{"id":93697,"date":"2023-10-26T13:17:53","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T11:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/?p=93697"},"modified":"2023-10-30T10:15:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T09:15:58","slug":"getting-by-in-gorazdevac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/getting-by-in-gorazdevac\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting by in Gora\u017edevac"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"93697\" class=\"elementor elementor-93697\" 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-47c1c7a elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"47c1c7a\" 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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lang=\"sr\">B\/C\/S<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\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-1f28b21 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1f28b21\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-custom\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-184c92a\" data-id=\"184c92a\" 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-bd23357 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bd23357\" 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\">Getting by in Gora\u017edevac\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75ab25a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"75ab25a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">My summer in a Serb village in western Kosovo.<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-16c0f5b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"16c0f5b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/author\/ilirgashi\/\" target=\"_blank\">By Ilir Gashi<\/a><\/h4>\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-acf7e43 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"acf7e43\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-custom\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1b9503e\" data-id=\"1b9503e\" 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-a4dca02 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a4dca02\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93699\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_101-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4c1141e\" data-id=\"4c1141e\" 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-5e01b16 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"5e01b16\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93720\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_100-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-86f4efd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"86f4efd\" 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-aa14020\" data-id=\"aa14020\" 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-87beec7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"87beec7\" 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;\">Fly on the w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all. Inc<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">onspicuously perched in the background, observing and absorbing. I heard the expression right befor<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e coming to Gora\u017edevac for a reporting assignment, and<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> it sounded like just the right thing for me.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Admittedly, I hadn&#8217;t considered that in a tiny Serb village in western Kosovo, a two-meter-tall fly with an Albanian name a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd a Serbian accent straight out of Belgrade <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">might not be all that inconspicuous.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWho are you and what\u2019re you doing here<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">side the house I had moved into a few days earlie<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r, on the other side of a wooden fence, sto<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">od a m<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an. It w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as getting dark, but the look in his eyes felt darker still.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a second, I played out a potential answer. \u201cGood evening! My name is Ilir. I\u2019m a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n Albanian from Belgrade. Although actually I\u2019m a little Serbian too.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In fact, I\u2019m equal parts Serbian and Albanian. I mean, it depends \u2014 the feeling is fluid in nature. I\u2019ve co<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">me here ri<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ght in the middle of the worst security crisis Kosovo has seen in years, but, I assure you, it\u2019s just a coincidence. See, for a while now, I\u2019ve been curious about how the Serbs <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">actually<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> live h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ere.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No one&#8217;s going to buy tha<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t. Better keep things simple.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m working with Darko, from the radio\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The man kept staring at me. I felt a lump in my throat.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m staying here at Mili\u0107\u2019s aunt\u2019s place. Right now, she\u2019s at her mother<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s in\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAlright, you don\u2019t have to explain yourself to me,\u201d my new neighbor rumbled. \u201cI just came around to make sure you aren&#8217;t some sort of Turk.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ottoman Turks left these parts more than a century ago, but I could feel from the man&#8217;s tone that they aren&#8217;t remembered fondly.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do I know? I guess I&#8217;m no Turk. We&#8217;ll see.<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Little Hous<\/b><b>e<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alth<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ough most of the locals don&#8217;t know me <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">yet, I feel like I know the place. Oc<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">casionally, I collaborate with Radio Gora\u017edevac, the only Serbian-language media outlet in this part of Kosovo,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so it&#8217;s not my first time in the village.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But this time something is different. In the north of Kosovo, where Serbs are the vast majority, the relationship between locals and the Kosovar authorities has been increasingly tense.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he negotiations in Brussels between Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kurti had on<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ce again ended in failu<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">re. The summer seemingly brought a lull, but no one knew what fall would brin<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">g.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this isolated community in the west, you could feel the tension in almost every conversation. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the background sound of a ceiling fan in a David Lynch scene \u2014 vague but always present, f<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">illing you with a sense of unease.