Welcome to Kosovo!

Forest Lake Judge Doyscher and wife Gena adjust to new home

by Gena Doyscher

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is written by Gena Doyscher. Her husband, David Doyscher, has accepted a temporary assignment in Pristina, Kosovo as an International Judge. The Doyschers live in Forest Lake, Minnesota and David is a 10th Judicial District Court Judge, chambered in Stillwater. They plan to be in Kosovo until the end of August.)

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Five weeks in Prishtina, Kosova (the Albanian name) does not make me an expert in Albanian culture. However, it is enough time for impressions to jell. In sharing these impressions please remember they are from the mind of, I like to think, a middle aged, comfortably situated Caucasian woman. It would be arrogant and deceitful of me to claim a broader perspective.

My husband's work is the primary focus of our experiences in Kosovo. However, the information I can share about his work as an International Judge will be generalized and a little sketchy as his work could make him a target for revenge actions. Currently, he is handling cases that involve ethically motivated horrific murders, terrorism, drug (heroin) smuggling, prostitution trafficking (slavery), and arms dealing. Weapons that are stashed in various parts of the country and Macedonia include AK47 machine guns, anti tank rockets, grenades, incendiary ("Molotov") bombs, and missiles. The crisis last month has increased the work load of the Department of Justice considerably. Under the criminal code that was in effect until April 6th, 2004, International Judges served in an investigative capacity, in addition to deciding cases. A new code has since gone into effect and judges no longer serve as investigators. There is no trial by jury in Kosovo. All decisions are made by 3-5 person panels. On many cases, an International Judge and two local judges deliberate to decide a case, In some instances, when the case could result in retaliatory action to local judges, the panel is comprised of only International Judges. "Lay Judges" decide some matters with an International Judge as the presiding (lead) judge. All testimony must be translated into English and a court recorder types the testimony word for word as it is given. The testimony is then read back to the witness and the witness must sign the testimony to indicate agreement. The process is slow and there is frequently reluctance on the part of witnesses to testify because of concerns about revenge. The American judges, most of whom have been from Minnesota, have a reputation for working hard and staying on task during the long proceedings. Trials and hearings can run until late into the night and it is not unusual for proceedings to be held on Saturdays.

Because there are restrictions on what I can say about David's work, I would like to take you back to my impressions of our experience here. Breaking through the heavy cloud cover as the British Airways plane landed in Pristina, Kosovo (the Serbian name), I looked anxiously for a glimpse of the terrain. My husband, David, who is a 10th District Court Judge in Stillwater, Minnesota, had been working as an International Judge for the United Nations for just over one month, when I arrived after a fun four days in London. His assignment and my joining him had been planned for over one year. As we approached the runway, I could see some mountains in the distant horizon that were high enough to be snow covered. Pristina (the United Nations name) is situated on a plain, surrounded by high hills and a few mountains.

Upon landing, I rushed to the front of the sparsely populated plane and when given the signal to disembark descended the stairs to the runway. Like our experiences in landing in Tanzania, Africa, there was no flexible tunnel entering the airport. We were outside. I was glad David had told me about this and glad for my leather jacket. What I did not expect, and was the first introduction to a UN/NATO run country, were the military troops clad in camouflage who, with large guns drawn, told us to wait until another plane unloaded. Welcome to Kosovo!

It is always a guessing game to see if one'‚s luggage arrives safely, especially in such an unusual destination, however a new "friend" from Spain, whom I met on the plane said she would wait with me. She has a little English and I have no Spanish, darn! The luggage came and soon I was thrilled to see my husband in the lobby, smiling and saying, "Welcome to Kosovo!"

After David went through the security manipulations to unlock his U.N. vehicle by sliding his identification card through a reader and removing the required club type lock from the steering wheel, we were off. I felt a little like we were in a documentary as we drove toward the city in the white Toyota SUV with a huge "U N" painted in black, on the sides.

For a moment I felt like I was back in Tanzania because of the pot holed narrow roads with cars bunching up and taking incredible risks in passing. The chickens in the yards looked familiar too! However, the very large brick houses we passed did not. The Albanians build huge brick houses and extended families share them. Thus, one "apartment" might be for a daughter and her husband and family and another for a son and his wife and children. Some of the houses are completed and have tidy yards with flowering trees and spring bulbs blooming and others have yards where they seem to be raising "crops" of plastic bottles, paper, garbage bags and whatever else blows in.

As you come closer to the City of Prishtina, you see some "tall" buildings. I think the tallest is at the most about 15 stories. Most buildings are one or two floors high and are filled with shops and restaurants. My husband says you could live here for a year and never eat at all the restaurants. There are also one or two or more shoe shops on every block.

