Monday, July 2, 2012

I've Come Full Circle!

It is quite common to see older men sitting around tables or makeshift cardboard tables as you walk down the streets in Albania. The retired men spend much of their day drinking coffee and raki and playing dominoes and sometimes card games. It was definitely part of the Albanian culture that I found endearing and made the local community seem more like a family than just strangers passing each other on the street.

One could always hear lively conversations and laughter when passing by one of these games. Some of the men would play, while others would sit around watching and participating in whatever they were talking about.

Upon arriving in my community, Himare, I was first welcomed and 'befriended' by the old men. They all wanted to take me out to coffee, learn about what I was doing in Albania, why I was living in Himare, and correct me whenever I would make a mistake when speaking Albanian. After a few weeks of coffees, I was finally invited to play cards with them one day. That was the moment that I knew I had 'passed their inspection'. One never sees women, much less a young woman, playing dominoes or cards within these groups of older men. By the end of my service many of these men felt like my surrogate grandfathers, they told me what to do, told me jokes, and always corrected my Albanian. 

A few weeks ago I traveled from Dallas, Texas down to Austin, Texas to meet my new roommate and find housing for this coming Fall semester. I happened to be sitting outside at a coffee shop waiting for my friend, when a group of American men sat down at a table and whipped out a set of dominoes. I absolutely can not express the excitement I felt when I noticed this!

The similarities were absolutely uncanny! Albanian men would play at coffee shops, the Austin men played at a coffee shop; Albanian men would play with only men, the Austin men played with only men; Albanian men would play with a coffee and raki on hand, Austin men played with a coffee and beer on hand. The only difference between the two groups of men were that the Albanian men always wore tweed suits frequently with a hat, while the Austin men were wearing blue jeans with cowboys boots and they all had handlebar mustaches.

I can't believe I found Albanian culture with a Texas twist in Austin, Texas!


Men in Austin Playing Dominoes
Men in Albania Playing Dominoes

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Reflection

When one starts out on their Peace Corps journey, it seems like the the time you have just committed yourself to serving in a foreign country, where you don't know or understand the language and culture, will be a long and challenging two years.There is definitely truth in that logic, however what I expected of my Peace Corps service and what I actually experienced were not exactly the same.

What I imagined prior to my arrival in Albania was a volunteer position in which I would constantly be busy working to develop and improve various aspects of Albania and Albanian worth ethics, while having to endure underdeveloped living conditions. I did not expect to integrate as much as I did into the Albanian lifestyle and I also didn't imagine that the living condition hardships would ever become a 'normal' way of life.   

After living in Albania for two years, one no longer acknowledges the extra time it takes to do pretty much anything and everything. Going to meetings and having the other party show up 15-30 min late or even not at all is not unusual. Having to start dinner an hour before you plan to actually cook it is something you just do and don't even think about. Taking a cold shower because there is no isn't as much of a downer as it used to be. Weird and frustrating became no big deal. Albanian way of life became my way of life.

To be honest I didn't realize how much I had integrated into Albanian culture until I arrived back in the States after being gone for over two years. This experience has definitely erased all doubts I have ever had about species adaptation. Of course my 'change' is much more slight, but it has made me think about what I would be like if I had stayed away from the States for even longer.

Upon my return to the US many of my friends and family asked me what I missed the most. It really is exactly the same of what I missed most about the US, my friends and family (PC family). Because I was the only American in my site, I had to really reach out and become part of my Albanian community so I could have a support network where I lived and worked. Because I was placed in that situation, I made wonderful friends and was able and had to fully embrace Albanian culture.

To all those who wonder what it is like to return to the US after living abroad for over two years, yes, it is difficult reintegrating into the American lifestyle. Living as part of a different community really opens one's eyes to what is important and where one should focus one's energy.

I came back to the US having a different outlook on life, which is good and bad. I still need to work through how I can combine my world views and morals that I have gained with my life in America.


