Just another day at the office...

Well the one thing I can say about my job here is that it gets me out from behind my desk and allows me to have some very interesting encounters, slightly different from some of those I would experience in Washington DC. And one can always count on most meetings and conferences being accompanied by a several hour meal and depending on location and audience, may include the mandatory shot of local brew raki.

Sure, we actually do do some work in the field although since I am the marketing and trade guy, I usually ponder the question of 'how the &%$& are we going to be able to sell this product'. Kosovo is challenged by a history of 50 plus years of a socialistic economy where marketing did not exist. They produced. The state bought and sold. Marketing, if you get something other than a blank stare, is sales in their mind. When you inquire about who their consumers are or what they want they respond 'this...' and show you their product. There are of course exceptions to this rule and we are fortunate enough to be working with a number of these clients who are trying to improve the quality of their product, increase their supply chain, and consider launching new products that their customers might like.




I had the opportunity to visit the Northern territory of Kosovo which is 100% Serbian. To the extent that the Kosovar cell phones won't work, you have to remove the license plate on your car if it has KS on it and everything is purchased with Serbian dinars. This area is know as a minority region and is particularly sad because the people have basically been abandoned by everyone. The Albanian Kosovars (and Pristina government) don't tend to any of their needs and the government from Belgrade offers little more than a scant pension check to provide maybe 20euros a month...The dire situation hit me flat in the face as I entered several shops (the largest markets) to interview the managers and get a better understanding of the products they sold and the needs of their consumers. These 'supermarkets' were half the size of your average 7-Eleven and both the random assortment of products and the amount of empty shelves reminded me of Moscow in 1993. This shops only purchase the bare essentials and have to compete with a mostly 'grey' economy where a ton of local kiosks have popped up everywhere to sell the same products, closer to peoples home at cheaper prices since they don't pay any taxes.




Of course most people seem to be holding their breath to see how the status situation is resolved out here so they can either have their allegiance and territory claimed by Belgrade or get some other kind of official status or recognition which they pray will bring in development AID assistance to help them get on with their lives and start to catch up to the rest of the Balkans. Stay tuned since the UN's official status recommendation paper is to be released this Friday. KFOR will be on high alert as I vacate Pristina to enjoy my first weekend in Belgrade.

Yoga in Kosovo

Well, as I suspected before my arrival to Pristina, there would not be much (any) organized or informal yoga for me to continue my own practice. For those of you who kept in touch with me while in DC you already know that both yoga and meditation had become part of my daily practice and a very important part of my local community, of which I miss very much. I had also been fortunate enough to begin teaching at a local studio on weekly basis to mostly advanced students.

Well fast forward five months to today. This week, my local class just exceeded 50 students mostly beginners and intermediates. Since my arrival I immediately started to ask around about classes and was connected to the UNMIK gym staff who sponsor (but not pay) for teachers to share their skills with the international community (and local staff). So, after putting out a couple emails and agreeing on a night I started to offer 1 class/week for beginners which was immediately popular. And as the word has spread, so has the class sizes. I try to offer an experienced class as well to a much smaller advanced audience but this only happens about every other week since I am still trying to fit in my language classes, ultimate Frisbee, rehab on my shoulder and a bit of a social life.



The sheer size and level of the class has been challenging and it has caused my own practice to become more basic (ok, so only having 1 good shoulder at the moment has also assisted that). But I find it to be so rewarding and a highlight of my week. Since I don't have the discipline to do a full practice by myself at home this forces me to do it with my students and stay current on the proper techniques.



Just this past weekend I offered a bonus workshop to celebrate World Yoga Day and donate all the money raised for Human Rights awareness in Afghanistan. 25 folks braved an unseasonably warm day to join me for several hours followed by a fantastic outside brunch where a dozen of us had the chance to get to know one another off the mat. This is slowly becoming an incredible social outlet for me as well as I am finally being able to match names (and jobs) to faces outside of the class when I visit local bars and restaurants. I look forward to building this community even more now that another experienced practitioner has arrived and wants to help with the classes and start a website to keep in touch with all the Kosovar yogis.



Just trying to spread that good energy one asana at a time...Namaste.

Survival Guide to Kosovo

In no particular order the following sad (but true) realities on surviving in Kosovo are all based on actual experience. Fortunately, I can laugh at (most) of them now...

