At midday, residents roam the camp grounds, sitting in tents talking, resting or playing games provided by humanitarian organizations. In this strange culture of displacement, one day rolls into the next. Abdullah and his family sleep in two adjacent tents marked with numbers like addresses on houses. Freshly washed laundry hangs from tent poles, flapping in the wind. In his tent, as in others, mattresses and cots bump up against each other in a small musty-smelling space.
Cardboard boxes hold the family's few possessions.
Still, despite the structure's transitory nature, it is clear Abdullah and his family, like many of the camp's residents, take great care to keep their tents orderly. For now, after all, Piscina is the only home they have. Since April, Israel has distributed more than 100 tons of supplies to Kosovar Albanians throughout the Balkans. Through federations and other organizations, North American Jews have greatly aided the effort. NATO helicopters and military encampments line the runway, an immediate reminder the group has arrived in a war zone far from the comforts of home.