The mosquito-born West Nile Virus has claimed its first victim this past week and another two suspected deaths are being investigated as being related to the virus in Kosovo. The disease which is making a debut for the first time in the Balkans claimed three victims in Serbia last month where there were at least 35 confirmed cases. While up to 80% of infected persons will not suffer any symptoms, extreme cases of the virus can lead the swelling of the brain tissue, coma, and eventual death. For those that do contract the virus, common symptoms mirror that of the regular flu.
Now to the local news, this week there has been a large focus on the proposed travel of a large delegation from the Kosovo Government to the US for the UN Assembly meeting which would require 200-300,000 Euros from the limited Kosovo budget. The proposal and cost of sending such a large delegation (20-30 people) to the UN has been met with large skepticism by the opposition parties in the press.
Announced in the news today after reports earlier in the week of being spotted in Kosovo, Naser Kelmendi, who is on the US blacklist, was arrested by Kosovo Police on Thursday (20 September). Kelmendi, who is a Bosnian citizen, is reported to be one of the biggest drug bosses in the Balkans.
The results of the Kosovo census have been revealed. Excluding municipalities in the north of Kosovo who refused to take part in the census, the population of Kosovo has been declared to be 1,739,825 inhabitants. The last known official count of the population of Kosovo was held in 1981 with 1.5 million persons. In 1991, Albanians boycotted the census and the population was estimated to be 1.9 million.
Showing posts with label Life in Kosovo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life in Kosovo. Show all posts
Friday, September 21, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
The Worrying Kosovo Infant Mortality Rate
International and Kosovo health officials are concerned about the rate of infant mortality in Kosovo despite it dropping over the past 10 years. The rate is still higher than it should be with 17.1 deaths in 1000 births.
The lack of a true proper healthcare system and other factors such as poverty and education all contribute to the higher infant mortality rate in Kosovo.
We recently witnessed how frustrating dealing with the public hospital in Pristina can be when a friend of ours gave birth to a baby boy with a serious congenial heart defect that should have been detected by the gynecologist during pregnancy, a mistake that has infuriated the neonatologist at the Pristina Hospital. Because of the failure of the prenatal doctor identifying the heart defect, we have been struggling for two weeks to find a charity to assist sending the baby to another country and pay for the 150,000 Euro operation that will help to save the little boy's life as the medical treatment cannot be found in Kosovo. Luckily an Italian charity has come through and our friend's baby had surgery this morning in Tirana, Albania where an Italian doctor traveled to perform the operation.
Update - 12 July 2012 - I am saddened to report that despite receiving the much needed surgery in Tirana, our friend's baby passed away in the early hours of the morning. It is extremely frustrating to think that had the prenatal doctor identified the heart defect as it should have been and the medical care he needed been available in Kosovo he may still be with us today. It took more than two weeks to be able to get the baby into the desperately needed surgery because of funding and travel considerations and I can't help but keep thinking that it was two weeks too long.
The lack of a true proper healthcare system and other factors such as poverty and education all contribute to the higher infant mortality rate in Kosovo.
We recently witnessed how frustrating dealing with the public hospital in Pristina can be when a friend of ours gave birth to a baby boy with a serious congenial heart defect that should have been detected by the gynecologist during pregnancy, a mistake that has infuriated the neonatologist at the Pristina Hospital. Because of the failure of the prenatal doctor identifying the heart defect, we have been struggling for two weeks to find a charity to assist sending the baby to another country and pay for the 150,000 Euro operation that will help to save the little boy's life as the medical treatment cannot be found in Kosovo. Luckily an Italian charity has come through and our friend's baby had surgery this morning in Tirana, Albania where an Italian doctor traveled to perform the operation.
Update - 12 July 2012 - I am saddened to report that despite receiving the much needed surgery in Tirana, our friend's baby passed away in the early hours of the morning. It is extremely frustrating to think that had the prenatal doctor identified the heart defect as it should have been and the medical care he needed been available in Kosovo he may still be with us today. It took more than two weeks to be able to get the baby into the desperately needed surgery because of funding and travel considerations and I can't help but keep thinking that it was two weeks too long.
Friday, June 29, 2012
House Hunting in Pristina
This past week has been extremely frustrating as we searched for a new house in Pristina. Being a family in Kosovo, we had special considerations (extra bedroom for the kiddies, bathtub for bathtime, no neighbors uptairs/downstairs to bother if the kiddies are noisy) that proved to be rather difficult to fulfill in our price range according to the three different rental agencies we tried to work with this week.
First the websites proved to be the old bait-and-switch tactic where houses were advertised that had already been rented many moons ago or the price changed due to ridiculous reason (well, the price listed is if you live upstairs in the three bedrooms and the landlord lives downstairs in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Huh?!)
Then when outlining our requirements for the number of rooms, bathtub, and maximum price, basically everything was ignored. One rental agency showed us houses that were double to quadruple our price range but assured us that we should just go look at the houses and they were sure the landlords would negotiate down because the houses had been listed for a long time (some for more than two years empty!) Basically that didn't happen. The one house we viewed that was double our price, the guy was happy to negotiate down but certainly not to half his asking price (even if the house has been empty for 1.5 years).
And lastly, in searching on our own and through the rental agencies, we found that almost none of the houses we looked at had "House for Rent" signs. It was almost impossible to know that the houses were available for rent. The exception to this is the Dragodan neighborhood where nearly every second or third house has a sign.
