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.
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Saturday, December 20, 2003
Happy Holidays
Well, it is off to Las Vegas for the holidays. I'm wheels up from Skopje, Macedonia at 7am. Flying from Skopje is always a treat because the airport is such a mess and the people are truly amazing. There seems to be little concept of order when standing in line...it's kind of a push to the front and whoever reaches the counter first, wins!!! I'm traveling light this year so I can bring back lots of supplies with me (cake mix, spices, long johns!) I am looking forward to going home to see my family and friends. It has been an entire year since I've been in the US and I miss the simple things like window-shopping at the mall or meeting friends for dinner at Tony Roma's (yes, that would be Neil & Angela!) Thinking of food I miss, I'm craving a Taco Bell's 7-layer burrito, Papa John's Pizza with dipping sauce, and steak with lobster! You think you have a problem with weight during the holidays?!?
The snow was a little late this year. It just snowed this week and not that much...thankfully because most of the UN-staffers are going home to their families this weekend and it would be a disaster if the airport closed! But I enjoyed it! It was a surprise to take Smokey outside and find snow on the ground. And there is something incredibly peaceful about the silence there is when it is snowing. It feels like you are the only person in the world...that is until Smokey pulls me along and I remember he is there :) He seems to enjoy the snow as well...sniffing around and trying to catch snowballs!
The snow was a little late this year. It just snowed this week and not that much...thankfully because most of the UN-staffers are going home to their families this weekend and it would be a disaster if the airport closed! But I enjoyed it! It was a surprise to take Smokey outside and find snow on the ground. And there is something incredibly peaceful about the silence there is when it is snowing. It feels like you are the only person in the world...that is until Smokey pulls me along and I remember he is there :) He seems to enjoy the snow as well...sniffing around and trying to catch snowballs!
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Happy Thanksgiving
I managed to score a Thanksgiving Turkey this year! Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is a US holiday, so I had to work on Thursday. But I didn't let that stop me. I gathered a small group of friends at my flat on Saturday evening and we had an evening of laughter and fun. The power was fortunately on all the way through the cooking of the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and spiced wine. Then when it came time to carve the turkey and put the cheesecake in the oven, zap! The power goes off! It was an interested experience trying to carve the turkey using a head-lamp (flashlight that you wear on your head - think miner) and not only that, but I didn't have a carving set, so I had to use a regular fork and the biggest knife I had in my set! Of course, the cheesecake didn't cook properly so it ended up being more of a cheese-glop that anything! But it tasted great :)
Earlier this month, Didem and I went to the second finger of Halkadiki (Sithonia), Greece (AGAIN!) We stopped by Ikea in Thessaloniki and had a blast shopping. The normal busy summer life of Halkadiki was non-existent in November. The few stores that were open in October during our last trip were now closed. The whole place was basically shut-down with few places to eat or shop. I think in the future during the off-season, I'll head to Thessaloniki for some fun.
Earlier this month, Didem and I went to the second finger of Halkadiki (Sithonia), Greece (AGAIN!) We stopped by Ikea in Thessaloniki and had a blast shopping. The normal busy summer life of Halkadiki was non-existent in November. The few stores that were open in October during our last trip were now closed. The whole place was basically shut-down with few places to eat or shop. I think in the future during the off-season, I'll head to Thessaloniki for some fun.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Watching Istanbul
What a crazy world we live in now-a-days. I've spent the morning in a cafe watching the news with Didem, my Turkish "sister", as she frantically tried to get in touch with her friends and family.
One friend that works in security thinks that Kosovo will be hit in the near future. I asked why because there really is nothing of interest here...but the reply was a simple, it is a soft target. It's somewhat frightening to imagine that there is someone out there filled with enough hate that they want to kill you just because of what passport you carry.
The Iraq War has created some divisions in our office. Last summer, we were a tight knit group but this year, it is split into sub-groups. One colleague declared that he did not want to hang out with me because I was supporting the war. He never actually tried to ask me what my viewpoint was but only saw that in the first days, I wore an American flag scarf in support of the troops (of course, I did support the war because I thought Saddam needed to be taken out of power, WMD or not.) But it was interesting to see how people judge you on the foreign or domestic policies of your country rather than your individual opinions!
I asked Didem, my Turkish girlfriend, why Al-Quida would strike Turkey and she told me that it most likely was because they were a Muslim country but not all followed the ideals of strict Islam. Then we thought about Saudi Arabia. Now there is a fairly strict Islamic state but struck by Al-Quida...because the royal family has too many ties to the Western world. I think that there must be no country in the world, except maybe former Afghanistan, that can satisfy the wants of Al-Quida.
Have you heard the song by the Black Eyed Peas called "Where is the Love"? There is part of the song that talks about the media and negative images are the main criteria. But sometimes I wonder if maybe there is more bad to report than good. Everywhere you look, it seems that there is death, destruction, and mayhem. I think I can relate to Didem's anguish after watching the events of Sept 11 unfold from my hotel room in Germany in 2001. I think of this attack as a Turkish Sept 11th....
One friend that works in security thinks that Kosovo will be hit in the near future. I asked why because there really is nothing of interest here...but the reply was a simple, it is a soft target. It's somewhat frightening to imagine that there is someone out there filled with enough hate that they want to kill you just because of what passport you carry.
The Iraq War has created some divisions in our office. Last summer, we were a tight knit group but this year, it is split into sub-groups. One colleague declared that he did not want to hang out with me because I was supporting the war. He never actually tried to ask me what my viewpoint was but only saw that in the first days, I wore an American flag scarf in support of the troops (of course, I did support the war because I thought Saddam needed to be taken out of power, WMD or not.) But it was interesting to see how people judge you on the foreign or domestic policies of your country rather than your individual opinions!
