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)

In my host community!

Im officially in the house of my host family! They're wonderful people and have been nothing but kind since I've arrived. They have a great house overlooking a lake with orange trees, olive trees and grape vines growing in the front yard. Their house is like something you would see out of a travel catalogue.

The house itself is very nice with a kitchen, bathroom with a washer, four bedrooms, a living room and a family room.

The mother is a sweet retired woman. When we first met she insisted on a hug. She also made it clear that she was going to take care of me like a mom right from the start. The father is also retired and has a huge heart as well. First thing he did when we met was shake my hand and invite me into his home.

We had a traditional Albanian lunch and dinner that afternoon. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted very good. One thing that threw me off guard is that they eat the lemon whole with the skin on it too. It actually wasnt that bad at all but it was one of my first culture shocks in a while.

Although nobody in the house besides me speaks english much, we were able to communicate alright at a basic level. I have a lot to learn so I can speak better but I will work hard at my comphresion of Albanian. Im in a good position here. Life is good.

What a great couple of days!

Hello everyone!

I've spent five days together with this incredible group of people. Its nice to be surrounded by such genuine and pure people as we begin our journey in Albania. Unfortunately we will soon break off into our host family communities soon (separated by sector) outside of Elbasan. As for me, I have been assigned to a community with half of the English Education Trainees.

Today is day three in Albania and the training has been intense and rewarding. I have been practicing my Shqip to the best of my ability. I wont deny, the language is very difficult to learn. The words and sounds are very different compared to English. However, that does not impede my ambition to learn it. We have very good teachers in the Peace Corps that work diligently with us to improve our comprehension of Shqip. Yesterday and today we practiced conversing in simple conversations. Here is a brief example of a conversation we had in class with each other.

"Miredita, si jenni?" (Good day, how are you?)
"Mire, falemenderit! Por ju?"(Good thank you! and you?)
"Mire, falemenderit!" Un jam Jacob, por ju? (Good, thank you! I'm Jacob and you?)
"Un jam ____. Mirupafshim!" (I'am ___. Gooodbye!)
"Mirupafshim!" (goodbye)

We are slowly and surely learning more vocabulary as the days go on. I think that in the near future I will be able to talk without too much of a struggle.

Today I also learned a lot more about my TEFL program with the Peace Corps. Its very exciting to hear about the different opportunities coming our way in the near future. I have been assigned to a community called Belsh for PST (pre service training). I will do most of my PST in Belsh. PST will include: observing local schools, practicing teaching in local schools, communicating with students and community members, learning Shqip, learning about the culture of Albania and more.

Things are moving at a fast pace over here in Tirana but I'm ready to go along for the ride! The nine hour bumpy plane ride across the ocean was well worth the trouble. I'm looking forward to have a positive impact in my first Albanian community.

Officially in Tirana Albania!

I've been extremely busy the last couple of days! Not to mention last night was my first night of actual sleep in over 24 hours!

Yesterday and the day before I flew from the United States to Austria and finally arrived Albania! It is so beautiful here. The flight from Austria to Albania was such a great way to see the diversity of landscapes Albania has to offer. To the east there are towering snow capped mountains and to the west the Adriatic sea. When we landed in Tirana and stepped out the plane everything became very real. It felt amazing and rewarding. I have finally made it!

Tirana is a beautiful city. Tirana has a lot to offer and I hope to give more details about it as I spend more time exploring. I havnt had a ton of time yet to look around but I will have some free time today to do so. 

Today I will try to get some photos of my surroundings and update the blog with more information about whats going on in my world. However, right now I need to shower, eat breakfast and get to work.

Stay tuned!

Getting ready to fly to Washington D.C.

Hello everyone! Today I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when Ill be back again! Just kidding Its going to be two years and three months but I'll be home for Christmas (wink). Peace Corps instructed that the checked bags should only be 50lbs. However, my bags are weighing in way over that. I imagine they are about 75lbs each. Portable hot tubs aren't light I can tell you that! Basically my bag is as stuffed as Hermione Granger's magic bag in The Deathly Hallows. I got pretty much everything I need all packed and ready to go!

By the way if there are any grammatical errors in this post I'll leave Ben Hallowell in charge of letting me know!

Cheers!

My first post

I'm counting down the days before I leave! I'm very excited! Tonight I will be in Bedford New Hampshire for my final night in the New England area. Today I will be cleaning out my car and packing all my bags as well as picking up Grace at the bus stop in eight minutes. I'm trying to figure out if I can get my blog a comment section where everyone can ask questions and socialize. I'll be working on figuring out all that good stuff in the next couple of days.