Today I am leaving Pristina.

A short but intense contract.

It has not been easy to take the decision of quitting a job that I love but circumstances at work had become unbearable and I need different working conditions.

9 things that I won’t miss at all:

1. A huge amount of stray dogs, that broke my heart every time that I saw them.

2. Traffic and smog.

3. Very poor transports in common (from flights to trains and busses).

4. The distance from the sea!

5. The fact that here it is allowed to smoke in public places!

6. The terribly slow service in bars. Here waiters use to sit and chat among themselves while you can wait up to half an hour before being served!

7. The lack of salad at the supermarket!

8. Not understanding when people are talking!

9. Local music! Omg, I have no idea of what they sing but the lyrics sound always the same and the melody cause me nausea and headache! Just like salsa, don’t worry! Everything is normal!

9 things that I will miss for sure:

1. People. They are extremely friendly and welcoming. They make you feel at home and here below you can find the proof of what I am saying.

We had host AC Milan in our hotel. I premise that I do not support any football team but here they are all inexplicably crazy for Milan! Since the early morning a crowd of supporters gathered in front of our main entrance and started waiting for the team to arrive, singing in Italian!

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I just couldn’t believe my eyes and my ears! I think that it really represent the sense of hospitality of this nation. Neither the players and the managers did not expected anything like that.

1. The local specialities. Burek. It is actually originary if Turkey, but you can find it everywhere in the Balkans. It is a pastry filled with cheese or in this case cheese and spinach.

Burek

I cannot show you all the food and products that I have loved but here below you also have Kerlana me djath (Kerlana with cheese)

Kerlana me djath

1. The best cappuccino, after Italy of course!

2. The cost of life.

3. Leaving the money on the table at the bar, knowing that no one will touch them, but the waiter (once he has finished chatting with his colleagues, of course!)

4. Some very interesting meetings that I have made and people I will surely keep in touch with!

5. I will take with me the everlasting memory of these wires and cables, suspended in every corner of the city!

Yes, you might think that they are awful but I am so fascinated by them!

1. The relatively close distance to natural and cultural points of interests, right outside Pristina.

2. A very difficult language because Albanian has nothing to do with any other language in the world! Somehow it makes it even more fascinating but undoubtedly more difficult to learn.

I have learned a few words, expressions and the unmissable bad words!

Then, I have learned a very important one: Faleminderit. Thank you.