A Manicure in the Dark by Jan Pate
Jan has been instrumental bringing the YMCA to Kosovo, she is a very important field group member that supports our development and she brings much needed experience and vision, this has earned her the nickname "mom" in our movement. Here she shares an article she wrote after living here. Kosovo makes you laugh and cry, sometimes simultaneously. Independence has brought about hope, something that was in short supply when I lived there in 2005. The scars of the war were only beginning to heal. People craved a return to normalcy. The collision of those dynamics created comedy and tragedy in tandem. In Kosovo Americans could feel right at home. One could visit the “Hillary Dress Shop” or eat lunch at “King Burger.” Incredibly I was left managing a shoe store one Saturday when the owner disappeared somewhere to obtain change so that I could make a purchase. Apparently as an American I was trusted enough to mind the store. There were “auto larje” (car washes