December 10th has come and gone

And still the same situation remains in Kosovo.  The status talks ended with Serbia still making outreaches toward Kosovo but remaining firm on witholding independence, while Kosovo will settle for nothing less.  America is still working for Kosovo independence, Russia is still trying to block it.  Latest news:

United States said Monday it will move forward with a UN plan granting Kosovo independence from Serbia after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement about the status of the small province. A US State Department spokesman, Gonzalo Gallegos, said the United States will back the plan drawn up by special UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari that would give Kosovo independence under international supervision. 

"We continue to believe that implementation of the Ahtisaari plan will promote stability in the region and enable both Serbia and Kosovo to move forward on the Euro-Atlantic path," Gallegos said. 

The deadline for negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo's ethnic majority Albanian leadership expired on Monday without a deal, meaning the United States and European Union could proceed with the Ahtisaari plan. Russia, Serbia's traditional ally, has threatened to block the plan on the Security Council. 

"Over the next few weeks the United States will work closely with our international partners to resolve this issue," Gallegos said. "The people of Kosovo and the region urgently need clarity about their future."

The United States, European Union and Russia had been mediating between the two sides and "explored every realistic option for an agreement," Gallegos said. 

The European Union was attempting Monday to find a unified stance on the Kosovo situation.

RUSSIA CALLS ON UN TO ANNUL ANY UNILATERAL KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION
16:43 Tue 11 Dec 2007 - Elitsa Savova
 

Russia will demand from the United Nations Security Council to annul any unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, Russia's envoy to Kosovo independence talks, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko said.

“Russia will of course demand the annulment of such a decision. We will demand a meeting of the Security Council because it would be a violation of a Council resolution,” he said as quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Russia, along with the EU and US, is holding negotiations with Kosovo and Serbia on the future status of Kosovo. Russia was a traditional alley of Serbia and opposed Kosovo's independence, insisting on negotiations to be prolonged, AFP said.

The parties had to come up with a decision that would be acceptable to all by December 10 2007.

Meanwhile, Kosovo's main political parties announced that they would begin negotiations on a coalition government to lead the province to a declaration of independence from Serbia in early 2008, Reuters reported.

“The Democratic Party of Kosovo of prime minister-apparent Hashim Thaci invited the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) to set aside their bitter rivalry since the 1998-99 war and discuss the formation of a ‘grand coalition’,” Reuters said.

Thaci’s party won the parliamentary election in Kosovo on November 17, but had been waited until the failure of the negotiations, to invite LDK for participation in a coalition. LDK representative told Reuters that the party agreed on the talks.

We take a short break from global events posting..

To bring you this musical update - Yesterday marked the third time in 2 weeks that I played the piano for a reception at the school. Nothing major, just for fun, couple neat songs here and there.  What makes it cool is the first two times were at the Gov's mansion, which prompted the Dean of my school to ask me to play at the Clinton Executive Suite on top of the library (aka Bill's house.)  So I did.  Not only that, but I got to see the "Green Roof" that they installed, complete with many native plants in an herb garden on one side (with a raised boardwalk weaving through it) and the putting green on the other (for those 4 AM put-put practice.  The windmill and clown was not installed yet, however :-P)

So yeah, not a bad way to end off the year, eh?  Graduation is in 1 week, so I'll be wrapped up in that soon.  Will try and post an update primer guide on what's going on with Kosovo on monday (since it is the official deadline for end of talks between Serbia and Kosovo...)

Blogging will resume...

Watch this space.. New updates and site redesign coming soon - Thoughts on Kosovo's desire for Independence, what it means for the region, and how it relates to Iraq....

Brief Time-Out

I'll be at my sister's wedding this weekend, which will take up a great deal of my time (as the countless hours I've sunk into assisting with the preparations demonstrate.) I'll try and give a more detailed post afterwards, but for now, just a small bit of reflection:

I've been shocked at how much louder everything is here, and not just in NYC. Everywhere I go there is a cacophony of sound assaulting my ear - blaring horns, loud cell phone talkers, loudspeakers, you name it, its loud. I guess since I'm used to more people walking it is just hitting me now.

Also, on the health update: I'm regaining some of the weight I lost (thank goodness - Myself and some individuals were slightly concerned when I could fit back into my old 32's from High School again..), but I'm still having a tough time dealing with A/C. Going from hot to cold to hot again is giving me a headache. Just will take time I figure. Hopefully, once this incessant traveling ceases for a bit I'll get back into the swing of things. I'm definitely putting the mileage on, from the Balkans to Italy to NJ to NYC back to NJ to NC to MO to AR... Looking forward to just putting my feet up on my table in my own place again...

Serbia Recap - Part 1

Still processing all of my thoughts on this summer, so decided to update in parts rather than go for too long without posting. So this part will focus mostly on things that I've started to experience upon arriving back home.

First of all, I never realised how well people drive in America. No, seriously, stop laughing. After 9 weeks of watching motorbikes cut around trucks, people disregarding the lines in the road, and generally just having to deal with angry drivers, it was incredible to see people driving correctly on the roads.

That said, I got used to walking everywhere. Now when I walk, people look at me like my car has broken down.

Supermarkets freak me out now. The first day back we stopped to get some milk and other foodstuff, and I decided to get cereal. I ended up walking up and down the aisle, in shock of how much food was there, and that this one small area had more food in it than the store I used to shop at while in Vranje. I'm sure that people must have thought I was crazy as I held my box of PB Cruch against my chest like it was Linus' security blanket. Same feeling of awe when I opened my parent's refrigerator and saw how much food was in there, fresh food.

Understanding what everyone says is a bit odd, too. I entered into this zen mindset while in Serbia, listening to the rise and fall of conversation rather than the words, like listening to instrumental classical music or Italian Opera. Now I am hearing what people are saying, and most of the time I'm just shocked at what I hear, especially when people are on the cell phones. How I long for days past when, even if people were talking about Britney Lohan, I didn't understand them.

