Day of Holy Water

Once a year, on January 6th, the Greek Orthodox have their water blessed by the priest of their respective church. Because Himare is a predominantly Greek Orthodox community, there was no school so the town could celebrate this religious holiday.

At approximately 10:30 am each year, the priest of the Greek Orthodox Church that is located in Himare Fshati (at the top of the hill) comes down to the sea, says a prayer and throws a wooden cross into the water. After the cross is tossed into the sea a group of boys and men race out to where the cross has landed. Whoever gets to the cross first is blessed by the priest and, in Himare, is rewarded with 150 Euros.

I could not believe so many men participated in this ritual in the middle of winter. There was no sun, the air was extremely cold and the water was even colder. I guess the prospect of winning 150 Euros was enough incentive for these men.

Throughout this day, one can visit a Greek Orthodox Church and receive blessed water. According to the Greek Orthodox, if someone gets sick, they can drink blessed water and they will eventually be healed. What is also interesting is that any 'regular' water that is added to blessed water becomes blessed as well.

This was a huge community event. All the people in Himare were down on the beach watching the priest and the men swim out to the cross. Prior to the event, all the children in town were so excited. Everyone was anxiously talking about who would reach the cross first. It was the first time that I had seen the whole community of Himare together, celebrating a holiday. Because so many people in the community were down on the beach, I saw many of the children as well as adults that I know. All of these people came up to me and wanted to tell me all about this particular holiday and why it was such a bit event for the town. This was the first time I really felt like part of the community and realized how many people I actually do know here in Himare. It was also a big confidence booster for my Albanian language skills. Interacting with all the people in the community showed me how much Albanian I understand and have learned since I have been here. As of yet, this was one of my favorite experiences I have had in my site.

Gazuar Vitin e Ri!

New Years is certainly Albania's biggest and most anticipated holiday. The entire country celebrates this holiday; every town, big and small. There are huge parties, lots of fireworks, and people stay out until 6 am. Tirana, Albania's capital city is no different. Unlike in the United States, New Years is a family holiday and most people spend the majority of the evening with their families. From about 7 pm to 12 am families gather together, eat dinner, and celebrate the New Year. At 12 am everyone, including young children, go out to light off fireworks and/or watch the fireworks go off all around them. Finally, at around 1 am people start going out to bars and clubs.

Personally, I think this is a great way to celebrate the New Year. I feel like there is always so much expectation associated with New Years and most of the time it doesn't live up to whatever one has expected for the night. However, the way that Albanians celebrate New Years focuses more on spending time with family and close friends and just letting loose. This is exactly how I spent my New Years (except without the family part).

I was in Tirana for New Years. From about 8 pm till 10:30 pm 3 other PCVs and myself hung out and got ourselves ready for the evening. It was pretty relaxing and a lot of fun just chatting about our Christmases and other various topics. Finally at 10:30 pm we headed out to dinner. Upon leaving our hostel, the streets of Tirana were almost empty. It was a bit eerie to be out on New Years and not see very many people roaming the streets. The reason not many people were out was because everyone was at home with their families eating dinner. We got to dinner and had a great time at the restaurant. Our waiter was very accommodating and friendly. Albanians are particularly interested in Americans who know how to speak Shqip (Albanian). After dinner, coincidentally right at midnight, we went outside to a large park in the middle of Tirana and watched all the fireworks go off. There were people in the park lighting fireworks off and the Bashkia (municipality) of Tirana also put on a firework show at midnight. I am not exaggerating when I say that there were fireworks exploding all around us. It was a pretty unbelievable site.

After about 45 min to an hour of fireworks we headed out to the bars. At the bar all we did was dance. There was great music and we met some pretty cool people. We left that place around 4 am and finally headed back to the hostel. After a few hours of dancing we were all pooped. It was a really fun night and a great way to spend New Years. I can't wait till next year!

An Italian Christmas

The Island of Sicily has been of great interest to me for a long time now. It has been under the control of so many countries and cultures and I have always heard about it's extreme beauty. This and the fact that spending Christmas in a warm place where the people actually celebrate the Christmas holiday was what led me and 4 traveling companions to decide on a trip to Sicily.

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel around the mainland of Italy, hitting the highlights; Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Venice, and Milan. However, Sicily was unlike any of those places. It has a more relaxed feeling and holds a lot of similarities with the Greek Ionian Islands. The people were all friendly, welcoming, and curious about us, our lives (particularly why we chose to live in Albania), and our trip.

