Kosovo

What can and should one expect when travelling to a post-conflict zone? Or is it still a conflict zone? These 8 days were very intense, interesting, frightening, amusing, tiring and much more. When we arrived at the university we were sent home with our host family. Oana and I were staying at a house where there were 4 children (3 girls, 1 boy) living with their parents. We evicted the girls from their room to the kitchen by taking over their bedroom. The rest of the family was living in the living room and we have hardly seen the parents and the son during our stay there. We have tasted the most amazing traditional food. No matter the hour of the day when we would return, there would be something to eat, varying from baklava, to pumpkin and onion pie, etc. The breakfast was huge as well. Do you want 6 or 7 eggs? And do you want pickles? And cheese, and muesli and bread? By the way, the pickles are not the pickles as we know them, or at least how I know them. They looked like sweet peppers, filled with something. The only thing that is still clear in my mind is the fire in my mouth and on my lips :). But it all tasted soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!!!!

We were very very lucky with the house where we were staying (notwithstanding the holes in the stairs and the iron cable holding the steps together). We were in a house with hot water and electricity non-stop. Kosovo is divided in 3 parts; the A section has electricity all the time; the B section has electricity the whole day except for 3 hours a day; and the C section has electricity only 3 hours a day. You do not have to wonder where the internationals are living.

We had meetings with UNMIK, OSCE and several IGOs and NGOs, such as the Kosovo Action Network, UNICEF, ICRC, UNHCR and members of Parliament. Furthermore, we had field trips to Janjievo, which all of us will remember because of the priest who was dancing with us and offering us drinks which were home made. That was one of the best days in the whole trip!!!!!! Filled with nice people, good food, traditional dances and so on.