Sleep, that's another thing that's been a major part of my life again. I still only sleep 4-6 hours a night, but I've been forcing myself to take naps too, just to catch up and such. Been also eating more, now that I have access to more fresh food such as meat and eggs.

Overall, I think the biggest impact my time in Serbia has had is teaching me humility and that the things most people in Western Europe and in America take for granted really are boons and we should be thankful for them. Yeah, I know, it sounds trite, but I've never really thought about how lucky I am that I can buy all my food at one store, and that it will all be fresh and stay fresh for days. I still remember the first day that I bought Orange Juice that had expired, and I dumped it out. 5 weeks later, when I bought Orange Juice that had been opened, I just drank it. Now that I'm back in the US, I know I probably will never encounter either when I go to Pathmark and Kroger.

That's all I have for now, but I'll be posting more reflections as they come to me. After a week of no internet access followed by a few days of straight sleeping, I've finally started to get back into the habit of writing. Which is good, since classes are starting soon...

Leaving the Republic of Serbia. Goodbye.

Said the sign on the border between Macedonia and Serbia. My bags were packed and loaded in the boot of Davor's car, I had said farewell to the staff at Generator, played with Davor's new puppy, returned the cell phone and keys to my flat and office, and started on my last trip out of Vranje as an EWI research associate. It most likely will not be the last time I visit this town- Davor insists that Dea and I visit once the house is completed - but after spending such time there, it was a bit hard to let it go.

Probably should have linked this earlier, but here's the wikipedia entry on Vranje

Completely drained at this point with the juggling of everything I have and had to do. Fortunately I just keep getting one thing done at a time, completing one mission after another, and things aren't too bad.

One positive: Now that I'm in Skopje, I've got much stronger internet connection. Apparently Dea could actually see me crystal clear for the first time in 9 weeks. I've also many times more co-workers, though I've already started to miss the rapport I had with Davor. Lost power already once since I've been here, forgotten how unstable the grid is in Skopje.

On a completely unrelated note, want to thank everyone for keeping up with my blog. When I read the comments or hear someone mention it to me, it makes me forget about the work I'm supposed to be doing.

For at least a minute or so.

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Final Paper for UACS - First Draft Completed
Feasibility Study of Free Trade Zone Creation in the GPKT region - Under Review
Edit Phrasebook created by GPKT Youth Project - Completed

Copyright? There's no Copyright in the Balkans!

So one of the many things that I have discovered this summer is the lack of copyright here in the Balkans. There have been many instances in which I've seen bootleg DVD sellers just on the streets, offering the latest in TV and Film for you to purchase. (I was lent a copy of Last King of Scotland that I discovered to be bootlegged once I looked at the bottom of the disc). It doesn't stop there - Disney characters adorn the walls of pre-schools and shopping centres alike. But
perhaps the best moment in copyright infringement was during my visit to Pristina. The extra-legal "Green Market" aside, there are shops open at night that you can rent films from on DVD, or just simply buy them. 0.50 Euros (less than 75 cents) a night, or buy it for 1.50 Euros (About $2.25). Think of Blockbuster, but with no membership card and more closet sized.

So how do they manage to rent and sell at such crazy low low prices? You guessed it - Burned DVDs. If they don't have it in stock, they can just burn you one there, and you can pick it up in an hour or less.

One has to wonder how exactly these businesses will fare if EU membership talks take place. Somehow I doubt the MPAA will take kindly to EU members blatantly disregarding copyrights....

---------
Project Status
Feasibility Study of Free Trade Zone Creation in the GPKT region - Final Draft
Edit Phrasebook created by GPKT Youth Project - Completed
Final Paper for UACS - First Draft Phase, 4/20 pages completed

Tough Love

Actual email conversation with a family member about my bee sting:

Family Member:
Why did you kick the bee? That was dumb. Take some benadryl (Diphenhydramine) or an equivalent antihistamine. Google bee sting and see what comes up. I hope you feel better, and don't do anything else like that.

-------
My Response:
I didn't do it on purpose. I was walking along the side of the creek, and all of a sudden my foot had a sharp pain in mid step. Realising that there are no such things as invisible rocks, I look down to see what happened. There were like 15 bees buzzing around, all trying to drink, and angry that some human was walking through their creek. So I think I must have kicked one (or 3) by accident.

It's still really red and swollen, so if it doesn't clear up by tomorrow, Davor is going to take me to the clinic so I can get a shot of antihists and steroids like WebMD told me to. I know I'm still having reaction because my body temp is all crazy now, and I am get the whole light headed thing.

And I'll try to keep away from bees in the future. Told my Dad that this would have all been avoided if he had taught *me* how to pet a bee....

-------
Family Member Response:
Then why are you telling people you kicked a bee? You are making yourself sound not so bright and frat-boy-ish. Much better that it wasn't on purpose. Okay, wear closed toed shoes next time you are walking around in the great outdoors. Didn't you ever go to camp?

The bee would not have been happy with you trying to pet it either, so don't try it. :)

-----

My Response:

Because I did kick it, just on accident. But I'll clarify it next post, never fear.

-----
So, to clarify, I kicked the bee on accident as part of my natural gait, while wearing Davor's sandals after wading out of the knee-high creek to make sure his kids had not drowned each other yet. I did not try to go all Bruce Lee or "Kung Fu" on it (besides, Master Po never asked Caine to "kick the bee from the sky, grasshopper. Pebble from hand, yes. Bee from sky, no.)

So there you have it. Consider it clarified. Thank you, anonymous family member, for making sure I'm ok, and I'll attempt to not do anything else as dumb in the next few weeks. :-)

When the Dog Bites, When the Bee Stings

When I can barely walk...

I like to think that I am invincible, that nothing can really slow me down. I got over the nasty bug in the first few days of my project, consumed various dishes including those that make "Haggis" look like ice cream, and even learned to say "No problem" in 3 languages. What could slow me down?

Apparently, a bee sting. Remember last post when I mentioned I kicked the bee and it stung me? Yeah, about that. My toe has swollen up to nearly the size of the Big Toe to the left of it. (I have a photo of it, but I'm kinda hesitant to put up a picture of my toe on the web... just feels... weird..)