Thursday, May 10, 2012

A Story of Affirmation

About 2 weeks ago I had a group of friends down to Himare for a last little hurrah before we all would start dispersing around the globe. One of my friends stopped on his way back from the beach at a small hotel to check out the summer rates. I pass by this hotel everyday. The woman who owns it is super nice, I teach her children in school and in my after school English courses, and it is where I always recommend PCVs or their parents stay. It is clean and the rates are pretty good for a tourist town like Himare.

Anyway, one of my friends went to discuss the prices for the month of August, the busiest and most expensive month of the year. While conversing with this woman, her young, 3rd grade daughter came up to investigate what was going on. Once they realized that the man that they were talking to was one of my friends, the little girl proceeded to perform the Hokey Pokey for my fellow PCV.

Shortly after this performance he arrived back at my apartment and relayed this story to me. He continued to tell me how the girl knew all her body parts, recited the song perfectly, and was proud to be able to show-off for him.

I cannot tell you the joy that the feeling of this small success brought to me. It was one of the best things that has happened to me during my Peace Corps service and, to be honest, it happened at just the right time, right before I had completed my service.

This is exactly what I will miss about my Peace Corps service.



Monday, May 7, 2012

A Balkans Tradition?!

A joke that many Peace Corps Volunteers here in Albania throw back and forth at each other is 'Did you know that coffee is a Balkans Tradition?!' It is pretty obvious that coffee in small cups at least 3 times a day is the way of life here.

Prior to my arrival in Albania, one aspect of the culture that had not fully grasped the importance of was creating personal relationships over coffee and drinking coffee in general. Drinking coffee is a huge part of the Albanian culture, whether you are meeting someone socially or in regards to work there is usually coffee present.

I began drinking/forcing myself to enjoy coffee as a college student working on my senior thesis. At this point in my life drinking coffee was much more out of necessity than desire. Now, in Albania, I have welcomed coffee breaks to become part of my daily routine. It has also been a wonderful way for me to meet people in my community, create meaningful relationships with Albanians, and accomplish work and projects throughout my Peace Corps service.

When meeting to talk about business over coffee the structure of the meeting is always the same. The coffee, in it's tiny cup, lasts for a whopping 50 min, the conversation starts with the usual pleasantries, then moves on to family and what you have been up to since the last time the two of you had coffee. Finally, after 40 min of random talk the conversation turns to what you  needed to discuss and the reason the two of you met up in the first place, work, for the last 10 min. Before I had integrated and become used to this part of the culture I did not have the patience nor the interest in work 'meetings'

Something that no one tells you and you just have to figure out for yourself is that when you go to 'coffee' you don't actually have to drink coffee. Unfortunately, I found this out too late. Upon arriving to site many people asked me to have coffee with them as a way to welcome me to their community. I ended up going to 5 or 6 coffees a day in the beginning and having a small express at each of these meetings. Let me tell you, I have never shook as much as I did those first couple of days in Himare. With all the caffeine in my system my body could just not sit still.

Now that I have lived in Albania for two years, I have learned how to 'milk' a little cup of coffee for an entire 50 min long meeting, I no longer shake from 2 express coffees, sitting down for a leisurely morning coffee is something I really enjoy, and going to coffee has become one of my favorite parts of the day. How am I going to be able to adjust to the large, fast paced, to-go coffee culture in America?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

One Month Left


One month from today, I am scheduled to leave Albania and return to the United States. Although I have been here for over two years, there are still so many places and things that I want to see and experience before I leave. These next four weeks will be jam packed with last minute day-long adventures, getting my fill of Turkish coffees, and saying all of those important and difficult good-byes. I will also have to try to remember just to enjoy the quiet ebb of the ocean as I walk to work in the mornings and as I lay in bed at night, as well as, the constant quizzing and interruptions by my landlords. These small things are what I am going to miss the most.


