1500 CET: All non-essential staff was ordered to go home and not return until tomorrow morning. We are waiting for hand-held radios for emergency contact in case the telephone lines go down. The cell service was overloaded before this conflict...so now it is even worse with people calling around to check on friends and relatives. The roads are still blocked with no indication of when they might be open. The airport was also closed today by order of KFOR.
1300 CET: We have been directed to stay in the compound as people are gathering in central Pristina for a protest. We ordered out for Thai food since some of us are hungry and hopefully it will be delivered before the compound is locked down. We are also experiencing water and power shortages and have been requested to conserve as much as we can.
11:00 AM CET (Central European Time): I spent last night in Pristina as full travel restrictions were placed Kosovo-wide for UN staff. We turned off the lights around 10:30pm when automatic gunfire and explosions started in our area. We tried watching local news and listen to local radio but information was sketchy at best. For some reason, the broadcasting was mostly classical music rather than news of what was happening around Kosovo. This morning, the death toll is at least 22 people with over 250 injured. Fighting broke out in pretty much every region of Kosovo with violence against UN police and other populations.
Several Serbian houses in Cagalavica were burnt down along with Serbian government offices and a health center in Kosovo Polje. This has been the worst outbreak of violence since the end of the war in 1999.
I am currently unable to go home for any of my belongings but luckily carry my important documents with me at all times. I hope that this afternoon, things will be a bit more calm and I will be allowed to travel to my house to gather some clothes in order to stay in the capital for the next couple of days. So far, my landlord says that things are okay in the area that I live. I was a little worried about Smokey over the night since he was outside in his kennel. I hope that I'll be able to go feed him...and maybe bring him to Pristina although I don't know where he would stay!
One of my colleagues, Andriy, was very fortunate in that his apartment building (YU Project) was attacked (it is one of the few Serbian buildings in Pristina) but his apartment was untouched. The vehicles in the picture above are from in front of his building...which the walls were still too hot to touch from the fires that were set to most of the apartments. In another part of Pristina, Sunny Hill, at least three internationals were forced out of their apartments, robbed, and then the apartments set on fire.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
All Hell Breaks Loose - A Dark Day for Kosovo
I was able to go home last night but when entering Gracanica, I was told that if I lived past the police station, I would not be allowed to enter. When I told them that I lived before the station, they responded that it was okay but if I drove past the station, it was my responsibility! This morning, the roadblocks were still in place but I was able to come into Pristina without any trouble.
Last night, three Albanian children drowned near the flash-point town of Mitrovica. Mitrovica has the largest divided ethnic population (the Albanians and Serbians separated by a river.) Newspapers reported that the brother of one of the children said that they were being chased by a group of Serbians and jumped into the river to escape.
This morning, all hell broke loose in Kosovo. The Albanians gathered in Mitrovica to protest about the children and things turned sour. Riot police were called in and fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Two UN police vehicles were set on fire and the officers pelted with stones.
In Cagalavica, it is reported that the Serbs started a street battle with KFOR soldiers and several were killed, many were injured. We haven't seen any reports about this yet but news has been slow coming in. It was also rumored that Albanians are infiltrating the Serbian enclaves through the farm fields and starting fights with the Serbs.
Around 5pm, a group of several hundred Albanians gathered outside Mission HQ chanting UCK and booing.
The Prime Minister is calling on NATO and the UN to calm the situation and to figure out what went wrong later. Full travel restrictions have been put in place outside the capital...in fact, I am not allowed to go home this evening and will have to stay in Pristina. We also have been told that once we go home, we are not allowed to go out...and we cannot take our vehicles home but must take UN shuttle buses.
Last night, three Albanian children drowned near the flash-point town of Mitrovica. Mitrovica has the largest divided ethnic population (the Albanians and Serbians separated by a river.) Newspapers reported that the brother of one of the children said that they were being chased by a group of Serbians and jumped into the river to escape.
This morning, all hell broke loose in Kosovo. The Albanians gathered in Mitrovica to protest about the children and things turned sour. Riot police were called in and fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Two UN police vehicles were set on fire and the officers pelted with stones.
