Lori Merrill's Sabbatical
Connecting with the server is difficult from Kosovo, so the dates will be off on my posts...
May 5th:
I arrived in Kosovo three days ago, and to say that it is an intense, yet amazing, experience is putting it mildly.
I flew into Pristina in the early afternoon on a beautiful 70-degree day. I was picked up at the airport by Mia, the woman who is the Kosovo point person for the Cities in Transition Forum that will take place May 24-29th. We had a cup of cappuccino at a cafe in Pristina before picking up two other team members at the airport. By 4PM, we were off to Mitrovica, a small city in Northern Kosovo on the Ibar River. We arrived at our apartment located on the South-or Albanian-side of the river at 5:15 PM, and we soon headed down the street to “Charlie’s”, a local café, for dinner. Charlie’s is where “the internationals” hang out. Sitting at the table next to us were six NATO troops from Luxembourg and Austria. It is right across the street from the municipal building where major government meetings take place, so there is always a high level of security around here.
After dinner I went back to the south-side apartment that I am sharing with four other people who are organizing the conference with me. When we arrived home we were invited to come upstairs to have coffee with our new landlords, but only Allen (from Belfast, Ireland) and I took them up on the offer. Libby, Nancy and Cassidy decided to get organized instead. The landlords, Drita and Xhavit, hardly spoke any English, but somehow I figured out that they had recently lost a son in a motorcycle accident. I told them that I was so sorry and Drita came over and hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek, then we laughed, and hugged again. We struggled through another hour of trying to understand each other. They now know I have a newly married daughter at home, but no grandbabies yet, but that I have a grand-dog... we got a good laugh out of that one. They know that my mother-in law is Croatian, and that I know glava means head... we got a good laugh out of that one, too. They also know that I teach economics and I know their sister has two sons who are economists in Pristina, and a daughter who's an architect. The evening was very nice. I drank Turkish coffee, ate cookies and apples even though I wasn't hungry, and I got invited to drive up to Pristina to have coffee at their sister’s place. Not bad for communicating on day one!
When we got back to the apartment Allen, who has been to Kosovo a number of times, told me he was glad I had accepted the invitation. I guess Albanians pride themselves on their hospitality, and our visit would be the talk of the neighborhood for quite some time. I had a feeling saying no was not a good choice and I'm glad I followed my gut.
Right now I am exhausted, but excited. On the surface it is clear that my time in Mitrovica will be a challenge. The Muslim-Albanians who live on the South-side of the Ibar River love Americans, and credit the Clinton Administration with saving them from the genocide that took place in their country back in the late 1990’s. One South-Mitrovican woman told me they love God first, then America. They also love Presidents George Bush and Obama for their ongoing support of NATO’s mission in Kosovo. Living on the South-side will be difficult because it is seriously under-developed due to the aftermath of war. The electricity is frequently out, and the water is off for at least eight hours every day… and you never know which hours you will have water, which can be challenging if you get caught in the shower with shampoo still in your hair. Next weekend we will be moving to housing accommodations on the North-side of the Ibar River, which is likely to prove even more challenging.
The Serbian population in the North does not have the same feelings of gratitude toward America. Many in the North see the US as supporting the occupation of their home, and of bolstering what they consider to be an illegitimate nation—Kosovo. The North benefits from huge funding from Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Because of the external support from Serbia, the roads on the North side of the Ibar River have been resurfaced, and infrastructure repairs are further along than in South Mitrovica. Both sides receive funding from the EU and many international NGO’s, but the Serbs focus their assistance on North Mitrovica, which gives the North an edge in reconstruction. I believe living in the North will be an exercise in diplomacy.
The conference I am participating in will bring together delegates from ten divided cities including Mitrovica. It will attempt to extend the dialog between the populations of these divided cities for the purpose of promoting peace and reconciliation. This concept is a lot to wrap one’s mind around late at night, but it is what I came here to do. For now I shall sleep, and tackle what comes next tomorrow.
