Blogs from Kosovo, Europe - page 7

We waited…and waited…and waited… It was a simple plan. The soldiers fly from Kosovo to Indianapolis, get off the plane and spend a few days at lovely Camp Atterbury going through the De-mobilization out-processing and off they go back to their families. Needless to say that’s not quite how things are worked out. The soldiers were supposed to be here days ago. Me and my admin buddy were sent from Kosovo to Camp Atterbury so we could prepare for our soldiers and ensure that their time spent out-processing goes smoothly. It should have been very simple and in a few days we would have been done. But no… On the day they were supposed to depart from Kosovo, the first plane load sat at the airport for over 12 hours and the second plane load never ... read more

The trees There is something about the trees here. Something about the neon green phosphorescence of the Kosovan springtime. It looks unreal, twinkling in the dancing light like a dream. I sit drinking coffee with new friends, watching children play at a special fun village cut between the trees, complete with waterslides. In Kosovo, the whole country seems to come out on weekends to bask in the sunlight and play Frisbee. Various tidbits According to my friend Burim, people drink coffee here all day long. Forty percent are unemployed, so they just sit there drinking coffee, talking and admiring the ladyfolk. All the bars seem to be full all day, mostly by unemployed Muslim men who religiously avoid alcohol. There are casinos everywhere, all of which have photos of scantily clad women, lying on tables. Honestly, ... read more

It’s days like today that can challenge the best of us. It has been rainy and drizzly all week. The clouds are so low that there are times that Camp Bondsteel is actually a part of the low lying clouds. Not unlike the Seasonal Affective Disorder, appropriately referred to by the acronym "S.A.D", here in Kosovo it feels like if only the weather could change we could be done with these feelings. In many instances we seem to be experiencing “winter depression”, and between the endless challenges with weather and just the normal tirades with a deployment, this can be challenging. This winter depression has grabbed ahold of me recently and I seem to be exhibiting all the normal symptoms to include: trying to over-sleep and having the overwhelming urge to "hibernate", serious cravings for carbohydrate ... read more

It isn’t everyday in Kosovo that I wake up, stumble out onto the deck and marvel at the beauty of my surroundings. It wasn’t just the perfect sight of Mount Duke, which appeared to be so close that I could reach out and touch it. It wasn’t that the temperature was 50 degrees at 10:00 in the morning which was so warm that I didn’t even put my jacket on. It wasn’t even the friendliness of the little orange kitten that was rubbing up against my leg begging for some attention. I think maybe I was having some serious spring fever symptoms! I didn’t have any inside wallowing thoughts about how much time we still had left to endure the Kosovo experience. Rather, I was all excited about what today might bring. It had indeed been ... read more

There I was, standing tall at mail call and it must have been my lucky day because the mail clerk called my name. “Dobie, you got you a small package, looks like it’s from Hawaii,” she hollered out. I was running fast trying to get to my very first package here in Kosovo. On the outside of the package there was a contents listing and it read “Coconut”. Now why in the world would anybody send me a coconut over here in the Balkans? I was so excited I ripped into it like it was Christmas all over again! Much to my surprise inside the box contained “Coconut”, not a coconut… Oh my gosh, was she ever cute! Her eyes were so big and round and she had this smile that was sweet and sincere. I ... read more