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This Little One has a Rich Heritage Ever since I arrived in Kosovo, I’ve heard stories of  Bajrush Ibishi . The first person to greet me in the country was Bajrush’s son, Valdet. Valdet takes care of every employee at Prishtina High School.  He is a good man.  So when I started hearing stories about his father—a man who had been an educator, an entrepreneur, a government official and mayor of the place where the director of Prishtina High School, John Chesnut made his home, I was anxious to meet him. My chance finally came. Bajrush Ibishi is a well-educated, well-spoken, and interesting man. He graduated in 1979 with a Degree in Philosophy and History from the University of Prishtina. He subsequently taught for six years, was the principal of a local school for ten years and served as a high school professor in Podujeva following that. In 2001 he worked in Prishtina in the Ministry of Labor and Social work while also serving his community in Orllan as may...

I’ve said it before. One of the perks to living in southeastern Europe is the ability to travel easily to other countries. Well, mostly easy. I did have one minor glitch on my recent trip to Spain.  The World Wide Conference on Qualitative Research (QRCA & AQR) in Valencia offered more than great conference topics for me to explore. My youngest daughter was one of the presenters. The fact it was held in a beautiful Mediterranean city was merely a bonus. But for a moment I wondered if I would get there. For the best rate, I flew from Prishtina to Frankfurt, Germany. I had an hour to make the connecting flight. You guessed it. I missed the connecting flight. So instead of arriving for lunch, I arrived in time for dinner. However, sitting across the table from my daughter made me forget my earlier airport ordeal.  Beach Party After the Conference The conference itself was engaging, starting with the rather well known author of  Curious , Ian Leslie, and...

My Dear Friends, Matt and Julia My British friends, Julia and Matt, live in a Serbian town near Prishtina. They are a sweet young couple I met at church and until recently we were all active in the same small group meeting every week. They invited me to visit them in their home one Saturday. I happily accepted. We set a date. Julia texted to say she and Matt “love to show off the gems of Gracanica,” I was pretty excited. I have always been curious about the Serbian enclaves in Kosovo. After all, there was a war. Many Serbians left the area. Yet, for the people in Gracanica, life goes on. I took a taxi to the center of the town. Julia and I had agreed to meet in front of the monastery. We walked from there back to her house. I thought we might have lunch and she had mentioned seeing the monastery and perhaps the Bear Sanctuary, but I was in for so much more.  Ulpiana Matt drove us out to the Roman ruins just a few minutes from their apartment. Ulpiana is one of the ...

If you ask my mother how she is feeling she often answers, “Well, I woke up on this side of the dirt, so I guess I’m okay.” I guess I’ve heard it enough times, I took it to heart as I approached this milestone birthday.  Actually, I’ve never been one to shy away from my birthday. I’ve always been afraid that if I didn’t acknowledge it or if I tried to pretend to be younger than I am I would live to regret it. As if I would suddenly wake up and see an old woman in the mirror. But as I approached sixty-five, I found myself worrying a bit. Okay, worrying may not be the right term. It’s just that sixty-five sounded so old. Much older than I feel.  Most days.  Since I was born in early May, I’ve always claimed anything good or fun that happened in May as part of my birthday celebration.  Beautiful weather? For my birthday. The school Arts Fair? All for my birthday. Ice cream on a sunny May day? For me. It is my birth month. Of course the b...

I can’t say it was a bitter winter, but I can tell you it is a spectacular spring in Prishtina. The mountains are green. The fruit trees on the playground were white with blossoms only a couple of weeks ago. Now they are laden with   cherries. The lilacs are blooming. I was walking Sunday and noticed buds on the rose bushes. Of course best of all may well be the warm sunshine and spring breezes filling our days.  A visitor at the school on Friday commented on the natural light streaming through the tall windows in my classroom. I have a balcony outside my class as well. It’s a great addition to the classroom. Yes, I am loving spring. There are flowers everywhere. People put flowers in window boxes and planters on the porches of their homes. Every restaurant has rows of flowers welcoming their patrons.  Prishtina knows how to dress for spring. I wanted to enjoy this time of year fully, so this morning I took the bus to a local market selling plants. I ...