Forgot to Update!

With the posting of today's article by AlertNet about SOS Kinderdorf's programs to help disadvantaged families in Kosovo I realized that I never updated you on the toy drive that I held before going home for the holidays in December! 
The toy drive went great.  Most of my colleagues and friends donated to the cause and we were able to fill a huge box (1.7m X 2m X 3m) with toys and clothing for children.  Due to an outbreak of meningitis in Magure, I was not able to make the donation to the social center in person but my friends in the DCA took the toys after I departed.  I am supposed to receive some pictures of the donation and I can't wait to see the smiles.  There is nothing quite like making a child smile :)

Before I left, I met with Fahrush Neziri, the director of the Pristina office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.  Since there is only one orphanage in Kosovo (run by SOS Kinderdorf) according to the Ministry most of the orphaned children go to live with relatives or foster families.  The list of children that I received from the Pristina office had 56 children from the ages of 2-18 years of age that could use a bit of holiday cheer.  The morning before I left, I sent a large donation to the office to distribute to the children.  In addition to overseeing the placement of children with relatives or foster families, the Pristina office also operates a sort of meeting center where estranged parents can meet with their children in a neutral setting.  Outfitting the meeting center with toys for the children is my next goal in addition to continuing to help disadvantaged families with clothing and toys.

Back to SOS Kinderdorf!  This is one of my favorite charity organizations because I truly believe that they are the future and the key to ending conflicts around the world.  One thing that is sure to incite rage in MTCowgirl is the use of child soldiers, a personal cause of mine.  SOS Kinderdorf goes to many of the troubled places in the world and sets up shelters for abused or disadvantaged children.  In Kosovo, the organization runs a small orphanage (approximately 10-20 children) and now has opened two centers for disadvantaged families who are struggling to keep their families together after the end of the conflict.  The new program is designed to help families regardless of ethnicity and aimed at promoting awareness for creating a safe environment for orphaned, abandoned, or destitute children in Kosovo.

Why's Everyone Pickin' on Me? Banned from the PX?!

Today is one of those days where the words to that old song "Big bad Billy..." something-rather keeps playing in my head...the line I'm thinking of is where he says "why's everyone always pickin' on me?"  I decided to go check out a new "Etc" hipermarket that opened near Admin HQ this afternoon after lunch.  The market looked huge and is huge on the inside.  The location is complete with an Agora Pizzaria, probably a branch of the one that's next to Bella Vista downtown and hopefully serves up the same delicious pizzas!  But there was nothing really special about the market that distinguishes itself from all the other hipermarkets.  I think I'll actually stick to shopping at Era Citymarket because they still have one of the best selections of veggies and the butcher is decent (although I do still find myself going out to InterEx sometimes just for the meat!) 
The weird thing that happened at Etc. is that they do not allow women to carry in their handbags.  I had to surrender my bag to the the "purse police" at the entrance...of course, removing wallet, cell phone, radio, and appointment book (basically everything that was in the bag!) before handing it over to be locked up by the attendant.  But as I saw, not a single lady in the market was allowed to take their handbag into the store.  I can foresee that causing some problems...I know that I won't be going back because of it...I don't want to have to take everything I need from my bag and hand it over every time I need to go buy toilet paper!

The second thing that happened was that I had the misfortune of being kicked out of the American PX at Film City by two Italian MSU MPs.  Before today, there was never a problem with being an American and shopping in the PX...but for some reason there were MPs (who evidently have nothing better to do than check IDs in the PXs!) kicking people out.  Fortunately a friend was able to purchase the ranch dressing and batteries I needed (I'd die without my ranch!) before we retreated with our tails between our legs.  Guess I won't be going back there either!  Things are a-changing...guess there isn't the same sort of American camaraderie there used to be now that we're getting kicked out of our national PXs!

I've heard some rumors (and I do qualify the below statements as being rumors...not fact set in stone!) about UNMIK getting kicked out of the PXs.  One is that the new chief of staff, an American up at Film City, wants to yank any access that us civilians (say that with as much contempt as possible!) may have had in the past.  The other rumor is the reason why we were supposedly kicked out of Bondsteel after the change-over.  I heard that two Americans from Ferizaj went to Bondsteel around Thanksgiving and started cleaning off the shelves when the PX wasn't expecting a shipment for a couple more days.  The staff at the PX supposedly told the guys that they had to put stuff back and then the attitude came out.  If this is true, personally I'd like to find out who these two guys were and pay them a nice little visit to express my appreciation for screwing things up for all the other Americans in Kosovo!  We've had the privilege of being able to shop down at Bondsteel for the past 5 1/2 years that I've been in Kosovo but it only takes two inconsiderate, stupid jerks to mess things up for 300 other people who just want Pepsi and Tostitos! :oP

Winter Arrives Late!

