An Education

The Albanian education system is quite different than the United States education system. There is a definite need of improvements in both education systems, but for now I am going to completely ignore the problems with the United States education system and focus on the deficiencies of the system in Albania. I guess I should start with an explanation of cultural differences between Albania and the United States that might shed some light on the difficulties I am facing in my job as an English teacher here in Albania.

Firstly, school goes from 1st to 12th grade, 10th-12th being optional. The amount of time spent at school is an interesting topic. School runs from 8 am to 1 pm. Insert: there is also a 5 minute break in between each class and a 20 minute break in the middle of the "day". Plus each class is only 45 minutes long. This whole time schedule is a huge disadvantage to the students. Between disruptions, classroom management, and questions, there is barely any time to properly/thoroughly teach new lessons. The 12th grade has two 45 min classes a week. That is only 1 1/2 hrs of English per week. No one can be expected to sufficiently learn a language without repetition and constant practice.

Another interesting fact about Albanian classes is that all the classes are multi-level. Meaning, there could be a boy who does not know a lick of English in the same class as a boy who speaks English fluently. This creates problems for the students, as well as the teachers. First, it is hard for a teacher to create a lesson plan for a group of students that has so many different needs. This leads to the better English students receiving attention, while the students, who actually need the instruction don't get the attention that they need/teachers just give up on kids who need their help the most. Teachers, here in Albania, cater to whoever makes their job easier and that is usually the kids who do not need as much instruction.

Failing a class absolutely, positively SUCKS (for lack of a better word)! Not only do those students who fail a class have to retake that specific class, but they also must retake the entire year's curriculum. For example, if a boy failed 11th grade math and aced all of his other classes, that boy would have to re-take the entire 11th grade, simply because he failed 11th grade math. This system goes back to the problem with multi-level classes and the unwillingness to help struggling students.

In order to graduate from high school, each senior must take and pass a set of Matura tests. The best way to describe these tests would be a national final exam that is also used for college admission. If a student wishes to continue their education by attending a university they must send their Matura test scores plus three majors (ranked) that they are interested in pursuing. Based on test scores, students are placed in majors and in universities around Albania. The university in Tirana is thought to be the most prestigious and is where the students with the highest test scores are usually placed. In the end, students don't really get a say in what they study or where they go to school. Unfortunately, it is all based on numbers.

From my experiences thus far, the Albanian education system seems to be quite corrupt, just like most “regulated” institutions in Albania. How is a country, which wants to rid itself of corruption, able to instill honest, hard work when Albanians are exposed to it at very young ages and in places, like schools, where honesty is not valued and hard work does not help one get ahead? Buying grades, hiring and firing teachers based on political views, and simply just allowing this behavior in schools is not helping the corruption problem in Albania. Not teaching kids right from wrong, and creating a society where knowledge and experience mean absolutely nothing compared to money is perpetuating Albanian corruption. In my opinion, the only way Albania is going to be able to eliminate corruption is by starting with a younger generation, holding students responsible for their actions, educating them about morals and ethics.

My First Animal Slaughter

Baktashi is one of the three sects of Islam. This specific sect can only be found in Albania, Northern Greece, and very few parts of Kosovo. The Baktashi tekke is at the top of Mt. Tomori, Albania's second tallest mountain. A tekke is a building that is usually round and is used for spiritual retreat and character reformation. The Baba (which literally means "father") lives in and is the head of the tekke as well as, has the authority to give spiritual guidance. Near the tekke there is a long, stone walkway that leads to an area for prayer, a small cemetery for previous Babas, and at the end of the path is where animal slaughter takes place. A festival is held each year during August/Ramadan and is when the Baktashi ask for peace and luck in the new year.