<\/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-0aa3694 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0aa3694\" 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-019dbc7\" data-id=\"019dbc7\" 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-59b9b9d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"59b9b9d\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93705\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_022-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-0af4ec4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0af4ec4\" 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-6988280\" data-id=\"6988280\" 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-22fb368 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"22fb368\" 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;\">Things would seem more peaceful when I was at my little house though. B<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ehind it stretched groves and fields of corn. Around nightfall, I would sit on the small porch with the lights off, sometimes because the electricity was out, other times because I realized it was nicer that way. The Accursed Mountains ablaze with a dusky purple, I&#8217;d watch the darkness engulf the house, listening to the crickets in the fields surrounding me.<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Center<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The view from the village&#8217;s main square shows the overlapping institutional realities of Gora\u017edevac Serbs. With just 30 meters separating them, there&#8217;s a Kosovar police station and a Serbian Provisional Administrative Office, the local branch of Serbia&#8217;s parallel institutions inside Kosovo. Hanging limply outside the buildings on this hot summer day are the two country&#8217;s respective national flags.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e square is usually empty, as people flock to the other side of the main street where most of the village&#8217;s informal institutions are loca<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ted. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There y<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ou will find two small village stores, one opposit<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e the other, where locals drink their beer; a s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mall bus stop with a wooden bench; a coffee vending machine (the only place in the village where you can have an espr<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">esso);<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and a small ki<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">osk. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And in this kiosk, or around it, you will find Aunt Ljilja.<\/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-162f56c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"162f56c\" 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-9e69882\" data-id=\"9e69882\" 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-57d609b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"57d609b\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93717\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_116-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9392cab\" data-id=\"9392cab\" 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-0aab079 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0aab079\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93894\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_069-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-b015dfd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b015dfd\" 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-fafd63e\" data-id=\"fafd63e\" 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-e86aef4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e86aef4\" 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;\">Her role in this community is simple, yet more important than any other: \u201cSelling bread to the hungry,\u201d she says with a smile. Every day, from seven in the morning to seven in the evening, Ljilja sells bread to the hungry, even on Sundays, because people get hungry on Sundays too. That&#8217;s how it&#8217;s been for the last 20 years.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She\u2019s now in her mid-60s, her face wrinkled and complexion dar<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">k. You can see in her eyes that she\u2019s been through a lot, and you can also see that she\u2019s not a person who gives up easily. Ljilja<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a pious woman. \u201cI&#8217;ve only had Him, when everyone else abandoned me,&#8221; she told me on my first day the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">re. At o<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ne point, 40 years ago, she ended up on the street with her six-month son \u2014 homeless and jobless, without a cent to her nam<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he morning, before it gets too ho<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t, Aunt Ljilja sits inside the kiosk. She rigged it up w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ith everything she might possibly need to get through a long day. \u201cAll that&#8217;s missing is a bed,\u201d she jokes. Next to the kiosk, on the side that only gets mild morning sun, she even set up a small space to grow flowers.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later, when the heat <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">inside her tiny aluminum workplace becomes unbearable, Ljilja is forced to sit outside, seeking the shade on different sides of her kiosk, following the movement of the sun like a clock hand on a dial<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. She once showed me the gap between the vending machine and her kiosk: \u201cThere\u2019s some light breeze here, makes it easier.&#8221;<\/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-ca9437a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ca9437a\" 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-c80321e\" data-id=\"c80321e\" 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-041ccc0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"041ccc0\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93723\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_071-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-defffe4\" data-id=\"defffe4\" 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-ef4b4cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ef4b4cd\" 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\">Ljilja's role in the community is simple, yet more important than any other: 'Selling bread to the hungry,' she says with a smile.<\/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-d7ca63f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d7ca63f\" 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-56129c1\" data-id=\"56129c1\" 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-d464f6a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d464f6a\" 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;\">In front of her kiosk there is a small water faucet that serves a steady stream of passersby as the sun gets higher.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe used to have a house in the mountain<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s. It would take us six or seven hours of walking to reach it. I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> still remember the taste of the spring water up there,&#8221; she told me. &#8220;They burnt it down after the wa<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now there&#8217;s a road leading to it, so it&#8217;s really easy to get there,&#8221; she said, &#8220;but I don&#8217;t want to go. I want to keep the house in my memory as it was before. And the spring is gone too.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Watermill<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every day, I walk from my little house to the center through the winding streets of Donja Mahala. Many of the houses are in ruins, or little better tha<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n that. On <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a few, in giant letters, reads &#8220;FOR SALE.&#8221; Yet many are modern and tidy, and from the shade of deep gardens and yards, cutting through the greenery and flowers, come voices, chatter and laughte<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r. Suddenly I hear a thunderous \u201cHelloooo!\u201d A<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> small gang of children on bicycles rushes past me and towards the corn fields, exploring the edges of the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">known worl<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d.