Having impact

By Paola Michel

On 18 June the group met at 9am at our usually rally point, one of the cafés in front of Newborn. Some of us ordered coffees while presentations were being held, and we then got on the UN bus to Mitrovica. I have to say the space, between the rows in this bus had to be the tiniest I had ever seen, getting to the end of it with a backpack was quite the challenge.

We met with New Social Initiative (which you can read all about in Novara and Mathilde's blogposts) from 11 to 12 and then dispersed into groups for lunch. The braver half of the group walked around the city while the rest sat in the shade in an attempt to escape the midday heat. I had a delicious iced coffee and a less delicious burger while I went over my presentation one last time. I'm not sure what was in that steak and I'm absolutly certain I don't want to know (if prompted, the vegetarians on the trip would rightly point out the cognitive dissonance at play here). 

The group then met next to the "Peace Bridge" in Mitovica which separates the northern and southern sides of the city. Crossing this bridge was a moment of realisation. It looked like any regular bridge to us, yet was a physical representation of the divide and tensions between Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians in Mitrovica. On the Albanian side, under the shade of a tree, I gave a presentation on Community Building Mitrovica, an NGO which works towards inter-ethnic cooperation and dialogue in the city. The group then went to the NGO's office, where we were received by two staff members who answered all of our questions and made the meeting into a lively conversation. They were so enthusiastic about their work, and their organisation was evidently one that had an impact on the lives of the people of Mitrovica, especially the youths.

After this meeting, the group was off to the most beautiful lake. I could not provide information about the ride as I fell asleep seconds after buckling my seatbelt. When I woke up the bus was arriving by a lake surrounded by trees, which reminded me of the landscapes that I grew up in, in the south of France. After a lot of doubts as to whether it was safe to jump into the water from a concrete platform that stood by the lake, some of us carefully went into the water. 

It was breathtaking. The water was a beautiful stade of green, same as the nails that Alice got done this week in Pristina. Six of us set our sights on the other side of the lake and swam to it. A few minutes later, six very out of breath Peace Lab students made it to the other side. We noticed a house on the beach, with a Serbian flag and Serbian license plate as decorations, which made us realise first hand the nationalistic sentiments present in the region.

After we came back to side of the lake with the restaurant, the owner offered to take the group on his boat. He took us around the lake and we were able to jump from it and swim around some more. After this surprise, the group lounged some more by the lakeside and headed up to the restaurant for a barbecue-style dinner. We then took a bit more time admiring the lake and skipping stones before going off into two hostels where we spent the night. 

This day was high in emotions for me as it is the day I finally submitted my Capstone, but the commitment and enthusiasm of the people we met as well as the swim in the turquoise water made me forget all about it.