Sunday, April 8, 2012

Hapja Bibliotekë


My main assignment with Peace Corps is to teach English as a foreign language. Although I spend almost every day at school, I still have ample time to work on secondary projects. The project in which I have spent the most time on and that is probably the largest of my service is the creation of a library/community center for the town of Himare. It has taken over a year to begin and complete, but it is one of my favorite and fulfilling things I have done throughout my Peace Corps experience.

The first summer I spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Himare was an exciting, new, and a bit uncomfortable, at times, experience. Two of the goals that I had set for myself was to get to know community members and students, as well as start 2-3 summer English courses. Getting courses started was difficult primarily because I didn't know many people in town. I first needed to find a space where I could hold courses and then I would begin to advertise for the English courses. The elementary school director was kind enough to allow me the use of a classroom in the elementary school for my first summer. Unfortunately, not long after the start of the 2010-2011 school year the school director changed and I was no longer given the privilege to use the elementary school for a meeting place. This created quite a dilemma.

There were absolutely no public meeting spaces in Himare. The school was off limits and there was no 'culture palace' (rec. center) or library where I could meet with students to work on English or various other projects. That was when I decided that Himare could really use a library/community center. It was pretty tough to get people excited and interested in the idea and actually making it come to life. However, once I got the ball rolling on my own, more and more community members jumped on board and were more than happy to support this addition to their community. In order for the library to become a reality we needed funding and community support/participation.

The need for a library and a free space for kids to productively spend their time was great. Not only was there a need, but there was a desire by the students to make this project happen. High-school boys did the painting, high-school girls helped out with the cleaning, and all the younger, excited children were great at advertising and talking up the library project. All the kids did their part. 

In order to fund and make this project possible, my counterpart and I applied for a Small Projects Assistance grant from USAID, from which we were awarded 3,000 USD. In addition to the grant money, Banka Populore in Himare gave our project another 1,500 USD, the middle school girls from The Hockaday School in Dallas, TX organized a book drive in order to contribute English books to the library, and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Hammett donated a sum to help out with the purchasing of Albanian books. Without the help of all these people, the Himare library would not have come into existence. Thank you again for your support and contributions!

For more photos of the library click here

Before
After

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

From Shivering to Sunscreen



SPRING IS HERE!

Whether it's freezing cold or sweltering hot, the fun is always around the corner. 

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Being American in Albania


Many people around the world do not know where Albania is located or that Albania is a real place. To be completely frank, it is quite amazing that so many people are unaware of this small, but beautiful country. Albania, the Albanian people, Albanian culture, and the Albanian language have been around for centuries, yet due to the fact that it was a 'closed' and isolated country for so long many are unaware of it's existence. Since the fall of communism the United States has taken an interest in the development of Albania. Over the years the United States has shown it's support of Albania in many ways, aiding Kosovo, aiding in the transition from communism to a democracy, etc.

Being an American living in Albania is similar to what I think being a celebrity would be like. I, along with the other Americans I know who are living here, are treated with great respect and everyone wants to talk and spend time with us. Upon first arriving in Albania the constant stares, requests to meet for coffee, and the high frequency of random people wanting to know about my personal life seemed rude and nosey. However, now that I have lived here for 2 years I have learned that this attention is the way Albanians show that they care about you.

Living in Himare makes traveling a bit more difficult because of it's remote location. In order to get to Himare one has to consciously work to get here, there is no such thing as 'passing through' my town. Because of Himare's isolation, there really are only a few bus drivers that I into contact with when traveling to or from Himare. I have gotten to know them all quite well.

The way Albanians treat Americans is best exemplified by how I have been treated when traveling by bus to and from Himare. When I was traveling back to Himare from the COS Conference, which was held in Korça, it took me 2 days to get home. The second day of travel was from Fier to Himare. It was early in the morning and I was waiting alongside the national highway waiting for one of the only buses to Himare to pass through. After about 30 minuets of waiting the bus came flying around the round-about and stopped as I hailed it down. I boarded the bus and was immediately greeted by my bus driver friend. He then turned to the man sitting in the front seat and asked him to please move to the back of the bus (where there was the only seat left) so they (the people on the bus) could show some respect to this American girl. The bus driver proceeded to tell the man, who gladly gave his seat up for me, and the rest of the bus that I have been living in Albania for the past 2 years, live and work in Himare, and that I am a very good girl.