It has swollen to the point I can't really bend it at all. And it itches like crazy, even after taking antihistamines for 2 days straight.

I feel very silly at this point. I feel like I'm the guy when everyone is comparing war stories at the VA hospital, I'm in there for appendicitis.

Maybe Davor will have some Bosnian or Croatian medicine for this too.

In other health related issues, I'm now going to blame every stiff muscle I get not from the lumpy mattress or my advancing age, but to "The Draft." Tune in next week as we explain this and other interesting facts on Medical Malady Monday!

Off the beaten (goat) path

And we're back! After a very busy day involving disassembling the entire office, reassembling the entire office, and then having to repair the phone lines for ADSL, we have both A/C *and* Internet at the office! Living the life of luxury, that's me. Also, a warm welcome to all of those visiting from blogwatch; the fridge is to your left, so help yourself.

So now that the internet has returned, I figured I should update with what is going on. The party in Pristina was fun, met many internationals there, swapped stories and songs, talked about free trade (yeah, I've become an Econ-Geek..) and generally had a good time. Monday was a trip to Skopje where I met with my supervisor over lunch, discussed my moving there for a few days in July as I finish my paper. Tuesday began the great exodus from the old office to the new office as we made a giant fort of binders that I could barely see my coworkers over. After bombarding Davor with balled up bits of paper for a few minutes, we started to take down the furniture, losing most of the cam shafts in the process. Started making small trips in Davor's car with the basic items, which only took two trips due to the fact we were waiting on the Land Cruiser to bring the desk and table parts.

Land Cruisers in a town where everyone drives compact cars is a hilarious site. I know what a Monster Truck Driver must feel like. took the parts of the 3 desks, 2 tables, enclosed shelves, 5 chairs and the filing draws all in one trip.

And looked very cool doing it, thank you very much.

Set up a meeting with a student of Public Health from John Hopkins for this upcoming week - he's doing work on crisis preparedness, so we're helping him connect with NGOs and municipality people. Cuz we're nice people.

After an intense week like this, we decided we needed to take a break. So Davor invited me to go on a picnic in celebration of a feast day with his family. So me, Davor, his wife and kids loaded up in the car and met up with Davor's brother-in-law and family for a fun picnic lunch next to a really nice stream.

Highlights included breaking the language barrier with his 4 year old son using sign language (thumbs up, high-five, and the Rina famous 'pound') and the hat game (which was basically him throwing his hat to me, me throwing it back.

Davor's daughter tried to teach me some Serbian words and I taught her the English equivalent, with some help from Davor.

Played football with his 14 year old nephew (which turned into 1 on 1... I scored one goal though!)

His 5 year old niece asked if I would bring her and her grandmother to America with me, then scratched my beard and kissed me on the cheek, to the amusement and "awws" of everyone there.

Kicked a bee's arse, which also means I got stung on the toe. Still aches.

Waded in the stream to keep said bee-sting cold.

Tried a new beverage that's pronounced "bamboo", and entails mixing wine with either water with gas (if the wine is white) or with cola (if the wine is red). It was very refreshing.

Ate food cooked over a fire for the first time in ages, and remembered how much I missed cooking chicken on a spit back at camp.

But perhaps nothing so impacted me as yet another lil old lady story. Different lil old lady, this one dressed like she stepped out of a fairy tale storybook. Our campsite was next to a path that was mainly traversed by goats. Sheep and cows sometimes also used it, but mainly we saw goats. Then this lil old lady comes over and asks if she could join us. So we give her some juice and some bread, and the 5 year old sits on her lap and talks to her, and generally just share some company with her. After she goes on her way about a half hour later, I ask Davor about it, and if it is customary to let lil old ladies join you for food. He thought about it for a moment and said that it was, a long time ago. But now people sometimes forget about the elderly. This lil old lady in particular probably had children living in the suburbs of Vranje, too far for her to walk to an visit, and without income she probably can't get on a bus and travel. They might visit her once a month or so, but even then that's doubtful. So it made me feel really good that we got to share some of our bounty with the lil old lady. Keep earning my karma, thats what I say.

So that's all for now. Keep it tuned here for more misadventures, and feel free to check out the blogs of some of my classmates through the various comments left around. Comments on this post, as all posts before, are very welcomed.

It's been a long day, visiting Pristina

All bad Tom Petty references aside, my weekend stay in Pristina has been pretty cool so far. Woke up at the AC of dawn Friday so that we could be in Gjilan at 8 and Pristina by 9. Ate a Bosnia pastry at the aptly named "Bosnia 2" restaurant, then sat in on the conference on NGOs working in this conflict environment. After that, had a bit of a staff meeting, planned out my last couple weeks(!) here in the Balkans pertaining to my report (Draft finished on Thursday, two days ahead of schedule), and made plans to live in Skopje for a few days towards the end of July. They are giving me a week off for good behaviour ;), so I am taking the time to explore Europe, particularly Italy. Since I fly out of Skopje (then back, then out again 36 hours later), it looks as if I'll just crash at my supervisor's spare room in Skopje for a few days before and after trips.

So anyway, after exploring a bit of the city and journaling, I gave Todd a call, as he invited me to chill at his place for the weekend. Wandered around for a bit looking for the alley he lives in down, then get a call to meet him on the main road, as he needed to get supplies ASAP, because his work doesn't want him on the streets really during the protest.

"Protest?" you ask. Yeah, there were protests. I didn't go near them due to the fact I doubt my job, my school, my parents, my sister, my girlfriend or basically anyone who is already worried about me would want me to go near them. Did see lots of cops, though. Anyway, so I got my first glimpse at a hypermarket here in the Balkans... (supermarket for those playing the "at home in the US" game) It makes my lil Simpomarket in Vranje seem.. well, Simple... Got back to his place, unloaded the food and bevereages and coolers, backed down the alleyway (99% successfully), rented "300" from the burned DVD place for ,50Euro, and had some pasta and cheese at the flat.

