The coastal road to Himarë is long and very curvy. It took my counterpart and I about 4 1/2 hrs to go from Vlorë to Himarë, but that also included a coffee break for the driver at about the halfway point. The road provided me an amazing view of Albania's Ionian Coast or should I say "The Albanian Riviera."
Himarë is a small beach town that is located right on the Ionian Sea. The beach and the water are absolutely beautiful. The water is bright blue and extremely clear. There is a small "boardwalk" that runs alongside of the beach which has a lot of nice cafes and bars. If I haven't already explained that Albania has quite the coffee culture, let me explain now. Everyday there are about 4 or 5 coffee breaks during the workday. From what I have observed, Albanians spend almost as much time drinking coffee as they do working. In most European countries, iced coffee does not exsist and is completely unheard of, but in Himarë it is a different story. This is because Himarë is close to Greece and it is always pretty warm there.
Himarë is considered to be one of the oldest towns in the world. It has been controled by the Greeks, Italians, Turks, Ottomans, and, of course, the Albanians. Because so many groups hav had Himarë included in their empires at one time or another the culture in Himarë is very eclectic and includes traditions from all of the groups that were once in control of Himarë. Not only does Himarë have an eclectic culture due to it's history, but its location also contributes to the life style and language spoken in Himarë.
Himarë is located in the far south of Albania, very close to Greece. Many inhabitants of Himarë are from Greece or have family that are from or living in Greece. Because of this towns strong connection with Greece, it is quite common for people to speak Greek in this area of Albania. From what I experienced on my vist was that many people do speak Greek, but they also speak a dialect of Albanian. The Albanian that they speak is mostly Albanian with Greek words and phrases thrown in here and there. It looks like I will be learning quite a bit of Greek over the next two years.
The town is beautiful, the people and community in Himarë are very welcoming, and the students/school I will be working with all seem very motivated and interested in learning English. My visit to Himarë was pretty positive, but I am still a little nervous about moving to a new area without knowing anyone. It is a bit intimidating to move to a brand new site, open it yourself, and really don't know what all is expected of you. It is exciting and nerveracking all at the same time. I think things will be great once I settle in and get comfortable speaking Albanian/Greek with the community members. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Camping in Belsh
Belsh is a small town about 1 hr. southwest of Elbasan. It is just over the hill on the south side of Pajove, but there is not a road that goes directly from Pajove to Belsh. The town of Belsh was built around a large lake and in the middle of some beautiful rolling hills. On one side of the lake there is the main part of town and there are houses/neighborhoods that surroun the rest of the lake.
Our campsite wat at the tope of one of the hills that surround Belsh. The top of the hill was pretty flat, almost like a mesa. Up there we were able to play frisbee and I also got the chance to teach a few young Albanian boys how to throw and catch with baseball gloves and a ball. Laster, once the sun went down, we had a great bonfire. A few of the other volunteers brought their guitars, which made life around the fire even more fun and exciting. The stars that were out that night were also pretty unbelievable. There were so many and they were all very bright!
Another interesting fact about our campsite was that it is the spot where shepherds bring their flocks of sheep everyday to graze. Upon our arrival at the campsite, there was a large flock of sheep just hanging out with their shepherd sprawled out on a large rock, asleep. The sheep along with their shepherd left once the sun began to set, but sure enough, they were all back the next morning grazing in the middle of our campsite.
Our campsite wat at the tope of one of the hills that surround Belsh. The top of the hill was pretty flat, almost like a mesa. Up there we were able to play frisbee and I also got the chance to teach a few young Albanian boys how to throw and catch with baseball gloves and a ball. Laster, once the sun went down, we had a great bonfire. A few of the other volunteers brought their guitars, which made life around the fire even more fun and exciting. The stars that were out that night were also pretty unbelievable. There were so many and they were all very bright!
Another interesting fact about our campsite was that it is the spot where shepherds bring their flocks of sheep everyday to graze. Upon our arrival at the campsite, there was a large flock of sheep just hanging out with their shepherd sprawled out on a large rock, asleep. The sheep along with their shepherd left once the sun began to set, but sure enough, they were all back the next morning grazing in the middle of our campsite.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Ok, so the past couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy! Because I am going to be teaching English in elementary and secondary schools, I had to teach several classes over the past 2 weeks. Some of my lessons went very well while others were complete messes. The first week I taught in the Pajove high school. I quickly learned that teaching a multi-level class is a huge challenge. This past week I taught in a 9-year school (1st-9th grade). My favorite class and grade I taught was 4th grade. The kids were so excited, wanted to learn, and really tried their hardest. My lesson I created was also tons of fun to execute. Because schools begin teaching English in 3rd grade, the 4th graders only know the basics. The lesson I taught was on possessive pronouns. I was so much fun to think up games and activities that the 4th graders would enjoy, but would also help them learn all the possessive pronouns and how/when to use them.
