Whew. I finally have a chance to breathe! This week was beyond busy for me. I had promised to write after the first day of classes on Monday, but then I just got swamped trying to keep track of things this week. Now here it is, almost a full week after my last note (shame on me!) and I’m finally getting a chance to post again. As they say, better late than never. Right?
When Emily and I had students take the placement tests at registration, we placed them in three different groups: beginners, high beginners, and intermediate/advanced students. All total we had just under 40 students sign up. Most of them came and registered during the actual registration time that we had set aside and advertised. But because planning in advance and strictly following schedules is not a cultural norm here, there have been people who’ve tried to register afterwards. Parents bring their children and just ask, “When can they start?” We have to explain that classes are closed or that their child’s level is already full. And there are some boys that live in the same building as church that just show up when we’re there and sit down like they’re ready for class. We’ve told them they needed to register because we’ve already started but I think they are partly just trying to cause a little bit of trouble. They always think it’s funny to yell in the hallway outside the church or knock on the door and run away during classes. lol Boys will be boys, I guess.
We had also advertised that parents needed to come to Orientation. That did not really happen. It caused a slight problem with some students because of the private/public school schedules. So after some students didn’t show up this week and people got class times mixed up and people trying to register late, we decided we’d have meetings today to help clarify class time. We had each level meet separately. Each meeting was very brief and went much better. More parents showed up this time too. That was good because then they, too, can become more comfortable with us and with just being in and around the church.
Like I said, since it is not the norm here to plan in advance or follow a process with deadlines, it has been frustrating for us to keep turning people away. Don’t get the wrong idea—we aren’t just saying no to people. lol We just have to keep explaining that classes have already started and that they are closed for this session. We have told them to come and register in January when the second session starts. And of course we’ve invited them to our activity nights. Those are good practice for English and getting to know each other.
Speaking of the activity nights that I was so excited about, I’m a little disappointed to announce that they have had to be combined into only one night a week. I had high hopes for these nights and was really enjoying the planning, but it is for a good reason that we have to change the schedule. We will just call it Friendship Night and it will now be on Friday night. We’ll alternate with the previously planned culture night and friendship night activities. So at least activity time doesn’t get cut out of the schedule completely, it just gets compacted into one time slot.
The reason for this is because we had to create an extra class of beginners. Once we had our groups divided into time slots that worked, we had to give them names of some sort so we could keep them straight since there was more than one group of the same level. Instead of A and B groups, we gave them color names; red and orange for beginners, yellow and green for high beginners, and blue for the intermediate/advanced group.
Emily teaches the red group on Monday and Wednesday from 10-11 and the orange group on Tuesday and Thursday from 2-3:30. I have the yellow group on Monday and Wednesday from 4-5:30, the green group at the same time on Tuesday and Thursday, and the blue group on Monday and Wednesday from 6-7:30. These are the times that worked with school schedules since all of our students are still in school, except one mom who is in the beginner class with her daughter. Her other daughters are in my yellow group and one of them is quite good if I speak slowly. Anyway, we had to create a purple group of beginners with Emily on Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 6-7:30 because there were a few people in my green group that were beginners. We didn’t want to them to struggle and then stop coming because that would be discouraging to them. Instead, we sacrificed our activity nights because they could all come at that time for a class of their own. It works well because that whole group is all around our age and they are done with work or classes by that time.
Now that we have the schedule solidified, I should have more time next week. I need to get used to planning and reviewing lessons. The books we have are sufficient, though we both agree they are not the best for structured evaluation since they don’t have chapters or units or test or anything. They are based, supposedly, on the most common English words and conversations. Emily said that was the main reason they picked them last year. She and I both think that when we get the opportunity, we’ll look into different books for next year. We’ll use the ones we have to continue this year. We split them into three 12 week sessions. That way we can break at Christmas and once in the spring and make it through most of the book. Plus, the kids still seem to learn from it, even if it’s not broken into vocabulary or grammatical concepts like typical language books.
