Interviews by Elizaveta Dyachuk
This week we talked with three ONU law students from Kosovo. Those interviews follow.
VEROLINDA BERISHA - see her photo at bottom of story
Icon: Do you intend to continue your education with a master’s and beyond?
Verolinda: Yes, after I am done with the studies here, I am planning on getting another master’s degree on Europe. My plans are to study international law.
Icon: How many languages do you speak?
Verolinda: I speak Albanian and English.
Icon: What other countries in the world have you visited?
Verolinda: Austria and Hungary.
Icon: Is there somewhere in the United States that you hope to visit?
Verolinda: I am hoping to visit Grand Canyon, Arizona, Boston and LA.
Icon: How do you like the weather in Ohio?
Verolinda: It has been great so far. We have all seasons in Kosovo, so it hasn’t been a big change for me.
ALBESA HUMOLLI - see her photo at bottom of story
Does your name mean something?
Yes, my name has a very interesting meaning in the Albanian language. The first two letters “Al” are from the word Albanian the part “Besa,” in Albanian culture is precepted and usually translated as "faith," that means "to keep the promise" and "word of honor." Therefore, the complete meaning of my name is the “the promise of the Albanian.”
Icon: What city did you grow up in?
Albesa: I grew up in Prishtina, that’s the capital city of Kosovo. Compared to the U.S. cities, Prishtina is a small city, but in Kosovo it is the biggest one. It has a population of 250,000 people. In spite of its size, it offers many things, an interesting architecture, vibrant streets in the summer evenings, superb food with cheap prices and the most important thing-the people, relaxed and friendly. All of these give you a great vibe when you are in Prishtine.
Icon: How do you communicate with your family while in the U.S.?
Albesa: I communicate with my family every day, and the platform that I use to communicate depends on the person I am speaking with.
For example, when I talk to my mother, she always calls me on Viber, and we usually communicate there. My father likes to use Skype, and with my sister we communicate more via Snapchat or Instagram, and sometimes we use WhatsApp. So, all different kinds of things, but most importantly we always stay in touch.
Icon: How many languages do you speak?
Albesa: I speak five languages, my native language is Albanian, I can also speak English and German fluently. I understand and speak Turkish, too, and also, I can understand, but speak a little Spanish. I am lucky to have here at ONU a roommate from Honduras, so we often practice Spanish together.
Icon: What other countries in the world have you visited?
Albesa: I love to travel and fortunately, I had the chance to go to many beautiful cities and countries. I have visited Albania and Monegro since my childhood, my family and I were visiting the beautiful beaches of these two countries. I also visited Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia. All these mentioned countries are in the region of Balkan, in Europe. Other countries that I have been to are Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Netherland. My last and current country is the U.S., and as soon as I came here, I’ve been enjoying every day more and more.
Icon: Do you homesick?
Albesa: I haven’t been home more than seven months, so the answer is yes, sure I miss my family, my parents and sister, and my city, my beautiful city and great coffee there! And sure, I miss my mom’s amazing food.
Icon: What food do you miss from home? Describe the food that you miss?
Albesa: We have a lot of great dishes in Kosovo, and everyone who tries our food says that they are impressed with its taste. All of the traditional dishes in Albania are rich in nutrition and flavor, but what I miss the most is the dish called “Flija,” the way that it is prepared, and its taste are just amazing. It consists of multiple crêpe-like layers brushed with cream and served with sour cream.
FLORIDIN OSMANAJ - see his photo at bottom of story
What does your name mean?
Floridin: My name has two meaning, Flori means Gold and Din means Knowledge.
Icon: How did you hear about ONU?
Floridin: I heard about ONU from my professor who told me that ONU was having a great program for students that live in Kosovo. This program is called Rule of Law and Democratic Governance, and it lasts one year. I’d always wanted to study in U.S., so this program was perfectly for me.
Icon: What city did you grow up in?
Floridin: I grew up in Prizren, the second city in Kosovo. Prizren has population of 200,000 citizens. It’s an ancient city with beautiful places and various cultural monuments.
Icon: Tell us about your family.
Floridin: I live in Kosovo with my parents and my brother. We are a small and happy family. My father is a teacher, and my mother is a housewife. My brother is a student in the life and environmental sciences major.
Icon: How do you communicate with your family while in the U.S.?
Floridin: I speak daily with my parents via Whatsapp App and I also call them with video every two days. I try to keep them posted and share my days.
Icon: What do you hope to do with your degree?
Floridin: After I graduate here, I will return to Kosovo to give my best, help Kosovo develop in the area I’ve studied here the Rule of Law and Governance. Kosovo needs to make some changes in the law implementation, and with what I’ve gained here, I think I can contribute.
Icon: Do you intend to continue your education with a master’s and beyond?Floridin: This program that I’m studying is a master's, but after this, my dream is to go further and register a PhD degree, so after that I can work in Kosovo as a law professor. Which Is also my dream work.
Icon: How many languages do you speak?
Floridin: I speak my native language Albanian, and also I speak English and German.
Icon: What other countries in the world have you visited?
Floridin: I’ve visited to a lot of countries especially in Europe. I’ve gone to Germany three times, where I’ve also worked for a while. I visited Austria, Belgium, Hungary and also neighbor countries Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro and Serbia.
Icon: What is the biggest culture shock you experienced at ONU?
Floridin: I didn’t experience a culture shock when I arrived at ONU. The U.S. and Kosovo have similar cultures, so for me everything was pretty familiar.
Icon: What’s the biggest surprise you’ve discovered about the U.S.?
Floridin: The United States have really great people, they are very friendly. Also, I was surprised about the laws that are sometimes different and rare.
Icon: Do you homesick? What do you miss the most from home?
Floridin: Not at all. But of course, I have my family in Kosovo and sometimes I miss them very much, want to see or talk to them all day. But I have great parents who understand me and try to keep contacts with me.
Icon: Is there somewhere in the United States that you hope to visit?
Floridin: Yeah, definitely. I want to see Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Florida. Places that I will see next months. I can’t wait!
Icon: What food do you miss from home?
Floridin: In Kosovo, we have traditional, very delicious food. I miss Flija and Pite, Fli is a a dish of pancakelike pastry layered with cream and yogurt, and pite, a phyllo pastry with cheese, meat, or vegetable filling.
Icon: What has been your favorite experience so far?
Floridin: I’ve experienced lots of memorable things here, but I will tell only two of them to save your time. One was when we went visit the Ohio Supreme Court. Seeing that boiling and meeting with one of the judges was a really great moment! The second one was Cedar Point. I had so much fun, and it was the first time that I went to places like that!
