50 Cent

Yesterday 50 Cent gave a concert in the football stadium of Pristina. He was the first famous Western artist to visit Kosovo ever. There was a lot of excitement about his arrival. On chat groups of the Serbian website B92 Kosovo Albanians teased Serbs that he had not gone to Belgrade.

The new telephone provider IPKO organized the concert. A ticket was 5 euro. 4,50 Euro of this amount could be reimbursed in the form of mobile phone credit. In that case the damage of ticket to the concert was only 50 Cent.

Since I have been actively following 50 Cent's career for several years now, I was going totally crazy when I heard that Billy had arranged VIP cards. The VIP room was open air, from dilapidated concrete and filled to the brim with drunken male adolescents. It was 5 degrees below zero and the wind was blowing harder than on a Dutch dike. Nensi, Donika and I danced a little on the 0,5 square meter of stage and discussed in length the absence of toilets. We waited until the star came on stage; I made some pictures (see above) and then left as soon as possible home. We seem to have missed a magnificent fireworks show.

Kosovo Slideshow

The New York Times' website contains an impressive slideshow about the Kosovo conflict and its aftermath. Check it out. It is worthwhile.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/20071209_KOSOVO_FEATURE/index.html

Landscape (Prizren)

Zondag 9 December 2007

Het is stil in Kosovo. Morgen loopt de deadline voor de onderhandelingen tussen Belgrado en Pristina over de toekomstige status van Kosovo af. De uitkomt was al lang duidelijk: de partijen hebben dermate onverenigbare standpunten dat een overeenkomst uitgesloten is. 6 Maanden lang zijn ze geen millimeter nader tot elkaar gekomen. Aan het begin van die 6 maanden – in mei 2007 - begon ik met mijn baan bij de OVSE. De Finse buitengewone gezant van de Secretaris Generaal van de Verenigde Naties - Martti Ahtisaari - had net zijn plan voor een status regeling van Kosovo aan de Veiligheidsraad overlegd. De kranten in Pristina berichtten laconiek over het vuurwerk dat inmiddels in gereedheid werd gebracht. Maar het liep allemaal anders. Het uitblijven van de onafhankelijkheid zorgde ervoor dat ik in juli en augustus het hele budget van de Divisie moest omdenken. Begin oktober gooide de plotseling aangekondigde verkiezingen (parlement, gemeenten en burgemeesters) de planning weer helemaal om. Half november trad een nieuwe ambassadeur aan als hoofd van de OVSE missie. Nieuwe prioriteiten vergden een volgende herziening van de activiteiten. En als klap op de vuurpijl staat inmiddels het voortbestaan van de hele OVSE missie zelf ter discussie. Servië heeft tijdens de recente ministeriele raad van de OVSE in Madrid laten doorschemeren het mandaat van de OVSE missie in Kosovo sterk in te willen perken en de begroting van 2008 slechts voor 3 maanden vrij te geven. Meer dan 1.000 internationale en lokale krachten vrezen voor hun toekomst. In deze atmosfeer begint morgen een van de laatste werkweken van 2007. Vanmiddag heb ik kerstkaarten voor mijn medewerkers geschreven. Velen kunnen wel een hart onder hun riem gebruiken. Vanavond laat heb ik een speech voorbereid voor het afscheid van 2 van mijn sectie hoofden aanstaande donderdag. In bed lees ik nog wat in het recente rapport van de International Crisis Group over Kosovo. Buiten is het donker. Echt donker. De elektriciteit in het stadscentrum is weer eens uitgevallen.

Maandag 10 December 2007

De dag begon met het wekelijkse departementale overleg. Deze week bestaan de prioriteiten van de Decentralisatie Divisie uit een conferentie over illegale huisvesting, een TV uitzending over de toekomst van het lokaal bestuur in Kosovo, het print klaarmaken van een handboek voor recent aangetreden gemeenteraadsleden en veel afscheids- en kerst borrels. Halverwege de ochtend arriveerde een e-mail met de contouren van de OVSE in 2008. Ik herkende voldoende van mijn eigen werkzaamheden om te kunnen concluderen dat ik nog wel even mag blijven. Maar echt zwart op wit staat het nog niet. De lunch heb ik genuttigd met een van mijn scheidende sectie hoofden. Het was interessant om zijn terugblik op zeven jaren Kosovo te horen. Zelf ben ik nog behoorlijk opgewonden over de aanstaande onafhankelijkheidsverklaring. Maar hij had het inmiddels wel gezien. Het was voor hem niet de eerste keer dat er een doorbraak op handen lijkt. ‘s Middags heb ik gewerkt aan mijn speech voor de conferentie over illegale huisvesting. Er is mij veel aan gelegen om de nadruk op Roma nederzettingen te verzachten en ook aandacht te vragen voor de vele nouveau riche wijken die zonder enige vorm van vergunningverlening de afgelopen jaren in Kosovo zijn verrezen. Dat ligt politiek aanzienlijk gevoelig. In de namiddag was er een borrel waarin nieuwe directeur van het departement zijn plannen ontvouwde en de oude afscheid nam. Het meeste hadden we al via het roddelcircuit vernomen. Nieuw voor mij was dat de bezuinigingsvoorstellen van Rusland met betrekking tot de OVSE niet alleen gericht zijn op Kosovo, maar ook op Tadzjikistan en het bureau voor verkiezingswaarnemers. Dat laatste is natuurlijk niet verassend na de recente verkiezingen in Rusland. Het nieuws dat Nederland het Stabilisatie en Associatie Akkoord voor de voorbereiding van de toetreding van Servië tot de EU niet wil ondertekenen tot dat Mladic is aangehouden deed het goed bij de lokale medewerkers. Arian wist het slim en vilein te duiden als een poging om de schande van Sebrenica te verzachten. In de vooravond heb ik uitgeraasd in de sport club. Zojuist heb ik wat privé mail beantwoord en alle artiesten beginnend met een T ingeladen in mijn iTunes. Dit prive project loopt inmiddels al 4 maanden. Het totaal aantal dagen muziek bedraagt inmiddels 80 dagen. Ga ik mijn gretigheid ooit nog onder controle krijgen?