In Cagalavica, it is reported that the Serbs started a street battle with KFOR soldiers and several were killed, many were injured. We haven't seen any reports about this yet but news has been slow coming in. It was also rumored that Albanians are infiltrating the Serbian enclaves through the farm fields and starting fights with the Serbs.
Around 5pm, a group of several hundred Albanians gathered outside Mission HQ chanting UCK and booing.
The Prime Minister is calling on NATO and the UN to calm the situation and to figure out what went wrong later. Full travel restrictions have been put in place outside the capital...in fact, I am not allowed to go home this evening and will have to stay in Pristina. We also have been told that once we go home, we are not allowed to go out...and we cannot take our vehicles home but must take UN shuttle buses.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Crazy World!
It is a crazy world we live in these days!
Yesterday, an 18 year-old boy was shot in a drive-by shooting in Cagalavica, a Serbian village near where I live. The Serbs blocked the highway to Skopje in protest. The Serbs in Gracanica, the Serbian village where I live, is also closed due to a protest near the police station. Basically, Kosovo has been shut-down because the major roads are blocked by protesters! In fact, the roads have remained blocked the entire day. I almost had to spend the night in Pristina but luckily, they opened the road to UN vehicles at 5pm :)
This past weekend, a grenade was thrown into the President of Kosovo's house from a passing car, which supposedly has been identified. On Saturday morning, there was an explosion at the UNHQ in Mitrovica...but of course, no one knew about it unless they read the local media! I only heard about it from Emin Monday morning and he didn't know any of the details...just that there had been an explosion and no one was injured. I am surprised (and at the same time, not) because UN Security did not issue any warnings to stay clear of the area or alert the staff in any way. The common joke is that it is "Un-security" :)
Two weekends ago, a bomb threat was called in to MHQ (Mission Headquarters in Kosovo) where I work. Local police discovered a 4.8kg plastique bomb alongside our perimeter fence set on a timer. Two days later, they evacuated the compound a little after 10pm for another threat while earlier in the day, a bomb threat was called into the Grand Hotel next to MHQ.
On a brighter note, spring appears to have arrived (knock on wood!!!) The weekend was beautiful and sunny. Sinan and I spend the weekend lazing around his flat, watching movies and chatting. We decided to walk the streets of Pristina on Sunday afternoon and took in some of the sunshine. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend :)
Yesterday, an 18 year-old boy was shot in a drive-by shooting in Cagalavica, a Serbian village near where I live. The Serbs blocked the highway to Skopje in protest. The Serbs in Gracanica, the Serbian village where I live, is also closed due to a protest near the police station. Basically, Kosovo has been shut-down because the major roads are blocked by protesters! In fact, the roads have remained blocked the entire day. I almost had to spend the night in Pristina but luckily, they opened the road to UN vehicles at 5pm :)
This past weekend, a grenade was thrown into the President of Kosovo's house from a passing car, which supposedly has been identified. On Saturday morning, there was an explosion at the UNHQ in Mitrovica...but of course, no one knew about it unless they read the local media! I only heard about it from Emin Monday morning and he didn't know any of the details...just that there had been an explosion and no one was injured. I am surprised (and at the same time, not) because UN Security did not issue any warnings to stay clear of the area or alert the staff in any way. The common joke is that it is "Un-security" :)
Two weekends ago, a bomb threat was called in to MHQ (Mission Headquarters in Kosovo) where I work. Local police discovered a 4.8kg plastique bomb alongside our perimeter fence set on a timer. Two days later, they evacuated the compound a little after 10pm for another threat while earlier in the day, a bomb threat was called into the Grand Hotel next to MHQ.
On a brighter note, spring appears to have arrived (knock on wood!!!) The weekend was beautiful and sunny. Sinan and I spend the weekend lazing around his flat, watching movies and chatting. We decided to walk the streets of Pristina on Sunday afternoon and took in some of the sunshine. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend :)
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
Let It Snow!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! Master Winter has not let go of Kosovo yet. Last week, it snowed almost every day (just a light dusting that doesn't stick.) But last night, about an inch of snow got dumped on us after dark! While the snow is great, I would have to say that I'm ready for some sunshine and warm weather!