\u00a0<\/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-8d6d60f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8d6d60f\" 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-b803c82\" data-id=\"b803c82\" 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-b557890 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b557890\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93726\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_093-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-0012956 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0012956\" 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-7c91f21\" data-id=\"7c91f21\" 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-f189971 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f189971\" 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;\">Ha<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lfway to the center I arrive at a junction where a beautiful old stone house with a watermill is located. It is where locals used to grind wheat into flour.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is also where one of the village\u2019s most important traditions tak<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e place every May 14: Saint Jeremiah&#8217;s Day, the saint&#8217;s feast day the village celebrates as its Slava.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the old times, the joyous ritual of bathing in the Jaz, the creek that runs down the middle of Donja Mahala, meant life to the village. It was believed to ensure an abundant harvest in the fall. Since after the war, when people started moving to Serbia and further afield, it gained another significant function: it is the only day of the year when everyone comes back together again.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then a few years ago, the Jaz went dry. The locals now temporarily dam the dry creek bed and fill it with water from a nearby well, but there is less water in the wells too.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;In the past, you could find water half a meter down. Now you have to dig down to four,&#8221; one local man told me.<\/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-bdfe6de elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bdfe6de\" 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-2ae3305\" data-id=\"2ae3305\" 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-6975bdf elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6975bdf\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93729\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_092-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b8f167f\" data-id=\"b8f167f\" 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-365947c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"365947c\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93846\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_113-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-fbb3025 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fbb3025\" 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-ec37c16\" data-id=\"ec37c16\" 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-30bef84 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"30bef84\" 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;\">Dry springs and wells mean greater pressure on the municipal water supply. A number of farmers in the greater Peja area irrigate their farms with drinking water. Some tap into the pipes illegally. And then a drought comes, like this summer, and there is no water to drink.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The water restrictions are daily and last for 12 hours, f<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rom five in the afternoon to five in the morning. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not so difficult to get used to it, especially if you are living by yourself. You fill up several pots \u2014 one for cooking and drinking, one for the toilet, and one for bathing, and you are good to go.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou\u2019<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">re lucky,\u201d Darko laughed, \u201cdown in Donja Mahala, you can run your faucets an hour longer. It takes time for all the water to trickle down from the upper part of the village.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Basketball Court<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not too far from the village center, behind the school<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I found a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">basketball cour<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as August and young people who had come down to visit family during a break from school or work were still around. It normally wasn&#8217;t a problem to scrape together two teams, sometimes even three.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hadn\u2019t played basketball in a quarter century, longer than most of my teammates had been alive. They w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ere mostly all faster and stronger than me, but I had the height. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some were pronouncing my name with Serbian pronunciation, while others went with the Albanian. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Either way, the play was tough and fa<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ir.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One day, behind the courts, I noticed a large swimming pool. It looked so alluring, set <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">into the side of a gentle sloping hill and offering a magnificent view of the Accursed Mountain<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it seemed strange to me that such a small village would have its own poo<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">l. I asked a teammate about it.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople used to go swimming in the Bistrica river,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;But after the killings, no one goes there anymore.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The game went on. With a little bit of luck, we would have enough time for one more before dark.<\/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-55964f7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"55964f7\" 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-35ea757\" data-id=\"35ea757\" 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-d280b56 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d280b56\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93735\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_034-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-b157e1a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b157e1a\" 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-2698920\" data-id=\"2698920\" 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-9eadc41 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9eadc41\" 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>Peja<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDo you think we will have a problem if I go like <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this?&#8221; Ra\u0161o asked.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone fell silent. Obviously, we all thought it was a problem, but no one had a solutio<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">W<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e had been urgently called on to do an interview with an Albanian environmental activist in the city center they cooperate with frequently, but our cameraman<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> happ<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ened to be wearing a T-shirt that read \u201cSlobodno s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rpski.\u201d This literally means &#8220;Freely Serbian&#8221; but kind of implies &#8220;You can speak Serbian openly.