Independence Close?

We may witness the birth of a country this weekend. It appears our new prime minister, Hashim Thaci (Tha-chee) will declare independence in the capital city of Pristina this Sunday. Serbia is still very much against it, Russia too. They have no leverage as most of the EU countries support the Kosovar Albanians and their desire for secession from Serbia. However, the political ramifications stretch far and wide.

There will be a great deal of celebrating Sunday and all week. Our school will not have classes Mon - Wed. The Palmers will not venture into Pristina until Tuesday (maybe). No need to join in the serious revelry which involves shooting guns into the air (we're told). We're very happy for our Albanian friends here. Their joy will spill over, no doubt, but they are still concerned about unemployment, corruption, electricity, food prices, etc. Life will go on one week from now.

Tensions are a bit high. We do not expect any violence, however, there are Serbian paramilitary groups that could cause trouble at the borders. The UN troops and the police have already become more visible the past few days. When you know the history, recent and past, it is hard to understand how anyone would disagree with the Kosovar Albanians' wishes to have a land of their own. Serbia, of course, is passionate about this portion of their sovereign land - they don't want to lose it. It is emotional and raw. Please pray for a peaceful transition.

Haircut AND a Shave

Maybe I can get a neck message at Big League Haircuts in Hebron, but at Verona Salon in Podujeve I get a SHAVE along with my haircut. It's like a mini-spa experience. Musa charges 3.50 euros for a haircut and a shave. As a matter of fact, you can get lots of stuff here with the change in your pocket. A kilo of carrots - 50 cents. A car wash - 2 euro. Hamburger and fries - 1.50 euros. Movie ticket - 2 euro. Language lessons - 2 euros/hour. All-day Parking - 1 euro. They do have a 1 and 2 euro coin which is nice. I now think America should get rid of the one-dollar bill.

Skilled Labor

We’ve traveled a bit since arriving in Europe. When we venture out of Kosova we see modern cities offering many of the amenities we’re used to in the states. Within Kosova, however, there are no drive thrus, malls or franchises like Applebees. Many trades still exist here (cobbler, blacksmith, butcher, seamstress, furniture maker), so walking the streets is often fascinating. Of course the blacksmith hammering out an axe is right next to an internet café. Such is the mix of old and new, traditional and modern. This picture was taken in Prizren, the oldest city in Kosova and the second largest. We first noticed that it was clean compared to the capital city of Prishtina. Traffic wasn’t as busy either. It’s a quaint town with 15th century buildings, a 16th century Turkish bath, tree-lined streets with shops and a river flowing through it. We visited so we could attend a growing Christian church there and were encouraged by the intimate praise given up to God in the pastor’s apartment. On the way home we figured Sam Walton should just stay away from Kosova, but it would be nice to have a Taco Bell…with a drive thru.

Karate

My brother and I have been doing karate and it is interesting. Instead of the trainer counting in Albanian in karate he counts in Japanese. Speaking of trainer, he is only about 19 years old or so. He is still in school and is also being taught some karate too. I know one kata and am about to learn another. A kata is techniques put together. I practice every other day but not on weekends usually. The karate place is a Dojo as some people in Orllan call it. Daniel and I walk there and it takes about 5 minutes or less. The girls would change upstairs and the boys down stairs. First we would start out with lots of exercises, then we start doing a little practice, and then we battle. Sometimes at the end of karate we would do katas. Since the trainer speaks only Albanian, my friend Lydia is always beside me to translate. Sometimes when we are practicing the trainer will come by and say good job in English or something like that. Sometimes in battles I will battle against different people but most are my friends. At the end of next month Daniel and I will be getting our yellow belts. We will have to do katas and battle in front of other trainers. We will also get to go to tournaments and compete. Every day is interesting with new things to do and that’s the way I like it. I love to explore the unknown.
--Melanie

Happy New Year

We brought in the New Year with some O-town friends and a grand batch of fireworks. "Best New Year ever," Daniel stated. He kinda liked lighting the rockets and firecrackers with the older boys. They make some stout firecrackers here - kabooms that put an M-80 to shame. We're looking forward to 2008 and our continued blogging, Skyping and e-mailing. May the new year bring you blessings (Dan), special surprises (Melanie), joy (Julia) and little pleasures (Gary). God Bless you!

Christmas Trip

We had a blessed trip to Greece last week. Kosova, Macedonia and Greece – 1,600 km of driving, four border crossings, and no problems. Stops included Mt. Olympus, Athens, Santorini, Thessaloniki and Skopje. There is so much history in Greece, it would take months to soak it all in. It was simply amazing to be walking through ancient ruins, many that date between the 6th century BC and the 4th century AD. Of course most of it has to do with the Greek gods, but it was interesting to consider the grounds which we wandered were also walked by several disciples of Jesus. One of the NT’s most famous speeches given by Paul to the “men of Athens” in the Areopagus (Acts 17:22-31) takes on a new energy after you’ve explored the city of Athens. He seemed to be taking in the city just as we were. Today it’s a city of 5 million+ and VERY busy. We now have a clear understanding of the expression, It’s Greek to me. The Greek language is difficult to decipher.

A relaxing highlight was our trip by ferry to the island of Santorini. The kids loved the island cats and mom and dad loved sitting in quiet, panoramic beauty. Our travel experiences are always defined by city centers, food & restaurants, open markets, and spontaneous friendships. We certainly enjoy meeting other Americans and trading stories. We’re grateful for our safe travel and feel rejuvenated, for sure. Thanks for your Christmas greetings and prayers.

Holidays

Holiday greetings to all. We are and will be thinking of family, friends and relatives during the holiday season. We’re tapping years of memories, recalling Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, to warm our hearts. We will miss your faces and long for a good hug, but the spiritual binds that tie our hearts (in spite of the miles) bring joy to us each day.

Thanksgiving
We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving, twice. We had a Thanksgiving lunch at school on Wednesday. Several of the American faculty brought traditional dishes. We lined up the cafeteria tables into one loooooong table. The history of Thanksgiving was explained to the students and several teachers described what the holiday meant to them.

On Thursday about thirty of us gathered at the Chesnut’s home for an afternoon Thanksgiving meal. We had turkey and all the trimmings – the smells were intoxicating. Julia cooked one of three turkeys and corn pudding. A few things missing: football on the TV, a snoring relative on the couch, pecan pie, and family of course.

Albanian Flag Day
The Wednesday following Thanksgiving Albanians everywhere celebrated Ditën Flamurit (Flag Day). It’s a bit of a combination of our July 4th and Presidents Day. No fireworks, but plenty of patriotism. Schools and government agencies were closed. Flags flew in front of many shops and homes. This was started on November 28, 1443, but become more meaningful on the same day in 1912 when Albania declared independence from Turkish captivity. The day prior to the holiday several students prepared a mix of readings and songs pertaining to Flag Day. The whole school gathered during 7th period to take in their show. It was quite impressive.

Christmas
We will be spending our first Christmas outside the US. We plan to be in Athens, Greece on December 25th and spend a day in Corinth as well. It will certainly give this Christmas added meaning being in and near the lands we read about in the Bible. We have a small Christmas tree with lights - it sure makes us smile. Your care packages serve as our presents – down to the last pack of Skittles.

A quote from Mother Teresa is an appropriate ending to this posting: “Why must we give ourselves fully to God? Because God has given Himself to us. If God who owes nothing to us, is ready to impart to us no less than Himself, shall we answer with just a fraction of ourselves?” —Mother Teresa