Welcome to Kosovo!

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I got on an empty bus heading to Prishtina, Kosovo, and two guys (probably in their 30s) decided to sit next to me despite the whole bus being empty.

I put on my headphones and fell asleep. After 30 mins or so I had to write down my name and passport number in order to do the border crossing so it was the perfect time for them to break the ice.

One of them handed me the board and started a conversation by saying he was from Kosovo and said "I'm black" I looked at him with a puzzled face and I said "sorry? What did you say?" And he responded by touching his skin and saying "I'm black, and ugly", I didn't know where this conversation was going but I said "mmm... you are not black" he was barely any darker than me. Then he said "this is my cousin" and I responded "... and he is white?" And he said "yes, white and handsome" haha I really didn't even know where to begin! It really makes me angry when people base their opinion of others (or their self worth) based on their skin color or their physical features! When are we going to learn to go beyond what meets the eyes? The most striking thing is that he introduced himself by saying "I'm ugly" I would never ever do that! I think in general the most attractive part of a person is his confidence... zero points for this dude!

A couple of minutes later we stopped at the Macedonian border and everything went smooth but then things got complicated at the border with Kosovo. Once again I was asked to get off the bus and that I needed a visa to enter Kosovo (story of my life!) I got off and started talking to the officer who insisted I needed a visa and was on the phone confirming what I had told him and spelling the name of my country. Good thing I was prepared with a screenshot of the Ministry of Public Affairs of Kosovo that stated that I did not need a visa, also showed them the passport index where I compared El Salvador and Ecuador and showed clearly I didn't need a visa and finally got out the map and showed the location of both places. After all that the officer said ok and that I would have to wait 5 minutes. Excuses, and more excuses later I was finally stamped and allowed to enter Kosovo.

I do not know why but I was really excited about visiting Kosovo, maybe because I loved Rachel McAdams in the movie Morning Glory and how she screams at Harrison Ford “when you were in Kosovo, I was in Kosovo!!" haha or maybe because it’s the youngest country in Europe and I was just excited to see it.

I finally arrived in Prishtina and guess what? Not what I expected! It felt so developed with many buildings under construction, with no buildings that looked like there was ever conflict in there. I was puzzled, maybe because I thought of Harrison Ford as a journalist in the middle of a city that was completely destroyed less than 20 years ago. That’s the problem with movies, they give you wrong ideas! haha

Anyway, Prishtina was small but at the same time it had its character. I found it very interesting that although about 40% of the population is unemployed the coffee shops were exploding with people in them all the time. On a monday morning, around 11am, I went out for a walk and I couldn’t believe how many people were out having coffee, mid morning.

When I got back to Prishtina that same day I actually went to a coffee shop and joined the locals, most of the shops were full of people. The coffee shops are “cheap” but not that cheap; I ordered a tea and two macarons for €3, with that much one can get a full meal in a local restaurant. I really don’t understand why people do that! It’s like when Starbucks opened in El Salvador, people lined up for hours to get a coffee that cost like $3-$5! El Salvador probably has some of the best coffee in the word and people feel the need to go and pay for crappy Starbucks coffee so people think they have money? or that they are “cool”? or simply because EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT! but really, what for?!?!

Argh.. makes me sick!

Well, actually, I know why! Because I lived in a society where in order to fit in you have to show what you have, which actually means that you show what you don’t have. That’s why I feel like I don’t fit in anymore, that’s why at 18 I left to never go back! Because it is a toxic society, because we are so wounded by our past and by how much we didn’t have or how much was taken from us that now you have to show (or pretend) that you do have in order to feel worthy.

Maybe I was being a hypocrite by wanting Kosovo to look like a war zone when in my country war ended in the early 1990s and you wouldn’t be able to tell. Maybe Kosovo’s life style was making me angry because it was a reflexion of my own people and it just stirs up all these feelings and the resentment that I have towards my own society. A society that is very fake, that people in charge are greedy and corrupt and would rather steal from the people than give to the people. A society that feels the need to buy fake merchandise in order to try to fit in. Sometimes I wonder: can we all be happy with what we have? Can we be happy with what our neighbor has without being jealous?

… Sometimes I digress…

Anyway, many times I walked along the main pedestrian avenue in Prishtina, looking at the statues along the way, people watching, and taking it all in.

Another mother Teresa statue

This "New Born" sign to celebrate the independence from Serbia.

I think my favorite part was seeing a store called hillary, followed by the statue of Bill Clinton! During the war Bill Clinton played a big role on helping Kosovo so they put a statue up and named the boulevard Bill Clinton.

I didn’t know that Prishtina was famous for one very ugly building, it’s library! I wanted to see it but I was surprised to see that it wasn’t ugly, it was rather interesting and nice!

In one of the days I decided to go on a trip to a city close by and check out a monastery and an archeological site.

The first stop was at the Gracanica Monastery... In all honesty, it felt just like any other monastery. I think I've kind of had my share of same looking monasteries.

Then I walked along a road in between green pasture on both sides for about 20-30 minutes until I reached Ulpiana, the archeological site.

Me, Myself, and I in Kosovo!

A dead plaque

I really liked this archeological site maybe because 1. It wasn't uphill, 2. It wasn't hot, 3. The rocks actually made sense! And maybe also because it was surrounded by beautiful (and peaceful) green scenery all around that made me feel at easy. The paths were well taken care of and... it was free!

I then had to walk back to town to catch the bus back to Prishtina, passing along the town. Since Kosovo used to be part of Albania I could really see its influence, once again I was starting to see little produce shops all over the cities!

Look at that water!!!

I missed seeing fruit and veggie shops every couple of steps!

More Obituaries, this time on a lamp post!

About Post Author

Andrea

Hi! It's me... Andrea! In 2016 I decided to drop everything and take a year to enrich my life and travel around the world. It turns out the world is just too big for 12 months! Still on the road and sharing my experience as a solo female traveler around the globe!