May 5th:
I arrived in Kosovo three days ago, and to say that it is an intense, yet amazing, experience is putting it mildly.
I flew into Pristina in the early afternoon on a beautiful 70-degree day. I was picked up at the airport by Mia, the woman who is the Kosovo point person for the Cities in Transition Forum that will take place May 24-29th. We had a cup of cappuccino at a cafe in Pristina before picking up two other team members at the airport. By 4PM, we were off to Mitrovica, a small city in Northern Kosovo on the Ibar River. We arrived at our apartment located on the South-or Albanian-side of the river at 5:15 PM, and we soon headed down the street to “Charlie’s”, a local café, for dinner. Charlie’s is where “the internationals” hang out. Sitting at the table next to us were six NATO troops from Luxembourg and Austria. It is right across the street from the municipal building where major government meetings take place, so there is always a high level of security around here.
After dinner I went back to the south-side apartment that I am sharing with four other people who are organizing the conference with me. When we arrived home we were invited to come upstairs to have coffee with our new landlords, but only Allen (from Belfast, Ireland) and I took them up on the offer. Libby, Nancy and Cassidy decided to get organized instead. The landlords, Drita and Xhavit, hardly spoke any English, but somehow I figured out that they had recently lost a son in a motorcycle accident. I told them that I was so sorry and Drita came over and hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek, then we laughed, and hugged again. We struggled through another hour of trying to understand each other. They now know I have a newly married daughter at home, but no grandbabies yet, but that I have a grand-dog... we got a good laugh out of that one. They know that my mother-in law is Croatian, and that I know glava means head... we got a good laugh out of that one, too. They also know that I teach economics and I know their sister has two sons who are economists in Pristina, and a daughter who's an architect. The evening was very nice. I drank Turkish coffee, ate cookies and apples even though I wasn't hungry, and I got invited to drive up to Pristina to have coffee at their sister’s place. Not bad for communicating on day one!
When we got back to the apartment Allen, who has been to Kosovo a number of times, told me he was glad I had accepted the invitation. I guess Albanians pride themselves on their hospitality, and our visit would be the talk of the neighborhood for quite some time. I had a feeling saying no was not a good choice and I'm glad I followed my gut.
Right now I am exhausted, but excited. On the surface it is clear that my time in Mitrovica will be a challenge. The Muslim-Albanians who live on the South-side of the Ibar River love Americans, and credit the Clinton Administration with saving them from the genocide that took place in their country back in the late 1990’s. One South-Mitrovican woman told me they love God first, then America. They also love Presidents George Bush and Obama for their ongoing support of NATO’s mission in Kosovo. Living on the South-side will be difficult because it is seriously under-developed due to the aftermath of war. The electricity is frequently out, and the water is off for at least eight hours every day… and you never know which hours you will have water, which can be challenging if you get caught in the shower with shampoo still in your hair. Next weekend we will be moving to housing accommodations on the North-side of the Ibar River, which is likely to prove even more challenging.
The Serbian population in the North does not have the same feelings of gratitude toward America. Many in the North see the US as supporting the occupation of their home, and of bolstering what they consider to be an illegitimate nation—Kosovo. The North benefits from huge funding from Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Because of the external support from Serbia, the roads on the North side of the Ibar River have been resurfaced, and infrastructure repairs are further along than in South Mitrovica. Both sides receive funding from the EU and many international NGO’s, but the Serbs focus their assistance on North Mitrovica, which gives the North an edge in reconstruction. I believe living in the North will be an exercise in diplomacy.
The conference I am participating in will bring together delegates from ten divided cities including Mitrovica. It will attempt to extend the dialog between the populations of these divided cities for the purpose of promoting peace and reconciliation. This concept is a lot to wrap one’s mind around late at night, but it is what I came here to do. For now I shall sleep, and tackle what comes next tomorrow.
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