HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM HIMARE!

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A Winter Wonderland? I Think Not.

This past week has been extremely cold and a little miserable, weather-wise. On Wednesday, it snowed for the first time in over 12 years. The air was frigid and the wind was pretty unbearable. I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to meteorology, but I thought that it was near impossible for it to snow at the beach/along the coast. I guess it is more likely to happen than I thought.

The weather forecast for the entire Balkans area is snow, snow, and more snow. The winter season is known to be quite chilly in this part of the world, however this year the snow fall and cold temperatures are at an extreme. There have been multiple avalanches blocking roads and trains, below freezing temperatures throughout the Balkan Peninsula, and an absurd amount of snow fall throughout the area.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Barisha, issued a "National State of Emergency" due to the worst winter in decades. In addition to Sali Barisha's announcement, Peace Corps Albania has put into place a "Stand-Fast". This means that Peace Corps Volunteers cannot leave do go anywhere. PCVs must stay put not matter if they are in someone else's site or their own. The "Stand-Fast" order has been for the past two days and it looks like it will stay like this for another day or two. Hopefully the weather will get a little better and warmer toward the end of the week so we, Group 13, can still attend our COS conference.

This season has brought heavy snow fall, below freezing temperatures, blocked roads, isolation of small villages, power outages, and deaths. It has been one of the worst winters in the Balkans in over a decade.  Lets just say, I am looking forward to spring.

GAD Conference: Plepa, Durrës

Since August 2010 I have been a member of Peace Corps Albania's Gender and Development Committee (GAD). Many Peace Corps countries have this committee and work on gender issues present in their respective country. GAD Albania is a group of 6 volunteers who work to spread information about gender development, issues, and roles throughout the country of Albania. As a committee we have made it our goal to educate and empower the Albanian youth because they are the future of this country and the ones who will need to start and encourage this transition.

In addition to the Gender Education Manual and the Educator's Training we held in the Fall, we also organized and facilitated a Youth Leadership Conference the 3rd weekend in January. 50 teenage boys and girls from towns all around Albania came together for a long weekend to attend the conference. There were sessions and activities that touched upon leadership qualities, financial budgeting, everyday life skills, body image, and project design and management.

Courtesy of Brenna Mickey

The project design and management workshop taught and allowed groups of Albanian youth how to design, create, organize, and fund a small educational project within their various communities. By attending this workshop, students became knowledgeable about how to write a project proposal and grant of their own and facilitate a  community project. Since attending the conference, students have been given the opportunity to design, write, and submit a project proposal to the GAD Committee with the hope of winning a small amount of grant money to fund their community project.

The GAD Committee applied for a Vodafone Albania Foundation grant in order to be able to fund the publication and printing of our Gender Development Education Manual, Educator's Training, and the Youth Leadership Conference. Without the grant money from the Vodafone Albania Foundation we would not have been able to hold these educational and promotional conferences.

Courtesy of Brenna Mickey

At the Youth Leadership Conference I presented on how to create a project proposal and grant request to a small group of Albanian students as well as helped further the beginnings of their proposals. I also led two fun activities focusing on relationships and teamwork. The kids seemed to enjoy the activities and understood the point of the exercises.

The Conference, as a whole, was a success! Everything ran smoothly, we were able to accomplish our goals, and, most importantly, the kids seemed to have tons of fun!

Power or No Power? That is the Question.

The winter season brings many discomforts and hardships to Albania. Torrential down pours, dumping of snow, violent winds, biting cold, and the flooding of many below sea-level areas. Many places around the world face these elements, however as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Albania sometimes it seems a little tougher than usual.

In addition to the 'normal' winter weather, Albania's lack of modern developments makes winter a little more, shall we say interesting? than it ever was back in The States. There are three main issues....the lack of building insulation, the absence of central heating/homes in southern areas not equipped with wood stoves, and the constant and ever frustrating power outages.

