{"id":107744,"date":"2024-09-30T18:06:47","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T16:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/ne-te-keq-e-ne-te-mire\/"},"modified":"2024-10-10T09:26:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T07:26:52","slug":"in-good-times-and-in-bad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/in-good-times-and-in-bad\/","title":{"rendered":"In good times and in bad"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"107744\" class=\"elementor elementor-107744 elementor-107251\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f85dad0 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f85dad0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div 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class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">In good times and in bad\n<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0f0443b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0f0443b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cf16cb3\" data-id=\"cf16cb3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9716e2a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9716e2a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The lasting friendships between refugee and host families.\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-820489a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"820489a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c34142b\" data-id=\"c34142b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-819bb38 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"819bb38\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">By Rexhep Maloku   | 30 September, 2024<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60786c8 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"60786c8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-79e792f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"79e792f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-93dd26c\" data-id=\"93dd26c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2001358 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2001358\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bashkim Veliu lowers his gaze, lost in thought as memories from 25 years ago resurface. &#8220;When they left, it felt like someone died. The yard seemed abandoned,&#8221; he recalls, remembering June 18, 1999. On that day, his father, Bajram drove the five-member Sylejmani family, who had stayed with them as refugees for six months, to their next destination.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His narration is briefly interrupted when a waiter from a nearby caf\u00e9 enters, placing a coffee on Veliu\u2019s desk. He manages the family\u2019s grain processing business in Dobrosht, a village near Tetovo, North Macedonia, North Macedonia. As soon as the waiter leaves, Veliu starts to tell his stories again, blending memories of war with those of peace.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The memories seem faint to him. He pulls out his phone and calls his father, Bajram, using the Viber app. Bajram lives in Germany with most of the extended Veliu family. He said he could talk for hours or even days about their bond with the Sylejmani family. He apologized in advance if his tears interrupted the story.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;For me, they are like my own family, even though we only lived together for six months and three days,&#8221; said the white-bearded man, his voice catching. &#8220;My father is deeply connected to Gursel\u2019s family,&#8221; Veliu interjects, helping to fill the silence as his father composes himself. The quiet of the office is disrupted by the hum of cars from the road outside.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, in Ferizaj, the sounds of young people talking and cars passing through the underpass near the train station do not distract Pranvera Sylejmani.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She sips her coffee on a caf\u00e9 terrace, adding details to the story that Bajram and Bashkim started. As she speaks, her gaze settles on the statue of the martyr Ramadan Rexhepi, a soldier who fought alongside her father, Gursel, and her uncle, Bajram Sylejmani. Both brothers were martyred in 1998 during what is known as the Epic of Jezerci.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pranvera was named after her father Gursel&#8217;s favorite season \u2014 spring. Gursel, who was also a painter, chose names for his children that reflected his love of nature. &#8220;He named us Pranvera [Spring], Kaltrina [blue] and Diell [sun]. He loved spring for its sense of renewal, the sunshine and blue skies,&#8221; she explained. Pranvera, Kaltrina and Diell, along with their mother Alije and paternal grandmother Sofije, sought refuge with the Veliu family in Dobrosht at the end of 1998 and early 1999.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her face lights up when she talks about family celebrations here in Ferizaj and across the border. &#8220;The first people we invited to Diell&#8217;s wedding were Bajram Veliu&#8217;s family because we consider them part of our own family. Neither we nor they count numbers of people because we are considered hosts at each other&#8217;s weddings,&#8221; Pranvera said with a smile, recalling her brother&#8217;s wedding. The friendship between the Sylejmani and Veliu families has grown over the years through various events. However, the circumstances under which this bond was formed are quite unusual.<\/span><\/p><p><b>The long road to Tetovo<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before seeking refuge with the Veliu family, the Sylejmani family faced many difficulties. In the summer and fall of 1998, they fled from their home in Sadovin\u00eb, which had become a target for raids by Serbian forces. They sought safety in various villages and towns in southeastern Kosovo, hiding with relatives and friends. Despite the constant danger, Pranvera also found some moments of joy in her childhood, such as bathing in the raging waters of the Lepenci. However, she was always aware that being in public spaces posed a risk.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there was something she was forced to forget for the sake of her family and herself.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Whenever people who didn&#8217;t know me asked my name, I gave a different one so it wouldn&#8217;t be public, because we were afraid the Serbian police would find and arrest us,&#8221; she said. Now, she doesn&#8217;t even remember the name on the forged passport she used to cross the Macedonian border at the end of 1998. At that time, Pranvera \u2014 now a teacher at the \u00c7esk Zadeja art school \u2014 was just nine years old.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After reaching Tetovo, North Macedonia, where 344,500 refugees from Kosovo took shelter, they temporarily stayed at a relative&#8217;s house. However, due to the limited space available, Pranvera\u2019s uncle, Bilall Sherifi, reached out to his friend in Tetovo, Bajram Veliu, to see if he could offer shelter to the family. Although Bajram knew nothing about the Sylejmani family, he didn&#8217;t hesitate to help \u2014 he was willing to shelter any Albanian family persecuted by the Serbian regime in Kosovo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bajram said during the video call that he hadn\u2019t met Gursel Sylejmani before, but after Gursel&#8217;s family settled in the house of his brother, who was in Germany, he saw him in a dream, him leaving a bunch of flowers as a bequest. Although Bajram only knew about Gursel from family stories, the dream deeply moved him and gave him the courage to look after the Sylejmani family as if they were his own.