tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49267282184253735852024-03-24T23:09:43.463-07:00Albania Mania!!!The contents of this web site are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U. S. Government or the Peace Corps.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-52301344300147754342010-12-04T15:53:00.000-08:002010-12-04T16:38:30.111-08:00Contrast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQmf-ooIIABmL7QTjVGRbTq5hSZTeiZu0CZvvbblpgsynXlWJY6jUWwHimuukZk9yvkXuICpISI3uSigC-m5_6BF6Y2Jsf6wqw5j5BY9PNCEtdjU3Ad2GLjV8W-HikB_lJ97IuurLAno/s1600/turkey+day+2010+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQmf-ooIIABmL7QTjVGRbTq5hSZTeiZu0CZvvbblpgsynXlWJY6jUWwHimuukZk9yvkXuICpISI3uSigC-m5_6BF6Y2Jsf6wqw5j5BY9PNCEtdjU3Ad2GLjV8W-HikB_lJ97IuurLAno/s320/turkey+day+2010+002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546990967731603954" /></a><br />This is one of my favorite pictures as of late. ...why?? Just because it describes this country SO perfectly!! ....natural beauty next to man-made trash heaps....construction next to deconstruction.....scrap metal yards next to gorgeous Mediterranean-style brightly-colored villa homes.....pristine interior of homes with trash thrown outside the window into communal courtyards....unconcern to walk quickly when late but habit of driving recklessly to- ???- be somewhere on time-???-....concern for the 'clan' but lack of concern for the community....donkey-drawn carts speeding down the highway next to Mercedes SUVs....bad roads leading to breath-taking views.... it's in the title!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-67745586514524470372010-11-08T13:16:00.007-08:002010-11-08T15:55:28.834-08:00Skinny Asses!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU4FGlgAq-VSkVJ7ppgXqmYS_Mb5xQ_xKbyLiY8CLSYVahPDILv6ZG6ul4-05CNCpgWdcRN_sCbVxYOcNrQ3J6c1li8nySeRbbR7hjqXDhfsz-KgzVxgMzF2Y3PFFtggrhp0ZuCPQL2M/s1600/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+073.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU4FGlgAq-VSkVJ7ppgXqmYS_Mb5xQ_xKbyLiY8CLSYVahPDILv6ZG6ul4-05CNCpgWdcRN_sCbVxYOcNrQ3J6c1li8nySeRbbR7hjqXDhfsz-KgzVxgMzF2Y3PFFtggrhp0ZuCPQL2M/s320/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+073.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537328849243283922" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i>In front of the Parthenon<br /><br /></i></span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">SO…I finally ventured into Greece for my first time since I’ve been in Albania!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Some of you might find this odd since Albania is so close to Greece!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">…others of you might need to google map Albania again before you realize that it shares its southern border with Greece.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">I can’t really say why it’s taken me so long to get to Greece…I just really hadn’t had the desire and I hadn’t studied up on it enough (unless you consider 6</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"> grade English lessons on mythology as counting…thanks worst year of my life for teaching me something I would eventually use! :D ).</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Perhaps it is also that generally Greeks treat Albanians pretty poorly since they are the largest (and often most illegal) menial labor force within Greece…so I was supporting my Albanian compatriots by being anti-Greek.</span></span></span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3C0Mpbk8WrFrGOD1f_cHjG0I4q6rH9tYOxYLlBUMlYnrpR2GKVA_tu6t47q5P1RzMAvB3y4qWdCu3hhBruVOp2lXTIAxNHx8IzmVFy6EGYiT_c96c1UzB5y99VHbZqwAuTYq4yQ8He40/s1600/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+056.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3C0Mpbk8WrFrGOD1f_cHjG0I4q6rH9tYOxYLlBUMlYnrpR2GKVA_tu6t47q5P1RzMAvB3y4qWdCu3hhBruVOp2lXTIAxNHx8IzmVFy6EGYiT_c96c1UzB5y99VHbZqwAuTYq4yQ8He40/s320/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+056.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537328840326502962" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i>Roman Agora and Tower of the Winds (served as clock tower)<br /><br /></i></span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Anyways, what eventually got me to Greece was YOGA! [not the 2500 anniversary of the marathon that was going on the same weekend that I had no idea was happening until I got there!]</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But I was thinking that I needed a bit of a personal retreat…and that got me thinking to yoga retreat…and that got me thinking to greek islands….and that got me to thinking YOGA RETREAT ON A GREEK ISLAND!</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">…why yes, in case you forgot for a moment, I am in the Peace Corps.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sadly, the months of dazzlingly blue Mykonos skies shining on meditating yogis are over for the year…it’s a bit too cold for those.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But luckily instead, I was able to find a yoga conference that was going on in Athens.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">AND it was an Acro-Yoga conference (acrobatics+yoga+thai massage principles….recently started developing in the 90s, google it for more info, but it’s basically a type of partner yoga).</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So I was able to include 3 days of yoga during my stay in Athens!!!<br /><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhtGl1xIb_B8TF0dTcjZWx2J4FFhJNoVWk8gpAV43arAUOF5VEGLT7VIHscwJlXb5IGUT1YWxYXMgjua-_XdDVByaRtOIZQlZh6Br29hAzz7lxqNfWwYxqIyptt2HxvcdLa6zyS1beJw/s1600/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+039.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhtGl1xIb_B8TF0dTcjZWx2J4FFhJNoVWk8gpAV43arAUOF5VEGLT7VIHscwJlXb5IGUT1YWxYXMgjua-_XdDVByaRtOIZQlZh6Br29hAzz7lxqNfWwYxqIyptt2HxvcdLa6zyS1beJw/s320/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+039.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317126603661394" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Our instructors for the conference demonstrating postures [1 is from Spain, the other from Mexico]</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK-U2T0r_Jcvl7s0wv4-RZEx_MoyBqMyV0sexSre6TJa4VtxR0AarT4Y5Gxkd5wQB9UDhU2buHGSdFB-CxRfLMX2NSaBjySjFbNucZ2MIHXSog67s6DYUkvLokW8gjDzQ36AzEdvjSkY/s1600/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+038.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK-U2T0r_Jcvl7s0wv4-RZEx_MoyBqMyV0sexSre6TJa4VtxR0AarT4Y5Gxkd5wQB9UDhU2buHGSdFB-CxRfLMX2NSaBjySjFbNucZ2MIHXSog67s6DYUkvLokW8gjDzQ36AzEdvjSkY/s320/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+038.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317115526325058" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Straddle handstand with a partner!....as if it weren't hard enough on the ground!<br /></span><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Not shockingly, what I enjoyed the most while there was eating! [seems to be a theme for all of my trips outside of Albania!]</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When I arrived at my hostel I asked the guy at the front desk what he recommended for vegetarians to try.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And what did he say?? …a FREAKIN GREEK SALAD!!!!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For those of you living in America, this might sound tasty!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But for those of us who have been living in Albania for 1.5 years (and who are vegetarian), this is about 1 of 3 options to eat when eating ‘out’ at a restaurant.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Luckily…I am probably the only person visiting Greece who didn’t necessarily want to eat Greek food (I live in a culture influenced by Greek and Turkish cuisine).</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So I found the Asian restaurants and ate some tasty sushi, Thai food, and I found an awesome noodle bar that served an eclectic array of noodley goodness!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">However, for those of you that would require a more culturally sensitive venture into Greek cuisine, I did eat the occasional veggie gyros, I tried the Greek version of mousaka (arguably Turkish cuisine depending on who you’re talking to), ate some great fish, tried various types of cheeses from various types of animals, sipped the occasional glass of ouzo (liquor made from black licorice), ate some fish roe (fish eggs that look like strawberry yogurt), drank salep (a pudding-consistency drink made from orchid root), and ate LOTS and LOTS of Greek yogurt and honey!<br /><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHyMGkyU0VFUJwPQMhhUrgN_ffTRVFKF0gS1Z_cS3zt67cVZ2j-FedX7kzkQNHi7yQaWge45o5p-sr9-eyuUqRPEK5RU4Ocn0eCYYv90odREvca2gBM5rIndiIUB7_qqWXWPga7JeWtk/s1600/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+028.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHyMGkyU0VFUJwPQMhhUrgN_ffTRVFKF0gS1Z_cS3zt67cVZ2j-FedX7kzkQNHi7yQaWge45o5p-sr9-eyuUqRPEK5RU4Ocn0eCYYv90odREvca2gBM5rIndiIUB7_qqWXWPga7JeWtk/s320/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+028.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317110814503458" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Part of the Acropolis seen through Hadrian's Arch [entrance into the ancient city of Athens]<br /></span><br /></span></i></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For those of you that aren’t foodies, I will also let you know that the other amazing thing about my trip was being back in communities that don’t exist in Albania….the community of backpackers and the community of yogis.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Both are communities where people are generally very welcoming and accepting as well as trusting.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It was amazing getting to travel and meet people with the same passion and share travel stories and travel dreams.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Staying in a hostel you always meet interesting people....I met people there for the marathon, people there taking a year break from work, students, Australians! (really, those Aussies know how to travel…considering it takes about 24 hours just to get out of their country anywhere, can’t blame them!), etc.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And it was great getting to go to the yoga conference and meet many Greeks…and many Greek yogis (..makes me hungry for more Greek yogurt!).</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It was nice to actually take a yoga class and I’m hoping some of the partner yoga that I learned I will be able to bring back and do a session with the university dance students I teach in Tirana.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Overall though, everyone was super friendly and it was fun to be part of a different sort of community again!!<br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAD_H7jeiAGcVEV6IEDMaTRFOYDjRqmK516CD1w22DLf3_PFoxM6AYQULHDHO03SFZM84H8InSTi7NTckdiXl5ibw5MqSOgLEk_lkaRI9-UOzX-LozWrwszUDoyXFOSjKovLTMSETKk4/s1600/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+020.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAD_H7jeiAGcVEV6IEDMaTRFOYDjRqmK516CD1w22DLf3_PFoxM6AYQULHDHO03SFZM84H8InSTi7NTckdiXl5ibw5MqSOgLEk_lkaRI9-UOzX-LozWrwszUDoyXFOSjKovLTMSETKk4/s320/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+020.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317105789122450" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Zeus' Temple and the Acropolis behind<br /><br /></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lastly, Stini yiamas!!!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I was told by a Greek-American that in order to remember this Greek expression meaning “to your health” to think of “skinny asses!”</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It does make it quite a bit easier.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And if nothing else, you can at least cheers towards having a skinnier ass!<br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAPTTHQU0GYRSWNVLSEulPI9Nh49-PqniSYn_fz15aXsbhDgv74Pkn8ISuNlGqQ-FgiCPzySZvkM6YhimRcpPXRwIaRm5G63RmefRLj8OpkkedxjqGgz37rtVj0KpjjWoOpIvYZfmTjI/s1600/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAPTTHQU0GYRSWNVLSEulPI9Nh49-PqniSYn_fz15aXsbhDgv74Pkn8ISuNlGqQ-FgiCPzySZvkM6YhimRcpPXRwIaRm5G63RmefRLj8OpkkedxjqGgz37rtVj0KpjjWoOpIvYZfmTjI/s320/greece+trip+and+yoga+conf+002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317095568286146" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Change of guards by the tomb of the unknown soldier at parliament building [I do love a man in a skirt!]<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size:16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I won’t bore you with the billions of descriptions and pictures of temples and ruins and history [sorry to disappoint you if that’s what you were looking forward to!]….but if you need a crash course go find your 6</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grade teacher!</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I have included a few pics for you to get the idea….enjoy!</span></span></span></i></span></div></span></i></div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-32133239021143764312010-11-06T14:39:00.000-07:002010-11-06T17:01:51.063-07:00Save the Ta-Tas!<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0cm;text-indent:0cm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "> As most of you in America know, October was the month for Breast Cancer Awareness. However…here in the developing world, it is a new occurrence to have issue-focused events during a month and things that are common knowledge in the Western world are just now being made available and accessible to a larger population here. After perusing various slogans that I could have utilized for this post (‘feel your boobies,’ ‘hug your jugs,’ ‘caress the breasts’…that one gets a little too intimate I think), I decided my favorite awareness raising campaign in America has been the “Save the Ta-tas” venture. Perhaps this stems from a time in dance class in college when my dance professor was counting a combination ‘te-ah-ta-ta, te-ah-ta-ta, te-ah-ta-ta’ and she reminded us that we needed to ‘focus on the ta-tas!’ As all of you know, I have the sense of humor of a middle school boy and laughed out loud at being told to ‘focus on the ta-tas.’ But on a more serious note, having a grandmother that was a survivor of breast cancer and a double mastectomy, I am a strong advocate for education and awareness for women to prevent breast cancer in its earliest stages and to utilize preventive measures so it hopefully never occurs!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0cm;text-indent:0cm"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0cm;text-indent:0cm"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Here in Albania, women rarely talk about personal health as it relates to sexual health and preventive measures. Many topics are taboo to talk about amongst friends…let alone asking your doctor about them! Because then so-and-so would find out that you were asking about such-and-such and then word would get back to your relatives that you don’t know how to raise a baby/take care of yourself/take care of your baby maker, etc. In a world the size of a fishbowl, doctor-patient confidentiality doesn’t necessarily exist…let alone the other people that would gossip about you because they saw you at the hospital and question why you were there in the first place. So discussing the importance and how-tos of basic self-breast exams or breast exams that can be done by your doctor rarely ever happens. Most women don’t know how to do self-exams and are too ashamed to go to the doctor to have one done.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0cm;text-indent:0cm"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0cm;text-indent:0cm"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">SO…as volunteers, we try and help encourage Albanians to help and encourage other Albanians! One of the best things about having American site mates is that we collaborate with each other and thereby encourage Albanians to collaborate with each other, other institutions, other organizations, etc. In a post-Communist country it is often hard to get people to work together…information is still power…and credit for a project is most often more important than the possibility to collaborate and develop a bigger and more effective project but having to share success with another organization. Since my site mate Bree works for the Center for Public Health here in Burrel it is her office’s job to promote various health issues in smaller communities that have been mandated by the Ministry of Public Health at the national level(mind you, this has really just started to be emphasized within the last 6 months-1 year).</span></span></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCkgn8n36ON16vAA_kjxetRMOJr_xFtyvIJP7wXIZCZ9L1NI7ek6raEzNwQH6rJgwgv4AKagBwHjkAntbKPndg7xxoCBWLZ1nZDlUqWnHvemV6yT6veuTVWd3FmKCv7DIpS4e_r_k4ho/s1600/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCkgn8n36ON16vAA_kjxetRMOJr_xFtyvIJP7wXIZCZ9L1NI7ek6raEzNwQH6rJgwgv4AKagBwHjkAntbKPndg7xxoCBWLZ1nZDlUqWnHvemV6yT6veuTVWd3FmKCv7DIpS4e_r_k4ho/s320/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+033.