What surprised me most about visiting Prishtina was how similar it is to a Canadian city. I had read of the turmoil the area had experienced but I think you always hope to find a city and culture so different from your own that you don't have to think of a war happening at home. Unfortunately it is a reality everywhere, regardless of culture or terrain.
I traveled from Macedonia to Kosovo and during the trip it was obvious that human migration had happened. A lot of houses were boarded up and left desolate. There were a few stops before Prishtina with some clothing stores and car mechanics shops. I was thankful to not be getting off in these areas. They were busy but the chance of wifi looked slim with unpaved roads and simple cement block buildings.
Google maps says Kosovo is in Serbia but I saw Albanian flags displayed more than Serbian. I checked out the University and got lost walking through the city streets and everywhere I went I saw the bright yellow and red flag. It has been advised to not mention having visiting Kosovo because of the bad blood in the Balkan region so I don't talk about it very often. If I meet with a close friend I will bring it up but they always re-enforce this idea to be careful when and where to discuss it. There was a lot of bloodshed so I understand the grief people must be going through.
When I got off at the bus depot my instructions were to walk towards the flag (it was Albanian). The neighborhoods reminded me of the Kitsilano area in Vancouver, plush and green but curvy like European cities that don't use the grid system. As always I had to check out any and all the beauty salons I walked by. Wow! Prishtina really exceeded my expectations. There was a beauty shop I poked my head into and it was the most beautiful and busiest hair and makeup shop I have seen. On Instagram I'd seen some really big pages coming out of Bulgaria and eastern Europe but it was cool to see it in real life. This shop had at least 15 stations with perfect lighting and they were BUSY. In Canada (the Great White North)m hair colouring is bigger than styling and even bigger than makeup. It's tough to get a makeup business going because people spend money on take home products rather than on services. If I returned I would definitely go in for a service or two at this place. I'm certain I could find it from memory.
The biggest difference between Canada and Kosovo is the fact everyone smokes in Kosovo. They smoke inside malls and restaurants whereas in Canada smoking inside has been illegal for most of my life. Aside from that life looked pretty similar.
During my walk I headed to the main street to get some lunch. When I saw the main street was called Bill Clinton Blvd I was intrigued. I was even more surprised to find a statue of Bill Clinton on the side of the road. After a quick google search I learned the Bill Klinton played an important role in the intervention of the Kosovo War and bringing the needed attention to killing of civilians. It's important to point out that it is the Kosovar Albanians who support the Clinton's the Kosovo-Serbs feel differently about the Clinton's involvement but I'll leave that to you to Google.
I think that when a lot of people read about Kosovo or visit the area there is too much focus on what HAS happened instead of the future. The NEWBORN sign at the train station is there to remind us that we all need to look FORWARD instead of back. If you are considering visiting the area I'd highly recommend it! I'd love to return some day
