Saturday 15 June

By Salomėja Siparytė

 

Hi hi, we’re halfway through our trip to Kosovo now. My name is Salomėja, and I am a second-year student focusing on International Relations at AUC. I will tell you about our little chill day we had on Saturday. Thanks to our coordinators, we had a chance to sleep in, and only met to catch the bus to Gračanica at around noon. Gračanica was the main trip in our agenda for the day, but the day was, as always, full of pleasant surprises. Gračanica is a city mainly populated by Kosovo Serbs, located just 10 kilometers away from Priština, where we are staying. Despite its proximity, it has a distinct vibe, all signs were suddenly Cyrillic and people were chatting in Serbian, instead of Albanian.

 

After enjoying a delicious Greek salad, goulash, and baklava at Hotel Gračanica, we had some time to relax in the surrounding nature, which was much needed after a night out. From the hotel, we were taken to see the Prthodox monastery in the city, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006. The monastery’s unique design and spectacular frescoes inside left a lasting impression, although we were not allowed to take pictures of the interior. Our guide shared many interesting facts, theories, and conspiracies about the frescoes, including how one depicts hell and the other heaven, and how men often choose to sit in front of the hell scene. We also witnessed people coming in to pray, which added a profound dimension to the experience. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place like this before, and it’s definitely worth seeing.

Afterwards we went to see the “MISSING” monument, which is just down the street from the monastery. Just as Priština has the NEWBORN sign, Gračanica has a sign like this, but it spells out MISSING. It’s a memorial dedicated to the Serb victims missing since the Kosovo War. It has pictures and names of missing persons, serving as a public acknowledgment of their absence and a call for answers. It showcases the ongoing impact of the conflict on the local community, as well as a reminder that war crimes were committed on both sides.

 

Later, we boarded the bus once again and headed to Ulpiana, an ancient Roman urban settlement with a rich history dating back to the 1st century. Despite experiencing an earthquake, the site was rebuilt, only to be ravaged again. Initially, I thought I was fooled, as I only saw a small part of the ancient Roman urban site at first. However, we soon discovered there was much more to explore. It was surprising to see people currently living among the ruins, blending the past and present in a unique way.

 

And that’s how the learning part of the day wrapped up. Soon enough, we were taken back to Priština and went our separate ways. After freshening up, some of us took naps, had dinner, or simply relaxed. However, it was the Albania-Italy football game that brought us all together again. The first five minutes were extremely intense, and the unexpected goal for the Albanians sent the entire city into an excited frenzy. It was a great way to end our Saturday, filled with both educational and fun adventures.