Going to Kosovo isn\u2019t hard, what is hard is coming back. You know that feeling when you go somewhere, have amazing time, but no one understands your private jokes after your return? We have that problem right now. The difference is that majority of people go to Greece in summer or visit Budapest for New Year\u2019s holidays, so it\u2019s kinda expected that great time is guaranteed. However we took the road less travelled (or unfortunately, not travelled at all).<\/p>\n
Before I went, my friends had sent me news about protests. Some awful and pretty scary photographs of Prishtina made the headlines and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we weren\u2019t indifferent. But YIHR always makes panic courage overcome everything else (let\u2019s mention last year\u2019s Pride and improvised Pride a year before), so the wish for going there was even bigger because of the uncertainty to which we were headed. The evening before we went, we met at the office in order to settle about details concerning the trip and get rid of our common fears. Djordje held as short as possible lesson about war at Kosovo. By the way, if you ever need any help with history or geographic \u2013 ask Djordje, the walking encyclopedia.<\/p>\n
We started our trip tomorrow morning. As expected, we were late, but some we late at Kosovo even back in 1389 so what. Trip as a trip, smokers are begging for a cigarette break, sleepers are sleeping, the rest of people were playing \u201cheads up\u201d. The interesting fact was that folk music (read: Miroslav Ilic) could be heard when we passed the border. What\u2019s even more interesting is that we passed the border on foot, so that our bus driver wouldn\u2019t pay some silly taxes. The most interesting thing was that from that moment we had no service on our phones.<\/p>\n
Our trip had two basic goals: to meet Prishtina and to get informed with the current political situation in Kosovo. The list of people we had the chance to meet is more that significant \u2013 Shpend Ahmeti, Aleksandar Jablanovic, Albin Kurti, Edita Tahiri and Branimir Stojanovic are just some of the names on that list. When you add to that list BIRN and HLC Kosovo as media representatives, i.e.\u00a0 civilian sector, you may say that we got to \u00a0see the story from every perspective. You don\u2019t get that chance every day, and we certainly used it well.<\/p>\n
I would like to use this opportunity to truly thank everybody that opened their doors for us in Prishtina, because our visits to the officials weren\u2019t official at all. There were no stiffed political monologues to which we are used to hearing every day, but instead of that it was as if we were sitting, talking honestly and friendly while having a beer. We got answers to some important, yet uncomfortable questions. Truth to be told, we did have macchiato instead of beer – we are talking about Prishtina after all.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t go through all the details from the meetings, since that would last too long (who wants to hear more about it should pay me a coffee) but I would like to highlight certain things. First, all of us have the same problems. This is not some stupid phrase or a clich\u00e9 and everybody gets it. But it\u2019s one thing to know it in theory, totally other thing is to see in practical situation where you and an Albanian from Prishtina have the same problem with, for example, poor public transportation. Then, I was amazed with how direct people are. On the other hand, I got sadden by political limbo that contains different interests of the authorities of Kosovo, Serbs from Kosovo and Serbs from Belgrade. I got a feeling that all those<\/em> interests are making people lose their interest to everything that does not represent the basic human needs. Finally, if you\u2019re feeling up for it, try googling the Self-Determination movement and their representatives. Concerning all ideological and other possible and non-possible disagreements, I\u2019d like to see somebody on our political scene expressing such directness and absence of elitism between a politician and a citizen (there is something special in seeing a lider of a political party protesting with their voters in front of the police or sitting on sidewalk and rubbing their eyes because of the tear gas).<\/p>\n As mentioned before, another goal of our visit was to meet Prishtina. Well, not only did we fulfill it, but, as Kutlarovic would say, we nailed it. Beside several monuments and important buildings, there was not much to be seen.\u00a0 But the people\u2026 I don\u2019t remember the last time I\u2019ve seen so many beautiful and young people at one place. Although the city is small, there are many places for going out. I don\u2019t know how did we have so much energy to stay in the clubs until they got closed and manage to wake up every morning at 8am to have meetings, but somehow we survived it. If you followed us at ovojekosovo.tumblr.com, you could see our adventures, if you didn\u2019t, check it out as soon as possible. We are much better in taking photographs than in writing blogs.<\/p>\n I\u2019d also like to mention the unofficial debate in Dit\u2019 e Nat\u2019 caf\u00e9. Debate is a pretty strict term for what had been going on there. Actually, we were sitting, drinking beer and sharing our experiences- the most sincere, emotional, nice experiences, filled with both laughter and sadness. It has already been mentioned that it is not hard going to Kosovo, but coming back. It\u2019s the same thing with Albanians- it\u2019s not hard to go to Belgrade, but to come back. Not only because of the stupid private jokes to which nobody laughs, but primarily because of the misunderstanding that awaits you upon your return. I choose to believe that each of us has changed the world if at least one person chooses to go to Prishtina based on mine experience or experiences of Masha, Ivan, Nina, Jana, Marko, Dajana, Senka, Mladen. I also deeply believe that Anita and Jasmina have changed the world because, based on their experience I wished to do the same.<\/p>\n I am talking to you, the one reading this, the person that will decide to go to Prishtina.. Get ready to drink macchiato all the time and that smoking is not allowed in bars. Get ready to accidentally meet at least five people on a daily basis. Make sure to eat b\u00f6rek in Bosna bakery. When you\u2019re going out and that will be on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday, don\u2019t forget to go to Zanzibar or Megahertz. Don\u2019t come back if you haven\u2019t met a taxi driver who served military service in Serbia and knows Serbian better that English. Also, don\u2019t come back if someone didn\u2019t give you a pat on the back and told you that you can have a cigarette in the club since police won\u2019t control it after 11pm. \u00a0Learn some basic words in Albanian- in our case those were \u201cthank you\u201d and \u201ctwo beers\u201d. Go to the Rooftop club, which is not my cup of tea, but still it\u2019s nice to see how Belgrade\u2019s Stefan Braun looks in Prishtina. In case you get hungry afterwards go to Route 66 (which is open 24\/7) and have a cheeseburger. You should most definitely try the \u201ctri le\u0107e\u201d cake. And be prepared in advance that you won\u2019t succeed in telling how good it was. No matter what, do your best, because there will be a person that will, based on your story, pack their things and go to Prishtina, just like you did after reading this blog.\u00a0 And if you do fall in love there, which is not uncommon, let us know.<\/p>\n Huge thanks to YIHR and the group from the trip (\u201cinicijativi\u0107i\u201d). Also, I would like to thank Didi, Pajtim, Egzon, Aljbin, Abdula, Valjon, Teuta, Vjosa and the rest of amazing people who I can\u2019t wait to see again. Faleminderit!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We were not one of the people with prejudices. Some of us have already been in Prishtina, some have heard amazing stories from the others, and some had no idea where exactly they were going or what was waiting for them there. I belong to the second group. But no matter how many stories I\u2019ve heard, nothing could resemble to what I have experienced.","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n