Just in case any of you find yourselves heading to Kosovo in the near future, I will pass on one small piece of advice: when you get off the plane, get to the front of the bus that takes you to the airport - passport control is immediate and it feels so nice to NOT stand in that crazy long line (thanks Alonit!).
It was WONDERFUL to see Alonit at the airport when I came out - she is working in Pristina for the summer and has a cute apartment. I had one brief moment of nervousness - when a airport security woman asked me if I had anything to declare; I said no; she gave me a strange look and asked where I was coming from; I paused (momentarily forgot) before saying Turkey; What are you doing in Kosovo?; meeting a friend; Who put on these (touching one of the locks on my backpack); I did; You did...okay, go ahead. I had no desire to go through a complicated Kosovar customs. But no problem.
Alonit gave me a crash course on Balkan history/present. Of course I don't completely understand anything, but I got a much better idea than I had before (I wont try to attempt much of an explanation here). One helpful fact - they love Americans. When I first started traveling (in Cuba or Mexico or Italy), I mumbled when people asked me where I was from and as soon as I could, I declared my dislike of Bush. Last year, as soon as I said I was American, the vast majority of people smiled and said "Obama!!" In Kosovo, I saw more American flags than I have at any point in the US (except on the 4th of July) - America was instrumental in Kosovo's achieving independence.
Alonit introduced me to some guys she's met (*cough* *cough*) and the four of us went to Prizren - a great town that really reminded me of Boulder. It was crazy hot. But - of course - there were wonderful water fountains. You can drink the water out of basically all of these fountains all over the place. It's great. Did I mention it was hot?
There is a creek that runs through the town...I was so very tempted to jump in - and that was before I saw all the little kids doing it!
I love this picture! Alonit and Julie
And Veli and Abnor.
After a rather strange lunch, we walked up to a great, old fortress that sits above the city. There were great views - but did I mention that it was hot? The view from the bottom looking up:
And one once we made it to the top:
69 countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent country so far. I know it's hard to see, but I wanted to post this picture - it says thank you to each of those countries in their own language. It's quite something to see people so proud of their country, what they have and honestly thankful for those who helped them get there. Still many problems, of course - but there is also great hope and progress.
However, evidence of the war and the trauma and devastation is ever-present...
On Sunday, we went to a forest area just outside (I think?) of Pristina. There was a huge swimming pool which we did NOT go into :( - but we had a great walk and a huge meal and watched kids playing. There are so many young children and young families and it felt like half of the whole city was out playing and having a good time. Kosovo is a Muslim country; there are many mosques and I did hear the call to prayer a number of times. However, you would never know it from the general population. Though there are some people who practice and wear conservative dress, the vast majority of the population seems to be very secular and quite fond of tank-tops and short skirts. Many also have this fabulous trait of dark hair and amazing blue eyes. Not sure of her eye color, but this little one was great fun to watch.
I wish I could have stayed longer. Kosovo was great. However, this is a trip of near-continuous movement, and I was off Monday morning. Back to the airport, out of the land of fabulously inexpensive food and into a place where a spare $50,000 would have come in useful just to eat on a semi-regular basis. :)
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