19 July 2011: Trip to Mostar Orphanage

Trip to Mostar was safe and beautiful. Hated to leave the seaside, but duty calls. Emily and Dzan continued to Sarajevo by bus, but with Aldin and Dzanan, Vjeko and Azra, we can manage. Had a great message from David (en-route to Brisbane Australia) that we need to share.

Dear Bobby and the 2011 TWI team:

Thank you all for a wonderful past two weeks traveling around the Balkans.  My time with the group will not soon be forgotten.

Bobby, I wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to join team again this year and all of the support you gave me throughout the trip.  If it wasn’t for “David’s Bobby” I really don’t think I would be the man I am today.  Your hard work and dedication to the well-being of the children living in adverse conditions throughout the Balkans is truly heart warming.

Ken, what can I say, your trainings were top notch and the crucial conversations topic is one that will help our participants deal with some tough issues along the road ahead.  Not to mention, you are a heck of a roommate. Drew, as always, your experience working first hand with businesses around the World caught the attention of all our participants and gave them not only insight into your work, but the courage and drive it takes to set out on your own and succeed today.  You and Ken brought a lot to the table this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing how you guys ‘one-up yourselves’ next year.

Lisbeth,  as always you found new and imaginative ways to get me to do things that I didn’t even realise I was doing until I found myself doing them.  Your kind heartedness and positive attitude kept us going throughout the trip and provided an amazing example to the kids in our camps of how to live your life with a smile on your face, no matter the circumstance.

Emily, you joined us late in the trip, but as always our annual date went to plan.  After watching you work with the kids in Bijela, pack the bags, clear out the conference room, then help load the bags, I’m positive that we wouldn’t have arrived in Croatia until midnight if you weren’t there to keep us on track.

Dzenan and Aldin.  If it wasn’t for you we would have never made it, and I mean that literally.  Dzenan, without your skill of driving while reading a map, checking the iPad, eating kifla, sending a text and keeping half an eye on the road simultaneously we would have been lost.  Not to mention your ability to get past a police road block with a bat of the eye.  Aldin, you have no idea how much your good humour and constant positivity helps the team.  Even after, training, camps and an 8 hour van ride, with several push starts along the way, you always had a smile on your face.  I don’t know about the rest of your team, but for me it’s impossible to be in a bad mood once I see you crack a smile.  Thank you both for all the hard work you did behind the scenes during this years camp!

Finally, Azra and Vjeko.  What can I say, but that if it wasn’t for you TWI wouldn’t be were it is today.  You guys do so much work for the people in the Balkans it is truly inspiring.

Thank you all for another amazing summer with TWI.  The words I’ve written can’t begin to express my gratitude.

Love you all,

Dave

18 July 2011: Fun at the Seaside

Team up early and off to explore the delights of Lorcum Island and others to relax beside the sea. The area is very beautiful and even if the water is cold, it is refreshing. This evening the team will meet in Dubrovnik for a final dinner, shopping and exploring this old and beautiful city before saying goodbye to Drew and Ken and heading North to Mostar Tuesday morning. It has been a great  break after our week on the road through the Balkans.

 

 

Mlini Hotel

17 July 2011: Closing Ceremony at Montenegro

Team completed its series of seven Leadership Workshops and after distribution of certificates, the team said goodbye to the children and the orphanage staff and traveled to the beautiful seaside village of Mlini, Croatia for a well deserved break.

Flowers in Mlini

Bobby, Slavica,Vjeko, Azra, Emily and Lisbeth

16 July 2011: Workshop and Camp for Kids in Montenegro

Team was very busy with Leadership workshops in the morning and evening and conducting camps for the kids at the Bijela Orphanage after the morning workshop and before the evening workshop. This is a continuing program at this orphanage that TWI has been doing for more than eight years. Our Leadership Workshops have been conducted for  four years and have paid big dividends in each of the participating countries (Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as the USA contingent.

15 July 2011: Leadership Workshop and Camps for Kids in Montenegro

Montenegro Leadership Workshop

Held two Leadership Workshops and two camps for the children were held on this very warm day. Received a Skype call from Mike in the States and he was able to meet all of the workshop participants over Skype Video.

14 July 2011: Traveling from Kosovo to Montenegro

Team left early from Kosovo and following the Kosovar car, went by way of Albania to the coast and then up the Montenegro coast to the orphanage. The contingent from Bosnia and Serbia were already at the orphanage and it was wonderful to again see all of our friends. The opening activity was held and the activities for the next two days was discussed. The van operated great and although it was really hot, everyone enjoyed the new scenery. Picture is of Faton and his wife. Faton has been central to the success of our program in Kosovo.

13 July 2011: Final Leadership Workshop and Camps in Kosovo

TWI presented its final Leadership Workshop for a great audience that included American soldiers stationed in Kosovo. The students all received certificates of attendance. After the morning workshop, the team plus workshop volunteers traveled to a small school near Pristina and again were met by a great number of children. The team took pictures of each child and put their picture into an individual picture frame. The children heard the story of the bull and the cowboy and after the story painted their TWI backpacks. Every child went home with their crafts, pictures and backpack.

Children in Circle group

Team with Kosovar volunteers

12 July: Camp for Kids in Kosovo

The afternoon camp for kids in Kosovo saw 140 children enjoying games, crafts, stories, songs and having a wonderful time. The pictures from the camps speak volumes about the interest of the children in the story.
 

Bobby at story time. in the camp program.

 

Enjoying the Story

12 July 2011: Leadership Workshop in Kosovo

We began the workshop with Drew providing an overview of the Leadership Workshop Topics.
 Photo of Ramush Lekaj, president of our host organization, QPEA.  QPEA is a non-profit educational organization with volunteers from different regions in Kosovo. Also included is photo of Ken presenting his Crucial Conversations Topic with  interpreting by Adefete.

This afternoon we have our first Camp for Kids.

Ken and Adefete

Our Kosovo Coordinator and Leader

11 July 2011: Leadership Workshop in Macedonia.

David started workshop with the activity  using the “draw your hand” activity.  Participants are given a blank piece of paper and are told to lay their left hand on the paper and with a pen/pencil trace your hand. Then he explains that each finger represents a characteristic about you: (1) the little finger: a personal weekness; (2)ring finger: commitment; (3) pointer finger: who or what is inspiring you; (4) thumb: something  at which you are good. After all have completed the hand drawing and have answered the question on each finger, he asks for volunteers to say what they wrote.

Photo attached of David with the TWI team before workshop (back row in black shirt).

Monday after workshop, members of the association took the team to  visit the Museum in the center of Sveti Nikole. Displays include traditional  dress, farm tools, rugs, antiquities. Following the tour of the Museum, we met members of the Association for lunch. After lunch, we left Sveti Nikole to drive to Kosovo with plans to arrive in Ferizaj at 6:30pm. A QPEA team member will meet us at Hotel Bolero.

 

Working Group