Some people swear by using a rental agency because it saves them time and effort. We found that we wasted days of our time by using the agencies. However, if you are searching for a house and would like to use an agency, here are a couple that I would suggest (if not only to get an idea of what's on the market). We finally ended up finding a house through "a friend who knew someone who had a friend that was looking to rent" and found exactly what we were looking for :)
Rental Agencies in Pristina
First the websites proved to be the old bait-and-switch tactic where houses were advertised that had already been rented many moons ago or the price changed due to ridiculous reason (well, the price listed is if you live upstairs in the three bedrooms and the landlord lives downstairs in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Huh?!)
Then when outlining our requirements for the number of rooms, bathtub, and maximum price, basically everything was ignored. One rental agency showed us houses that were double to quadruple our price range but assured us that we should just go look at the houses and they were sure the landlords would negotiate down because the houses had been listed for a long time (some for more than two years empty!) Basically that didn't happen. The one house we viewed that was double our price, the guy was happy to negotiate down but certainly not to half his asking price (even if the house has been empty for 1.5 years).
And lastly, in searching on our own and through the rental agencies, we found that almost none of the houses we looked at had "House for Rent" signs. It was almost impossible to know that the houses were available for rent. The exception to this is the Dragodan neighborhood where nearly every second or third house has a sign.
Some people swear by using a rental agency because it saves them time and effort. We found that we wasted days of our time by using the agencies. However, if you are searching for a house and would like to use an agency, here are a couple that I would suggest (if not only to get an idea of what's on the market). We finally ended up finding a house through "a friend who knew someone who had a friend that was looking to rent" and found exactly what we were looking for :)
Rental Agencies in Pristina
- Capital Ring (www.ringks.com)
- Omega Real Estate (www.omega-ks.com)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Taste of Home
Recently, we discovered a taste of home in the Tusido Cafe located on the lower level of the Pristina Football Stadium. The first time we walked into the restaurant, Alan Jackson was blaring over the sound system via a satellite radio station. We then proceeded to gobble down Buffalo Chicken sandwich wraps that reminded us of being back home. One menu item that we can't wait to try are the Buffalo Wings. Based on the chicken served in the wrap, the wings are the spicy tidbits of chicken we are used to being served back home in the US. And while we haven't tried the breakfast yet I hope to get down there one morning as they offer skillet breakfasts and pancakes.
A pet peeve of mine, restaurant bathrooms, proved not to be an issue with the super clean and tasteful decor of the bathrooms at Tusido. While the smoking section does impede on the non-smoking section, we didn't find that we left the restaurant reeking of cigarettes, a huge plus in Pristina!
Stop by the location at the Pristina FC Stadium, visit online, or give them a call at 038 233 666
A pet peeve of mine, restaurant bathrooms, proved not to be an issue with the super clean and tasteful decor of the bathrooms at Tusido. While the smoking section does impede on the non-smoking section, we didn't find that we left the restaurant reeking of cigarettes, a huge plus in Pristina!
Stop by the location at the Pristina FC Stadium, visit online, or give them a call at 038 233 666
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Long, Hard Winter
This winter has been heralded as the worst winter in more than 60 years. With record snowfalls, sub-zero temperatures, and avalanches it has been a long, hard winter for those in Kosovo. A few weeks ago it was said that some 150 villages had basically been cut off from the rest of the world as roads were impassible. Southeast European Times has a neat little photo essay highlighting the difficulty of winter in Kosovo villages.
On 10 February, an avalanche buried the village of Restelica. Amazingly a 5-year-old girl was pulled out from under 10 meters (33 feet) of snow that killed nine other members of her family including her parents.
MTCowgirl's Kosovo News
It has been a while so here is MTCowgirl's Interesting News/Commentary...
As usual, these articles do not reflect personal opinion but were found to be "interesting"
On 10 February, an avalanche buried the village of Restelica. Amazingly a 5-year-old girl was pulled out from under 10 meters (33 feet) of snow that killed nine other members of her family including her parents.
MTCowgirl's Kosovo News
- Rising domestic violence in Kosovo worries experts
- NATO updates plans for Kosovo drawdown
- Kosovo has highest unemployment rate in Western Balkans
- Kosovo judiciary endures threats and lack of security
- US Ambassador, Christopher Dell, ends mandate in Kosovo
It has been a while so here is MTCowgirl's Interesting News/Commentary...
As usual, these articles do not reflect personal opinion but were found to be "interesting"
- Kosovo farmer blames KFOR for stressed chickens
- Dutch politician says Balkan people are not Europeans
- Mercedes-Benz refuses to deal with government contractors over concerns on Kosovo corruption
- Tales from the US Embassy in Pristina...the lovesick American who needed a loan...twice
- Art and identity in Kosovo
Friday, February 3, 2012
KEK in State of Emergency
With a week of below 0 temperatures (both C and F!) and last week's heavy snow, KEK has declared a state of emergency and put their crews on 24 hour standby as electricity supplies wane. In addition to problems producing enough electricity due to the weather, KEK is struggling against restrictions on imports imposed by Serbia.
Last night, with one phase of power to the house completely off, we had two hours of power and then two-three hours without power. Thankfully with well insulated walls, the temperature didn't dip too far but there was a chill to the air in our house. This morning KEK has been out with a crane truck in our neighborhood, hopefully to fix the problem with the one phase that is out (if I remember correctly, there are three different phases of power. How the house is built depends on which phases the house uses, one, two, or all three).