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536576843311354226" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>High School Students with t-shirts and posters in front of the municipality building</i></span></div></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Originally, we wanted to have a walk in order to gain attention that breast cancer is an important issue that people need to be educated about. Bree’s office at the Public Health Center went around promoting Breast Cancer awareness throughout the month and was able to contact various people in various fields to garner support in favor of raising awareness. On the day of the walk when Bree and I arrived, we arrived to the 3 women in her office waiting by themselves (we always keep our expectations flexible here…otherwise disappointment is generally in the mix!). However, after 10 more minutes, there ended up being over 100 people there to walk! </span></span></span></p></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDyBS_nAHkM7ZAFjjoqzJxnEK8JwP1HedJwWf0A9WTerckPyX23L0D4ZVgIE41IV8bEGlWi8Op49UtUMrZBlDDbkUjNuGHosCeU6XsKdTqS_jwtUJ_iBiOKFLbZbMd3uhPgycArOPoiA/s1600/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDyBS_nAHkM7ZAFjjoqzJxnEK8JwP1HedJwWf0A9WTerckPyX23L0D4ZVgIE41IV8bEGlWi8Op49UtUMrZBlDDbkUjNuGHosCeU6XsKdTqS_jwtUJ_iBiOKFLbZbMd3uhPgycArOPoiA/s320/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+025.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536576835814814674" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Nurses, doctors, women from Public Health Center walking from museum</i></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">We were able to bring together people from the Alternative School where I teach, students from the high school where Kristen helps with a community projects class/teaches English, doctors and nurses from the hospital and from the Public Health Center, and teachers from a nursing school and other schools in Burrel. </span></span></span></p></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVlcaGOYDQMFiNVXwtBJuGf_Y1e37JBADJVp60OyjoRwU_cParYZ8w2QfCNJ7Wbmdnjn5VyNzxf8dspOrPAi_v5mu1g_6sgy8sExmkRfWuXnQU-5-4uWDDao_5mAr_Wqxc4IWCF7gVZs/s1600/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVlcaGOYDQMFiNVXwtBJuGf_Y1e37JBADJVp60OyjoRwU_cParYZ8w2QfCNJ7Wbmdnjn5VyNzxf8dspOrPAi_v5mu1g_6sgy8sExmkRfWuXnQU-5-4uWDDao_5mAr_Wqxc4IWCF7gVZs/s320/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536576831749061618" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">It was one of those really inspiring experiences where it is amazing to see people coming together for a cause and combining forces instead of trying to take credit. Albanian nurses were able to hand out basic informational flyers on breast cancer on the street to women as well as flyers for a meeting scheduled the following week at the Alternative School. </span></span></span></p></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3a6RqpsmZXJyvQ4sYDKm6JdksU3ax2F9Twdi2zH4g_kXuxtpRXspx8FJT7qYMMzfBo4Fc2Moc-zpKn1jnhNcONJzUAVVuskHdBnwoPF1b7kKvt6b8q7mM7OOwx7A8_9cQR-m0RWjv9c/s1600/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3a6RqpsmZXJyvQ4sYDKm6JdksU3ax2F9Twdi2zH4g_kXuxtpRXspx8FJT7qYMMzfBo4Fc2Moc-zpKn1jnhNcONJzUAVVuskHdBnwoPF1b7kKvt6b8q7mM7OOwx7A8_9cQR-m0RWjv9c/s320/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+018.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536576823185632466" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Students from Alternative School preparing to sell cookies</i></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">We also had cooking students from the Alternative School bake cookies in order to sell to raise money for a ‘mammogram fund.’ There is no mammogram machine in Burrel and the closest one is 2.5 hours away in Tirana…many women can’t afford the transportation costs as well as the mammogram fees, so we are trying to make it possible for a few extra women to be screened.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">This month also provided a great opportunity for me to start helping the Alternative School where I teach focus on women’s issues. While the school is specifically set up as a vocational school to teach students cooking and sewing, it is also part of a larger women’s NGO with headquarters based in the capital in Tirana [Useful to Albanian Women]. However, currently, not much attention is given to women’s issues….most of the focus is on the school. This month (with the now available resource of Bree working in the health field), we were finally able to start focusing on distributing important information to women who most often do not have the opportunity to find or receive it. We were able to hold a couple of meetings on breast cancer at the Center. I think that this will provide a trend whereby the Center will start focusing on 1 issue per month to raise awareness and educate women on a specific topic. I am excited because the new assistant director is on board and really excited to get involved with any projects that we can develop together!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm; "><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Lastly…if you haven’t, check your ta-tas! And tell a friend to check their ta-tas!! …though only help your friend check their ta-tas if you are a certified nurse or doctor! :)</span></span></span></p></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPbPidwaOR4u2mzeCKB25hwhnidNwM4y1DHBZU70B__7aTb91oRJWf2sJOzCz-nvBKAjJz2Lnpa4JWDQEX-DvKR-bslWdL9dSQ5LL9e4kq3t-R0peFtwuzRPHvCeeGxOZX2JdC7jeFgE/s1600/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPbPidwaOR4u2mzeCKB25hwhnidNwM4y1DHBZU70B__7aTb91oRJWf2sJOzCz-nvBKAjJz2Lnpa4JWDQEX-DvKR-bslWdL9dSQ5LL9e4kq3t-R0peFtwuzRPHvCeeGxOZX2JdC7jeFgE/s320/breast+cancer+and+end+of+oct+013.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536576820611851714" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Students making sugar cookies to sell for 'mammogram fund' [they were super excited about cookie cutters!]</i></span></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-542880683451452822010-10-19T04:37:00.000-07:002010-10-19T05:04:16.168-07:00…..I guess you know you’ve integrated when…<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yhLlw2_dSuU0ZapA8I1P4OuHotPlgEmnZCCWje5ZGZPb1I5v78b0cYByE4G52wKuwUKnKzFyuhRt616v90PZNkmx1AoMrkxA1Bsds5r7rAM-ZScvhA3CELT4F5AC-D1rWXMYr-yI_MI/s1600/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yhLlw2_dSuU0ZapA8I1P4OuHotPlgEmnZCCWje5ZGZPb1I5v78b0cYByE4G52wKuwUKnKzFyuhRt616v90PZNkmx1AoMrkxA1Bsds5r7rAM-ZScvhA3CELT4F5AC-D1rWXMYr-yI_MI/s320/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529722841919285138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">At a friend's birthday with some other PCVs.</span></span>
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<br /><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 35.85pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style=""><span style="">1.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style=""> </span>You can do a traditional circle dance that most Albanians don’t know</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 35.85pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">2.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You can have a newly-met middle-aged woman flash you her panties and you aren’t shocked by it</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 35.85pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">3.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You <span style=""> </span>now find yourself strangely attracted to traditional Albanian ‘looks like you shat your pants’ man attire</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 35.85pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">4.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You can bust out the cabbage patch and running man at a work party where all of your colleagues (including the vice mayor) are present without any shame!</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 35.85pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">5.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You can cry into your potato soup at school while eating with other teachers as your 30 students stare you down
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<br />**See below for stories!</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 35.85pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">So after being here for a year and a half, most days I still find it utterly amazing that I was sent to a Peace Corps country where 1) Every body LOVES to dance!, 2) They LOVE coffee and coffee culture, 3) They have the mountains and the beach! (best of both worlds!) 4) Most people tend to arrive more fashionably late to things than myself, and 5) They love fashion!<span style=""> </span>I thought that I would be giving most of these things up when I joined the Peace Corps, so it is amazing that on a daily basis I encounter these things regularly!<span style=""> </span>Needless to say, it is an odd and exciting encounter to feel like you have finally integrated into a community...though there are still many things I will never understand.<span style=""> </span>So below are a few moments over the last couple of weeks where I just had to laugh at myself (and others) and look at my life as an outside observer for a moment to really grasp how much I have learned and grown over my time here.
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">Story 1.<span style=""> </span>Last week at the vocational school where I teach we had a graduation party where students from the previous session (Jan-June 2010) received their diplomas.<span style=""> </span>All of the students from previous and current sessions were there and it was fun to have them all together again and to celebrate.<span style=""> </span>Many of them are now continuing on to higher education while others are working and sometimes providing the only source of income for their families…at the age of 18 or 19!<span style=""> </span>In normal fashion, a dance party ensued after the ceremony.<span style=""> </span>There are quite a few regional dances in this country, but most Albanians don’t know all of them.<span style=""> </span>So it was extremely fun when they played a song from the region of Kukes (northern part of Albania bordering with Kosovo) and I and only about 6 other Albanians knew it.<span style=""> </span>I always enjoy the shock factor!</p>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEADyMlEjs37a2_wadh45_XlJ2TZ_pJvkUUz2Xs6GyRsiqidetkOjMIBSZHUhAwG5u3YLnYUcXRUkEFWaZu-_sa0adR9Al5eMnp8ddGa03WzOH5Ugu7NlflUJhO-Pe9e_NQFfYQuv6PA/s1600/CIMG1038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEADyMlEjs37a2_wadh45_XlJ2TZ_pJvkUUz2Xs6GyRsiqidetkOjMIBSZHUhAwG5u3YLnYUcXRUkEFWaZu-_sa0adR9Al5eMnp8ddGa03WzOH5Ugu7NlflUJhO-Pe9e_NQFfYQuv6PA/s320/CIMG1038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529722830049008818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Giving an impromptu speech...cooking teacher on left, student with microphone, director of children's center right.</span></span>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtTqP-L1gHdLQuzKnjtNONX1T1D_k4t-EOpg7d5dCABdvAzi4YEnMZKDXSP_cSicQ4jTw3i5KxpTxRkI7glQRyde-oARSCUzD4rdLug0nfAknxGGH0RbQd8JpS7cMo56_eIP44g1b5Nk/s1600/CIMG1051.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtTqP-L1gHdLQuzKnjtNONX1T1D_k4t-EOpg7d5dCABdvAzi4YEnMZKDXSP_cSicQ4jTw3i5KxpTxRkI7glQRyde-oARSCUzD4rdLug0nfAknxGGH0RbQd8JpS7cMo56_eIP44g1b5Nk/s320/CIMG1051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529722826381778898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cooking and sewing students enrolled in the current session.
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<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Story 2.<span style=""> </span>I just started teaching yoga classes a couple of weeks ago for middle-aged women.<span style=""> </span>The first day it was only my sitemate Bree with 3 of her colleagues from work that I was introduced to that day.<span style=""> </span>After Bree telling them approximately 5-6 times to ‘wear athletic clothes,’ 2 of them showed up in dresses.<span style=""> </span>Needless to say, this is Albania and clothing restrictions have never stopped most people from accomplishing anything!...let alone lifting and bending your legs into yoga positions.<span style=""> </span>So as I was leading class facing everyone, let’s just say I had an amazing vantage point to see everything!<span style=""> </span>I must commend her for persistence.<span style=""> </span>Other highlights include me saying ‘merri kafshe’ about 4 times before being corrected that it is ‘merri kofshe.’<span style=""> </span>Something I already know, but momentarily forgot that it is inappropriate to ask someone to ‘grab your animal’ when really you mean ‘grab your thigh.’
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<br />Story 3.<span style=""> </span>This past weekend the National Albanian Folk Dancing group came to our cultural palace in Burrel.<span style=""> </span>They were really amazing!<span style=""> </span>It’s always nice to see dance and music that is codified after experiencing the popular evolution of it in what you witness at parties and weddings, etc.<span style=""> </span>I still hold that traditional Albanian man pants do look like they shat themselves.<span style=""> </span>However, considering that I’ve sharted myself twice this year, perhaps it’s time I invest in a pair (thankfully, these occasions have made my New Year’s resolution pretty easy to figure out this year….Goal 1: don’t shart yourself!...let’s hope for a successful year!).
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<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcBOVw8pDWjOPeZgpl4ohIxhk1yRnYgymGLhTK4yPGXEx8AZpXQnmh1OLgqB5GO554V_lek2_c6Ftas6uQSjwNCb3k5a5_7nln_a26cX0xl4xo-iYCXY9Wk56cOqj8LuCmgp0Zod3fWA/s1600/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+033.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcBOVw8pDWjOPeZgpl4ohIxhk1yRnYgymGLhTK4yPGXEx8AZpXQnmh1OLgqB5GO554V_lek2_c6Ftas6uQSjwNCb3k5a5_7nln_a26cX0xl4xo-iYCXY9Wk56cOqj8LuCmgp0Zod3fWA/s320/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+033.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529722821014116530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Traditional Albanian man attire with traditional instruments.
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzI8gOuLiTalPo6hbVH1iPqOGRjnq8Ss6DCopBRtVV9ALCQRJLhyiKoXGs2K9DnFd6u6u0bI-41ECVszJvAVwilWiCbeaYXPq16TyVKtP9wUpsIi-X_y__x8zm0oJTDhJ4mzsPSkakkgE/s1600/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzI8gOuLiTalPo6hbVH1iPqOGRjnq8Ss6DCopBRtVV9ALCQRJLhyiKoXGs2K9DnFd6u6u0bI-41ECVszJvAVwilWiCbeaYXPq16TyVKtP9wUpsIi-X_y__x8zm0oJTDhJ4mzsPSkakkgE/s320/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529721213488136162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">National Albanian Folk Group performing in Burrel
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<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Story 4.<span style=""> </span>As I said, people here LOVE to dance.<span style=""> </span>ALL people.<span style=""> </span>Including the young to the old; the small to the large; the sweaty sweaters to the shakers; and the lowest secretary to the highest supervisor.<span style=""> </span>Meaning…my best friend and colleague Ilda threw a going away party for everybody that works at city hall.<span style=""> </span>If you have never experienced your professional work colleagues club dancing at 3 in the afternoon, perhaps you should move to Albania for a little while because it is quite a fun occurrence.<span style=""> </span>There was an assortment of circle dancing, awkward<span style=""> </span>Albanian shimmying couple dancing (again, this goes without saying, but if you’ve never seen a 50 year old man shimmying with a frilly handkerchief in his hand, it’s high time you pick things up and head on over here), waltzing, and club dancing.<span style=""> </span>So I thought it was an appropriate occasion to introduce everyone to really cliché old-school American dances…the cabbage patch, the running man, the sprinkler…. Don’t worry, I sometimes share the better parts of our culture as well.<span style=""> </span>…so next time I’ll try to remember the shopping cart and lawnmower (though they don’t have quite as much relevance here because people don’t use either of these things).
<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxvhh96pvgwNblAm6v9f9kHtiGakclsHhgqw92LkSKVFmgkukJDcQOzUC0muNMdSdcedZNn96wcvYWvWflppQak4BaydqM1V8LrienX-oBwY-7VhM5eUKzpB9xWjVKODbozkU0vREFPE/s1600/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxvhh96pvgwNblAm6v9f9kHtiGakclsHhgqw92LkSKVFmgkukJDcQOzUC0muNMdSdcedZNn96wcvYWvWflppQak4BaydqM1V8LrienX-oBwY-7VhM5eUKzpB9xWjVKODbozkU0vREFPE/s320/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529721209791310818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Nothing like rocking out to the political jingle of last year's election!
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVmaJOYcMSi4DFgLNnmcUvq4bO14h5wb8CwUAdb8Rk9V8kLJStJSitej8EL8aLCqttfaO8vecB_MjtnYUaHfiIBtcf66TyEvudZzB5FygZ1CUfAEW_zQ3mkDWEoHsKrMWeIbdw3WIefY/s1600/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVmaJOYcMSi4DFgLNnmcUvq4bO14h5wb8CwUAdb8Rk9V8kLJStJSitej8EL8aLCqttfaO8vecB_MjtnYUaHfiIBtcf66TyEvudZzB5FygZ1CUfAEW_zQ3mkDWEoHsKrMWeIbdw3WIefY/s320/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529721205543681938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Club dancing with the colleagues at 3 in the afternoon.</span></span>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMeCGMvbLjVnII0y75R_NDD6U9obKcqPwOjbhcHPmlzVD10jsN7en5JC-X8rwnrNZ91SJfMO2WYDnY-NKMn2XrFC6tLE3WvHumSxd36ZE3KVrquLizGDibxE4sG3VJ4Or5iHB-35FhxI/s1600/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMeCGMvbLjVnII0y75R_NDD6U9obKcqPwOjbhcHPmlzVD10jsN7en5JC-X8rwnrNZ91SJfMO2WYDnY-NKMn2XrFC6tLE3WvHumSxd36ZE3KVrquLizGDibxE4sG3VJ4Or5iHB-35FhxI/s320/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529721196737489938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Something you will never see in America on the dance floor...