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bajram also turned a blind eye to the mischief and typical children&#8217;s games that took place in the large, slightly sloping yard of the house.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We climbed trees and played various ball games, but even when we misbehaved, they never yelled at us,&#8221; said Pranvera. &#8220;Uncle Bajram, his mother, his father and the children made sure we had everything we needed. We found fresh bread and rolls in a bag at the door every morning. They really pampered us in Dobroshte.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The women, including the host Ajshe and Pranvera&#8217;s mother, Alija, worked tirelessly in the kitchen, preparing food for both families.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We ate at one table. Aunt Ajshe prepared the food, but Mom also helped,&#8221; said Pranvera.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cooking and baking <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">flija <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">brought the children of both families together as they played in the yard. Alija handed slices of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">flija<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, hot from the pan on the embers, to Pranvera and Sevdija \u2014 Bajram and Ajsha&#8217;s daughter, with whom Pranvera spent most of her time.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pranvera chooses to focus on the kindness of her hosts rather than on the endless suffering of her family or the pain of losing her father and uncle in the Jezerci mountains. She highlights that her friends treated her with kindness. She continued the third grade at the village school. &#8220;The Albanian teacher was very kind and explained things very well, but the only difficulty I had was learning Macedonian,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We never felt like we were in a foreign country.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to Sylejmani, about a million other Albanians were expelled from Kosovo to Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro during this period. Their experiences are commemorated on a wall at the Ferizaj\u2019s train station. Ferizaj came to symbolize profound emptiness and displacement in March 1999.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2021, as part of the ninth edition of the MuralFest festival she co-founded, Pranvera rolled up her sleeves and worked on the &#8220;Road&#8221; mural. This mural depicts Albanians sitting on train tracks, waiting to leave their homes. It is inspired by a photograph from the French news agency AFP,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/inatl\/daily\/april99\/refugees01.htm\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">published<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on April 1, 1999 in the Washington Post under the headline &#8220;In a horror movie, you couldn&#8217;t imagine this.&#8221; The title quotes Astrit Gashi, a student who had been expelled from his home in Kosovo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The photo captured the scene at the Prishtina train station. &#8220;On the platform, paramilitary troops in green jackets and athletic shoes brandished knives. Some barged aboard and called out, \u2018We are vampires. We like to drink blood,\u2019&#8221; wrote Daniel Williams, the article\u2019s author, among other details.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Pranvera, the mural dedicated to her father serves as a reminder of the past. &#8220;It aims to unite our citizens by reminding us that despite our current differences, we all come from the same past,&#8221; she<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/muralfest.org\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wrote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the MuralFest website.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9e2726c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9e2726c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-31f6651\" data-id=\"31f6651\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-586e599 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"586e599\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"882\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Intext-image-320-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-107171\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Intext-image-320-2.jpg 882w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Intext-image-320-2-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Intext-image-320-2-768x573.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Intext-image-320-2-326x243.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 882px) 100vw, 882px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c6f520d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c6f520d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d5e769d\" data-id=\"d5e769d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca3ff3b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca3ff3b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>From Zhur to Gostil<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In spring 1999, Serbian forces violently expelled the residents of Zhur, setting their houses on fire and filling the air with smoke. With just a few belongings hastily packed, the residents fled using tractors, horse-drawn carriages, cars and some even traveled on foot, crossing the border with Albania.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the road wasn\u2019t very long in terms of kilometers, what they encountered turned the already painful exodus from Zhur into a living hell. Abdullah Ademaj, 52, recalls how he, along with dozens of his family members and other refugees, saw civilians being killed along the road, and saw looted weapons and food scattered on the ground. He said that he will never forget those scenes.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amidst all the ordeal, there was a glimmer of hope when they crossed the border. A member of the Ademaj family had a connection with the Cenaj family in Gostil, Kuk\u00ebs \u2014 a bond that had been severed during the decades of strict communist regime in Albania from the mid \u201840s to the early \u201890s. Exhausted but safe, the Ademaj family, along with other families from Dragash and Prizren, waited on the streets of Kuk\u00ebs. They reconnected their severed family bond by sending a call for help broadcasted on television in Kuk\u00ebs. Television had become one of the few public avenues for communication, and through it, the Ademaj family sought assistance from the Cenaj family.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cenaj family, who lived on the plain below the majestic Gjallica mountain, only had one sack of flour on the day they took in the first 30 refugees into their two-room house. 68-year-old Ajet Cenaj recalls this while sitting on the terrace of a small restaurant near the roundabout that connects villages and the road to Kuk\u00ebs airport with Kuk\u00ebs.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From time to time, he raises his glass of grape brandy for a toast. For him, despite the challenges, realizing Kosovo\u2019s dream of independence is always a reason to celebrate.