The majority of our time was spent in Palermo, but we also traveled to smaller towns around Sicily, such as: Mondello, Cefalu, Monreale, and Agrigento. Each of these places is known for something completely different. Mondello, which is located 45 min Northeast of Palermo, is a small (about the size of Himare) beach town. Since we were there around Christmas there really weren't that many people there and there wasn't a lot going on in the town. It was still a nice to visit because it is an absolutely beautiful place.

Cefalu is to the west of Palermo and located, much like Himare, smack between a tall mountain and the sea. This town was also quite beautiful, but it was quite different from Mondello. This town has not been "modernized". The streets are still very narrow and made of cobblestone and most the original buildings are still used. Cefalu is also home to a beautiful cathedral and a large cistern that has been in use for hundreds of years.

Monreale is known for it's spectacular duomo. The inside of this large cathedral is completely covered in tiles. On the walls, ceiling, archways, and floors are beautiful and brightly colored mosaics. What is also interesting is that the entire Bible is depicted in mosaics, sequentially, all around the interior of the cathedral. I am not the most versed in Bible stories, but even I could tell what most mosaics were illustrating. One of my favorite things about the cathedral in Monreale was the use of the gold leafed tiles. They really enhanced the brightness of the other colored tiles as well as created a mystical ambiance.

Many of the towns, including Palermo, have architecture that was influenced by the Normans as well as the Italians. Agrigento, on the other hand, was know for it's numerous temples built by the Greeks. There are about 8 temples that were built by the Greeks in honor of various Greek gods, including Zeus and Poseidon. These temples are all located within about a 2-mile strip of land. They all look out over the sea and the town of Agrigento is behind them. The view at sunset is absolutely gorgeous!

Palermo, one of the largest cities on the Island of Sicily, is a large and cosmopolitan city that also has areas in which are more "traditionally Italian". What I mean by this is that there are parts of Palermo that have wide boulevards and modern buildings, but there are also many narrow streets, which are lined with the original buildings. We stayed in an area that is more residential and did not host many tourists. We were across the street from the sea and near the botanical gardens. It was a good and central place to base ourselves. Because where we were staying was more of a residential area, we had the pleasure of getting to know some of the locals around the neighborhood. There were two family owned restaurants around the corner from our apartment. Both of these restaurants were good, but one of the owners/chefs was particularly welcoming and the food was unbelievably fresh. We learned a lot about Sicilian culture from this restaurant owner, as well as from a few men who owned a bakery down the street. Both of these businesses were extremely friendly and taught us about the Sicilian lifestyle and how Sicilians interact with each other by simply speaking to us like old friends. We were treated more like locals rather than tourists. It was great to feel "at home" in the neighborhood where we were staying.

One of my favorite things about Palermo were the numerous open-air markets. When wandering the narrow alleys/streets of the city we were constantly coming across markets. There was fresh produce, cheese, meat, and fish available for purchase, as well as quite a selection of spices and traditional Sicilian spice mixtures for pastas. These markets opened early in the morning and didn't close until around 7 or 8 at night. Located in the same alleyways were small local bars. These bars opened later in the day, around 6 or so, and stayed open till late at night. These bars attracted a young local crowd and had exciting and relaxed atmospheres. The bars were so small that most of the drinking was done outside in the narrow alleyways and on benches that the bars would set up in the street. We met some really interesting people at these bars. I think the most comical incident at the bars was when Kim witnessed a woman get peed on by a dog. She was laughing so hard I thought she was going to spit her drink out.

The drink that most of these bars served was called sweet wine. We don't know for sure, but we think it was wine mixed with some sort of hard liquor, or that's what it tasted like. They were brewed and kept in large glass jugs. You had the option to buy a bottle or just a cup of it. When buying a bottle of the sweet wine, the bar tenders would fill up an empty liquor bottle of some sort. These bars attracted a younger, more liberal looking and acting crowd. I think these were some of our favorite nights.

In the 7 days that we were there we really only got to see part of Sicily. There is so much to see on this tiny small island. I am definitely going to have to go back and explore the southern and western parts of Sicily. It was a great place to spend the Christmas holidays and I couldn't have asked for better travel companions.

Water, Water Everywhere

It is known in Albania that the Northern areas of the country are at high risk of flooding during the winter season, particularly the Northern town of Shkodra. Last January there was a large flood in the North that was quite detrimental to the affected areas.

