Kosovo's First Birthday!

Today was a great day of celebration and rejoicing in the streets of Kosovo. One year ago today, after a bloody battle between the Serbians and Albanians which was finally settled through the help of US and NATO forces, Kosovo was declared an independent country. Although their first year as a nation has not been without hardships and difficulties, the people are grateful for their freedom.

Kosovo was previously ruled by Serbia despite the fact that well over 90% of the population was Albanian. After the war, the country became self-segregated. The Albanians occupy the majority of the country and the Serbians occupy a very tiny part of Kosovo on the north side of the Iber river which divides Mitrovica, the city we are visiting. A bridge separates the two parts of the city and is a sign of the division of the country. Several years ago, a riot broke out on the bridge between the Albanians and Serbians. Both populations fear and despise one another. Today, access to the bridge was severely limited and the police were out in force to maintain order. Fortunately, no incidents of violence were reported.
The feelings and deeply rooted emotions between the Serbians and Albanians are very difficult for foreigners to understand. The bitterness between the two countries runs as deeply as the bitterness between Israelis and Palestinians. Another thing that is interesting is the fact that there really is no such thing as a Kosovar. Everyone who lives here is identified as a Serbian or an Albanian, they just happen to be living in the country called Kosovo. The patriotism of both ethnic groups runs very deep. In the pictures and videos in this post you will see both the flag of Kosovo (blue and gold) and the flag of Albania (black and red).
While the Albanians don’t like the Serbs, they do love Americans! They are very grateful for the role that the United States played in liberating them during the Serbian occupation. In the pictures and video you will see numerous American flags honoring what US troops accomplished. Furthermore, one of the primary roads in the capitol city of Pristinia is “Bill Clinton Boulevard.”
Mr. Foote, Mrs. Allen and I enjoyed participating in the impromptu celebrations that took place throughout the city today. Everyone was out enjoying the “warm” weather and sunshine. The streets were packed and EVERYONE was carrying a flag—either Albanian, Kosovar, or American.
Mr. Foote and I traveled with Lydia Hennesey and Lavdim Musliu to Pristina where we joined in the celebration with a flag laden car and loudly sounding horn. Mrs. Allen watched the parade with Nadine Hennesey and Bill and Carol Prime and then bravely ventured over to the bridge separating the Albanian side of Kosovo from the Serbian side of Kosovo. Hopefully someday the animosity between the two ethnic groups can be resolved and access to all of Kosovo will be restored.
Our time in Kosovo is winding to a close. Tomorrow we will have two teaching session—one in the morning which will focus on classroom management and one in the evening which will focus on assessment. In the afternoon we have the exciting opportunity to visit the primary school at which several of the teachers work. We are looking forward to seeing what the educational system of Kosovo is like. Thursday morning we will teach for a few hours before packing up and heading to the airport in Pristina for our afternoon flight.
Thank you for your interest in our trip and for your prayers. We are only a small part of the exciting work that is being carried out in Kosovo through the work of Nadine and the Primes. They truly have an opportunity to transform this struggling country. Please continue to pray that God would bless their work.