The weather is being sporadic at best lately. It goes from hot/sunny to cold/rainy every few days. We had an incredible storm on Sunday night. I arrived back from a weekend in Greece with my capris and sandals to find strong winds, lightening, pelting rain, and overall really bad weather. I ended up hiding in the house of a colleague until the storm subsided since I wasn't really dressed to brave the elements :) Today is sunny with temperatures in the 70's but who knows what it will be like tomorrow!
Oh, I forgot to mention that my contract has been extended another six months. When I called to tell my mom, she guessed what I'd say before I did. "I've been extended another six months but after that, I don't know". It seems to be one of our mantras in the mission. Never knowing how long you'll be needed in the mission or if they'll want to move you to another location. Some of my family asks if I want to come back to the US, especially my mom. But actually, right now I am enjoying being overseas and I am still fairly young so I feel that I better take advantage of the opportunity to travel the world while I have it! Maybe some day I will return to the US but not now. If I am no longer needed in Kosovo, I hope to move on to Africa if possible to another peacekeeping mission.
Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Time Flies
My goodness, has it really been a month since I wrote? Well, it means that things are quiet and I was on vacation from Kosovo :) I did have a moment of excitement last week when I was driving to the office. I was in the right lane of traffic and someone decided to make a right turn in front of me from the left lane. I ended up slamming on the brakes and throwing everything in the backseat onto the floor. I got the typical "what'd I do" look from the other driver who made the illegal turn. Really bizarre but then it is Kosovo!
DJ Vegas in da house! I have become UNMIK's newest DJ. I held my first SRC party last Saturday and it was a success. I still have people coming up to me and telling me how much they enjoyed the night, so my ego has been getting a bit of a boost lately. I am thinking to arrange another party next month and be on the regular lineup of DJs for the SRC parties. The SRC (Staff Recreation Committee) exists for the welfare and morale of the staff on mission. The SRC in Pristina consists of a Trips, Sports, Movies, and Social Committees. I am currently the Head of both the Sports and Movie Committees therefore I chose not to run for the Executive Committee as suggested by the previous President. Just too much on my plate if I did that, I'm sure!
The weather has taken a turn towards summertime. The temperature went up almost 20�F in one day into the 70's earlier this week. It has made for some great outdoor lunches :) I also planted a flower garden near my entrance the week before I left for vacation and the flowers are starting to come out. I have one bizarre rose bush that I planted last year or the year before and it simply just grows up, up, up and never blooms. Really strange! Smokey is also enjoying the weather and started to sleep outdoors again. Plus he's shedding his winter fur so I am having to groom him every other day :-P
DJ Vegas in da house! I have become UNMIK's newest DJ. I held my first SRC party last Saturday and it was a success. I still have people coming up to me and telling me how much they enjoyed the night, so my ego has been getting a bit of a boost lately. I am thinking to arrange another party next month and be on the regular lineup of DJs for the SRC parties. The SRC (Staff Recreation Committee) exists for the welfare and morale of the staff on mission. The SRC in Pristina consists of a Trips, Sports, Movies, and Social Committees. I am currently the Head of both the Sports and Movie Committees therefore I chose not to run for the Executive Committee as suggested by the previous President. Just too much on my plate if I did that, I'm sure!
The weather has taken a turn towards summertime. The temperature went up almost 20�F in one day into the 70's earlier this week. It has made for some great outdoor lunches :) I also planted a flower garden near my entrance the week before I left for vacation and the flowers are starting to come out. I have one bizarre rose bush that I planted last year or the year before and it simply just grows up, up, up and never blooms. Really strange! Smokey is also enjoying the weather and started to sleep outdoors again. Plus he's shedding his winter fur so I am having to groom him every other day :-P
Monday, April 18, 2005
Haradinaj Family
On Friday, the 23 year-old brother of Ramush Haradinaj was shot and killed in a reported "clan" dispute in Peja/Pec. The Hague temporarily released Ramush to attend the funeral. The Haradinaj family has an interesting history with this generation of brothers. Two were killed during the fighting in 1999, another has been convicted of murder, and now this incident and the arrest of Ramush. Movement to Peja/Pec was restricted until this afternoon due to the shooting death and possible security risks to international staff traveling in the region.
There was an explosion in Pristina last night near the Illira Hotel. There aren't many details right now but the explosion is reportedly near one of the political party offices (ORA). The attack was targeted at the political party of Veton Surroi, a publisher of one of the local newspaper (I think Koha Ditore). Three children were injured in the blast as I believe the party's office was located in the ground level of an apartment block. The children were living on the second floor of the building and luckily not seriously injured.