Yes, I have worked diligently to integrate into my community and abide by the Albanian code of conduct. And yes, I have tried to create a good reputation for myself, Peace Corps, and the US within Himare and Albania. The fact that I have put in the time to get to know locales and become part of 'my' Albania has allowed me not only to be respected because I am American, but I have also gained the trust of many people within my community.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Gëzuar Ditën e Verës!

Happy Summer Day! This holiday celebrates the lunar spring. The town of Elbasan is the center of the celebration and has preserved the holiday in it's purist form. Although Elbasan is where the most celebrating goes on, many other cities and villages throughout Albania celebrate this big and festive holiday. There is lots of music, dancing, and ballakume! Ballakume is a large cookie that is made from butter, sugar, corn flour, and egg yolks and baked in a wood oven. The wood oven is the most important part because one of the characteristics of this ëmbëlsirë (dessert) is the presence of ash in the cookie. These cookies come, but once a year and they are most definitely a special treat, and good!

Ballakume
Last Ditën e Verës, my friend Nathan and I were traveling back down south from Elbasan after a great day of celebrating in Elbasan. In order to get from Elbasan to the more southern region of the country one travels through the village of Pajove, where my host family lives as well as Nathan's. Upon approaching the center of Pajove, a woman on the side of the road hailed the furgon. The furgon stopped, the Albanian woman slid the van's door open, handed Nathan a large plastic bag, had a quick exchange in Albanian with him, and slid the van door shut. It all happened so fast I didn't really know what was happening. After the furgon started up again and we were enroute to Vlore, Nathan opened up the bag and it was full of ballakume! I looked at Nathan after making this discovery and all he said to me was, "What? I really like my host mother's ballakume."

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Furgon Culture

14 People in a Furgon...Pse Jo?
Traveling throughout Albania is treacherous, inefficient, unpredictable, and always an adventure. Over the past two years the roads in Albania have become much much better, however there is still much room for improvement. In addition to the inadequate roads, traffic laws are not well enforced, nor are they followed by many drivers. Speeding, constant passing on two-lane roads at inopportune times, no wearing of seat belts, and over crowding of vehicles is quite common.

The majority of the population uses public transportation, which includes taxis, buses, and furgons (vans), to move around the country. While buses are on schedules and can usually be relied upon, furgons are a much faster and easier way to travel. The way furgon travel works is that there are usually furgons waiting for passengers at their designated spots. Once the entire van is full, then the furgon will leave. This is where traveling by furgon gets to be frustrating. Because drivers will not leave until their vans are completely full, it is not uncommon for one sit and wait for hours before the furgon is full and ready to leave. Passengers are really at the mercy of the drivers. What's great about traveling by furgon is that they are much faster than buses. I live six hours from Tirana, the capital, and any time I can find a furgon I jump right on it because A. we don't have furgons in Himare and B. I am always ready to speed up the traveling process.

Most furgons are old, rickety, and frequently don't always start on cue, but on the plus side the drivers try to squish as many passengers as they possible can for each trip they take, (the more passengers the more money they make)  so no one has any personal space. This is particularly invigorating during the hot summer months when people are the smelliest. Due to the lack of personal space and the fact that us Americans are pretty much all celebrities here in Albania, I am always meeting my new "best friend."

