We're Fine

The only demonstration we've seen here in our village is the school children marching down main street to celebrate Kosova's independence. The US Embassy that has been attacked is in Serbia. The ruckus within Kosova is mostly limited to the northern regions, 60km from us. There are 17,000 NATO troops here in Kosova, 35 countries make up the peace-keeping forces. While we are wary, we feel the violence will not grow due to their presence. Please join us in praying for a peaceful transition here in the Balkans.

Independence At Last

“Thank You USA” is what the coffee was saying to us, but the entire country of Kosova is also saying it. They have deep gratitude for America here, especially on Independence Day. The US was instrumental in the UN campaign to drive the Serbs from Kosova in 1999. Today they consider America the key to their successful bid to become a country.

To witness the announcement on TV yesterday, Julia and I found ourselves in a local restaurant with our friends, John and Ruth. It was a sunny, but cold afternoon and a generous 6 inches of snow covered the ground. Several men and a few women had gathered to watch the prime minister and president. There was a meal, drinks, dancing, fireworks, toasts, clapping, speeches and plenty of laughing. Occasionally a man would walk out the door, fire his automatic pistol in the air, then step back into the party. One man from our village said to me, “there was a song here, back in the early 80’s when we were oppressed. It consoled us saying, don’t worry mother you have a son in America. Now America is here and we can’t believe it.”

After a couple hours we went back to our friend’s home to celebrate with our children and watch the TV reports (CNN, BBC, etc). It was fun watching folks celebrate in downtown Pristina. We played some traditional Albanian music, danced some more and ate cake.........we slept in late on Monday. We are certainly lucky to have experienced Kosova's indepencence day.

So, how many countries are there now?
A. 193
B. 195
C. 213
D. 388
E. Hard to say

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!