A jumble of emotions

By Alexia Chiriac

Before we left for Kosovo, we had to come up with project ideas for the trip. Discussing our plan in front of the gate at Schiphol Airport, we didn’t know what working on this project would bring. I teamed up with two of my classmates, and we decided to create a photobook, showcasing the stories of the people of Kosovo that we met during our stay there. We decided to give people space to tell us their stories, no matter how informal or how unrelated to our class they were. We gave them free rein over the conversation and we let them decide what we should talk about. The result was better than I could have ever imagined.

When I think about this trip, I think about the people that I met. I think about the people I talked to. Their stories, their experiences, their emotions. The way their eyes twinkle when they talk about the things they are passionate about. Due to the privacy of the interviewees, I can’t share most of the things we talked about, but I can share what I learned. I learned that Albanian cuisine consists mostly of dough, that one of the interviewees would like to take all of the stray dogs of Pristina and put them in his backyard. I learned that sometimes you must act even in the face of fear. That sometimes that fear will push you to do things you’ve never imagined. Because that fear tells you that you are doing somethings right, that you are going against the tide of the status quo. I’ve also learned that most people that create real and meaningful change, are often unaware of it, or refuse to acknowledge it. I’ve seen how humble some of the most impressive people I’ve met are. When confronted with our awe over their stories and their work, they replied with a simple: “Please, I haven’t done much.”. Which is not true. They have done everything. I’ve also learned that no matter what, when we act with love and care, we are all bringing peace to our world. When we extend ourselves in order to make someone’s life easier, we bring immeasurable peace to others, no matter how small the act.

Whenever people ask me what this trip was like I just start saying words like “nice, lovely, interesting”, but I can’t seem to find the words to describe it properly. Also, the whole experience has been such a rush of emotions and events that I don’t think I have fully processed it yet. Maybe in a month or two I’ll be able to properly convey everything that happened. Until then, I’m just going to leave you with this: from all the people I’ve met, I learned that you can do anything once you set your mind to it. I’ve also learned that all change is significant, no matter how small it is and no matter how many people it impacts. No matter if you call yourself an activist, a peacebuilder, a volunteer, or you are simply living your life, you contribute something. But no matter what you do, what you choose to become, please be kind. That is all that matters.