Walking down Mother Teresa street again, here in Pristina, I’m reminded of my grandmother’s stuffed vine leaves, oddly, straight from her village, Mazodo, in Cyprus, but with strange flavours of lemon grass in . . .
Such is the analogy that comes to me, momentarily, observing the onset of this boulevard with its authenticity and breezes of Europe folding in. A Parisian building with mansard roof windows glows in the dusk light alongside a fifteenth century Ottoman Mosque, and old communist apartment blocks. Statues of heroes on horseback, martyrs, missing persons . . . beloved presidents – a clock tower, and Mother Teresa herself, holding a child close, show us a past and present in motion.
Everything seems still here but is slow moving.
A beggar chants in Albanian tongues. A Kosovan, on a bench, wearing his plis (white dome shaped Albanian hat), blows in his harmonica. Further down, strumming erupts, as an Asian busker with his guitar sings to “Hotel California” –
Folk move ahead in a seamless flow, watching others savour coffee outside. An open book statue, I stop – why haven’t I seen this before? I get out my camera. Kosovo is a book loving culture. The prayer calls . . . and towards the end, where the road opens and trees either side of this boulevard disperse, Saint Mother Teresa’s Cathedral comes into view, and the din from her bell tower, through the hectic oncoming traffic, resounds.
Nitsa Anastasiades writes fiction, based on human experiences in different countries where she’s taught language and literature. She’s written a collection of short stories: Our Foreign Borders and is working on a novel: 3, North Cross Road/Sea with Salty Water based on her Greek Cypriot upbringing in 70’s Britain, juxtaposed with Cyprus’s 1974 Turkish invasion.
Her debut ficiton chapbook: Hamster Rats, & Other Stuff Going On … published April, 2023, received 5 stars on amazon. Click here to enjoy some very British quirky tales based on Nitsa’s memories and experiences in the UK before embarking on her travels abroad. Enjoy!! https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C3MCFH5L?