I am sure many of you can imagine what it would be like if you lived in a concrete building with no insulation, no central heating, and the power flickering on and off. If you can't picture this situation just think of me in a black, fleece, spandex suit plus a winter hat, wool socks, and my puffball jacket with my headlamp on trying to see by candlelight, as I pray that the battery in my Kindle won't go out. Frequently this combination is in addition to me inside my sleeping bag.

I don't know if last year was just an extremely mild winter over here or I am much more of a wimp this year, but it is absolutely freezing this winter. Going to school in Colorado and enjoying winter sports has always made me think that I am a fan of cold weather. Now I have completely changed my mind. I think the key to cold weather is always having a place where you can go to warm up.

We, as Peace Corps Volunteers, have been prepped and advised about these winters. However, no matter how much one mentally prepares, no one is ever prepared enough for an ice-cold shower in a freezing apartment. Because I live in the southern part of the country, my house has solar panels on the roof, which (when exposed to the sunlight) powers the water heater in my home. Let me tell you something not many people think about when they come up with the idea of a solar-powered water heater. When it is hot and sunny outside, who the hell wants hot water? It's when it's raining, cloudy, and bitterly cold that I want a scalding hot shower. NEWS FLASH: Solar-powered water heaters don't work during that type of weather.

The most frustrating aspect with the intermittent electricity is the fact that when we do and don't have power makes absolutely no sense! Let me lay out a scenario for you. It's a sunny day, the air is still, and everyone has paid their electric bill. One would think that power would not be a problem, but no. The entire town's electricity is out. How does this make sense at all? For the most part, bad weather = no electricity, but it's when there is absolutely no reason for there to be a power outage that drives me up the wall.

Although there still are frequent power outages through out Albania, Albanian electricity and electric power has come a long way since the late 1990's. Many businesses and families own generators that help during long periods of power outages, people in the northern areas have wood stoves to heat their homes, and it is said that Albania is working on their electric deficiencies. Unfortunately, the mentality of not feeling obligated to pay one's bills is really hurting the electric companies and slowing the development of electrical power in this country. The good news is I have power right now!

Albanian Nationalism

This video is a perfect depiction of Albanian nationalism. Many of the people shown in the video are famous Albanian artists; musicians, actors, etc.

Bringing in the New Year!

Courtesy of Laura Hammett

Ohrid, Macedonia is a small town located on the eastern side of Lake Ohrid. The town looks out over the beautiful lake and once can slightly see Pogradec, Albania on the opposite side of the lake and across the boarder. The town of Ohrid is an official UNESCO heritage site. Due to the protection of UNESCO, the town looks much like it did during the Ottoman rule. The houses are made of white stone, the streets are composed of grayish and black rocks, and the streets are all very narrow windy, and difficult to navigate.

Although Ohrid is just across the boarder from Albania, it is obviously more developed than it's close neighbor. While Albania still struggles with power outages, lack of central heating, and little enforcement and regulation of laws, Macedonia has already worked out all of those issues. The country is much cleaner, trees are in abundance, and the culture seems more civilized. 

What is normal and expected in Albania is rude and embarrassing in Macedonia. People in Albania constantly stare at strangers for long periods of time. This is an everyday occurrence and nothing is thought of it. Many Albanians also speak in loud and harsh sounding tones. Most of the time these people are just speaking normally, and are not upset at all. While in Macedonia I noticed that the Albanian tourists stuck out like sore thumbs. At one meal there was an older man speaking Albanian to the other two people at his table. He spoke in a loud and rude tone of voice to both the waiter and the others he was with. It was clear that the entire restaurant was perturbed by his lack of consideration for the rest of the people around him.

Another example was something I did while in Macedonia. Unfortunately I have picked up this habit while over here and desperately need to work on reverting back to the American culture does and don'ts. Kim and I went to have coffee in one of the coffee bars along the main street one afternoon. I ordered a hot chocolate (which in this part of the world comes out more like a thick chocolate pudding). When my hot chocolate came out I was surprised of the consistency. Therefore, when I heard the men at the table behind me order one cocoa and one hot chocolate, I was anxious to see what would arrive The waitress served the men and quickly walked away. About a minuet after the men had received their drinks Kim reprimanded me for blatantly staring at the table next to us. I was completely unaware of how long I had been staring at those men. When Kim pointed out what I was doing I became very embarrassed and turned bright red.

