Miami University Kosovo
By Rachel Berry
Some students choose to study abroad on a program that will allow them to see the most possible countries. Others prefer to spend a longer time in one place and go more in-depth with that culture. The Miami University Kosovo program appeals to the latter.
Kosovo is a small country in southeastern Europe formed in 2008 following a war in the region. Students on the program spend six weeks in Prishtina, the capital city.
Students take courses focused on the history of the area and the role of journalism in a democracy. Students will learn about the formation of the country and the effort for peace. While the courses provide international studies and journalism credit, other majors are welcomed as well.
For many students, this is their first time being exposed to the history and culture of the region.
“I think it’s so important to, yes, have some background knowledge going into a trip but … it was so nice coming in with really no preconceived notions of what this country was going to be,” said Elyse Legeay, a former student on the program.
The professors make an effort to help students understand the material. One year, students were confused by the economic aspects of the country, so Professor Carl Dahlman tasked them with creating a budget. Students were given a fake family and told to budget for them by going to the grocery store to check food prices and looking into the cost of transportation, housing, and other expenses.
After spending the first two weeks of the program in classes, students complete coursework independently for the remainder of their time abroad. During this last month, students work full-time at an internship based on their area of interest. In the past, students have interned at an online news magazine, an organization that employs minority women to make clothing, a program for minority children, and many more.
On some weekends, students travel together on field trips to other cities throughout Kosovo and on others, they’re given free time. Many students choose to explore nearby countries like Macedonia, Montenegro, or Bulgaria during these free weekends.
In Kosovo the majority of people speak some English, so communication isn’t an issue.
“I was really afraid that there was going to be a very big barrier between the cultures between the people I met,” said Jessica Baloun, a former student on the program. “I found a lot more similarities, honestly, which surprised me. It made it easier because the language barrier isn’t as much of a problem.”
After the internship ends each day, students have free time to spend with friends or their host family. The Kosovar culture is less fast-paced than Americans are used to, and oftentimes during a work day, employees will work for a couple of hours, take a two hour lunch break, work for another hour or two, and then leave for the day.
Kosovo has a vibrant cafe culture, where people spend a lot of time at coffee shops, and it’s not unusual to sit for hours or to make friends with strangers at one of the cafes.
The Kosovar people are hospitable, and welcome Miami students into their families. Some people have never met an American before and are fascinated to speak with the group.
“They are like insane when it comes to hospitality; it’s just so welcoming,” Legeay said.
Are you interested in the Miami University Kosovo program?
Jessica
Jessica Baloun
Year
Junior
Majors
International studies and history
Minor
Russian
Internship
Oral History Kosovo, an organization that interviews marginalized people and records their stories.
How does this internship connect to your interests or career plans?
I worked at a history initiative organization because I’m a history major, so I had that interest. They go out and do interviews with people, collect stories, and build up this archive … It actually was kind of cool because a lot of people there speak Serbian which is kind of a branch off of Russian, which I’m learning, so I didn’t understand a lot but I understood a little.
For me, personally, I really wanted to go in-depth more with the country, to get to know the people, get to know the culture spend more time there.
Elyse
Elyse Legeay
Year
Junior
Majors
International Studies and Global and Intercultural Studies
Internship
Balkan Sunflowers Kosovo. This is an organization that runs programs for minority children.
How does this internship connect to your interests or career plans?
I want to work with refugees and immigrant children, so I got placed with a program that worked with minority children in the region and their parents to keep them in school.
It was super cool being able to learn something new every single day.