All along the newly cobblestone walkway there are small herds of sheep. Each family picks a sheep to buy and sacrifice. A sheep costs about the equivalent of $100 US dollars, which is a lot of money for Albanians. Once the sheep has been chosen it is taken to the slaughtering area. When approaching the slaughtering area one can see two long rows of butchers butchering sheep one right after another. It really is quite a site. The way the sheep are killed for this specific sacrificial festival is by slitting a sheep's throat then allowing the animal to die by all the blood spilling out of it. Once the blood begins to seep out of the sheep, it is customary to put a bit of the sheep's blood on one's forehead while reciting a prayer. After the blood has left the animal, the butcher hangs the sheep up by it's hind legs and begins to prepare the sheep for eating.

One of the most interesting things I learned, while observing the slaughtering process, was that all the insides of a sheep are bundled together in a ‘bag’. The ‘bag’ contains all of the organs and is neatly packaged up inside the animal. This bag looks exactly like a white, GLAD, plastic garbage bag. The fact that all the organs and everything else are in this ‘bag’ it makes butchering a sheep a quite easy and a pretty fast process. No offense to my dad, but it took these butchers about half the time it takes my dad to gut and fillet a fish. It's pretty unbelievable!

Once the sheep is ready to be cooked, the owners take it to an area where there are numerous spits. The spits are low to the ground and are manually rotated. The entire hillside was covered with people roasting sheep. Not only was this experience very interesting and unlike any I have had so far in my life, but all the meat was really good. For lunch and dinner that day I ate lamb/mutton shish-ka-bobs. And they were awesome!!

The festival lasts for 10 days, but most families only go up for a day and a night, which is what my group did. All the Albanians were interested in why we came to the festival and were very welcoming. It was fascinating to see a religious animal slaughter with my own eyes. It was definitely an unforgettable experience!

Beer and Albanian Bumper Cars

The Paris of Albania. That is what Korçë is considered to the rest of Albania. It is a larger town on the Eastern boarder of Albania (next to Macedonia). The streets are clean and there are well kept parks and green areas all around town. There is also a big, beautiful Greek Orthodox church in one of the main intersections in the town. The town is also home to the first school in Albania. Korçë not only has beautiful parks and historic buildings, but is also has tons of small neighborhoods that can be found on small side streets and in between the larger/main roads. These neighborhoods are composed of small dirt roads (almost trail-like) with home made of stones that have been white washed with a paint made from limestone dust. The homes also all have flowers and/or vines growing on top or on the sides of the buildings. Most Albanian towns or villages do not have distinct neighborhoods like Korçë does.

Just getting to Korçë was quite an adventure. A small group of volunteers from various areas of Albania met in Elbasan. From Elbasan we rode a train to Pogradec. It was an absolutely beautiful ride, but it was also painfully slow. What was so unbelievable was that it only cost 120 leke (about $1.20), which is pretty cheap for a ride from the middle of Albania to the Eastern boarder. Once we arrived in Progradec, we had a nice lunch and then continued on our journey to Korça in a furgon (small van). We got to our final destination around 2:30 or 3:00 pm. It was a long trip, but the experiencing the train was really fun. We were able to start celebrating a friends birthday, as well as see some pretty spectacular views.

While in Korçë, a group of friends and I stayed in an old Ottoman boarding house that was literally in the middle of Korçë's large open-air market. The building was round and several market vendors were even set up in the center (hole) of the building. The second floor was where all the rooms were. Each room faced the center of the "circle" and opened to the outside. The rooms were quite small, which really wasn't an issue because we only slept there and spent most of our time exploring Korçë and enjoying the Beer Fest. The bathrooms, on the other hand, were a completely different story. There were two "toilet" rooms, one for girls and one for boys, on one side of the boarding house. There was also a sink/shower room next to the two "toilet" rooms. The sink did not connect with any type of drainage system so when you turned the water on, the water when through the hole in the sink and onto your feet. That was quite a surprise on my first visit to the bathroom! The "toilet" rooms each had one turkish toilet. A turkish toilet, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of using one, are fancy (if you could really use this word in this context) holes in the ground. Because of this set up, the bathroom area reeked! The whole boarding house experience made me feel like I had traveled back to Medieval Times. I am not one to complain about dirt and grime, but this place was just plain nasty! Needless to say, I will probably not be staying there again.