I found a great new restaurant between Pristina and Gracanica called Rron. I was so pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant with great food and excellent, elegant service. They even have real chocolate mousse, not the pudding pass-off that so many other restaurants have :-P
Smokey has a new girlfriend in the neighborhood. I heard barking like crazy this past weekend while he was outside in his kennel (why, oh why, can't he let me sleep in?!) When I looked outside, it was actually a female dog barking at him in his kennel while he ran (or that funny little doggie-prance) back and forth. Emin informed me that she is small enough to actually get in the kennel with him to eat his food and play with him! I think I will need to find a way to "lock-down" the kennel so that he won't have any uninvited visitors...the blackbirds already steal enough food as it is!
We'll try to escape this weekend to Skopje for some shopping. There is a great Irish Pub on the ground floor of the shopping center called (surprisingly enough) "The Irish Pub"! There is also another good restaurant (great ice cream in the summer but pass on the lemonade which is really lemon juice!) kitty-corner from the shopping center's fountain. There's a large terrace equipped with misters that is heavenly during the hot summer months.
I found a great new restaurant between Pristina and Gracanica called Rron. I was so pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant with great food and excellent, elegant service. They even have real chocolate mousse, not the pudding pass-off that so many other restaurants have :-P
Smokey has a new girlfriend in the neighborhood. I heard barking like crazy this past weekend while he was outside in his kennel (why, oh why, can't he let me sleep in?!) When I looked outside, it was actually a female dog barking at him in his kennel while he ran (or that funny little doggie-prance) back and forth. Emin informed me that she is small enough to actually get in the kennel with him to eat his food and play with him! I think I will need to find a way to "lock-down" the kennel so that he won't have any uninvited visitors...the blackbirds already steal enough food as it is!
We'll try to escape this weekend to Skopje for some shopping. There is a great Irish Pub on the ground floor of the shopping center called (surprisingly enough) "The Irish Pub"! There is also another good restaurant (great ice cream in the summer but pass on the lemonade which is really lemon juice!) kitty-corner from the shopping center's fountain. There's a large terrace equipped with misters that is heavenly during the hot summer months.
Friday, February 20, 2004
Happy Valentine's Day
After a successful Christmas Concert, I was asked to MC the Valentine's Day Concert titled "This One's For You". The SRC (Staff Recreation Committee) agreed to follow the concert with a Valentine's Bash. We filled the cinema hall and had a wonderful time :) There was no charity drive this time, it was for the pure musical enjoyment of the staff.
Thinking of the washing machine, I was slightly surprised to discover that European washer and dryers are smaller than our "economy-sized" washers in the US when I arrived in Kosovo. I can usually wash two pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts but that is all. Then, if I am lucky, there will be enough power to run the dryer but usually not. I often end up spinning the excess water out of my clothes by removing half the laundry and running the spin cycle again...and then remove a pair of jeans or sweater from the laundry for a hang-dry.
| The weather is still rather gray and dreary. Of course, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so we can expect six more weeks of winter :-P Didem screened "Groundhog Day" for the movie committee as it is ever the classic Groundhog Day movie :) On the 13th of this month, the temperature dropped down to -15�C (or 5�F)! Brrr!!! I finally kicked Smokey out of the bedroom for excessive shedding and muddy paws. Whenever he had the muddiest paws in all Kosovo, he would run straight to the bedroom and jump on the bed. Luckily, this winter I was a bit wiser and purchased a duvet cover since the comforter never fit in the washing machine. |  |
Thinking of the washing machine, I was slightly surprised to discover that European washer and dryers are smaller than our "economy-sized" washers in the US when I arrived in Kosovo. I can usually wash two pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts but that is all. Then, if I am lucky, there will be enough power to run the dryer but usually not. I often end up spinning the excess water out of my clothes by removing half the laundry and running the spin cycle again...and then remove a pair of jeans or sweater from the laundry for a hang-dry.
Friday, January 23, 2004
Brr!!!
