Journey to Istog: Family, Farms & Fish

Istog

I had the opportunity to visit the city of Istog this past Saturday. A fellow student of PHS, Blendi, was heading to the city with his sister, Blendina, to visit his extended family. Corey, Shanae and I joined them. The city is about 1 ½ hour drive west from Pristina, on the border of Montenegro (according to Blendi, now the main road is 2 lanes- when in the past it would take more like a 2 ½-3hr to drive there).

On our way, we spotted a beautiful Catholic cathedral and decided to stop to check it out. It was the only one in its area for many years. One of the two nuns who live behind the church met us and insisted on giving us a tour. Inside, was scaffolding wall to wall and wires spread along the floor. Several men were at work but were happy to show us down to the newly discovered basement. A small prayer room was in the midst of being created- a beautifully, peaceful sanctuary. Stones meticulously placed to form crosses and lovely patterns along the sides and one of the men held a crushed piece of crystallized rock to the ceiling showing us his vision. The restoration is possible thanks to the donations. Men will stop by and offer their day to helping, while others contribute financially to the project. I imagine it will be spectacular when finished.

The Sister took us around the grounds showing us the other buildings, out door gathering space and garden that lie back behind the cathedral. We were handed delicious plums and shown the greenhouse. We said our thanks and continued on our way to Blendi’s grandmother’s house.

Blendi’s grandmother currently lives alone in the house her husband (of an arranged marriage) built for her but never lived in. A lovely home that is kept in pristine condition. We sat on the couch and Blendina helped put drinks and cookies on the table as her grandmother made us Turkish coffee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee. Blendi’s grandmother has lived in the same area her entire life. It could be said that she has 2 birthdays; the day she was born and the day written on her birth certificate are very different. Serbia was in rule and sought to control everything including the ages a child would attend school; she attended only 5 years of school.

We proceeded on to visit a cousin and get a tour up a hill, which overlooks the city of Istog. Did I mention it was 104 degrees ferenheit! We were all dripping sweat by the time we arrived to our destination of the famous Trofta (trout) restaurant. 

This is like no other restaurant I have ever been to. A resort like setting, with hotel rooms, ponds with a plethora of trout, and so much seating- according to Blendi, a reservation is needed for summer evenings!

Being land-locked, fish is not a widely available food of Kosova. However, if in the mood for fish- there is one place to go. Trofta is a trout farm turned restaurant and motel with stores in Istog and Pristina.

Next stop- visiting a uncle, aunt and cousin. We sat on the couch as the wife brought us refreshments. It is customary for the woman of the house to serve guests. Before I had taken 3 sips of my drink, more was being poured to ensure it stay full. It is respectful to always take what is offered to you but still full from our late lunch, I had to ignore the cake placed before me. I asked Blendina to relay the message to her and she seemed to understand.

The uncle spoke about their farm that they were forced to abandon once the Serbs invaded the area. When they returned, they had to start completely over. We then all hoped in the car and went to visit the far that the uncle has worked on for the past 35 years.

Lastly, we visited Blendi’s other grandmother who is in her late 80’s and lives with family. This warm spirited woman held onto my hand squeezing it as she sat next to me. We were introduced to the children of the house and their pet bunny.

A long day indeed- but so so so amazing. I am really loving this culture and the emphasis that is put on hospitality and relationships.

Kosovo Religion

Long ago, the people of kosovo (Kosovars) were primarily Roman Catholic. In the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks conquered Kosovo and made Islam the new religion. Now, only 3% of the country is Roman Catholic. Serbian Othodox is the next greatest with only 7% practicing. The Islamic religion holds firm for the majority of Kosovars.

Kosovo is currently 90% Muslim although not all firmly religious, many continue to celebrate holidays and practice Islamic traditions. Kind of similar to the US with Christianity, Islam is the accepted fallback religion although many individuals do not identify with it, especially the younger population.

Carshi Mosque
Oldest standing building in Pristina today

Each day there is the call to prayer, which happens 5 times during the day where the Hoxha (prayer leader) reminds the people, over loudspeakers protruding from mosques, to pray. These mosques are spaced around the city, thus making the call audible from most locations. One of the girls woke up to the call this morning, stating it was extra loud and extra long (8minutes)- reminding us of the holiday.

These last 4 weeks the people of Kosovo (and other Muslim countries) have been celebrating “Ramadan.” During the month of Ramadan, Kosovars fast (no food or drink) everyday from sunrise to sunset. The reason for this is they believe Allah has told them to fast in order to avoid sins. And the reward for true fasting will be paradise. Ramadan is a time for re-commitment to the religion. During this time the mosques are often full of Muslims praying. “The Ramadan offers us the opportunity to start again and to forget the mistakes we made in the past. This is the time for our spiritual house to be thoroughly cleaned and to call Allah into each of its rooms.” <- This reminds me of how Christ died for our sins (past, present, future) so for Christians, there be no need for a lengthy fast, but rather If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness- 1John 1:9.