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was a promotional T-shirt for the &#8220;Slobodno srpski&#8221; talk show, which for more than 13 years has been produced out of<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u010caglavica, a Serb village just south of Prishtina. T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he show features Serbs and Albanians, journalists, civil society actors, politicians a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd others w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ho discuss issues facing local Serbs and other minority communities in Kosovo. &#8220;Slobodno srpski&#8221; freely airs <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on RTK, Kosovo\u2019s public broadcaster.<\/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-15de4cd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"15de4cd\" 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-67c2112\" data-id=\"67c2112\" 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-e9c98f3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e9c98f3\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93738\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_089-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-e9afa6a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e9afa6a\" 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-1ddcce9\" data-id=\"1ddcce9\" 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-e77bea2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e77bea2\" 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;\">But what if we run into someone in Peja who doesn&#8217;t watch RTK? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Will they see the shirt as a provocation? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the Serbian army, police and paramilitary forces pulled out of the city in June 1999 after the NATO bombing campaign, they left ashes in their wake. Albanians had been expelled,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and most of their houses in the c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ity had been <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">burned down. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Peja and the nearby villages of Qyshk, Pavlan, Zahaq and Lubeniq, over 200 Albanian civilians were massacred.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slobodno srpski?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One day when I was with her, Ljilja\u2019s eyes glanced towards the empty road coming from Peja.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;You can never forget the suffering, for as long as we live. I watched them as they passed by in tractors, fleeing. I watched those children&#8230; I cried so much on that day.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Albanians?\u201d I asked her.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She nodded. \u201cAnd then, later, our people fled. God save us all from war.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Serbian is no longer spoken in the streets of Peja<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Reportedly, t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here are fewer than 10 Serbs left in the town. There were <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thousands <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before the war. As <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for Albanians, it&#8217;s mostly only those older than 40 who know Serbian, the last generation it was taught to in schoo<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">l.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t any rate, one should be mindful even with people who can speak it, because they might not want<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to. You never know in what context they last heard or spoke it \u2014 and what they associate it with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cShoul<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d I just go home and get changed?\u201d Ra\u0161o <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">asked.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNo time for that,\u201d someone said. We needed to be in Peja in less than 10 minutes. And it\u2019s at least a 15-minute drive, so we were already late.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A long time has passed sin<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ce the war. Loc<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">als from Gora\u017edevac have been going back and forth to Peja for years, most often for groceries, but also to get their hair cut, have their car fixed or for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u0107ufte<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sud\u017euk <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at a restaurant because none of that is available i<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n the village.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Som<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e of them can and do utter a few words in Albanian: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mir\u00ebdita<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">faleminderit<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dy birr<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">f it\u2019s an older kafana owner you\u2019re speaking to, he might serve you with the Serbian <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prijatno<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of them will be happy to have a chance to speak in Serbian again. &#8220;Politics is one thing, but people are another,&#8221; you might hear. Other times it&#8217;s a bit more distant. &#8220;However many languages you speak, that&#8217;s how much you&#8217;re worth.&#8221; Most of the time you won&#8217;t have a problem. But you never know.<\/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-ba4b9f8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ba4b9f8\" 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-619562c\" data-id=\"619562c\" 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-f7a5245 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f7a5245\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93858\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_059-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f05214c\" data-id=\"f05214c\" 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-5e0888b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"5e0888b\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93741\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_009-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-943b6ff elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"943b6ff\" 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-bb0cdb6\" data-id=\"bb0cdb6\" 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-20d56e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"20d56e1\" 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>\u201cThere you go! That\u2019ll do it,\u201d Ra\u0161o exclaimed. It was a stroke of genius amid panic and confusion. He turned his shirt inside out, hiding the text.<\/p><p>We breathed a sigh of relief. Finally we could go into town.<\/p><p>Slobodno srpski.<\/p><p><b>The Factory<\/b><\/p><p>There are no factories in Gora\u017edevac, but there is a former factory building just outside the village that\u2019s still called Fabrika. In 2019, the owner was reportedly using the space to store dangerous chemicals, which, in a rare case of inter-ethnic solidarity, brought together hundreds of Albanians from nearby villages and Gora\u017edevac Serbs for protests against pollution.\u00a0<\/p><p>Before the war, the building belonged to a state-owned leather and shoe company that provided jobs to hundreds of Gora\u017edevac locals and thousands in the wider Peja area.\u00a0<\/p><p>After the war, with privatization, the factory ceased to exist, along with all the jobs.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowadays, the only remaining \u201cfactory\u201d in the village is the Republic of Serbia, which runs parallel state institutions inside Kosovo like schools, health centers and municipal services in Serb-majority areas. The presence of these parallel institutions provide many locals with steady, if often modest, paychecks. Th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e jobs come with heavier or lighter workloads, and some come with no workload at a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ll.