random thoughts and a political update
I had never really considered, until this week, how much the international (UN/OSCE) community here is like a university club. Well, really, they collectively act and look like a bunch of college dorm kids, mainly because so many of them insist on wearing their ID cards (and some, their mobile phones, too!) attached to lanyards around their necks. I can't stop thinking now that I'm surrounded by a bunch of generally middle-aged people, mostly men, whom are frantically walking around town as thought they are late for some exam and paranoid that they've left the ever-so-essential ID at home. It's rather amusing... Especially when applied to the plethora of uniformed local police officers, foreign army officers, and U.S. marines.
In other random news, remember that I mentioned a long while back that I never managed to open doors the right way? Stupid international, right? Well, while that has mostly been resolved, there's one problem that still remains: I am incapable the standard, European, "meet and greet on the street" kiss. Seriously, I always (and I mean, ALWAYS) end up looking like a big buffoon when I try, which is often, considering it's a custom expected by most locals and even some internationals. More often than not, I simply end up head-butting the person I mean to be kissing hello! The problem lies in the fact that there seems to be no set standard for how to do it here, unlike in other places in Europe where I imagine the tradition is more regular. In Kosova, sometimes you only kiss one cheek, sometimes both, and sometimes you are expected to do three kisses. Then, there is the head placement dilemma... I asked friends once what cheeks go together first and was told right to right, but it appears not to be a set rule. Anyway, I am still working on it, because I think it's a beautiful tradition. But I expect to continue getting it wrong. Yep. Stupid international :)
A few things have happened in the political arena recently that are worth mentioning. For starters, Enver Haradinaj, the younger brother of the former Prime Minister, was killed... I would say assassinated, but never know when exactly the term applies. It's believed that the family is being targeted in revenge for their role in the war, especially now that they are more vulnerable with Ramush Haradinaj (the former PM) out of power and out of the country. Regardless of what atrocities the sons may have committed -- and I feel fully incapable of commenting on that -- I find myself feeling badly for Haradinaj family: they had already lost sons in the war and have two that are currently in jail (including Ramush at the Hague). In general, I don't believe in extra-judicial "justice", but it's very clear in this situation how it will only backfire. Instead of allowing the Albanian population the opportunity to perhaps gain a real acceptance of the pain that was caused on their behalf in the war (through Ramush's Hague trial), the population is simply likely to view all "justice" now as veiled revenge attempts. It's unfortunate, I think.
To make it more interesting, the UN Office of Missing Person's and Forensics, which we are working with for the Memory Project, has publicly announced the discovery of human remains found in a cave within Kosova... and initial results of the investigation shows that the bodies are those of Non-Albanians (i.e. Serbians). One reason that this is a major finding is simply because there haven't been any mass graves to speak of found inside the province (country/territory whatever) -- in the context of the 1999 war, most bodies were transported into Serbia proper. But the fact that they are not Albanians will definitely have large political ramifications. I'm still unsure about what those might be, but it has a potential to really affect our play, too. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
In other random news, remember that I mentioned a long while back that I never managed to open doors the right way? Stupid international, right? Well, while that has mostly been resolved, there's one problem that still remains: I am incapable the standard, European, "meet and greet on the street" kiss. Seriously, I always (and I mean, ALWAYS) end up looking like a big buffoon when I try, which is often, considering it's a custom expected by most locals and even some internationals. More often than not, I simply end up head-butting the person I mean to be kissing hello! The problem lies in the fact that there seems to be no set standard for how to do it here, unlike in other places in Europe where I imagine the tradition is more regular. In Kosova, sometimes you only kiss one cheek, sometimes both, and sometimes you are expected to do three kisses. Then, there is the head placement dilemma... I asked friends once what cheeks go together first and was told right to right, but it appears not to be a set rule. Anyway, I am still working on it, because I think it's a beautiful tradition. But I expect to continue getting it wrong. Yep. Stupid international :)
A few things have happened in the political arena recently that are worth mentioning. For starters, Enver Haradinaj, the younger brother of the former Prime Minister, was killed... I would say assassinated, but never know when exactly the term applies. It's believed that the family is being targeted in revenge for their role in the war, especially now that they are more vulnerable with Ramush Haradinaj (the former PM) out of power and out of the country. Regardless of what atrocities the sons may have committed -- and I feel fully incapable of commenting on that -- I find myself feeling badly for Haradinaj family: they had already lost sons in the war and have two that are currently in jail (including Ramush at the Hague). In general, I don't believe in extra-judicial "justice", but it's very clear in this situation how it will only backfire. Instead of allowing the Albanian population the opportunity to perhaps gain a real acceptance of the pain that was caused on their behalf in the war (through Ramush's Hague trial), the population is simply likely to view all "justice" now as veiled revenge attempts. It's unfortunate, I think.
To make it more interesting, the UN Office of Missing Person's and Forensics, which we are working with for the Memory Project, has publicly announced the discovery of human remains found in a cave within Kosova... and initial results of the investigation shows that the bodies are those of Non-Albanians (i.e. Serbians). One reason that this is a major finding is simply because there haven't been any mass graves to speak of found inside the province (country/territory whatever) -- in the context of the 1999 war, most bodies were transported into Serbia proper. But the fact that they are not Albanians will definitely have large political ramifications. I'm still unsure about what those might be, but it has a potential to really affect our play, too. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
posted by melissa at 1:10 p.m.
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