• Escaping wild dogs: Ironic that one could potentially be mauled by a pack of wild dogs while walking home from a bar in the capital city of Kosovo. But in the event that one is crossing a large dark deserted field late at night (like many times before), pay particular attention to which direction an onslaught of barking noises my be coming from and how quickly they are approaching. Instead of turning to run for cover (like mad), one should start yelling, screaming, jumping up and down and run towards them. Quickly locating as many big stones as possible to scare off the lead dogs one can then quietly return to normal after picking up a large 2x4 to continue on a leisurely stroll home.

• Walking beneath the city trees: As you may recall from my Oct 16 blog, Pristina is the home to at least 100,000 black crows that migrate from the hills to the central city twice daily. The most dangerous time to walk is around dusk but somehow there always seem to be a couple (hundred) stragglers just to keep you on edge. When risking a stroll down 'birdshit alley' one must first say a prayer, pull up any hood or hat they may have attached to a jacket and continue in a straight line at a very brisk pace. Rest assured enough bird droppings will be falling to make it sound like a soft drizzle and fortunately in this culture, a patch of white poop on your shoulder symbolizes good luck.

• Using the sidewalks: In Kosovo can be more dangerous than walking in the street. First off you can rest assured that no matter how much space there may be between you and an on coming person, somehow they will always mange to take up as much of the pathway as possible and brush against your shoulder (sometimes quite hard for the larger guys). Heaven forbid if there is a side-by-side group of friends walking because they will refuse to go single file again forcing you wait till they pass. The sidewalks are essentially parking spaces for cars with an option for pedestrians. And when they have built them less than 2 feet wide one will usually do as the locals do; give up and just walk the street.

• Navigating without power: Usually requires a person to be quite creative to always having some type of flashlight on oneself. In the event of carrying groceries up a stairwell in a building which loses its lights, a mini-mag on ones key chain can come in handy to climb the remaining 4 flights of stairs in total darkness. Or even outside when all the street and shop lights may disappear, to use the backside of a flashlight lighter to scout out any large potholes that could swallow someone whole.

• Crossing the street: Could be deadly if one actually paid attention to the little green guy that indicates walk. See, the green guy apparently is only connected to one set of lights which would show red for any oncoming traffic. Problem is that there is usually another set of lights indicating green for cars to cross right into your walking path. So regardless of which green or red walking person one may see or how many cars may be coming, it is best to stop, look, listen, and sprint like hell to the other side. BTW, I believe the locals get extra points for hitting an international.

• Feeling at home: Two letters; PX. Fortunately with all of these KFOR troops here and military bases all around, with the right connections one may be invited inside the base to visit the American PX store to purchase all the necessary junk food items. My last visit included Captain Crunch, Microwave popcorn, Double Stuff Oreo, Spaghettios, Pancake mix, Pop Tarts, etc etc. Ironically these items are all cheaper than they are in the states.

• Eating/drinking out: Fortunately Pristina has a number of nice bars, cafes and restaurants to mix-up the weekends and take advantage of no meal/drinks ever costing more that 20 euros. The problem is that there is no such thing as no smoking and at least 4 out of every 5 people smoke. There are also no establishments with a no-smoking policy (although I did see a sign once underneath a smoking waiter). In the event of spending time in public it is advisable to not bring any wool or fleece, to sit on the lower seats to be beneath the collecting cloud of smoke and to step outside for 'fresh' air at least once/hour. My new favorite line when asked if I smoke is to respond, "Yes, I second-hand smoke at least a pack a day".

• Entering a building: Will always require at least one official local ID if not 2 or 3 extra to prove you are who you say you are. Unless of course one is wearing an UNMIK laranette. Note that this only refers to official buildings. My apartment on the other hand usually has the front security door wide open, even in the middle of winter.

• Driving: Lets just say I am blessed to have the office staff or friends do most of this for me. From my observations and experience, it is best to assume you are the only one on the road and that everyone else will stop for you. Now of course there will be a little give and take here but if you do not go aggressive, you will not go at all. Local speeds tend to be pretty fast with the annoying exception that for every small speed bump (of which there are many) cars (and SUV's) will come to almost a complete stop before they roll over. Has no one ever heard of SUSPENSION???

God Bless Kosovo:-)

A Day in the Life of Pristina: A Photo Gallery

From fashion to food, shops to stairs (home), massive housing complexes to monuments, generators to graveyards, these are just some of the scenes that I see most every day in Pristina. Several include the high quality conditions of my street, the building I live in and many other random shots that cause one to stop and pause (and yes that street sign indicates the maximum weight of both cars and tanks on one of the local bridges)...