Thank you

For the last two years, I had the incredible opportunity to learn (and teach) in Albania. It's a fascinating country filled with some of the warmest people I have ever met. Each and every day held a new adventure and I met some amazing friends for life.

To everyone I've met, thanks for all of the great times that we had. To all of my friends and family back home, thanks for all of your support.

I will talk to all of you soon.

Just in case....

Meet America

Two weeks ago, another PCV and I took a group of 25 of our students to participate in a program called Meet America. It was great. They got to meet three diplomats and the American Ambassador to the United States. The most impressive thing was that the ambassador was one of the most personable people I have ever met. He answered every single one of their questions and was incredibly inspiring. I still can't believe that we got to meet him. Check out the link at the US embassy in Tirana's page.

RIP

After three years in America and two amazing years in Albania, my computer has gone on to a happier place. We've laughed together; we've cried together. And as long I fed it a steady diet of electricity, it was an unfailing friend.

But now it is time to part. I'm sorry to say goodbye and I apologize to anyone who has emailed me recently because I am seriously far behind. I will try to catch up but be patient with me. Internet cafes are not great places to type emails.

Go You!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to announce that the Outdoor Ambassador project is now fully funded. I will (hopefully) be taking a group of students to the southern town of Erseke in May. This will be my last hurrah because I will be leaving the country less than a week later.

So, on behalf of my students, a great big thank you to all of you who donated. If you missed the opportunity there are projects currently open all over the world for Peace Corps Volunteers who are doing awesome things! So check it out.

Here’s a picture of my students for you to enjoy. They are making posters about biodiversity.

Albanian Article

Sometimes it's difficult for me to remember what it was like experiencing Albania for the first time. So here for your reading enjoyment is a great article about a guy who visited Albania. I enjoyed his take on the country. Albania: The Tail Wags the Dog.

The No Electricity Blues

Today I got back from school around 3:30 and there was no electricity. Last year, I wouldn’t have blinked an eye, but we have had pretty stable electricity since last November. Sadly, we still have occasional black outs. I settled into my electricity-less existence and warmed up some vegetable soup on my little camp stove. Then I tried to get caught up on emails until the battery died on my computer. I put clothes into the washer, but couldn’t turn it on. I straightened my house and then it started to get dark. Grabbing my head lamp, I curled up under the biggest blanket you’ve ever seen and read for about an hour or so. As the darkness deepened, I noticed that my neighbor’s lights were on. Hmm. While it is possible that they recently purchased a generator, it’s unlikely. Eventually convincing myself that this was worth investigating, I left the warmth of my blanket and realized that somehow the breaker had flipped. We were not under a blackout and the rest of Kavaje had been experiencing an electric evening. Sigh.