Dinsdag 11 December 2007

Ook deze ochtend begon weer met het overleg van het senior management. Het centrale thema is al een aantal dagen clearance. Dat betekent het zorgvuldig napluizen van rapporten en documenten op juridische, politieke en grammaticale onjuistheden en gevoeligheden. Meer dan ¾ is van mijn divisie afkomstig. Deze controle veroorzaakt veel frustratie tussen mijn medewerkers en de staf afdelingen. Voor de eersten duurt het allemaal te lang, voor de anderen is het allemaal niet goed genoeg. Vandaag is het onderwerp van discussie een aanbeveling aan de regering van Servië om toegang te verlenen tot de kadastrale registers van Kosovo die ze bij het terugtrekken van hun leger in 1999 hebben meegenomen. De registers zijn nodig om de eigendomsverhoudingen structureel te herstellen. Maar dit is natuurlijk niet het moment om Servië daar op te wijzen. Toch wist ik de rest te overtuigen deze aanbeveling in een rapport te handhaven. Het is namelijk met name voordelig voor gevluchte Serviërs wier huizen door Albanezen worden bewoond. Na de vergadering haastte ik me naar de conferentie over illegale nederzettingen in Hotel Victoria (met een replica van het Amerikaanse vrijheidsbeeld op het dak). De openingsspeech verliep soepel. In de pauze sprak ik met een hoge ambtenaar van het ministerie van Milieu en Ruimtelijke Ordening die een vurig betoog voor handhaving hield. Ik was aangenaam verbaasd over dat inzicht en heb hem flink aangemoedigd. De lunch heb ik genuttigd met de balkan correspondent van de NRC. De NRC werkt aan een artikel over de expat economie van Kosovo (10% van de consumptie in Kosovo komt van internationals) en was nieuwsgierig naar mijn visie daar op (en mijn bestedingspatroon). Na de lunch is er weinig e-mail te beantwoorden en niets te vergaderen dus werk ik aan afscheidscadeaus van voormalige VNG International collega’s die afscheid nemen. Na het werk ga ik naar yoga. Ik ben erg blij dat ik dat hier kan doen. Het is een ideale manier om mijn hersenactiviteit af te remmen. Onderweg naar huis valt de elektriciteit in de stad uit. Inclusief de stoplichten. Gelukkig zijn mijn essentiële apparaten aangesloten op een superaccu in de kelder van de huiseigenaar (waar ook reservetanks met water en olie staan evenals enkele kubieke meters brandhout). De avond vliegt voorbij met het invoeren van de letter U in iTunes en het voorbereiden van een speech voor het kerstdiner morgen. In bed lees ik Nachtrein naar Lissabon.

Woensdag 12 December 2007

Tijdens de ochtend vergadering bespreken we de taakverdeling tijdens het kerstreces. Ik heb me vrijwillig aangemeld om gedurende die periode te werken. Aangezien alle andere managers naar huis gaan ben ik enige dagen de baas. De vraag is in hoeverre dat met tekenbevoegdheid en – vooral – inzage in de dagelijkse veiligheidsrapporten van de NAVO gepaard gaat. Er wordt geen beslissing genomen. De rest van de ochtend ga ik naar de conferentie over illegale nederzettingen. Met veel interesse luister ik naar de presentatie van een Braziliaanse expert over de legalisatie van favelas. Zijn temperament en zuidelijke energie is een welkome afwisseling op presentatietalent van de lokale experts. In de middag schaaf ik aan het wekelijkse rapport voor de permanente vertegenwoordingen in Wenen. Na afloop van de werkdag haast ik me naar het kerstdiner van de Divisie. Ik wilde slechts kort speechen en dan samen eindigen met het zingen van Hello Goodbye van de Beatles - als bitterzoete reactie op de reorganisatie en de vertrekkende afdelingshoofden. Als ik terugkom van een toiletbezoek tovert Biserka - de enige Servische medewerker – een stapel A4tjes uit haar tas. Ook zij wilde de avond zingend eindigen (zij het met andere nummers). Ik ben aangenaam van de wijs over zoveel gelijkgestemde betrokkenheid. Uit volle borst zingt iedereen alle liedjes mee. Na afloop word gesuggereerd naar een Karaoke café te gaan. Het wordt een lange avond met veel zingen en lachen en met net wat te veel drank. Om 02:00 lig ik in bed. Ik probeer nog wat stukken door te nemen maar val met het licht aan in slaap.