And what a nice flat it is. Probably about 3x the size of mine, it is increadibly serene. Great views of the city, 3 balconeys, and 2 bathrooms that have yet to smell like ham. Currently we have inflatable swimming pool and pool toys for the beach party tonight, which should be pretty rocking.

Went to the green market early this morning, which was an interesting experience. Bought a T-shirt to replace the one that is nearly worn out (I have a feeling nearly all my clothes are being sacrificed to keep the washermachine gods happy). Did some more exploring, came back, helped set up a bit more for the party including trying to find out where one buys fluid for tiki torches in Kosovo), then ate some various meat-steak sandwhich (I thought i was just ordering meat to cook here until he started putting it on the grill!) . Now just kicking back and waiting until Beach Party:Kosovo begins. I'll be heading back to Vranje tomorrow afternoon, then to Macedonia for an econ event, then moving offices with Davor on Tuesday - the mail will still come to us, as the NGO we share office space with currently will still be there - plus, Davor's sister works for them, so she will make sure it gets to us. Will do the photo thing later on, when my compy is back on the net. Keep the comments coming, and hope everyone is staying safe!

Thoughts Upon Death, Resurrection, and the Lil Old Lady in the Stairwell

Note: If you are someone who is overly sensitive about death, you might want to skip this one.

Still here? Great. Now, some of you may recall me writing about the little old lady (and by little I mean she rests her head on the railing) that stands in the stairwell here in my flat building. Not everyday, but at least 5 times a week, I'd see her there. Just standing. Sometimes she would try to speak to me, once she just poked her head out of her doorway like the Serbian version of "Laugh-in" or "You Can't Do That on Television." Most of the time she just stood there quietly until I was two steps from the landing, which startled me a bit. I used to joke that, just as every troll has its bridge and dragon has its cave, so too does this little old lady have her stairwell.

At least, she did.

You see, I hadn't seen her for a few days. Then I walk up the stairs and, instead of seeing her, I see a coffin and a cross with the dates 1928-2007.

After getting over my shock of "There's a coffin. In my stairwell. Ok...", I started thinking "Oh gods, what if, by talking about this little old lady, I've killed her?!?" And we had just started getting along so well, me saying random English greetings to her, her saying something back in Serbian. And now she was gone. For days people would be standing in the stairwell, talking, crying. Then they slowly stopped showing up, and the hallways were empty again.

Until yesterday, the day I realised the little old lady was no longer dead.

Like every other night after work, I ran up the stairs to my room. I was just about to turn the corner when suddenly I saw her in her old spot, looking over the railing in a very "Snoopy" way.
Now, having thought she was dead for the last 4 days, I was a bit surprised. I would have thought "Zombie!" except that typically zombies say things like "Brains!" (which brings up an interesting point - what happens when you have a room full of zombies that all speak different languages? do they just assume that they are all saying brains, do they have to translate it, or do they just ignore it... I know what thought is going to keep me up all night now...)

The little old lady did not say "Brains." She didn't say anything at all. She just looked really sad. Then I noticed that the death pamphlet (which is how they announce deaths here, apparently) was stuck on the door opposite of hers. So there is a good chance that the woman who died was a friend of the lil old lady in the stairwell. And even better chance that the woman who died was not, in fact, the little old lady. So she probably wasn't resurrected either. Unless you count the fact that in my mind she was dead, and now she was clearly not.

I wanted to say I was sorry for her loss. I wanted to tell her it would be ok. I wanted to tell her something to make her feel better.

Unfortunately my phrasebook doesn't cover "What to say to comfort the lil old lady in your building when she looks so incredibly sad and lost because someone her neighbor just died."

I think I might have to write a letter to the publisher about this... How can they call it "Lonely Planet" and not have a section like that?

VETERANS THREATEN THEY WILL STOP “CAR LAZAR GUARD’

In other news, I'll be heading back to Pristina this weekend for a Round Table and also to meet up with Todd, who's been working there for the last half year or so. Most likely will stick away from the Protest scheduled for Saturday, though.

VETERANS THREATEN THEY WILL STOP “CAR LAZAR GUARD’

(Most dailies, Koha Ditore, p. 6)

Koha Ditore reports that Abdyl Mushkolaj, the head of the war veterans in Dukagjini region, stated on Tuesday that Kosovo institutions will bear a part of responsibility in case a uniform or sign of ‘Car Lazar Guard’ appears in Kosovo on 28 June. Mushkolaj conveyed this message to PM Agim Ceku personally in a meeting.

PM’s spokesperson Ulpiana Lama confirmed holding of a meeting between Ceku and Mushkolaj. “Mushkolaj presented the concerns he has announced publicly to the PM. The PM will bring his worries up in the meeting between the Government, UNMIK, and KFOR,” she said.

According to Lama, individuals of ‘Car Lazar Guard’ may infiltrate amongst the group who will be in Gazimestan. “Citizens should not be worried about this as security structures will deal with this issue,” Lama added.

UCK veterans considered the announcement of ‘Car Lazar Guard’ as a serious provocation. They requested from KFOR and UNMIK to not allow ‘Car Lazar Guard’ enter Kosovo otherwise they will take measures.

“This is a serious provocation. Criminals of Serb terrorist units, who massacred, burned, and destroyed Kosovo, are returning now as members of car Lazar Guard,” read a press release issued by UCK Veterans in Dukagjin region. They believe that KFOR, KPS, and other security structures will not allow them to come to Kosovo. “If that does not happen, we will be forced to take measures as we know and can,” read the press release.

Additionally, under the title “Dangerous Holiday”, Express writes that AKSH (National Albanian Army) will wait ‘Car Lazar Guard’, probably not with flowers, but with bullets. If one believes in the statements of the Serb leaders of this guard and the posters of AKSH, then Serb holiday in Gazimestan on 28 June will be a real battle.

The newspaper writes that AKSH posters are not a joke. Gafurr Adili, the spokesperson of the FBKSH, said, “We disseminated the posters. We are behind them.”