All of this activity keeps your eyes moving until you notice a large building with a very large photograph on it. It is of a smiling man waving his welcome to you. "Wait a minute" that is Bill Clinton! Loved by the Albanians for saving their lives (many were killed before NATO arrived), houses, children and religion (Moslem) from the extremely brutal, oppressive Serbian (i.e. Christian) Milosevic regime, Bill is immortalized on the side of a building. Being American is "o.k., good, good" in Prishtina. Being from another NATO country is not, according to the folks who live here. There is a high degree of skepticism about the success of the UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) after five years of existence. It was March 24, 1999 when NATO dropped the first, specifically targeted, bombs liberating an ethnic group that has long been a majority in this province of the former Yugoslavia communist country. That day is referred to as "The Day of Hope". March 24, 2004, the Fifth Anniversary of the Day of Hope, was tarnished, possibly indefinitely, by the nightmares of the previous week. It was on St. Patrick"s Day that recrimination began to avenge the deaths of two or three young boys who were allegedly chased into a river by Serbian youths and drowned. A chain reaction of burning of Serbian churches, firebombing and killing Serbian families and street demonstrations began. Nineteen people were killed and 900 were injured. The U N and NATO troops were caught off guard and it took about four days for the outright violence to settle down. There remains an underlying tension that is not too far below the surface of daily life in Kosovo. During the crisis, about 70 U N vehicles were burned apparently as an indicator that self rule for Albanian Kosovars is not coming fast enough. Now the U N is becoming a focus of the ethnic tensions that have existed in this area for centuries. People want the economy to start moving, self rule to be put in place and Kosovo to be a country (like other former Yugoslavia countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia). Meanwhile, organized crime, trafficking of drugs and individuals are part of daily life. Of course, the argument can be made that with these crimes (here and all over the world) the demand for drugs and prostitutes fuels the "industry". Although the demonstrations of March 17 and 18 primarily involved young students and unemployed youth, the elected leaders of Kosovo have recently become much more vocal in asking for independence. The leader of the Parliament has issued a press release stating that independence and the exit of the United Nations must come by mid 2005.

At this point, there is no clear determination of the future of Kosovo. A "country" of Kosovo would be one of the smallest in the world; from a square mile standpoint it appears to be about the size of Cook County in Northern Minnesota. The population in 1999 was 1,800,000.

The region is living the consequences of an adult populace whose education was limited by the evil Milosevic regime. In 1995 demonstrations were held all over Kosovo to protest the decision to close Albanian schools. The legal system is also playing catchup but functions as best it can since the Serbs were in control. Under that regime most lawyers were only able to practice to a limited extent. As the judges were all Serbian, the prominent attorneys were also and the Albanian lawyers had practices limited to Albanian clients who were mostly poor and unable to pay legal fees.

Defense lawyers, even today, are paid 10 Euros (about $12) per hour to represent clients. Many professionals, including university professors, must work two or three jobs to earn a living.

In addition to the "Bill Clinton Welcome", other distinguishing landmarks in Prishtina are the UNMIK headquarters building with its zillions of satellite dishes, facing south. There is also the "Grand Hotel" which confidently displays five stars under its name although I am not sure which rating service handed out those stars! "Police Avenue", not an official name but one that certainly works for finding it, is parked solid, on both sides, with police vehicles. Some of those are designated with the supporting country, "Italian Cabrianari" and others are referred to as Coca Cola police cars because of their red and white paint.

As a NATO occupied, UN administered province, Kosovo is teaming with internationals. English is the language of the UN but you would not know that when you are on the streets. David works with judges from Malta, Uganda, Cameroon, Germany, the Philippines, Poland, and Mauritania and with legal officers from Croatia, Italy, Albania and court recorders from England, Ireland and Canada. In addition, the Justice Department supplies interpreters who are proficient in the Albanian and Serb and, of course, English languages. Most or the internationals speak at least two, and often more, languages and you become quickly aware how deficient, in languages, Americans are in a global society. David's German is very helpful as many of the Albanians also speak German because they have lived there and worked there when there was no way for them to earn a living in their own area.

Prishtina is a bustling city. The car traffic is chaotic and crossing a street is still the most dangerous activity. Despite the unique aspect of seeing many uniformed police and military personnel around the city, I usually wait until a "local" chooses to cross at the same intersection where I am standing with cars whizzing by. The "local" confidently steps into the crosswalk and amazingly enough, cars stop. The stop is very brief however, so it is important to move quickly. It is also important to keep looking at your feet as you walk as the sidewalks, off the major streets, are basically pot holed, rubble-strewn paths.

