We arrived in Kosovo yesterday and settled into a hotel located in the capital, Prishtina. Upon arrival, the entire vibe of the country was strange. Everything, I mean everything was new. Unlike the rest of our sightseeing, nothing was shell-bombed, medieval in architecture, or even socialist in interior design. Everything, from the roads to the bed frames, to the local hardware store, looked no older than 5-years old. Our hotel was comfortable, but looked straight out of an IKEA catalog. In the city center, there was a bronze statue of Bill Clinton. The NGO we met the next day followed in sentiment. Before coming to Kosovo, I was a believer in their independence and sovereignty but the NGO leader said himself, "without NATO we would not exist." Questions followed like, "What would happen when NATO left?" Answer: "That will never happen, and can never happen." Ruh roh. Okay. Politics. Do you seriously depend on making a country based solely on international aid? Sure, you can start that way but do you plan on sustaining yourself on it? During our stay, we also saw the Serbian area of Kosovo that was distinctly separated by a physical and symbolic bridge. I'm sorry I have no pictures. Imagine a bridge with army men and hummers surrounding it, covered in racist graffiti, as well as one side being brand-spanking new, and the other dirty, impoverished, and grey. What an experience. I have never seen political stagnance or social distrust so resounding. Shortly after we left, Serbia attacked Kosovo borders.
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