But while citizens read AKSH posters in Skenderaj, Vushtrri, Mitrovica, Kacanik, and other municipalities, four Serb youth from Gjilan and Ferizaj were taking pictures before the Gazimestan monument. “We identify ourselves with Gazimestan, Ljubomir Sojevic told Express.

Sojevic and his friends are ready to join ‘Car Lazar Guard’ believing them to be a group of people who want to unite Serbs.

Famous Faces

So I went to Pristina on Friday, where I got to see many interesting sights, though none quite as interesting as this:



And yes, that's "Welcome to Bill Clinton Blvd." in Albanian. One day, Flat Stanley hopes to have a 3 story banner dedicated to his wave...

I wonder if they'd let me in...

Former US President Bill Clinton Might Visit Albania

18 06 2007 Tirana_ After the “rock star” welcome granted to American president George Bush a week ago, former president Bill Clinton has accepted an invitation from Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha to visit Tirana, said a statement from the prime minister`s cabinet.

Berisha held a meeting with the former president of the United States during a visit at the United Nations in New York where he also met the Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon.


At the meeting, Clinton accepted Berisha`s invitation to visit Albania, the Prime Minister’s cabinet said. It remains unclear when Clinton might visit Albania.


The Albanian leader expressed his gratitude to the former US president for his role in pushing for the 1999 NATO intervention against the forces of former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic, in Kosovo.


“President Clinton started the NATO intervention, while Bush would be the one remembered as granting Kosovo its independence, so in a certain way a historical circle is closed by both of them,” Enkel Demi, editor of Albania’s private broadcaster TV Klan, said on Monday.


“Though Clinton has not officially confirmed it yet, it would be meaningful if he came on the day when the independence of Kosovo was announced,” he added.


Clinton thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome granted to Bush in Albania and gave his support for Albania’s planned integration into NATO and the European Union.



President Bush, received a very warm welcome in Albania, during his eight-hour stopover on June 10, which became the high point of his European tour, marred by protest and rioting elsewhere.



The pictures of the 43rd president of the United States, engulfed in an enthusiastic crowd in the small town of Fushë Kruja, created an echo around the world, creating a much-needed public relations boost for Tirana, which has been struggling to make an arduous transition to democracy since its Stalinist communist regime collapsed 15 years ago.

Source: http://www.birn.eu.com/en/87/15/3330/

Slowly Recovering

So I'm about 60% back to health. Slept most of Wednesday, then went to Kosovo on Thursday and visited some caves with the GPKT kids. Came home, slept, woke up, and came here to Skopje, where we started planning the next coming weeks. Now just waiting for the other parts of our meetings to happen, and hopefully will get back sometime around 17:00 or 19:00 at the latest. This weekend's big plans? Sleep.

In other news, went to the Rt. 66 Diner in Gjilan, where they had this on the menu....

Sick and Tired

Good gods, I'm sick. Got home yesterday from a UNDP meeting, and stomach just started acting up. Ended up freaking out, then skype acted up, so I ended up calling out instead, which only lasted for 14 minutes. Skype got back up, then started getting the "Oh gods why won't it make up it's mind either stay down or come up! My ribs can't take much more internal bruising" feeling. Stayed up most of the night, getting what little comfort that I could from talking with those I cared about, then passed out around 3AM. woke up a few hours later, dragged myself to the office while warding off the "Vision distorting everything to non-Euclidean geometry" Helped Davor set up skype on the lap top, nearly feel down the stairs each time I walked to his area, until he gave me some medicine that helps to "sweat out" the illness, and I went home. Scary lady on the third floor still tried to have a conversation with me, even though she *knows* I have no idea what she's saying. Walking up 5 flights of stairs with this vision altering sickness, took more of the Serbian sweat medicine, and passed out on and off. Need to be better before going to Gjilan tomorrow at 8:30....

GDMF Birds

So some of you may have been wondering what the GDMF Birds look like. I caught two of them hanging out on my balcony, will try to get a shot of them peering in from the clothing line.

Attack of the Processed Meat (Or why I make soup)

So people have been wondering why I make soup for dinner just about every night. Well, that's easy - Just like Econ, it's all about the markets. See, the markets here are like your general store meets a Wawa/7-11/QuickChek (Bonus points for those who actually know *what* a QuickChek is...) So you have your basic milk and juice (which you always have to check for expiry dates), packaged soups, lots of pasta, some crackers and pretzels, sodas, candy, and sometimes a meat counter.

This is where you get into trouble. See, I have no idea how to *cook* market meat. So when I went to Davor's store (which his wife runs), he convinced me to buy some of this Market Meat, which look like hotdogs, but wrapped in a non-edible wrap (I tried, read more on that later) So I bought some, and finally got around to cooking them. "Just put them in the water and boil the water" said Davor.

Apparently Davor hasn't seen the pot I use to boil. It's not very big-In fact, I had to wedge the meat (which came in 2 sections of 2) against the walls of the pot to cook. I put the water on to boil and sat down to read. Suddenly I hear a noise, like something has jumped down from someplace high. Assuming it was one of the GDMF Birds(tm) that like to attack me when I put up laundry, sit on the line and stare into my apartment with a look that say "Yeah, you *think* you're getting these clothes back...", I ignore it. Then I hear it again, only with a tad bit less "Kathunk" this time. I decide to investigate.

Now, I'm a smart person, or at least Mommy says I am. And I was able to deduce afterwards what happened quickly enough. See, I forgot that heat makes things expand. Including wedged meat products. That gives enough pressure inside the tubes the Market Meat sits in to expand, and, since they were wedged V-shape one set of two on top of the other, I inadvertently invented the first meat-a-pult, at least the first in my flat at any rate. Meanwhile I now have one dangerously undercooked Market Meat pair and one slighty more cooked Market Meat set. So, screwing my courage to the sticking place (Better known as the side of the refrigerator, but that's another story) and keeping my bottle of Anti-Biotic handy, I try to cut the Market Meat Sleeve.

It doesn't cut.

