Welcome to the Boons in Kosova

Greetings from England

2010-06-13T15:20:00.003+01:00

Greetings to all our friends in Kosova

a few pics from todays worship service at Cornerstone Hythe

13/6 3pm Eddie

Car Wash

2010-06-04T17:52:00.002+01:00

This is especially for Berti and Shkelzen who like to keep the cars clean - here is a pciture of Martha was cars when we arrived home

4/6 3pm Eddie

Back Home

2010-06-02T22:45:00.004+01:00

And safely back home - Thanks for all those who have followed our blog and have supported us on our trip

A few pictures from England will appear in the next few days for the benefit of Kosovars following our blog
2/6 10pm Eddie

2010-06-02T22:41:00.001+01:00

Back in Blighty
After a smooth 165minute flight we arrived back at London Gatwick and out the airport within 35minutes of landing!!!!
2/6 7.30pm Eddie

To the airport

2010-06-02T22:39:00.001+01:00

After stopping for a picnic near a river we headed to Pristina airport – a journey of about 90 minutes. They are building a new road and this made it very slow and dusty through the roadworks of about 20miles! We checked in our luggage but after a while heard our names announced asking us to report to the departure gate. It turned out that the security wanted to manually search a suitcase containing cables, clock, pa system, batteries etc. They were very thorough, which is reassuring. It is a good job that I put all these items in one case otherwise they would have had to go through all five!!
2/6 4pm Eddie
606

Last day

2010-06-02T22:30:00.001+01:00

We spent the early morning packing – and thankfully everything went in the suitcases easily. We gave our hosts some gifts and took some final photos. We sorted the remainder of the stationary we brought here and the Smile workers will distribute this in due course. In the late morning we visited a large house which was about 200 years old.It has been turned into a museum showing tradition clothing and items from the house. The person who lived here must have been very rich as there was a primitive central heating system and the ceilings were carved out of wood.
2/6 12noon Eddie

Final evening meal

2010-06-01T21:41:00.001+01:00

We showed our hosts a slide show of our photos before going out with Astrit, Emily, Berti, Hannah, Skelzen and Claudi for a final meal at Le Peshat our favourite restaurant – The steaks are massive! I know that Martha is going to miss Emily so much!
1/6 10pm Eddie

Radoniqi Lake

2010-06-01T21:33:00.001+01:00

We gave the head teacher a lift most of the way back to his home and he mentioned they did not have much sports equipment. Jake gave him an impromptu gift of his football (one less thing to pack tomorrow!). We drove to the lake which is the main reservoir for the area and it was very beautiful for a picnic. Unlike UK reservoirs there is no boating of swimming allowed. We saw lots of lizards and bugs as we walked through the trees. We also drove past a big KFOR base (Italian) with its own runway and a house which still has bullet holes in it 11 years on from the war.
1/6 4pm Eddie

Visit to Kralan School

2010-06-01T21:17:00.003+01:00

After a short Prayer meeting at Eternity Church we headed towards Pristina for a few miles and then up into a hill village. Their view was stunning and we were warmly welcomed at the village school. During the war there were 80 students and 50 of them lost their fathers. The conflict was particularly great here. The unemployment is very great here. It was a lovely happy school and we spent some time with the Head Teacher before meeting a class of the older pupils. We then went into the grounds of the school and played some volleyball. Some of the teachers joined in and it got very competitive – great fun. Jake and Sam presented the last of the letters and pictures from the Orchard Schools and we also gave the Director a gift of stationary. Smile are planning a summer holiday club at this school this year.
1/6 1pm Eddie

Youth meeting

2010-06-01T21:13:00.001+01:00

We shared in our last youth meeting. We have been befriended by some lovely young people and t was a bit sad to think this was our last meeting during our stay. I think Martha, Jake and Sam are going to be missed by them also.
31/5 10pm Eddie

Girls Brigade at Rugove

2010-06-01T21:01:00.003+01:00

We went back tonight to the Girls Brigade meeting we went to last Monday. Martha and I organised some games and craft and Martha told them the story of Noah. It was good fun and at the end of the evening it was funny to see all the girls pile into the pastor’s van as he dropped them all off at various places in the village. I love this country.!
It is good to see a room full of girls, many girls are not allowed out as they have to stay at home to do chores, to be available to help with the running of the home.
31/5 7pm Alison

