Life as normal in Kosova... almost

The next stop in my journey was in the lovely town of Prizren in southern Kosova near the Albanian border. Crossing into new territory and a region of conflict that has been heavily covered by international news coverage in recent years, I was taken aback by its beauty and normalcy. The mountainous ride from Belgrade to Prizren is gorgeous -- windy roads, snow-capped peaks, green hills and dense forage. Somehow, I never expected it to be such a beautiful place after all of the hideous crimes and bloody confrontations that have taken place here. Unexpected. The winding river surrounded by cafes through town, youngsters strolling through the city on a spring afternoon... all seemingly normal until you notice the tanks surreptitiously pounding through the narrow dusty streets. Here are some of the highlights of my stay in Prizren.

Perhaps unrelated to the locality but an important memory from Prizren is the beautiful vegetable meal that Adria and I prepared from our shopping spree at the Belgrade Green Market before leaving in the morning... Asparagus, new potatoes, fresh tomatoes, arugula, greens, tasty strawberries! I could eat like this every day.

The calls for prayer (starting at 4:30 a.m.) from the mosque next door was an additional reminder of the religious background of this part of the Balkans.

A visit to a local high school to observe some of the student teachers from the area was insightful -- such enthusiastic learners!

Finally, I attended a small conversation group at the American Corner to talk about the problem of youth emigration out of Kosovo. Responding to an article from the Southeast European Times (Half of youth in Kosovo seek emigration), two soon-to-be high school graduates outlined their future plans... in Germany and Turkey.

I am glad I was able to capture a few moments of my own in this interesting place and at such interesting times. I can now contextualize the controversy in a small way and start put a face on the people who live in the midst of UNMIK and an uncertain future independence.