Now you understand why our week was so hectic. We were trying to communicate with people about times, schedules, etc. But since we didn’t always have the right attendance at classes, we couldn’t start the books right away so we had to plan our own reviews and activities for the first few classes. My activities and review exercises are what lead me to figure out that 4 of my students from the green group needed to have their own group at a lower level. So it proved helpful after all. This week we will get into the book. And the good thing about these books is that the teacher’s manual has the entire lesson plan already made for you. All I need to do is tweak it to fit my class. That means I can add my own fun. =)
Last week my fun activity for my first classes was that I taught them the game Hangman. They need to learn the names for the English letters. The Albanian alphabet doesn’t name their letters; they just refer to them by their sounds. So guessing letters helped with that, plus filling in the blanks is good for recognizing words and spelling. I kept the message simple, “See you on [next class day]!” They had fun with it. The next class I reviewed days of the week, months of the year, the alphabet, and practice with reading the word names for numbers and writing it in numerals. I did random numbers ranging from two to five hundred forty to six-thousand four hundred thirteen to three million. They did well. During that lesson I found out that if you sing to a class, you silence them and gain their attention quite easily. lol With the yellow and green groups, we sang the alphabet. When I started, they got quiet and then joined in right away. With the blue group, I sang them the song I learned when I was learning the months of the year. They clapped when I got done. Hahaha!!! =) Too funny!
Besides that, our week was rather eventful as far as our water and power services were concerned. Tuesday morning we woke up and had no water so we weren’t able to shower before we went to our classes. We both felt kind of gross but we didn’t really have a choice so we made the best of it. The funny part was that I got compliments on my hair. Can you believe it? Haha! And throughout the week, our power has gone on and off. It’s been just flickers sometimes, other times it has been off for just a few minutes, but Sunday it was out for 45 minutes. And at church it’s been worse. Emily had to teach a class in the dark and then cut it short because the lanterns were dimming out.
It’s also been quite rainy in the afternoons here this week. Emily and I have been rocking our rain boots. I even made up as song—“Keep on rockin’ my rain boots/Keep on rockin’ my rain boots/Keep on rockin’ an’ rockin’ an’ rocking’/Baby baby baby keep rockin’ my rain boots!” Ok so I stole it and changed it, but it’s still fun to sing when we wear them. =) We get plenty of funny stares because they aren’t popular here like they are in the states, but we both agree they are the smartest things we brought with us. Our feet stay dry, our pants stay dry, and they won’t wear out easily since they’re rubber.
On Wednesday I had to ride my bike all the way home in the rain. It’s a mile or maybe a little more to ride from our place to church. I was not the happiest when I got home. lol Our internet has also been going in and out this week and with the power being crazy at church, I wasn’t able to use it there really either. I did manage to get to the Stephen Center twice for the free wi-fi but I was pretty much only able to catch up on email and facebook while I was there. Better than nothing!
Tonight after our meetings we ate at Olsa, Neda, and Ledio’s house since their mom had invited us. We had halve (which I don’t know how to describe but it was good), homemade pizza, and Emily and I had brought baklava for dessert. I am so stuffed I feel like I’m about to burst. Oh, man! It was all so tasty though!
Tomorrow is church and then Olsa will probably come over for some practice typing and so I can help her look into WLC some more. Then we’ll go back to church and work for a bit putting up “bulletin boards” and organizing our supplies. We also told Olsa and Neda they could study while we work. They ask us for help with their English homework sometimes. =)
Sunday we’ll have English church, and if it’s nice, pastor said we’ll go to Elbasan. It’s really pretty there from what everyone says because it’s in the mountains. The plan is to drive there and leave between 1 and 2. When we get there we’ll have a late lunch and look around. That way on the drive home we’ll catch the sunset. Once we get back, we’ll probably have game night as usual. Yay! I like those. And last week I finally won a game! I hadn’t even won a game of anything yet. We played Settlers of Catan and I won. Not only was it my first win at game night, but it was my first non-online win in Settlers. I play against people online sometimes and have won, but it’s different live. I was excited.
In other funny news, I almost got in an accident on my bike, but not with a vehicle or another bike. It was with a person. He didn’t run in front of me or anything though. He was walking on the edge of the curb and lost his balance. As his arms flailed he almost smacked me in the face. Then he almost fell on me but he regained his balance just in time. Haha! It was funny. But my big bike riding accomplishment is that I can now ride through one of the roundabouts with the traffic. Yay for me! It still gets frustrating with all the honking though. Emily told me I would discover bike rage instead of road rage. lol I think I have. With the whole “everyone has the right of way” idea it’s easy to get frustrated and flustered.