The actual Beer Festival part of the weekend was really fun. There were lot of people from all over Albania, as well as quite a few Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV's). It was also nice to see some of the volunteers I hadn't seen in a while, as well as, get to know a few I really hadn't spent much time with. The festival featured Albanian beers, with a few Greek ones thrown in for fun. Each beer cost the equivalent to .50 US cents. What a bargain, right? There was also great live music and group grilling out. There were also bumper cars, along with other carnival-like activities. Of course we all took part in the bumper cars. We had to show the Albanians the REAL way to do bumper cars. What is so fascinating about Albanian bumper cars is that everyone drives around and makes a huge effort not to hit each other, but while driving real cars Albanians are pretty wild and not many driving laws are enforced. Lets just say us PCV's showed them how to do it right. All and all is was a super fun weekend!

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!

For those of you who went to Disney World as a young child or a parent of a young child, I am sure you already know about Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, thanks to my sister the Diers Family definitely knows all the ins and outs of that ride. For those few of you who have not gotten the pleasure of experiencing this ride, I would strongly recommend that you take the time to travel to Disney World specifically to experience this ride. Not just for the awesomeness of the ride, but it would also give you a sophisticated topic to bring up at those cocktail parties when you no longer see any of the over-sized coffee-table books to steal a conversation topic from.

I feel a brief description of the ride is in order, for those few who have no idea what I am talking about. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride can be ridden by small children and adults, alike. The premise of the ride is that you are traveling through Mr. Toad's magical world on a track in a roller coaster-esk cart that looks quite similar to Ford's Model-T (a really old car). The ride is full of sharp twists and turns, that absolutely tickled my sister to death! I don't think it's too presumptuous to say that this ride is my sister's favorite ride of all time. Due to this weird, but endearing, obsession my parents and I have ridden on this ride quite a few times. This is how I came to know so much about this ride and why this specific ride has had such a HUGE impact on my life.

Ok, now for the Albanian connection. As I have explained before, I live on the Ionian Coast in a small village that is smack in-between extremely tall mountains and the sea. In order to go anywhere I must travel on windy roads through the mountains. Normally, I ride a large, "normal", size bus, but on my way to Saranda a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to ride on a short bus. Let's just say it was an experience. The driver drove extremely fast, continuously whipped around sharp curves, and I think he purposefully hit every bump and pot hole between Himare and Saranda (and let me tell you, there are quite a few of them).

The driving in Albania is, needless to say, BAD. None of the driving laws or speed limits are enforced and 2 lane roads are frequently turned into 3 lane roads, by a vehicle simply driving down the center line in-between the 2 lanes of cars. Many times it feels as though the furgon (small van) or bus drivers are playing "chicken" with the car coming from the opposite direction in order to pass the "slow" car in front of them.

After the quick trip down to Saranda, I happily got off the bus, my heart still racing and my legs still a bit shaky. I explained my adventure (if one would call it that) to a few friends I was meeting down in Saranda. This is the HONEST TRUTH, the only words that came out of my mouth were "It was Mr. Toad's Ride getting down here!" I didn't have to say any more.

The connections that Americans have with each other, no matter how obscure they are, have pooped up randomly since I have been in Albania. I really didn't know anyone in my group before arriving in Albania, but simply because we all have the experience of being American there are so many things that we just get. When you're living in a foreign country, constantly speaking a foreign language, it is so nice to say some common saying from the US and have everyone listening to you understand what you mean without an explanation.

Lesson of the Story: If you have not ridden Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, it is imperative for you to do this ASAP. What can I say? Experiencing this ride can help you bond with your future comrades.