Last week, Albania, as well as a few other small Balkan countries, experienced the worst flood in over a century! The Northern provinces of Albania were completely under water as well as many other areas all around Albania, including: Korça, Librazhd, Fier, and Gjirokastra. Not only are these places heavily populated, but it is quite unusual for these parts of Albania to flood. Many of the roads throughout the country were closed due to the fact that they were under meters of water. In Gjirokastra, however, the roads were not the main problem. In this Southern town, the power plant was under water, resulting in a major power outage.

In Albania there are several large rivers and when it rains throughout the country for multiple days on end, the rivers begin to overflow and flood the surrounding areas. In the case of the Northern part of Albania, Shkodra and Lezhe, there is the Drini (a river) as well as Lake Shkodra that are both quite large and located in flood susceptible areas.

Due to the fact that roads were under water, boats were used as a way to get around the immensely flooded areas in order to help evacuate residents. It was pretty unbelievable how a week of non-stop rain could flood so many uniquely different terrains though out the country of Albania.

Fortunately, many aid groups from around the world have sent supplies and aid workers to Northern Albania, where the most damage was done. What is particularly frightening about this specific flood is the fact that it happened so early in the winter season. The winter months in Albania are characterized by the large amount of rainfall. I hope another large flood is not in Albania's near future as we approach only the middle of winter.

Gobble, Gobble: A FRESH Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Albania was really quite fun. Peace Corps contacted American Embassy families to see if they would host Peace Corps Volunteers for the best holiday of the year. Luckily, some American Families volunteered to host PCV's. Those of us who decided to participate in this Thanksgiving celebration traveled to the capital, Tirana. It was great to see so many Peace Corps Volunteers on Thanksgiving. The atmosphere was quite jovial and everyone seemed to be in holiday spirits.

At 11 am on Thursday morning, PCVs and US Marines, stationed in Albania, trekked across town to the US Embassy Residential Compound for a friendly game of football, PC vs. USMC. Talk about eerie! As you walk through the gates of the residential compound it is as though you are leaving Albania and entering a suburb in the United States. When I say a U.S. suburb, I mean a Stepford Wives-like community. All of the houses look exactly the same, same layout and color and the lawns are green and perfectly groomed. It was a bit weird to walk into what seemed like an alternate universe filled with "flowers and butterflies" while just outside the gates was a country littered with trash, a web of poorly paved streets, and a culture that has absolutely no idea what a pilgrim from the Mayflower is.

The annual touch-football game was played at one of the parks within the compound. It was Peace Corps vs. the U.S. Marine Corps. One may look at this match up and think, “Wow, what an unfair competition. The Peace Corps team will get absolutely demolished!” but that person would, surprisingly, be wrong! Peace Corps was able to pull out a win. Although the football win excited and motivated the male PCVs, I couldn't stop thinking that the members of the losing team are the ones who are supposed to be protecting our country... Not going to lie, it made me a little nervous, but at the same time the whole situation was pretty comical.

My Thanksgiving dinner, or late afternoon lunch, was absolutely amazing! I was lucky enough to be placed with PC Albania's financial officer, Paul. He was a great host, had a great shower, and had a heater, which kept his place unbelievably warm. It felt really nice to have some of these amenities, especially during the holiday. The only thing missing on my Thanksgiving was the Cowboys.

Growing up, the Dallas Cowboys were the center of many family gatherings. Frequently, the time of our Thanksgiving dinner was set based on the time of the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game. I'm sure you could imagine the empty feeling inside when we tried to stream the game over the internet and we did not have any luck. In the end, I guess it was good that I did not see the game because, according to news reports, at the last minute the Cowboys, once again, butchered their lead and lost the game.

Although I did get the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day, I had also been included in a Thanksgiving that was to take place the following Saturday in the mountain town of Burrel. This was where events began to get a little fresh...

Albania has loads of turkeys. They are bred and raised to be eaten on New Years, on of the biggest holidays here in Albania. Due to the large population of turkey farmers, we were able to find two nice sized birds for the occasion. We cooked 2 birds because of the large number of guests that would be attending this delayed Thanksgiving Celebration.

The turkeys were super fresh and tender. The night before our celebration, 2 fellow PCVs took on the task of slaughtering the 2 turkeys that had been purchased from a nearby village. What was so ironic about this particular Thanksgiving was the fact that the 2 turkeys were purchased, tied up, housed, basted, and cooked by 2 vegetarians. They both did not have any experience with cooking turkeys, nor did they eat them. Despite the fact that these two women did not know exactly what they were doing the turkeys turned out great! The rest of the food was pretty good as well. I volunteered to make my mom's corn casserole. I had to improvise with the recipe a little because Albania did not have all of the ingredients that I needed, but it turned out just as good as I had remembered. I think a few people were skeptical about the idea of my corn casserole, but I believe they were pleasantly surprised. Or that's what I concluded because there was absolutely none leftover.

