Going back to my Balkan roots, in 2016 I found myself in Kosovo for a mission with the United Nations. Touchdown in Prishtina felt familiar yet new, yet reminiscent of my childhood in Albania. Overall, the experience was a glimpse into a dream job to make a positive impact on the ground. Through it all, I met supportive colleagues, made lasting friendships, and formed a connection with the people in Kosovo.
Category: Kosovo Chronicles
Going back to my Balkan roots, in 2016 I found myself in the post-war country of Kosovo for a mission with the United Nations. Touchdown in Prishtina felt familiar yet new. Overall, the experience was a glimpse into a dream job to make a positive impact on the ground. Through it all, I met supportive colleagues, made lasting friendships, and formed a connection with the warm Kosovars around me.
Reintegrating Albanian and Serbian Youth
The New Bridge in Mitrovica symbolizes the split of the city into two adversarial sides. On the Albanian side, I stand with uncertainty looking over the river – those on the southern part warn of the dangers of crossing over to the Serbian side. The bridge today is patrolled by KFOR forces. Before the war, Serbs and Albanians used to lived as neighbors, speaking one another’s language, and even intermarrying. However, the conflict brought seemingly irreparable fissures between Serbs and Albanians.
Kosovo Crossroads: A Post-War State in Limbo
In a post-conflict period of recovery, Kosovo is the newest country in Europe. Following its independence in 2008, after the violent breakup of Yugoslavia and bloody ethnic wars of the 1990s Kosovo is now at a crossroads to reintegrate into Western Europe with many challenges ahead.
On Foreign/Local (Dis)Advantage
Life as a foreigner working for an international organization in developing countries versus life as a local resident are very different worlds. While Kosovars struggle with low wages or unemployment, foreigners working in Pristina enjoy high status, wages, and security in their host country.
First Impression Snippets of Prishtina
Prishtina has the air of a serene and young city – due to its large youth population of university students, children, new infrastructure and architecture, and fast pace of growth and development. As an Albanian-American at UN Women, I am now in a curious in-between state: technically a foreigner, but closer to the people, which puts me in a unique position of trust and understanding with the warm Kosovars.
K-squared 