my best habit, and I don't like to work; that's the worst. Somehow the first one always wins, but "it was a kill for the psychiatrist." What kind of music do you enjoy the most? Do you play an instrument? I grew up with rock, and I'm still growing up with rock. Pava and Loša went to class with me, or, to be honest, I went to class with them. Lately, I've been listening to The Black Keys and many others. I don't miss seeing Bruce Springsteen, Stones, U2, this year Eric Clapton, and Elton John. I often go to hear and see Chicago legend Buddy Guy; he's the start of it all; the man is still alive and playing like he's in his twenties. And of course, one is Khalid. As for my gig, I know how to whistle well. The reason for this is an anecdote from my childhood: in the old days at the "Slaviša Vajner Čiča" school, my mother took me to the music teacher; she said, "The little one wants to play something." He asks what I would play; I say "Guitar, professor." He says, "It can't be; you have long fingers; you're for the accordion." And since then, I whistle perfectly. Of course, now I wish I had listened to the professor then, but they couldn't make me. How do you spend your free time? Do you have a hobby, a pet, or "your" cafe? I have extraordinary friends here in Chicago. A smart writer somewhere wrote, "Look around you, and you will know who and what you are," and it is exactly like that; I somehow see and feel it. Dr. Šunje, Karaiković, Haverić, Arnautović, Brkić... I think I ordered them by age. We often hang out and get together; for that matter, it's like I'm in Bugatti or Soso. There's also Steve, Mark, Paul, Ryan, and Jimm—all our good old Bosnians. Otherwise, I like tennis, golf, and skiing in Colorado. Now all this seems like I have a lot of free time and I have no time for anything. We have a pug, an Appenzeller; his name is Bently. It was brought to us by COVID. Which book do you think everyone should read? All from Remarque, because it has a lot of similarities with our recent history. I would like it to be just my story, but it's not. Many of us had to go out into the world with a bag—over a million—and it didn't happen again to anyone. Esad Boskail, if I ask myself, should be mentioned in the company of important writers; I would like to know how to write like him and that he could write more. There is also our great one and only Saša Hemon. What do you prefer, American or Bosnian food? Buredžik-singular, buredžici-plural—that's the original American food for me—almost Italian pannacotta, as my godfather Kale would say. With sour milk and garlic (saransak), they are even better the day after. They must have been made by Lithuanian Laisvyda's hand after completing some extension school in Buna with my mother Sabra from Foča, who perfected this knowledge with the late Nana Umihana in a small house next to the mosque above Stari Most in Mostar. Interestingly, there is no such thing as pie in Lithuania, but since my wife completed the extension school and started making pie, Lithuanians in Kaunas also started making it according to the late Nana's recipe. The message of this story is that good things have no boundaries. And so life goes on, well and beautifully, in some inexorably "spin" way that I could never have dreamed, planned, or even imagined, to describe it through something that was put in a pan. Thanks for this question. Finally, a trick question: what would you do if you became president of BHAAAS? A trick question deserves a trick answer; you should ask me, “What would you do if you did not become the president of BHAAAS?” and I would say, “Nothing at all." AMER SMAJKIĆ PROFESSIONALLY: According to patients, he is one of the three best private child psychiatrists in Chicago. He went from being a refugee from BiH to becoming a lecturer at the RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago and the owner of a private psychiatric practice. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo, and since 1995 he has been practicing psychiatry in Chicago, where he started working as a therapist and mental health counselor at Chicago Health Outreach, providing mental health services to refugees, immigrants, and survivors of war, genocide, and ethnic cleansing. Shortly thereafter, he established a professional academic relationship with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, with Dr. Stevan Weine and Professor Ivan Pavković as mentors. Under their guidance, he participated in numerous research projects. Dr. Smajkić received training in general psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Rush University Medical Center. He completed training in general psychiatry and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center. Conducted extensive research and published scientific papers with a primary focus on genocide and ethnic cleansing, post-traumatic stress disorder, and major depressive disorders. He published a chapter in the book Mental Health Services of Juvenile Offenders entitled "Suicide in Delinquent Adolescents." He is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, as well as a member of the American Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and the Trichotillomania Learning Center. His clinical work focuses on children, adolescents, and young adults. More about Dr. Ameru Smajkic: Chicago psychiatrist - Chicago Child Psychiatry Associates
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