Recently I was traveling to the mountain village of Erseke in the front seat of a furgon along side the driver and one other man. Upon learning that I know Shqip (Albanian) the driver and the man sitting next to me did not stop asking me questions. At first it was the usual questions, 'why are you here?', 'how long have you been here?', 'where is your mother and father?', 'are you married?', etc. However, once we crossed over into the 'old pals' zone it went from 'normal' to just plain odd. My furgon driver whips out a couple of Golden Eagle energy drinks (Which if you haven't ever tasted one, don't even bother trying it out. They are horrible!) and offers them to the few passengers in the front of the van. Then, not too long after the energy drink episode the driver begins to offer me the opportunity to drive the rest of the way to Erseke. Keep in mind that we are on a narrow, curvy, mountain road in an old, manual transmission van full of about 12 other Albanians. Obviously I declined the offer, but this man was not taking no for an answer. Finally I just had to bite the bullet and say, 'I don't know how to drive." This was clearly a mistake when he proceeded to tell me that he would teach me right then and there.

Traveling within Albania is super frustrating at times, but overall it is a pretty neat experience. You get to see all parts of the country, explore new pilaf stops, and meet some great characters. I have definitely learned a lot about the Albanian language and culture on the many 'trips' I have taken over these past two years. 

Monday, March 5, 2012

COS Conference: Korça

Group 13 after 2 Years 

After much anticipation and a week postponement, due to serious snow storms and road closures, the COS Conference finally happened! 

This conference was 3-4 days long and designed to educate us volunteers on the process, procedures, and paper work that needs to be completed by the time we are scheduled to leave the country. We were also informed about our re-adjustment allowances, the Peace Corps medical insurance options, and were even given some tips for re-integrating back into the US culture. I am making this sound short and sweet, but these sessions took up most of the days with a few lighter and fun sessions thrown in the mix. 

There were a few sessions that were organized, created, and run by fellow volunteers. No offense to PC Staff, but these were much more exciting and fun. Two of my closest friends, Laura H. and Kim, created an Albanian Olympics. During this session we broke up into groups, according to our site locations (I was in the southern coastal group), and competed against each other in order to complete or be the best at various Albanian tasks. One of the challenges was to see who could squat the longest in the position in which one would take when using a Turkish toilet. Another was completing the lyrics to various traditional and pop Albanian songs. The Olympics was a fun way for us to blow off some steam while reminiscing on all the crazy and funny things we have encountered over the past 2 years. 

Toward the end of the conference, there was a volunteer-led session that focused on the cultural differences between the US and Albania. This was also a competition-based exercise (I don't know if you have gotten the hint by now, but we are all super competitive and anytime we get the chance to make it a head to head challenge we are game!). It was set up like the game show Family Feud. An example of one of the questions is, 'When you ask for buke (bread in Albanian) in the US, what will you get?' Answer: 'a book'. Many of us made silly mistakes when answering these questions because a. we were on a time limit and b. because we have become so used to the Albanian way of life that it has become second nature to us. It was a pretty creative way to jog our memories of what day to day life is like in the States. 

The few nights we had in Korça were fun and (I know this sounds corny, but it's true) filled with tons and tons of laughter. We went to a couple great restaurants that I had never been to before. One night we went to a place that served 'modern' Albanian food. The food was absolutely delicious and it was a new perspective of traditional Albanian food. This restaurant also distills it's own raki (a strong, hard liquor that is commonly made from grapes). What was different about this raki was that it was made from honey. The honey gave it a much sweeter taste and a dark amber color, as well as made it much more enjoyable than any other raki I have tasted while in Albania. The last night my whole group met up at a traditional Albanian bar/restaurant, had some beers, and circle danced till the wee hours of the morning. Some of the staff joined us later on and showed off with some of their fancy traditional Albanian dance moves. It was a party, to say the least!

The conference concluded with a slide-show made by my friend Jeff. This video included all aspects of the 'Peace Corps Experience' as well as everyone from my group. It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone and everything that we, as a group, have accomplished since we arrived in Albania two years ago. COS was a wonderful experience and a lot of fun. It was great that we, Group 13, got to spend a few more days together in one place, all at the same time. 

Created by Jeff Knoche



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

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!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

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!



Thursday, January 5, 2012

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!"