Wednesdays, I don't have classes until late afternoon. Often, I wake up at my usual time of 7 am (morning classes start at 8:30 on Monday and Tuesday), but it is a slow awakening. I enjoy my two cups of coffee and relaxing on the couch before I start some light housekeeping--laundry and straightening up after a busy weekend.
On this Wednesday, I hang around the apartment waiting for the text, that tells me that the smartboard is being delivered to our school--the smartboard paid for by the Peace Corps go fund me styled grant that I wrote and implemented to provide technology to English language lab at my school.
I get the text at 11:15 am, and that is a perfect time as I just had a bite to eat and I am ready to take a little walk. My counterpart and the delivery guy meet me in the lobby of my apartment. I am really happy that we finally have the smartboard, as it has taken some time to arrive. I pay the man and thank him. I say "see you later" to my counterpart to start my walk. I make it to the walkway along the river, and the sun peaks out. It is much needed after many days of low clouds and gray skies.
I can't help but grin as I soak up the warm rays. As I am walking, I notice the tip of Luboten just above the low hills that surround Kaçanik. It is snow-covered and stands out above the brown hillside. I never realized that you could see the peak of Luboten from here. I am grinning even more. Luboten represents my home in Kosovo. When I see the mountain on my journeys back to Kaçanik, I know I am near home.
It is a great day for a walk. I hear the ever present "hello, teacher. How are you?' from students during my walk. I see Ekrem from our hiking group and stopped to share pleasantries. He thinks there will be a hike this weekend, but they haven't decided where yet. I can't help but smile. It has been a great walk, and I know I have been lucky to have been placed in a community with so many kind people.
Lately, however, a sadness creeps in. It is often when I least expect it. It keeps me cognizant of the fact that the last few weeks here in Kosovo will be sad. For now, I am able to push the sadness into the recesses. It is an amazing day with a lot to be happy about. I want to push the sadness to the very last day and not think about leaving. We'll see how that goes as the end arrives.
I know I will be happy to head home to be with family, to live in my house, which I haven't been to in over two years, and to see friends and acquaintances. I will live in the moment for now and save the goodbyes for later.
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