Courtesy of Kim Lancaster

New Years Eve was spent at a bar located right on the lake. Adam brought along some Golden Eagle energy drinks from Albania. He was adamant that we all drink them before we headed out to the bar. By the time we left our little apartment I was definitely energized! The night was super fun. Lots of dancing and lots of Serbs. It was like we had entered little Serbia upon walking through the doors of the bar. We circle danced with a few other patrons, talked up our odd love of Albania, and laughed through it all. What a great way to start off 2012!

Dancer is One of Santa's Reindeer

Christmas was filled with laughter, love and lots of sweets this year! I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with eight other PCVs in Lezhe, a town about an hour north of Tirana. Our plans included a big Christmas Eve dinner, games, mulled wine, and the promise of a blazing fire. 

Courtesy of Laura Hammett

Christmas Eve was one of the best days I have had in Albania. The morning and early afternoon was occupied by a football game, which was tons of fun and included a good amount of humorous trash talking. After the big game we all went out for an apres-game celebratory beer and lunch. Traditional Albanian food for lunch alongside Albanian brewed beer. I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon. 

The rest of the day was spent playing cards, preparing dinner, and finishing up gifts. Eggnog was made by Laura and served during our many rounds of cards. Prior to Christmas Eve, I had never tasted eggnog before. I enjoyed it, but it was super sweet. Once glass was enough for me. Card players switched in and out as different aspects of Christmas dinner were being prepared. For the main course there was a marinated beef loin, which was absolutely delicious! Along with the beef there was a Canadian dish made by John and Adam that consisted of fried potatoes served under thick gravy and bacon. There was also a salad to balance out all the heavy food items. The meal took quite a while to prepare and cook so while we were waiting, we played a game by the name of Chardee MacDennis. 

Chardee MacDennis is a game that was first introduced to us by the television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The game consists of 3 rounds, trivia/puzzles, physical challenge, and mental stamina, and is played in teams. Because there was an equal number of PCVs from the Northern, Central, and Southern areas of Albania, that was how we broke up into teams. Obviously I was on Team South. The trivia questions were challenging, yet answerable, the physical challenges were rediculous, painful, and accomplishable, and the mental stamina exercises were just down right self-confidence breaking. The game was a success! The trivia card that gave everyone a difficult time was the one that stated: "Name all of Santa's reindeer and his wife". Of course everyone knew Mrs. Claus, but the number of reindeer completely stumped the answering team. Does he have 8 or 9 reindeer?

Courtesy of Kim Lancaster

Now, as children we were all read the poem The Night Before Christmas and at some point in our lives we were able to perfectly recite it. However, as we have gotten older only remnients from the poem can be remembered. For me, I can recall the beginning of the poem, but once the stockings are hung and the hope of St. Nick will soon be there comes along, it's pretty much down hill from there. I know there is the part, "sugarplum fairs danced in their head" and "on dasher, on donner, on comet and cupid". But are those the actual words and in the right order? I can not tell you for sure. Plus when I try to recite the reindeer portion in the poem I end up repeating the same reindeer names. 

Luckily, I grew up with a set of Santa's Reindeer ornaments that decorated our family Christmas tree every year, so I can name all the reindeer. (A huge source of pride. How many other things can a brag about with this group of PCVs?) However, my team was not asked the question, it was a trivia question for the Central team. Long story short. They couldn't name them all and they ended up making up one of the names. A huge debate began about the name of that last reindeer. Many of the PCVs tried to recite the poem, but failing, while others were positive they knew the name of the last reindeer. 

The food, company, and activities that accompanied the Christmas holiday this year was wonderful. Everyone seemed to have a good time and we definitely ate, drank, and were merry. I leave you with a poem until the next holiday season.

The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn arouse such a clatter,

I spring from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a minaiture sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

While a little old drive, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name.

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen

On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

...

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"