Hello everyone,
First of all I would like to wish everyone Halloween! Halloween isn't celebrated as much here in Albania as it is in the states. However, it cheers me up to see everyone posting pictures of their costumes and celebrating with family and friends.
A lot has happened since I last posted in my blog. I've moved into a new house and I'm now living alone at my site. My previous host family was fantastic and I'm truly grateful for their hospitality. I was very fortunate to be able to live with such kind people. My new house is small but it has everything I need. My new place has a wood stove, kitchen, bathroom, living room and a small bedroom with a twin sized bed. It's perfect for me because I'm only one man and it makes it easy to cook, clean and do any work that needs to get done around the house. My neighbors are fantastic. I'm fortunate to live next to one of the teachers at the school in Gjader and they she has welcomed me to the neighborhood like a family member.
School has been going well so far this year. It makes my day to see all the students in school ready to learn my native language. There are so many bright young boys and girls in my school and I hope to help them learn as much as I can. My new counterpart is great as well. We are starting to build chemistry in the classroom and I'm optimistic about working with her for the rest of the school year. I already miss last year's Matura students (Seniors) but I know they are all starting their own journeys in life and I wish them all my best.
The days have been going by quite quickly here in Albania. It's been about nine months for me in country and it feels like I've only been here for just seconds. My Albanian is slowly but surely improving and I have been studying the language everyday. It seems like the more I learn Shqip the more I realize that I have much to learn over the course of the next year and a half. Not to mention each region of the country has their own separate dialects and slang I have to adjust to. It's quite amazing how many dialects there are in Albania considering the size of the country is close to the size of Massachusetts in the United States.
Speaking of the United States, I miss my family a lot. If there is anything I've learned from my experiences here in country it's that family is the most important thing in the world. I'm sure right now my sister is getting ready to go trick or treating tonight and my brother is out with his friends in Spain celebrating Halloween. I'm ecstatic to see my whole family this coming Christmas. It's especially important for me to see both my Grandmas. After the passing of my Grandfather while I was in Belsh, my grandma Alba has been on my mind. I can't wait to give her a hug and share all my stories with her in the short time I will be in the states. My other grandma "Mom Mom" has been on my mind as well. I really hope to see her for Christmas! I love both of them with all my heart.
Right now, I'm thinking about all the things I'm going to eat when I'm back in the USA. First of all, I'm going to have myself an ice cold heady topper with a big old American cheeseburger with franks hot sauce drizzled on the patty. Then I plan on eating potato skins with sharp cheddar, bacon, sour cream and a little salt. Later on in the evening, I'm going to have a root beer float with extra Hood ice cream and hot chocolate pudding. The next day in the morning, meat lovers omelet is on the menu. I want all different kinds of meat, Vermont cheddar cheese, vegetables and a light drizzle of franks hot sauce and a side of all American ketchup. For lunch I want a potato salad, coleslaw, Caesar salad, and a 32oz ribeye. For dinner, I want surf and turf lobster and chicken with a side of corn on the cob. But most importantly of all, I need some microwave popcorn. I never realized how great American microwave popcorn was until I lived in Albania for nine months. If I end up living here in the future, I'm going to have to have that shipped in on a weekly basis (along with franks hot sauce).
I could write a whole essay on food that I want but I will spare you guys the trouble and time. To all my family and friends back in the USA, I hope you know that old Mully is doing just fine and well. I'm thinking about you all and I hope that everything in your lives brings you happiness and joy. To my Albanian friends and family, thank you for the overwhelming amount of kindness you've showed me. Especially to all of you that I know from school and Gjader. I can't emphasize enough how lucky I feel to have been placed in such a great village with some of the most genuine people I've met in my life.
Have a great Halloween! Naten e mire! Goodnight!
Jacob
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Summer Time Has Arrived
Reflecting on my experiences
I have successfully finished up the school year and completed four weeks of camp at my school and the local youth center/orphanage. So far I have really enjoyed my time here at site and Lezhe has been more than welcoming. The work I have been doing in my community has been very rewarding. For me the most important thing to see in my students is happiness and motivation to succeed. I'm seeing some progress to this regard and I hope to change as many lives as I can.
These past couple of days have been wonderful. My mom came to visit me in Albania to see me and the area I live in. We had a blast together and got to check out some cool places. Most importantly these places included Gjader, my village. It was great to have her here. She loved to see the place where I work and this beautiful country. Most importantly she loved the people in my community very much. Sometimes it gets a little lonely as the only foreigner in the area and her presence was most certainly a breath of fresh air. I miss my family back home. I guess its only natural to feel like that after not seeing them for half a year. That said, I'm excited to see them again in Italy this August as well as my friends who are coming to Greece very soon as well.
