Author: Coburn Swem

This weekend we spent most of Friday driving in a small but cozy bus. Then we arrived in Paralia, Greece! We spent the rest of the day Friday and most of Saturday taking some much needed beach time. A few of us got sunburns but it was worth it. The food was really good, I found a really good kind of ice cream called black forest. The ice cream and cone were both literally black, and it was a really great tasting ice cream. And we had these really good Pita bread wrap things called Gyros (pronounced like Euros). Each day except Sunday was sunny by day, and by night we got rain and lightning. It was well worth it! Got some decent photos of Mt. Olympus, but I wasn’t with the crew that went up the mountain!

Not much to say here. Classes are going well! And we are planning to go to Greece this weekend!

I went on the Kosovo tour with Kaltrina and some of the others. It was fun although there was a lot of walking! We started in Prizren and hiked up a small mountain to reach the fortress. We stopped to see the Decani Orthodox Monastery, the artwork inside the Monastery on the walls was amazing. We were told that many of them were originals, for instance the image of Jesus with a sword in hand. Next we saw the caves and waterfall of “Burimi i Drinit të Bardhë” or “White Drini Spring.” It was nice to walk in the colder cave after a hot day of walking. Some of us took a swim in the water at the base of the waterfall. I didn’t, I watched as a lot of people go into the very cold water though. Lastly we stopped in Peja, but only to eat. I had a crepe!

I was a little worried about finding a subject before we left for Kosovo but Ilire Lepaja who runs “Art e Zenat” just agreed to work with me on my final project! I look forward to working with her, the shop is small so shooting there will be challenging but I’ll find a way to make it work. Elion and I are also working to improve our newborn story too. Things are looking good for these projects.

That wasn’t so bad. Classes went well, and as is usual for me when classes are starting I was needlessly nervous. My State Building political science class is very interesting and our documentary class has us working hard. But working with a Newborn has been interesting. I was partnered up with Elion Misini from here in Prishtina, and we were assigned to work with Indira from Mitrovica. I’ve learned a lot from her and Elion after spending the day with them.

As I tend to be on the day before classes at RIT main, I’m nervous for classes here too. I understand this will be a lot of work and I’m ready for that. I’m kind of new to political science though.

The trip was everything I thought it would be and more! The landscapes were amazing and each city was beautiful. I also enjoyed getting to know everyone in the group as well. Out of all the places we went Montenegro and Sarajevo were my favorites.

Montenegro because the first place we went to had a beautiful beach, and Kotor was an amazing city as well. And I went on the mountain climb at 4am. While I didn’t make it to the top the view was still amazing from halfway up. Here’s a picture:

I like Sarajevo because of the history the city held. Our tour guide showed us everything we needed to see and told us all there was to tell. He was a funny guy too. Here’s an image I snapped there.

Being able to see the overall history of the Balkans up close and personal was something else. Erol and Sofija told us much about how the former Yugoslav countries view each other now, and how they teach their own history differently from one another. It was one thing to watch The Death of Yugoslavia, but so see the effects of the war first hand was very eye opening.

Just before the trip I’m very excited. The list of places we are going to is long but I’m looking forward to it. We’re looking at a few places to relax and a lot of places to see. I can’t wait to learn more about the history of this place, it looks like the Balkans have a lot of history both old and new. Not much if it is pretty but it is quite the timeline.

It’s been a while since I’ve been abroad, one of the last places I went was Ireland at least 1o years ago. It had beautiful landscapes and architecture unlike anything I’d ever seen. And on our first night here I’m already seeing beautiful mountain ranges and buildings that are new to me. I can’t wait for what’s to come.

I’m not really sure what I’m expecting this trip to be like. I know interacting with people will be much different than it is here in the U.S. And I know the language barrier will be tought but I’m confident I’ll still be able to make friends and show that I mean well. I think not matter where I am people will understand the art of documentation and will hopefully allow me to work with them. I’m very nervous but also very excited.

I know that people may be unwilling to share their stories, but my hope is that people will be eager to share because they are finding their place in a newly independent country.

I left for Kosovo on June 16^th with the assumption that I would stay to myself, and only really converse with the three people I previously knew from back home. That was quite the opposite of what happened and that’s what made it so incredibly hard to leave Saturday morning. I never pictured myself becoming such good friends with a bunch of complete strangers during the past five weeks but I’m so grateful that I did because they are what made this entire trip such a great experience. Though many of them actually go to my school back home, it will still be very strange not seeing them everyday.

The past five weeks were filled with great adventures and experiences whether it was cliff jumping in Albania, attempting to learn Albanian pick up lines, or simply staying up as a group until 3am goofing around and trying to finish homework that’s due the following day. Though there were some moments where stress got to me, I am forever thankful for being a part of this program and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I will for sure miss Kosovo and all the people I met there.