Last night, with one phase of power to the house completely off, we had two hours of power and then two-three hours without power. Thankfully with well insulated walls, the temperature didn't dip too far but there was a chill to the air in our house. This morning KEK has been out with a crane truck in our neighborhood, hopefully to fix the problem with the one phase that is out (if I remember correctly, there are three different phases of power. How the house is built depends on which phases the house uses, one, two, or all three).
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Digging Out
After many a winter in Kosovo, I have to say that I can't remember one where there has been so much snow in a short period of time! In the past two days, Kosovo has received a couple feet of snow with high winds which has whipped the snow into drifts that come up to my waist (not difficult when you are only 5'4").
The biggest complaint by far has not been the power situation, which in our neighborhood on the outskirts of town near Film City has been fairly constant with the occasional one hour outage, but rather the lack of snowplows clearing the roads in Pristina. The responsibility for plowing the roads lies with the municipality and the mayor of Pristina, Isa Mustafa, has been getting hit pretty hard with criticism on the local news channels for leaving people stranded.
But the upside to all the snow in Pristina is that there is a ton of snow in Brezovica and the skiing is likely to last well into the spring this year after a dismal season last year. The conditions on the mountain can be checked from IPKO's Brezovica webcam.
To give an idea of how much snow there has been, check out this fantastic photo from Snow Njeri :)
The biggest complaint by far has not been the power situation, which in our neighborhood on the outskirts of town near Film City has been fairly constant with the occasional one hour outage, but rather the lack of snowplows clearing the roads in Pristina. The responsibility for plowing the roads lies with the municipality and the mayor of Pristina, Isa Mustafa, has been getting hit pretty hard with criticism on the local news channels for leaving people stranded.
But the upside to all the snow in Pristina is that there is a ton of snow in Brezovica and the skiing is likely to last well into the spring this year after a dismal season last year. The conditions on the mountain can be checked from IPKO's Brezovica webcam.
To give an idea of how much snow there has been, check out this fantastic photo from Snow Njeri :)
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| Downtown Pristina - Newborn Sign |
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year
It has been a while since I posted...so here's a quick catch-up! Plus Happy New Year! This year will mark 11 years of being in Kosovo. Many laugh at the notion but I truly do call Kosovo home. Some have called me crazy after ranting about how bad it is in Kosovo when they find out just how long I have been here...but honestly, they have no idea what bad is in Kosovo. I am glad to say "Kosovo, you've done good" in the incredible amount of progress I have seen since hitting the ground in July 2001. Granted there is still a ways to go but I am thrilled that Kosovo has managed to rebuild and grow!
Kosovo, KFOR, and the Serbs continue their back and forth over the roadblocks in the North. No real viable solution seems to be in sight despite Serbia telling the Kosovo Serbs to remove the barricades and their assurances that freedom of movement will be established.
In mid-December, a Russian aid convoy captured headlines when it was stopped by EULEX customs officials when entering Kosovo. EULEX said the convoy would either have to accept an escort, a move seen to get EULEX, KFOR, and Kosovo police past the still present Serb barricades, or pass through a Pristina controlled border point. A few days later the convoy would be allowed to pass with an EULEX escort.
More than a year after losing his job due to corruption charges, the Director of Kosovo's Central Bank, Hashim Rexhepi, was cleared of all five charges levied against him by EULEX in what was widely criticized as a politically motivated case.
Kosovo, KFOR, and the Serbs continue their back and forth over the roadblocks in the North. No real viable solution seems to be in sight despite Serbia telling the Kosovo Serbs to remove the barricades and their assurances that freedom of movement will be established.
In mid-December, a Russian aid convoy captured headlines when it was stopped by EULEX customs officials when entering Kosovo. EULEX said the convoy would either have to accept an escort, a move seen to get EULEX, KFOR, and Kosovo police past the still present Serb barricades, or pass through a Pristina controlled border point. A few days later the convoy would be allowed to pass with an EULEX escort.
More than a year after losing his job due to corruption charges, the Director of Kosovo's Central Bank, Hashim Rexhepi, was cleared of all five charges levied against him by EULEX in what was widely criticized as a politically motivated case.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Kosovo - The New Wine Destination?
Honestly, I must admit that some of my favorite wines come from the Balkans so it is no surprise to find an article that wonders if the next trendy wine destination is Kosovo. Kosovo has produced inexpensive yet good quality wine for quite some time and it is wonderful to finally see Kosovo winemakers receive recognition. While there are still obstacles for recognition of the quality and brands of Kosovo wine, I do not believe that it will take long for Kosovo wines to become favorites abroad especially once the customs issue has been addressed.
Free Albanian Lessons
After 5/10 years respectively of being in Kosovo, Troy and I signed up for free Albanian language lessons at Basement Bar in Pristina. Both of us speak a smattering of conversational Albanian and can count to 10 but have always understood a lot more than we could actually speak. Lessons are offered at different days of the week depending on your level. Stop by at Rexhep Luci No 9-1 (Downtown Pristina) or give them a ring (049 151 000) if you are interested!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Life in Kosovo
It has been a while since I've broken away from reporting on the boring old news in Kosovo and wrote simply about life in Kosovo.
The phrase "the more things change, the more they stay the same" truly applies to Kosovo. It seems that the road construction will forever make our lives hell and we are condemned to wait in lines of traffic with KPS acting as human traffic signals or taking our lives in our own hands to dive out in the an intersection with no traffic signs/signals/common sense. Despite the best intentions to make Kosovo a cleaner place by implementing environmental measures at Obilic, Kosovo is a dirty and dusty place with the smell of wood or the stench of coal in the air during the winter and tree-lined streets with bird-$hit covered cars underneath them. But despite all this, I must confess that after 10 years in Kosovo, it is home and when (some friends say "if"!) I leave I will take away many happy memories and fantastic friendships!