Donderdag 13 December 2007

De nacht was te kort. Op mijn automatische piloot koers ik naar de ochtendvergadering. Die blijkt niet door te gaan. Gelukkig. Ik installeer me met een kop koffie achter mijn computer en prijs me gelukkig dat ik daar voorlopig niet weg hoef te gaan. De hele ochtend spendeer ik aan een rapport over de relatie tussen centrale en lokale overheid. Het eerste deel gaat over het uitbreiden van de juridische beroepsmogelijkheden van gemeenten versus de overheid. Het tweede deel over een transparantere een eerlijkere inrichting van het Kosovaarse gemeentefonds. Interessante maar zware kost. Ik vraag me af of het rapport door het beoogde publiek genoeg begrepen kan worden. Later die ochtend maak ik deel uit van een panel in een TV programma. Het programma beoogt de nieuwe gemeentewet voor een breder publiek toegankelijk te maken. Samen met de directeur van de Vereniging van Kosovaarse Gemeenten en een expert van een NGO beantwoorden we vragen van een journalist. De opnames verlopen soepel ondanks dat ik me behoorlijk moet concentreren op de vertaling in mijn oor (het programma is in het Albanees). In de namiddag vieren we het afscheid van Chema (Spanje) en Michael (USA)- de twee afdelingshoofden. De afsluiter is het afscheidcadeau: een compilatie van videoshots die afgelopen week in het hoofdkwartier van achterblijvende medewerkers is geschoten. De montage is hilarisch. Lachend verplaatst de receptie zich naar de discotheek aan de overkant waar de OVSE kerstborrel inmiddels is begonnen. De band op het podium speelt Albanese folk lounge. Het nieuwe hoofd van de OVSE missie geeft een goede pep speech. Later raken we in gesprek over hoe de missie in 2008 meer impact moet verkrijgen om haar relevantie te behouden. In het aanpalende pand is de band van Chema en Michael inmiddels aan haar afscheidsconcert begonnen. Ook daar moet ik nog heen. Aan het begin van de tweede set kom ik binnen. Veel rook, veel lawaai, veel mensen. Bijna allemaal bekenden. Tot na middernacht blijf ik dansen, drinken en praten. Thuis aangekomen blijk ik mijn colbert niet aan te hebben. Dus moet ik terug. Bij binnenkomst wordt ik hartelijk verwelkomd met meer bier en gesprekken. Mijn colbert vind ik niet meer. Ik laat een beschrijving bij de bar achter en haast me naar bed. Om 01:30 val ik in slaap. Val.

Vrijdag 14 December 2007

De kroeg blijkt al om 08:00 open te zijn. Mijn colbert ligt netjes opgevouwen achter de bar. Wat een goed begin van de dag! De ochtendvergadering is ongeconcentreerd. Iedereen is moe en katerig. Ik werk snel mijn e-mail af en haast me naar een restaurant in het natuurpark aan de rand van Pristina waar de Property Section een laatste jaarvergadering houdt. In een onspannen sfeer bespreken we de prioriteiten voor 2008. Na afloop wordt er gewandeld. Aan de rand van het bos ligt een ruïne. Dit blijkt een voormalig Servisch politiebureau te zijn dat door de NAVO in 1999 is gebombardeerd. Het terrein is met prikkeldraad afgesloten: er liggen nog steeds ongeëxplodeerde bommen. Het bos groeit er inmiddels behoorlijk overheen. Gruwelijk, maar ook poëtisch. De wandeling was heerlijk. Bij terugkomst sneeuwde het. We lunchen uitgebreid en zijn laat terug op het hoofdkwartier. De rest van de middag werk ik e-mail en stukken door. De vrijdag eindigt traditiegetrouw met het Happy Hour. Een groot deel van de internationale gemeenschap komt bij elkaar in het restaurant van de OVSE. Deze keer is het aanzienlijk minder druk. Emma (UK) komt afscheid nemen. Elli (Finland) vertelt over haar eerste weken in Kosovo. Heerlijk om het verhaal van een fris iemand te horen. Ik krijg een SMS bericht dat de EU-raad in Lissabon de politie missie naar Kosovo heeft goedgekeurd. Een volgende stap in het eindspel is begonnen. Om 20:00 gaan we met zijn allen naar de afscheidsborrel van Juliane (Duitsland). Ook dit is weer gezellig. Veel gesprekken gaan over sollicitaties, moeheid en katers. Om 23:00 ben ik thuis. Terwijl ik werk aan dit dagboek luister ik naar de nieuwe CD van Radiohead. Om 01:00 ben ik klaar.

