Traveling to Holland
Saturday, July 16th, 2005
It's our pleasure to write for our happiest days in our life. It was an excellent strolling in Holland especially in Breda, where we spent a wonderful week nearby some brilliant people that worked and helped us, a lot.
We spent some unforgettable days in our life. Those people that gave and we hope that they are going to give a huge contribution for our traveling to Holland, have a special and important place in our hearts.
Every day that we spent there was excellent with surprises from morning when we got up in those special Indians tent called tepee until in the evening when we went to bed but the most surprising and special day for us was, first July (01.07.2005) when we left camp at 08:30 in the morning in order to go to "Efteling Park" until 18:00 o'clock in the afternoon. There was everything marvelous, starting from people, park and what was and is the most interesting the imagination and creation for those wonderful subjects that there were used, to hospitable of the people who were always with us, those things we are missing in Kosovo.
Things that we visited, saw, heard, met and felt in Breda, made and still make us to forget some worries and troubles that we had and still we have in North of Kosovo and Mitrovica in miners hills even we have a lot to say about visiting Breda, we want to thank compete stuff for the hospitably and work that you have done for us.
| Thank, thank, thank you. Kosovare Rushiti 15 years old |  |
Free Week
Saturday, July 16th, 2005
NGO CBM - Community Building Mitrovica developed a project with Miner children especially with students of elementary school "Aziz Sylejmani" - were called "Give to the Kosovo children a free week" supported and financed from "De Keyser Kinderen" group from Breda in Holland. Project was realized in "De luchtballon" camp in Calfven village of Breda. For children it was great evocation where one of them fortunate was I.
Every time that I remember "FREE WEEK" I think that I am in real but I am not. Since the day that we arrived in Holland till the last day I had a lot of good remembrances that I'll never forget them. I will divide the day that we were to visit mayor of Breda, that day that me will never happen - I didn't dreamed it. The building of Municipality of Breda was really brilliant it looks like museum because it was designed like buildings in old times where domination kings, so they didn't forgot the king because inside the building were all paintings of all kings that dominate in Holland. From the entrance till the room where we met the mayor where the people enthronement, the room was only for happy events, while I was walking on the red carpet in the middle of Holland kings and I was feeling like I am the EMPEROR CHILD - KEYSER KINDEREN because sideways were the municipality's photographs, newspapers too, there were also cameras of TVs journalists that they made a lot of interviews all the time. One of them made an interview with me, I said to him a short interview but great interview. In "HAPINES ROOM" in front of us was a happy man and with medallion of mayor that he says HELLO - to us, he says welcome to us in Holland too and have a nice week. There we stayed a long time talking about municipality and mayor because we didn't have case to visit our mayor in Mitrovica - unfortunate. It was very good because all the time photographs made photos; also we made a photo of group that we traveled in Holland with mayor. All that day in municipality was great that was very good but unfortunately the day went very fast, although I am very glad that I had a chance to visit a mayor of a foreign land.
| Petrit Veliu 14 years old |  |
My experiences from the trip in Holland
Saturday, July 16th, 2005
When I've heard from our teacher that we will visit Holland, I was extremely happy. I remember that I couldn't sleep that night trying to figure in my head how it looks like to go abroad Even though that it was a long trip and we were tired, hospitality, warm atmosphere and smiling faces of the people which were waiting for us made us forget the tiredness. We were located in the very beautiful and clean town called Breda. People there, were so gentle and flowers were everywhere. In the camp it was so quiet and nice and such quietness, we were missing for so many years in our country destroyed by war.
Everywhere smiling and warm people, nice and clean all over the place and hundreds of different flowers were some of the things that I will never forget. Especially I will never forget Mrs. Puck which was taking such a good care of me like I was her own daughter. Also, other people working in the camp like Ineke, Ton, Ine, Joop, Els, Jos, Tineke, Johan, Jacinta, and Paul made us happy and joyful.
The City Mayor of Breda which hosted us in an very old and beautiful church of the town was such a generous and open towards us.
We visited also Amsterdam, the capital of Holland, which is so impressive and awesome!
We visited the Zoo and different parks and now when I think back I do not know what to separate as special since everything there was so special; No barb wires, no police and soldiers, no enclave and living in fear, no harassments and violence, no divided city as here! At least for a few days, I had not to think of going back home before the dark while I play around the burnt and destroyed houses or catching the bus which you never know whether it will be attacked or no or people that look at you like you are so different from them I will never forget Holland and Breda community and the great moments that we had there ,in the camp and everywhere else we have been. The people that I met there, will remain in my heart, I will always, always remember them!
| Sumea Gerguri- 9 years old Primary school 'Aziz Sylejmani' Mitrovica, Kosova |  |
Appreciation letter to the organisers of the Keyserkinderen
Tuesday, August 16th, 2005
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the parents of the children, from the Albanian enclave 'Kodra e minatoreve' in Mitrovica, Kosova, which participated in the project 'Give to the Kosova children a carefree week', from the bottom of our hearts, we would like to express our gratitude for all the care, love, dedication and generosity that you have shown towards our kids while they were in Holland.
Special thanks and gratitude for Ineke, Ton, Ine, Joop, Els, Jos, Tineke, Johan, Jacinta, Puck and Paul and the host community in Breda and especially I am personally grateful to all of you for the extraordinary care and love shown towards my daughter Sumea.
This project brought a light in their small hearts and in our families and our kids really enjoyed the time being there. Coming from the tensioned and ethnically divided area, followed very often with the violent acts ,their visit there, even for a short time showed them that there are the places in the world where people live freely in peace and without prejudices regardless to their ethnicities, religions and nationalities.
I would also like to thank Community Building in Mitrovica(CBM) and especially their coordinator Vetone Veliu for organizing and making possible this trip.
Thank you once again, GOD bless you all and you are always more then welcome in Mitrovica!
Best regards and on the behalf of all other parents from Mitrovica,
Shadije Gerguri
Mitrovica, Kosovo