There are a few places that I have to mention for those looking for a place to go for a nice meal. The first is Taverna Toscana (044 890 678 located near the entrance to the US Embassy. Serving up homemade pasta and some of the finest cuts of steak we have found in Pristina, the restaurant not only serves fantastic meals but very reasonably priced. For those with a bottomless pit of a stomach, I can recommend taking the set dinner menu which consists of a soup, salad & appetizer, main course, and dessert! You are guaranteed not to leave hungry or with an inch of space left in your stomach for more food!!!
The second place on my highly recommended list is Old Country House in the village of Benice e Eperme (044 656 054). Serving traditional Kosovo dishes such as homemade bread with "long", a bread dipping mixture that is to die for, and tava, Old Country House is a great little getaway from the hustle and bustle of Pristina.
The phrase "the more things change, the more they stay the same" truly applies to Kosovo. It seems that the road construction will forever make our lives hell and we are condemned to wait in lines of traffic with KPS acting as human traffic signals or taking our lives in our own hands to dive out in the an intersection with no traffic signs/signals/common sense. Despite the best intentions to make Kosovo a cleaner place by implementing environmental measures at Obilic, Kosovo is a dirty and dusty place with the smell of wood or the stench of coal in the air during the winter and tree-lined streets with bird-$hit covered cars underneath them. But despite all this, I must confess that after 10 years in Kosovo, it is home and when (some friends say "if"!) I leave I will take away many happy memories and fantastic friendships!
There are a few places that I have to mention for those looking for a place to go for a nice meal. The first is Taverna Toscana (044 890 678 located near the entrance to the US Embassy. Serving up homemade pasta and some of the finest cuts of steak we have found in Pristina, the restaurant not only serves fantastic meals but very reasonably priced. For those with a bottomless pit of a stomach, I can recommend taking the set dinner menu which consists of a soup, salad & appetizer, main course, and dessert! You are guaranteed not to leave hungry or with an inch of space left in your stomach for more food!!!
The second place on my highly recommended list is Old Country House in the village of Benice e Eperme (044 656 054). Serving traditional Kosovo dishes such as homemade bread with "long", a bread dipping mixture that is to die for, and tava, Old Country House is a great little getaway from the hustle and bustle of Pristina.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Hopefully Fixed!!!
Whew...I just finished going back and correcting the old posts that showed up blank. Hopefully I got all of them :)
In the news, with the upcoming elections, Thaci has been called out by the European Parliament for Kosovo representative, Ulrike Lunacek, over his promise that Kosovo would have visa liberalization within 15 months of his re-election. Thaci has also promised to raise salaries which directly violates Kosovo's agreement with the IMF over the amount of Kosovo's GDP that goes towards salaries. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time that a politician has made false promises but I'm not sure if they have been so publicly refuted!
28 November marks Flag Day in Kosovo. Several Vetevendosje activists were arrested in Lipjan during the celebrations for replacing the state flags of Kosovo with Albanian flags. Vetevendosje activists in Gjakova prevented other members from being arrested and said that the police of "insulted the activists, the whole movement and leader Albin Kurti, calling him a pro-Serb element." Ummm, yeah, isn't this the same guy that's running on a platform of Albanian unification and Greater Albania???
After news emerged about Enver Sekiraqa living free in Ireland, he reportedly has been arrested and is being held by Irish police. However, Kosovo may face difficulty over extraditing him to stand trial for crimes committed in Kosovo as there currently is no extradition treaty between Ireland and Kosovo. Does this all sound a bit familiar?
Al-Jazeera has published an interesting article about how Kosovars tolerate fake marriages to obtain residency and citizenship abroad. According to the article, Kosovar men often divorce their Kosovar wives, go abroad and marry Westerners until they get residency. Then they divorce their second wives and bring their Kosovar families abroad with them.
In the news, with the upcoming elections, Thaci has been called out by the European Parliament for Kosovo representative, Ulrike Lunacek, over his promise that Kosovo would have visa liberalization within 15 months of his re-election. Thaci has also promised to raise salaries which directly violates Kosovo's agreement with the IMF over the amount of Kosovo's GDP that goes towards salaries. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time that a politician has made false promises but I'm not sure if they have been so publicly refuted!
28 November marks Flag Day in Kosovo. Several Vetevendosje activists were arrested in Lipjan during the celebrations for replacing the state flags of Kosovo with Albanian flags. Vetevendosje activists in Gjakova prevented other members from being arrested and said that the police of "insulted the activists, the whole movement and leader Albin Kurti, calling him a pro-Serb element." Ummm, yeah, isn't this the same guy that's running on a platform of Albanian unification and Greater Albania???
After news emerged about Enver Sekiraqa living free in Ireland, he reportedly has been arrested and is being held by Irish police. However, Kosovo may face difficulty over extraditing him to stand trial for crimes committed in Kosovo as there currently is no extradition treaty between Ireland and Kosovo. Does this all sound a bit familiar?
Al-Jazeera has published an interesting article about how Kosovars tolerate fake marriages to obtain residency and citizenship abroad. According to the article, Kosovar men often divorce their Kosovar wives, go abroad and marry Westerners until they get residency. Then they divorce their second wives and bring their Kosovar families abroad with them.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Attack of the Crazy Cat Lady!
