This week, we are transitioning from Peace Corps Trainees (PCT) to Peace Corps Volunteers. On Monday morning, I met my counterpart and co-teacher, Gazmend. He picked us up along the street in front of our apartment and then drove us to view the school. It is a vocational secondary with electrical training, plumbing, information technology, and economics. The name of the school is "Feriz Guri dhe Vëllezërit e Çaka. I met the principal (drejtor) and he went with us on the tour. The school is heated with wood, but they are transitioning to a heat pump and they will be creating a new entrance where the old heating system was. I don't know when this work will start and if I will be there when it is finished. I did not see all the rooms yet as teachers had not yet arrived and some of the doors were locked. As with many buildings here, the quality of construction is not quite the same as in the US and they don't clean and maintain the school buildings like the schools I have worked in in the U.S. That being said, the buildings are not that bad and it looks like it will be a nice school to work in. The student body is a majority male and I only met one female teacher. After viewing the school, the principal, Gazmend, Thom and I went to a nearby restaurant called Trofta (trout) for coffee. The restaurant was really nice and the coffee was good. Gazmend does some work with the restaurants software system.
After coffee, Gazmend drove us to Ferizaj to catch our bus. It was still early, so we did a little walking tour of the city center of Ferizaj and it seems nice. Noah, from our group of volunteers, will be in Ferizaj. We caught our bus to Gjilan and had lunch at the Bombay Restaurant (we ate there when we went to Gjilan with Paul). We caught the bus back to Gjilan and found that David, Vincent, Geena, and Winston were also on this bus.
It was a little strange and very comfortable coming back to Kamenice. The town is like an old friend now. We have also met another member of Ganimete's family. A niece was visiting at the house. Ganimete's brother and family live in Switzerland and are back for a 2 week visit. According to the niece, they spend their vacations back here in Kamenice. They are part of the diaspora (as promised, more on this later).
Rain, fog and cold temperatures this week in Kamenice
Tuesday and Wednesday, we finished up our last days of training. Thursday was our language testing and our final readiness interview. Today, however; was our first of many trips to the Peace Corps Kosovo offices. The drive to Prishtina was beautiful. As we left Kamenice, there was mist and a fog layer, but as we took the mountain roads out of Kamenice we eventually climbed above the cloud layer and could see the valley covered in clouds and fog. It was really beautiful. Shortly after that the snow covered mountains came into view. There is more snow on the mountains now. It was a spectacular drive to Prishtina.
We arrived to the offices through the gate and the vans took us to the back doors. The offices have been at this location for just a couple of years and they are newly renovated. The complex of several buildings are the nicest buildings I have been to in Kosovo. We started our tour by going down to the volunteer lounge. It is really nice with with our lockers / mailboxes for packages and other things. There are large tables, a sink area (with plenty of fresh coffee and hot water for tea), comfy seating, games, and a large screen / TV. There is a washer, restaurant, and library (which is a book, game, and DVD sharing). After getting our computer log in, receiving our radios and flashlights, reviewing key areas of the Volunteer Handbook, and a third dose of the rabies shot: we headed to lunch and for a quick tour of Prishtina. We went to a Mediterranean restaurant that severed vegan and vegetarian options. I had a really good falafel bowl with curried potatoes, hummus, rice, vegetables, and pita. Our group shared a mezze plate with hummus, Baba ghanoush, carrot dip, beet dip, cheese, olives, and pita. It was good. Then we walked to the NEWBORN monument. The Newborn monument are large metal letters representing Kosovo's freedom in 2008. The monument is repainted each year and this year the painting represents the "7 skies" or European countries that allow Kosovars to travel to their countries without visa restrictions. These countries are Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Netherlands.
After the Newborn sign, we headed to the city center and the pedestrian walkway. This area looked very similar to eastern European cities. It was lined with restaurants and cafes. We then walked to the library to visit the English Corner where had a tour that told us about the English Corner and its use, the Tech Center (with laser cutters and 3D printers), and the maker space. These are used for group activities and classes. The library is next to Prishtina University and the English Corner is often used by students who are studying English. In the past, TEFL volunteers have helped out at the English Corner.
Our final stop was to the government building with two Peace Corps staff to get our residency cards. This took a bit of time, so after that it was back to the Peace Corps volunteer lounge to grab our stuff and then time to catch a bus from Prishtine, back to Kamenice. On our way back, we saw the statue of Bob Dole and Bill Clinton. There is also a replica of the Statue of Liberty. The people of Kosovo do like and honor Americans.
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