A Moment of Gratitude

We are leaving Pullman tomorrow," I said to Melsena, Flakrona, Bora and Teodora [this order from left to right], when I captured the expression of Bora's face as her dark eyes filled with tears and she forced smile. In those tearful eyes I could see a reflection that made me think of our time here. I could see happiness for being in Pullman, and sadness for leaving this place. I could see gratitude for this opportunity, and a brighter vision for a courageous future for our societies. Bora loves to emphasize the importance of gratitude in our lives, and that is what this blog post is dedicated to.

We are indefinitely thankful to everyone who worked so incredibly hard on this program starting from U.S. Department of State and FHI 360; from the staff of WSU (Brendon, Colleen, Adriana, Shane) to WSU student ambassadors (Jacqueline, Edgar, Julia, Kylie, John and Lauren). A special thank you goes to the two people who became part of my family, Andrea and Craig, and to every student from the Balkans that dared to step out of their bubbles and open their minds to mountains of information (I would like to be creative and say a Palouse of information).

It was a tough job to be a photojournalist today, as I feel that this emotional paradox I am experiencing cannot be captured by photos - I miss my home Kosovo, and yet I feel like I am leaving my home Pullman.