Another funny story is that this week I found out that my first class is all girls between the ages of 9 and 13. They are all very studious and will learn very quickly. I had them introduce themselves and tell us about themselves after I did. Just about every one of them told me I was their favorite teacher, or that Emily and I were their favorite teachers. That just made me want to laugh because they hadn’t even had a lesson yet. It was cute though and was very encouraging to me to know that they liked me. I had one girl call me “dear teacher” plus two girls and a parent tell me I was “very sweet.” I don’t know why. Maybe because I just try to smile a lot since I have no idea whatsoever what they are saying when they speak Albanian to me. I figure smiling is a universal language.
Even though the week was super busy and slightly stressful at times it was good. It can be hard trying to talk with parents who only know Albanian when we only know English. Even though we can find people to translate, it’s hard when you don’t know what they’re saying, if they’re saying exactly what you want them to, if they are giving the correct information or if they are answering questions instead of asking us first, etc. Not that we don’t trust the people who translate for us—we do! Completely! It’s just sometimes frustrating to not always feel like we are running the show for our own English program and for our own classes. But things could be much much worse and I always just remind myself that people are just as confused with English as I am with Albanian. That helps give me lots of patience. And knowing that the kids are excited and that they like us is already rewarding. I can’t wait to find out how much more rewarding it will be when I can see their improvement in English and when they realize it for themselves. =)
Before I head to bed—it is after 1:30am here—I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to send me emails, leave comments on here, or send facebook messages. Having a little message in my inbox puts a smile on my face and it warms my heart to hear little stories from home. Reading your stories and your news makes me still feel connected to my life in the states. That is so important to me since I can’t see your faces or hear your voices. It means so much that people are thinking of me! Wow! I am so blessed! Take care and know that I keep you in my prayers as well. =)
But now I must say good night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite! But if they do, grab a shoe, and beat them ‘til they’re black and blue! ;)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Montenegro -- Part 3
So yes, we got in the car after we'd seen the best Budva had to offer. We drove back the way we had come into town, but we wanted to stop and see Sveti Stefan up close. Despite the fact that the day had gone from rain to sun and now back to rain, we got out the umbrellas and checked things out anyway. :)
The sea was so blue green around the little island! And even though it was raining, people were still swimming. If I was there on a beach vacation, I would be swimming too! :) There were no signs explaining what the island was for or when it was originally built and inhabited. From the style of the entrance and since at the very top of this island hill was a church, we figure it was a monastery. We could tell it must still be used for something because we could see lots of window air conditioning units in the buildings. See, old places can have modern touches. lol It was not open to the public, but we did walk across the little bridge/walkway and up to the front gates. We got wet from the rain, but I didn't care. I got pictures and just stood to enjoy the scene.
Once we got even more wet we decided maybe we should get in the car. So, we did. It got sunny again so we stopped at a few places on the side of the road for more photo opportunities. I just went crazy with the picture taking on this trip because I didn't want to miss anything or forget any of it. lol One place we stopped at was pretty cool. It was the ruins of a 10th century monastery on a mountain side outside of Bar. We could walk around a bit and tell where a few things were. But you could see where the prayer gardens had been because paths were worn and even lined with stones in some places. So we walked around and explored that for a while, and, of course, we took pictures. lol Then we got back in the car, drove into Bar and decided we should stop and eat since we were all hungry.
We stopped at this beach side food stand and got a table right out on the beach. Only one table was between ours and the beach. It was a picnic table with a canopy tent over it. Since no one was sitting at it, I took pictures of it because you see the edge of the beach, the waves, and the shining water behind it. It looks like the pictures on those Corona commercials at home. Pretty sweet! ;) We finished our food, used the bathroom, and left. I should explain the bathroom though. You walked through this door, and it was a long hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was a little sink and a toilet. I realized I needed to go lock the door at the end of the hallway, because that was the only door to the bathroom. And up in the corner of the wall to the right of the sink, just at the very end of the hallway, was a little window. It was open. Not an open window. It was just open. Like a hole. No curtains, no screen, not even a window. lol Kind of funny.