I asked Didem, my Turkish girlfriend, why Al-Quida would strike Turkey and she told me that it most likely was because they were a Muslim country but not all followed the ideals of strict Islam. Then we thought about Saudi Arabia. Now there is a fairly strict Islamic state but struck by Al-Quida...because the royal family has too many ties to the Western world. I think that there must be no country in the world, except maybe former Afghanistan, that can satisfy the wants of Al-Quida.
Have you heard the song by the Black Eyed Peas called "Where is the Love"? There is part of the song that talks about the media and negative images are the main criteria. But sometimes I wonder if maybe there is more bad to report than good. Everywhere you look, it seems that there is death, destruction, and mayhem. I think I can relate to Didem's anguish after watching the events of Sept 11 unfold from my hotel room in Germany in 2001. I think of this attack as a Turkish Sept 11th....
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
CITS Road Rally III
After coming in 1st Place at the last two Road Rallies, it was time to help out planning one. CITS Chief Jim Martin was leaving the mission in a few weeks so we held a Road Rally mid-September. With two other IT colleagues, we planned a route through Kosovo taking participants from Pristina to Batlava Lake to Ferizaj in an all-day event. Things went without a hitch except for one vehicle that ignored our 4X4 advice and got stuck in the mud (the driver decided to plow down the middle of the mud rather than going through the shallow right side as we suggested...and also ignored the advice to let the best 4X4 driver take the wheel at that point!)
The next Road Rally is probably going to be held in the springtime (May 2004.) Already during this rally, one of the colleagues asked if I would like to help plan the next route...and someone needs to watch him or else it will turn into a 4X4 motocross event!!!
The next Road Rally is probably going to be held in the springtime (May 2004.) Already during this rally, one of the colleagues asked if I would like to help plan the next route...and someone needs to watch him or else it will turn into a 4X4 motocross event!!!
Friday, July 4, 2003
Happy 4th of July
Luckily this year, the 4th of July was on a Friday! That meant that I could party it up after working with friends. I decided to stick with good, ol' tradition and have a BBQ in my yard. Bondsteel supplied me with hot dogs, corn on the cob, and hamburger buns. I was able to get burger patties at one of the local butchers. So we fired up the grill, cranked up the music, and had a really great night :)
I normally do not advertise the fact that there is an international living where I do with a big flag hanging off my balcony (I do have one hanging inside in my living room but that's for my personal gratification) but for the 4th, I made an exception. I decorated my balcony with white lights, hung a big American flag up, and decorated the tables, fence, and rest of the balcony with small flags. It almost felt like I was at home in the US...I even had some sparklers which my friends had never seen before :)
I normally do not advertise the fact that there is an international living where I do with a big flag hanging off my balcony (I do have one hanging inside in my living room but that's for my personal gratification) but for the 4th, I made an exception. I decorated my balcony with white lights, hung a big American flag up, and decorated the tables, fence, and rest of the balcony with small flags. It almost felt like I was at home in the US...I even had some sparklers which my friends had never seen before :)
Friday, May 30, 2003
Spring Flowers
I purchased a couple rose bushes off the street earlier this month and I should have known that if I left them anywhere that Smokey could reach them, he would be tempted to chew on them. Well, luckily he did one evening and I discovered that one of them had started growing. I took Emin out with me and we planted a row of flowers along the house and sporadically along the sidewalk where his father and Nena like to sit. My blooming rose bush went in the ground next to my door and lo-and-behold, I had tiny little roses the next week!
As for my planters on the balcony, I am having some trouble with Smokey going outside and coming back with muddy paws when I'm not watching him. I don't know how many times I've had to replant my bulbs after finding half of the dirt on the balcony and bulbs under the coffee table of my living room! I hope that the flowers will bloom :) I think next year I will have to find some larger planters or find the hangers for the railing to get them out of his reach.
I've also been taking walks with Smokey in the evenings when I get home from work. I've been walking down the road into Gracanica and then turning off to a dirt track that goes along the fields behind our house. He loves running around and sniffing (and peeing on - what a man!) everything :) He did manage to roll in what I believed to be cow manure while I was inspecting some flowers so I am keeping an eye on where he is going from now on *eww* He made friends with some other dog near the fields and spends a little bit of time frolicking around with the group that lives there. I'm just a little worried that he might get fleas from the other dogs :-P~ Rabies is not a problem in Kosovo, in fact, according to my vet, there haven't been any cases in the region for quite a few years.
As for my planters on the balcony, I am having some trouble with Smokey going outside and coming back with muddy paws when I'm not watching him. I don't know how many times I've had to replant my bulbs after finding half of the dirt on the balcony and bulbs under the coffee table of my living room! I hope that the flowers will bloom :) I think next year I will have to find some larger planters or find the hangers for the railing to get them out of his reach.
I've also been taking walks with Smokey in the evenings when I get home from work. I've been walking down the road into Gracanica and then turning off to a dirt track that goes along the fields behind our house. He loves running around and sniffing (and peeing on - what a man!) everything :) He did manage to roll in what I believed to be cow manure while I was inspecting some flowers so I am keeping an eye on where he is going from now on *eww* He made friends with some other dog near the fields and spends a little bit of time frolicking around with the group that lives there. I'm just a little worried that he might get fleas from the other dogs :-P~ Rabies is not a problem in Kosovo, in fact, according to my vet, there haven't been any cases in the region for quite a few years.
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