Today I got out of the house for a little bit and took a walk around the village. I must've walked a few miles because by the end of it all I was exhausted. Usually if I'm bored, stressed or just want to have fun here I go on long walks to relax and decompress. Gjader is very unique because it has two old and unused airstrips dating back from the communist era. Today I decided I was going to walk the full lengths of both the strips and around the general area. I started out on the small airstrip first because it is near my house. The small airstrip has many homes along it and has a lot more road traffic (the old airstrip is used as a road). Usually when I walk on this airstrip I go south to the local orphanage or school but today I walked north. On the way north I ran into many different people. Some were herding sheep, others cattle, and goats as well. One thing I took particular note of was house nice everyone was to me along my journey.
The first person I saw was a young boy and his grandmother. They were both sitting along side the airstrip and herding cattle by the looks of it. When the boy saw me he ran over to me and yelled "Jacob!" which nearly melted my heart. Its seems like most of the young kids at the school do this whenever I walk around the village. It truly is so rewarding how much the kids seem to like me. It reminds me why I'm here and my purpose in this country. I love my students here and all I want is for them to be happy and motivated. After talking to the boy and his grandma for a little we parted ways and I continued my long walk down the airstrip.
All the way at the very end of the airstrip I could see a man herding his cattle. After about ten minutes of walking I finally got close enough to talk to him. The first thing he did when I got close was give me two cherries and asked how I was doing. I said that I was fine and just talking a walk around Gjader (all of this is in Shqip by the way). He then proceeded to ask me about my family and how everyone was in America. I asked him about his cows and how much milk they produce for him on a regular basis. None of the conversations get too sophisticated. After all, my ability to form complex sentences and convey sophisticated concepts is limited to an "intermediate low" language comprehension. The man seemed especially interested in the energy drink I had in my back pocket as well as my phone. He kept asking me if I had some Albanian film on my phone and I had to keep explaining to him that I don't have any films on there at the moment. I was wondering if he was asking because he wanted to watch it with me at the time. Only god knows. After that he pointed out my energy drink "B52". He asked me if I liked it and explained that he loves it for the amount of energy it gives him. He asked me if I had B52 back in the states and I explained we didn't and we only had red bull. Again, this is all simple conversation at play here. After a couple more pleasantries and me struggling to understand the dialect of Shqip he was using, we parted ways and I moved on.
My favorite part of the whole hike was sitting by myself on the large airstrip. Along the road from the small airstrip to the big one I was looking around for a place where I could relax and be alone. Once I got to the big airstrip I sat on one of the many concrete blocks there and relaxed. Along the whole airstrip concrete blocks are placed every forty or so meters to prevent airplanes illegally using the airstrip. Anyways, I sat down on that block, cracked my B52 and looked at the countryside around me. I must've sat there for about an hour taking photos, playing music and just enjoying being alone. Today I needed to decompress and that little break from the world really did it for me. Peace Corps is a journey with ups and downs and when you're feeling like you need time for yourself you have to make time for yourself. That said this is the most wonderful adventure of my life. I feel like I have been learning a lot about myself throughout this whole process and what it means to be a good man in this world.
After my long pushim I walked the length of the larger airstrip. This airstrip is pretty much abandoned besides the occasional farmer herding their animals. Along the way I saw one old man herding his goats in the grass between the two sides of the airstrip. Now usually in America you would walk by and pretend that you don't see each other and mind your own business. But if there is one thing I've learned here In this country its that everyone makes time for each other. I waved from a distance and he called out to me. I walked over to him. He was a very old short man. The first thing I noticed when he was walking towards me is that his leg was severely damaged. I felt bad and walked a little faster so that he would have to walk any further than he needed to. He was a very nice man. We started out by talking about where I'm from and what I'm doing here. When I told him that I was a teacher and volunteer. He was very happy to hear that I was teaching here at the school in Gjader. I was surprised he hadn't heard of me before because it seems like everyone in the village knows me since I'm a the only foreigner living around the region. He asked me if I was married, which is a common question, and I explained that I was not and was only twenty three years old. To this he said that he hopes I find a good woman in the future. After some more small talk we parted ways and he wished me safe travels.
The last thing I did before heading home was build a small Cairn out of old concrete stones along the Airstrip. I don't know if it will still be there later on but my hope is that It will be. I built it to mark one of my many journeys throughout my village and region. By the end of my two years I hope to make many more Cairns in the different places I go. To me they symbolize my memories and experiences here in Albania.