I slash at it, saw at it, hack at it, pry at it. It's acting like pleather. Deciding that nothing this tough could be organic, much less healthy, I decide to dump out the now pink water in the pot, scrub it out with my questionable sponges, and make soup. At least that doesn't try to escape.




Oh, and for those wonder the fate of the Market Meat, I decided against tossing it on the far side of my roof, for the GDMF birds would probably not eat it out of spite and instead hide it in my pants on the line...

Further on the Conference, More Letters, and Photos

So after a very long and trying weekend (We lost power again, which means everything in my flat acts stupid for a day after) and having an allergic reaction to something (don't know what, hope to god it's not something in the soups i've been making or in my kitchen in general), I dragged myself to work.  Get yet another bit of mail (this makes 3, for those playing along at home) and got teased for it, since all three have been from the same, wonderful, incredible person (she knows who she is. :-P) My day improved dramatically as I opened the letter (by hand, not by bunny ;) and read what was inside, so that's always a plus.
Went to look at a third option for where we might be moving the office (I take the photos) and found it to be a really really nice place.  Still waiting on what the final price will be, then Davor and I will be emailing Robert, the Project Director, to see if it's acceptable.

In other news, last friday we went to a conference on Corruption that I mentioned in the title of the last post, but didn't go too indepth on it. I still can't go too indepth into it, because I only understood whatever I could overhear the translator at the other table say. The speakers were quite good, however, with Custom Agents, Professors, and NGO heads. The professor told the story about how one of his collegues accepted money for a passing grade for his student, only to find years later when needing emergancy treatment after an accident. the head doctor in charge was the very student that bought his way through the class.

Afterwards we checked out the hot springs that attract visitors from all over the region. The water is 96 degrees C, or "Ready for Coffee" according to Hyzri, as he, Davor and I stuck our hands in the near-boiling water.

Also saw the hotel that they stopped building halfway through, a huge building that now has trees growing in it... reminded me of my misspent youth investigating "Weird New Jersey" 

Photos Below:


Hyzri, Davor's Father, Davor and I


Hot Spring


Crazy Hotel




Landscape

Kosovo, Football and Conferences, oh my!

It's been a busy week these last 3 days. Went to the Gjilan, Kosovo office on Tuesday, where I did my first of probably many embarrassing pratfalls due to slick sidewalks in the rain, then helped with the "Football Without Borders" event in Macedonia the day after. The event took city employees from the GPKT region and pit them in competition with each other, each side playing two matches. I have never been to the FIFA World Cup, but I can imagine what it must be like now. The last game went on for two over-time periods and ended in penalty shots. Gjilan, champions two years running, let the other team win. Which was good, due to current events, having the Kosovar team come in first and the Serbian team in last would be an interesting situation.

Project is going well, all things considered. Looking up more information on CEFTA (like NAFTA, but Central Europe). Have a meeting next week with the local UNDP Rep. So that will be interesting.

In other news, I got my first two bits of mail! Real mail is very exciting to get (if you need the address, just send it to my work site, since I'm not sure how well mail goes to my flat.) Also, my site wants to make sure I get a chance to explore the continent while I am here, so towards the end of my time here I will be heading to Milan, Italia :) Very exciting, needless to say. Also, found that there's a popular brand of water in Kosovo that has an interesting name. What do all these events have in common?

And in the morning, my bathroom smells like ham

This disturbed me the first couple days, as I am unused to a pork-scented WC. For the first few days I tried to find where the smell was coming from, and started to bleach the usual areas. Then I thought it was because I left the window open at night for ventilation, so I closed the window. No change. So now I just pretend that I have a communal bath with Link Hogthrob, Ms. Piggy, and Porky Pig.

Other news of interest:

I learned that the rows of exposed switches above my door are my circuit breakers, especially the one that controls my fridge, which likes to trip. Thank goodness I do shopping on a bi-daily basis.

I had my water meter check. Here's a fun joke: How many Vranjeans does it take to check my water meter? 6 people. One read the meter, one held the flashlight, and the other 4 just wanted to get a look at the foreigner. At least, thats what I assumed they were. I think one was my landlady, but since I've only seen her twice, I had to go on assumption.

Been learning far too much about CEFTA, EPZ, FTZ, BW, SEZ and whole lotta acronyms that make even less sense. Thank goodness I took an Econ course, otherwise I'd have to rely on my experience from that time I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. (end bad joke)

Today I get to meet with some of the municipality leaders, tomorrow Kosovo, and the next day Macedonia for a football game with all the muni leaders of the areas we work.

Also on our discussion: What happens to our projects if Serbia continues to turn away from Europe and starts turning towards Russia for influence.

Thank God for Skype

I really don't know what I would do without it. Skype keeps me sane, allows me to see people with webcams (Mom and Da, Dea) and show my face to those without (Like Darryl and Baby Rachel...) It makes the whole far away feel less far. So yeah.

In other news, had my first staff meeting, I'm apparently in charge of installing Skype on Davor's compy (thus the reflection above) among other responsiblities. Coolest responsibility? Being the English Language Editor for the phrasebook the Youth Council created. I get to make sure the phrases make sense in English as well as make sure they are somewhat acceptable. Ilina has already said she's taken out the worst offenders, particularly in the section dedicated to love and relationships...

Otherwise I'm just there as native speaker and situational analysis for the Serbian region, writing up a few paragraphs on what the general mood of various articles on Serbia are. In addition, I'm meeting with various officials to discuss Free Trade Zones and what they hope a FTZ will do for their municipality. I'll let you all know how that goes.

It's Always Sunny in Macedonia

Went to Macedonia for the second time in 12 hours (for those playing along at home, today marked the 18th stamp in my passport. Over half (10) have been made within the last week. By Friday I will have 4 more, bringing my total to 22... might have to be renewing the passport sooner than I thought) The event today was a sports day, which meant bracket style football (soccer) matches until one team wins it all. Teams were made up of 5 boys each, ranging from 5th to 8th grade-ish. A lunch would be served, then the women would do their part of the competition, which was a running race. We should be done by mid afternoon.