Zaterdag 15 December 2007

Het heeft flink gesneeuwd. Dat komt niet goed uit. Dit weekend ga ik namelijk met Nensi (half Albanese, half Montenegrijnse) een stamp run doen. Een stamp run is een het opnieuw binnengaan van Servië door een officiële Servische grenspost om een Servische stempel in je paspoort te krijgen. Alleen met een dergelijk stempel kan je van Kosovo direct naar Servië reizen. Aangezien ze de internationale administratie van Kosovo niet erkennen, erkennen ze ook geen UNMIK douane stempels en beschouwen ze die als een bewijs van illegaal hun land binnentreden. Mijn laatste binnenkomst was via het vliegveld bij Pristina. Dat levert een UNMIK douane stempel op. Die moest ongedaan gemaakt worden omdat ik met de kerst van Kosovo via Servië naar een Montenegrijnse Spa wil reizen. Ondanks de sneeuw heb ik er zin in. De rit gaat van Pristina via Skopje en Kumanovo (Macedonië) naar Nis (Servië) en weer terug naar Pristina. Eerst sneeuwkettingen kopen en dan gezellig aansluiten in de trage rij auto’s die over een oude tweebaans provinciale weg naar Macedonië voorschuifelt. Twee uur later drinken we in Kumanovo een kop koffie. Deze Noord Macedonische stad is volledig Albanees. De Albanezen in Macedonië zijn op onverklaarbare wijze conservatiever dan die in Kosovo. Het café zit vol met slechts jonge mannen. 14 stuurse blikken volgen onze bewegingen nauwgezet. Vooral die van Nensi. De Servische grens is aanzienlijker gezelliger. Zonder problemen worden we doorgelaten. Onderweg eten we een dikke soep van bonen met gerookt varkensvlees in een ouderwets wegrestaurant. In een hoek van het restaurant kijkt de complete bediening naar een nationalistische Joegoslavische speelfilm uit de jaren zeventig. Ik verbaas me over de overvloed aan communistische stijl in dit deel van Servië. Waar is dat allemaal gebleven in Kosovo? Nensi legt het nog maar weer eens uit: “alle Joegoslavische emblemen, cyrillische letters en staatstekens waren een week na de bevrijding gesloopt, overgeverfd en vervangen”. 4 Uur later drinken we raki in de mooie post moderne nieuwbouwflat van haar oom in Nis. Haar neven Samir en David testen hun Engels op mij. Oom en tante doen zich veel moeite om uit te leggen dat zij nooit bij het nationalistische Servië hebben willen horen. Het nationalisme tiert hevig in Nis. De stad is namelijk stevig gebombardeerd door de NAVO in 1999. Haar oom laat scheikundeboeken uit zijn laboratorium zien waar de granaatscherven zich doorheen hebben geboord. ’s Avond gaan we stappen met Samir. Hij heeft zijn Duits geleerd van tekenfilms op TV en zijn Engels van Amerikaanse gangsterrap. Dat geeft zijn verhalen over de lokale zeden in de Montenegrijnse hooglanden een grappige en smeuïge lading.

Zondagmiddag bekijken we het Turkse fort. Nensi vertaalt de cyrillische graffiti op de muren van een moskee : “Servië voor de Serviërs”, “Lang leve Mladic” en “Mes, strop, Sebrenica”. 4 Uur later rijden we Kosovo binnen. In Pristina is het donker. De elektriciteit is weer eens uitgevallen

Identification - Part III

November 28 was Flag Day. Albanian Flag Day. All over the Albanian land the Albanian flag was celebrated: in Albania, the Albanian parts of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in Kosovo. The attached video was sent around here in Kosovo. I never saw something like this. Did you? Unwahrscheinlich, unbeschreiblich! The game took place in Tirana, but it seems that the flag was made in Prizren (in Kosovo - the disputed province of Serbia).

Identification - Part II

On the 25th of June I wrote about the competition for a flag for Kosovo. In the mean time there has been some progress. The rest of the world doesn't notice that since all international media coverage on Kosovo is about the negotiations between USA, Russia and the EU on its final status. But behind this diplomatic veil the contours of a new country slowly become visible.

Late June the working group on the symbols of Kosovo met to evaluate the submissions for Kosovo’s flag and emblem. 972 Proposals were recieved. The working group decided to delay the opening and screening of the submissions for flag and emblem for a week, to allow for those sent by mail to reach Kosovo (the proposals from the Kosovar diaspora). On the anthem, it was decided that there would first be a competition on the music and possibly one on lyrics at a later stage.

The music for the anthem seems to be ready. The rumour goes that it has been decided that the anthem will not have any lyrics. They could not find away around what language to use: Albanian or Serbian. So the Kosovar anthem seems to become an anthem that you can only humm. Like the first verse of the German one.

Since a few weeks the draft law on the use of state symbols circulates here. Since it is status related (only a country can have such a law) it waits at the parliamentary secretariat to be approved when the status is settled (read: after Kosovo has declared its independence). It is no secret anymore that this will happen soon. Some political analyst expect it even before Christmas.

The plot thickens.

Brotherhood and Unity

Here in the Balkans lives an endangered human species. It is called the Yugo. A Yugo is a person who grew up in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and who still has good memories about that time.

Yugos are the opposite of Schatzies (see this blog 30/08/2007). They are educated, urban and political moderate. They are nostalgic about Tito's time, when they could travel without visa, were able to consume like Europeans and were a force to be reckoned with in almost any sport. But - most of all - when they had an identity that was widely accepted and respected.