There was an explosion in Pristina last night near the Illira Hotel. There aren't many details right now but the explosion is reportedly near one of the political party offices (ORA). The attack was targeted at the political party of Veton Surroi, a publisher of one of the local newspaper (I think Koha Ditore). Three children were injured in the blast as I believe the party's office was located in the ground level of an apartment block. The children were living on the second floor of the building and luckily not seriously injured.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Criminal Animals
Today an elderly Serbian couple (ages 71 and 73) was attacked by assistants who beat and stabbed them in an apparent ethnically motivated attack. The couple, Mr. & Mrs. Vucic, were attacked outside their home about 50kms outside Pristina. They were taken to the hospital in Mitrovica where they were treated for broken bones and stab wounds. One is still in critical condition and the other is recovering. All I can think is what kind of criminal animal would attack an elderly couple in such a brutal manner and for what reason?
While it has been recognized that progress is being made in minority rights and freedom of movement, this establishment of order seems to be bothersome to some groups. Attacks on minorities have increased to almost one per day in recent weeks. These groups do not seem to want an independent, democratic, or orderly Kosovo. They are probably relishing in the criminal freedom of an interim administration and some incompetence on the part of the local government to realize the grave threat the groups pose to the democratic process.
While it has been recognized that progress is being made in minority rights and freedom of movement, this establishment of order seems to be bothersome to some groups. Attacks on minorities have increased to almost one per day in recent weeks. These groups do not seem to want an independent, democratic, or orderly Kosovo. They are probably relishing in the criminal freedom of an interim administration and some incompetence on the part of the local government to realize the grave threat the groups pose to the democratic process.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Trip to Brezovica
Actually, it was last weekend that I took a trip to Brezovica but I didn't get a chance to write about the interesting trip :) I've always heard about how beautiful it is up at the ski resort at Brezovica. A misconception is that the mountain is called Brezovica but it is actually the name of the village located at the base. The mountain is really called Sara but if you tell someone you're going to Sara they probably wouldn't know where you were going :)
A friend invited me to go up to Brezovica with him last weekend to visit a breeder of the famous Sharr Mountain dogs. The dogs are mammoth in size with a coat of shaggy fur, a head the size of a lion, and a bark with the bass of James Earl Jones. On the way, we passed the KFOR checkpoint and were stopped about five minutes later by a group of young Serbian men between 15-21 years-old. They were dressed in normal clothing but with some sort of fur shawls and many had masks (traditional or ski masks). They demanded that we pay money to continue on the road. A KPS vehicle was leaving the group when we pulled up...and now I wonder if they paid the fee to pass as the group effectively stopped all traffic on both sides of the road by sheer number on the road. My friend refused to pay and ended up being called a SOB by some drunk kid but we eventually passed after a verbal challenge to get out of the car and fight the drunk youngster...and then probably all of his drunken friends after that :-P
Then we reached Brezovica and discovered that someone came up with the idea to charge a fee to enter what they now classify as a "National Park". The fee was five euros but when informed that we were in a KFOR vehicle, the price went down to a "just pay two or three and you can go". My friend didn't want to pay so the attendant started complaining that the international organizations weren't paying but we passed after a moment. Passing through Brezovica, I noticed many destroyed houses. I was informed that they were Albanian homes that were burnt down in last March's violence...which was interesting because you didn't hear much about the Albanians losing property last March
When we got the resort, the sheer number of people and vehicles astounded me. If all those private vehicles paid five euros, the attendant made a couple hundred euros that day! Naturally, I got some pictures at the resort :) If you happen to visit the resort, I recommend stopping by Pizzaria Tina for a fantastic pizza :)
A friend invited me to go up to Brezovica with him last weekend to visit a breeder of the famous Sharr Mountain dogs. The dogs are mammoth in size with a coat of shaggy fur, a head the size of a lion, and a bark with the bass of James Earl Jones. On the way, we passed the KFOR checkpoint and were stopped about five minutes later by a group of young Serbian men between 15-21 years-old. They were dressed in normal clothing but with some sort of fur shawls and many had masks (traditional or ski masks). They demanded that we pay money to continue on the road. A KPS vehicle was leaving the group when we pulled up...and now I wonder if they paid the fee to pass as the group effectively stopped all traffic on both sides of the road by sheer number on the road. My friend refused to pay and ended up being called a SOB by some drunk kid but we eventually passed after a verbal challenge to get out of the car and fight the drunk youngster...and then probably all of his drunken friends after that :-P