This morning I wake up here in Vranje and the first thing I notice is the rain. Llots of it. And cold. So I wear my long sleever and prepare for the worst, forgetting that yes, It's Always Sunny in Macedonia. We get to Macedonia after making an unexpected stop to pick up a last minute entry to the program (this school had vacillated for weeks) and it's sunny. And hot. And I don't have my bag. With the sunscreen. So I pull up my collar to shield my neck a bit, though you can tell I got some serious rays. Keep forgetting that I'm still kinda in the Mediterranean..
But we can't start now because the group from Kosovo is stuck at the border crossing. So we wait some more. We start after noon, so we feed the kids, then take one group to play their three games to one field (read: basketball court) and the other group stays on their basketball court... err field. Mostly goes smoothly (even though tensions run high at one point over the fairness of the ref - think NBA) Get the kids back, play the final match (home team wins, which caused chaos) Gave out trophies and started to leave. Border crossing back was a nightmare as they closed all but 1 lane for cars, so the normally 35 minute trip home took 1.75 hours. Took a shower, started to feel the (sun)burn, and now feel quite good about going to sleep early. Tomorrow I meet the other International NGOs focusing on Economic development, re-register with the police (which I do again Friday after staff meeting in Skopje), and actually sign the lease for here rather than just assuming the cash and rakija sealed the deal...

Serbia at Sunrise

What I did this morning at quarter to 5:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IaNWbFoxbMXSA&notag=1

http://www.b92.net/eng/

http://www.b92.net/eng/ is the main source for info on Kosovo and Serbia, and much of the rest of the Balkans. I read it pretty religiously (especially when insomnia kicks in), so if you are interested in what's happening in my neck of the world, or if your Lunestra just isn't cutting it, take a look* :)


*It's really not that bad. But then again, since I basically live this at the moment, my judgement may, in fact, be skewed slightly.

I got my work cut out for me.

Im working on a simple enough project - research free trade zones, figure out what the various kinds are, and if it is worthwhile for the municipalities to pursue them.

Thats the main focus. In theory.

In reality it's like everything else, I've got a million other things to do, and just jump and try to get them done. I'm the official native speaker of the Vranje and Gjilan offices, so whenever there are reports being written I get to edit them for grammar and work with the author to explain why I am changing everything. I also get to set up technology things such as Skype for the team members. I am assisting with the sports day in Macedonia on Tuesday, and providing logistic support for finding and setting up the new offices here in Vranje that we will be moving into sometime this summer.

So what does my week look like, you ask?

Monday - talk to the police about how the border crossing will work, because I am crossing to Macedonia later on for a late luncheon, and will be back after work hours and therefore will not be able to register again before I leave early...

Tuesday - as there is the sports program with youth from all over the region - Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia - and of the various ethnic groups - Serbs, Albanians, maybe even Roma. That will be an all day event too, I assume.

Wednesday we meet with the various International NGOs and I'll get some contacts about economic development, start setting up meetings.

Thursday is mostly open, though I may meet with an NGO Davor's Father works for.

Friday is back to Skopje for staff meeting.

My daily schedule typically involves lots of reading (I have about 5 inches of papers to read) and lots of coffee drinking. Meetings are very low key and often involve coffee and food. Everyone bends over backwards to be nice, completely contrary to the media perception. While it's always good policy to keep an eye on valuables, crime is very low here. I was told it's especially low against foreigners, as my landlord and landlady would take it very personally if someone were to steal something from me. So unless you are stupid and talk politics to drunks or leave money on the table, you have very little to worry about.

Last night I visited Davor and his family. Much of the evening was spent drinking rakija, the local brandy that is made everywhere (I think Davor's wife's cousins made this, as it came out of a plastic bottle) and talking about America, Serbia, Pop Culture, watching silly movie clips, and just having a really great time.

Today is reading day, even though I have the day off. I want to get more accustomed to what is going on, how EWI works in the region, and what I can do in the time I have here. I may be going off to Italy while I'm here, as they are providing me with a week to just explore so I don't work too hard :-P

First Trip to Kosovo

It's about an hour and a half to Gjilian, and entails two border crossings - once in Serbia, then a 5K drive to Kosovo Border. This is the DMZ-like section between the two. We take a cab driven by an ethnic Albanian to Gjilian to facilitate the border crossing. Each crossing requires me to hand over my passport, get my name recorded, and in some cases gives me a card that I have to surrender upon leaving (much like my police card here in Serbia). Because Kosovo is still Serbian (for now, that might change in June), I don't have to re-register every time at the police station here when I go to Kosovo, only for Macedonia.

Gjilian is very beautiful. The buildings are old, like in Serbia, but there is a bustle of activity, like people are getting ready for the day when investments will come to Kosovo. I met with some American Soldiers stationed with the KFOR, or Kosovo Force, who are working with EWI. I also met some UN contractors as well. Massive Thunderstorms caused power outages before we left, but still, it was a very wonderful day. Also, apparently the newest joke around the office is "What are you sinking about?" Look for the video here

Now, after a long day of traveling and shopping for food, I'm ready for a break. Tomorrow I meet with my site manager for dinner and to discuss the finer parts of the project.

On Renting an Apartment

Perhaps the first thing one notices in a foreign country is the way business transactions are handled. After a great dinner consisting of a "meat plate" (which, for those not familiar with Balkan cuisine, means meat, meat shaped into sausage link like bundles, meat on a stick, and meat stuffed with more meat and cheese), I spent the first night in the office (there is a spare bedroom in my office area, so it's not quite like camping). The next morning I registered with the local police (which I must do each time I leave the country, so I'll be a familiar face there) and went to look at my flat. Located minutes away from the office, it is on the top floor and has two balconies. After fierce negotiations (including allowing the landlady, who is as old as my grandmother, to keep some things in the refrigerator and access to the flowers on the balcony to water them, in return for them bringing a new TV to the flat - I didn't have the heart to tell them I don't know what the TV says anyway) we sealed the deal. This was done by me handing over the full two months rent and them giving Davor, my contact at EWI, and myself a shot of the local moonshine. This went over well, especially since it was 11:30 AM. Still, it was customary, so when in Rom... err Serbia...