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peo<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ple in Gora\u017edevac told me th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at public sector jobs in the parallel system are <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">often handed o<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ut based on<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> party connections and &#8220;proper conduct.&#8221;<\/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-012032e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"012032e\" 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-c8d2713\" data-id=\"c8d2713\" 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-d482603 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d482603\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93870\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_091-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-826edaf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"826edaf\" 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-bec9ce0\" data-id=\"bec9ce0\" 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-3c76fc0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3c76fc0\" 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>This is how the regime in Belgrade \u2014 through the Srpska Lista political party, its proxy in Kosovo \u2014 secures their network of clientelistic support, which functions in Serbia as well.<\/p><p>Without these outside funds, this already impoverished community would likely struggle.<\/p><p>And yet, the criteria for employment lowers the quality of services on offer. &#8220;I got a minor cut \u2014 nothing out of the ordinary \u2014 so I needed someone to stitch me up,&#8221; a local told me. Yet when they went to Gora\u017edevac&#8217;s clinic, &#8220;I was told no one could do it, so they sent me to Peja,&#8221; they said.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I happened to visit the village the day before Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s late May <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #fff101;\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/is-there-any-hope-for-a-serbia-without-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rally<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Belgrade. It was organized solely to show that the ruling Serbian Progressive Party was able to gather more people than the opposition, which had just started to organize large protests across Serbia. The \u201cprogressives\u201d created quotas to be filled by every town and city and the hunt for people began. I was told that Gora\u017edevac, a village of roughly 700 residents, was expected to provide around 70 people.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even those who didn&#8217;t want to go felt compelled. Those who refused could risk losing their jobs or being ostracized.<\/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-96a4803 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"96a4803\" 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-6617cc5\" data-id=\"6617cc5\" 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-4c7e697 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4c7e697\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93750\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_061-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9378057\" data-id=\"9378057\" 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-c226803 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c226803\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93753\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_064-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-e6bd003 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e6bd003\" 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-37e2f6f\" data-id=\"37e2f6f\" 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-9368c88 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9368c88\" 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>Th<\/b><b>e Square<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the dead of the summer afternoon the air stood still. Damjan and I sat in the shade, leaning back in white plastic chairs, gazing at the square before us. The wide concrete space was almost melting in the sun. Paja\u2019s kafana was empty and both stores were closed on an afternoon siesta. Even Ljilja had gone for a break. We were sipping vending machine coffee and smoking.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sing a pack o<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">f Red <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luckies and a lighter, Damjan explained the issue of driving a tractor in reverse when it has a trailer attached. If you turn left, the tractor goes right, but the trailer goes left. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not easy. H<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e&#8217;s one of the few in the village who can do it right. No wonder, he&#8217;s driven tractors since he was a kid. \u201cI was so tiny that no one could see me behind the steering wheel,&#8221; he told me. &#8220;It looked as if the tractor was empt<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">y.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He lost his father early and has had to take care of his family ever since. They own around half a hectare of land, and lease another five. Clover baling was well underway; he sold his in bulk at two euros per bale, or less, depending on the year.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He can&#8217;t survive off agriculture though so he had to find a second job (as a journalist at Radio Gora\u017edevac) and then a third. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays he teaches Chemistry at the high school.<\/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-2485972 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2485972\" 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-ae63eba\" data-id=\"ae63eba\" 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-c4eab09 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c4eab09\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93876\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_030-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e691211\" data-id=\"e691211\" 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-74eb42a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"74eb42a\" 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\"> 'I was so tiny that no one could see me behind the steering wheel,' Damjan said. 'It looked as if the tractor was empty.'\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-6c73d85 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6c73d85\" 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-2125e62\" data-id=\"2125e62\" 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-d5c49d3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d5c49d3\" 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;\">\u201cYou actually learn things in his classes. He really tries to break it all down to you in simple terms so it\u2019s easier for you to remember,\u201d Miljana and Iv<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ona, two of his students, t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">old me in chorus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;They were a disaster. Out of 15 questions on the test, they got only eight right,\u201d Damjan told me later, with a teacher&#8217;s tender concern I did not expect to find in a 23-year old.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In between classes, Damjan runs off to the radio to write news pieces for their website. In between news pieces, he plays games on his phone or watch<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">es bas<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ketball games played by Partizan Belgrade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The House of Culture<br><\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">At the bottom of the square, you will see an old building with a column of elegant yellow arches stretching alongside its right wing. It\u2019s the former House of Culture. Inside is a large hall with a stage and antique wooden light fixtures.