FIlmed Interview

2010-06-01T20:43:00.003+01:00

Emily Morina from Smile filmed an interview with us. We spoke of why we had come here, what we had done and what we have learned. WE managed it in one take!
31/5 3pm Eddie

Shopping

2010-05-31T14:07:00.002+01:00

We took advantage of the last opportunity to walk to town on our own to do some final shopping and buy gifts for our hosts. The population in Kosova is much younger than in the UK and the streets are full of young people. The schools operate 2 half day shifts and so there are always lots of students about – usually fashionably dressed and very tall!. Some of the older men where a white round hat but you only see other traditional costumes in the shops. There are usually men playing chess in the main square. Alison got a good discount on a top, Martha bought some shirts and Eddie a map of Kosova (sad eh!)
31/5 12noon Eddie

Church Sunday morning.

2010-05-30T15:49:00.004+01:00

As last week we went to Eternity church which is in an old house. We had a time of worship and prayer for about an hour and then Martha sang a couple of songs. Eddie preached; he started in Albanian language - just a few words he had been practising and they all seemed to understand him. There is always an interpreter there so today he translated Eddie’s talk into Albanian.
Everyone has a drink after the service much like our church but they take it one step further and anyone from church who wants to goes to a local restaurant and they have lunch together which is really nice and sociable. We had a free afternoon so we went back to the Smile centre to play board games.
30/5 4pm Alison

2010-05-29T18:53:00.002+01:00

Peja
We returned back down the mountains to the city of Peja which is the second city of Kosova. We went to the one of only two Christian coffee shops in Kosova and enjoyed some English tea (which you can’t get in other cafes) we met a girl working on an Operation Mobilization team.

29/5 5pm Eddie

2010-05-29T18:51:00.002+01:00

Black bears
At Rugova Camp we stopped and looked at the two black bears kept in captivity there. Sadly they don’t have a big compound but their fur looked in good condition. They came quite close to us on the other side of bars and growled a bit.

29/5 3pm Eddie

Rugova Mountains and Gorge

2010-05-29T18:47:00.003+01:00

After a drink at a beautiful riverside cafe we headed up the mountains through the beautiful Rugova Gorge – a bit like Cheddar gorge but much longer and with tunnels and winding roads. We also passed a Serbian village which again was guarded by KFOR troops and a huge wall around the village. The road through the mountains was thankfully not as scary as we had feared
29/5 2pm Eddie

Visoki Decani Monastery

2010-05-29T18:43:00.002+01:00

We made an early start and headed north to the small town of Decan. We drove up the beautiful Gorge to the Orthodox church and monastery. As with a number of Serbian sites it is guarded by KFOR troops (in this case Italian) with road blocks and sentry points guarding against revenge attacks by Albanian Kosovars. We could not go in until 11 so we went for a walk along the beautiful river where we threw pebbles. Returning to the monastery and church (built in the C14th) we had a look around. The church was beautiful but rather dark and the interior walls were covered with frescos. Some of the monks were walking around texting on their mobile phones!
29/5 12noon Eddie

Baby tortoise

2010-05-28T20:04:00.001+01:00

Here is a picture of the baby tortoise that has been found where we are living.

28/5 9pm Martha

Final English school

2010-05-28T20:01:00.003+01:00

After lunch at Berti’s house we paid our final visit to his English school in Rahovec. Eddie set to work on an article he is writing for ‘Reform’ magazine and the rest of the family helped with one to one teaching followed by educational games. We then went shopping and had a quiet night in. Tomorrow we are heading north to the mountains at Rugova

28/5 3pm Eddie

A bit of gardening

2010-05-28T19:57:00.002+01:00

We visited the home of a widow and we dug over a small patch of earth in front of her house and planted some small plants. We hope that that she will enjoy them. It is not a big thing but sometimes little things can be important.

