Another Good Week...

The past week went by very quickly, as there were only four school days.  We had clear skies and lots of sun, but the mornings were crisp and cold.  It does seem as though spring is just around the corner and even the hills around Kaçanik are a little greener.  The peak of Ljuboten, however, has gotten more snow and is quite beautiful on the blue sky days.

Friday, we had a girls night in Prishtina.  Of the 29 volunteers currently in Kosovo, only 9 of us are female.  We had 10 of us for girls night, as one volunteer from KOS 7 is back in Kosovo living for a while.  Sometime next week KOS 10 trainees will arrive and they are still expecting 31 or 32.  Once again, there are more males than females so we are still outnumbered.

We met at Napoli Pizza Restaurant across from the Newborn Monument.  I arrived early, so I went by the monument to get a photo.  Each year for Kosovo Independence Day, they repaint the monument.  I am not sure and have not been able to find the meaning of this year's painting.  In 2024, the monument was painted to represent the European countries where Kosovar's could travel without Visa restrictions.

This is the 2025 Painting of the Newborn Monument

Newborn 2024

Napoli had a fantastic selection of pizza, pasta, and salads.  After dinner, we headed to Addie's apartment for dessert, drinks, and a movie.  Cat made chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies.  Addie and Ryn decorated for the occasion.  

Backrow:  Hannah, Me, Kayla, Cat, Cloe, Chloe, Alyanna

Frontrow:  Addie, Ryn, Sarah

Candles, cookies, and cherry 7-up (not mine)

Both Addie and Cat are living in Prishtina.  Addie is a Peace Corps Response volunteer working at the Ministry of Education on Environmental Education.  Cat is a Kos 7 volunteer who has extended and is working with an organization in Prishtina.  They both have apartments with foldout couches and we all had room to sleep between the two apartments.  

Saturday morning, we had breakfast at Cat's with coffee cake, muffins, and a Serbian pancake.  After hanging out for a bit, I headed back to the bus stop with Kayla and Ryn.  

Cinnamon roll muffins for Girls Night

I did not hike with the hiking group on Sunday, because they hiked in Tetova which is in North Macedonia and I did not want to use a vacation day.  When we go out of country, it goes against our vacation days.  I was happy to see photos and there were a number of high school girls and Elisa.  Hopefully, next week will work out for a hike.

Instead of hiking, I made a loaf of sourdough bread, fermented ginger beer, made a pot of vegetable soup, cleaned up the apartment, and took two walks.  I also talked with Matthew, Kim, and Thom, but I missed a call from my niece, Megan and her little ones (hopefully next week).

Vegetable scrap broth for the vegetable soup

The soup is almost done

Getting ready to make sourdough bread

The dough before rising

Rising to double in size

In the pan to rise again

Just out of the oven

Fermenting ginger beer

24 hours later -- Second ferment with blueberry juice

Vegetable soup, sourdough, and spicy cole slaw with corn

Saturday night salad dinner

So Thom took care of paying the bills when he was here, since I was in school.  Now, I have them on the schedule for the last week of the month and I wanted to get them done early this week.  I was able to pay Teuta (sister of the owner and also an English teacher) the rent Sunday night.  We were meeting for coffee and to discuss the Creative Writing Competition put on by Peace Corps Volunteers that I am planning to do with her students.  I killed two birds with one stone.  

Monday, I have two morning classes and then I had coffee with Mirvete.  After that I went to the apartment for lunch and to gather the bills.  I had four things on my list and only a little over an hour to do them.  The electric bill was first and as I had the last electric bill, I had no problem.  Then I headed to the coffee roaster and grinder shop for 4 euros of coffee.  I also wanted to find a printer to print certificates for the writing competition on card stock.  The first printer that my counterpart recommended could not print on cardstock, but he recommended another print shop that was close to the water utility office.  I went in and paid the 1.08 euro water bill.  In the future, I need to remember to bring exact change as she did not have a way to make change.  After that I went to the print shop, but it was closed for a break.  I decided to stop at a nearby store to get pencils and paper for the writing competition.  

When I went back to the printing shop, it was open and the guy was able to print the certificates for me while I waited.  I got everything done in time to stop back at the apartment before heading to my afternoon classes which start at 2:45 pm.  I walked to school and immediately sensed that the building was quieter than normal.  I waited for Besim to arrive, but when the 2:45 pm bell rang, he was not around.  In fact, only a few teachers were actually in school.  I sent Besim a message and he reply that he forgot to tell me that the seniors were on a field trip to Prishtina.  The only classes this afternoon, were the eleventh graders and we don't teach them.  So I had the afternoon off.

Certificates for the writing competition  

I headed back to the apartment and decided to try a new recipe I found for Greek Chick Pea soup.  It turned out really good.  All is good so far in Kaçanik.

Lemony Greek Chick Pea Soup

On My Own...