Thank you for reading my blog today and I hope you are doing well wherever you are on Earth! Take note of the little things in life. The smallest light in the dark can help you find your way home.
I have successfully finished up the school year and completed four weeks of camp at my school and the local youth center/orphanage. So far I have really enjoyed my time here at site and Lezhe has been more than welcoming. The work I have been doing in my community has been very rewarding. For me the most important thing to see in my students is happiness and motivation to succeed. I'm seeing some progress to this regard and I hope to change as many lives as I can.
These past couple of days have been wonderful. My mom came to visit me in Albania to see me and the area I live in. We had a blast together and got to check out some cool places. Most importantly these places included Gjader, my village. It was great to have her here. She loved to see the place where I work and this beautiful country. Most importantly she loved the people in my community very much. Sometimes it gets a little lonely as the only foreigner in the area and her presence was most certainly a breath of fresh air. I miss my family back home. I guess its only natural to feel like that after not seeing them for half a year. That said, I'm excited to see them again in Italy this August as well as my friends who are coming to Greece very soon as well.
Today I got out of the house for a little bit and took a walk around the village. I must've walked a few miles because by the end of it all I was exhausted. Usually if I'm bored, stressed or just want to have fun here I go on long walks to relax and decompress. Gjader is very unique because it has two old and unused airstrips dating back from the communist era. Today I decided I was going to walk the full lengths of both the strips and around the general area. I started out on the small airstrip first because it is near my house. The small airstrip has many homes along it and has a lot more road traffic (the old airstrip is used as a road). Usually when I walk on this airstrip I go south to the local orphanage or school but today I walked north. On the way north I ran into many different people. Some were herding sheep, others cattle, and goats as well. One thing I took particular note of was house nice everyone was to me along my journey.
The first person I saw was a young boy and his grandmother. They were both sitting along side the airstrip and herding cattle by the looks of it. When the boy saw me he ran over to me and yelled "Jacob!" which nearly melted my heart. Its seems like most of the young kids at the school do this whenever I walk around the village. It truly is so rewarding how much the kids seem to like me. It reminds me why I'm here and my purpose in this country. I love my students here and all I want is for them to be happy and motivated. After talking to the boy and his grandma for a little we parted ways and I continued my long walk down the airstrip.
All the way at the very end of the airstrip I could see a man herding his cattle. After about ten minutes of walking I finally got close enough to talk to him. The first thing he did when I got close was give me two cherries and asked how I was doing. I said that I was fine and just talking a walk around Gjader (all of this is in Shqip by the way). He then proceeded to ask me about my family and how everyone was in America. I asked him about his cows and how much milk they produce for him on a regular basis. None of the conversations get too sophisticated. After all, my ability to form complex sentences and convey sophisticated concepts is limited to an "intermediate low" language comprehension. The man seemed especially interested in the energy drink I had in my back pocket as well as my phone. He kept asking me if I had some Albanian film on my phone and I had to keep explaining to him that I don't have any films on there at the moment. I was wondering if he was asking because he wanted to watch it with me at the time. Only god knows. After that he pointed out my energy drink "B52". He asked me if I liked it and explained that he loves it for the amount of energy it gives him. He asked me if I had B52 back in the states and I explained we didn't and we only had red bull. Again, this is all simple conversation at play here. After a couple more pleasantries and me struggling to understand the dialect of Shqip he was using, we parted ways and I moved on.
My favorite part of the whole hike was sitting by myself on the large airstrip. Along the road from the small airstrip to the big one I was looking around for a place where I could relax and be alone. Once I got to the big airstrip I sat on one of the many concrete blocks there and relaxed. Along the whole airstrip concrete blocks are placed every forty or so meters to prevent airplanes illegally using the airstrip. Anyways, I sat down on that block, cracked my B52 and looked at the countryside around me. I must've sat there for about an hour taking photos, playing music and just enjoying being alone. Today I needed to decompress and that little break from the world really did it for me. Peace Corps is a journey with ups and downs and when you're feeling like you need time for yourself you have to make time for yourself. That said this is the most wonderful adventure of my life. I feel like I have been learning a lot about myself throughout this whole process and what it means to be a good man in this world.