I wrote to my mom last week to tell her how the weather was wonderful and the temperatures was up to 55�F but this week, I take it ALL back! Brr! It is freezing cold now! The temperature took a sudden dive from pre-spring into the bitterness of a Kosovo winter. Two days of 20mph wind with temperatures in the teens! Today it is clear and 14�F, which is still bitterly cold! I am fortunate to have those two wood-burning stoves in my flat to heat the house up when I get home from work. I usually spend 15 minutes in the morning hauling firewood upstairs before taking a shower. It's a good work-out for me! Plus, you really can't beat the crackle of a wood fire while you sit on the couch and drink hot chocolate :)
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Happy New Year
I have been in Kosovo for the past two and half (2.5) years now. While many people complain about how horrible it is, I can see that a lot has changed for the better since August 2000 when I first visited. I remember the days when you didn't know if you could cook dinner because the power might go out, mornings where you took a cold shower out of a bottle, piles of burning rubbish on the streets, packs of wild dogs roaming the streets, and worse to all...bad pizza was all you could find to eat (ketchup as tomato sauce, bologna as meat!)
The power still occasionally goes out but life goes on. At least it is regulated now (5 on: 1 off,, 4 on: 2 off during peak hours.) Winter is a little worse than the rest of the year because power consumption goes up due to heating...the worst I can remember the winter of 2002/3 when it was one on/five off for a week or two (usually it is four on/two off.) The winter of 2003/4 was not that bad. Yes, the temperatures dipped down into the low teens but the power was only regulated to four on/two off during the worst days (maybe three hours off every once in awhile.)
There is still an estimated 50,000 stray dogs in Kosovo but there is a Humane Society trying to help take care of the problem. I have taken two litters of puppies born in the UN compound to their facility in the hopes that they'll go to good homes. Plus I did take that one special (sometimes I think he's "little yellow bus special" but I still love him) puppy home :)
There are some problems with crime. Last month just after I left, we had reports that unknown persons booby-trapped two UN Police vehicles with hand grenades. Luckily, no was was injured because the officers were aware of their surroundings enough to find them. Additionally, there has been a group of men attacking women and stealing their handbags. Two ladies from my office have been mugged but fortunately, the assailants did not manage to steal their bags. Petty and organized crime are two problems that Kosovo still faces and the UN along with local authorities will need to work on resolving.
Overall, I have learned quite a bit about myself in the time I have been in Kosovo. I think that when you come to a mission, you discover new things about yourself that you might not have in a comfortable environment. I made great friends from all around the world and learned much about the world around us for a unique perspective that I might not have gotten elsewhere.
The power still occasionally goes out but life goes on. At least it is regulated now (5 on: 1 off,, 4 on: 2 off during peak hours.) Winter is a little worse than the rest of the year because power consumption goes up due to heating...the worst I can remember the winter of 2002/3 when it was one on/five off for a week or two (usually it is four on/two off.) The winter of 2003/4 was not that bad. Yes, the temperatures dipped down into the low teens but the power was only regulated to four on/two off during the worst days (maybe three hours off every once in awhile.)
There is still an estimated 50,000 stray dogs in Kosovo but there is a Humane Society trying to help take care of the problem. I have taken two litters of puppies born in the UN compound to their facility in the hopes that they'll go to good homes. Plus I did take that one special (sometimes I think he's "little yellow bus special" but I still love him) puppy home :)
There are some problems with crime. Last month just after I left, we had reports that unknown persons booby-trapped two UN Police vehicles with hand grenades. Luckily, no was was injured because the officers were aware of their surroundings enough to find them. Additionally, there has been a group of men attacking women and stealing their handbags. Two ladies from my office have been mugged but fortunately, the assailants did not manage to steal their bags. Petty and organized crime are two problems that Kosovo still faces and the UN along with local authorities will need to work on resolving.
Overall, I have learned quite a bit about myself in the time I have been in Kosovo. I think that when you come to a mission, you discover new things about yourself that you might not have in a comfortable environment. I made great friends from all around the world and learned much about the world around us for a unique perspective that I might not have gotten elsewhere.
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