Tung, shoku im

I have to apologize; I don't know the plural for "friend" in Albanian, which would be a more accurate statement. I should be so lucky to be able to call everybody I met on this trip a friend.

To the KIJAC students: Words cannot express how thankful we truly are. We made you miss your days off, skip classes and show up late to jobs. I hope you'll have a chance to visit us in Lincoln, so we can truly show our gratitude. I am speaking for myself when I say this, but I'm sure everybody else would agree: you will always be welcome at our homes. Give us a call, send us an e-mail or a postcard anytime.

To everybody at Worldvision and KosInvest: I don't know what we would have done without you. You all have been so patient and helpful, I cannot say thank you enough. Arben, I hope you enjoy the music I gave to you.

To our drivers: I don't think I would have been able to successfully navigate the streets of Kosova alone, thanks for getting us there safely.

To our professors: I am so honored I was allowed to go on this trip. I wish I could stay longer. But you already know that.

To the donors: I am so glad I chose this college, thank you for supporting what is in my mind the best university for photojournalism in the country. I have learned a lot, your money was well spent, and I am grateful for that.

All: I feel everything above is an understatement. We have gone through so much together (illegal mines, winding mountain roads, harrassment by powerplant employees and incredible stories from the locals to name a few). I don't feel I have said "thank you" enough. I hope to see you all sooner than later.

Poster's note: Please correct me if my Albanian is off. I'm learning...

Illegal mining

For some living in the Kosovar village of Zhilivoda, mining is the only way to make ends meet. With the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) snatching up any coal deposits they can find, some Zhilivoda land owners have chosen to take advantage of the deposits found in their backyards and dig on their property. The mines are not regulated by any safety standards and miners could work all day for three days but earn only 50 euro, which will be split four or more ways. Just two months ago, a miner in Zhilivoda was killed in a collapse just a few hundred yards from his house.

Poster's Comment: I admit I was scared, but not once I got down the rickety ladder. Going back up was the worst, my shoes were muddy and kept slipping.

Venas

Venas Berisha is a 5-year-old boy who lives in the mining town of Belacevac. He lives in a house with nine of his relatives, and has recently talked about getting a rifle to protect his three sisters from the stray dogs that roam the village. His father, Arsim, is a hard-working carpenter who, in addition to building kitchen cabinents for residents, is repairing his house. The house, along with around 90 percent of the village, was destroyed during the war.

I made it to Kosovo and I didn't die...

Sorry for that random title but I wanted to let all the people who told me not to die in Kosovo that I'm still alive and kickin'. I'm in the lobby of the hotel and I just thought I would make a post really quick recapping my flight experience before I forget small details.
Our excursion began at 5:15 when we departed from Lincoln to Detroit, and yes, Lincoln does fly out to major cities. Sitting in the lobby before the flight to Detroit made me thing about the option of getting chip clips for my bag of pretzels, in case I want to save some for later. Scott Winter, one of our professors went on a rant with me about asking the flight attendants for chip clips and pitching a fit if they didn't have them. It was a good way to keep my anxious mind off of flying for a bit. Once we got into the Detroit airport, we had a slight layover before heading to London. I have to say the most fun I had in the Detroit airport was when Shannon and I started singing "Across the Universe" songs while I was choreographing the moves to the scene. Imagine the bowling scene where they are singing "Fallin'" and you'll know what I'm talking about, let me mention this was all while we were on the moving sidewalk.
The flight to London was painful. My ability to sleep in moving objects failed me as I couldn't get comfortable nor fall asleep consistently. I did however, watch "No Country for Old Men" on the flight which excited me because I hadn't seen it. I did enjoy it.
During our 4 hour layover in London Shannon, and I were able to discover a secret hidden within the London airport. This being the ability to think of something you want and it magically appearing. Let me expand. We were walking through the shops and I had mentioned I wanted to try Bailey's caramel sometime. We then walked to the Duty Free alcohol shop where we were presented with free samples of 3 different Bailey's flavors, one of them being Bailey's Caramel. Later we were browsing the alcohol and I was curious if they sold Absynthe and low and behold I found it immediately in front of me. A few minutes later Shannon said she really wanted a piece of chocolate and then a sales lady came up to is with a tray of Cadbury chocolates we could sample. Fantastic secret we were able to discover in London's Gatwick airport.
Once we got onto our flight to Kosovo, we were all anxious to get off the moment we got on the last flight of the day. I made some friends my aisle, one named Nicole from Northern Ireland and the other named Dennis from Kosovo. They were super nice and we all helped the time go by fast by combining conversation with wine.
Then we finally arrived. Our eager eyes were piercing the dusk horizon looking for new things. The ride to our hotel was, interesting to say the least. The driver was listening to what was called "Black Radio" which included a variety of American rap, it was the only thing that made sense tome at that time. It was all a blur. We had dinner at a delicious restaurant that included lots of bread, cheese, and peppers.
It's late here and I must get some rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow and we are on little sleep. I have photos to post and I will probably post them tomorrow when I have more time.

-Vanessa

I Just Don't Know Right Now

This whole week has been a blur for me. Having to deal with tests, work and last minute preparations has left me stressed to the point where running doesn't relieve it. Traveling to a new country always puts me in a funk. There's always the unknowns that you wish you could know before landing. I can tell my mom a thousand times we'll be safe but there's always the chance something happens, it may be a small chance bit it still exists. It's going to be an awesome experience being in Kosovo for a week and I can't say I won't be in a bit of a culture shock but it'll be an experience of a lifetime.
I still have to pack. Let me say at least I have a pile of things I need to pack but nothing is in a suit case yet. I'll procrastinate packing as much as possible because I hate it so much.
Once I'm done packing, all that's left is waiting. Waiting for the flight, waiting to arrive, and waiting to meet people we will be working with all week. Uncertainties are hard but in the end the experience is worth so much more. I'm more anxious than anything so I doubt I'll get much sleep tonight. It's a good thing we have an overnight flight to London and that I sleep easily in moving vehicles.
Here's to Kosovo, see you on the other side.

-Vanessa

Independence

Kosovo has declared its independence and it is an exciting time to be paying attention to this part of the world. But questions remain ... will the country be able to be stable? Will Russia and Serbia allow it to peacefully change into an independent state? And many more.

However, upon looking at Kosovo, it is easy to see that economics and the factor of poverty is a major issue in this fledgling country. What toll does poverty take on this country and how do the citizens cope with it?

Well hopefully we'll be answering some of these questions upon our trip to Kosovo in mid-March. Over the course of a few days we will be looking at poverty's effect on the population, and how Kosovars' sense of family helps them cope with it.

Through a variety of visual stories, we will hopefully illustrate family in Kosovo and the poverty that strikes them.

In time we hope that Kosovo will be able to sustain itself, and the poverty level will lessen. However, at this time this remains to be unseen. Keep checking back for more updates, and updates from Kosovo when we are on the ground there.

With love,
Michael Mason-D'Croz