The language has definitely proven to be difficult, but I now can have conversations with Albanians, get to where I need to be, and know what is generally going on around me. I really thought that there was no way I would be able to conquer this language, but I am slowly but surely being able to integrate. Understanding and learning the language has helped me with my host family as well. My host family is only a "father" and a "mother" so there really isn't a lot going on in the house at night or should I say after sun-down. Since I now understand Albanian I can communicate much better with my host family and being at home is not as lonely as it has been these past 7 weeks.
My host father is a farmer and he has a huge orchard with cherry, pear, plum, apple, and orange trees. I got the opportunity to visit the orchard and he walked me though it telling me where each kind of tree was located. I have heard that the cherries here are absolutely amazing so I am super excited for cherry season, especially because it is coming up and my host family will have tons of them!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Paradise Here I Come!
I have finally found out where I will be living and working for the next two years! I will be living in a small beach town by the name of Himarë. It is located in the south west coast of Albania on the Ionian Sea. The town is south of Vlorë and north of Sarande. Apparently, the tall Llogara mountains steeply cascade down to the beautiful beach and sea. How much better could it get? I have the mountains and the beach/bright blue sea!
This small town has been occupied and ruled by the Greeks, Italians, Germans, Austro-Hungarians, and Albanians and dates back to antiquity. It seems like this town has tons of history and that there will be lots to see there. The piece of information that most interested me what the language that is spoken in this town. The language of Himarë is a dialect of Greek. Can you believe this?!?!? Once I read this information all I could do was laugh. I have been frantically studying Albanian and have been worried about how I will be able to communicate with the locals in the area that I will be living in and now I find out that they don't even speak Albanian!! I guess I will have to switch my efforts to learning Greek.
There, I will be teaching at a 9-year school and high school. These two schools are joined together, which is not very common for Albanian schools. I have learned a little about my counter-part and she seems like she will be a great person to work with as well as a great resource. I am pretty excited about my assignment. I mean, it can't get much better than living in a small beach town for the next couple of years.
I guess that now I (and now all of you) know where I will be living for the next 2 years I should be expecting visitors.
This small town has been occupied and ruled by the Greeks, Italians, Germans, Austro-Hungarians, and Albanians and dates back to antiquity. It seems like this town has tons of history and that there will be lots to see there. The piece of information that most interested me what the language that is spoken in this town. The language of Himarë is a dialect of Greek. Can you believe this?!?!? Once I read this information all I could do was laugh. I have been frantically studying Albanian and have been worried about how I will be able to communicate with the locals in the area that I will be living in and now I find out that they don't even speak Albanian!! I guess I will have to switch my efforts to learning Greek.
There, I will be teaching at a 9-year school and high school. These two schools are joined together, which is not very common for Albanian schools. I have learned a little about my counter-part and she seems like she will be a great person to work with as well as a great resource. I am pretty excited about my assignment. I mean, it can't get much better than living in a small beach town for the next couple of years.
I guess that now I (and now all of you) know where I will be living for the next 2 years I should be expecting visitors.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Real Work
The past few days have been super busy and stressful. We have had a lot to accomplish, lots of confusion, and frustration with my novice language level. At the end of this week we will all find out what site we will eventually be living and working in for the next two years. It will be great to finally be able to learn more about our living situations and our working conditions.
Learning the Albanian language has proved to be quite a difficult task. At first, I was doing well with the language and now I am able to create simple sentences and communicate on a basic level with my host family and various Albanians. The first 10 weeks of being in the Peace Corps is devoted to training, and part of the training includes learning the language. The goal is to master the Albanian language in 10 weeks. We will see how that goes...
My host family believes that because I have been in Albania for about 4 weeks I should be fluent and able to communicate about pretty much everything they want to talk about. The biggest issue with speaking and communicating with my host family is that they speak in a village dialect. Many small villages have their own dialect of the Albanian language. Because my host family speak in dialect it is frequently difficult to understand them and for them to understand me. But overall, communication in Albania is becoming easier and easier each day.
As a volunteer, I will be teaching English as a second language (TEFL). Part of testing you and your knowledge of the Albanian classrooms and education system is a two week long practicum where you teach and observe 14 classes. Therefore, next week and the following week I will be teaching English to various grades/years. I have begun to start to prepare for these lessons. It will be interesting to see other volunteers in a more professional setting.
Current volunteers have assured me that training is the most stressful and busiest you will ever be in the next two years. It is nice to know that I won't want to go to bed at 9 pm every night for the next 2 years.
Learning the Albanian language has proved to be quite a difficult task. At first, I was doing well with the language and now I am able to create simple sentences and communicate on a basic level with my host family and various Albanians. The first 10 weeks of being in the Peace Corps is devoted to training, and part of the training includes learning the language. The goal is to master the Albanian language in 10 weeks. We will see how that goes...