Not only did this Thanksgiving dinner include great food, but it also included a few games. We all played Thanksgiving Twister and a trivia game about Thanksgiving and turkeys. Did you know that Minnesota is the state that produces the most turkeys in the U.S.? I also made it to the finals of Thanksgiving Twister; I believe I came in 3rd. Not trying to brag or anything, but I am pretty good at Twister, always have been. These games definitely added to the fun and merriment of our Thanksgiving celebration.

I was a little nervous about what a Thanksgiving in Albania was going to be like, but it turned out to be tons of fun and I am already looking forward to next year!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Before becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer I had it in my mind that being part of the Peace Corps would allow me to go out into the world and really make a difference in peoples’ lives. I would not say that I am not making a difference, but what I would say is that what my service has, so far, seemed and felt like has been completely different than what I had imagined. I have come to learn that the tiny successes and improvements that I occasionally see are very very important to my survival here in Albania.

Upon my arrival in Philadelphia for orientation, everyone in my group looked so bright-eyed, energized, and ready to take on the world. I was excited. Here were people who want adventure, look for challenges, and feel like they should focus on others for a while, rather than themselves. I met my roommate in Philly and liked her right away. Then the following day we all boarded the plane for Albania. Luckily, I had an entire row of seats to myself for the long plane ride, while other volunteers were packed into seats right next to each other. Once in Albania, my group and I were taken to a hotel in Elbasan for a 3-day orientation to the country, prior to meeting our host families. I had, not one, but two roommates. I once again had lucked out in the roommate lottery. So by this time I was pumped about being in Albania and being in the Peace Corps. Things were looking up!

All through my life, I have had some absolutely amazing experiences, but for some reason each of those experiences came with a price. Unfortunately, so did Peace Corps Albania. My luck began to dissolve, and dissolve fast!

I would like to list just a few glitches that I have come across over the past 8 months I have been here...

1. 1st morning, ice-cold shower. Water went out once I had shampooed my hair. End up having to get out of shower and go to the room next door to finish up.

2. Upon first meeting my host family, I told my host mother that I needed to throw up. I hadn't even learned how to say, "I am going to school", but somehow I had the vocabulary and grammar to tell her that I was going to be sick. (this was not at all what I was trying to communicate)

3. Last night at host family's house I was not only locked out of the house, but a huge metal chain and pad-lock had been wrapped around the gate of my host family's yard. I had been locked out, at night, in the dark.

4. During a furgon (van) ride from one town to another I got so sick I cannot even begin to explain. I was throwing up in a plastic bag, while the furgon driver was swerving all over the road, making it nearly impossible for me to successfully aim into the bag.

5. A bus driver tried to charge me 800 leke for a 400-leke ride. To his surprise, I speak Shqip (Albanian). I refused to pay the inflated price, which resulted in me being left in the wrong town without a way to return to my village.

6. My toilet began to leak H2O around the base. Upon further investigation, I found a colony of maggots living underneath my toilet. I had it fixed about 3-4 days after this discovery. Note: I am not sure that it was completely fixed because I think it might be leaking again...

7. The water in Himare is pretty dirty. When water comes out of the faucet it is tinted brown. Due to the really "clean" water I have developed a bacterial fungus along the jaw line of my face. Why there and no place else? On top of that, I can't get it to go away because no matter how much I scrub/wash my face I am still using the water, which was the problem to begin with.

8. I had boarded a bus that was heading back to Himare. Things were looking good. I got a good spot on the bus and had no one sitting next to me. Not 5 minutes out of town does a man get on the bus with 2 dead/bloody animals in bags. He leaves them right next to my seat and proceeds to go to the back of the bus to find a seat. He was on the bus until the final and last stop.

I tell these stories not to complain or criticize, I tell them because they are good stories and, to be honest, I really can't believe some of this stuff has happened. Most of what we, Americans, may think of as interesting, weird, and/or gross, are just cultural norms in Albania. One of my favorite things about being here is all the communication errors, differences in infrastructure, and the more primitive lifestyle.

The way I deal with all these differences is just to laugh about how absurd some of these situations are, while trying to be as understanding and respectful of the Albanian Culture at the same time. I wouldn't have any stories upon completion of my Peace Corps service if things like these didn't happen. I am really happy that I am here and I really wouldn't change any part of my experience thus far, except for maybe the maggot colony under my toilet...

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.