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;In three days, another 30 people arrived, bringing the total to 76,&#8221; Cenaj recalled, standing in front of the house, which at the time had neither running water nor an indoor bathroom. &#8220;Half of them slept in these two rooms and on the balcony outside, while the others stayed in an old, unrenovated house where we spread straw on the floor. Another family stayed in a tent \u2014 or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shator<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as you call it,&#8221; said the 68-year-old. At that time, he was earning only 150 marks a month working for the public water company.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But he had made up his mind to shelter them and share whatever he had with them at his table.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I sent my four children to their uncles in Kolisian to make room for my Kosovar brothers and sisters,&#8221; said the gray-haired man, standing near the flower-filled entrance to the house. &#8220;The children used to mix up their boots and shoes because there were so many of them. I did it out of humanity, for the children who were my children&#8217;s age. Today, they are adults.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At that time, the 444,600 refugees from Kosovo found Albania tired and mired in poverty, particularly after the 1997 riots, which followed the collapse of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imf.org\/external\/pubs\/ft\/fandd\/2000\/03\/jarvis.htm#:~:text=By%20March%201997%2C%20Albania%20was,mass%20emigration%20of%20Albanians%20began.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pyramid schemes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in which an estimated <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imf.org\/external\/pubs\/ft\/fandd\/2000\/03\/jarvis.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">two-thirds<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the population had invested. Despite the difficulties, many Albanian families welcomed refugees with open arms. The Cenaj family was in similar circumstances and sheltered 76 people.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;In the beginning, it was difficult, but then help started coming from the local government and international organizations,&#8221; Cenaj recalled, with a soft laugh, trying to lighten the mood. He avoided dwelling on the challenges of making ends meet. &#8220;We cooked pasta in a big pot for about eighty people. On the day they arrived, they brought sweets with them because it was Eid the day they were expelled from Zhur.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, under the echo of the bombings and shelling by Serbian forces less than 10 kilometers away, life in Cenaj&#8217;s yard maintained a routine. The women of the Cenaj and Ademaj families made sure that no one went hungry \u2014 they cooked, and baked dishes such as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">flija <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">krelan<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> [corn bread].<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the years went by, freedom allowed for parties and weddings. The Ademaj family members hired a minibus to travel to Kuk\u00ebs when the Cenaj family invited them to their eldest son&#8217;s wedding. Similarly, the Cenaj family traveled to Zhur for Avdullah Ademaj&#8217;s son&#8217;s wedding on August 12, 2017. &#8220;We visited each other. We maintained our family relationships,&#8221; said Avdullah. &#8220;My three children remember well that we stayed there, and the nephews and nieces know that Ajet is a close family friend.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2000, Kuk\u00ebs became the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel\/article\/20231206-kuks-the-first-city-ever-nominated-for-a-nobel-prize\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first city<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. It was awarded the prize for its hospitality during the war in Kosovo, and just like Ferizaj, it remembers the past. The Hospitality Tower, built in 2009, stands in the administrative heart of the city. The 23.5-meter-high tower is adorned with photographs depicting the hardships endured by nearly half a million Albanian refugees who were sheltered in Kuk\u00ebs. Inside the tower, many photographs are exhibited, serving as evidence of torture, deportation and the remarkable hospitality of Kuk\u00ebs.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The emptying of the refugee camps and the homes of the people of Kuk\u00ebs brought both joy and a sense of emptiness to the locals, whose hometown had suddenly been transformed for about four months.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d31f25e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d31f25e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a0dde8a\" data-id=\"a0dde8a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3475d88 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3475d88\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;It was a bit difficult because our houses and the city were emptied, but we were glad that they didn&#8217;t return with sad faces, as they had when they arrived from the torturous Serbian regime,&#8221; said Cenaj.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the Sylejmani family, gratitude has blossomed into an exceptional friendship. &#8220;Since then, we&#8217;ve visited each other often. They came for lunches, dinners, and stayed over on weekends,&#8221; said Pranvera. &#8220;Uncle Bajram has a great soul. Just imagine \u2014 he sheltered us in his new house, making us the first to live there. It&#8217;s a sign of the big heart and wonderful nature of their family.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">Feature Image: Veliu Family Archive.<\/span><\/b><\/p><p><em style=\"font-size: 80%;\"><strong>This publication was produced with the support of forumZFD. The contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of forumZFD.<br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1a91c39\" data-id=\"1a91c39\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d96dea2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d96dea2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"595\" height=\"842\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feature-image-450.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-107153\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feature-image-450.jpg 595w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feature-image-450-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Feature-image-450-326x461.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Photo: Rexhep Maloku<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ENG SHQ B\/C\/S In good times and in bad The lasting friendships between refugee and host families. By Rexhep Maloku&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":864,"featured_media":107151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[1725],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107744"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/864"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107744"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107752,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107744\/revisions\/107752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}