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<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">Story 5.<span style=""> </span>As I said, there was a going away party for Ilda, one of my best friends here in Burrel.<span style=""> </span>She is going to England for 9 months to study English to improve her conversational and writing skills and just to experience another culture and way of thinking.<span style=""> </span>I am super excited for her!!! This is the first time that she will be living out of Albania, and I can only imagine how much she will learn and grow!<span style=""> </span>However…as she stopped by school on Friday to say a final goodbye before she flew out that night, the tears I had been holding back finally came!<span style=""> </span>After she left, I went to eat lunch with all of the teachers and students in the kitchen/dining area.<span style=""> </span>About halfway through my meal, I started crying again…into my bowl of potato soup.<span style=""> </span>Most people probably would think I’m a nut-job, but the sewing teaching grabbed me a stack of napkins to use and the cooking teacher just said to me ‘oh, you’re one of us now.’<span style=""> </span>I think Albanians typically do cry about things more than Americans (i.e. weddings, people going away, etc), but also he was implying that most Albanians have someone very close to them that live or work abroad and they are sad that the person can’t be close to them anymore.<span style=""> </span>And I must admit it is quite a strange experience to be in a foreign country and have someone I love leave me….usually this job is accomplished by me when I leave my friends and family in America and go across the world…. So now I guess I know what it feels like! <span style=""> </span>….I just hope none of you are crying into your potato soup over me!</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTahcXTeQh8_YkajNMqHhogRxGk8tnMhi5mcU5yrXCxz_9iJ-DePJZM5fhr70xhwoeMDkh6o6i8XnGmV6YDTnF9PnzTgmrIAj-dG2qBob_pvzWZbQmr7R5P4Bq6P7PewFfZfPLcZn0Pik/s1600/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTahcXTeQh8_YkajNMqHhogRxGk8tnMhi5mcU5yrXCxz_9iJ-DePJZM5fhr70xhwoeMDkh6o6i8XnGmV6YDTnF9PnzTgmrIAj-dG2qBob_pvzWZbQmr7R5P4Bq6P7PewFfZfPLcZn0Pik/s320/ilda+going+away+and+birthdays+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529721189644297298" border="0" /></a><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" 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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-75004063506870001702010-10-07T16:02:00.000-07:002010-10-09T14:48:35.847-07:00Summer Highlights [more of a photo essay…you get the picture :) ]<div><br /></div><div>Seeing my host sister from the village get married!<span> </span>…and getting to see all of my host family together celebrating!<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7nzMihq6rLT3V6FTJ8v8Y44ygGDG8sC_GmMFCjLOGM-sdczMuFfy2n2v9M3EZA4WDDq8bpy2vEUbUR-lCD5V7or2HC0u7TGnveYAJM8JL084NVZ5hYrFGCNgyO8XAeNq-OBYClDHF_8/s1600/family+visit+and+camping+013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7nzMihq6rLT3V6FTJ8v8Y44ygGDG8sC_GmMFCjLOGM-sdczMuFfy2n2v9M3EZA4WDDq8bpy2vEUbUR-lCD5V7or2HC0u7TGnveYAJM8JL084NVZ5hYrFGCNgyO8XAeNq-OBYClDHF_8/s320/family+visit+and+camping+013.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526162050044111538" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*Host dad, host sister who just got married, and host mom</i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7nzMihq6rLT3V6FTJ8v8Y44ygGDG8sC_GmMFCjLOGM-sdczMuFfy2n2v9M3EZA4WDDq8bpy2vEUbUR-lCD5V7or2HC0u7TGnveYAJM8JL084NVZ5hYrFGCNgyO8XAeNq-OBYClDHF_8/s1600/family+visit+and+camping+013.jpg"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span>4<sup>th</sup> of July camping at the beach…sparklers, seed-spitting contests, thunderstorms, creepy lagoons and impossibly large-sized bone found on the beach [I’m talking dinosaur-sized!]….and going to a restaurant where amongst other things, a guy serves you from a HORSE!! [health code violations, I laugh in your face!].<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_4VyT3L-VW6J47OrAjm36C5fBlpBxVsqyBr0KZFFdz_vdYS4_QEmEZ4mo1df6s63HBRgXRsc4GuG96wej6xzlHd63-lK1sNGElitwY2ZH_t6HXTaalvbP_XWupqkywOjyUh7db7sjAM/s1600/family+visit+and+camping+036.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_4VyT3L-VW6J47OrAjm36C5fBlpBxVsqyBr0KZFFdz_vdYS4_QEmEZ4mo1df6s63HBRgXRsc4GuG96wej6xzlHd63-lK1sNGElitwY2ZH_t6HXTaalvbP_XWupqkywOjyUh7db7sjAM/s320/family+visit+and+camping+036.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526152373849995250" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i>**our sand painting of our tribute to America!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvwfhLPECwWXn9ffPvWUv9RrtMT0ZF1YJzVwNfJFUD2VrUlgASl_RwvGKxAT3fcNjxR32R8Kd0zc1S9Js3CA-iHWJnmKKeZFyG_wzOXnH-T5__Zc15gOyCYbPKHeYkB1zakgUStqG578/s1600/family+visit+and+camping+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvwfhLPECwWXn9ffPvWUv9RrtMT0ZF1YJzVwNfJFUD2VrUlgASl_RwvGKxAT3fcNjxR32R8Kd0zc1S9Js3CA-iHWJnmKKeZFyG_wzOXnH-T5__Zc15gOyCYbPKHeYkB1zakgUStqG578/s320/family+visit+and+camping+025.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526152368359082066" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-left: 14.2pt; text-indent: 3.65pt; "><i>*seed-spitting contest for 4th of July</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:14.2pt;text-indent:3.65pt">A SURPRISE birthday party that my sitemates threw me after I had already thrown my own birthday party (awesome for my Albanian friends because in Albania you always treat your friends to coffee/desserts instead of everyone treating you…so it’s kind of hard to throw yourself a surprise party….unless, of course you have American friends to do so!)</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QlBw_76Dgx9PCn6JRhiOjf-k2T1nrUkc1OZ8pEpAYW-c0UNP-nt4cDIqUn7E7ypisjFtl39GYMwhi6wByqV7nyKSw4PcB900SEHMwCqWr_9uAw84pJOxpIbuvEZKd77WICr1ZoYEAyo/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+365.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QlBw_76Dgx9PCn6JRhiOjf-k2T1nrUkc1OZ8pEpAYW-c0UNP-nt4cDIqUn7E7ypisjFtl39GYMwhi6wByqV7nyKSw4PcB900SEHMwCqWr_9uAw84pJOxpIbuvEZKd77WICr1ZoYEAyo/s320/Albania--Spring+2010+365.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526152360970549714" /></a>….and make-shift slip ‘n slides! rain tarps for tents make for a good alternative, in case you are ever in need....we are resourceful in the Peace Corps!<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qc_0RxHwGMi0m6vMUdRJeADckHYIAeDjGOL9vAoO-DE9EyJplN72gnMeI_RxzN9sd1D-oYFAa34RKcoIivuB752ddl7iEJ7URuUkxLu82P2paOlq8cAOBQGuCueiZFWv2Xgg8z5C7hM/s1600/summer+camp+107.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qc_0RxHwGMi0m6vMUdRJeADckHYIAeDjGOL9vAoO-DE9EyJplN72gnMeI_RxzN9sd1D-oYFAa34RKcoIivuB752ddl7iEJ7URuUkxLu82P2paOlq8cAOBQGuCueiZFWv2Xgg8z5C7hM/s320/summer+camp+107.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526145036296421730" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Having a 2-week summer camp in Burrel for 80 kids aged 7-13 and having fellow volunteers come and teach subjects from dance, Karate, art, theater, English, and outdoor adventure activities!</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qc_0RxHwGMi0m6vMUdRJeADckHYIAeDjGOL9vAoO-DE9EyJplN72gnMeI_RxzN9sd1D-oYFAa34RKcoIivuB752ddl7iEJ7URuUkxLu82P2paOlq8cAOBQGuCueiZFWv2Xgg8z5C7hM/s1600/summer+camp+107.jpg"></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE84A5V1qyQW6_buKyQeW_CxcsVYYWRuxRxH5dYE17fcXFz6E2v3guyx-9xmaPGvlsMDgf3rLzdfl0aEua4EPph3ll3ZTEVyAq1FQiqc0YDn32wMy6mhdrwqLdzGD1oaEwr8CxrP8giQQ/s1600/summer+camp+032.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE84A5V1qyQW6_buKyQeW_CxcsVYYWRuxRxH5dYE17fcXFz6E2v3guyx-9xmaPGvlsMDgf3rLzdfl0aEua4EPph3ll3ZTEVyAq1FQiqc0YDn32wMy6mhdrwqLdzGD1oaEwr8CxrP8giQQ/s320/summer+camp+032.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526145027988423378" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*paper bag puppets were a huge hit!</i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE84A5V1qyQW6_buKyQeW_CxcsVYYWRuxRxH5dYE17fcXFz6E2v3guyx-9xmaPGvlsMDgf3rLzdfl0aEua4EPph3ll3ZTEVyAq1FQiqc0YDn32wMy6mhdrwqLdzGD1oaEwr8CxrP8giQQ/s1600/summer+camp+032.jpg"></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAu0oT8BM2HLcpVtH0OwAcB-bBFdJLXUTNI3yagnk8BsuhewfJ2V-thVpnmasQ8Lj1S4QKcTS87LlDEJ9vLVB5PJ8HJVaGEitWJeFnCTDc4AbzTBDmEY4-0qOZs9HmMZysTMpzU-Rbi4/s1600/summer+camp+022.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAu0oT8BM2HLcpVtH0OwAcB-bBFdJLXUTNI3yagnk8BsuhewfJ2V-thVpnmasQ8Lj1S4QKcTS87LlDEJ9vLVB5PJ8HJVaGEitWJeFnCTDc4AbzTBDmEY4-0qOZs9HmMZysTMpzU-Rbi4/s320/summer+camp+022.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526145023152490114" /></a></span></div></i></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*he might win as most adorable kid in Albania!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAu0oT8BM2HLcpVtH0OwAcB-bBFdJLXUTNI3yagnk8BsuhewfJ2V-thVpnmasQ8Lj1S4QKcTS87LlDEJ9vLVB5PJ8HJVaGEitWJeFnCTDc4AbzTBDmEY4-0qOZs9HmMZysTMpzU-Rbi4/s1600/summer+camp+022.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinP9eyCaXmciNNSbLdo4Au1IB0mXgosncO4wP76wQ7_GinalY621Q4ukUOp0oeRcekNgztKj7JDSafU3YF6J6Mr1RVJnokXel5KCWmSIekN-Qrm4CrPj-73MNTIoU9MKNs1ttTOKCBz4Q/s1600/summer+camp+003.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinP9eyCaXmciNNSbLdo4Au1IB0mXgosncO4wP76wQ7_GinalY621Q4ukUOp0oeRcekNgztKj7JDSafU3YF6J6Mr1RVJnokXel5KCWmSIekN-Qrm4CrPj-73MNTIoU9MKNs1ttTOKCBz4Q/s320/summer+camp+003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526145016399754130" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*in the dance studio at the cultural palace</i></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinP9eyCaXmciNNSbLdo4Au1IB0mXgosncO4wP76wQ7_GinalY621Q4ukUOp0oeRcekNgztKj7JDSafU3YF6J6Mr1RVJnokXel5KCWmSIekN-Qrm4CrPj-73MNTIoU9MKNs1ttTOKCBz4Q/s1600/summer+camp+003.jpg"></a>Getting to see YOUR LOVELY FACES in America!!!<span> </span>And getting to see one of my best friends Morgan get married to the person she’s in love with!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMKWM79NcaDF2_rGuhl4huJGUZg1vApv7NjbkBkHNYd8h7KeZBVkclzmdlsnAmzZaJmtRojWILsRIuU8YTkRXapRF46aziaWt6w2OZF3E-LP7fRe-BltAPWQydrW3qPIlgItlO7JfIIk/s1600/morganwedding127.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMKWM79NcaDF2_rGuhl4huJGUZg1vApv7NjbkBkHNYd8h7KeZBVkclzmdlsnAmzZaJmtRojWILsRIuU8YTkRXapRF46aziaWt6w2OZF3E-LP7fRe-BltAPWQydrW3qPIlgItlO7JfIIk/s320/morganwedding127.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526145012514652834" /></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*Rehearsal dinner...bride + bridesmaids!</i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMKWM79NcaDF2_rGuhl4huJGUZg1vApv7NjbkBkHNYd8h7KeZBVkclzmdlsnAmzZaJmtRojWILsRIuU8YTkRXapRF46aziaWt6w2OZF3E-LP7fRe-BltAPWQydrW3qPIlgItlO7JfIIk/s1600/morganwedding127.jpg"></a><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUzME6HL9fURm7RqRAz8JEwsyibqsWXJ31pu6wMpDzJhviYtb7jrMPc7v9u4gr6cyaZoJRgU7n5x4tz3z7oYFclbYd0xSlRFmbAUEJGJEg5PRZNLsgC0x6oXXJuUA4LHmD7wd6ITZotY/s1600/morganwedding16.jpg"><img style="text-align: center;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUzME6HL9fURm7RqRAz8JEwsyibqsWXJ31pu6wMpDzJhviYtb7jrMPc7v9u4gr6cyaZoJRgU7n5x4tz3z7oYFclbYd0xSlRFmbAUEJGJEg5PRZNLsgC0x6oXXJuUA4LHmD7wd6ITZotY/s320/morganwedding16.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526128121320032562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQvy9AVt-SpIWmYVGg5Ini7RblA0jsilZX-HwA-nJrP9NZL3y_c349-MlU5YuABnh1pSiNCK8CvCuZ8M_HpnwtfU5qzgJN2f_Bb-GAxS-j8oqc5KGJIQjr6PF-almnVPuALJcD7O_tM0/s1600/family+visit+and+camping+025.jpg"><span><span></span></span></a></div><div><i>*...my 7 am wake up surprise from the college roomies after my first day back in America!</i></div><div><br />Having my mom and sister come visit in a whirlwind tour of Albania in 5 days!<span> </span>[…and I’m sure they will never forget that whirlwind either!] <u><br /></u></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jyKdplwcz52pvqmONU1H2IKFPj9n3aG3_qVM3LNl2-J-netU05XXt9IfLKD-Km4DjgU_39x6I1Z8KH9u1ByAeSkzLfSxuleCX5y0srgOc_N28jI5Bt0iB1Dh-t_U0esIg_S6JazjsqE/s1600/family+visit+and+camping+001.jpg"><img style="text-align: center;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jyKdplwcz52pvqmONU1H2IKFPj9n3aG3_qVM3LNl2-J-netU05XXt9IfLKD-Km4DjgU_39x6I1Z8KH9u1ByAeSkzLfSxuleCX5y0srgOc_N28jI5Bt0iB1Dh-t_U0esIg_S6JazjsqE/s320/family+visit+and+camping+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526128108602706594" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jyKdplwcz52pvqmONU1H2IKFPj9n3aG3_qVM3LNl2-J-netU05XXt9IfLKD-Km4DjgU_39x6I1Z8KH9u1ByAeSkzLfSxuleCX5y0srgOc_N28jI5Bt0iB1Dh-t_U0esIg_S6JazjsqE/s1600/family+visit+and+camping+001.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iSdYsqx3CynO8O49KsKo9vidXDiP7wzPz5dAAaZ0rwahZkWG9rD0fywsJlLzdYS7zcMUVplrChuhFJHczYrBi6gc3hDI8tQ61KOcVfAJ1c0tRSu7WLxFtjYMDjPQqARoZmB7CDpubFs/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+375.jpg"></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>**Mom and sister with 2 of my best friends/colleagues in front of the city hall where I work in Burrel**<br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A birthday hike through the mountains from Burrel to Kruje and spending the night in a thunderstorm on top of a gorgeous mountain!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iSdYsqx3CynO8O49KsKo9vidXDiP7wzPz5dAAaZ0rwahZkWG9rD0fywsJlLzdYS7zcMUVplrChuhFJHczYrBi6gc3hDI8tQ61KOcVfAJ1c0tRSu7WLxFtjYMDjPQqARoZmB7CDpubFs/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+375.jpg"><img style="text-align: center;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iSdYsqx3CynO8O49KsKo9vidXDiP7wzPz5dAAaZ0rwahZkWG9rD0fywsJlLzdYS7zcMUVplrChuhFJHczYrBi6gc3hDI8tQ61KOcVfAJ1c0tRSu7WLxFtjYMDjPQqARoZmB7CDpubFs/s320/Albania--Spring+2010+375.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526128098564572578" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>*one more reason why Albania is awesome? ...because we weren't expecting any cafes on the top of this mountain...and of course, there were! AND we had planned on cooking our own food over the camp fire, but when we realized they had food at the cafe but no french fries, we offered them the potatoes we had brought and they cooked them for us!!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Going tubing on our river in Burrel every day for 2 weeks in August. …sometimes in a child-sized inner-tube. [below: my sitemates Kristen and Bree in the river by Burrel....no, contrary to what you might believe, they are not getting baptized...]</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONPW08U6h47PfPDkSpoX-i17rmlgmSTgV6iOxH5SKKbRzNEfD3uhl4h9KV4eN07MUsvoyHG9dM9dT_Q8fgW8p2ObSJf6WvKNgG5IvfYz-Kq0nim8Egty3tvnQbzGzhpFPKW-VxrrATVQ/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+348.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONPW08U6h47PfPDkSpoX-i17rmlgmSTgV6iOxH5SKKbRzNEfD3uhl4h9KV4eN07MUsvoyHG9dM9dT_Q8fgW8p2ObSJf6WvKNgG5IvfYz-Kq0nim8Egty3tvnQbzGzhpFPKW-VxrrATVQ/s320/Albania--Spring+2010+348.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525461179267846402" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONPW08U6h47PfPDkSpoX-i17rmlgmSTgV6iOxH5SKKbRzNEfD3uhl4h9KV4eN07MUsvoyHG9dM9dT_Q8fgW8p2ObSJf6WvKNgG5IvfYz-Kq0nim8Egty3tvnQbzGzhpFPKW-VxrrATVQ/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+348.jpg"></a>Meeting Walker Texas Ranger’s side-kick [Clarence] in Tirana randomly (he was here on a Fulbright Senior Specialist program with the National Theatre of Albania) …talking my way into a dress rehearsal of a play he was directing/lead actor in….and going to coffee afterwards to discuss the adventures and downfalls of life in Albania (who says no one famous ever comes to Albania!?).</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5Sy4TFiEacPvYiaeBUB_W_q3I8efby8m8hUsFP6Vwidy3J4xRh2Fw4q8CqZYG_6AaeVjOHnenG1MytWayBTsqQSQlUk_dR61kxoSb5uUFRN9RxFSNCStYSuCzlwAvifc8n2dYl9Kco4/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+311.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5Sy4TFiEacPvYiaeBUB_W_q3I8efby8m8hUsFP6Vwidy3J4xRh2Fw4q8CqZYG_6AaeVjOHnenG1MytWayBTsqQSQlUk_dR61kxoSb5uUFRN9RxFSNCStYSuCzlwAvifc8n2dYl9Kco4/s320/Albania--Spring+2010+311.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525461162336324658" /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Having one of my best friends Jess come visit in May and getting to travel around Albania/Montenegro<span> </span>and having her teach TANGO lessons to my dance students at my site (my class of teenagers around 11-13 years old) and the university dance students that I work with in Tirana.<br /><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjKIyRNyvUZ3POIPWJ-FiJpji4paszvhAX1sUpQkF8XfeDYv9Ah28hfyUM77gVI-3DaSpq84ty1EzK5dpqhLoVaFxoO0piDicEpYV6e2gFzozDPVUGFD6ZXVjwEsXctA8GKnxtsumtF4/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+257.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjKIyRNyvUZ3POIPWJ-FiJpji4paszvhAX1sUpQkF8XfeDYv9Ah28hfyUM77gVI-3DaSpq84ty1EzK5dpqhLoVaFxoO0piDicEpYV6e2gFzozDPVUGFD6ZXVjwEsXctA8GKnxtsumtF4/s320/Albania--Spring+2010+257.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525461152456624930" /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjKIyRNyvUZ3POIPWJ-FiJpji4paszvhAX1sUpQkF8XfeDYv9Ah28hfyUM77gVI-3DaSpq84ty1EzK5dpqhLoVaFxoO0piDicEpYV6e2gFzozDPVUGFD6ZXVjwEsXctA8GKnxtsumtF4/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+257.jpg"></a><i>*Jess + me with dance students at the art academy in Tirana where I sometimes teach modern dance and composition classes</i><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ga5N_j5AsXJwruJcFSM1mOMtU43PdYo0F8jzuMWV6bqKgAGfCgACa5t0m6sBGseAehvBHu_SpyL90SazxGpNctou0BdtVT-2duyNW_E9FNx8ljnd_03Empxf5cH8WMCWn4lrZ1S9gxg/s1600/Albania--Spring+2010+236.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ga5N_j5AsXJwruJcFSM1mOMtU43PdYo0F8jzuMWV6bqKgAGfCgACa5t0m6sBGseAehvBHu_SpyL90SazxGpNctou0BdtVT-2duyNW_E9FNx8ljnd_03Empxf5cH8WMCWn4lrZ1S9gxg/s320/Albania--Spring+2010+236.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525461145193183250" /></a></div><div><br />All-in-all, an amazing summer full of awesome activities and fond memories of Albania! (and America!)