Some of the downtown are is really quite nice however. Mother Theresa Boulevard (the only religious person honored during the communist period) has the feel of a pleasant and fairly prosperous city in the late 1940s or 1950s. There are many clothing shops, shoe shops with every design of shoe possible, hardware type stores with cookware, utensils, dishes and cleaning products and much, much more. There are small restaurants and café (coffee) shops everywhere. Drip coffee, so essential back home is unavailable. The choices are Nescafe (instant), espresso, cappuccino, or machiato (espresso with steamed milk). People drink coffee at all times of the day or night and usually "chase" it with water "with gas" (sparkling water, back home). A large machiato is usually about 50-70 cents, in the Euro exchange system.

The food in Prishtina, is good, mostly. It is always served by very competent attentive waiters (I have not seen a woman serving the food) who are reluctant to bring your check or bill until you ask them to do so. All the foods are well presented. One of the restaurants in our neighborhood, called "Rugova" (the name of the present president of "The Republic of Kosova") is a throw back to what you might imagine a 1940s hotel restaurant to be. There are differing size tables with white tablecloths and wood dining room chairs. On the tables, at each place setting, there are artificial flowers in small vases and burgundy colored napkins folded into peaks. There is a cleverly designed porcelain holder that holds salt and pepper shakers and a toothpick holder. Toothpicks are ubiquitous in Kosovo. The waiters are very formal. They dress in black pants and vests and wear white shirts, They greet you at the door and offer to take your coat and hang it up. The menu lists "Already Cooked" items and "Foods Prepared to Order". Albanian names are on the left side of the large, leather menu and English names for the food items are on the right. Needless to say, there are some difficulties in accurately translating one language to another. The "Already Cooked" items seem to be items that are simmering on the stove such as stews and casseroles and the "repared to Order" items are the shish kabobs and roast lamb, veal and beef entrees. One of the more awkward translations is a side order of "Cattle Smoked Meat" which is a variety of sausages, and what they refer to as proscuitto (much tougher and stringier than the expensive Italian, smoked variety). A chicken shish ka bob dinner comes with two large skewers of chicken and peppers, four vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, peas and carrots) and a small salad, on the plate. It costs 4 Euro (About $5.00). A glass of Kosovo Merlot costs 1 Euro ($1.20) and a nicely presented salad is also 1 Euro. The meal is accompanied by delicious, home made white dinner rolls without butter. As this is a Muslim country butter and pork are served only in the more cosmopolitan restaurants, Even though it is a Muslim country, wine and other alcoholic drinks are available at all restaurants. Kosovo is famous in the Balkans for its Merlots. A bottle of pretty good Merlot sells from about $2.50. The wines from Macedonia are a little higher and are considered to be of somewhat higher quality.

There are some restaurants that are very similar to a bistro type place in St. Paul or Minneapolis. The atmosphere and the menu allow you to think you are back home. Think spinach, goat cheese and bacon salad, a filet mignon in a béarnaise sauce and a lemon tart or chocolate ganache for dessert. With some good table wine that meal will cost about 10 Euro or $12. The steak is wonderful. We have not tried the local butcher shop yet as there is something rather off-putting about skinned, whole lambs hanging in the window ( I think it is the eyes and the blood dripping that get me. Nevertheless, I have been told by an ex pat woman who has lived here for several years that the meat is wonderful and so much better than anything available in Great Britain. Another woman, from Vermont, said that it is important to buy from a butcher who has a generator that can take over during the daily (sometimes more often) power failures. No duh! The eggs are excellent and you know they are fresh because you have to wash them before you use them! They have dark yellow yolks which I take as a good sign that the chickens are free range.

There are many mosques in Pristine but most of them seem to be permanently locked and are in a state of total disrepair. Some Ottoman Empire mosques are in danger of total deterioration which is really unfortunate as they have some great tile work and paintings on them. There are also many newer mosques and I assume they are in use. The "Call to Prayer" can be heard five or more times a day with the earliest call at 5 a.m. Some women cover their heads but the vast majority does not. Many of the older men were white fezzes to designate their religion but also, I have read, as a sign of nationalism.