<\/p>\n<p style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">\u201cThere used to be dances there, live music, crowds of people,&#8221; Ljilja said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">&#8220;It&#8217;d all be full.&#8221; She sweeps her arm towards the square, her eyes sparkling with a vivid memory.&nbsp;&#8220;This was where we&#8217;d get to know everyone. They&#8217;d come from all the villages, even from Prishtina and Prizren!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">But then came the rough times, and the people of Gora\u017edevac were left alone, and the hall was left empty.<\/p>\n<p style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">Except for that particular day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">White plastic chairs were meticulously laid out in orderly lines \u2014 there was going to be a community meeting to discuss how to spend the village&#8217;s share of the municipal budget.<\/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-2c8c134 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2c8c134\" 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-4c52dc7\" data-id=\"4c52dc7\" 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-177acae elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"177acae\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93762\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_062-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-c7bc8b7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c7bc8b7\" 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-8e46069\" data-id=\"8e46069\" 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-92dbbbb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"92dbbbb\" 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>Rumor had it that the mayor of Peja himself, Gazmend Muhaxheri, would be there, an uncommon act for an Albanian politician. There&#8217;s much praise for Muhaxheri in Gora\u017edevac. \u201cNone of the previous ones even knew where we were, but Muhaxheri pays us visits and asks us what we need,\u201d one local said, \u201cLast year, he even attended the patriarch\u2019s enthronement in the Patriarchal Monastery of Pe\u0107,&#8221; said another.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It turned out the mayor was busy this time, so the municipal finance director came instea<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d. In front of around 30 villagers, the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">municipal representative laid out plans for next year. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then the locals took the floor. They spoke with respect, but in a direct, often sharp manner, pointing out unfulfilled promises and things that troubled them \u2014 the lack of sewers, electricity and irrigation problems, the need for speed bumps near the school to slow drivers down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suddenly, music started blaring from outside, destroying the solemn atmosphere. Initially everyone tried to act as if nothing was happening, but that couldn&#8217;t last.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enraged, one guy stood up and slammed the old wooden windows shut one by one, cursing today&#8217;s youth. The music was only a little quiet<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">er, but enough so that the meeting could be brought to an end. The municipal representatives made some promises, gave some deadlines, and everyone left.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outside, a party was warming up. It was a celebration following the annual football tournament. I have never seen so many young people in Gora\u017edevac. I thought that at least for the night, the square in front of the House of Culture might have looked like the one sparkling in Ljilja\u2019s memory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The School<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some 100 meters from the center, along the main road towards Peja, you&#8217;ll find the village school. Or schools, rather. There&#8217;s an elementary school and two high schools: a gymnasium and an economics school. Both high schools were once located in Peja, but after the war they were &#8220;moved&#8221; to Gora\u017edevac (along with the municipal seat) in order to remain under Serbian administration.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, the high school buildings in Peja didn&#8217;t go anywhere, they just function as part of the Kosovar system now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teachers and school staff in Gora\u017edevac receive their salaries from the Republic of Serbia, and some of them, it&#8217;s reported, from the Republic of Kosovo as well. The schools function on the Serbian curriculum, something of great importance to the locals, who want to cultivate their national sentiment, traditions and religion. This, however, creates some impracticalities. For example, despite being a village surrounded by an Albanian populace, in Gora\u017edevac&#8217;s schools no one learns Albanian.<\/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-1250aaf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1250aaf\" 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-be730ea\" data-id=\"be730ea\" 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-234e7f1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"234e7f1\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93831\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_032-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-930cca5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"930cca5\" 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-a05e859\" data-id=\"a05e859\" 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-ef16a9b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ef16a9b\" 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;\">Miljana and Ivona are best friends and they&#8217;re always together. You could say they became close sitting at the same desk in school, but in reality, in their class, and even in the rest of the fourth grade of the high school for that matter, there&#8217;s no one else, so it wouldn&#8217;t really make sense to sit apart.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After two mass shootings in Serbia in May, one of which was inside a primary school, the Serbian education ministry decided to start this school year by having teachers spend an entire week discussing empathy, diversity and related topics. No one seemed to have thought about how this idea should be implemented in a two-student classroom.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIvona and I are discussing empathy six classes a day, with six different teachers, five days in a week,&#8221; Miljana told me. &#8220;I think my empathy is fading.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following week, in a rather unempathetic manner, they were given ten tests to tackle \u2014 six of them on the same day. \u201cThey wanted to check if we had studied over the summer break,\u201d Ivona said. \u201cWho does that?\u201d<\/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-1a61f83 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1a61f83\" 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-3afe5d3\" data-id=\"3afe5d3\" 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-9554b1f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9554b1f\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93771\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_004-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-18116a7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"18116a7\" 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-dfa1158\" data-id=\"dfa1158\" 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-b39d90e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b39d90e\" 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;\">I ran into them every day \u2014 sometimes multiple times a day \u2014 in between classes while they waited for Paja to open his kafana or for Kujto to open Podrum so they could grab a coffee. Sometimes, when everything was closed, which was often the case, they would take out some pillows and sit on the c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">oncrete outside on the square. They daydreamed about university. Miljana wants to study tourism, while Ivona was eyeing I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T or maybe even journalism. T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hey have a secret plan to go t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">o Belgrade together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once, enthralled by my new role as<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">enjoyer of the countryside, I was telling Ivona about the little house, and how much I enjoyed the view of cornfields and haystacks. \u201cGood for you,\u201d she said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t wait to not have to look at it anymore.