28/5 12noon Eddie

Evening meeting and meal

2010-05-28T07:23:00.000+01:00

We went to a meeting at Eternity church where Eddie gave a short message and then we went out for a meal with Astrit, Emily and Hannah. Late start tomorrow morning so we get a welcome extra hour in bed.
27/5 10pm Eddie

The Fort at Prizren

2010-05-28T07:21:00.002+01:00

We travelled back down the mountain to the town of Prizren which is the second largest town in Kosova and has much Ottoman architecture and history. The temperature has soared to 31/32 c. We climbed the steep hill to the fortress where the view was amazing. Ice creams were required when we arrived back at the bottom
27/5 4pm Eddie

Visit to school in mountains

2010-05-28T07:16:00.003+01:00

High up in the mountains near Dragash we visited a small school where we chatted with the teachers and met the children. This area has its own type of language based on Serbian/Slavic rather than Albanian – this uses Cyrillic. In this area this is a different perspective on the war. Eddie and the boys played table tennis with the children and a teacher. We had lunch in the playground and a teacher gave us tennis equipment to play with. This village is very remote near the Albanian border and quite different to what we have experienced up to now. We gave the head teacher a bag of stationery and the letters and pictures from Orchard Schools

27/5 Eddie 1pm

Trip to the mountains to the Goran region

2010-05-28T07:13:00.002+01:00

We made an early start and headed south via Prizren up to the mountains to the Goran. Initially the mountain roads were quite steep and scary but after a while we came to fields and rolling woodlands high up in the mountains – quite spectacular to look at.
27/5 12noon Eddie

Meal out

2010-05-27T21:34:00.001+01:00

We went out for a nice meal and met Matthias from Sweden who runs a bible school in Albania and Alexander from Albania who had just arrived in Kosova. We had a good evening late into the night.
26/5 10pm Eddie

Radio Pandora

2010-05-27T21:31:00.002+01:00

Eddie, Ali and Martha were interviewed on the local radio station Pandora for about half an hour. We spoke about why we had come and what we had experienced. Eddie said a short message of encouragement to the listeners.
26/5 8pm Eddie

Gjakove Girls Brigade

2010-05-27T21:15:00.004+01:00

This is the first of the two Girls Brigade Company that have been set up and the captain is Emily Morina (nee Doubleday). Martha and I organised some English games and did some craft work with them. We watched them do drill and Martha sang to them. When we played the chocolate game with a knife and fork the girls were much more restrained than English players! The card from 1st Hythe GB was handed over to them. It is really good to see all these girls coming to GB over here; they really appreciate people doing things for just girls as there are many more things in this society for boys than girls. The GB has only been in existence since January of this year.
26/5 6pm Ali

Blind Association

2010-05-27T21:12:00.003+01:00

Smile tries to respond to requests from various agencies for specific help and the male Boons paid a short visit to the Gjakove Blind Association to deliver a second hand printer and scanner for their office – hopefully all the drivers etc will be ok! Sam and Jake looked at the 3d pictures for the Blind
26/5 4pm Eddie

Visit to Big Family

2010-05-27T21:10:00.001+01:00

We then visited a big family with the widow mum called Zoja Prenkaj in Dobrosh. She had 4 boys and 4 girls but her husband and two boys died in the war. We met her youngest son who was married and was 22 and a visitor who was 17. There was also her granddaughter who was 12, but she was the daughter of one of the sons that died. They gave us all Fanta and we talked to them, they were a lovely family and they were very friendly and the youngest son was amazing at football, but he just couldn’t afford the training to become professional. When we left the two boys, the mum, and the granddaughter gave me a kiss on both cheeks.
26/5 3pm Martha

Stationery

2010-05-27T21:09:00.002+01:00

We are very grateful to our friends who donated stationery to bring with us – we collected about 70kg which was very heavy to carry at the airport (we got some funny looks at the airport car park). We are half way through our stay now and the pile is going down rapidly. The gifts may be small but they have been very much appreciated whenever we have given them
26/5 2pm Eddie

Widower

2010-05-27T21:06:00.001+01:00

After lunch we visited Agran in the village of Meja whose wife had died in very sad circumstances a month ago. He has lots of qualifications in farming but it is hard to get work here. We met 2 of his children and his sisters. Smile supporters in the UK provide sponsorship for some families and they receive packs of basic essentials and school equipment and packs of toiletries which gives them a little extra help. One of the daughters is hoping to be a doctor. When we visit a home we are given fizzy drinks and Berti and I have had Turkish coffee – which is an interesting experience!
26/5 3pm Eddie