Yugos among each other have a lot of fun recalling memories of Tito's time. Typical "Yugostalgia" is the TV show “Allow us to address you”. This show was aired every Sunday morning on the national channel (the one and only TV channel). It was about the newest developments in Yugoslav army. Every time the show would close with the following line: "All of you can sleep tight tonight because we are here to protect you." That line does not only sound funny and naïve nowadays, but also sarcastic in hindsight (Serbia used the Yugoslav army to fight the other republics). On Sunday evening the series “The written off” was aired. It was about urban partisan resistance against 'zee nazees'. The series became cult for the Yugos. Nowadays it is re-aired in some ex YU countries. There is even a techno remix of its tune.

Last month, the tragic death at the age of 26 of a pop singer from Macedonia - Tose Proeski - brought the Yugos together again. His voice was widely appreciated across the politically divided Balkans. He was mourned and commemorated in ALL former Yugoslav countries including here in Kosovo, being it more discretely and only by those who still dare.

With his death Yugoslavia got buried a little more. Sad, very sad.

Birthday abroad

Today I am getting 38. Outside it is snowing. It is my first birthday with snow! Such a nice present, snow in autumn: ocre yellow, terra cotta, bordeaux red and pale green topped off with a lot of white. Beautifull.

Last night I had a party. My first birthday party abroad. It was good! I had prepared food, bought a lot of drinks, decorated my house and selected nice music. About 15 friends/colleagues showed up despite the drizzle. I even had a visitor from the Netherlands (Lucas)! We drank a lot (one bottle of wine per person). And we danced a lot.

The picture shows me balancing a glass of raki on my head. The Kosovars were much better in this game of course... Maybe because my head is more slippery?

The Decentralization Division

Last Wednesday we had a retreat with the whole Decentralization Division. We went to Batlava Lake and enjoyed ourselves a full day with several team building activities, a quiz, folk dancing and a long and alcohol drenched diner with live music. The picture shows a great deal of my colleagues after the folk dance session.

Standing from left to right: Dardan Dula (Kosovar Albanian), Arian Dragacina (Kosovar Albanian), Eranda Aliu (Kosovar Albanian), Marie-Astrid Huemer (French), Jose Arrazia (Spanish - Head Property Section), Lumnije Aliu (Kosovar Albanian), Michael Schuetz (USA - Head Local Good Governance Section), Mehriban Gashi (Kosovar Albanian - my personal assistant), Nensi Jasharaj (Kosovar Albanian / Montenegrin), folk dancer I, manager folk dance group, flute player folk dance group, folk dancer II, Me, folk dancer II, III and IV & Jasmin Gojani (Kosovar Albanian / Croat). Sitting from left to right: Florin Llapi (Kosovar Albanian), Ylber Veseli (Kosovar Albanian), Juliane Hertweck (German), folk dancer IV, Dardan Rexhepi (Kosovar Albanian), folk dancer V & Victoria Jennett (Northern Irish).

Not on the picture: Paivi Nikander (Finish - Head of the Decentralization Support Section), Jonuz Bytyqi (Kosovar Albanian), Maddalena Dali (Italian), Edis Arifagić (Bosnian), Biserka Ivanovic (Croat Serb), Albert Zylfiu (Kosovar Albanian) & Wolff-Michael Mors (German). Wolff-Michael made the picture.

Portrait (September 12)

Albanian land

Mid August Su visited me (see first picture). We visited Tirana and the Albanian Alps. While travelling we realized how much curiousity we shared: so many things were interesting! We had to stop the car almost every half hour to take a picture. We know eachother for 26 years now (... my God!), but this was a surprising revelation for both.

We roamed the Northern half of the country: from Elbasan to Tirana to Shkodra to Kukkes. In the Northern Albanian mountains a heatwave was suffocating the already barren landscape to the extreme.

The second picture shows a football field in the middle of nowhere. The third shows what's left of the biggest water reservior in the region...

Fuck Balkan

Early August when I arrived in Europe again - during the trip with my parents - I was struck for the first time by the diversity of the population. Here in Kosovo the population is for 90% Albanian, 8% Serbian and 2% RAE. This latter minority consists of Roma, Ashakali (a Roma split-off) and Egyptians (they also do not know where they came from). The majority of the minorities live in enclaves. Mainly in the country side. That means Pristina is mono ethnic (= 100% Albanian). If you do not count the expat community ofcourse...

Europe is different nowadays. The personnel behind the counter in my hotel in Vienna was one day Colombian, one day Indian and one day Serbian. In the hotel in Alpnach the waiters were Spanish, Korean and "Ossie-German".

I couldn't refrain from asking an English waiter where the Swiss were. He replied that they were behind the curtains in the back. Counting money...

That sums it all up: it is the result of simple supply and demand. Most Europeans have become too rich to be willing to do low skilled labour. They don't care too much since they have cheap Polish plumbers and kebab snackbars that are open 24/7. The immigrants are better off too. The money they make balances off their inconveniences. The only losers are the unskilled European workers.

The picture shows what some locals in Alpnach think about this development. As if the 'jugos' didn't have enough to cope with lately...