</div></div></div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-85145370772796845132010-10-07T15:36:00.000-07:002010-10-07T16:01:40.588-07:00Back from hiatus!....[a really loooong hiatus!...]<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5YqGJYSG_C_GZi_vQzy7tkZvudEhlUJ0WqW7hchhZ9ILZHhKO5FrFuxuS5ISRtv7r3n8VCa-w1rfiDwJJM6karlAiUMxh8eMgOk2rIncGizV8gkoYPPHLD9IAuIucOioKOUy2LQh8HQ/s1600/burrel+and+around+009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5YqGJYSG_C_GZi_vQzy7tkZvudEhlUJ0WqW7hchhZ9ILZHhKO5FrFuxuS5ISRtv7r3n8VCa-w1rfiDwJJM6karlAiUMxh8eMgOk2rIncGizV8gkoYPPHLD9IAuIucOioKOUy2LQh8HQ/s320/burrel+and+around+009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525442414009486338" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:14.2pt;text-indent:3.65pt">SO…I am sure that many of you out there are thinking that you would never be able stalk me from across the world on the interwebs again while I’m in Albania! [unlike my Albanian neighbors who stalk me on a daily basis ….telling me that they saw my inside light come on at 8 pm….or saw that I was up late until 11:30(!) because my light was on….or wonder why I only bought 1 tomato at the store….or wonder why I was wearing flip-flops because it’s freezing outside (…in September?...) …or know that one of my sitemates walked past in the opposite direction from me….so clearly I must be informed of my mistaken direction…because I could NEVER be going to a different place than the OTHER Americans!]<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:14.2pt;text-indent:3.65pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:14.2pt;text-indent:3.65pt">And perhaps you also thought that maybe I had just been in the country long enough and life wasn’t very interesting here anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>…which is NEVER true here….most every day has SOME ridiculous and enthralling story to divulge (from waking up to exploding water heaters, <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>to tubing down our river in child-size inner- tubes, to seeing a barfing grandmother in traditional attire TIED ON to someone on a motorcycle in order to keep her from falling off, to starting new activities like yoga classes and having many stories from it…)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:14.2pt;text-indent:3.65pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt">It’s not that I didn’t want to keep you all informed either, it’s just hard to do when not connected to the world wide web on a regular basis.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And finally after being told my city was “out of the internet” with no end in site of how long our internet needs would go untreated, I finally was able to get the equivalent of slow dial-up at my apartment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt">Anyways… I had to even check for myself when my last post had been…and it had been from a year ago!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And it’s crazy to think how fast time does go by….and how little time I have left here! [of course, that’s relative for those of you that are waiting for me to come home…]</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt">As there is much that has happened in a year…I will just reacquaint you with my more recent life… and I will do it in another post, so check for it later!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt">And on a sad note…. I have changed apartments and I now have a normal Western toilet…so you will have to find your fill of awesome Turkish toilet stories from some other source…</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:21.3pt;text-indent:-3.45pt">oh....and p.s...here's one of my favorite places to walk to that is 10 minutes outside of Burrel. It's a memorial to veterans/war heroes that was built during Communism. </p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-13118179041483503972009-11-11T03:47:00.000-08:002009-11-11T03:48:17.688-08:00Back in Albania...<p>A little side note about my re-entry back into Albania coming back from Turkey. After my stint out of the country, it was only appropriate that I should have a typical Albanian welcome back into the country. As I was headed back to the capital of Macedonia [Skopje], I assumed there would be pretty frequent buses between it and Tirana…seeing as they’re both capital cities and all. However, when I arrived at 7 am to Skopje, the bus to Tirana wasn’t until 7:30 pm that night. So I ended up on a bus headed for another border crossing closer to Lake Ohrid. I ended up getting dropped off close to the border with 2 polish backpackers also trying to cross into Albania. The 3 of us got a taxi to get across the border.</p><p><br />The drive was only 5 km and should have only taken about 5 minutes. About 2 minutes into the trip, our driver hits dead-on a stray dog running towards our car [not even an attempt to swerve as to try and miss it]. Sadly, I’m used to this occurrence…but the 2 Polish guys in the back yelled “ohhhh fuck man!! …what are you doing!?” They were certainly shocked! About 30 seconds after this, our engine starts smoking. The driver pulls over and realizes that his car is overheating. So he proceeds to grab a plastic bottle from his car and fill it with ditch water and dump it inside the steaming engine. We start going again, but about 50 yards down the road he stops again to dump water on the engine. We do this about 4 more times [by now we’ve been in the car 20 minutes], until finally all of us get out on the side of the road and try to stop any car that’s going past us headed to the border. Finally, another taxi returns from the border and our driver gets him to take us there.</p><p><br />After getting there and crossing over to the Albanian side of the border, I used the most disgusting Turkish toilet I have yet to use in this country! Think unmaintained Turkish toilet…upwards of at least 6 months! It was disgusting!!...and smelled like dead babies! Ugh!<br />After this, we’re pretty much stranded on the Albanian side of the border waiting for anyone to drive by us headed in our direction. The 2 Polish guys were ridiculous (and very funny) and proceeded to try and hitchhike for us with the most ridiculous poses…think cheerleaders…or yogis…but instead 2 Polish guys with beards hoisting out their thumbs. Most Albanians drove past us laughing…and a few gave us thumbs-up for looking like fools! Finally, a mini-bus came by and got us on the right track. I parted with the 2 Polish guys as they were headed a different way and I continued my 7 hour journey down towards Gjirokaster in the south of the country to experience part of the folk festival! </p><p><br />However, I couldn’t help but laugh about my cliché arrival back into the country…broken down cars, awful toilets, wild animals, and a considerable amount of waiting on the side of a road [story of my life in Albania]. Mire se vini ne Shqiperia!!</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-68209874666133139062009-11-11T03:41:00.001-08:002009-11-11T03:47:22.032-08:00Reflections on TurkeyIt was especially nice to be in a city welcoming of tourists and to not feel awkward wandering around with a huge pack on. In Albania if you’re walking around with a travel pack, people usually stare or say rude things making you feel super self-conscious. It was nice to not feel so ostracized and to just fit in with the loads of foreigners there. I forget what it feels like to be normal…or at least not to stand out so much.<br />It was interesting being in Istanbul and seeing the parts of Turkish culture that are still prevalent in Albanian culture…and also to realize the huge differences. Some of the vocabulary is similar. Beyond that, some of the mannerisms and body language are also similar. Certainly in the bazaars it was easy to see the Turkish influence on Albanian haggling and bargaining and the aggressiveness of the sellers sometimes. In Turkey, as in Albania, there’s usually a person out in front of the shop/bazaar stall that tries to charm the customers walking by [such slogans as “oh I have missed you long time,” or “hello beautiful girl, where are you from?...”]. It’s almost a competition to see who can be the most charming…in the abrasive sense, of course. They also love yelling prices at you or picking up and showing you everything that you have no interest in.<br />It was extremely interesting to me that while Turkey would seem to be more conservative…there are at least more people openly practicing Isl<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402810880204303202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWv2pvPnQIgS198mxIQ2xoodr6fgqrLWhvM66gmVScy5paju5TXhjZpbhoTRD4vZaWbWkco5w5yBmDgicvnYvhOTGgBMQxmbgFPEgzcepgFyompXY6HHWJQqtR8SEH1cgdScd7SBr5xI/s320/IMG_1387.JPG" border="0" />am…it was socially more liberal. What I mean is this. In Albania, while the country is technically around 80% Muslim, the majority of these people are only culturally so and do not practice the religion. You would think that if they have lost the ties to the religious aspect of Islam, their social standards would also be somewhat different. However, the social code is very conservative…women work at home and stay at home most of the time. The men frequent the bars and go to the cafes and play dominoes. Even if couples are married, they rarely go out together and VERY rarely display public affection. In Istanbul, it was the opposite [not to say that the rest of Turkey is like this…I imagine they would be more conservative not being in such a major metropolitan area]. There were certainly more women covered in long dresses and head scarves practicing Islam…but they would be walking down the street holding hands with their boyfriends or out to dinner or something. It was just SO nice to be back in mixed-gender company and not be the only woman out after 8 pm! It was nice not to be so special for once [I’ll probably get back to America and wonder why I don’t get all the attention any more ;) ]<br />Lastly, I realized after being in the Peace Corps for a few months, my standards for hostels have gone down the crapper. Pretty much anything seems nice to me! After sleeping on numerous questionable surfaces…visiting Albanians, sleeping over at other PCVs houses, using wool blankets that looked about 100 years old and hadn’t been washed for maybe that long, etc…where sometimes I’d be lucky to have a blanket, pillow, or sleeping surface besides a floor, anything is an upgrade from that! I realized my perceptions had changed when a friend I made came to meet me at my hostel and commented that his was so much better! Oh man! …I thought I was at the 4 Seasons! Sharing a room with 8 people where I actually got my own bed, blanket, and pillow! …and there was running water and electricity all night! ….what can I say, I guess my standards have changed :)<br /><div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-84764518025576755522009-11-11T03:18:00.000-08:002009-11-11T03:40:43.053-08:00Trip to Turkey!<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I took a brief trip to Istanbul towards the end of September, and while I had been planning on doing the trip for a while, it ended up being perfect timing for me taking a little breather from Albanian culture. I <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQT1CzVjcwrUCnLLLLkNPxoAVlLC9SxfZIv7E2GNrKBJZC5MmlEAzdE8V5Nxl7ArvFLd114WJWTgEfuQa1nJk6dvWjt4D4IewP_sAB1iUn3faMjjl2HrrgBLjLL0a_SqUY0ml7wChcf4/s1600-h/IMG_1413.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402808779500932210" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQT1CzVjcwrUCnLLLLkNPxoAVlLC9SxfZIv7E2GNrKBJZC5MmlEAzdE8V5Nxl7ArvFLd114WJWTgEfuQa1nJk6dvWjt4D4IewP_sAB1iUn3faMjjl2HrrgBLjLL0a_SqUY0ml7wChcf4/s320/IMG_1413.JPG" border="0" /></a>spent about 5 days there but even with the short amount of time, I love the city! I met up with another volunteer friend for the first few days and then flew solo for the last few days meeting new people and making new friends.<br />After finally making my way out of Albania (after 2 mini-buses, a taxi, another bus and getting to a city where the info I had found on-line about a bus to Istanbul was incorrect…so I had to get another bus to Skopje—the capital of Macedonia—where there was actually a bus!), it was about a 13 hour bus ride from Skopje to Istanbul. Unfortunately, I confused many members of the Macedonian Muslim community because I was traveling on Big Bajram (end of Ramadan)…and since I was speaking Albanian with them, they couldn’t understand why I was by myself on such a big holiday and kept asking if my mom and dad where back in Macedonia because everyone spends Big Bajram with family. Nope! They are definitely back in America!...<br />I got into Istanbul at about 6 am and wasn’t meeting up with my friend until 3 pm that day. So I went to the touristy area (by the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya) and watched the city wake up. I always love seeing cities as they come to life. I will admit that my first official stop after getting in on the bus was a Starbucks! No shame! But after 6 months of mediocre coffee with no variety in Albania, I was ready for my hazelnut soy latte! And crazily enough…in the Starbucks I frequented I found 2 other Peace Corps volunteers serving in Azerbaijan. They actually are serving with one of my dance friends from college—Evan! Small world!<br />My first day in Istanbul I spent wandering around the city. Istanbul is HUGE and gorgeous! I spent<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5v9GHjN6UXq9B1jJuuyN5nsbcV9lNcYOEX-ylJIJ4s-WqdtIqsIFV2RMDsPZ1fk5CbMDspeg9QpCygw15wzRzv7I9emiLHj3LJoa0WkTodoRLTswjKzOKLZgGyFOtYoZeWdoroAaOLA/s1600-h/IMG_1377.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402808766507314802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5v9GHjN6UXq9B1jJuuyN5nsbcV9lNcYOEX-ylJIJ4s-WqdtIqsIFV2RMDsPZ1fk5CbMDspeg9QpCygw15wzRzv7I9emiLHj3LJoa0WkTodoRLTswjKzOKLZgGyFOtYoZeWdoroAaOLA/s320/IMG_1377.JPG" border="0" /></a> quite a bit of time in the Taksim area which is probably the most westernized part of the city with its more youthful population and its excess of western stores. It was nice to go shopping after 7 months! It’s also the place for nightlife! Somehow we ended up going out 3 nights in a row until at least 4 am! Every night I said I was going to get to sleep early…but somehow I ended up out dancing […once I get dancing, you all know I can’t stop]. However, it was nice to be able to go OUT again…since at my site in Albania everything is closed by 9 pm now. And I certainly can’t go out dancing! Dancing highlights included a Prince tribute (requested by myself) and I got into a dance-off with a 45 year-old man! He’d been dancing up on the stage all night like he was hot shit…dressed all in black, mustachioed, and wearing …none other than a doo-rag! It was slightly amazing! [in the ridiculous sense, o f course!].<br />Otherwise I did most of the touristy things—I went to the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7hqdAnuOgv6g-Idjx6ODoA9XMGP-EyxMWwHA8v1Ia5tu5l6LitJVMKGGy3uD9FauzJsJzk9EnfYJzl_IXf5YDYaZpiq52941GrSW_P-rWtPkkofZXLAA_s89uOsMh3nhemUoNiP0m5I/s1600-h/IMG_1280.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402808760330734242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7hqdAnuOgv6g-Idjx6ODoA9XMGP-EyxMWwHA8v1Ia5tu5l6LitJVMKGGy3uD9FauzJsJzk9EnfYJzl_IXf5YDYaZpiq52941GrSW_P-rWtPkkofZXLAA_s89uOsMh3nhemUoNiP0m5I/s320/IMG_1280.JPG" border="0" /></a>Aya Sofya, shared a hookah with friends, ate fish sandwiches by the river, drank Turkish coffee with Turkish delight, drank apple tea, and ate some FABulous mezes! (like tapas, but Turkish style) I also ended up taking a cruise up the Bosporus to the Black Sea. I did not take a Turkish Bath nor did I see the Asian side of the city…but like I say…always leave something to go back for. I think my favorite things I did were the spice bazaar (shocker of the year…I could have probably spent 3 days there), and the Aya Sofya. The Aya Sofya was originally built as a church but then was turned into a mosque and now stands as a museum. It was just crazy walking into a place that was juxtaposed with so much religious imagery it almost brought me to tears. Scripts in Arabic juxtaposed next to a mosaic of the Angel Gabriel, etc. It was awesome!<br />My other favorite thing I did was the last meal I ate. A newly-made American friend and I went to an area that’s full of outdoor restaurants strung with lights. We determined that we were not going to go to a restaurant if the waiter accosted us to eat there [frequent occurrence in Turkey is for the waiters to compete to get customers by basically charming you and grabbing you and seating you and forcing you to hear the menu]. So we ended up at one where no one had said anything to us, and they didn’t eve<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPCzk6ipakH0HFuIdLnVRCOTPDpr_7QUDjVpuZt0Ra66xVm5R4hK2Ot56We8qZNjN-zloPzMT1Ajm0t42cyQV06jgOt_YDTUCJESOBAtGu9OEzmLVP2RQk6sEoQoxMCBiv3RS6UI44tg/s1600-h/IMG_1390.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402808768693570978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPCzk6ipakH0HFuIdLnVRCOTPDpr_7QUDjVpuZt0Ra66xVm5R4hK2Ot56We8qZNjN-zloPzMT1Ajm0t42cyQV06jgOt_YDTUCJESOBAtGu9OEzmLVP2RQk6sEoQoxMCBiv3RS6UI44tg/s320/IMG_1390.JPG" border="0" /></a>n have a menu outside and it was full of a bunch of older Turkish m en. It ended up being the perfect meal with amazing food! We even received a free round of raki and grapes from the table beside us because one of the men heard me say something in Albanian and he had spent some time there. We ended up going back to our hostel area and met up with people and went to a hookah bar and I learned how to play backgammon! And then we went out dancing!! A PERFECT last night out of the country if you ask me!<br />Overall, it was a great trip out of the country. I had forgotten how much I love travelling and exploring new things and running into other people and making travel buddies!</div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-70643181803391471402009-08-03T05:36:00.001-07:002009-08-03T05:43:36.688-07:00Exploring Albania