After my long pushim I walked the length of the larger airstrip. This airstrip is pretty much abandoned besides the occasional farmer herding their animals. Along the way I saw one old man herding his goats in the grass between the two sides of the airstrip. Now usually in America you would walk by and pretend that you don't see each other and mind your own business. But if there is one thing I've learned here In this country its that everyone makes time for each other. I waved from a distance and he called out to me. I walked over to him. He was a very old short man. The first thing I noticed when he was walking towards me is that his leg was severely damaged. I felt bad and walked a little faster so that he would have to walk any further than he needed to. He was a very nice man. We started out by talking about where I'm from and what I'm doing here. When I told him that I was a teacher and volunteer. He was very happy to hear that I was teaching here at the school in Gjader. I was surprised he hadn't heard of me before because it seems like everyone in the village knows me since I'm a the only foreigner living around the region. He asked me if I was married, which is a common question, and I explained that I was not and was only twenty three years old. To this he said that he hopes I find a good woman in the future. After some more small talk we parted ways and he wished me safe travels.
The last thing I did before heading home was build a small Cairn out of old concrete stones along the Airstrip. I don't know if it will still be there later on but my hope is that It will be. I built it to mark one of my many journeys throughout my village and region. By the end of my two years I hope to make many more Cairns in the different places I go. To me they symbolize my memories and experiences here in Albania.
Thank you for reading my blog today and I hope you are doing well wherever you are on Earth! Take note of the little things in life. The smallest light in the dark can help you find your way home.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Lezhe and My New Site
Hello!
A lot has been happening since I first arrived at my new village and site on April 5th. When I first came to my village I was very nervous. I was nervous because I don't know anyone in my village and I'm also the only fluent English speaker/ American in the area. However, all that seemed to fade away as soon as I met my counterpart and school director in the city of Lezhe. I first met my counterpart and school director on the weekend of swearing in as a peace corps volunteer. They both took the time to formally introduce themselves to me and exchange pleasantries over a coffee. My counterpart is an amazing woman. She is very intelligent and has more than a firm understanding of the English language. Not to mention she also knows several other languages. My director is a very intelligent and kind man as well. He has led the local school to become one of the most progressive and inspiring public schools I have seen in Albania. As a volunteer, this is very exciting for me because it makes my job easier in terms of introducing new activities and teaching my culture and language. However, it is equally as important to me to learn the Albanian language and culture.
After the coffee, we went directly to my new host family. I didn't feel as nervous as I was before. The drive was pleasant and we talked the whole way there about the history of the District of Lezhe. Lezhe is a beautiful, it has lush green fields of agriculture and towering steep mountains cradling the fields. In addition, its a very historic place. It has many ancient ruins and a castle on top of a local mountain. It is also home to the grave of the historical Albanian leader Skanderbeg. My village, just due north of Lezhe, used to be an old air base back during Albania's communist era. Across the fields there are two large runways where the plans use to land and take off. When these plans landed, they were escorted down a long road to the mountain next to my village and stored inside tunnels that went deep into the mountain. My family lives across from one of the two big runways. The family was waiting for me as I arrived with big smiles and warm hearts.
My new home is very large. It has a main house with two apartments (one on the top floor and one on the bottom) and a cottage that my host mom lives in next to the main house. My family here owns a lot of chickens, ducks, pigs, beehives, a garden, and other cool things around the house. As we entered my new home, we were immediately escorted upstairs to an unoccupied apartment above the main house. I can tell you that my apartment by American standards is amazing. It has couches, a big table, fully functional kitchen, fridge, bathroom (with a western style toilet, shower, bidet, sink, cabinets, and a washing machine), and a bedroom with a queen sized bed. I was absolutely shocked at how nice my new home was.
Upstairs we proceeded to get to know each other and I began the task of learning everyone's names. I wont share the names of everyone on this post but I can tell you my new host family is very large. I have a host mom and host dad. The host mom and dad have a daughter that also lives in our house. The daughter has two daughters who live with us as well and are my students at my local school. None of them really speak English at all so most of my communication with them is in Shqip. They seemed impressed with my grasp of their native language after three months of training in Belsh. That night we had a big dinner together and I can tell you I had a wonderful meal. My host mom is a cook at a local restaurant and It shows come dinner time.
My daily routine: (the example given applies to my first day)
In my village school starts at 8:00am in the morning. Everyday I wake up at 7:00am, brush my teeth, comb my hair, get dressed, pack my bag and head downstairs for coffee and breakfast. Oh wait, nope, I'm on my way back upstairs now because my host mom wont allow me to go to school with wrinkly clothing. She proceeds to iron my clothing. I get dressed again, eat food, drink a coffee and head to my family's car at 8:55am. The school is about a ten minute walk from my house but by car its about two minutes. When I first arrived at school I was most certainly a fly in the milk. It was pretty obvious that I was the new teacher on the block. Also the students were made aware that a new American is coming to town. I greeted everyone the way I normally do. I loudly said "goodmorning!", "hello!", and "miremengjes!". There's no point of acting shy when your in the situation I'm in as a foreigner in Albania. The students all responded well to my greetings and came up to say hello. I'd say most the kids here can only say a couple of phrases in English and "hello" but it doesn't matter because I can communicate with them in Shqip. After the greetings in the school yard, I head into the school and say hi to all the teachers. Some of them can speak English, but again, I usually communicate in Shqip. After that its show time.