Uraza-bairam is the holiday that marks the end of the fast in the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Today (Sunday) is Uraza-bairam- everything is closed on this day and the people celebrate in their homes with family, friends and plenty of food and drink.

I was invited along with the other new teachers to visit the home of a Kosovar/Albanian man who works for the school. I learned today that the women of the house stay home while the men visit the homes of family and friends, usually spending 15-30minutes per home. The wife usually has prepared a  snack (cookies, baklava...) and drink for the visiting guests. More and more I am learning how hospitable this culture is.

-A

References:

http://www.metaltraveller.com/en/trips/kosovo/prishtina_mosques.html

http://setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/08/12/feature-05

First Impressions of Pristina

Jet-Lag Face in front of the airport

I arrived safely Tuesday at about noon local time. Kosovo, or Kosova to locals is +6 hours from EST so I have been going through a bit of a body clock adjustment, aka Jet Lag. Having not slept my first flight, I was EXHAUSTED upon arriving to Frankfurt but thank God, I navigated through both Frankfurt and Vienna airports. I arrived to Pristina with 3-4 hours of sleep on my side but feeling really good as I walked out the airport doors into the open air and saw Jill (Pristina High School principal) and Corey (PHS Business Manager) holding a sign with my name on it. Yeah I made it! After the photo, I was driven to lunch and then to my apartment.


The City- Pristina
Developing- that is the word that comes to mind. Similar to La Paz, there are many unfinished buildings and roads. However, there are modern architecture,  newly paved streets, and more Mercedes' and Ferrari's than I've ever seen. This is an interesting conundrum that I will write about more in length in a future blog.

The end of "Bulevardi Nene Tereza" (Mother Teresa Boulevard)
aka "The Walking Street"

Industrial, few trees, mountains in the background and desert like ground. There has also been a drought this summer making it dry and hot.
Not overwhelming large, not too spread out and everything you need is within proximity. Plenty of walkers, few bicycles, Pristina is not without the typical city traffic.

The Flat

The days following have been spent acquiring items for the beautiful apartment, Corey arranged for us to stay in. In a fairly modern building, I share an apartment with Shanae while the other 2 female teachers, Caitlin and Jackie live together across the hall. The apartment is fully stocked with the basic amenities (not sure if a flat screen TV is typical?). We also arranged for wireless internet, which spoiled me on the first day but has been less reliable since. We have hot water (which is awesome) for when we do have water. During the hours of noon and 4pm and midnight and 6 am- the water is shut off so taking a shower or washing clothes does take a bit of planning. So far it hasn't been too much of an issue (Lord knows I'm not high maintenance when it comes to showers). We keep a reserve of water in spare bottles for brushing our teeth and flushing the toilet. 

The location of our apartment is great- we are basically downtown, walking distance to most things and a quick 50cent taxi away from the school. I'll be taking one of those taxi's Monday to teacher orientation- I'm excited to see the school and learn more about our students.

I have lots to report on and I'm still trying to figure out how to keep it somewhat organized. Still to come- religion, people, food, currency, and lifestyle.

Lots of love from over here in The Balkans :)

-A

The day before departure

My last day before leaving for Kosovo!

I am continually reminded of how blessed I am to have such a supportive family- this time they attended church with me :). I was a bit nervous having family and friends there for the first time. I didn't want to make a big deal of it, but then I was reminded of how it is so not about me and I want to invite as many people as possible to be part of this mission in Kosovo. Even my non church-going family came. It meant so much having my support system there with me- seeing where I go every Sunday and meeting the church community who is behind me as I venture out as a missionary. I hope this experience brought my family a little peace about me traveling so far away. As we walked to the car, my mom stated that was the most fun church she had ever been to- it was not boring one bit! Everyone seemed to enjoy the service. I also got to witness my 2yr old niece's first time- and it sounded like she will be going back again :)

A big Thank You Netcast Church. Toward the end of service, Pastor Matt introduced me on stage, spoke about my mission in Kosovo and prayed over me. I relieved he didn't ask me any questions- I'm not sure how successful I would have been answering them with all the shaking my body was doing. After the service I was approached by many wonderful individuals who spoke continued words of encouragement and support. I was also given several checks to aid with financial support. I am so grateful to have the support from so many amazing people- many of whom I had not previously met. It is so encouraging to hear you will be praying for me. I am ready to embark on this adventure and I promise I will do my best to keep everyone updated.

Love, 

Ariel