Swing It

This is me being artistic. This is a classic Albanian house. It is made out of cement and only the first floor is finished. Typically, they will finish part of a house and live in it and when they get more money will finish another section.
This is the Albanian train system. I've never actually taken one, but it might be an adventure.

Here is the ampitheatre in Durres. It's second century Roman. Pretty cool stuff. There is a 5th century basilica in here too and it has a a mosaic. There are some great old ruins in Albania that are pretty unexplored because there aren't many tourists. Although the day we went, we ran into a Polish bus tour. Just another random day in Albania.

Face the test of world trend

I hate the metric system or maybe I hate the united states for being the only country in the world that doesn't use it. I'm trying to learn Albanian I really am, but it doesn't help when after I translate it in my head it still doesn't help. I do have a converter on my phone, but you look a little ridiculous when someone asks how big your nephew was when he was born and you have to whip out your phone to do calculations.

I have learned that 40 Celsius is really hot. 1/2 a liter is bigger than 40 oz. The turn off for my road is not 5 meters from the center of Kavaje and that its ok to just make up how many kilometers it is from harrisburg to philadelphia. Any guesses? I said 500.

Albania eshte shume buker

Usually within the first few minutes of talking to an Albanian they ask me if I like Albania and I always tell them the same thing that I really like it here.

So here are a few of the reasons that I like this country. First, it really is a beautiful country. When you drive between the towns, you are surrounded by hills and mountains. It sometimes can be a bit scary taking the mountain curves on a public bus, but it has endless great views. Kavaje is surrounded by small hills because it is on the coastal plain next to the Adriatic Sea. The farther you head inland the higher the hills get and they eventually turn into mountains. The Adriatic Sea is also great. Albania is bordered by two seas: the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea. Both are part of the Mediterranean Sea. The Adriatic Sea has sandy beaches and the Ionian Sea has rocky beaches. I’ve been to both and they are both really nice. I’ve heard that Vlore (the city where the two seas meet) is a great place to visit, but I haven’t been there yet.

The food is good. They have fresh vegetables and great bread. They eat a ton of meat which is something I can pass on, but when you explain it they manage to make some delicious vegetarian recipes. You can eat breakfast byrek (some sort of cheese or meat filled pastry) for 20 cents. And they drink lots of coffee. Recently I’ve been turned onto mocciato’s which are espressos with a little steamed milk in them. Very tasty. I might just come home and only want espresso… Who knows?

Also, the people here are the nicest people I have ever met. They always go out of their way to help a wayward traveler and are incredibly shocked and pleased with any Albanian that I can speak. A random example of the kindness of strangers. I was going to visit my friend in a town south of me for a day. The directions she gave me were a little spotty (sorry Julie) and I ended up sitting at the wrong ring road for a while. Once I had explained to the lady selling corn on the side of the road where I was going, she jumped up at the first minibus that passed and explained my whole situation (including that I was American living here for two years which was probably unnecessary information for the driver to know.) Then she gave me some corn for the road and sent me on my way. The people on the minibus having heard my story made sure I got off at the right stop and the ones that got off with me walked me to the place where I could catch the furgon. Like I said complete strangers.

The other reason I like it hear is that I’ve made some amazing friends. Albanian and American. My Albanian friends listen to my Albanian and make corrections, but sometimes they just let me talk. They ask me all sorts of questions about America and love to hear stories about my nephew. I’ve cried with them because I miss my family just as much as they miss their families in Greece and Italy. They love to look at the pictures I brought and know the names of everyone in the pictures (although they rarely pronounce them correctly.) My American friends know just when to send a goofy text to cheer me up and will listen to me talk about just about anything.

I also love the students. The good students have a thirst for knowledge and love to talk to a real American. They can speak Albanian, Italian, and are now learning English. They encourage me to speak Albanian and tell me about their country from their young fresh perspective.

The PC keeps telling us that we go through ups and downs throughout the course of the two years, but right now I’m on an up. I’m sure that at some point many of you will get an email where you will be thinking “I thought she loved it there.” But for now, I’m riding this wave of love for Albania and hoping that it lasts.

An Enterprise in your belly

A new one day in the Life of Denise

I am now out of Training so things are very different for me. I wake up around 6 and read books. In case you didn't know, I read a lot so I'm catching up with some great stuff and my wonderful mother sent me a ton to read. I head to the school at 9. Right now, classes are over for the year, but the teachers still report and do grading and other things to close out the year. I usually go to coffee with a couple of teachers. This might not sound like work but it is because I generally only speak Shqip at coffee which taxes my brain. It is also very good because I'm getting to know a lot of the teachers much better which will help me when I start school again in the fall.

This week, I started teaching classes at an organization here. The students are great. its been fun to jump into lesson planning and other things. They are pretty close to being beginners so my Shqip is about as good as their English. Next week, I'm starting a course at the school for teachers who want to improve their English.

After classes, I usually head back to the house for a siesta through the hottest part of the day. Then I go to the internet. I have another class later in the afternoon. After the class, It's back to house for dinner then I go on a nice long walk and explore Kavaje or go for a coffee with one of my friends.

It's definintly a different life than in my previous job. For those of you who work where I used to work. I just heard the news about the budget crisis and my thoughts are with you. I remember the stress that last year caused and can't imagine what it is like there now.