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTklvtCpUNYh33HUxLppyAAExw99bu_BxtxPSwLCnegfd4nJRiyPBlu_ux4l0QulBBeJkuI-yz1VrI77qFGByaa2HC8VwHV1jqJSy13Aad83om7ECYnTeYDjlRElX7R6-ot6AUKpWlrjo/s1600-h/IMG_0942.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTklvtCpUNYh33HUxLppyAAExw99bu_BxtxPSwLCnegfd4nJRiyPBlu_ux4l0QulBBeJkuI-yz1VrI77qFGByaa2HC8VwHV1jqJSy13Aad83om7ECYnTeYDjlRElX7R6-ot6AUKpWlrjo/s320/IMG_0942.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365716066412577026" border="0" /></a>
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">As I have been living in Albania for a little over 4 months, I have to say that I have probably visited more places in Albania in 4 months, than most Albanians have in their entire lives.<span style=""> </span>I have been trying to visit various volunteers around the country so that I have a better idea of the cultural differences within the country and so I know where to take you all when you come to visit!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The beaches here are definitely gorgeous!<span style=""> </span>So far I’ve been to Durres, Vlore, and Shin-gjin all along the coast.<span style=""> </span>Some of the bigger beach cities certainly have more to do in terms of entertainment and night life, but the beaches are a bit dirtier and the water sometimes less sanitary because they are so populated and don’t have the infrastructure to support large-scale public works when inundated by tourists.<span style=""> </span>So I’m hoping to explore some of the smaller beach towns or places where you can camp on the beach as the summer progresses.</p> <p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Probably my favorite trip so far this summer was to Pogradec to celebrate one of my friend’s birthdays—she was turning 60!! [so for those of you that have been telling me that Peace Corps was something that you’d always wanted to do, it’s never too late!]<span style=""> </span>Pogradec is located in the south on Lake Ohrid right across from Macedonia.<span style=""> </span>The lake is huge and is right in the mountains, so it’s gorgeous!<span style=""> </span>The beach has plenty of activities like paddle-boatin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvRFrWQdDsulmI9-7QoQWgCcEesjOOn5R2WYi_Bz2UROlWU7oiJI6Fy95HpBemmpFeI4vOOrYDkbncCVljgYM2dleTE_gO9HZAxyN-GkqaOumEdw-684qlbJ-56HDSnz17Sijn5EzcxI/s1600-h/IMG_0997.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvRFrWQdDsulmI9-7QoQWgCcEesjOOn5R2WYi_Bz2UROlWU7oiJI6Fy95HpBemmpFeI4vOOrYDkbncCVljgYM2dleTE_gO9HZAxyN-GkqaOumEdw-684qlbJ-56HDSnz17Sijn5EzcxI/s320/IMG_0997.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365716076036340274" border="0" /></a>g/row-boating/kids rides, etc.<span style=""> </span>It almost felt like I was back at home in Virginia Beach—getting to go the beach every day!<span style=""> </span>We did rent paddle boats a couple days in a row and one day I was convinced that we could see Enver Hoxha’s (former Communist dictator) former palace on the lake.<span style=""> </span>However, apparently his palace was nowhere near the lake and was actually on the river feeding into it…so I guess in actuality, we almost paddled our way into Macedonia.<span style=""> </span>Under the Communist regime there were people who tried to occasionally swim across the lake and into Macedonia under the cover of night….so it was kind of like we were doing that…except in a paddle boat, drinking beers, in the sunshine.<span style=""> </span>Hmmm.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the evenings the xhiro didn’t start until 10 pm.<span style=""> </span>(reminder…xhiro is the tradition in Albania where everyone puts on their finest and walks around the city at night…usually on 1 main road from around 8-10 pm)<span style=""> </span>This was a nice change compared to Burrel where everyone is pretty much at home and inside by 9:30.<span style=""> </span>However, Pogradec is a tourist destination for Albanians as well (supposedly it’s the city for lovers) <span style=""> </span>so people are on vacation and on a different time schedule.<span style=""> </span>We found an awesome place that had live Albanian music and there was much circle da<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUg8JpJuMWTUwD49P8KR29LnNSjDAgTBFGcFk5nTTH-9zM4roi4J6nZDzrrg8RI6zRxJ-ZZKIJ9hLs4OUhvH5bVpZ8CTv_h8My53x7Vn9UrMclgInhgTv873D1moC_s1kBeht1BCidtNE/s1600-h/IMG_1023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUg8JpJuMWTUwD49P8KR29LnNSjDAgTBFGcFk5nTTH-9zM4roi4J6nZDzrrg8RI6zRxJ-ZZKIJ9hLs4OUhvH5bVpZ8CTv_h8My53x7Vn9UrMclgInhgTv873D1moC_s1kBeht1BCidtNE/s320/IMG_1023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365716080229279250" border="0" /></a>ncing going on.<span style=""> </span>It was sort of like an open beer garden, and there were actually people of both genders and all ages out until midnight!<span style=""> </span>(not very common in other places in Albania)<span style=""> </span>So we circle danced every night, and then found a disco right across the street that was open even later!<span style=""> </span>Needless to say, I definitely got my dancing fix for a little while!<span style=""> </span>Overall, a fabulous vacation filled with beach, boats, beer, good food, and dancing!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This past week I just finished up teaching at school so I have a break from teaching during the month of August.<span style=""> </span>I’m hoping to make it around to a few more places in Albania…there is still much exploring to be done in this amazingly beautiful country!!</p> Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-37133704097038434912009-08-03T05:25:00.000-07:002009-08-03T05:35:53.745-07:00Feeling American in Un-America
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">So I know I haven’t written in a while but despite what I’d heard about the summer in Albania and having adequate down-time, I have been staying busy with all of the classes I’m teaching, settling in, and trying to travel as much as possible.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, for the 4<sup>th</sup> of July, I did get to celebrate American style!<span style=""> </span>The American embassy in Tirana put on a party at the Wilson School (school for children of international workers).<span style=""> </span>There were many Americans, internationals, and Albanians there.<span style=""> </span>As a reference point, there are a little over 300 Americans in<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB8AUnH09KCMn83WVpMHBhTVwMHGgSdNffKGqb8rt19WC74dWyxlwuvytp1_pF74y9awj6Pngh8jQ-NXgGMamZvcuM-f9KYLrXbGwfacL_U99LFwWRc7ZpLwG67w1Qk_y_O22Shu70EY/s1600-h/IMG_0982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB8AUnH09KCMn83WVpMHBhTVwMHGgSdNffKGqb8rt19WC74dWyxlwuvytp1_pF74y9awj6Pngh8jQ-NXgGMamZvcuM-f9KYLrXbGwfacL_U99LFwWRc7ZpLwG67w1Qk_y_O22Shu70EY/s320/IMG_0982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365713439673205618" border="0" /></a> the country.<span style=""> </span>Considering that Peace Corps is almost 1/3 of these, it’s kind of crazy to think how small of a population that is.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In typical Peace Corps fashion, we weren’t offered a ride on the embassy shuttle, so we trekked through the woods to get to the school and showed up hot, sweaty, with mud on our nice shoes, and with our huge backpacks.<span style=""> </span>…I think that will probably be the story of my life here—lost, sweaty, and with a backpack [the other day I was trying to get back from another city and I didn’t realize the furgon didn’t go back all the way to Burrel so me and my sitemate literally got dropped off on the side of a dirt road by a swamp in a mostly abandoned town.<span style=""> </span>Under normal circumstances, I would probably have freaked out being abandoned on the side of the road in a ghost town after 8 pm…but we both just laughed about it while waiting to hitch a ride…and clearly, made it back ok!].</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The party was a nice little slice of America…I actually ate a hamburger for the first time in about 2 years.<span style=""> </span>There was plenty of free beer, a pool, live music, and fireworks—not too different from the 4<sup>th</sup> in America.<span style=""> </span>We ended up going out in Tirana afterwards, and somehow stayed out until 5 in the morning (just know that there was much dancing involved..and since I am pretty much always the last person dancing…not too hard to imagine)!<span style=""> </span>Me and a few friends caught the 5:30 am bus to Lushnje where some volunteers got together for the extended 4<sup>th</sup> of July party.<span style=""> </span>So our friends were pleasantly surprised when we showed up looking like death at 7:45 that morning after being out all night and taking the bus for 2.5 hours.<span style=""> </span>I can’t say that I’ll be doing that again—but it certainly was a fun night to remember!<span style=""> </span>And that night we celebrated again with some other awesome American food-ness (potato salad, fruit salad, tuna casserole, etc.) and setting off our ow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh504vicjGQvB7B0wVIwqjDNVilPWqAk1i41EXwnTjbmYKb_F7kZGcUiC3GeiTyocYvptGaG_UvzG8NIWqsp5POf0T7KqYM51j0h-f2eP0yKcWwp_UCE11E_whC9qkYXu23FfqXqf0A40U/s1600-h/IMG_0979.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh504vicjGQvB7B0wVIwqjDNVilPWqAk1i41EXwnTjbmYKb_F7kZGcUiC3GeiTyocYvptGaG_UvzG8NIWqsp5POf0T7KqYM51j0h-f2eP0yKcWwp_UCE11E_whC9qkYXu23FfqXqf0A40U/s320/IMG_0979.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365713428414226962" border="0" /></a>n fireworks! (you can buy them at the grocery store in Albania…love this country!)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So my first 4<sup>th</sup> out of the country was a success!<span style=""> </span>Celebrated with friends, fireworks, and fabulous food!<span style=""> </span>Seems pretty American to me!<span style=""> </span>And a side note and final thought—I think being out of America has made me more of a patriot then when I was living in America.<span style=""> </span>There are certain trivial things that I miss…like access to variety of food choices or being able to go out at night after 10 pm…but there are other values inherent in our culture that just don’t exist here—like our work ethic or critical thinking in the classroom.<span style=""> </span>It’s a continual cultural dialogue here, and it’s great because that’s about 2/3 of the reason why I’m here! </p> Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-9068503968782550862009-06-25T02:44:00.001-07:002009-06-25T06:06:50.547-07:00First Days in Burrell<div>So in the first couple of weeks that I’ve been here, I’ve been trying to find structure and potential project ideas as I meet a ton of new people and put my roots down. I’ve had more coffees than can be imagined (and thank goodness “coffee” doesn’t mean I actually have to drink coffee…just the act of going is “coffee” and I can drink juice or water if I want to….or else I prob would have had a heart attack from the record 6 coffees I managed to go to in 1 day). I am working partially at an alternative school and partially at the Bashkia (Albanian version of city hall). Surprisingly, I find myself teaching A LOT more English than I ever would have expected. I am teaching about 7 classes now, and it will be 10 once I start English classes at the Bashkia. And I’m also teaching 4 computer classes a week at the alternative school. While I don’t feel fully equipped to teach English (not what my training was in for the last 3 months), it is good for me now to have structure and something to do in the summer when everyone else sort of takes a big break from work. Though none of the classes will continue in August because I think the whole country goes on pushime (“break”).<br /><br />The alternative school is like a vocational school and is an alternative to the high school. Since students aren’t required to attend high school, they can go to the alternative school and learn a useful skill such as cooking or sewing. The school is part of a larger NGO based in Tirana that is called Useful to Albanian Women. My first week here I got to go to their first graduation which included a fashion show. The students made both traditional Albanian and modern Albanian clothes. This gave me a chance to see the cultural palace (insert your own air quotes since it’s a great rendition of communist architecture), which I’m hoping will be a potential venue for many projects and community events and hopefully provide an opportunity for me to teach some dance classes in the future.<br /><br />Otherwise it’s been kind of crazy for the election that is coming up on June 28th. My city is definitely majority Democratic which is in support of Sali Berisha (current Prime Minister). The other dominant party is the Socialist party under the leadership of Edi Rama (current mayor of Tirana). It’s kind of typical election hype…both Berisha and Rama have made it to Burrell in the last week. And almost every day there’s a DP for the PD (my abbreviation for “dance party” for the “party democratic”). Everyone always asks what party I support and I don’t support any since I’m supposed to be non-political in the Peace Corps. …though I am considering revising this to “I support anyone who is of the dance party.” But I honestly don’t know enough about Albanian politics anyways to make an informed decision. It’s just frustrating because neither party really has a party platform except “change for Albania” but no other major divisive issues or obvious differences. And both parties blatantly use America to garner support when America doesn’t officially support either party (seriously…American flags are flown alongside the Albanian one and the EU flag). It’s also frustrating when people ask me if I’m a democrat in America and I say yes because here the democrats are more like the Republicans in the U.S. and the socialists more like the American democrats (but people here don’t understand that).<br /><br />It’s been fun getting to explore the city…which mainly means staking out grocery stores and good coffee spots. Me and my site mate Kristen (who is an English teacher) have been cooking wonderful meals since we’ve been here! We both LOVE to cook and we’ve already had some interesting experiments with food! I’ve also gotten the chance to make chocolate chip cookies, cherry cardamom scones, pesto grilled cheese, and soynut butter and banana sandwiches for my office (they didn’t quite understand the last one…they don’t do bananas on sandwiches here). I’m hoping to also teach the cooking kids at the alternative school how to make various ethnic foods…Mexican, Indian, Thai, etc. in the future.<br /><br />Time is already flying by and I can only imagine that these 2 years will pass like nothing.<br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-51992311845985256132009-06-25T02:22:00.000-07:002009-06-25T06:04:27.217-07:00Swearing In and Leaving Host Family<div>After the busyness of traveling to Tirana and my future site, taking final language exams, and preparing to leave my host family, the last week with my family flew by!! I couldn’t even mention leaving to my host sister Eliza or else she would start to cry. Somehow I ended up volunteering myself to be 1 of 2 people to give a speech in Albanian at our swearing-in ceremony where we officially became volunteers. I haven’t given many speeches in my life…let alone in a language I’ve only been speaking for 3 months. But it ended up being really fun…and hopefully I got some of the humor across to the audience (which included host family members, Peace Corps staff, mayors of various towns, and the U.S. Ambassador). They did laugh at the places that were supposed to be funny…so I guess that’s good! The other guy who spoke actually went to William and Mary as well. Way to represent Tribe Pride!! At some point it will probably be on YouTube (I’ll post the link when it is)…but until then, if you want a copy (in English, of course!) let me know and I’ll send it to you! We also ended up being in the national news that night! …as we were walking back into our favorite bar in Gostime all dressed up in our finest, right as we were walking in the news spot about Peace Corps came on TV. …impeccable timing!<br /><br />Otherwise, the last week I spent hanging out with the sitemates drinking beers at our favorite spots in Gostime, and spending time with my host family. If any of you come visit I will have to take you to my favorite restaurant in Gostime…the couple that owned it always made grilled vegetables especially for us and it was FABulous! There’s also another favorite guy of ours that we called the “peanut guy.” When we got beers there, he would bring free peanuts on the first round, free cheese on the 2nd round, and various things for the 3rd round including cherries, walnuts, and hard-boiled eggs that were usually an odd greenish color. Just a slight insight into the Albanian hospitality that we’ve received since we’ve been in the country. They LOVE Americans! …which can’t be said very often in other countries in the world.<br /><br />The 2nd to last night in the village the site mates and I did a “pub crawl” of our favorite lokals in the village. We ended up at Seth’s host family for a little while, and per usual, his parents cooked all of us dinner and we had a dance party to follow! (his family was a trip…3 brothers + Seth to make 4….his host mom would always be jealous to find that I had a sister in America and just girls in the fam. I told her I would take Albi, the youngest brother back to America with me. And I just might…he’s an adorable 12 year old and the best dancer of the bunch!…and considering how much they all love to dance in his family, that’s a feat! …or a feet!) I do have to admit that I certainly won’t miss walking back home around 10 at night in the pitch-black street with scary dogs and large ditches on both sides of the street. However….I will miss Seth to walk me home at night….though he probably won’t miss walking me home!