For all my friends who have complained about the lack of winter and snow...careful what you wish for! *grin*  Today started with a boring, cloudy morning and then the skies opened up!  There is a fresh white coat of snow that is coating everything.  It looks like winter has come but a bit late this year :)  I recall freezing my butt off in Gracanica around this time last year...but even now, for the past two weeks there has been 24/7 power there after several months of having a schedule of one on & five off.
Dj Vegas at the Phoenix?  Last night I was asked to dj at the Phoenix bar downtown.  Unfortunately my American police friends have to leave the bar at 10pm due to some stupid rumors about the owners going around and a new curfew.  Hopefully it will be a temporary restriction...I miss hanging out with my pals at the bar and I think it's one of the few places I can get away with slipping in some country music :o)

Ahtisaari Presents

As anticipated, special envoy Martii Ahtisaari presented his plan to the Contact Group today.  A copy of the report is rumored to have been leaked out and supposedly will be printed in the local papers tomorrow in Kosovo.  The "blueprint" is supposed to center around two issues: Kosovo's right to a future and the protection of minority rights.  It seems that the word "independence" has been left out of the proposal but still Kosovo would be allowed access to international organizations and the possibility of having some sort of security forces.

Patience is a virtue...

If one were to use the old clich� "patience is a virtue" in the Balkans they might sound like a broken record.  With the Serbian elections just finished, press statements are flowing from all the international news agencies about how Serbia must quickly form a pro-EU/Western government, Kosovo Albanians are demanding immediate release of the proposal and stating that conditional independence is not what they were promised seven years ago (I beg to question, what exactly did they think they were promised and who did they think promised them anything?), and even Serbia's current President Tadic is saying that the pro-EU parties must put aside their differences and quickly form a government to shut out the "ultranationalist".
With threats of violence (even the term "war" has popped up) if Albanians are not granted some sort of independence this spring and the rumor of a mass exodus of Serbs if Kosovo is granted independence, it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months.  Rumor still is that Ahtisaari will release some sort of document to the Contact Group on 26 January during a scheduled meeting and then the document will be officially released on 2 February to all.

Elections & Rugova

Today is election day in Serbia.  A chance for Serbs to turn away from the past according to Kosovo Albanian PM Agim Ceku or to show that they do not share the retrograde vision of extremists according to Michael Polt, the US ambassador to Belgrade .  Counts after the polls closed showed that the ultranationalist party of former President Slobodan Milosevic was winning as predicted, gathering somewhere around 28% of the votes with current President Boris Tadic's party winning around 22%, nearly double what was predicted. 
Today also marks the one year anniversary of the death of Ibrahim Rugova, former President of Kosovo and
peaceful activist for Albanians in Kosovo.  A crowd gathered in Pristina to commemorate his death and remember the man that was nicknamed "Gandhi of the Balkans".

Smokey, the Crazy Stunt Dog

Smokey, the Crazy Stunt Dog! He has another title now! I had to put him on the upstairs balcony because he kept ripping the internet/TV cable out of its place on the downstairs balcony.  Yesterday was his second day on the big balcony overlooking Pristina and I thought he'd be happy with so much space to roam.  But lo-and-behold, when I walked outside to the front of the house, I saw Smokey peering over the roof of the garage, two stories up.  Somehow he managed to jump over the railing on the balcony and get up on the roof.  I went back inside to make sure he wasn't stuck and he was right there at the door to sneak inside.  I tossed his butt back out on the balcony and as soon as I got back downstairs and out front, he was again on the roof.  I hope no one in the neighborhood freaks out that there is a dog on my roof...but at least I don't have to reconnect my internet/TV cable when I get home tonight!
This morning it was the same deal but I took pictures for those that don't believe me!  Check out what's new with the Crazy Stunt Dog...peeking down at me from two stories up while I was getting in the car to go to work :)

PS.  I was vindicated and received my driver's license back yesterday!