Then we reached Brezovica and discovered that someone came up with the idea to charge a fee to enter what they now classify as a "National Park". The fee was five euros but when informed that we were in a KFOR vehicle, the price went down to a "just pay two or three and you can go". My friend didn't want to pay so the attendant started complaining that the international organizations weren't paying but we passed after a moment. Passing through Brezovica, I noticed many destroyed houses. I was informed that they were Albanian homes that were burnt down in last March's violence...which was interesting because you didn't hear much about the Albanians losing property last March
When we got the resort, the sheer number of people and vehicles astounded me. If all those private vehicles paid five euros, the attendant made a couple hundred euros that day! Naturally, I got some pictures at the resort :) If you happen to visit the resort, I recommend stopping by Pizzaria Tina for a fantastic pizza :)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
One Year Anniversary of Riots
Today was marked with commemorations and memorials of last year's March 17 riots and violence. We were informed that there was to be a commemoration in Gracanica around 1200 CET and then we started getting advisories of other memorials being held in other villages this afternoon. The only disturbing event of today was a bomb threat against the municipal building in Peja/Pec.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Hell in a Handbasket
1030 CET: Security has informed us that KFOR will be making a series of controlled explosions in the vicinity of this morning's incident. I suppose that means that they found more bombs. Reports are that the first explosion came from a garbage dumpster while Rugova's vehicle was passing.
0820 CET: An explosion broke the morning commute today near King Casino in Pristina. The target appears to be President Rugova whose vehicle was damaged in the explosion. Fortunately no one was injured but windows in nearby buildings were blown out. The EU Foreign Policy Advisor, Javier Solano, arrived yesterday and Rugova was on his way for a meeting with him. Details are sketchy right now but as more emerges I'll post more.
There was no demonstration in Pristina yesterday but a village of Serbs did protest the power situation by walking to Obilic. Lately the power is being cutoff to Serbian areas (although Kosovo Electric Company-KEK says that it is not them just the equipment) and KEK is stating that they will not repair the problems until the bills are paid. Of course, I have a problem with that statement because I have never received a power bill for the past three and half years I've been in my flat. I wouldn't mind paying if they sent me a bill :-P I've heard that rather than punish individuals, KEK collectively punishes the people living in apartment blocks or villages by leaving the power off until 75-80% of the inhabitants pay their bills.
I emailed some of my friends and family this morning as the news of this morning's incident will no doubt reach the news in the US. I called home when Haradinaj was arrested too just to assure my folks that I was doing okay. One of the worst parts of being in the mission is having loved ones worry about me and whether I am safe when things happen. I do remember though in March when I called dad to tell him everything was okay and he asked "is something going on?" *hehe* I guess sometimes things that are big here aren't so important in the rest of the world. But trying to blow up the President is fairly big so I'm sure it'll be in the news :-P
0820 CET: An explosion broke the morning commute today near King Casino in Pristina. The target appears to be President Rugova whose vehicle was damaged in the explosion. Fortunately no one was injured but windows in nearby buildings were blown out. The EU Foreign Policy Advisor, Javier Solano, arrived yesterday and Rugova was on his way for a meeting with him. Details are sketchy right now but as more emerges I'll post more.
There was no demonstration in Pristina yesterday but a village of Serbs did protest the power situation by walking to Obilic. Lately the power is being cutoff to Serbian areas (although Kosovo Electric Company-KEK says that it is not them just the equipment) and KEK is stating that they will not repair the problems until the bills are paid. Of course, I have a problem with that statement because I have never received a power bill for the past three and half years I've been in my flat. I wouldn't mind paying if they sent me a bill :-P I've heard that rather than punish individuals, KEK collectively punishes the people living in apartment blocks or villages by leaving the power off until 75-80% of the inhabitants pay their bills.
I emailed some of my friends and family this morning as the news of this morning's incident will no doubt reach the news in the US. I called home when Haradinaj was arrested too just to assure my folks that I was doing okay. One of the worst parts of being in the mission is having loved ones worry about me and whether I am safe when things happen. I do remember though in March when I called dad to tell him everything was okay and he asked "is something going on?" *hehe* I guess sometimes things that are big here aren't so important in the rest of the world. But trying to blow up the President is fairly big so I'm sure it'll be in the news :-P
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