From Blue Sky Days to Blackbird Fields: How Many Times Can You Take the Same Photo...

That was the question I asked my self (and Thom asked out loud as he knew I would take another photo) as we left the Interex today, and the beauty of a snow covered Ljuboten loomed before us. It was a sunny late winter day, and there is significant snowfall on the Shar Mountain peaks. But here it is (the photo) and it is a beauty.

Beautiful and snow covered

Ljuboten is the natural landmark that I most associate with my stay in Kaçanik. It is the landmark I can pick out from Ferizaj and on a good day, Prishtina. On a clear day flying in from a trip, it tells me that our planes arrival is near. I can pick it out from other peaks we've hiked in the Shar Mountain range or even from hikes in North Macedonia. It is a rugged peak and it is most beautiful when is fully covered in snow.

Today, February 26, 2026 marks two years since we first arrived in Kosovo. It has been a grand adventure. I will end my service in Prishtina on April 15th and we will fly home from Tirana, Albania on April 20th. It has been a grand and glorious adventure that I wasn't sure I would make it through. But at this point, I feel certain that I will make it to the end.

I feel that since January, I am the busiest I have been, as I have a new counterpart (who is new to teaching), I have been finalizing the purchase made possible by the grant, and I have been helping with the spelling bee, WriteOn competion, and a leadership group called Access in Ferizaj.

This week another volunteer brought a speaker to our school to talk with one of our classes about misinformation on the Internet and I met up with another volunteer to make purchases of novels in English for students to read. She lives closer to Prishtina and knows the bookstores there.

As you finish service, there are more medical visits, paperworks, and reports to complete. It is a busy time and I am certain it will fly by. It is also Ramadan, so many people are fasting including a majority of my students. I was actually dreading this week as it is the first full week of fasting and it takes a toll on the students ability to participate in class. I have been pleasantly surprised. It has been really sunny after a period of little or no sun, so despite fasting, the students have been in good spirits. I hope the sun continues.

There was no hike last Sunday due to Ramadan, but we know the area better now and Danny, Thom, and I did our own hike following a path we've taken before with the hiking group. It was a good hike and a good day for a hike. We did come across a landslide on a dirt road. We left the area quickly, because we weren't sure how recent or if it was done.

I am enjoying the last six weeks of service, but I am tired and I am ready for a break from the classroom.