Well, technically she didn’t have any cats but while driving home for lunch today, Troy and I were attacked by a woman of questionable mental health who has been on a stone throwing rampage against EULEX vehicles in Pristina. Quite cunningly, the woman placed several large stones in the roadway causing a backup of traffic as normal vehicles had to swerve around them. Then it appeared that she laid in wait for an EULEX vehicle to pass and bam, she throws a rock at your window! So far she has managed to break the windows of 3-4 EULEX vehicles this week and allegedly smashed the windows of a KPS vehicle last month.
Troy was able to detain the woman until EULEX Security and KPS showed up but as usual in Kosovo, it seemed like KPS was reluctant to do anything (you know, paperwork is such a headache!) and from appearances, the woman will probably be smashing out more windows from EULEX vehicles in the near future. An interesting side note is that the woman had a pile of stones pre-selected for her attacks on top of a cardboard UCK sign and had note attached to some of the rocks…
Troy was able to detain the woman until EULEX Security and KPS showed up but as usual in Kosovo, it seemed like KPS was reluctant to do anything (you know, paperwork is such a headache!) and from appearances, the woman will probably be smashing out more windows from EULEX vehicles in the near future. An interesting side note is that the woman had a pile of stones pre-selected for her attacks on top of a cardboard UCK sign and had note attached to some of the rocks…
Kosovo Begins Exhuming Suspected Mass Grave
Kosovo authorities have begun an investigation into a suspected mass grave near the northern Kosovo town of Vushtrri. The site, an abandoned coal mine, is thought to contain the bodies of Serb citizens allegedly killed by ethnic Albanians in 1998. This is reportedly the second attempt at exhuming the grave as the work in the first attempt was halted due to a landslide. Kosovo authorities also plan on investigating another suspected grave but it must first be cleared of landmines before work begins.
Typically close neighbors with good political cooperation, Kosovo and Albania appear to be headed to their first disagreement over plans to build a hydro-electric powerplant in the south of Kosovo. Reportedly, Albania is concerned that the Kosovo plant will divert needed water from Albania’s hydro-electric plants and affect their power production.
There are many hopes in Kosovo following the International Court of Justice decision on the declaration of independence. One such hope is that the decision will boost tourism and economic development in Kosovo. I can only hope that tourist who are interested in Kosovo wait until all the road construction is done!!! I can only imagine the first impression of a person traveling to Peja/Pec would have if they left the airport and suddenly find themselves traveling halfway to Peja/Pec down a dusty non-paved road or even more fun, getting stuck in traffic at the monster roundabout at the Mitrovica bridge and Bill Clinton! Kosovo has a LOT of tourism potential but as I have said before, the people here still need to realize the potential and start taking care for their wonderful nature (so that means no more graffiti and throwing trash anywhere you want!!!)
MTCowgirl’s Interesting News Articles/Commentary
Typically close neighbors with good political cooperation, Kosovo and Albania appear to be headed to their first disagreement over plans to build a hydro-electric powerplant in the south of Kosovo. Reportedly, Albania is concerned that the Kosovo plant will divert needed water from Albania’s hydro-electric plants and affect their power production.
There are many hopes in Kosovo following the International Court of Justice decision on the declaration of independence. One such hope is that the decision will boost tourism and economic development in Kosovo. I can only hope that tourist who are interested in Kosovo wait until all the road construction is done!!! I can only imagine the first impression of a person traveling to Peja/Pec would have if they left the airport and suddenly find themselves traveling halfway to Peja/Pec down a dusty non-paved road or even more fun, getting stuck in traffic at the monster roundabout at the Mitrovica bridge and Bill Clinton! Kosovo has a LOT of tourism potential but as I have said before, the people here still need to realize the potential and start taking care for their wonderful nature (so that means no more graffiti and throwing trash anywhere you want!!!)
MTCowgirl’s Interesting News Articles/Commentary
- Kosovo begins to find its independent identity
- State of Hope
- Kosovo is Everywhere
- Kosovars forget the taste of the past
- Hurdles in Kosovo for repatriated Romas
- A long road to reconciliation for Kosovo
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wedding Season
The months of July & August have been deemed “Wedding Season” due to the large influx of Kosovo expats who flood back in their shiny BMW, Audi, and Mercedes and evenings punctuated with automatic “happy fire” from weddings. Celebratory gunfire is just one of those things that probably will never be considered against the norm in Kosovo. Occassionally people do get injured by stray bullets but I imagine that until a child is tragically killed there won’t be much public outcry against the AK-47 “happy fire”. Despite the negative aspect of celebratory gunfire, a neat thing about Kosovo weddings is the vehicle procession.
It is hard to give true justice to a Kosovo wedding vehicle procession in describing it but I’ll try…basically, you gather all your relatives and friends who have vehicles. You decorate the lead vehicle with the biggest (and I mean BIG!) Albanian flag you can find and some plastic flowers/streamers if you can find some. All the other vehicles that will follow the lead vehicle will put bath or dish towels under their windsheild wiper to signify that they are part of the wedding party. If your guests have a sunroof, someone must be poking out of the sunroof, dancing to the traditional Albanian music blaring from everyone’s car stereos. If you don’t have a sunroof, you are obligated to either sit on the windowsill of the moving vehicle, put your arms out the windows, or dance in place in the car. Don’t forget to honk and flash your lights at oncoming traffic… Like I said, it’s hard to give the experience justice for those who have seen a wedding procession here!