The Albanians are thin, dark haired primarily (streaks and hair color are seen), attractive and well dressed. It seems like everyone is under 40 years or maybe even under 30. The young people wear dark, blue jeans with faded highlights (mostly on the derriere) that are also worn in America. They wear black leather jackets and many of the women, in cool weather, wear pashmina scarves around their necks like you see all over Europe. One amazing thing is that the young women often wear high heeled shoes or boots. This is not surprising from a fashion standpoint but, the sidewalks vary from highly pot holed to total rubble. They seem to do OK, however, and as one of my Albanian acquaintances said "You get used to it"! The women are very well groomed, have beautiful long hair and wear just the right amount of makeup. It is fun to see them walking, with their arms linked together, to the café shops. The young men are dark eyed, dark haired and handsome. No one seems to wear eyeglasses and I do not know if that is a personal, fashion statement or indicative of good vision. I cannot imagine, given the almost constant overhanging cloud of coal generated pollution that is in the air, that contact lenses would be feasible.

The thin and trim look may come from being careful with diet, but I am afraid it is because of the addiction to cigarette smoking that is so common in Prishtina. There are no "Smoke Free" areas in any restaurant, coffee shop, or office that I have seen. Waiters smoke as they wait for your food to come from the kitchen. Police officers and military personnel clog the corridors, smoking and talking, at the British Council Building, where David works, The Internet Cafes which are found on almost every block are filled with smokers. I thought I had found one that was smoke free until the manager lit up right under the "No Smoking" sign.

If you cannot speak Albanian, German will usually work. For years there has been a strong connection between the former Yugoslavia provinces and Germany. Many of the families in Kosova relied on earnings sent home by a family member working hard in Germany.

There are a few attractive buildings in Prishtina. The Museum is one. We have not visited it yet because the guide book to Albanian and Kosovo which I read says there is little left inside of it to view. It will stay on our list of things to do though because a very new coffee shop in the area makes great machiatos and has an appealing bakery. In addition to the Museum, the Post Office is historically significant. Unfortunately, it is not in very good shape. There is a National Theatre that appears to have been built in the 1970‚s. Unfortunately, for the internationals, the performances are all in Albanian. Fortunately, for the people of Prishtina the performances are in their language. I have not heard of an orchestra yet but will keep checking. The music played in the Internet Cafes is almost exclusively American. Mostly it is Rap with some techno dance stuff thrown in. At the Rugova Restaurant you can hear songs like "April Love" or maybe a Sinatra tune. On the radio you can hear what I assume is Albanian music but in most places American rap dominates. There is a new public movie theater in town, which means now there are two. The U N and OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) host movie nights, for employees, several nights each week. Mel Gibson‚s "Passion of the Christ" is supposed to be coming to Prishtina; it will be interesting to see whether it really comes after the Moslem/Christian conflicts of late. One of the local Protestant Albanian Churches did show a bootlegged copy on the wall of the church. Bootlegged copies of every movie and music c.d. are everywhere. They are sold on street corners and in a similar vein you can buy an authentic Armani suit for 50 Euros!

One of the best aspects of city life in Prishtina is that the streets are always filled with people and it is a safe city in terms of petty crime. Occasionally you hear of a woman‚s bag or billfold being stolen but, ever that is rare. The Albanians do not give off really warm vibes to internationals (until they learn you are an American and then they tell you how they love America) but they are not in any way intimidating either. They are busy chatting with their friends and people whom they meet on the street. They greet each in such an attractive manner with a handshake, a hug and an air kiss on both cheeks. The interaction between young individuals and elderly people is warm and respectful and charming. The strollers walk arm in arm and children run around freely. They usually are kicking a soccer ball in an open area or playing basketball on a hoop that is barely hanging and with very little net left on it. How different it must have been for these kids parents when the Serbs closed the Albanian schools and prevented them for leading lives of normalcy.

Normalcy however, is not what it seems. Shop keepers with very little urging will tell you about the ineffectiveness of the U N and how it has been five years since the war and they are no closer than ever to having a country. U N workers will tell you that organized crime and ethnic violence is a huge problem and that until Kosovo can achieve Standards set forth by the European community, there will be no country called Kosova. The locals say the Standards are higher than they are for any of their neighbors and they could never be met. The few Serbs who stayed after the NATO bombing campaign live in constant fear of their lives. Children are traumatized and cannot sleep and since most of the remaining Serbs are old, they are barely surviving from an economic point of view. Some of the younger Serbs work for the U N and other agencies and it is that money that keeps entire families alive. Albanians, on the other hand, have suffered immensely for years under the Serbian regime. They are anxious to receive recognition as an independent country. The legal community is very proud of the new Criminal Code that went into effect April 6th. It is celebrated by the people as an indication that Kosovar Albanians can institute the Rule of Law.

With the Iraq situation currently dominating the news, the status and future of Kosovo receives little world wide attention. Decisions must be made however, preferably in the relatively near future, because if it remains in a state of confusion, violence will likely erupt again and it will once again be a daily news maker! Hopefully a resolution as to its status will be forthcoming in the next year or two and peace can prevail.