Home Sweet Home

Housing is very difficult to find in Albania. There are no real estate companies and there is not a way to look up available apartments or houses in various cities, towns, or villages. Every place that was found for Peace Corps Volunteers was found by word of mouth. "oh, my sister's, husband's, boss's brother owns a building with an empty unit." That is usually what it sounds like when the Peace Corps or other volunteers find housing.

Living and finding a place to live in Himarë is both easy and hard. Since Himarë is a beach and vacation town there are lots of housing options that are not full unless it is pushime (vacation/holiday). This is great news when trying to find an apartment for the fall, winter, and spring. The summer, on the other hand, can create a problem for someone who would like to live in an apartment year-round and who has a very low budget to work with. It was easy to find a landlord that was interested in having an American live in one of their units during the fall, winter, and spring, but not many of them were too keen on having me live in one of their apartments and pay a low rent during the summer. Eventually, Peace Corps was able to work out a deal with a woman here in Himarë.

After a long day of traveling I arrived in Himarë at around 6 pm. The sun was beginning to set and I had to lug my large bag from the bus that I had just got off to my new apartment, which was on the other side of town and up lots and lots of steps (yes, the town is small, but it felt like I had to walk 100 miles!!). My landlord had been informed when I would be arriving and a Peace Corps staff member had made it quite clear what apartment she wanted me living in. Even though all of this had taken place, I still had to deal with a major issue upon my arrival in Himarë.

Carrying my large suitcase up a flight of stairs that are built into a hill, I excitedly knocked on the door of my landlord ready to finally move into my home for the next two years. Unfortunately, she had another idea. She told me that she didn't want me to live in the apartment she and the Peace Corps had agreed upon because she wanted to rent it out during the summer. Ok, let me explain something before I go on. I pay rent every month to my landlord, however, I guess she would have made more for two months out of the whole year if tourists stayed in those apartments. But think about it, I will be paying rent every month of the year and the tourists would only be paying for two months. She would still be making money off of me and be able to rent the rest of her apartments out to tourists. Needless to say, I was pretty upset when she confronted me with this "idea". Fortunately, after a few calls and shumë time on the phone, my living situation was ironed out, again.

My apartment is pretty small. It only consists of two rooms (three, if you count the bathroom) and a small balcony. The main room serves as the kitchen, hang out room, breakfast/lunch/dinner "nook". The other room is my bedroom/hangout room/room with a fireplace in it. My balcony is probably my favorite part of the whole place. It is right off of my bedroom and from the balcony I have an amazing view of the water, beach, and even the mountains around Himarë. The location is great. I am very close to the center of town and only a 5-10 min walk from the high school. Now that I have finally settled in, I think that I will be happy living there for the next couple of years. I mean how bad could it be? I have an amazing view, hot water, and it's right by the beach. Who could ask for more?

Dhermi - Camping in Paradise

A camping trip was planned for the weekend after our swearing in. Apparently, this is an annual trip and happens after every group swears in. Dhermi is a small beach town that is only about 30-45 min north of Himarë. In order to get there we all took a bus from Elbasan to Vlore and then hitch-hiked along the coastal road to Dhermi. I was traveling with a large group of volunteers so we made the decision to break up into pairs and spread ourselves out along the highway. It didn't take long for me and Kyle to get picked up. The man that gave us a ride was very nice and wanted to know all about us, what we were doing in Albania, and what the United States was like. Luckily, our "driver" was headed to Dhermi so he was able to give us a ride directly to where we wanted to go.

When driving south along the coast road from Vlorë, you must climb a mountain and then go down the other side in order to get to the small villages along the coast. To get to or from Himarë it takes about 3 hrs from Vlorë. It took us, Kyle, myself, and our driver, only about 30 min to get to Dhermi. Needless to say, he drove like the wind. Once over the mountain pass, the road becomes very steep and turns into switchback after switchback. This part of the ride, whether you are in a car or a bus, is not the most comfortable part of the ride. Although at this point in the ride some may get sick, it is also the most beautiful part of the drive from Vlorë to Himarë. Because you are up so high, the view is absolutely fantastic! The water is so blue and the beaches are completely white.