I head straight into giving lessons with my counterpart. My counterpart is an amazing teacher. Her understanding of English grammar makes me wonder If I understand my own language at all! During the lesson she tends to take care of translating and grammar rules associated with English. My role in the classroom leans more towards conversational skills such as listening and speaking. For example, I may read and explain some new vocabulary words the students have to learn in English, my counterpart will emphasize what I have said and then proceed to translate what I said in Shqip. In addition, I may read a passage in English and then have students read the passage. Along the way, I help the students with pronunciation and explaining concepts in English. After the students read, my counterpart takes charge of translating the passage with students. My counterpart and I teach English all day until the end of school at 1:15pm. After that I have free time until 4:00pm in which I host after school activities with the students. I'm still developing a formal itinerary for activities with the students after school.
The weekend:
On the weekend I will typically go out with my family or counterpart to different places near my village. Our typical destinations include: Lezhe, Shengjin (a town next to the Adriatic sea), Shkoder and more. We usually go in the afternoon to these places to drink wine, coffee and eat dinner. During the day I spend a lot of time relaxing in my apartment after the work week. I like to watch movies and television shows on my computer. I also love taking naps when I can. Sunday is usually very busy for me. Every Sunday morning I wake up at around 8:00am and get ready for church at 9:00am. My village has a Catholic Church and most of the people here are Catholic. This works out great for me in terms of integration because I'm catholic as well! After church, I will typically talk to some of the other people in the village and catch up on everything. In addition to talking outside the church sometimes I will go for a coffee with some of the people there as well. Going for a coffee is very common in Albania. People are always asking if you want to get a coffee and the cafes are always packed with people. Especially on Sundays. In the afternoon on the weekends I try to call family members and friends in America. I'm six hours ahead of EST so I call right before dinner typically. I have found that I communicate with friends and family more now that I have been living in Albania. It's one of the many cultural things I'm starting to pick up in my time over here. People here communicate much more with their families than a typical American family. When I return to America and eventually have a family this is definitely one of the values I will emphasize in the household.
That's all I want to write for now everyone. I'll try to keep everyone posted with updates. I must admit that it is hard to find time or even think about blogging. Albania has become my everyday life just as you have your life wherever you are living in the world. To my friends and family, don't ever hesitate to call or talk to me on the phone if you have any questions for me. I send my love to you all!
Naten e mire!
A lot has been happening since I first arrived at my new village and site on April 5th. When I first came to my village I was very nervous. I was nervous because I don't know anyone in my village and I'm also the only fluent English speaker/ American in the area. However, all that seemed to fade away as soon as I met my counterpart and school director in the city of Lezhe. I first met my counterpart and school director on the weekend of swearing in as a peace corps volunteer. They both took the time to formally introduce themselves to me and exchange pleasantries over a coffee. My counterpart is an amazing woman. She is very intelligent and has more than a firm understanding of the English language. Not to mention she also knows several other languages. My director is a very intelligent and kind man as well. He has led the local school to become one of the most progressive and inspiring public schools I have seen in Albania. As a volunteer, this is very exciting for me because it makes my job easier in terms of introducing new activities and teaching my culture and language. However, it is equally as important to me to learn the Albanian language and culture.
After the coffee, we went directly to my new host family. I didn't feel as nervous as I was before. The drive was pleasant and we talked the whole way there about the history of the District of Lezhe. Lezhe is a beautiful, it has lush green fields of agriculture and towering steep mountains cradling the fields. In addition, its a very historic place. It has many ancient ruins and a castle on top of a local mountain. It is also home to the grave of the historical Albanian leader Skanderbeg. My village, just due north of Lezhe, used to be an old air base back during Albania's communist era. Across the fields there are two large runways where the plans use to land and take off. When these plans landed, they were escorted down a long road to the mountain next to my village and stored inside tunnels that went deep into the mountain. My family lives across from one of the two big runways. The family was waiting for me as I arrived with big smiles and warm hearts.
