Kosovo

Why is this my blog title you may ask yourself? As far as I know this is the newest country in the world (as of February 2008), and I'm one of the first people I know to visit it...

I got a consultancy there for two weeks - leaving next week and coming back just after the 4th of July. Several questions might pop up to you now, so I will answer them:

1. Where the heck is Kosovo?
It was the southern region of Serbia. Borders Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro.

2. Capital?
Prishtina

3. Why in the world are you going there all the way from Costa Rica?
My boss from Malawi (who I love) is now working for Care International (a big humanitarian assistance international organization) in the Middle East. We talked about me doing a consultancy in Yemen which didn't work out. She recommended me as a consultant to the Care Country Director in Kosovo and here we are. I don't have a job, the pay is good, and I'm interested in the consultancy business and the Balkans. They pay for the airfare and they are willing to fly me from Costa Rica.

4. What will you do?
I'll be there for about two weeks helping them write a proposal for a grant they are trying to get. I'll work with their staff there and help them to put together a well-written proposal that will hopefully win the grant. According to the country director there, if I do a good job on this, he will recommend me to other Care offices in the region and I could get more consultancies.

5. Aren't you worried about your safety?
While there is some fighting on the Serbia/Kosovo border, there is not major violence in general in the country. I will be staying in the capital, have a driver from Care and be staying at an international hotel. I'll be fine.

If you want to know more about the country you can check out this site:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html

Maybe I should change the name of my blog to "Anna in Costa Rica and Kosovo." Bet not many other people have thought of this combination of countries...