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The Bus Stop<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Yugoslav-era toadstool-shaped bus stop is where you can catch a minibus that runs to Peja eight<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> times a day. The bus line connects a number of villages in the area, so the minibus is the only setting around where you can hear Serbian and Albanian spoken in the same place. It<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is usually packed and I was often forced to stand hunched ov<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">er because the roof was low. If I was able to stand under the always-open roof hatch, I&#8217;d get a couple extra centimeters of headspace and free A\/C directly to my forehead<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e bus stop is also where you wait for the bus to Belgrade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOnly once I went there, I realized what life we are living here,\u201d Ljilja told me. \u201cFor the first few days, I was literally afraid to cross the street there, but then I looked at other people and just did what they did,\u201d she laughed.<\/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-7f74d4e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7f74d4e\" 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-4b0bb1d\" data-id=\"4b0bb1d\" 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-922e86b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"922e86b\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93834\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_056-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-24a3889\" data-id=\"24a3889\" 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-849113b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"849113b\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93774\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_031-1-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-6836eb5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6836eb5\" 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-868a4a4\" data-id=\"868a4a4\" 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-80ea32d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"80ea32d\" 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;\">I remember the story of a local young man, an outstanding athlete. During high school he moved to Belgrade and started to train with a major sports club. A brilliant career seemed to be ahead of him, until someone from the club pressured him to pay up in order to advance to the first team. It was a lot of money \u2014 much more than he had. Disappointed, he returned to Kosovo and tried studying at a faculty in the north. But when the professor asked him for a bribe he dropped out. He moved again to Belgrade, where today he&#8217;s a worker in the ceramic tiling business. For a lot of young people in Gora\u017edevac, that\u2019s the best scenario they can hope for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bus to Belgrade used to run every day, but nowadays it\u2019s only three times a week \u2014 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It tends to return emptier than it departed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Peja II<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We finished having lunch in a small restaurant on the outskirts of the city. Darko had ordered for us in Albanian <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but everyone still pe<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gged us as Serbs, and the owner, an older guy, served us in Serbian with a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prijatno<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s always a bit funny to me when Darko orders for me in Albanian. I grew up in Belgrade, my parents in a mixed marriage, and I can barely utter the basics. Most Albanians I meet find it ridiculous that a person named Ilir Gashi, arguably the most Kosovar Albanian name in the world, doesn\u2019t speak the language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On our way out we pass the two cooks, a young guy an<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d a girl. It\u2019s the middle of a hot summer afternoon, the restaurant is empty and they\u2019re waiting a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">round for something to happen. Faleminderit shum\u00eb, dit\u00ebn e mir\u00eb, I say, thank you very much and have a good day. I don&#8217;t know much, but I know that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They look right through me, as if I\u2019m not there, even though I\u2019m right in front of them<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In the background, the eternal buzzing sound of a refrigerator, and a fly buzzes away from the wall. The<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">y hold their cold silence and I walk out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a moment I thought I knew wh<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at it might feel like, be<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ing a Serb in Peja.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Podrum<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whe<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n night falls in Gora\u017edevac, young<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">er people converge on a basement <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bar, w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hich is con<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">veniently called Podrum (&#8220;Basement&#8221;).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The space is very dark. There are a few tables and booths on one side. On the other is the bar. The music is loud, which sometimes makes it hard to hear what people are saying, even if they&#8217;re right up close to you.<\/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-4064c1a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4064c1a\" 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-ebf86bc\" data-id=\"ebf86bc\" 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-031e635 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"031e635\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93837\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_126-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-870a870 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"870a870\" 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-6cfff05\" data-id=\"6cfff05\" 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-e177581 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e177581\" 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>But I soon realized that often there is not much to talk about anyhow.<\/p><p>Everyone bumps into each other every day \u2014 at Paja\u2019s, in front of Ljilja\u2019s kiosk, at the bus station or outside the store. Only occasionally does a new face show up.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On that night we were celebrating Damjan\u2019s birthday, but he wasn\u2019t there with us. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was busy all day helping his uncle with a wedding party. People met up anyways, hoping he\u2019d still ma<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ke it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But it turned out there were more reasons to celebrate.