Nensi Jasharaj

The first time I met Norbert I was quietly discussing with my colleagues a presentation we were to give later that week. Suddenly - unannounced - the door flung open and two gentlemen entered our office. The older one - a senior international that was acting head of the Decentralization Support Section - introduced the other younger one as the new head of the Decentralization Division. The younger one had a big smile on his face. He shortly presented himself to us, asked our names, talked a little and left again. We looked at each other after the door closed. None of us had remembered his name. This guy was way too much energy for us…

Our section – the Local Good Governance Section – consists of 6 lawyers: 3 international (American, German, Austrian), 1 national (Kosovar Albanian) and 2 mixed ones (Kosovar Albanian - Croat and Kosovar Albanian - Montenegrin). Most of us have been working for the OSCE for more than 6 years. It is our job to monitor the development of the legal framework for (local) government in Kosovo. That means reading, analyzing, assessing, commenting and recommending on the work of the Provisional Institutes of Self Government and local governments in Kosovo. As you may know Kosovo is a unique political administrative creature: a place without a proper constitution, where legislative powers are shared between local institutes and international organizations, and where more than 100 laws will be issued in the coming year. You can imagine the magnitude of our work. Working in such a demanding environment it is good to have someone like Norbert around – someone who injects energy and at the same time gives you a feeling that could be described as "Don't worry, I am here."

During our short first meeting Norbert had expressed the desire to come see our presentation. Although he was just visiting for 3 days, he apparently had time to listen to my analyses of the Implementation of the Freedom of Information Law in Kosovo! “For how long will this energy last?” I thought to myself. Later that week we had the presentation. Norbert did come to see it. Driving back to head quarters he had so much question and ideas that we all felt a little dizzy! I had a smile on my face though, because I liked the feeling I had. This guy is going to make things move in our division.

But of course there are some things that I find not so nice about Norbert. For instance the way he keeps his office - and his life too I assume - so tidy and organized! I’m going to refrain from saying the second thing I don't like about Norbert. But, I‘m sure he knows what it is.

Although it is still premature to make a definite conclusion I have a hunch that he is going to be great to work with. He has proven already that he is very good in having gin tonics on the 9th floor during the weekly happy hour and in dancing the night away in the 212 Jazz Club...

Nensi Jasharaj

We're from Maaastricht

In the last two weeks of July both my parents and my brother and his wife came to visit me (see first picture). It was their first trip in the Balkans. Since they do not like flying we had agreed I would pick them up in Vienna with my car.

I had arrived in Vienna 5 days earlier for the introduction training of the OSCE. During one of the lunch breaks I noticed a poster on a fence that mentioned an open-air concert by Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra later that weekend. I immediately realized this would be a fantastic surprise for my parents! They love his music. And they are very proud that this 'best selling Dutch artist abroad' comes from the same region as they do. I bought tickets immediately and called my brother to discuss how to keep it a secret for my parents.

The day after my parents arrived we visited Sissi's summer castle Schoennbrun. It was packed with tourists. When I was buying entrance tickets my mother - very social by nature - started talking to a group of American tourists. I heard her saying: "We're from Maaastricht". A sigh of admiration arose from the crowd. She appeared to be talking to the Andre Rieu Fan club! Some of the members had followed him all around Europe during his tour. For me it was a red alert. The secret was at danger... I hastily joined the conversation and managed to get her out of there... While we entered the castle both her and my father kept on talking of how famous Rieu had become. Their modesty refrained them from thinking they would be going to his concert.

Before the concert we had a diner close to the Hofburg. While walking the streets of the old city we repeatedly bumped into tourist that were sitting on the streets and waiting for the start of the concert to enjoy the music for free. My mother talked to some of them explaining them that "we're from Maaastricht". Even when we were approaching the security check both still had no clue what we were up to.

Of course they were baffled when I took out the tickets. And rightly so. The concert was great. It was in front of the Hofburg city castle. A perfect background for his sing a long waltzes. There were dancers in historical costumes and several guest singers (my father whispering proudly in my ear: "We see these singers every week in music shows on German television"). My mother couldn't resist grabbing my arm and pretty much succeeded in getting the rest of the row joining our 'schunkeln' (see second picture).

The next 10 days we spend crossing the Balkans. From Vienna to Belgrade (Serbia) to Pristina (Kosovo) to Kotor (Montenegro) to Dubrovnik (Croatia) and to the Plitvic lakes (Croatia). We finished the trip in Alpnach in Switserland in the same hotel were both had their honeymoon 40 years ago. It was a beautiful and exhausting trip.

The last picture shows my mother reading her local newspaper in the bay of Kotor on the Montenegrin coast. The idea for the picture was hers.

The Andre Rieu Vienna show will be broadcasted on German television (ZDF) on August 11th. Don't miss it. We are sitting halfway on the right side...

Welcome to saying goodbye

Tomorrow will be the last working day of my first four weeks at the OSCE Head Quarters. During these four weeks 4 out of 22 people in my division informed me that they would not extend their contract and leave Kosovo this summer. That is more than 18%. More than I have ever experienced before.

Such a turnover rate requires a lot of attention: planning an exit conversation, arranging temporary replacement, making sure that files are handed over correctly, preparing recruitment, organizing a leave party, buying a present and preparing a speech.

