In Pristina, I saw children playing atop mounds of garbage covered with snow. On the other side of the street was a large park with a charming gazebo, but the children could not play there because of the danger of land mines. Land mines are a danger everywhere. Our driver warned us not to go off the road for any reason. Those plots left fallow by farmers are suspected of containing land mines.
Security dominates daily life.
My first lesson begins immediately upon landing at the airport in Skopje, Macedonia's capital. I see several military helicopters. Armed guards are everywhere. But the realization of the scope of the military here really hits home when I try to cross the border into Kosovo. It used to be simple to cross the border, I am told, taking only minutes for a passport check.