Picnic

2010-05-27T21:01:00.003+01:00

For lunch we went with Berti and Hannah for a walk through a forest – it is very, very hot today so the suncream is finally getting some use. We had a picnic and played some ball games. Various people were arriving in cars to hang out there.
26/5 1pm Eddie

Ferdone’s museum

2010-05-27T20:56:00.001+01:00

After a short morning meeting we went to a lady’s house in the town. In the war her husband and all 4 of her children were murdered. Only 2 sons’ bodies have yet been found (the youngest and the oldest). She has no one left. She has turned her home into a museum of war information, photos of her family and displays the clothes the 2 bodies were found in. Naturally, she is a very sad woman and said her life gets worse as the years go on, not better. It was hard to find any words of comfort and it was a very emotional visit. Widows are not expected to marry again, it would be frowned upon; you belong to your husband’s family. Her 2 older sons had both been married for 1 year when they were killed and she could have insisted her daughters-in-law stayed with her for life but she did a kind thing and released them. They both remarried a few years later and live in Switzerland and Germany; she cried when she told us. I guess she knew what her life would be like and set them free from that. Ferdone gave us a copy of her story and a poem
26/5 12noon Alison

Beautiful evening walk

2010-05-25T19:56:00.005+01:00

After our evening meal we went walking in the fields near the Smile Centre it was very beautiful with a warm breeze. Jake and Sam picked flowers to take back to the centr. It has been hot and sunny here today (28c) but there is still snow on the mountains!!

25/5 8pm Eddie

Mother Theresa

2010-05-25T19:55:00.002+01:00

Statue of Mother Theresa (Who was Albanian) in the main square in Gjakove

25/5 4pm Eddie

Language School

2010-05-25T19:50:00.003+01:00

After lunch we returned to Rahovec to run a 2 hour language class for some boys. They were at different levels so we worked individually with them using ‘American English’ workbooks’.

25/5 5pm Eddie

Visit to Lirija School in Fortesa

2010-05-25T19:45:00.003+01:00

Visit to Lirija School in Fortesa
Today we went to Lirija School and it was really cool! When we got there all the kids were really excited and loud! They were very friendly and wanted to greet us all. We went into the Director’s room (Headteacher) and Jake and Sam presented him with the letters and pictures from Orchard Schools. We then went to visit an 8th Grade class. They were about 12/13 and they wanted to know lots! There was one girl called Rina who kept asking loads of questions about us and she was very good at English! At the end we had loads of photos taken and they all wanted my email address! And then I had to write my name on the board for them all to add me on Facebook. I really enjoyed the school and they were all very nice.
25/5 2:15pm Martha

Youth meeting

2010-05-25T17:39:00.002+01:00

We grabbed some meat pastries and headed into Gjakove for a youth meeting where Martha performed some songs. It was one of the young people’s birthday so we shared a big cake together and the evening finished about 10pm.
24/5 10pm Eddie

Girls Brigade in Rugova

2010-05-25T17:32:00.007+01:00

When we went to Girls Brigade we met in 1 room and there was about 20 girls and about 10 extras. We started with singing and praying. My mum then sorted out Tramp’s Tea Party where the girls had to sit down and try and roll a 6 and if they did they had to put on a cap and try and cut the chocolate with a knife and fork. Then they made friendship bracelets, and they were all very good at it! But outside there was a tiny, weeny kitten! It was so cute. At the end I presented the book that my Girls Brigade had given to us and all the girls joined round for a picture. Then the husband of the Captain took all the girls home in his van and one of the girls took the kitten because it didn’t have anywhere to go, and it was really small.
24/5 10pm Martha

Roma Colony

2010-05-24T13:44:00.006+01:00

This morning we walked across the fields to a nearby Roma colony where UNICEF have built a social exclusion centre in partnership with other agencies to help those who are often marginalised. We met some children who are given extra curricular lessons and we helped them with their English. We then met the younger children who sang songs to us and we played a game. Afternoon is free time as we have a busy evening ahead (the weather is warm and sunny with a few clouds).

