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)