Shehide is a brilliant biologist from Kosovo who is volunteering and conducting research in Cluj. In this episode, we talk a lot about the political and social context that comes with being Kosovan. Notably, Shehide sometimes can't go to places that don't recognize Kosovo's independence from Serbia such as Spain, a country with its own autonomous region woes (Catalonia). 

We also debate what kismet means. I've heard members of my family use "kismet" as a synonym for "happy accident" or "meant to be." People in Kosovo use "kismet" to describe something you hope for that likely will never happen. Which of us is right? I looked it up after the recording and it turns out "kismet" is derived from "ḳismat" in Arabic, meaning portion or fate. So I guess it's kind of a rorschach test-- who would have thought the Jews would come out as optimists?

Pictured: Shehide with my favorite cozonac (kind of a Romanian challah/cinnamon bread) and egg recipe.

Amazing theme music: Romanian Hora by The Underscore Orkestra is licensed under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.