Daily Stuff

Here is an update on some of the subjects I discussed earlier as well as some random stuff.

On the protests, the police arrested the leader of the self determination party shortly after the deadly protests in February. He is still in jail awaiting a trial on charges which I am told amount to failing to apply for a permit for a public gathering. His supporters held protests in late March which were peaceful and uneventful.


The birds are gone...for now. Someone had told me in mid-March that the birds only come into Prishtina from the countryside in the winter because the city is warmer than the country. I didn't dare to hope that this could mean the birds would actually be leaving their perch outside my window at some point, but indeed, they did. By the end of the first week in April, all but a few had flown away. The trees lining the fields along the roads leaving Prishtina are now full of giant nests - so the birds are busy multiplying in time for next winter.


I had maybe two weeks of peaceful sleep when it began to be interrupted again on a nightly basis - this time by dogs. Yep - now we have a pack of stray dogs living in the courtyard. Not packs of dogs at the level of post-Ceausescu Romania, at least not yet. It is a group of three or four which during the day, don't bother anyone. I walk by them every morning. But at night, late, at around 2 a.m. or so, if anyone is per chance unlucky enough to be coming home at that hour, the dogs give chase and bark and growl as loud as they can. And then at around 5:30 a.m. or so, they just start howling. An end may be in sight for this as well, however. Protesters gathered last weekend outside the police building to express their disagreement with a soon to be implemented stray extermination policy. I suspect they lacked the political clout to force changes to the policy.

On garbage, someone, probably the owner of the Thai restaurant in the courtyard, organized the removal of the garbage on my side of the building. One day I came out and it was gone - a pleasant surprise. As for the piles on the other side of my building, someone set it on fire so it too is gone in its original form. Now there is a waxy black ash with charred jagged plastic edges scattered throughout a stretch of land about the size of half a basketball court. Let's see if it lasts.

What else? It appears that the washing machine/water/detergent is eating through my clothes. My jeans have two holes in them as does a t-shirt. I think the water is very harsh here. Considering I only brought two pairs of jeans with me, this could be a problem at some point. I am choosing to ignore the holes for now, but believe me, they will not go unnoticed for long, and not in a "look how fashionable she is in worn jeans" way but in a "OMG doesn't that American chick have any self-respect at all, how can she wear clothes with holes in them" way. There is no chance of me finding a pair of jeans here to buy. The average Kosovar woman is about a size 2, and the boutiques reflect this fact- literally not stocking anything above a size 6. So, to my petite friend T., this place would be mecca to you fashion-wise.

I found soy burgers in a grocery store. The box is in German and Turkish. It was a great find since soy has not yet taken off here. The burgers are unlike any soy burgers I have ever seen in appearance or texture. Nevertheless, they are strangely edible.

I am very much looking forward to a vacation in London in May followed by a weekend road trip to Albania. I hope I come back with some good stories and photos to share.