My Placement in Pristina, Kosovo

  24/07/24 Today is Wednesday, last night we arrived back in Pristina at around 1am, after some haggling with the taxi driver at the bus station we got a lift back to the apartment. I was knackered so slept well. It was just myself and Ana in the office today, she had just arrived back from a holiday in Albania too so we traded stories of what we got up to in the different parts of the country. I began working on the transcript of a new interview, by a man called Martin  Çuni . He came from a village in Kosovo and a family that considered themselves Albanian, he grew up in a mixed community of Muslims and Catholics, then went on to become involved in the establishment of the Communist Marxist-Leninist Party of Albanians in Yugoslavia. This advocated for the creation of an Albanian republic within Yugoslavia, encompassing not just Kosovo but all Albanian territories in Yugoslavia. I didn't do anything very interesting for the rest of the day apart from have a meal with the oth...

15/07/24 Today I started proof reading and theming a new interview, of a woman called Hatmone Haradinaj, who was a part of the first protests for Kosovan independence that were started in the university of Pristina in 1981.  We then explored some more of the city going further into the older Muslim part of the city, where we entered the Great Mosque, or Xhamia e Madhe in Albanian. Before I could look around, the scent of incense welcomed me, I then lifted my head back to see the beautiful, curved ceiling looming above me. There were about five other people inside so we kneeled and sat down, although I am not religious, I could not help but feel the calmness and tranquillity that sent me into a state of mindfulness. As we left the building a man came out to speak to us, he was curious as we were clearly not Kosovan and wondered whether we were Muslim. We explained our situation and that we weren’t Muslim but I have Muslim heritage. We discussed our our interest in these forms o...

 Week 2  I arrive at work Monday morning and continue proof reading English translations of an interview. This told the story of Shahadije, a woman who had been protesting for Kosovan independence since she was 15 years old when she took part in the student protests of 1981. In 1982 she helped create an organised activist group, called Shote Galica, as the group got bigger they used chains of three people at a time so not even they knew who was involved in the group to keep them anonymous and safe - or as safe as they could be! She was arrested many times and eventually had to flee the country to Albania when the war started, in Albania she took in many refugees from Kosovo to her own home, helping feed and clothe them before moving them on the proper camps where they could wait out the war. A truly amazing person. I decided to go on an explore by myself after work, I walked up through the older Muslim section of the centre and saw some beautiful mosques. I continued up the ea...

 Week 1 Monday the 1st of July, my first full day in Pristina. Today we met up with Professor Doctor Linda Gusia, our placement organiser from the University of Pristina, and head of department of Sociology. We walked through part of the campus past the National University Library, that had a brutalist architectural style (see to the right), and through to the Philosophy building. Linda gave us a run down of what we would be doing and some advice on where to go in the city for food, drinks, sight seeing etc., then passed on my contact information to the Oral History Project.  It's lucky I enjoy a coffee because the number of coffee shops was instantly noticeable, so I thought it would be rude not to get one and indulge in the coffee culture straight away.  The rest of the day consisted of exploring the city, we walked into and through the centre, which consists of one huge street (see below) with adjoining roads on both sides all the way along it. Later on we found a rest...

A Bit of Background Welcome to my blog, where I take you along with me on my month away working in the city of Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. A country in the south of the Balkans, bordered by Serbia, Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia. My name is Shahid, I am 21 years old and have just completed my second year studying archaeology and anthropology at Bournemouth University. I chose BU in the hopes that it would broaden my opportunities in a way that I could use to challenge myself.   Personally, this need to challenge myself has always been the best way for me to grow; in confidence, intelligence, tolerance and in all the other ways that a person can develop. Working overseas has always been a goal to help me in this task. Although I have travelled to different countries, I have never done so with working in mind. I would like to learn from intelligent people within their own culture and working environment. The idea of culture and being moulded by your external social envi...