Inaugural Weekend

By the weekend I had already been introduced to nearly all but 2 members of the team at the British Council and become familiarised with surroundings and the way to walk to work, but the more important question was still to be answered.  What was Prishtina like on the weekend?  After hearing some great reviews about the after dark activities from a few friends who had been to the city weeks previous to my arrival, I was pleased to know that these reviews lived up to expectations.  The only immediate downside was the new developments within the municipality of the police closing down bars that stayed open after midnight.  I managed to arrive just in time to witness the attempts to dumb down Prishtina’s late night café and bar culture, lucky me.

However all was not lost as I managed after many wrong turns to eventually find the famous Paddy O’Brian’s Irish Pub that nearly every taxi driver, person at work and Jeton (my landlord) had told me to check out.  To be honest any recommendation to check out an Irish Pub outside of the UK (or maybe Boston) should always be taken with a certain apprehension towards “authenticity” and the price of alcohol.  Yes I am talking about you Oscar Wilde Pub at Oranienburger Strasse, Berlin.  From the outside the place reminded me a little of a Jonas brother (or all of them) at a brothel; out of touch with its surroundings.  However inside the atmosphere was what you would expect in any good drinking establishment back home:  Plenty of people, decent music, shed loads of football, rugby or cricket on the flat screens and some decent local beers to sample.  I opted for the locally brewed Peja at a modest price of €2 a pint.

Seeing that I was exploring Prishtina on my Jack Jones I started talking to a couple of guys working for Eulex.  Christian and James were to prove my first English speaking contacts outside of the Council.  Christian a Swiss guy living in Buckhurst Hills immediately started on a topic we all knew something about.  Who burnt down the Queen Vic?  After discussing the plight of Phil Mitchell and the departure of Peggy from the square, naturally we got onto talking about Grant and how he decided to take down the Taliban.  James confirmed what we all expected that he was a nice guy after he met him in Afghanistan on his last position overseas with the FCO.  Beers were flowing an who could complain at €2 a pop.  After exchanging cards and contact details I spoke to a few more people before heading out onto Mother Teresa Boulevard in the attempt to find places dodging the presence of the authorities and their attempts to curb fun.

After meeting some American professors and lecturers we headed to, well I can’t remember as the Peja was starting to take its toll.  Got inside, half full, The Beatles in the backgorund and drinks started flooding the table from all directions.  This time I took a…yes you’ve probably guessed it… another Peja

Prishtina - Day one.

I remember when last year I woke up one day and decided, much on a whim, that I was moving to Berlin regardless.  After hours of fantasising about living in the German capital I managed to find an MA in British Studies at Humboldt University.  So what is a British student doing in Berlin studying British Studies?  Well I was asking the same question and trying to answer it, often failing.  So when I got on a plane heading towards Prishtina, Kosovo to work with the British Council, questions started to be answered. 

Prishtina is the younger, energetic but somewhat dysfunctional member of the Balkan family of capital cities.  With a population of close to 800,000 people, of which is dominated by a young demographic, it’s a bustling city with lots to offer.  Many of the effects of the war seem to be hidden amongst the huge regeneration programme that the newly elected Mayor has commenced.  New roads, new housing and the constant efforts to pipe water from one of Kosovo’s main lakes mean that traffic is a guaranteed daily spectacle.  When you do manage to get anywhere in a taxi they seem to be absent in the knowledge of what road my apartment is on.  The traffic at least makes walking up one of Prishtina’s numerous steep hills satisfying.

The British Council here has one of the smaller teams among the European set up.  With only 9 people including myself, with three on leave at the moment, it’s going to provide great opportunities to get involved with the projects the council runs, rather than being the trolly dolly.

I’ll be commenting on adventures and experiences here for the next three months and trying to avoid featuring in Elliot’s Google alert of “Jamie Pickton international incident”!!!

Flas me vone.