My new home is very large. It has a main house with two apartments (one on the top floor and one on the bottom) and a cottage that my host mom lives in next to the main house. My family here owns a lot of chickens, ducks, pigs, beehives, a garden, and other cool things around the house. As we entered my new home, we were immediately escorted upstairs to an unoccupied apartment above the main house. I can tell you that my apartment by American standards is amazing. It has couches, a big table, fully functional kitchen, fridge, bathroom (with a western style toilet, shower, bidet, sink, cabinets, and a washing machine), and a bedroom with a queen sized bed. I was absolutely shocked at how nice my new home was.
Upstairs we proceeded to get to know each other and I began the task of learning everyone's names. I wont share the names of everyone on this post but I can tell you my new host family is very large. I have a host mom and host dad. The host mom and dad have a daughter that also lives in our house. The daughter has two daughters who live with us as well and are my students at my local school. None of them really speak English at all so most of my communication with them is in Shqip. They seemed impressed with my grasp of their native language after three months of training in Belsh. That night we had a big dinner together and I can tell you I had a wonderful meal. My host mom is a cook at a local restaurant and It shows come dinner time.
My daily routine: (the example given applies to my first day)
In my village school starts at 8:00am in the morning. Everyday I wake up at 7:00am, brush my teeth, comb my hair, get dressed, pack my bag and head downstairs for coffee and breakfast. Oh wait, nope, I'm on my way back upstairs now because my host mom wont allow me to go to school with wrinkly clothing. She proceeds to iron my clothing. I get dressed again, eat food, drink a coffee and head to my family's car at 8:55am. The school is about a ten minute walk from my house but by car its about two minutes. When I first arrived at school I was most certainly a fly in the milk. It was pretty obvious that I was the new teacher on the block. Also the students were made aware that a new American is coming to town. I greeted everyone the way I normally do. I loudly said "goodmorning!", "hello!", and "miremengjes!". There's no point of acting shy when your in the situation I'm in as a foreigner in Albania. The students all responded well to my greetings and came up to say hello. I'd say most the kids here can only say a couple of phrases in English and "hello" but it doesn't matter because I can communicate with them in Shqip. After the greetings in the school yard, I head into the school and say hi to all the teachers. Some of them can speak English, but again, I usually communicate in Shqip. After that its show time.
I head straight into giving lessons with my counterpart. My counterpart is an amazing teacher. Her understanding of English grammar makes me wonder If I understand my own language at all! During the lesson she tends to take care of translating and grammar rules associated with English. My role in the classroom leans more towards conversational skills such as listening and speaking. For example, I may read and explain some new vocabulary words the students have to learn in English, my counterpart will emphasize what I have said and then proceed to translate what I said in Shqip. In addition, I may read a passage in English and then have students read the passage. Along the way, I help the students with pronunciation and explaining concepts in English. After the students read, my counterpart takes charge of translating the passage with students. My counterpart and I teach English all day until the end of school at 1:15pm. After that I have free time until 4:00pm in which I host after school activities with the students. I'm still developing a formal itinerary for activities with the students after school.
The weekend:
On the weekend I will typically go out with my family or counterpart to different places near my village. Our typical destinations include: Lezhe, Shengjin (a town next to the Adriatic sea), Shkoder and more. We usually go in the afternoon to these places to drink wine, coffee and eat dinner. During the day I spend a lot of time relaxing in my apartment after the work week. I like to watch movies and television shows on my computer. I also love taking naps when I can. Sunday is usually very busy for me. Every Sunday morning I wake up at around 8:00am and get ready for church at 9:00am. My village has a Catholic Church and most of the people here are Catholic. This works out great for me in terms of integration because I'm catholic as well! After church, I will typically talk to some of the other people in the village and catch up on everything. In addition to talking outside the church sometimes I will go for a coffee with some of the people there as well. Going for a coffee is very common in Albania. People are always asking if you want to get a coffee and the cafes are always packed with people. Especially on Sundays. In the afternoon on the weekends I try to call family members and friends in America. I'm six hours ahead of EST so I call right before dinner typically. I have found that I communicate with friends and family more now that I have been living in Albania. It's one of the many cultural things I'm starting to pick up in my time over here. People here communicate much more with their families than a typical American family. When I return to America and eventually have a family this is definitely one of the values I will emphasize in the household.
That's all I want to write for now everyone. I'll try to keep everyone posted with updates. I must admit that it is hard to find time or even think about blogging. Albania has become my everyday life just as you have your life wherever you are living in the world. To my friends and family, don't ever hesitate to call or talk to me on the phone if you have any questions for me. I send my love to you all!
Naten e mire!