24/5 2.30pm Eddie

Good walk

2010-05-23T19:44:00.005+01:00

After lunch in cafe – (during which the was a short but very heavy downpour of rain) we went for a good walk through Gjakove and then through fields up a hill overlooking the town. There are very occasionally landmines found but the area where we walked was safe. At the top of the hill there were war graves of those murdered in Gjakove and a big board showing their names. There is a part of the graveyard ready for more burials in due course. After the rain shower the weather has turned quite hot and we enjoyed a drink at a cafe on top of the hill sharing jokes with our hosts overlooking some spectacular scenery.

23/5 5.45pm Eddie

Church service

2010-05-23T19:43:00.000+01:00

We gave a short greeting to the congregation. Most of the service was translated (exept the prayers usually) and a lot of the songs we sung in both languages – we knew quite a few of the songs already

23/5 5.30pm Eddie

Weather and other stuff

2010-05-22T19:07:00.004+01:00

It rained a bit earlier in the day and then the sun came out in the afternoon. On the way home we called at a river bank site where lots of coaches of teenagers on a school trip were stopping to play volleyball and go on a ride. I bought ice creams for 8 of us for £2.20 in total. It has been an energetic day and we feel quite tired. We are hoping that the Champions League final will be on the TV tonight

22/5 8pm Eddie

Graves

2010-05-22T19:04:00.003+01:00

In the village of Krushe Madhe it was strange to come out of the club and straight away see the lines and lines of graves of the men of the village who were killed during 1998 and 1999. During the time of ‘ethnic cleansing’ it is estimated that 75% of the men of the village were murdered. It is very hard for the women and the children to get over all that has happened. We looked at 3 or 4 of the graves which had been recently dug as the bodies of the men had only been found and identified 3 months ago after all these years.

More Children’s clubs

2010-05-22T19:01:00.003+01:00

Today we did a lot of children’s club! The first lot was in Eternity Church and they were really lively! I had to sing with them and then sang a song by myself. Some of them knew some English, and were able to respond to Dad when he talked to them all! The second and third one was in a small village in a little place with 2 rooms, and we did the same sort of stuff! They loved playing with the parachute and playing a ball game! The children are very welcoming and very nice to speak to them. I like the tradition of girls kissing each other on the cheek twice, starting on the right and the men hug each other. We are going to church tomorrow and meeting all the friends we have made, and Sam has made a good impression on the older guys?!
22/5 7:30pm Martha

Food and weather

2010-05-21T21:11:00.003+01:00

For dinner we had roast chicken and rice. It was a very nice dinner. We also have been sitting in the lounge chilling out with all the people staying at the centre. We have been eating loads of biscuits and sweets and just met a little tiny tortoise! Tomorrow we are going to 3 kids clubs and I hope we have lots of fun!
21/5 9:25pm Martha

Weather
It was quite cold this morning but this afternoon it seems like the snow on the mountains has melted a bit – perhaps things will warm up – we have heard it is very hot in the UK and we haven’t even needed any sun cream.
21/5 9.45pm Eddie

Language schools

2010-05-21T21:00:00.007+01:00

We paid a quick visit to Jeton’s language school and met some teenage girls who are learning English – we chatted with them about Life in Kosova and England. We then drove to Rahovec where Berti from Smile runs English classes twice a week.
21/5 1.05pm Eddie

After lunch we took part in Berti’s English class; about 20 children came and we did some English learning with them and then we played some English games for them to learn words that way. What’s the time Mr Wolf? We went down well as did musical statues. We told them the story of Noah. They were all very happy children and just wandered off together after the club; parents never seem to pick their children up here or mind where they are, it’s quite a nice relaxed feeling.
21/05 6:30pm Ali

Little Girl

2010-05-21T20:57:00.005+01:00

When we went to visit the little girl we found out that her uncles and her dad were given a 1/3 of the land each. But when the girl’s dad died, her uncles cast her, her mum and her brother out of the house, leaving them with a tiny shed next to the house, with a bunk-bed, a basket of food and a little cooker. They nearly burnt it down because the cooker was so hot. Also, whenever they got new things, the uncles from next door would just take it. The girl seemed very independent, even though she was 10 because her mum and brother went to hospital so she would have to do everything on her own. We are thinking of painting the inside of her house, because it was very dark and we would think it would brighten up their shed.
21/5 1:00pm Martha