It is hard to give true justice to a Kosovo wedding vehicle procession in describing it but I’ll try…basically, you gather all your relatives and friends who have vehicles. You decorate the lead vehicle with the biggest (and I mean BIG!) Albanian flag you can find and some plastic flowers/streamers if you can find some. All the other vehicles that will follow the lead vehicle will put bath or dish towels under their windsheild wiper to signify that they are part of the wedding party. If your guests have a sunroof, someone must be poking out of the sunroof, dancing to the traditional Albanian music blaring from everyone’s car stereos. If you don’t have a sunroof, you are obligated to either sit on the windowsill of the moving vehicle, put your arms out the windows, or dance in place in the car. Don’t forget to honk and flash your lights at oncoming traffic… Like I said, it’s hard to give the experience justice for those who have seen a wedding procession here!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Life at the Speed of Several WTFs a Minute
Traffic in Pristina is always a popular subject to blog about even more so after the declaration of independence when the Kosovo government promptly ripped up all major roads and brought traffic to a grinding, bumpy halt in all directions. The newest WTF moment occurred on the Monday morning commute to work for most people.
The two-lane bridge to Mitrovica has been closed and is due to be tore down. With Bill Clinton Boulevard ripped up and down to two lanes and all the traffic being diverted into that mess, most people who travel the 5-7kms to work were stuck in traffic for nearly two hours on Monday morning leading to a collective WTF moment for most of the international community. Evidentally traffic planning does not exist or is not a particularly strong suit for the Ministry of Transportation. In addition to the closure of the Mitrovica highway bridge, roadblocks have been placed on one of the roads forcing all traffic from downtown to divert into the road construction on Bill Clinton Boulevard and all traffic coming from FKP (Fushe Kosova/o Polje) to also divert into the nightmare!
Besides the impossible traffic situation, I had a WTF moment today when I read that the “Brotherhood and Unity” Monument near the Kosovo Government Building has been selected to be destroyed and replaced with a moment and square dedicated to Kosovo Albanian hero Adem Jashari! The “Brotherhood and Unity” monument was dedicated in 1961 and is commonly referred to by the internationals as the “Fork Monument” as the three pillars representing Serb, Albanian, and Montenegrian peoples. It seems that history or cultural preservation is not a consideration for the Kosovo government which has also approved a move to tear down the historic Union Hotel to pave way for a square dedicated to Ibrahim Rugova…a mere two-three blocks from the “Brotherhood and Unity” monument.
The two-lane bridge to Mitrovica has been closed and is due to be tore down. With Bill Clinton Boulevard ripped up and down to two lanes and all the traffic being diverted into that mess, most people who travel the 5-7kms to work were stuck in traffic for nearly two hours on Monday morning leading to a collective WTF moment for most of the international community. Evidentally traffic planning does not exist or is not a particularly strong suit for the Ministry of Transportation. In addition to the closure of the Mitrovica highway bridge, roadblocks have been placed on one of the roads forcing all traffic from downtown to divert into the road construction on Bill Clinton Boulevard and all traffic coming from FKP (Fushe Kosova/o Polje) to also divert into the nightmare!
Besides the impossible traffic situation, I had a WTF moment today when I read that the “Brotherhood and Unity” Monument near the Kosovo Government Building has been selected to be destroyed and replaced with a moment and square dedicated to Kosovo Albanian hero Adem Jashari! The “Brotherhood and Unity” monument was dedicated in 1961 and is commonly referred to by the internationals as the “Fork Monument” as the three pillars representing Serb, Albanian, and Montenegrian peoples. It seems that history or cultural preservation is not a consideration for the Kosovo government which has also approved a move to tear down the historic Union Hotel to pave way for a square dedicated to Ibrahim Rugova…a mere two-three blocks from the “Brotherhood and Unity” monument.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Kosovo & Murphy’s Law
Troy & I couldn’t handle the heat anymore and broke down, purchasing a 270 Euro air-conditioner wall unit for our flat. Some friends called us wimps, told us we were getting soft because after all, we’ve lived in Las Vegas and Florida…but man, we have air-conditioning in both of those places when the temperatures spike over 80F! Even Smokey, a long-haired Kosovo Shephard (that’s what I call him, in all actuality, he’s a mutt!), has been looking about as miserable as we’ve been feeling. I suppose the coolest place in the house has been the shower stall in our bathroom because I walked in the other night to find him curled up sleeping inside the shower 
So back to the story, we broke down and bought an air-conditioner! Yes!!! Since the installation required drilling into the walls, we asked our landlady if she would find someone to install the unit for us. So she brought three workers that she trusts to inspect and then the next day install the air-con. Good! Yesterday, the three-man crew worked for a few hours in the evening to mount the unit on the wall and hook up the compressor outside. Excellent. The room cooled down fantastically the hour or so that we ran the air-con after they left. As we climbed into bed in our new cool room, I noticed that there was water dripping from the bottom. Suddenly as if the air-con knew I was watching, a cascade of water flowed down the wall and electrical cord straight into the power outlet! Hesitating slightly (I didn’t want to elecrocute myself…oh, that’s another story to share!) I ended up unplugging the air-con. After a quick inspection, we discovered that the workers had installed the drainage pipe so that the water must flow uphill in order to go drain outside…hmmm! Needless to say, we have asked for the crew to come back tonight to fix the drainage so that it goes downhill and outside
The whole thing about worrying about getting electrocuted reminds me of a recent conversation with friends about the daily police reports on activities and occurences in Kosovo. There seems to be a rash of electrocutions while bathing lately. According to the reports, a short in the electrical wiring of the water heaters goes through the water tank and pipes to the shower and eventually showers electricity-laden water on the person taking the shower. How freaky is that?! Before we were just worried about the landlords installing the tanks inside the shower stalls but now we have to wonder if the electricity will just flow with the water?! Yikes!
