the city
I know how easy it is to think of Kosovo as a poor, dejected, desolate, middle-of-nowhere, kind of place. Perhaps that is because we (as in North Americans) only receive sensationalist current news about the region? Or maybe it's because the images of a war-torn society are still fresh? Either way, it seems quite impossible to picture Kosovo as a part of modern-day Europe. Although it is always difficult to have a fully accurate impression of a place if you have never seen it with your own eyes, it seems that this is much more the case with Kosovo... So, what follows is my effort to explain what I see when I look around the city.
Many of the buildings here are concrete communist-inspired masterpieces built in the 1960s (I would guess), and new buildings seem to be built in a similar style. Except with newer construction, there is no central heating and water is heated in tanks above the shower and/or the kitchen sink. While apartments -- which remain the most common form of housing -- can be surprisingly nice, the exteriors and hallways of the vast majority of buildings are quite dilapidated. The effect is that apartment complexes here look like tenements. That said, some newer buildings under construction are quite nice, with a more mediterranean feel.
I have definitely learned, though, in typical moral fashion, not to judge anything here by its appearance. For example, yesterday evening I went with some friends from the office to one of the theatres for drinks. The theatre is built under a large, old (and concrete, of course!) shopping mall/sports stadium, but you walked downstairs and right into a lovely remodeled bar. And don't forget that, as in the rest of Europe, bars and coffee shops are central to the social culture here.
As for food, beyond the many local eateries (which double as coffee houses), I have found one thai restaurant, two chinese, and I'm told there is even an indian place. I can't wait to go! But once I move into a place of my own, I plan to eat at home at least half of the time. I have been to several little shops selling basic fruits and vegetables, household items, dairy products, and meats, which are common on the street. But yesterday I explored the largest supermarket in the neighbourhood, which I believe caters to the international crowd as well as to locals. Much of what they carried reminded me of being in Israel, from the dairy and the nutella, to treats like cookies and halva... oh, and they have chocolate cereals, too! While it didn't have the same selection that I am accustomed to at home, I definitely will not go hungry! Moreover, they carry many of the brands that we get at home, something that is true both for foods and for other products like cosmetics (shampoos, toothpastes, etc).
In terms of clothing, Kosovo follows more European fashions. Hopefully without sounding like a complete loser, I would say, for example, that many of the fads that you could see on the streets of Vancouver which are worn by only a certain, in-style, segment of the population are quite the norm here. So, my Canadian winter look -- the fleece and mec rain jacket combo -- is a little out of the question here, although the black fleece alone is slightly more acceptable :) Of course, I haven't had any comments or even funny looks, but it's just that I don't enjoy sticking out so much in a crowd! Anyway, there are no driers for when you wash clothes, which means that it takes several days for everything to dry (some things actually freeze outside before they dry, but to leave them inside seems to take just as long!)... Since I didn't bring a lot with me, and since half of my clothes will likely be drying at all times, a girl from the office is going to take me shopping on Monday :)
Overall, life here is rather like life at home. There are cars, and pollution (oy! no recycling!), and the city is expanding into suburbs at an accellerated rate. There are computers, and digital cameras, satellite tv, and internet, too (although few people I know have internet access at home). There are buses, and hotels, and a gym. They have what we have at home. It's just not quite as nice... yet.
Please, though, if you have any specific questions about the city or life here, just ask.
Many of the buildings here are concrete communist-inspired masterpieces built in the 1960s (I would guess), and new buildings seem to be built in a similar style. Except with newer construction, there is no central heating and water is heated in tanks above the shower and/or the kitchen sink. While apartments -- which remain the most common form of housing -- can be surprisingly nice, the exteriors and hallways of the vast majority of buildings are quite dilapidated. The effect is that apartment complexes here look like tenements. That said, some newer buildings under construction are quite nice, with a more mediterranean feel.
I have definitely learned, though, in typical moral fashion, not to judge anything here by its appearance. For example, yesterday evening I went with some friends from the office to one of the theatres for drinks. The theatre is built under a large, old (and concrete, of course!) shopping mall/sports stadium, but you walked downstairs and right into a lovely remodeled bar. And don't forget that, as in the rest of Europe, bars and coffee shops are central to the social culture here.
As for food, beyond the many local eateries (which double as coffee houses), I have found one thai restaurant, two chinese, and I'm told there is even an indian place. I can't wait to go! But once I move into a place of my own, I plan to eat at home at least half of the time. I have been to several little shops selling basic fruits and vegetables, household items, dairy products, and meats, which are common on the street. But yesterday I explored the largest supermarket in the neighbourhood, which I believe caters to the international crowd as well as to locals. Much of what they carried reminded me of being in Israel, from the dairy and the nutella, to treats like cookies and halva... oh, and they have chocolate cereals, too! While it didn't have the same selection that I am accustomed to at home, I definitely will not go hungry! Moreover, they carry many of the brands that we get at home, something that is true both for foods and for other products like cosmetics (shampoos, toothpastes, etc).
In terms of clothing, Kosovo follows more European fashions. Hopefully without sounding like a complete loser, I would say, for example, that many of the fads that you could see on the streets of Vancouver which are worn by only a certain, in-style, segment of the population are quite the norm here. So, my Canadian winter look -- the fleece and mec rain jacket combo -- is a little out of the question here, although the black fleece alone is slightly more acceptable :) Of course, I haven't had any comments or even funny looks, but it's just that I don't enjoy sticking out so much in a crowd! Anyway, there are no driers for when you wash clothes, which means that it takes several days for everything to dry (some things actually freeze outside before they dry, but to leave them inside seems to take just as long!)... Since I didn't bring a lot with me, and since half of my clothes will likely be drying at all times, a girl from the office is going to take me shopping on Monday :)
Overall, life here is rather like life at home. There are cars, and pollution (oy! no recycling!), and the city is expanding into suburbs at an accellerated rate. There are computers, and digital cameras, satellite tv, and internet, too (although few people I know have internet access at home). There are buses, and hotels, and a gym. They have what we have at home. It's just not quite as nice... yet.
Please, though, if you have any specific questions about the city or life here, just ask.
posted by melissa at 1:29 p.m.
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