My host family believes that because I have been in Albania for about 4 weeks I should be fluent and able to communicate about pretty much everything they want to talk about. The biggest issue with speaking and communicating with my host family is that they speak in a village dialect. Many small villages have their own dialect of the Albanian language. Because my host family speak in dialect it is frequently difficult to understand them and for them to understand me. But overall, communication in Albania is becoming easier and easier each day.
As a volunteer, I will be teaching English as a second language (TEFL). Part of testing you and your knowledge of the Albanian classrooms and education system is a two week long practicum where you teach and observe 14 classes. Therefore, next week and the following week I will be teaching English to various grades/years. I have begun to start to prepare for these lessons. It will be interesting to see other volunteers in a more professional setting.
Current volunteers have assured me that training is the most stressful and busiest you will ever be in the next two years. It is nice to know that I won't want to go to bed at 9 pm every night for the next 2 years.
Singing in the Rain
The day before yesterday, yesterday, and today it has been raining. Traveling to and from the "big city" (Elbasan) and back was messy and difficult and walking to and from town has been quite an adventure. The roads to and around my home have completely turned to mud. Not only is there tons of slippery and suction cup like mud everywhere, but there are huge holes that are filled with water. I don't know if I have mentioned it or if you already know, but Albania has a serious trash problem. There is trash everywhere, very very few landfills, and by taking out the trash people simple walk to the river and throw their bags of trash into the water. Great for the environment huh? In the small farming village I live in people have cows, horses, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and dogs in their front yards, backyards, roaming freely, and along the side of the roads. You add all the rain, trash, dirt roads, and all kinds of farm animals and I am sure you can imagine the smell of my walk home from school. No worries, I have a picture of my road I will be posting (once I can) so you can see a visual. This morning I was alone on the road and making the 30 min. trek to school. It was as the sun was rising, the rain was falling, and the mud suctioning my feel to the ground, I finally felt like I was experiencing what I thought the Peace Corps was going to be like. It was pleasant, nasty, and adventurous all at once. In a way a kinda enjoyed the experience.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Rreshen
Since I have been in Albania I have not heard very many positive things about the north. Mostly that It is very cold, it is difficult to travel around up there, and that it is one of the more dangerous areas in the country. Last week I had the chance to visit a current volunteer and see what life is like once you are done with training. I was to travel to the north to the small town of Rreshen. At first I was a bit disappointed that I would be going to the north, rather than the south, but once I experienced Rreshen, my feelings about northern Albania have completely changed.
Rreshen is a small village that is located east of Shenkoll. It is right in the middle of what is considered to be northern Albania. The village is up in the mountains. The views from Rreshen are absolutely beautiful. Although Rreshen is quite a small town, the town is actually pretty liberal. There are lots of young women out on the streets, even after dark. I had the opportunity to speak with a few high school aged girls and they told me that they frequently go out with their friends after it gets dark. The town is very small, but in comparison to Pajove, it is huge.
The point of my visit to Rreshen was to learn what life is like for a current TEFL volunteer. Because of this I stayed with a girl who teaches high-school English classes. She also works with students outside of school to help them study for the SAT's, TEFL exams, model UN, and various other activities. I got the opportunity to observe a few English classes at the high school in Rreshen. In comparison to the classes that I have observed in Pajove, Elbasan, and Besqim the kids in Rreshen behave very very well during class.
This visit really made me excited to finish training and to move to my site. I am so ready to get into the classrooms, become part of a community, and live in my own space. Visiting the north also made me realize that I would be happy wherever I am placed in Albania. The west and south have the beach and heat, while the north and east have beautiful mountains with lots of hiking and mountain biking trails. I am really glad that this was part of training because it got me even more excited to move to my permanent site and begin to get involved with my community.
Rreshen is a small village that is located east of Shenkoll. It is right in the middle of what is considered to be northern Albania. The village is up in the mountains. The views from Rreshen are absolutely beautiful. Although Rreshen is quite a small town, the town is actually pretty liberal. There are lots of young women out on the streets, even after dark. I had the opportunity to speak with a few high school aged girls and they told me that they frequently go out with their friends after it gets dark. The town is very small, but in comparison to Pajove, it is huge.
The point of my visit to Rreshen was to learn what life is like for a current TEFL volunteer. Because of this I stayed with a girl who teaches high-school English classes. She also works with students outside of school to help them study for the SAT's, TEFL exams, model UN, and various other activities. I got the opportunity to observe a few English classes at the high school in Rreshen. In comparison to the classes that I have observed in Pajove, Elbasan, and Besqim the kids in Rreshen behave very very well during class.
This visit really made me excited to finish training and to move to my site. I am so ready to get into the classrooms, become part of a community, and live in my own space. Visiting the north also made me realize that I would be happy wherever I am placed in Albania. The west and south have the beach and heat, while the north and east have beautiful mountains with lots of hiking and mountain biking trails. I am really glad that this was part of training because it got me even more excited to move to my permanent site and begin to get involved with my community.
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