<br /><br />The very last night I spent with my host family. The day was actually very reminiscent of my first day with my family as they sat in my room and watched me pack up all of my stuff (the very first day they sat and watched as I unpacked all of it). It ended much as I will remember most nights with my host sister Eliza. We ended up taking about an hour walk around the village talking arm-in-arm and upon returning to the house we played cards for about another 2 hours while eating a ridiculous amount of cookies. She is an amazing girl and I will definitely miss her smile and laugh and her amazing ability for charades when I had no idea what she was talking about! I’m excited to return to visit frequently and am still SO blessed that I had such an amazing family!<br /><br />…on to new adventures in Burrell where I can finally call a place home for the next 2 years!!</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-88619731367876346832009-06-23T03:42:00.000-07:002009-06-25T06:05:10.401-07:00Time for the Dipstick (a FABULOUS poop story…not for the weak stomachs)<div><br /><br /><div>So the first couple of days that I have been at site in Burrell my site mate Kristen has been staying with me because she doesn’t have an apartment yet. My apartment is a wonderful 5th floor walk-up in a communist block apartment complete with mostly cement floors and a Turkish toilet/shower combo (for those that do not know what a Turk is, it is a squatty potty…or a glorified hole in the floor). Since I’ve been in Albania, I haven’t had a problem with flushing toilet paper dow<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0jLv1pJzNN5hl7LFc0MeYvg2CC8S38hJ0RhZAdb-XBMXUqnd6i-GYzfV9IRXvbEnZfLS8YH5-sbFiWlifB5qjKDMJMygZ1yYJk8ZaKYnBS9DtoVc8yjqXjLZB_uRa222okkxsaBz5Go/s1600-h/IMG_0918.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350472221380859698" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0jLv1pJzNN5hl7LFc0MeYvg2CC8S38hJ0RhZAdb-XBMXUqnd6i-GYzfV9IRXvbEnZfLS8YH5-sbFiWlifB5qjKDMJMygZ1yYJk8ZaKYnBS9DtoVc8yjqXjLZB_uRa222okkxsaBz5Go/s320/IMG_0918.JPG" border="0" /></a>n the toilet in any circumstance. At my host family we had a Western toilet that flushed and most other places have Western toilets with power flush (meaning that you just dump a bucket of water to flush everything down…not sure exactly where the “power flush” name came from), Turks that flush, or Turk with a power flush.<br /><br />So Kristen and I had been using the toilet for about 5 days and noticed that it had started draining a little slow. It’s kind of hard to tell from what…since the shower water drains into the same hole, it looked like there had been remnants of paint and plaster dumped down the toilet hole, and dumping a bucket of water down a hole to get rid of your poop really doesn’t have any “flushing” mechanism. Since neither one of us had spent a significant amount of time with a Turk, we weren’t sure if there was anything else we were supposed to do, or if it was just draining slow (since I’m on the 5th floor), etc.<br /><br />So my landlord stopped by to check up on things and to bring back my refrigerator that had been broken. He asked if everything was ok, and I asked him if everything looked alright in the bathroom (without specifically mentioning the toilet). He walked into the bathroom to take a look and made sure the water heater was plugged in and the water was turned on, etc. Before I could specifically ask about the toilet, he was already headed towards the door to leave and I couldn’t think fast enough in Albanian to figure out what to ask him for the toilet.<br /><br />Luckily, he returned after an hour to check to make sure the refrigerator was cooling correctly. This time I made sure to specifically mention that the toilet was really REALLY slow and the water was getting really close to the rim of the hole. I’m not sure if Turks can overflow, but I certainly didn’t want that happening! He took a peek down the hole and started groaning Albanian style (which basically sounds like “oh ba ba” repeatedly, followed by fake spitting sounds), and saying “shume gabim”…meaning “really big mistake!” Apparently, we were not supposed to be putting any toilet paper down the toilet. No one mentioned this to me when I moved in at the beginning and since I had used Turks with a bucket flush before and had no problems putting toilet paper down, I didn’t think anything of it. My landlord went into my extra bedroom where there is a bunch of stuff from the previous renter and found a metal rod that he used as a poop stick. If you don’t know what a poop stick is, you have never lived with my college roommates. It’s a stick used to give your poop a boost to help ease it on down the toilet in case of a big poop and lack of good plumbing combo. However, since I think the hole of my toilet is basically a straight shot down and there’s really no way to get a poop stick that long (there’s no such thing as go-go-gadget poop stick), he started pulling toilet paper out of my toilet with the stick and putting it in a plastic bag.<br /><br />Now to picture this fully, my landlord is a 65-year-old white-haired Albanian man who is retired and wears the typical Albanian sports jacket with a newsy cap who is squatting over my Turk with a metal rod pulling poopy toilet paper out. I forgot to mention that that morning I had taken a ginormous poop due to 2 nights of Mexican food. I asked him if he wanted me to do it instead, and he said no. So I retreated to the living room with Kristen because there’s nothing more awkward than watching your landlord pull your poop out of your own toilet. We couldn’t help ourselves from giggling uncontrollably (silently, of course) as we heard various noises and splashes coming from the bathroom accompanied by the groans of my landlord and the aroma of poop slowly wafting into the living room.<br /><br />To make things better, during training in Elbasan our training manager had always given us these brief little check-ups at the end of long days when we were all ready to leave our training site and return to our villages. They were always at inopportune moments and we all hated doing them, but every time she would hand them out she would say “it’s time for the dipstick!” So as my landlord is bringing new meaning to the poop stick, Kristen says “it’s time for the dipstick!” …this phrase now has a new fabulous meaning!<br /><br />To make things EVEN better, apparently that night after my landlord left (he didn’t fix the situation, but made it worse and there was poopy toilet water sitting in my Turk and we couldn’t use the bathroom at all that night), he called my Albanian counterpart at the bashkia. He told him that there was a big problem, but he couldn’t tell him over the phone and they would have to meet for coffee the next morning. So when I got into the bashkia the next morning, George said that he had heard about my problem from the landlord. He said he thought of me as his little sister and wanted to help me get things figured out and not piss off my landlord. But apparently my landlord had told him that he was pulling things out of the toilet that shouldn’t have been down there (…not sure why poop AND toilet paper don’t belong in a toilet). So nothing like knowing that my landlord and my boss were talking about my poop over coffee. And apparently George told the other girls that work in my office about the situation.<br /><br />So…everyone at the town hall knows about my big poops and my dummy American sense of putting toilet paper down a toilet. I told George that things like this happen to me all the time. However, he thought I meant that I clog up toilets all the time and he looked shocked that this is what he was going to have to deal with for the next 2 years while I’m here. I clarified though, telling him that what I meant was ridiculous things like this happen to me all the time…as all of you can attest. …and not just to me, but I think to all members of my family.<br /><br />The toilet got fixed the next day (by a plumber who literally brought this small bag that looked like a purse with one rusty instrument in it that didn’t look very big or powerful and took him 5 minutes). My landlord bought me a trash can to put my toilet paper in…and literally went into my bathroom, sat the trash can next to the Turk, and motioned via charades that after I poop, to throw the toilet paper in the trash can…3 times he repeated it.<br /><br />For those of you that know my affinity for poop stories, you can only imagine that this cross-cultural poop experience made my day! …only because I wasn’t the one scooping it out of the toilet with a dipstick did I enjoy laughing about it…and will continue to laugh about it for the next 2 years!</div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-48770424710346480472009-06-23T03:31:00.000-07:002009-06-23T03:41:10.242-07:00Conference in Tirana/Site Visit in Burrell<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div>The week after our community project we all headed to Tirana (capital of Albania) to have our counterpart conference. Our counterparts are Albanians who are assigned to work with us at our host organization. Having not really spent too much time in Tirana since I’ve been in Albania, I was a little disappointed that our conference ended up being at a hotel that was outside the city center. The conference was centered around us getting to know our counterparts and talk about what Peace Corps is and how we fit into our prospective communities. My “official” counterpart couldn’t actually come, so another girl from the tax department at the munic<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIxWStLTUpNoSqT5jk7Ci72gz9eizKHd5nHZHceegAbXtq6BHp_5PoUd0-T-IAHQIgp4Qd6VAfZ6lBHPG0sbdxaxI1scWvq68tPEPgRvY5f8S-TeJ-67FdsEB1z_1my3cKo1Y26jV8mg/s1600-h/IMG_0859.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350470965880333362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIxWStLTUpNoSqT5jk7Ci72gz9eizKHd5nHZHceegAbXtq6BHp_5PoUd0-T-IAHQIgp4Qd6VAfZ6lBHPG0sbdxaxI1scWvq68tPEPgRvY5f8S-TeJ-67FdsEB1z_1my3cKo1Y26jV8mg/s320/IMG_0859.JPG" border="0" /></a>ipality came. The couple of days were filled with meetings, swimming in the pool, and Albanian dancing…nothing too eventful or exciting except getting to hang out with all of the other volunteers.<br />After the conference we all headed to our future sites. My site is in the middle of nowhere…it’s literally in a region that even Hoxha (former Communist dictator) must have deemed to be insignificant based on the lack of bunkers in the region (the whole of Albania is studded with concrete bunkers that Hoxha built during Communism in case of an attack/bombing from Western nations…there’s some ridiculous statistic that I think says that for every bunker built, a family of 4 could have been housed). The surrounding area is certainly beautiful and filled with lakes/rivers/gorges and mountains. But it’s a long, winding and BUMPY road that leads to Burrell and not for the weak-stomached. It’s not uncommon on the trip here to see some car pulled over to the side of the road with someone squatting on the side of the road vomiting. And since the current Prime Minister Berisha is completing a road from the city of Durres to the city of Kukes across the northern part of the country into Kosovo, it is unlikely that the roads around us will be fixed since this new road bypasses us by a slight margin. But still…YOU SHOULD COME VISIT ME NO MATTER WHAT THE ROAD CONDITIONS!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54zQ4cCqxlQ8ILGB_4Z8lZ-PE0ZGoyvMhsXxjEGTVZVGb4k227AsYhQjQ2zirIU2lg3a7b6p7E3Z-cUqM4kgmwTwe6wM794YH8sYHNnQ_CL1mEXIElHs9Nu3Y0d4TXR6_3lhi6XpQHJI/s1600-h/IMG_0850.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350470972430046770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54zQ4cCqxlQ8ILGB_4Z8lZ-PE0ZGoyvMhsXxjEGTVZVGb4k227AsYhQjQ2zirIU2lg3a7b6p7E3Z-cUqM4kgmwTwe6wM794YH8sYHNnQ_CL1mEXIElHs9Nu3Y0d4TXR6_3lhi6XpQHJI/s320/IMG_0850.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />My site mate is another volunteer Kristen who is from New Mexico and is teaching English at the high school. We arrived in Burrell and after hearing pretty negative things about the city from both volunteers and Albanians, we were pleasantly surprised by the warm greeting and reception that we received from the people here. And side note—just another example that I am taking everything here with a grain of salt. Albanians sometimes haven’t even traveled that much around the country to give an informed opinion on how a city is…and most people don’t consider a city worth visiting unless it’s on the coast with the Adriatic. Burrell is the major city in one of the poorest regions of the country and we are pretty isolated because of poor road conditions. It’s about 2 hours away from another volunteer and about 3 hours from Tirana. Considering that Albania is about the size of Maryland, it still amazes me that traveling in this country can take up to 10 hours to get from top to bottom.<br /><br />I ended up staying with one of my colleagues that works at the Bashkia for the few days I was in Burrell. Surprisingly, there are quite a few single women in their late-20s here (a rarity in wedding-crazed Albania). We had some interesting discussions and she certainly wasn’t shy about asking many questions about Americans. We talked a lot about cultural differences, which was great—part of the reason why I’m here. I also met my official counterpart who is head of the Development and Communications department at the Bashkia. He’s an interesting guy who has lived in Germany for a few years, England for about 4 years, met his wife who is Brazilian while living in London, lived in Spain for 2 years, and then came back to Albania to take care of his parents (always the job of the youngest son once the parents get older). His birthday also happens to be the day before mine! He’s a little counter-cultural (clearly, marrying a Brazilian!), or at least can view his culture from a different perspective and loves to joke! I also love his wife!! She works at a center for disadvantaged and Roma children that provides free lunches and teaches a few classes and I already know we’re going to be great friends!<br /><br />Probably my favorite story from the few days was during one of the many coffees that I had meeting new people in the workplace and around town. I was being introduced to the director of the tax department at the municipality and when he said his name I repeated it back to him to make<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-SxhD7bd9DbPXJz75x1ulGw7wODpopg5h3M-bAMk8zZuvLCYvIQZlx8iYGcdZjIQkZg4B0ctzvUcW1GdOqADn0YxyRvXshPfI_h4gzMwwRbRtNKzYJ-y7_8TSI0pObw1gMuQFBFV6mc/s1600-h/IMG_0871.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350470982924896690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-SxhD7bd9DbPXJz75x1ulGw7wODpopg5h3M-bAMk8zZuvLCYvIQZlx8iYGcdZjIQkZg4B0ctzvUcW1GdOqADn0YxyRvXshPfI_h4gzMwwRbRtNKzYJ-y7_8TSI0pObw1gMuQFBFV6mc/s320/IMG_0871.JPG" border="0" /></a> sure that I had heard it correctly. My other co-workers laughed a little bit, but I just assumed that was because I was butchering the language and mispronounced it so badly that it sounded awful. Later that evening when I was staying with Ilda, my co-worker, she mentioned the situation and asked if I remembered it happening. She said “Rachel…earlier today when you said the name of the man….you called him what happens when a man and a woman have a baby and they’re not married.” You can imagine my shock when I discovered that somehow without even knowing the word beforehand in Albanian, I managed to call my colleague a bastard!! I REALLY had not even heard this word in Shqip, let alone used it!!! So who knew…in trying to repeat a name I managed to say “copille” which is bastard in Albanian! The even funnier part of the story is that apparently the man I called a bastard is the guy known at the bashkia who tells dirty jokes and uses all of the cuss words…so everyone else was laughing that I had called him a name he uses frequently. I guess karma’s a bitch! …he probably never expected to be called a bastard by some American girl he’d just met! …leave it to me!</div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-42200262710488404792009-06-11T06:00:00.000-07:002009-06-11T06:13:14.667-07:00Community Project Day<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPLx_wA-FmF3DOCj2kUPU2SD1r3xXwTdO3w3BYxvDTGEgwtzMM9YmXQfN0fS6P-xCUxR1EQoRuLbWSN92vcsw84_u16oWOw6tlBjtU7oSajhGW4FU5ol1jCKO9tQZLB4stt4RogB6T1c/s1600-h/IMG_0819.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346056821934966514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPLx_wA-FmF3DOCj2kUPU2SD1r3xXwTdO3w3BYxvDTGEgwtzMM9YmXQfN0fS6P-xCUxR1EQoRuLbWSN92vcsw84_u16oWOw6tlBjtU7oSajhGW4FU5ol1jCKO9tQZLB4stt4RogB6T1c/s320/IMG_0819.JPG" /></a>So I know I haven’t written in a while, but I will try to update you by the order of events that have happened. A few weeks ago the other volunteers at my site and I did the third part of our community project in our village. We had been playing games with the kids in our village every Sunday at the church as a way of meeting kids and forming relationships. …we spent much time trying to explain Ultimate Frisbee and found out that apparently Albanians LOVE freeze tag! (just for future reference in case any of you ever end up working in youth development in Albania in your near future)<br /><br />The second part of our project was to teach typing classes at the local high school. We went in 3 days a week and took the kids through a typing course that actually got them in the computer lab and typing on an actual computer (instead of the “keyboarding” class they’d been using out of a textbook). We had been forewarned that it’d be impossible to hold the attention of Albanian students in a classroom, but I think they were so fascinated with actually using a computer that we didn’t have any problems. Our biggest problem was trying to translate random words like “home row” and “space bar” and “index finger” into Albanian. Luckily the teachers at the school were super helpful and helped us the first few classes with the Shqip translations. We were also able to teach the teachers how to use the program since it was in English.