Upon coasting down the winedy road, our driver wanted to stop and have us take pictures of all the beautiful sites and at all the look out points. He was proud to show off his beautiful country. Hitch-hiking proved to be a great way to travel along the coast road because it takes much less time to go over the mountain pass and we were able to practice our Shqip with our driver. (mom and dad-don't worry, I would never hitch by myself and I have not made a habit out of this kind of travel)

After Kyle and I said our goodbyes to our delightful driver, we set out to find camp. We, along with the rest of our group, camped on a small beach (almost cove-like) on the outskirts of Dhermi. The beach was made of smooth white stones and the water was so clear that you could see to the bottom, even when out swimming in it. The group that came down to Dhermi was a lot of fun! We were able to have a fire on the beach and while sitting around the fire we, the newly sworn-in Peace Corps Volunteers, were able to get to know the other volunteers that have been in Albania for one-two years. It was great to get to know some of the other volunteers as well as spend time with our group in a relaxed and fun environment.

I am Finally a Peace Corps Volunteer!!

The last two weeks of PST went by so fast. Once we returned from our site visits we facilitated community projects, had our language exams, attended exit interviews, and had to learn about the administrative side of being an official Peace Corps Volunteer. These past two weeks went by in a flash!

The community project that my PST site group and I worked on was a talent show at the local high school. Students are not exposed to any of the fine arts during their time in elementary or secondary school. We figured that a talent show would be a great way for students to be exposed to and show off their talents in other mediums other than the classroom or a sports field. Luckily, most of the students wanted to participate and were excited about the event.

Our project turned out to be a great success! There was a student interested in being the M.C. and all the performances were really wonderful. After all the acts had gone we put on some Albanian music and all circle danced in the school yard. Students, P.C. Volunteers, and even teachers participated in the circle dancing. The whole event was lots of fun and the students seemed to have a blast, which was one of the main goals. What was also great about our projects was that even other community members were interested and gathered around the school yard to watch the performances and the big circle dance at the end. I don't think this project could have gone any better.

Another hoop that P.C. Trainees have to jump through before becoming full fledged volunteers is the language exam. After 10 intensive weeks of learning and studying Shqip, we were tested on how much we actually learned. I thought my language exam went horribly wrong. Apparently I did very well because I was told that I was at the intermediate level. I am just amazed that I have been able to learn, understand, and comprehend such a difficult language in such a short period of time. I know you all remember taking a language in middle and upper school and some maybe in college. I have studied Spanish for a large portion of my life and I am better at Shqip after 10 weeks than I have ever been at Spanish. How is this even possible?

Once we had completed and passed all the requirements of Peace Corps Albania, we were ready to be sworn-in. This ceremony took place in Elbasan last Thursday, May 27th. Ambassador Withers, the PC Country Director, the Mayor of Elbasan, and 2 of my fellow group members all spoke. It was nice, but not too long and there was a short reception afterward. This day was definitely bittersweet because it was super exciting to be sworn-in and be one step closer to starting work in our sites, but we were all being scattered across the entire country of Albania.

During the first 10 weeks of PST my group became very close, which I'm sure happens with most groups. At first, we all started out not knowing anyone, the language of our host country, and our host country's culture. We all were placed with host families and began to learn the language. Going through these experiences together made everyone in the group closer to each other. Because we were all living through these difficulties together we understood and could sympathize with what people were feeling and why.

It has been a little hard moving to my new site, not knowing anyone, and without a site mate. I am confident, however, that I will be able to successfully integrate into my new community. I know that I have the support of my PC group and if I was able to live with a host family who half the time I was unable to communicate with and endure freezing cold showers for several weeks, I will be able to make it on my own in a new town. I mean how could I not be happy living on the Ionian Sea were the water is bright blue and the beaches are clean and white?!