So back to the story, we broke down and bought an air-conditioner! Yes!!! Since the installation required drilling into the walls, we asked our landlady if she would find someone to install the unit for us. So she brought three workers that she trusts to inspect and then the next day install the air-con. Good! Yesterday, the three-man crew worked for a few hours in the evening to mount the unit on the wall and hook up the compressor outside. Excellent. The room cooled down fantastically the hour or so that we ran the air-con after they left. As we climbed into bed in our new cool room, I noticed that there was water dripping from the bottom. Suddenly as if the air-con knew I was watching, a cascade of water flowed down the wall and electrical cord straight into the power outlet! Hesitating slightly (I didn’t want to elecrocute myself…oh, that’s another story to share!) I ended up unplugging the air-con. After a quick inspection, we discovered that the workers had installed the drainage pipe so that the water must flow uphill in order to go drain outside…hmmm! Needless to say, we have asked for the crew to come back tonight to fix the drainage so that it goes downhill and outside
The whole thing about worrying about getting electrocuted reminds me of a recent conversation with friends about the daily police reports on activities and occurences in Kosovo. There seems to be a rash of electrocutions while bathing lately. According to the reports, a short in the electrical wiring of the water heaters goes through the water tank and pipes to the shower and eventually showers electricity-laden water on the person taking the shower. How freaky is that?! Before we were just worried about the landlords installing the tanks inside the shower stalls but now we have to wonder if the electricity will just flow with the water?! Yikes!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hot, Hot, Hot!
It has become beyond hot in Kosovo these days with temperatures in the high-80′s to low-90′s F. While the temperatures are bearable in other locales, one fact that makes Kosovo a bit unbearable during the summertime is the lack of air-conditioning. Most apartments and many restaurants lack any type of air-conditioning which makes the dog days of summer pretty miserable. Even Smokey has been looking so miserable that we have contemplated shaving him with our clippers to give him some small bit of relief!
In addition to the temperature outside, the political climate has been heating up. Of course the continuing saga of corruption in the Thaci government goes on but also yesterday KPS arrested Vetevendosje leader, Albin Kurti, whose trial was postponed last month to today. Vetevendosje has claimed police brutality (as usual) and went out in search of vehicles to overturn (also normal). A total of 2 EULEX vehicles and 4 KPS vehicles suffered damage. Surprisingly after refusing to engage in politics in the past, Kurti announced that his Vetevendosje party will run in the 2011 elections for parliment which should prove to be interesting campaign to watch to say the least (I wonder if their rallies will include turning over vehicles and vandalizing property with spraypaint?!) This announcement coupled with the arrest of Kurti has lead to accusations that the arrest was politically motivated…but in all actuality, Kurti has so far failed to appear in court since the spring and was due to appear in court in the morning and also had an outstanding arrest warrant which was failed to be carried out earlier…so is it really politics or just KPS finally getting their act together and executing an arrest warrant within 48 hours of a court hearing?
How about some interesting news/commentary articles on Kosovo???
MTCowgirl’s Interesting News/Commentary
In addition to the temperature outside, the political climate has been heating up. Of course the continuing saga of corruption in the Thaci government goes on but also yesterday KPS arrested Vetevendosje leader, Albin Kurti, whose trial was postponed last month to today. Vetevendosje has claimed police brutality (as usual) and went out in search of vehicles to overturn (also normal). A total of 2 EULEX vehicles and 4 KPS vehicles suffered damage. Surprisingly after refusing to engage in politics in the past, Kurti announced that his Vetevendosje party will run in the 2011 elections for parliment which should prove to be interesting campaign to watch to say the least (I wonder if their rallies will include turning over vehicles and vandalizing property with spraypaint?!) This announcement coupled with the arrest of Kurti has lead to accusations that the arrest was politically motivated…but in all actuality, Kurti has so far failed to appear in court since the spring and was due to appear in court in the morning and also had an outstanding arrest warrant which was failed to be carried out earlier…so is it really politics or just KPS finally getting their act together and executing an arrest warrant within 48 hours of a court hearing?
How about some interesting news/commentary articles on Kosovo???
MTCowgirl’s Interesting News/Commentary
- Biased Amensty International report deprived of Kosovo chapter
- Children orphaned in the US will start life over in Kosovo with relatives
- Pilot flies flag around the world for Kosovo
- Serbia: Tying the EU in knots
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Kosovo Hotel Hits News and Takes A Hit
Kosovo has a lot of tourist opportunities but when there is news about Kosovo, it’s rarely about the beautiful nature or in this week’s case, it questions if one of the landmark hotels is the Worst Hotel in The World (Grand Hotel). But honestly, while it doesn’t flatter or help Kosovo’s tourism, the article is pretty much spot on in regards to opinion and reality at the Grand Hotel. The rooms are completely overpriced, shoddy in appearance and decor, and the outside atmosphere is less than impressive. However, there currently is a multi-million Euro renovation on-going (aka drills, jackhammers, and other loud noises to wake you in the early hours or keep you up at night!) and there are rumors that the group owning the Sheraton Resorts in Turkey will purchase the hotel and make it a Sheraton francise out of Turkey…that would be interesting to say the least!!!