Other managers told me that this is one of the characteristics of the OSCE. But this summer it is worse then ever. The main reason is the expected status settlement of Kosovo. Most of the people that are leaving have been here several years. They have contributed to bringing Kosovo from a civil war to the threshold of something new. For them it must feel like a right time to leave.

But it makes me a little sad. I had expected that some of the people that are leaving could have become friends. Now I have come to realize that making friends here is not that easy. All internationals will leave one day. Some earlier than me.

Last week somebody I just met greeted me with "Welcome to saying goodbye..."

Let's get the party started right!

Last week during the lunch of a conference that we had organized I was seated next to the main editor of Koha Ditore - the biggest Kosovar newspaper. To get the conversations started we discussed if and when independence would come. Since talking with Kosovars about independence is like talking with the Dutch about the weather or with Americans about how you are I felt the need for a different angle: I wanted to know if anybody was preparing the independence party... (you know me).

And yes they are. He told me that the current Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu recently visited China to discuss their support for the UN Security Council Resolution on the independence of Kosovo. The journalist told me he was there to do other things to: to buy huge amounts of fireworks for the independence celebration.

I was pleasantly surprised. But I was also worried. The visit was already one month ago and storing fireworks is not an easy thing to do. I asked him where the fireworks were now. Then he leaned over and whispered: "Don't worry... we know how to hide ammunition..."

Identification I

Early June the provisional Kosovar government announced a public competition for the Kosovar flag and emblem. Since Kosovo is on the verge of becoming a new country these things have to be arranged too. The competition document specifies the criteria that submissions need to meet in order to be accepted. The criteria include the following: the flag needs to be simple in design and colour scheme (fine), without inscriptions (to avoid discussions about the use of the Latin (=Albanian) or Cyrillic alphabet (= Serb)), unique and original (okay), to reflect the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Kosovo (EU and/or NATO), not to resemble any flag of any political party (especially not the political offspring of the Kosovo Liberation Army), movement (especially not the radical independence NGO Vetevendosje) or institution of Kosovo (especially not the Serbian Orthodox Church), not to reflect allegiance to any ethnic community in Kosovo (not to the Albanians, not to the Serbians), not to contain any eagle symbol (not the Albanian black double-headed eagle, nor the Serbian white double-headed eagle), not to be solely based on the red-and-black (Albanian) or red-white-and-blue (Serbian) combinations of colours, and must in general be in accord with the Comprehensive Proposal for Kosovo Status Settlement. Pfffwwwttt....

What starts of as a good idea ends in a pretty boring braincracker. The new flag should do anything but reflect the history of this region and the identity of its citizens. It will be like a marriage without passion...

One example above is according to the rules. The other is not. Can you guess?

A new home

I didn't reach Split. Around 23:00 I stranded in Trogir - a jewel of a walled town with a wide waterfront promenade that encloses a maze of medieval streets. I found a nice little hotel, dumped my stuff and hurried to get something to eat. In a street as wide as a table I found a nice fish restaurant. But I felt somewhat alone eating my grilled Dorade since a very extended German family next to me was loudly reminiscing about the boat trip they had made that day. The most sensitive activity when travelling alone is the evening diner. In Chinese restaurants they put you at least next to the aquarium...

The next day I drove to Dubrovnik. After a short lunch I left the coast behind to go to Bosnia. That means nothing more then driving up the hill. During the Bosnian war the Bosnian Serbs bombed Dubrovnik to pieces from this rim. But time has taken revenge: nowadays Dubrovnik is completely restored in its old glory, many buildings in the Bosnian Republica Srpska on the other hand have slowly fallen to pieces.

From Bosnia to Montenegro is only a 30-minute drive. I crossed the border around sunset and hurried to get to Niksic - the second biggest city of the country. But with only one hotel. And with the annual high school ball that same night in the disco of this same hotel :-( ... So I decided to go out myself. That was a good idea. Pretty soon I was the mascot of some local machos. They showed me Niksic nightlife. And I got drunk enough to sleep tight :-)

The next day I drove to Beljo Polje where I would spend the night in the mountain house of Erik and Sevda. Erik had arrived that same day (from Vienna). Before evening fell we made a nice walk through the hills and discussed the social fabric of this predominantly Muslim Slavic region. We went to bed early. The next day we drove together to Kosovo. Erik had driven this more often, but I wasn't prepared for the beauty: each turn would provide another magnificent view. This continued until we reached a height of 2.500 meter and then - when we drove over Rozaje pass - suddenly there it was: Kosovo. I stopped. The road seemed to disappear in the depths before me. Below was the city of Peja. In the distance you could see the mountain rim that split Kosovo in two from North to South. Behind that was Pristina.

I lost Eric in the heaviest hail shower I have ever experienced. It started with sudden darkness and a loud tick. I thought somebody was throwing stones at my car (I was in Kosovo after all) but then I saw that all cars started looking for shelter along the side of the road and I realized that this was going to be serious. And it was. The hail was as big as cherries. I was afraid the windshield would break and moved to the back of the car. Sitting there I couldn't do anything but grin at the other drivers.

