Noah Natale Schwab was stationed in a Kosovo town for more than two years as part of the American Peace Corps. He sat with Prishtina Insight at the end of his mission and reflected on the experience he gained.
Everyone knows Noah Natale Schwab in the multiethnic village of Dubravë, not more than four kilometers away from the center of Kosovo’s southeastern town of Ferizaj. His students used to call him “teacher,” while the local community referred to him as mësuesi i anglishtes—the English teacher.
“It was a wonderful experience, because nearly all of the children attended the English courses regularly, with only occasional absences,” Schwab, an American Peace Corps volunteer in Ferizaj, told Prishtina Insight.
“During our work, we focused on developing [the student’s] English-speaking skills,” he added.
The long-haired man from Florida, US, is known even to drivers from the surrounding villages, as he regularly walked from Ferizaj to Dubrave and back.
Sitting at one of cafés in the center of the city on a frosty January day, Schwab reflects on his walks to Dubrave and back, in a city that is constantly crowded with cars.
“I like walking—not only to Dubravë and back—I walked around the city as well for my personal and professional activities,” he said.
Nevertheless, his Ferizaj routine came to an end last weekend as he flew back home after nearly two years of volunteer work for the American NGO.
Hospitality
Schwab wearing a plis meets youth activists and local youth officials. Photo courtesy of Noah Natale Schwab
Schwab, 28, said he had great memories in Kosovo. He will share those memories with his fellow Americans, telling them about his experience in one of Europe’s most pro-American countries in the world.
“The people of Kosovo, and the community in Dubravë where I worked, I would say are generally very hospitable. Americans always feel welcome here,” Schwab told Prishtina Insight before returning to another table in the same café, where officials from Ferizaj’s Directorate of Culture, Youth, and Sports (DKRS) were seated. Most of his time in Kosovo was spent working with the DKRS on various activities, in addition to those he organized himself at the Socio-Educational Center run by Caritas Kosova and the Municipality of Ferizaj.
“Noah worked in the village of Dubravë for more than a year, helping and supporting students in improving their English skills,” Dashurije Ahmeti, head of the youth sector at Ferizaj’s DKRS, told Prishtina Insight. She described working with him as excellent.
“This allowed us to plan and work in implementing youth policies at the local level. During this time, we participated in many events and activities organized not only in Ferizaj but also in other cities across Kosovo,” Ahmeti added, noting that Schwab was the third volunteer from the Peace Corps office in Pristina to be assigned to Ferizaj.
Promoting Kosovo
Department of Culture, Youth, and Sports in Ferizaj municipality honours Schwab for his volunteer activities. Photo courtesy of Noah Natale Schwab
Schwab said that he provided technical and advisory support to the local officials with whom he shared an office. He met young people from different parts of Kosovo, some of whom he has forged strong friendships with.
“I have many friends in Ferizaj, Pristina, and Prizren,” Schwab emphasized. He has also inspired some of his American friends to visit Kosovo, with Schwab acting as their guide. He shows pictures from various places, highlighting mountainous landscapes, cultural heritage sites, and locations of collective memory, including war memorials.
Nevertheless, he believes there should be more genuine intercultural exchanges aimed at deepening cooperation which would lead to mutual benefits. “I think I have been more successful than some other volunteers,” he said.
Schwab also assisted local non-governmental organizations. Enver Kosumi, executive director of the NGO Handikos Ferizaj, told Prishtina Insight that the American volunteer helped promote and advance the rights of persons with disabilities. He said Schwab’s role and contributions had “particular significance.”
“His continuous engagement, professionalism, and dedication have had a significant impact on the successful implementation of our activities, as well as on raising institutional and social awareness of the rights of this community,” Kosumi said. “Noah Natale Schwab has served as a strong example of civic engagement and volunteerism, demonstrating that solidarity and professional commitment contribute to sustainable change in society,” he added.
The urban chaos that disturbed him
American volunteer Noah Natale Schwab, second from the left, together with local officials from Ferizaj at a youth activity. Photo courtesy of Noah Natale Schwab
Schwab, who has two master’s degrees in urban planning and international relations, said he enjoys the dynamic development in Ferizaj, but he never understood how Ferizaj Municipality allowed construction companies to build 15-story buildings next to two or three-story houses.
“As an urban planner, I think there should be a proper plan, and such large discrepancies should be avoided,” Schwab said, noting that he has already secured a professional position as an urban planner in Milwaukee, US. He emphasized that in general the citizens of Kosovo should pay more attention to public spaces.
The director of DKRS, Gazmend Bytyçi, has expressed his gratitude for Schwab’s work with the youth, presenting him a painting of Ferizaj’s main square and the hotel featuring a famous mural of a waiter.
“Noah Natale Schwab’s contribution serves as an inspiring example of volunteerism, intercultural cooperation, and dedication to the welfare of young people. The Directorate of Culture, Youth, and Sports sincerely thanks him for everything he has offered and wishes him continued success in his professional and personal journey,” the official Facebook page of Ferizaj’s DKRS wrote.
Ahmeti, head of the youth sector at Ferizaj Municipality, said that Schwab worked beyond his daily institutional duties, particularly in promoting Kosovo’s culture and traditions. “He initially brought many of his friends to visit Ferizaj, and later also to Prizren and Pristina. Noah already has an emotional connection with Kosovo, and in the final days of his stay he promised that he will return to Kosovo next summer,” Ahmeti said.
Schwab says that Albanian words ending with -ll [one of the Albanian language’s double letters] are some of the hardest to pronounce. However, when Prishtina Insight asked him if he would like to have Kosovo citizenship he still replied in Albanian: “Why not?!”