But back to the nature in Kosovo…it’s awesome! Everyone who comes to Kosovo should go spend a day exploring Rugova Canyon near Peja/Pec. It is some of Kosovo’s best nature and a real treat to get out of the dusty cities. Renting a small wood cabin only costs 25 Euros per night and you can have some fantastic fresh grilled trout along the river.
The trip to Boge Ski Resort is an adventure in itself as you wind along the small dirt road that seems to never end. Curious cows and sheep watch you as you make your way up into the mountains giving you a feel for what it’s like to live in “real” Kosovo…or the way basically everyone who doesn’t live in the city lives
For those looking for a short jaunt outside Pristina, a visit to the Gadime caves is a must. And you 100% need to get the older gentleman who gives the tours. Not only is his English better than the other guides but he is a real hoot and gives an informative, humorous tour of the caves. A constant temperature (5C) during the year, a light sweater is recommended for those who get chilled easily.
But back to the nature in Kosovo…it’s awesome! Everyone who comes to Kosovo should go spend a day exploring Rugova Canyon near Peja/Pec. It is some of Kosovo’s best nature and a real treat to get out of the dusty cities. Renting a small wood cabin only costs 25 Euros per night and you can have some fantastic fresh grilled trout along the river.
The trip to Boge Ski Resort is an adventure in itself as you wind along the small dirt road that seems to never end. Curious cows and sheep watch you as you make your way up into the mountains giving you a feel for what it’s like to live in “real” Kosovo…or the way basically everyone who doesn’t live in the city lives
For those looking for a short jaunt outside Pristina, a visit to the Gadime caves is a must. And you 100% need to get the older gentleman who gives the tours. Not only is his English better than the other guides but he is a real hoot and gives an informative, humorous tour of the caves. A constant temperature (5C) during the year, a light sweater is recommended for those who get chilled easily.
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Joy of Being an International in Kosovo
The weather has quite sucked today with pouring rain. Naturally traffic backed up because quite simply with all the pollution in Kosovo, the roads become quite slick when the water hits the fine coal dust from Obilic and the local population often fails to adjust their driving speed and skills to the changing weather conditions. Even more interesting, there often is an attitude of “this is my world, you are just living in it”
A good example of this is the accident that my husband Troy had today while sitting at a red light. Normally when you are third in line at a red light you don’t have to worry about any traffic hitting you but alas, someone managed today which probably should be recorded in some record book somewhere in the category “Seriously? I mean seriously?!”
So sitting third back in a line of traffic, Troy got hit in the front passenger panel by a vehicle trying to cut in from the side. With a median in the way and the huge blue EULEX patrol sitting in line, the man driving didn’t have anywhere to go and evidently was too impatient to wait for traffic to pull up so he proceeded to drive into the side of the EULEX car. Now the story interestingly enough does not end there!
After proceeding to scratch the side of the Patrol, the offender made eye contact with Troy, backed up, and then left acceleration marks as he took off the opposite direction! Probably the first time I’ve heard of a person leaving tire tracks away from the scene of the accident. Oh yeah, and the story continues from there. EULEX Security shows up and so does KPS.
KPS tells the three international police officers that they do not believe the accident happened the way that they have been told, oh yeah except the guy who caused the accident fled the scene. Naturally telling a carful of police officers that they are lying went over well. So continuing in the accident report, Troy and his colleagues managed to get the license plate of the vehicle that hit them. But of course, KPS has an answer for that too and says that their vehicle registration database is inaccurate so they probably won’t be able to find out who caused the accident. So basically, hit & run accident, KPS doesn’t feel like doing any work and there probably will be no outcome for the report. In short, if you want to drive like a kamikazi and play bumper cars in traffic, do it in a KS-plated vehicle and flee the scene of the accident because KPS won’t believe the person reporting the accident and won’t investigate the license plate because their database is supposedly so outdated that all the information must be wrong :P
A good example of this is the accident that my husband Troy had today while sitting at a red light. Normally when you are third in line at a red light you don’t have to worry about any traffic hitting you but alas, someone managed today which probably should be recorded in some record book somewhere in the category “Seriously? I mean seriously?!”
So sitting third back in a line of traffic, Troy got hit in the front passenger panel by a vehicle trying to cut in from the side. With a median in the way and the huge blue EULEX patrol sitting in line, the man driving didn’t have anywhere to go and evidently was too impatient to wait for traffic to pull up so he proceeded to drive into the side of the EULEX car. Now the story interestingly enough does not end there!
After proceeding to scratch the side of the Patrol, the offender made eye contact with Troy, backed up, and then left acceleration marks as he took off the opposite direction! Probably the first time I’ve heard of a person leaving tire tracks away from the scene of the accident. Oh yeah, and the story continues from there. EULEX Security shows up and so does KPS.
KPS tells the three international police officers that they do not believe the accident happened the way that they have been told, oh yeah except the guy who caused the accident fled the scene. Naturally telling a carful of police officers that they are lying went over well. So continuing in the accident report, Troy and his colleagues managed to get the license plate of the vehicle that hit them. But of course, KPS has an answer for that too and says that their vehicle registration database is inaccurate so they probably won’t be able to find out who caused the accident. So basically, hit & run accident, KPS doesn’t feel like doing any work and there probably will be no outcome for the report. In short, if you want to drive like a kamikazi and play bumper cars in traffic, do it in a KS-plated vehicle and flee the scene of the accident because KPS won’t believe the person reporting the accident and won’t investigate the license plate because their database is supposedly so outdated that all the information must be wrong :P
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