At 20:00 'o clock I arrived in Pristina. Without any problem I drove straight to Kuvendi i Bujanit (not that I have a good memory, Pristina is simply very small) and parked my car. Unloading took 20 minutes. When I was ready I went to the balcony and made the picture above. Arriving in my new home felt good. Very good.

Leaving Europe. Or not?

A long tunnel separates Austria from Slovenia (see picture). It felt as if the curtains were dropped and then opened again. Enter bright sunshine, an empty highway and a new language. Enter Slavic Europe. The thought of going to Ljubljana - Laibach - made me smile. When I was younger and more subversive I used to listen to a band with same name. Unfortunately I couldn't play their tongue in cheek march music since it was somewhere deep down in one of the boxes in the back of the car. Ljubljana was smaller and quieter than I had expected. But it had squatters. And several falafel snack bars run by Egyptian immigrants. Just like in the Lijnbaansteeg in my neighbourhood in Amsterdam! This was definitely still old Europe.

The next day I paid a visit to the Skocjan caves. It was the absolute 'top of caves': in karst stone the Reka (which means 'river' - Slovenes are known for being poetic) has carved out an underground cathedral with a ceiling of 60 metres height. Completely covered with stalactites and -mites. Occasionally you had to cross bridges while the river was running 50 meters under you. A magnificent thing to do when you realize that the surface of the earth is 100 meter above.

That night I stayed over in Piran/Pirano. Enter Latin Europe. Enter good food: Piranese air-dried ham + gnocchi with shrimps + pepper steak in orange/port sauce + 1 litre local wine + grappa from the house. By the time I was finished I was pretty tipsy. Just like the group of local artist on the table next to me. This turned into a joint pub-crawl along the boulevard that lined the Adriatic sea. I fell on my bed drunk.

And woke up too late with a headache. It was damn hot (Why again had I been so determined to have leather seats in my car?). I crossed the Croat border at Portoroz/Portorose. This was the end of the European Union. And they made me realize it. I had to unpack my whole car (computer, printer, scanner, drives, suits, books and my complete wine collection). How to explain to a local customs officer that you are on your way to work in Kosovo for three years for the OSCE and that you need all this stuff? You can't. So I had sit with the secretary to make a list of all items, fax it to the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get it signed and stamped. Slavic civil servants LOVE stamps.

Two hours later I drove through Istria. My God what was this beautiful! Pine trees stood lonely in endless rolling hills dotted with compact stone villages. In Porec/Parenzo I visited a Byzantine church from the 6th century and had a fantastic lunch: giant mussels in tomato/cognac sauce. While digesting I realized it was time to make some kilometres. Kosovo was still 1.000 kilometres more south. I jumped into my car, pushed the throttle and left for Split.

Kastelruther Spatzen

The first stop on my way to Pristina was Geverik: the small village 15 kilometres North of Maastricht where my parents lived. It gave me a good feeling to see them, my brother and his wife and the landscape of my youth before leaving The Netherlands behind. In the early afternoon of Sunday I reached the German highway. Now I could finally test my new car! And its radio. While listening to Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Balkan Beats, Goran Bregovic and much more others (thank you Harald and Horst) I floated with 160 km per hour to Plzen in the Czech Republic (fffwwwooeeezzzsss). This was definitely not the shortest way, but I really wanted to have a Pilsener Urquell! At 23:00 I was sitting behind my beer in a bar with 4 other tourists from Germany. The Czechs were all home. No Pentecost for the Czechs. They had to work on Monday.

The next day I drove the Southern Bavaria. My goal was Neuschwannstein - the kitsch castle of Ludwig II. That night I slept in Gast Hof Steen in Unterammergau. It was as if I was time warped into one of those German Schlagershows that my father loves to watch on Saturday evenings. Any minute Heino could step into the room. Katja Ebstein brought me the Sauerkraut with Wurst. Unfortunately the Kastelruther Spatzen were too drunk to play. Especially the tuba player. He had to go home early (see picture).

The day after I drove through Austria. I passed numerous mountains, valleys, villages, tunnels and gas stations. It was a great ride although the weather was really bad. Just before evening fell, the sun came through the clouds. And I entered Slovenia.

Interim administration Kosovo

Kosovo...

When the word first surfaced in Western media it came along with images of refugees, para military commandos and destroyed buildings. Even 8 years after the war and the NATO bombings - while searching the internet for some nice pictures that I could use for the invitation of my goodbye party (see picture) - I only found torn apart corpses, military maps and destroyed cultural heritage (just google Kosovo and search for pictures). The image of Kosovo on the web was fully determined by the 1999 war: frontline journalism, Serb and Albanian propaganda and NGO reports. It looked as a place were you should definitely NOT go to.

But I did. I left Amsterdam on May 26th 2007. For 3 years. I had been seconded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo. The Finish ex president Martti Ahtisaari had just presented his plan for a final status settlement to the United Nations Security Council. In his plan he proposed to grant Kosovo independence under strong international supervision. Essential to his plan were the paragraphs on decentralisation and protection of the religious cultural heritage. It was going to be my task to monitor the implementation of these paragraphs. A difficult job in an extremely politized environment.

Okay, I was probably going to work hard. But I was definitely going to recreate hard too! In this blog you will find an irregular update on both. I hope you will like it. And that it will contribute to improving the image of this region...