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The owner br<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ought me a small piece of cloth and I looked up at him in confusion. I noticed that his shirt was completely torn up. It\u2019s an old custom for a man to have his relatives and friends rip up the clothes he\u2019s wearing when he becomes a fa<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r. It w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as the evening before my deadline for this story, but I ordered another round, a toast to the health and long life of the baby.<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Bistrica River<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWatch out \u2014 there might be sn<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">akes,\u201d Darko said. I lo<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">oked about vigilantly while Darko ambled down the road. \u201cBack when we were kids, we used to catch them,&#8221; he said, before adding, &#8220;not all the snakes around here are venom<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ous.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eventually, we turn onto a dirt path through a meadow. The river was nowhere in sight. I was confused because I knew that the murders took place right on the river bank. \u201cThe Bistrica\u2019s course has shifted, so now it\u2019s all the way down there, behind those trees,\u201d he said, pointing his finger. He believes the river&#8217;s shifting banks are connected to large-scale, m<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ostly illegal, sand mining operations. It\u2019s such a small river, and yet the water levels have dropped significantly since the digging started. No wonder the wells have dried up.\u00a0<\/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-a770935 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a770935\" 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-6300911\" data-id=\"6300911\" 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-1386f1a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1386f1a\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93840\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_026-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-68c1883\" data-id=\"68c1883\" 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-b1effd9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b1effd9\" 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\">Darko is editor-in-chief of Radio Gora\u017edevac, the only Serbian-language media outlet in this part of Kosovo.\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-5b8b08f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5b8b08f\" 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-6665ba0\" data-id=\"6665ba0\" 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-376cd41 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"376cd41\" 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>We\u00a0finally reach the site. It seems unmarked. \u201cThere was a rock somewhere here,&#8221; Darko said, &#8220;but the whole area is overgrown.&#8221;<\/p><p>He pointed at the spot where the kids were hanging out on that summer day, playing cards, sunbathing, swimming. Then he pointed across the river, in the direction the shots were fired from.<\/p><p>It was 2003 and Darko was 19. Now the editor-in-chief of Radio Gora\u017edevac, Darko had to cover that story as his first reporting assignment.\u00a0Ivan,\u00a0one of the two boys who died, had been his deskmate at school.\u00a0Panto, the other boy, was 13, a deskmate of Darko\u2019s younger brother.\u00a0\u201cAfter I finished the news report, I was supposed to read it out over the phone. I started to read once, then twice, but my voice was failing me. I managed only on my third try.\u201d<\/p><p>It remains a mystery to this day who did it and why. It\u2019s a difficult matter to discuss, but some locals believe that it\u00a0was a reprisal.\u00a0Just across the river, less than two kilometers away, stands the\u00a0village of Zahaq, where Serbian forces committed one of the local massacres in 1999.<\/p><p>In the immediate aftermath of the Bistrica shootings, the car that transported one of the injured boys was attacked and trashed by a group of young men near the market in central Peja. KFOR had to pull them out to safety. Once the wounded managed to reach the hospital,\u00a0according to the survivors,\u00a0they didn&#8217;t receive\u00a0proper care. \u201cPlaster casts were put over their open wounds,\u201d Darko told me.\u00a0There was a Croatian woman working for the U.N. who, Darko said, &#8220;sounded the alarm and made arrangements to transfer them to Belgrade.&#8221;<\/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-0cd28a0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0cd28a0\" 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-7c897d3\" data-id=\"7c897d3\" 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-e3aaf12 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e3aaf12\" 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=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93786\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gorazhdevac_111-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\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-aed5337 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"aed5337\" 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-ed31db4\" data-id=\"ed31db4\" 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-48a68e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"48a68e1\" 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=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">Many years later, Darko sought help at a hospital in Peja. His then 18-month-old daughter had a serious infection. \u201cTo be honest, I was scared and suspicious,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I had flashbacks from that day running through my head. The doctor seemed to have noticed. He told me: \u2018Don\u2019t worry. I\u2019m going to take care of her like my own daughter.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;He saved her.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Darko stopped to pick a wild plum from the tree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We\u2019ve stayed friends to this day.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then all of a sudden he cheerfully exclaimed, \u201cSee, there it is!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A small snake raced across the dirt road, disappearing in the bushes. Behind them, the meadow rippled all golden yellow in the last streaks of late afternoon sunlight. It was soon to disappear, and Accursed Mountains were already painted in a darker color, their edges covered in haze.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fall was coming, and no one knew what was coming with it.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>Photos: <\/b><a style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #fff101;\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/author\/atdhe\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Atdhe Mulla<\/b><\/a><b> \/ K2.0.<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 80%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i>The content this article is the sole responsibility of K2.0.<\/i><br \/><\/span><\/span><\/p><p><em style=\"font-size: 80%;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Curious about how our journalism is funded? Learn more <\/span><\/i><a style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #fff101;\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/donors\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><i><\/i><\/em><\/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\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ENG SHQ B\/C\/S Getting by in Gora\u017edevac My summer in a Serb village in western Kosovo. By Ilir Gashi Fly&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":811,"featured_media":93699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[972],"tags":[1020],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93697"}],"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\/811"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93697"}],"version-history":[{"count":92,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94214,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93697\/revisions\/94214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}