Life in Pristina, at least for the next 7 weeks, will be busy.
I've started at the American University of Kosovo doing marketing / pr / copywriting / tv producing / web consultant type of work. People here in Kosovo, in general, wear many hats! I really enjoy working as a 'freelancer', tackling short term projects and having variety. I also notice how productive and efficient I am when working from home compared to having to sit for hours on end in an office. I like to work in my pajamas, listen to loud music, get up from time to time and shake my ass (it's my version of a cigarette break). I also like watching the next door neighbor, every single day, at 8.30, stick her head out the window and shake out her rug. I mean, how much dirt and dust and crumbs can one person generate in only a day??
I've also started teaching 2 yoga classes, one at the UN on Tuesday evenings, and one on Wednesday mornings in a back room of a restaurant for a group of women who haven't done yoga before. The two classes couldn't be more different, but it is a very good experience for me, good practice in communication and also gives me a taste of how teaching yoga can be. So far, I've gotten a lot of positive energy back from this, and I can only imagine it will get better and better once I have completed the Jivamukti training.
Today I'm headed over to the campus of AUK to meet with the dean. I'll take some photos to give you kids an idea of just what this place looks like. The university started 3 and a half years ago in a 2 bedroom house, and has since expanded into its own campus with 2 proper educational buildings, a canteen, and next year they will even offer dorm space. Because this is a university in partnership, the students here get a US degree from a school with an excellent reputation in the US (Rochester Institute of Technology), which is a big differentiator from the other universities in the region, that are either mired in post-communist lethargy and corruption, or privately owned, meaning that basically no-one fails, it's just a money making enterprise.
Another interesting project has come up on the horizon this week as well - the possibility to work on a human-trafficking awareness campaign with several large organizations working in the region. More on that as it unfolds.
Lastly, a note on my major jones for shopping. I'm just disgusted with my appearance these days. I am sick of every piece of clothing I have, my hair is one large knot, and I just want to shop. I had a dream last night that I was on a shopping spree and the owner of the store marked everything 70% off. I spent 750 euros in my dream and got basically a whole new wardrobe. Of course, everything that I bought was hand knitted ;-). I was also eating chocolate throughout the shopping spree. Hmmm. X and I went to the mall in Skopje last weekend, I left having spent 50 dinar (90 euro cents). I bought 10 coloured flower hair clips and was happy as pie. For the rest of the weekend I sported them in some kind of wierd twisty hairdo that got people smiling. Well, at least they were smiling...
