Volunteer work in Kosovo

February 19, 2009 5:39 PM

I'm a law student, and I might have the opportunity to work, on a volunteer basis, for a political development program in Kosovo this summer. Is there anything I should be worried about?

I find the work I would be doing absolutely fascinating, and I would be located in Pristina. Everything is organized through the law school and the selection process is quite rigorous, so there is no doubt that this is a fabulous opportunity. My parents, however, while recognizing how amazing this would be, aren't exactly thrilled. My father, who spent time in Kosovo, is quite worried about possible safety issues, especially since I'm a woman. I'm wondering whether someone who's from Kosovo, or has worked/traveled there can either shatter or substantiate those concerns and share any personal experiences. This is much appreciated!

posted by Grimble to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

I was lined up to go to Kosovo last summer for a legal internship. A month before the end of the semester they canceled saying that the country wasn't stable enough to send students over...so you might not want to give up your job search, even if you decide that is what you want to do for the summer.
posted by unreasonable at 5:55 PM on February 19

Fabulous opportunity for sure, and something for which you should be proud. That said, things could be scary. As a woman, ironically, you may be a bit safer, unless an absolutely out-of-nowhere and very brutal war were waged. Serbs and Kosovan Albanians all take ideas about honor pretty seriously when it comes to woman, and you'll have a Western sheen of protection beyond that. In the sense of your gender, you're safer in Kosovo than Philadelphia or Atalnta, probably. But you've left out a lot of information - how much do you *really* know about the situation and history there? What are your language skills . . . do you have any Serbo-Croatian or Albanian? What are the nationalities of the people you'd be working with? How much contact would you have - or need to have - with random locals? Would you be in Pristina all the time, or would you be out in villages? These are very relevant questions.

More than current danger issues, I'd be worried about the situation this summer; things are very volatile across the region. The financial crisis is beginning to have weird effects across the Balkans. My cousins in Sarajevo maintain that the whole region is less stable than it's been since the war, and that local "incidents" of violence are becoming more extreme, more frequent . . . and less reported. The incidents are almost always of an quasi-ethnic or religious dimension. I hadn't been back until recently, and I was shocked at the often extremist views of my own people (Bosnian Muslims), who were the victims last time around and had almost never espoused radical views - and definitely never on a religious basis. That's changed now. Wounds left unhealed by a really crappy and unfair peace agreement (which rewarded the aggressors / war criminals, at the expense of those who tried to adhere to niceties like human rights, disarmament initiatives, and so on) have festered, and spread.

Worse, no one's really paying much attention. The financial world in the West is melting. People are tired of hearing about Afghanistan and Iraq. They've done little in Darfur or other parts of Africa. The path of the former Yugoslavia to EU entry is now widely regarded as impassable - many have given up hope for stability because of this alone. It's my thinking this could be a terrible summer for a place like Kosovo.

On the other hand, just being a Westerner means you're safer than most. It wouldn't stop me from going, if I were in your position. But I'm fatalistic to a fine point, and I tend to leap at any new experience. Your parents have reason to fear, it's just a question of what you're willing to risk. The personal and intellectual rewards would be huge no matter what does or doesn't happen.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 10:51 PM on February 19

I was there several years ago and I would go back again without much hesitation. Dee put it very well in general and especially in that it's hard to say what the summer might bring and that would be my biggest concern at this point.

Avoid traipsing around in the woods because there might be landmines, but they've been working pretty hard at removing them and it's not such a big problem I think. I would also avoid the border areas in general as a location for tension, but again I think the danger is really quite small. You might consider checking out the Lonely Planet's "Thorntree" forum for a better idea of what it's like now.

As far as living and working there, well a lot of the young people speak English and they're actually quite friendly to Americans which is nice. The cost of living was also low, but it's been almost 10 years since I was there and a lot has changed in that time.

If it were me I would accept the offer and only consider canceling if the summer looked to be bad. Other than that, it's a great opportunity to see a pretty neat part of the world and get an idea for yourself what's behind the headlines.
posted by Horatius at 1:09 AM on February 20

A family member of mine (young woman) has been working in Kosovo for years now and she loves it. Some important details are that we are Albanian but before she decided to go work over there we had been living in the U.S. for about ten years. So you might say that since she speaks the language of the majority she would find it easier to integrate.

I have visited once about a year and a half ago and had a great time. Initially I was very apprehensive about my relative going to work there for the obvious reasons of perceived instability, but now I have no concerns at all.

As Horatius said, English speakers in Prishtina are a dime a dozen and there is a large number of internationals (lots of young men and women) working for NGOs, NATO, EULEX, UN, etc.

I have to run, but I'll try to write a few more things in a bit.
posted by preparat at 6:07 AM on February 20

Thank you everyone so far.

In case anyone checks back, I should add that I'm of Romanian descent (not sure if that's relevant) and I speak Romanian, French, and English...again I'm not sure that'll really make a difference one way or another. I believe I will only be working with other law students that have been recruited from around the world, as well as local volunteers, that I presume will be lawyers. I know that one of the activities that I will be engaging in is holding workshops for locals where we'll be discussing pertinent political/legal issues that they are faced with on a day to day basis.

I'm not sure if these facts make any difference, but thank you all for your help!
posted by Grimble at 6:56 AM on February 20

Grimble - sorry for not posting more sooner. I contacted my relative and asked her if she is aware of any foreign students blogging about their experiences in Kosovo. Haven't heard back but hopefully she finds something. My opinion is that you would be perfectly safe and, given the large international presence, in the highly unlikely case there is unrest there would be plenty of opportunity for your safe removal from there.

Nothing about your background would require extra caution.

Is your living situation sorted out by the school? If yes, then that's one less thing to concern yourself with.
posted by preparat at 6:32 PM on February 22