Thursday, March 28, 2019
An Update!
Hello everyone!
All is well in Albania. I would like to update everyone on what's going on in my life right now. For the past couple of weeks I have been giving English lessons in my PST site! It has been a very fun and successful process. I have taught 4th grade, 6th grade, 8th grade, 10th grade and 11th grade English classes. It has been so rewarding and fun teaching English to students in Albania. My first class I ever had I was able to have a kid speak his first sentence in English! It was so rewarding.
I'm excited to keep moving forward with teaching. I have really fallen in love with it. Teaching is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. Inspiring interest in students and rewarding their curiosity with knowledge is a fantastic dynamic.
Unfortunately, recently for me my grandfather has passed away while I have been working with Peace Corps. Before his passing I was debating whether or not to return back to the united states to say my final goodbyes. However, he re-assured me to keep doing the work I'm doing in Europe. He wanted me to keep doing good things in the world and stay the course I'm on. I plan to move forward strongly, boldly and faithfully into my service.
This Monday we were told where we are going to be living for two years after PST. For security reasons, I can't disclose my exact location but I can say I will be near the city of Shkoder in northern Albania. I'm very excited with this placement.
I'm going to miss my site mates and host family in Belsh. My family has been so kind and loving towards me. They treat me like their own son and I treat them like a mother and father. I plan on visiting once I don't have travel restrictions. I really love my home in Belsh. As for my site mates, the friends I have made here are amazing. I'm surrounded by truly great people. I look forward to traveling and hanging out with them again in the future.
That's all I have for now!
Mirupafshim!
All is well in Albania. I would like to update everyone on what's going on in my life right now. For the past couple of weeks I have been giving English lessons in my PST site! It has been a very fun and successful process. I have taught 4th grade, 6th grade, 8th grade, 10th grade and 11th grade English classes. It has been so rewarding and fun teaching English to students in Albania. My first class I ever had I was able to have a kid speak his first sentence in English! It was so rewarding.
I'm excited to keep moving forward with teaching. I have really fallen in love with it. Teaching is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. Inspiring interest in students and rewarding their curiosity with knowledge is a fantastic dynamic.
Unfortunately, recently for me my grandfather has passed away while I have been working with Peace Corps. Before his passing I was debating whether or not to return back to the united states to say my final goodbyes. However, he re-assured me to keep doing the work I'm doing in Europe. He wanted me to keep doing good things in the world and stay the course I'm on. I plan to move forward strongly, boldly and faithfully into my service.
This Monday we were told where we are going to be living for two years after PST. For security reasons, I can't disclose my exact location but I can say I will be near the city of Shkoder in northern Albania. I'm very excited with this placement.
I'm going to miss my site mates and host family in Belsh. My family has been so kind and loving towards me. They treat me like their own son and I treat them like a mother and father. I plan on visiting once I don't have travel restrictions. I really love my home in Belsh. As for my site mates, the friends I have made here are amazing. I'm surrounded by truly great people. I look forward to traveling and hanging out with them again in the future.
That's all I have for now!
Mirupafshim!
Sunday, February 24, 2019
A different way of living
Today I want to clarify and explain some of the differences between my lifestyle in Albania and the United States. I personally like both ways of living even though they are significantly different from each other. I think the best way of describing the differences for me is by categorizing different aspects of day to day life. I'll start of first with my diet.
This is one of the categories I favor Albania in heavily. Over here I'm eating significantly more healthily. Not only is the food more fresh but it is also less fatty and has less sugar than what my typical meals would be like in the states. In the morning I will typically have toast with jelly and butter. For lunch I will have soup with spinach and a small cut of beef or chicken. In addition to the soup there is always bread, hot pepper, and cabbage as a side dish. For dinner a typical meal will be one of many options but for the sake of time (I'm going on a hike in a bit) ill give you three examples.
1. Rice with fish and bread. This is also usually served with wine or Raki (a strong Albania alcoholic drink).
2. Bean soup with bread. Served with a salad with Albanian lemons (they taste like a tarp Clementine), lettuce, green peppers, hot peppers, carrots etc.
3. Byrek with spinach. A byrek is basically a thin pie that has cheese and spinach in it. Typically in my house this is served in a large portion.
Sometimes my family and I will eat on our front porch. My house is very beautiful as it overlooks the many orange and olive trees in our front yard as well as a big lake.
