About two weeks ago, on February 17th, Kosovo declared their independence from Serbia. Ever since I announced to my family and friends that I would be teaching in Kosovo, they have been skeptical about my safety. This declaration of independence only made my friends and family more concerned. The news only seemed to report about Serbian unrest. Of course I'm not oblivious to the unrest at the moment, but I'm not worried for my safety either. I have read the travel warnings (there are none for Kosovo) and all the news articles. I have a feeling that the unrest in Serbia will die down. Actually, I am sure the tension will always be there between Albanians and Serbs, but for right now I am still excited about moving to Kosovo. On the other hand packing, moving, and deciding what to leave behind will be the hard part. The principal from the school where I will be teaching sent Boulderin' Boyfriend some pictures of Kosovo's Independence Day. I thought it would be a nice treat for my family and friends to see!
The celebration cake in Prishtina.
Most people like to celebrate with beer...not me, but hey, it was a big day so there was loads of free beer!
A crowd of Kosovars celebrating their day of independence!
7 comments:
Interestingly I was thinking about your safety as well with all the news about Kosavo lately. I know you will be just fine. It sounds like a very exciting time to be in a country during some great changes. I am happy for the Kosavo People. I would like to hear all the chatter in your head..about what to pack. I find it intriguing.
Love Ya, Melissa
I just wanted to apologize now for mis-spelling Kosovo!
We can always buy a machine gun on the thriving Black Market when we get there. :)
Where do you get your travel warnings? Is there some kind of website? Just wondering.
Melissa - Actually if you spoke Albanian, then the proper spelling is Kosova. So the people that I teach will officially call it that. It has an "a" in it, but you put it in the wrong spot! ha
BB- I agree, we can buy some good items on the black market, won't that be fun to bring that with us! :)
Dav- It is really simple, I just went to the US government website
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
and it will give up-to-date information. Although I would say listen but don't live by it. I met people who were teaching in Columbia who loved it there and didn't feel any danger even though there is a really huge travel warnign for Columbia. Go figure!
Tracy: Thanks so much! I've added that link to my site!
That "newborn" sculpture thing is WAY COOL! I love it!
Hey, I also feel so bad because I left a comment on your last post about the independence thing as an exciting event. I didn't even consider the effects of unrest it might have in the area. (Duh... I feel dumb about that now.)
Still, I agree that you will be safe, and all will be well. I still beleive it is an exciting time to be there!
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