Visit to small house

2010-05-21T20:52:00.002+01:00

There was a girl called Qerime and she lived in a tiny one room house with no lock on the front door. Her mum (who is a widow) was in hospital and her brother was visiting her in hospital so Qerime was on her own. We realised that she could read and say a lot of English although she was only ten. We were listening to her reading her work book from the school and we were amazed!
21/5 10:00pm Jake

Evening meeting

2010-05-20T20:23:00.003+01:00

This evening we went to a meeting at a church which meets in a rented house. Most of us couldn’t understand each other but it didn’t matter because we knew that we were all talking to the same God and that we were family; it was an amazing experience

20/5 9pm Alison

Childrens club

2010-05-20T20:20:00.004+01:00

Later on we went to Kids Club. It was based in a school and there was about 10 – 15 children. We sang and then listened to a parable about Jesus. Then my dad sorted out loads of games with parachutes and balloons. Then everyone went outside and had a massive game of football! It was a very fun day!
20/5 9:45pm Martha

Gypsy village

2010-05-20T20:13:00.002+01:00

Today we went to a little isolated village with 3 houses and A LOT of children! They were all very nice and very friendly. We were talking to widow that Smile is sponsoring. Her eldest son had (we think) epilepsy and had lots of heart attacks. Their dog had also just had puppies and they were a week old! They were so cute! My favourite one was a white one; I think it was a Labrador. I made friends with a 17 year old girl who was married, and she cared a lot about her family which was very nice. Everyone was very friendly and it was an amazing experience.

20/5 1pm Martha

Good morning

2010-05-20T20:02:00.002+01:00

When we woke up me and Sam went in the games room that has a soft play area, a pool table, an air hockey table and a table football table.
We went to a widow and her family’s house to give them help and in the end, all of the children in the neighbourhood turned up! We had one of those parachutes and the children we’re loving it. Also, we were getting the children to make jewellery with plastic beads and strings.
All in all, not a bad morning!
20/5 1pm Jake

2010-05-20T07:42:00.004+01:00

Kosova is a beautiful country with spread out houses in the countryside – lots of poppies growing by the road side – rather poigniant! 50 mile journey took about an hour and a half and the view from the centre is of the mountains of the Albanian border.
We unpacked and the children were delighted to find a good games room at the centre – we then went to a local restaurant for a lovely meal (34Euros for 12 people including soft drinks!). we arrived back at 10.30pm and had a short welcome meeting. We are the first people to come here as part of a sabbatical.
Things are flexible here and our draft programme will change as we go along – I will updated when I can
A good nights sleep in a very comfortable bed was very welcome
Eddie 8am 20/5

journey

2010-05-20T07:37:00.004+01:00

Hi guys!
We had a really good flight, not delayed or cancelled and we flew over the Swiss Alps! It was really pretty and covered in snow!
The airport in Pristina was really small and we got out in about 5 minutes!
We have been collected by a VW van and are travelling along a very bumpy road listening to Disney ‘The Rescuers’ on a tape.
It will be about an hour and a half to the centre and we are really looking forward to it! We hope to have a look around and meet new people!
19/5 6pm Martha, Jake and Sam. J

Good News

2010-05-17T19:47:00.001+01:00

We are very glad that the Ash Plume seems to be moving away :)

i'm excited

2010-05-16T19:56:00.003+01:00

3 days before we leave: i am really looking forward to maybe seeing a black bear ( i'll need to be properly awake!!!)
Jake

Girls Brigade

2010-05-12T11:48:00.005+01:00

The 1st Hythe Girls Brigade

have made two big cards to give to the new Girls Brigade

companies in Kosova

Getting ready

2010-05-12T11:25:00.002+01:00

We are looking forward to our trip and glad that the BA Strike does not affect Gatwick Airport. We have been collecting stationery to take to schools and pupils at Orchard Junior School have been writing letters to give to the children.

Welcome

2010-04-30T20:54:00.001+01:00