Next ill talk about daily life in the house. Gas heat is not readily available in Albania. Instead there is wood stove heating for the house. Typically the stove is in the family room. This is where me and my family hang out after the day. We typically talk about what we ate for the day, what we did, and whats going on in the week for us. Me and my family are very close and I share everything with them except things Im not obligated to share due to government policy. My room is not heated but it is not a problem because I have a lot of blankets. Sometimes I get too warm with all the blankets. Also its important to note that in most to every buildings there is no carpets but rather tiles. If you do not have shoes on you best be wearing slippers because the floor does get chilly.
Bathroom culture. Yes this will be a section. In Albania you do not flush toilet paper. It can clog the pipes and creating issues with the plumbing. Instead used toilet paper is discarded in the trash. This is something I have become very used to. Most toilets are either regular toilets or Turkish toilets. Turkish toilets are basically holes in the floor with two foot slots for you to stand on. I have not used one yet to do a number 2. Stay tuned.
Last Ill finish off with living with less internet. This is something that may surprise some of you back home. I enjoy living with less internet. Out here we get 2gs of internet data for the month before we cap out. I have already caped out due to watching the superbowl highlights on YouTube early in February at 6 in the morning Albanian time. Now I can only access the internet at Cafes in town. Which is typically for 45 minutes a day total. I found that this dilemma pulled me away from my phone and I am not on it as much. I love it.
That's all for now! See ya!
FYI: best ways to contact me are with facebook messager and whats app.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Update on my PST
Hello everyone! These last couple of weeks have been very busy for me. Not to mention that internet is not always accessible to me. I apologize for not posting sooner.
My PST site is becoming more and more familiar to me as time goes on. Much of my free time outside of PST is exploring the community I live in. Pretty much every other day I walk with other vollunteers in the main town area and out into the farmland of Albania. It's very beautiful here. My site is very modern in the town center and it feels like the further I walk out from the center the older it becomes. It isn't uncommon to see people riding mules and carriages around. The culture here is thousands of years old and it is clearly evident in the mannerisms of the people.
Time is viewed differently here. In America everything is rushed. People are always rushing to meet deadlines and move from one activity to the next. Here people take more time to be intimate with each other. It is acceptable and almost expected to be late due to catching up with colleagues and friends. Family coincidently is also much more intimate here. Throughout the day and night my host family is calling and receiving calls from their family members. In addition, the family spends most of their time together in one room. When I return from school, I spend multiple hours with my host family. We talk, watch T.V. and sometimes do homework together. They're very kind and helpful. I consider them my in country mom and dad and call them that. Over these past two weeks I've becoming better at talking with them. I can understand Shqip more and speak it a lot better. I can have basic conversations and explains general ideas. It's feels good to make progress with such a difficult language! Thats all for now until next time!
I'll try to upload some recent photos of me in Albania! You can also check out my facebook for more photos!
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Language language language (will post more pictures when I get wifi again)
Why hello again!
Its been a good first week so far and I can say things are really starting to click for me here. We have been practicing Shqip for the past couple of days in the classroom. Shqip is by far the most difficult language I have had to learn in my life. The alphabet is longer, the letters and words sound very different, and the verb conjugations are hard to follow. That said, we have great teachers in our group teaching us the language. I'm getting to the point of being capable of grammatically correct conversation.
This is especially true within my host family. They do not speak any English and in most cases rely on my fluency in Shqip for communication. In addition I use google translate, which has come in handy in some cases where I want to communicate big concepts. However, I tend to avoid it because I don't want to depend on it for communication.
Everyday, I try to communicate in a more sophisticated manner with my host family. Learning Shqip is a slow process but I feel an obligation as well as a desire to have more meaningful conversation with my host mom and dad. They are my primary motivator to learn as fast as possible.
Although Shqip is more difficult to learn than Spanish, I'm definitely learning Shqip faster. This is due to multiple factors in my opinion. Number one is that I'm living in a country in which Shqip is the primary language. It is very hard to get around in Albania, especially in rural areas, with just English. Most people in the country side do not speak any English. Also in the cities, a good percentage of people do not speak English. Number two, my Albanian family cannot speak any English. Imagine living in a home with people you can't talk to at all. That was exactely my situation day one in my house. However, over the past couple of days I learned how to communicate better in Shqip and conversations between me and my host parents are begining to flow.
When you learn a foreign language as an elective in school it does not become your life. I didn't need to speak Spanish in the United States. Dont get me wrong in many cases Spanish was useful to know but it was by no means a priority of mine. Shqip for me is a priority. I'm a slow learner but with more than two years left of service I'm confident I will be fluent in Shqip.
As my host dad would say: "Slowly and slowly you will learn."
(I did not spell check this post I'm too tired right now)
Goodnight! (10pm Albanian time)
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