Kosovo is the youngest country in the world and the cheapest in Europe. While the Soviet Union was dissolving, Yugoslavia was also breaking apart. When the Kosovar Albanians demanded independence, the Serbs saw this as a threat and resisted fiercely, resulting in a severe genocide where many women were raped. Kosovo has one of the rare monuments dedicated specifically to women for this reason. Afterwards, under the leadership of the United States, Kosovars declared independence in 2008.

There is a strong admiration for America throughout the country; American flags and a statue of Bill Clinton are found in many places. Young people see working in America as a prestige and prefer to be Uber drivers there rather than doctors in their own country.

Most of the country is Muslim - sexuality is taboo. I spoke with a 25-year-old woman at the only LGBT venue there, and she told me most of her friends work as nurses in relatively more developed countries like Germany and France. Most people - even a waiter I briefly talked to - speak English very well. Especially among the youth, the diaspora abroad is very strong. Working in other countries and sending money back home is very common.

Since Kosovo was under Ottoman rule, parts of the population still speak Turkish. The young Turkish man working at my hostel, around my age, told me that he does not identify as Turkish in Kosovo because other Turks directly ask him for help and take advantage of him. He said, “I haven’t saved myself yet, how can I save anyone else?”

At 19, here for the first time in my life, I attended a DJ festival alone. I didn’t understand a single word of the songs, but experiencing the atmosphere and seeing the country’s youth was beautiful.

I was also harassed here; certain mindsets still see a woman walking freely alone as a threat!