<br /><br />After hearing various good and bad things about working at/with schools in this country, I have to say that our overall experience was great! The director was super supportive and willing to help in any way he could, the teachers were great and would take turns stopping in to make sure that we weren’t having any translation problems, and the students were super focused and really excited to have class with the Americans.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEnHYxCBORhZJxdR_g0UyDY4uJVAvAC1x9tkBvbsGNXYToVwOuRklY-F1HlcyQpgbLRSO9fI0BtPGQSl4WhyphenhyphenC6dLqfzLoVf6Y2xi6T7EBiaFIQ8wzqSWtddYdx-F8tiKbzTwwNhT2BmU/s1600-h/IMG_0805.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346056811777994514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEnHYxCBORhZJxdR_g0UyDY4uJVAvAC1x9tkBvbsGNXYToVwOuRklY-F1HlcyQpgbLRSO9fI0BtPGQSl4WhyphenhyphenC6dLqfzLoVf6Y2xi6T7EBiaFIQ8wzqSWtddYdx-F8tiKbzTwwNhT2BmU/s320/IMG_0805.JPG" /></a><br />A side note on Albanian schools—students in this country are required to attend the 8-year school [the government actually just changed this law to require that students attend school until the 9th year]. After this students may or may not attend the gymnasium (equivalent of high school in the US). Many of the boys in the country leave after the 8-year school to work in either Greece or Italy (usually in the construction or restaurant industry). And occasionally, girls don’t attend the gymnaz because they stay at home and do housework (though this is VERY rare…though one of the other volunteer’s had a host sister that wasn’t allowed to attend high school). Sometimes the directors of different schools in a village might be of a different political party from each other or the mayor. This causes tension if a school wants to do something and has to get approval from the mayor…or if you’re a naïve volunteer and don’t follow the hierarchy in who to ask to get a project started/completed.<br /><br />Anyways…long side note…but we luckily didn’t run into any of these problems and our interactions with the schools in our village were great!<br /><br />So after meeting kids through play days on Sundays, teaching at the high school, and attending school at the 8-year school for our language classes, we knew a TON of kids in our village. So our final community event that we decided to do was a digital photo scavenger hunt around our village that ended in a viewing of the pictures from the day and a dance party! …my former InterVarsity kids out there, I<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNiSNfJCGFpUM_2NPHyL-VMLAwXNOuBEh9EkTBgZoF7GEx_rKHDcu6GBEdzvkY2VnnfRIIhcTEw1gWbXHcfa3HMokMk43_BM2rWtcldqrwmklPXTh2GUvLuQkA4weo-rjnEWO229JMqk/s1600-h/IMG_0806.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346056816539654914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNiSNfJCGFpUM_2NPHyL-VMLAwXNOuBEh9EkTBgZoF7GEx_rKHDcu6GBEdzvkY2VnnfRIIhcTEw1gWbXHcfa3HMokMk43_BM2rWtcldqrwmklPXTh2GUvLuQkA4weo-rjnEWO229JMqk/s320/IMG_0806.JPG" /></a> am sure you will be happy to know that the digital photo scavenger hunt we always did with Freshman around William and Mary campus was a success across cultures!! Perhaps I haven’t mentioned it, but people here LOVE photos! They love taking and looking at pictures and one of the first things I did the first day I was here with my host sister was to look at all of her pictures of her and her friends and she of course wanted to see all of mine.<br /><br />We probably had about 70 kids under the age of 12 show up to participate and about 70 more that were teenagers. However, the teenagers weren’t too interested in participating in a scavenger hunt, so they started the dance party while the rest of us ran around the village taking ridiculous pictures. Some of the highlights included taking pictures while milking a cow, of your team doing wheelbarrow races, jumping in potato sacks, dressed in traditional attire, of the entire team on a concrete bunker, doing a pyramid, doing cartwheels in front of the school, of the entire team in a donkey cart, and of course, someone on the team riding a motorcycle with an umbrella. I ended up on a team with about 10 10-year old boys who wanted to run everywhere. It was kind of ridiculous and all of the older pe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV25LcZxRKGFpiKVG1vG2DuxO5oZlxZ07HuGU-8Yv00vYgA8V-ezh4pJFDnm_Z_CaKklKr-9PKzjriZpoizIjBB7sx07uDQCDKYqVIjPDO1ecYYt_Pjfu867KtJPEQYOBG3jupqPVNCfk/s1600-h/IMG_0796.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346055125919583058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV25LcZxRKGFpiKVG1vG2DuxO5oZlxZ07HuGU-8Yv00vYgA8V-ezh4pJFDnm_Z_CaKklKr-9PKzjriZpoizIjBB7sx07uDQCDKYqVIjPDO1ecYYt_Pjfu867KtJPEQYOBG3jupqPVNCfk/s320/IMG_0796.JPG" /></a>ople and parents in the village were wondering what was going on with a bunch of kids running everywhere.<br /><br />It ended up being a FABulous day and after that weekend I literally couldn’t walk down the streets of Gostime without recognizing every kid that passed me. Good times had by all!</div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-34296827704514409342009-05-05T08:28:00.000-07:002009-05-05T08:29:08.647-07:00Language WoesSo I thought I would just briefly write a bit in Shqip just so some of you can get an idea of what the language looks like (kind of hard to explain the phonetics, but you can have fun anyways!).<br /><br />Familja ime eshte e madhe. Ne shtepi banojne babai, mamaja, une dhe motra. Shtepia eshte e bukur, por e vogel. Ajo ka tre dhoma. Dhoma ime eshte shume komode. Babai im eshte pensionist. Ai eshte i gjate dhe i shendoshe. Mamaja quhet Ana. Ajo eshte infermiere. Mamaja ime eshte zemermire, punetore dhe shume e sjellshme. Vellai eshte femija i madh. Ai eshte mjek shume i mire dhe djale inteligjent. Ai eshte i martuar. Motra ime Elda eshte femija i mesem. Ajo eshte simpatike dhe beqare. Ne shtepi une jam vajza e vogel dhe me e mire.<br /><br />...this is about the family and the conditions of the house. I’m sure you can pick out some kind of familiar words in there!<br /><br />There are also some words that are VERY similar…and if you don’t have the phonetics of the language down…it can get pretty tricky! Examples… (and to kind of understand these, you must know that a “j” makes a “y” sound in Albanian)…<br /><br />Pule = chicken Pulle = stamp<br />Byrek = spinach w/phylo dough Breke = underwear (really awkward to order at a restaurant)<br />Vajza = little girl Veze = eggs (always awkward to order 12 little girls at the market)<br />Vellai = brother Vjell = vomit (don’t really need to explain that one)Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-40604834340424432812009-05-05T08:08:00.000-07:002009-05-05T08:41:58.280-07:00Albanian Weddings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tF8KXOwGccRwzVbEdFhGohONg_OA4dxNpa54pCXpOCbkVfGN2Uu6pMt39smTgTI4ulzyKKkSLyf_2QUCDmuOZci9Aquqxg_Oy_PNKKStF0wcTrgzf-kPG4vccxisps0ECxhVab5MwZc/s1600-h/IMG_0727.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332364996412620914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tF8KXOwGccRwzVbEdFhGohONg_OA4dxNpa54pCXpOCbkVfGN2Uu6pMt39smTgTI4ulzyKKkSLyf_2QUCDmuOZci9Aquqxg_Oy_PNKKStF0wcTrgzf-kPG4vccxisps0ECxhVab5MwZc/s320/IMG_0727.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div>So I did finally get to experience my first Albanian wedding this past weekend. I’ve had to sit through my host sister’s wedding video (the one who is married and lives in Italy) about 3 times now since I’ve been here (…which is NO easy task because the video is 4 hours long!!). Not sure if I’ve said this yet…but Albanian weddings are a HUGE deal! Sometimes in the villages girls can get married by 16 or 17…though typically it’s in the early 20s. But if you’re not married by your mid-20s, it’s pretty much a crime.<br /><br />So the tradition is for the couple to have 2 parties…1 for the bride’s side, and 1 for the groom’s. Of course, this means the bride gets 2 different dresses! I attended the bride’s party, which is the first one. Eliza and I started out by going to the house of the bride where everyone goes initially to speak with the elders of the family…grandma, grandpa, and other assortments of old people. We were served coffee (men get raki) and desserts, took our picture with the bride, and then danced a mini circle dance (with traditional accompaniment of clarinet/accordion/drums) paying our respects to the bride.<br /><br />We then proceeded to the lokal/restaurant where the party was being held. Everyone arrived before the bridal party and we had already started toasting and eating before they got there (much bad beer and rake to go around). There were probably about 100 present. The bride arrived with much dancing of relatives to usher her in and was seated. The person that I initially thought was her groom was actually her oldest brother…the groom didn’t arrive until about 2 hours into the whole thing. Each group of relatives would get up and do a circle dance in honor of the bride (I guess based on their association to the bride, but I’m not really sure). If you were the person leading the dance circle (or if you were elsewhere in it and just that amazing of a dancer!), people would come into the middle and shove money into your hand. At the end of the dance everyone with money would throw it into the c<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPi_MGfdkAecTJa9L5zsOBAv1OXlwxcKrVnostu0nzduJ0vLp0jLFG28JLPeNLF-AO7GfgPxQNXZSGwFd4xLdDcyC6NEBW-PVidDQfkFB_tCmaaoI3W1QHNdx1lX8QRfGJE3kg0ggefo/s1600-h/IMG_0719.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332364988713226210" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPi_MGfdkAecTJa9L5zsOBAv1OXlwxcKrVnostu0nzduJ0vLp0jLFG28JLPeNLF-AO7GfgPxQNXZSGwFd4xLdDcyC6NEBW-PVidDQfkFB_tCmaaoI3W1QHNdx1lX8QRfGJE3kg0ggefo/s320/IMG_0719.JPG" border="0" /></a>enter to give it back to the bride to give her a prosperous start to her marriage. I have to say that I did make quite a bit of money. …and while I’m not entirely sure it was so much based on my dancing skills as it was me being the All-American girl…people did ask how many years I’d been in the country because I dance like an Albanian (and were shocked to learn only a month and a half). I also thought about making away with some of the money handed to me (to cushion my volunteer pay a little bit)…but don’t worry, I didn’t!<br /><br />I had quite my attachment of young Albanian boys to keep me company throughout the event. The bride’s younger brother was quite hurt when I told him that I didn’t really want a younger man. He was super fun to dance with…and not shockingly, he is somehow a cousin of ours. After 2 hours of dancing, the groom and his attaché of relatives (about 10 in total) showed up. The bride and groom danced together, cut the cake, and then toasted each other with champagne. Unfortunately, they were the only ones to get champagne and drank 1 sip and then smashed the full glasses on the floor. A waste of perfectly good champagne if you ask me! More dancing and money throwing ensued and then the groom and his posse left. The groom’s party was the next evening where the couple would be “officially” married.<br /><br />The one thing that I have to say about most Albanian brides is that they look very unhappy at their weddings. I’m not sure if this is a result of the short length of time they might have known their fiancées (…sometimes girls can be married off within 3 weeks of meeting/dating their husbands…though certainly not always the case)…or if it’s just a cultural thing that they’re expected to look stoic. I did ask my host sister and she said that they are supposed to look sad because they are leaving their family. However…the bride didn’t smile once (seriously!). And in the wedding videos of my host sister she didn’t smile at all either. Call me crazy…but if it’s your freakin wedding day, you should be slightly excited! Albanians typically look a bit more serious in photos anyways…but even outside of the photos the bride didn’t smile. I don’t get it. I asked one of my language teachers (who is getting married in Sept) if she was going to smile at her wedding, and she said absolutely! So that’s encouraging at least!<br />…whew! So long-winded explanation of wedding extravaganzas! Hopefully I’ll get to go to another soon so I can compare! Hope you enjoyed! </div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-14241028589154562412009-04-26T08:13:00.000-07:002009-04-26T08:36:42.355-07:00A Few Odds and EndsSo I've been asked by a few people what dancing is like in Albania. I have some pictures that I still haven't uploaded and some videos of dancing at our culture day. When I get a chance, I will upload some of them so that you can see (and see some of the traditional attire that my host sister wore and a couple of the other people in my group got to wear). I HOPEFULLY will get to go to an Albanian wedding this weekend with Eliza! We haven't "officially" gotten invited yet, but I'm hoping I'll add some weight into the invitation if she can bring the crazy American. We are both super excited to get dressed up and dance A LOT...me especially....and she was joking that we had to be dressed in the best! And she asked me if I was going to wear the 1 pair of heels that I brought that I haven't touched yet, and I said no. I was going to wear my tennis shoes. And she looked shocked! But clearly...everyone knows how much i LOVE getting dressed up...and I've been waiting for the opportunity to do it here!<br /><br />Otherwise, my host dad headed back to Greece today. It was super fun while he was here! I learned a few Albanian card games that he would play with me and Eliza. And they were all super impressed that I could shuffle and bridge the cards (thanks mom for teaching me that trick when i was 8!). They just kept saying "casino." I taught them Egyptian rat screw...which is always fun since it involves potentially hurting someone by slapping ridiculously hard.<br /><br />It's been really cool feeling like I am definitely integrating into my village. We've been teaching typing classes at the high school for the past 2 weeks and the past 3 sundays we've played frisbee/tag/other fun activities with the kids at the church grounds [though my favorite so far was playing freeze tag today...and explaining that you had to crawl between people's legs to unfreeze them]. So I've been meeting a ton of kids and everywhere I go I feel like I know more and more people. It's super exciting, though kind of sad to know that I'll be leaving here in 1 month and have to do the same thing in my new town. I've also been going to the Catholic church here because it's a great way to re-establish relationships that I've already formed. And practice my Shqip with kids and help them with their English a bit. And the nun who is from Brazil game me some free honey! Always a plus!<br /><br />As for communal living and all my friends out there in community houses...living here certainly brings a new meaning to the concept. In my family everyone shares the same water glass over dinner (I have taken to just using my water bottle). And typically when we eat we all share the same salad and yogurt bowl. However, the weirdest thing we share is the bathroom towel. Nothing like 5 people using the same towel! ...so you might want to think about incorporating these things into your intentional living! ;)<br /><br />lastly...fun fact of the day....the closest word to my name in shqip is recel (which means jam/marmalade). i think it's kind of fun! and easier to get people to say this than how my name actually sounds.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-52325660193995168092009-04-18T07:31:00.001-07:002009-04-18T07:49:21.549-07:00Site Placement!!!So I found out yesterday where I'll be going for my site placement for the next 2 years. I won't be headed there until the end of may...I'm not even half way through our training right now (which is crazy...because it feels like it's been forever...in a good way though!). But I will be headed to Burrel...it is in the north central part of the country..and from what I can tell, it doesn't look like there are too many attractions there. It's in one of the poorest areas of the country. And I think the latest big claim to fame there is that there were some Kosovars who kidnapped some Serbians and killed them to harvest their organs on the black market. So...good to know!<br /><br />However, my supervisor in the Peace Corps says that my Albanian counterpart is awesome. He apparently has lived in England for 9 years and his wife is foreign ( I'm not exactly sure what ethnicity though). I think he's pretty progressive for an Albanian man so we'll see! ...my site mate is also pretty awesome so I'm excited about that. There aren't any current volunteers where we're headed so we'll have kind of a clean slate to start out with (which also means a lot more work making contacts).<br /><br />In other events...today we had a culture day in our village for our host families. Our families made some traditional food and we made some American food (ok...we did make FRENCH toast...but we also made baked apples because we couldn't find brown sugar to do a crisp...or other various things that we could have used to cook with to make cookies or something). Like most Albanian gatherings, it ended in dancing. It's kind of awesome here that people LOVE to dance so much. As I was told today (and by an Albanian boy)...part of the reason guys love to dance is because it's one of the only ways for the girls to get out of their houses (and housework!) here. So ALL the guys can dance because it's one of their few opportunities for spending time with girls outside of school. I do have to say...that Americans could learn from this! :) Every girl loves a man who can dance! My sister Eliza dressed up in a traditional costume and Brett and Alex from my group dressed in traditional outfits that their host parents brought along. I will have to post pictures SOON! We did some typical Albanian circle dancing and then busted out the rock/pop...which is pretty much ALL from American...seriously...Britney Spears, Akon, and Rihanna...felt like I was in an American dance club. Except that it was at 2 o'clock in the afternoon...and not in the morning!