"You're Going Where?"

...said my mom the first day I told her my internship was in Kosovo. Some of you may know the background of why I'm going to spend 10 weeks in the Balkans, but for those of you just tuning in, here's what's going on. I'm a grad student at the Clinton School of Public Service. One of our requirements for graduation is to work in an international capacity. Due to my penchant for saving the world, I chose to do conflict transformation work in Kosovo. So Monday, May 21st, 2007 I fly from JFK to Skopje, Macedonia (with a quick layover in Budapest) to get to Serbia directly to the north.

Here's what my site sent me:

Brief background to EWI and the GPKT Project

For 25 years the EastWest Institute (EWI), a European-American ‘think and do tank’, has operated long-term projects that aim to reduce tensions and promote dialogue and mutual understanding in critical locations around the world. Since its founding, EWI has committed itself to strengthening dialogue and to building a culture of conflict prevention by entrenching co-operation among and between different groups and communities.

EWI’s cross-border co-operation project in Kosovo, southern Serbia and northern Macedonia has been working since early 2003 works towards the core goals of conflict prevention and community development in the four border municipalities that comprise the ‘GPKT’ micro-region – Gjilan/Gnjilane (Kosovo), Presevo (Serbia), Kumanovo (Macedonia) and Trgoviste (Serbia). In addition to collaborative work with municipalities and central-level governments on policy and economic development issues, the project targets civil society through several cross-border and multi-ethnic Working Groups – the GPKT Education Committee, the GPKT Youth Council, the GPKT Women’s Working Group and the GPKT Media Working Group.

Please visit www.ewi.info and www.gpkt.org for more information.

General note

The current situation of political instability surrounding the final decision on Kosovo’s status will obviously impact on the progression of the GPKT project, currently in the middle of it’s second phase (December 2005 to May 2008). While EWI cannot guarantee that the activities outlined below will be possible, at this stage (May 2007), it appears very likely that the outline of responsibilities should be possible, and that although caution and flexibility will be needed, activities should be able to continue. However, the intern should be prepared to face a situation where this work outline is not possible due to political developments, and in such a situation EWI commits to identifying a new role in consultation with the intern and to supporting a flexible approach in order to help ensure a positive work experience over the internship placement.

A. Internship Outline

At the time of wiring, in May 2007, it seems clear that a combination of the following responsibilities would comprise the intern’s work with the GPKT team over the summer of 2007. Namely, a combination of more general support, which would also provide insight and involvement with varied programme activities, and a more specific personal research project which the intern could ‘make their own’:

§ General support to ongoing activities – assistance in various areas, including:

– Help with report writing and editing. As a native English language speaker, this will be helpful for colleagues on the team, and would include assisting with drafting activity reports of specific events or workshops, and also editing or commenting on longer policy brief type of papers.

– Help with planning and organising policy discussion meetings such as roundtables. This would be part of the process of policy research noted above, and would include input into agenda and participant list development and a role at the event.

– Help with fund-raising. This would include work with the youth working group on fund-rising proposals, part of their efforts at self-sustainability. It could also include input into larger strategy development for EWI in terms of commenting and inputting into concept papers for programme fund-raising.

§ Support to research and integrated development work – there would be a chance for a more specific ‘mini project’ type of activity for the intern. While EWI undertakes or commissions policy research on key issues identified as relevant to the project activities, there is also space for shorter ‘situation analysis’ type of short research pieces, which would aim to collect the facts and indicate potential policy directions for further exploration. Two key potential topics which would benefit from such analysis are:

– Higher education and vocational education in the micro-region – the key dynamics and potentials associated with these issues in terms of conflict transformation and cross-border co-operation.

– Free trade zones – the potential benefits on the ground for local communities versus the upcoming process towards European-associated free trade areas and regional tariff agreements.

For both of these pieces, first steps would be a basic ‘status quo’ info collection, which would then link with data we gathered on labour market and business needs from local businesses in summer 2006, and would be complemented by additional desk research and interviews with key informants. We would also remain open to considering alternative topics of particular personal interest to the intern for similar assessments, although their relevance to ongoing EWI initiatives would obviously have to be considered.

B. Qualifications / Requirements

Required qualifications for this internship would be:

§ Experience (either practical or covered as an area of study) of and/or genuine interest in the thematic area for internship confirmed with EWI (e.g. education, women’s issues, economic development / municipal development, youth, media etc.).

§ Experience and understanding of the sensitivities surrounding multi-ethnic activities and initiatives.

§ Understanding of the political and conflict dynamics in the Balkans region.

§ Common sense, patience and sensitivity

§ Equipment – a laptop and mobile phone (the EWI team can help with purchasing of a local SIM card for project-related communication).

§ For research-related internships: Ability to collect information from a variety of sources (in-person consultation will be important, as well as assessment of a range of written material), analyse and produce intelligent and well-informed conclusions and recommendations. Ability to work without substantial support or supervision.

§ For community-work related internships: Ability to work as part of a multi-national team, and good communications skills.

Desirable qualifications for this internship would be:

§ Experience of thematic area for internship (confirmed with EWI) on a practical level.

§ Experience of the Balkans.

§ Experience of living in field conditions (poor communications/transport, lack of amenities, etc.).

§ Language skills – Serbian, Macedonian or Albanian, would be a huge advantage.

C. Placement

The intern would be based in the EWI office in Vranje (Serbia), have a work space and access to EWI’s office facilities, and the support of the staff member working there; regular travel would most likely be required to Kosovo and Macedonia, and the intern would engage with staff in all three EWI offices (Vranje-Serbia, Gjilan/Gnjilane-Kosovo, and Skopje-Macedonia). The intern’s supervisor would depend on their area of work, but ultimate supervision/management would be provided by Chrissie Hirst, the GPKT Project Manager, who would be on hand for induction and subsequent support - facilitation of contact-building and work planning, discussion of progress and monitoring of delivery, etc.