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Albania and Kosova Diary

Week Two

TUESDAY 5 OCTOBER 1999

After not enough sleep, we unpack and reorganise our working kit, and set off to a school in Prishtina. There are 400 children so cannot even attempt parachute games, but go straight ahead with a show, which goes down very well.

WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER 1999

Another Primary School in Prishtina. We do a show for about 400 children, and then circus skills workshops, parachute games, badge making and facepainting for about 160 children. Lose a lot of our juggling equipment.

No photos of today, as someone forgot the camera

In the afternoon we are meant to meet at a church, directions all wrong, and we land up in the wrong village completely. Go to the local school to ask for directions, and they refuse to let us go! We stay and do a show for 200 children in their gym. Because of the troubles this school has only just reopened - for a long period the children were taught in houses in very cramped conditions. They are all thrilled to be back at school, and are an incredibly well behaved yet enthusiastic audience.

THURSDAY 7 OCTOBER 1999

Sessions and workshops and performances for 180 children in the morning at the Cultural Centre/Kosovan Liberation Army headquarters in Vuccitrn, and then shows for a further 300 in the afternoon and badgemaking for 50.

Then drive on to Gjakova - some of us with Rand directly, and some of us after returning to Prishtina to collect the remainder of the luggage which would not all fit in in one go. Arrive at Balkan Sunflower House, which is already pretty crowded, and all 6 of us, and Ibrahim our driver, sleep on sofas and on the floor in the drawing room.

FRIDAY 8 OCTOBER 1999

Workshops and shows for 100 kids in a school just outside Gjakova in the morning, and then same for about 160 kids in a gymnasium in Gjakova in the afternoon.

These gigs have been arranged by Save the Children, and mostly take place in "Areas of Safety" where landmines have been cleared, and it is safe for children to play. Save the Children are doing tremendous work, and lend us some excellent translators, including the wonderful Ardian, who is a teacher and has great natural authority. He says things like "Line up in 3 lines" in Albanian, and it happens. This makes the workshops a great deal easier, and for both these sessions we can undertake the full gamut of workshops as well as the shows, which is great.

We manage to find rooms in an Albanian house for us to live in while we are in Gjakova as the Balkan Sunflower house is so crowded. Move in - there is much more space. The family are very much there as well though, including their 13-year old son Ditti, who speaks good English and seems to have become part of the team for this part of the trip! He and Ibrahim are both deeply attached to the badge machine - I think there is going to be a power struggle for control of it!

SATURDAY 9 OCTOBER 1999

Work at the Brickworks with about 50 children at a project set up by the Balkan Sunflowers. Badge-making, face-painting, parachute games and shows.

The Salvation Army run this refugee camp where there are refugees from more than 16 different villages who have all lost their homes. The accommodation is quite good, and the Salvation Army have provided the most wonderful wood-burning stoves. The stoves only cost $50 but will transform people's lives this winter (it is already very cold at night and is going to become colder and colder over the next few weeks.) They have distributed 3,000 already and will be distributing a further 2,000 over the next few weeks. A very practical and successful form of help. (Also very impressed by the Swiss who have sent 500 cows!)

Saturday afternoon and Sunday spent resting up and preparing more materials for workshops.

MONDAY 11 OCTOBER 1999

We visit Rogova, a few kilometres outside Gjakova with Save the Children. 160 kids there for workshops and shows.

Then, in the afternoon, parachute games (4 huge parachutes at a time, plus a bit of voice work) for 250 children in the village of Junic, again with Save the Children.