<br /><br />This past week we also started assisting with typing classes at the high school as part of our community project. It was pretty awesome! Albanian classrooms tend to be a little less disciplined than American ones so we were kind of worried. But kids were so ridiculously focused it was great! It was probably because they have never learned typing on an actual computer keyboard...only from a textbook. So we downloaded this interactive typing program that allows them to start using the computers in their lab at school to learn typing. If you know how to type here it's pretty much an instantaneous job. People over 30 here have NO idea how to use computers, and even current college students have no idea how to type. So it's definitely a much-needed skill we can easily transfer here. We're going to try and go in for 3 days a week, at least 1-2 hours a day during training so we can provide some consistency. I think our first day we definitely had some kids sneak in who weren't even actually in the class. And like most Albanians who have no qualms with staring, people kept stopping by the classroom to stand outside the door and stare in at us. Makes me laugh every time!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-73739647910754571082009-04-14T08:28:00.000-07:002009-04-14T08:29:56.052-07:00Easter and Other ThingsSo this past Sunday Alex and I from my group went to Easter mass at the Catholic church in our town. It was definitely a funny experience—one, because I’m not Catholic and two, because I could understand about .10% of what was being said in Albanian. There was surprisingly a lot of singing in the more “contemporary” sense…with 2 guitars and 3 people singing. I was also surprised at how many people ended up being present at the service since there isn’t really a large Catholic population in the country (and I wasn’t sure how many in our village). At first we showed up an hour early because we were told the wrong time (not sure of that was our language mistake, or someone else’s). Then during the service they kept calling out page numbers for the songs to sing and we had to be told by the 7 year old beside us what to sing. And then at one point during reciting one of the responses in Shqip, I just couldn’t control myself from laughing because Alex and I were reading so slow that we got in about every other word. At some point I’ll have to post something in Albanian so you all can see how crazy it looks (and maybe try to imagine how it sounds).<br /><br />We made it through the service intact and were invited to stay for refreshments after…which included pretty fabulous cake. Naturally, we became the center of attention for about 20 school children that targeted us for their minimal use of English. They kept fighting for spaces to sit beside us and tell us their names and then dragged us into the church garden to show us around. Additionally, like most Albanian gatherings, the evening ended in dancing, a la traditional Albanian circle style. It was slightly sad to realize that about 90% of the people there were all women and children…a few boys in sight, but not very many fathers. I think we’re going to try and go every week so I’ll see how different it will be on a normal Sunday. Though I might also try to check out Orthodox Easter this Sunday somewhere in Elbasan just to see the difference….and there are some really cool churches in the area.<br /><br />In other notes about everyday life here…I do have to mention the public transportation here. Sometimes when we go into Elbasan we can catch a bus from our village that takes a while but at least helps me feel pretty safe and secure. However, most of the time we catch a furgon which never runs on a set schedule, is similar to a van circa 1973, and whenever you are hopping into it, it’s kind of like being shoved into the back of a van to be kidnapped by sketchy mustachioed men. Furgon drivers also enjoy playing an endless game of chicken with everyone else on the road—between swerving to miss potholes, pedestrians, bikers, motorcyclists, and other crazy furgon drivers (without falling into the 5 foot ditches on both sides of the road)…I think my prayer life has increased just by nature of praying for my life every time I go into the city. Oh…and of course, no seatbelts are ever worn and it’s not a guarantee that the driver hasn’t been drinking a few rakis before starting work that day. I seriously came into about 3 inches of my life at least 4 times the other day going into the city. But no worries…I have seen surprisingly few accidents since being here (by odds of I’m not sure what).<br /><br />In a final note, my host dad finally returned from Greece on Easter Sunday. He’s a great guy (from what I can understand of what he says…but more so from what I can judge of his character)…which I was slightly nervous about due to certain gender roles in Albania. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this (and disclaimer: this is a HUGE generalization) but men here do tend to work slightly less than the women and then expect to be waited on all the time. Of course, it all kind of depends on what profession you are in (like my host dad who works ridiculously hard in Greece and then returns to Albania rarely to spend time with family). But most of the time you only see men out at cafes during the day typically for a few hours at a time (and men are the ONLY ones out after nightfall), and you’ll see women working in the yard or kitchen all day and old grandmothers hauling wood in sacks or bales of hay on their heads as men sip espressos and raki (local alcohol of choice) at the cafes. But seeing my host dad interact with my mom and sister Eliza makes me happy that he is a caring father and husband…and he and Eliza are hilarious together!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-26345839620380205832009-04-08T07:30:00.000-07:002009-04-08T07:45:53.234-07:00Weekend in Berat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaA9QObbPU-2cHV6QNbDursv_dj3BupIfqjrHV1yx_-VSWuBFWZUkOhXRThOsDEa2Amaqz9O-t1vBtTmUjpcYEBWoFaRbHB65wZ4KZCvHRtu4qpZwvFKChGTD3lX8Yxd-hLpvF03GQ2Vc/s1600-h/pic.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaA9QObbPU-2cHV6QNbDursv_dj3BupIfqjrHV1yx_-VSWuBFWZUkOhXRThOsDEa2Amaqz9O-t1vBtTmUjpcYEBWoFaRbHB65wZ4KZCvHRtu4qpZwvFKChGTD3lX8Yxd-hLpvF03GQ2Vc/s320/pic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322331226531024418" /></a><br />So this past weekend I was able to spend some time with another volunteer who is placed in Berat. It was a FABulous weekend for learning what to expect in the next 2 years, though I did feel entirely spoiled from eating vegetables, drinking large mugs of tea, being able to read the NY Times in my inbox, and sleeping in a double bed! It was about a 2.5 bus ride to get there from Elbasan, but Berat is beautiful! It is cleaner than Elbasan and slightly smaller in size. I spent the weekend hanging out with other volunteers placed there and the 2 that went down with me (in various other sectors of Health, Community Development, and TEFl). Sunday we got a chance to tour the castle and had our own special Albanian tour guide who was able to unlock some of the Byzantine churces that were up at the castle. It's kind of fun to explore a castle that isn't really restricted by the administration running it...because we were able to explore everything and climb on top of everything and it was fabulous! It's also crazy because apparently only .1% of the site has been excavated...so I'm sure there is a cultural/architectural treasure trove that's waiting to be opened!<br /><br />The girl that I stayed with is in Community Development and I got to go into work with her on Monday. She works at the Bashkia (the equivalent of our city hall/municipality) and helps with various projects. Her Albanian counterpart just got a promotion to Director of Tourism, so she will probably get more involved with that in the coming year...which is something that she initially wanted to work with anyways. She is also helping a Health volunteer develop a community garden outside of a home for mentally disabled children. Similar to other post-communist countries (and it was the same in the Czech Republic), people with mental and physical disabilies were marginalized under communism. And while conditions are better now, it still seems like they don't have the capacity or trained staff to support special education.<br /><br />It DEF was helpful to realize how much of my future job is going to be unstructured and that I will have to measure success in very different standards than I would if I was in America. However, I'm excited to know my placement so I'll have an idea of where I'll be for the next 2 years! ...I will find out next Friday where I'm placed!<br /><br />Otherwise, everything is great! Check out previous post for full pictures. Me and my site mates are working on our community project that we're hoping to implement in the next 2 months so I'll keep you posted on our progress. Love you all!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-37818471084531325622009-04-04T14:13:00.000-07:002009-04-06T04:34:58.550-07:00PICTURES!!!Here is a link to all of my pictures so far...<br /><br />just copy and past the link into your browser...i can't get the hyperlink to work for some reason.<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112480&id=7609095&l=79bc47df20<br /><br /><br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112903&id=7609095&l=c1d9019936Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-65610510703971330232009-03-31T08:45:00.000-07:002009-03-31T08:52:05.041-07:00Big Brother…Amazing Sister!So this week is starting my second full week of classes for PST. It definitely is very odd to be back on a rigid schedule…and one that pretty much requires me to be indoors by 8 pm. We typically have class from about 8 in the morn til 5 pm. However, I think I’ve regretted to mention how much people here LOVE coffee breaks. You can have at least 3-4 coffee breaks during the day so I stay pretty wired on Turkish coffee and espresso. It also means that typically there are tons of men at the bars at any point during the day because they’re taking a “coffee break” which might end up being 3 hours. We all go into Elbasan (the 3rd largest city in the country) twice a week for sector-oriented sessions and cultural training, etc. However, rarely during the day do we have any free time. And we have class Saturdays as well. So it’s going to be a crazy next 2 months that I’m sure will fly by.<br /><br />It’s still kind of surreal to think that I am here for over 2 years. Especially considering that I’ve only been here 2 weeks and it already feels like 2 years! …not that it’s been grueling, I’ve just already experienced SO much in 2 weeks! I haven’t really had culture shock yet…I’ve gotten used to the roosters and sheep pen outside my window. And the CRAZY drivers in this country! (they have absolutely NO respect for pedestrians…our bus driver almost ran over a woman and her baby the other day)..and the road is always shared by crazy motorcyclists, pedestrians, sheep, and donkey carts.<br /><br />As for other cultural nuances…the food isn’t horrible, but it’s not super fabulous. It’s a lot of bread, soup, eggs, and meat. A few vegetables occasionally and typically some salad. And always a lot of olive oil on everything! And cheese on everything too! (the region I’m in is known for its production of olive oil) We have a milk cow at my house (as do most people) that we get our milk from and my host mom makes cheese and yogurt. I haven’t milked it yet, but I’ll keep you posted as to when that happens. Everybody here has their own animals/gardens. They don’t necessarily grow things to sell at the market, but it’s more subsistence farming.<br /><br />The other crazy thing here is people’s obsession with the show Big Brother Albania. I never watched the show in the states, but everyone here watches it. there’s even a station that has the show 24 hours a day. And it’s mostly boring because it’s just people talking and getting dressed up to stay INSIDE! I find it slightly ironic that Big Brother would be so popular in a post-Communist country…I would imagine people might have had enough of spying on people’s lives since their own were always monitored by the Communist Party. But my host sister (who is a typical high schooler at 17) loves the show! So I watch it just to spend time with her. But while I don’t enjoy her same taste in television (she also loves Spanish telenovellas), she is amazing! She has SO much energy and is always singing and dancing and joking around. And all of her little cousins LOVE her! I taught her some yoga today which was pretty funny…and I’m hoping she has a school dance while I’m here because I’m totally invited! I can’t wait until I can understand more of what she’s actually saying in Albanian so I can get more of her original personality!<br /><br />Me and the other PCVs did take our hike. But it was a 6 hour hike in the cold and rain and we definitely slipped and tripped our way up/down the mountain. We ran into quite a few shepherds with their herds of goats and sheep carrying black umbrellas. And even though it was rainy and foggy, this country is still SO beautiful. It was nice to get out and exercise and do something active that was out of a classroom. We enjoyed a semi-picnic lunch since we couldn’t stop for long because of the wind and rain and ended up back in Gostime wet and ridiculously muddy. …just furthering the perception of crazy Americans (people don’t wear yoga clothes/running clothes/sweatpants/active wear around here…let alone MUDDY ones…so we got the stare down at the Kafe…shocker of the year! :D ).Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728218425373585.post-47572952896279269472009-03-28T08:36:00.000-07:002009-03-28T08:37:51.180-07:00Shume Mire!So as I’m slowly trying to learn Albanian as quickly as possible, I still carry my dictionary around with me everywhere that I go. And of course, like learning any language, I at least always try to use the words I know—mainly being “thank you” (faleminderit) and “good” (‘shume mire’). I am slowly getting better and picking up more words in conversation, but mostly I kind of feel like a parrot repeating the things that someone asks me. I did get to throw in the word “llafazani” the other night. My host sister had been joking that my gjyshe (grandmother) and her friend were chatterboxes…and when grandma’s friend spent the night the other night after dinner (think 2 crazy 80-year-old ladies!) they were discussing arranged marriages and the friend and my grandma started chattering away. So I threw in the word llafazani and they got a kick out of it! …and then the friend proceeded to talk in gibberish for a few moments just to joke me that that’s what Albanian sounds like to me (which it still does!).<br /><br />Tonight at dinner I was finally able to talk a bit more with my host mom though. I am better at kind of formulating sentences…but right now I have to remember that I’ve only been in the country for 1 week! So it seems like I don’t know a whole lot right now, but I guess I do need to give myself a little leniency in the time frame of knowing the language.<br /><br />On another note—I think it’s so hilarious being in a small village. We are definitely the talk of the town!! There are some things that I haven’t even told my host sister Liza about the other volunteers, but then I come home and she’s asking me questions about so-and-so and knows how many kids they have and where they’re from, etc. It’s kind of amusing. Oh…and EVERYONE is a kusheri (cousin). The first whole day that I was here, Liza and I went over to Seth’s house (another volunteer) who has 3 younger host brothers. And one of their friends was there who was Liza’s cousin…but she had never met him before. But me Seth, and Brett taught them all how to play ultimate Frisbee which was pretty awesome! I figure if my first day in my village is teaching people how to play ultimate, there can only be good things to come! However, I was kind of afraid that my host mom would hate me because I’m corrupting her daughter. Because earlier that morning when I was doing my make-up, Liza had come in to watch and then she asked me to do hers. So after doing her make-up, I took her to a game of ultimate with a bunch of boys! (we were the only girls) …and she DEF has a crush on one of the American guys, I just can’t figure out who (my Shqip isn’t good enough yet!).<br /><br />Our second day of school (the first day everyone here had out because of a holiday) was today and besides already sticking out because we look like Americans, we have our language classes at an elementary school. So literally, when I was walking in with Connie, everyone in the courtyard was staring us down. Albanians have NO shame about staring open-mouthed at you…and for long periods of time. I’m sure we were the talk of the school for the day. But I kind of like it! I’m thinking about making a choreographed dance routine for all of us as we enter together…that way everyone here will think ALL Americans do that. It’s kind of funny to think that I could do anything and people here would just automatically stereotype that all Americans do the same thing. So sorry if I have any weird habits that will give any of you a bad reputation here!<br />Otherwise, everything is great! The food has been good—I did realize I’m NOT supposed to brush my teeth with the water in the bathroom (oops!)…but I haven’t had the runs yet. I did use a Turkish toilet for the first time (and hope to God that I never have to poop in one!)…think glorified hole in the ground but inside…and usually with no toilet paper present…and with a cup beside it to wash it down. I’m sure there are many more ridiculous and embarrassing stories on the way, so stay tuned! Me and the other PCVs in my village are hopefully going to go on a hike this weekend in the mountains nearby! Hopefully the weather will permit.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100192897119552182noreply@blogger.com2