Blogs from Kosovo, Europe - page 14

SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 2009 *PRISHTINA Up pretty early so nothing new there. The plan today was to basically wander around Prishtina and see what the city had to offer. Turns out on a Sunday - not much as all of the shops were closed. After orientating myself in town and working out some landmarks to work out how I could get back to the guest house later on; I wandered on past a few mosques (all of which were boarded up) before heading towards tourist information - which I am not sure actually ever existed; and if it does - certainly not on a Sunday. After that I made my way to the Kosovo Museum. I was there just before 10:30am and my guidebook said it opened then. Turned out that was incorrect. Another lady from ... read more

Well not exactly, but… We did get to go to a football game. Fourth down and two, ball is on the 43 and BAM! The quarterback is sacked, end of game… 13 to 3… The Minnesota Vikings whooped on the Indianapolis Colts but good! Honestly now folks, this team of 13 soldiers with me here at lovely Camp Atterbury has been here for about 19 days without any time to relax, put their feet up or take a breathe that didn’t have something to do with paperwork, moving supplies or planning for our enormous influx of soldiers here in Indiana. Our schedules have dictated a 5:30 am wake-up, with a exercise plan for us all, the days have been filled with the chaos of meeting soldier administrative needs, picking people up at the airport, driving forklifts ... read more

I usually don’t sleep well back home so I find that here at Camp Atterbury it has only gotten worse. It is compounded by numerous events that seem to occur when the civilians in the area are fast asleep in their beds of comfort. Usually it is the cadences of the deep voiced men as they run in formations down the roads of the military post. Then the sound of diesel trucks idling high at the stop signs, occasionally revering their engines as they grind the gears of the big beasts, and finally the scuffing of the boots in the gravel as the soldiers march to the messhall for their breakfast of biscuits and gravy, fruit and eggs cooked to order. This is normal, and the slogan, “The Army does more before 6:00 than most ... read more

When I joined the National Guard almost 20 years ago it was under the recruiting slogan, "Join the Guard-See the World". Well somebody in this outfit of camoflage has made it their personal mission to ensure that their promise to me does not go unfullfilled. As my travel history is recapped I can look back on a military career that began with travels to Saudi Arabia for my year deployment for Operation Desert Storm. Then onto Holland for a logistics mission to relocate equipment from Europe to the United States. During peacetime I found myself on the east coast for nearly two years for specialized transportation training with a follow-on deplyment of a fun filled summer of fighting raging fires in the State of Washington. Then the military found a way to re-emphasize the "See the ... read more

Hello, I apologize for the huge delay. I have, however, been very busy with traveling, running around, unexcepted modifications to my travel plans and so on. Now I actually have some time to sit and type a brief update of my current Balkan tour. Well, I recently spent a couple of days in Nis, Serbia. I figured I would stop over here since It's on the way to Kosovo! I have been to this city a couple of times before and I really enjoy the laid back atmosphere! Moreover, I have a few good friends in Nis and we always have a great time together touring the city and having coffee by day and living it up by night! I never saw another black person at all during my recent visit to Nis. I have NEVER ... read more