Last Monday at midnight, Thom left for the Skopje airport with Sami and Valon for his flight back to US.  He is there until the end of April and then he will return with our son, Matt and his girlfriend when they come for a visit.  I never planned to serve in the Peace Corps by myself, but plans change. 

Tuesday was a little rough and I did not have my normal energy on the walk to school.  But thankfully the energy returned once I got to school and headed to class.  During the second class, my co-teacher got a tragic phone call that his cousin was shot and killed in Skopje.  Later, Gazmend (co-teacher) told me his cousin was trying to break up a fight.  It is doubly tragic as two young children will grow up without their dad.  Gazmend left and I taught the rest of the classes.  Mirvete helped me with one of the classes and I was glad to have the help.  After classes were done Mirvete and I relaxed over coffee.  Wednesday and Thursday, I only had three classes each day,

Monday, February, 17, is Kosovo's Independence Day.  It was only 17 years ago.  Thursday night, Gazmend messaged me that it would be a special day at school on Friday.  I only needed to go for two classes and then the students went on a field trip to a nearby museum.  After the second class, I was invited to go with the teachers and students to the museum, but it was windy and cold, and while I hate to turn down an invitation, I was not in the mood to go to a museum with several hundred students.

Kosovar flags lining the bridge before Independence Day

In the end, it was good I didn't go because a Peace Corps staffer was in Kaçanik to check out potential housing for a volunteer from the soon to arrive KOS 10.  Our next group of volunteers will arrive at the end of February and the staff are working to find their placements.  The staffer wanted me to meet her Handikos, which is a non-profit that supports people with disabilities.  I met her there and I now have a new gig teaching English to young people in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade on Saturdays.  That will start in several weeks. 

On Monday, after Thom left I felt really alone.  I am in a different country by myself and this wasn't part of the plan.  But I chose to be in Peace Corps because of the safety nets.  One of the greatest of these is the other volunteers that are here in country.  At 4:30 pm on Friday, I welcomed two volunteers (Alyanna from KOS 9 and Addie a response volunteer) who came to visit Kaçanik.  We did a short walking tour, made homemade pizza, and relaxed in the evening.  Saturday morning, we met with Elisa from Bonavet for coffee and then she gave us a fantastic tour of their STEAM learning and maker space facility.  I was happy to introduce Addie and Elisa, because they are both doing work in Environmental education.

Pizza night in Kaçanik with Addie and Alyanna

Maker space in Bonavet

Bird houses in Bonavet

Computer workspace

Kano put together computer

Later, Saturday afternoon, Ekrem from the hiking group sent me a message that some girls were joining the Sunday hike and there was still room for me to go.  So on Sunday, I went hiking with the group.  We met and took a khombi to Hani i Elezit.  Then we hiked back to Kaçanik.  It was a great day for a hike, although it was a little cloudy.  We had some new hikers and many returned hikers.  Emira was one of the high school girls and she came with Renata.  Renata had hiked before with the club, but I had not met her before.  It was a good group and we had a big fire at lunch and they roasted a lot of sausage.  

On a particularly sketchy part of the trail, Emira hit her knee and she was having trouble walking fast.  The hike took us longer to get back and when we got to a road close to Kaçanik, Ekrem called his son to give her a ride.  I rode with her and Renata and made it back about 5:00 pm.

Hani i Elezit

The hiking group on Sunday

The beginning of the hike

The paver road coming out of Hani i Elezit

Scary bridge along the way

Memorial to Curri family killed by Serbians 1912

The houses in the village

First sign of spring

Finished crocheted plastic bag sit upon

Horse along the trail

Emira, Kjani, Renata, and me (teachers and students)

Pool of water far below

Curri family memorial

Big warm fire at lunch

Roasting sausage 

Putting out the fire before leaving

Steam and smoke

Abandon village school

Mosque in Llanishtë

Another memorial from the war

A part of the Road to Rome Trail as we head back to Kaçanik

Monday, I woke to a dusting of snow.  I had plans to take a bus to Ferizaj for language lessons, but the buses weren't running as it was Independence Day.  I didn't know this when I walked to the bus station, but as soon as I got there and saw the cars parked in the bus spaces, I knew.  So I looked over to where taxis wait and saw Bedri the taxi driver we have used before.  He saw me and waved.  He got out of his car and met me as I walked toward him.  I said "Ferizaj stacioni autobusi" and he said " po".  He drove me to Ferizaj and then returned later at 4:30 once my lessons were done and I had done a little shopping.

Dusting of snow Monday Morning

Flags everywhere

I know that once in a while I will doubt staying here and not returning back to the U.S., but this week was pretty successful for the most part, thanks to volunteers, my school, the hiking club, and the others I know in Kaçanik.  Many have offered their help and support, but I got this for now.  It is nice to know I have my communities behind me.

Gray heron in the Nerodime River

Lemon Muffins