We got back in the car to head back across the border, though northern Albania, and back to Tirana. We made it through without hitting any barnyard animals, and they were out in plenty, that's for sure! We had no problems at the border crossing, so that was a quick stop. The drive from the border to Tirana seemed to take forever, but that's only because Emily and I were so tired. This sounds bad, but we were stuck between wanting to fall asleep and trying not to fall asleep so we could still talk and be social. lol
In the end, we made it back here safe and sound. We were exhausted so we got something to eat, watched Alias, and just crashed. Since the next morning started registration, we didn't get much time to recover. We've been tired all week. And this weekend we're helping the Ahlers with their garage sale. I'm curious to see how popular a garage sale is here. I don't think it's something they see very often, but I think the people here will like it. They're so used to open markets and things like that anyway that I'm sure they'll come check out the items.
Our Orientation for our classes was last night and it went ok. We had put on all of the posters that no late applications would be accepted. If you hadn't registered by the end of the time on Thursday, too late. This was because we needed Thursday night to go through all the placement tests, create levels and a schedule. So we did that and we had everything ready to explain at orientation. Well, it didn't quite work like that. We had another 8 people or more who registered and took the test. Vitori told them they could, so we didn't really know what to say or do then. But now we are for sure not accepting anyone else for this first session. But having all these extra people test changed our classes a bit. Plus, not all the kids have the same school schedule because private school schedules don't follow the public school schedules, so we totally needed to redo the schedule we had made for the beginner groups. Oh man. We got everything done, but it definitely was not as smooth as we'd planned or imagined it would be. But now we know the things to change when we go through this process again at the beginning of our second session after the new year. Today we have to finalize the schedule and call a few people to make sure the changes are ok.
I promised to explain the two other fun nights that are going along with our classes. They are open to everyone, not just students, in the hopes that we get more people coming into the church and meeting the staff and then, hopefully, becoming serious outreach prospects. So these events are open to anyone, students, church members, family, friends, the community, etc.
Every Tuesday night we will have American Culture Night so that they can learn about the ways of life in one English speaking country. It will also be good practice for speaking English. We will introduce American foods, talk about the presidential election (people here are very curious about that), celebrate American holidays, learn about American places, teach line dancing (there was a request for that), etc. We've gotten a few ideas and suggestions from people, so that's encouraging for us as we plan.
Every Thursday night we will have Friendship Night. This is just so people can come, hang out with friends, make new friends, talk to each other outside of class, and just get to know each other. We'll have game nights, food nights, movie nights, celebrate Albanian holidays, and maybe even do activities like bowling and whatnot. Again, we've gotten more ideas from people so I really am hoping this goes well.
When we introduced these activities to people last night, it seemed like there was some genuine interest. Olsa and Neda said that yes, people were definitely interested in it. We'll have to see what happens. We're not starting these nights until the first week in October because we want to have our classes settled first. I sure hope these go well!
That brings me to the end of the Montenegro story and the end of the registration report. Monday starts classes so I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that. I still have not been feeling the best, so continue to pray for me, please. Other than that, I will keep you all in my prayers and you'll hear from me soon! :)
The sea was so blue green around the little island! And even though it was raining, people were still swimming. If I was there on a beach vacation, I would be swimming too! :) There were no signs explaining what the island was for or when it was originally built and inhabited. From the style of the entrance and since at the very top of this island hill was a church, we figure it was a monastery. We could tell it must still be used for something because we could see lots of window air conditioning units in the buildings. See, old places can have modern touches. lol It was not open to the public, but we did walk across the little bridge/walkway and up to the front gates. We got wet from the rain, but I didn't care. I got pictures and just stood to enjoy the scene.
Once we got even more wet we decided maybe we should get in the car. So, we did. It got sunny again so we stopped at a few places on the side of the road for more photo opportunities. I just went crazy with the picture taking on this trip because I didn't want to miss anything or forget any of it. lol One place we stopped at was pretty cool. It was the ruins of a 10th century monastery on a mountain side outside of Bar. We could walk around a bit and tell where a few things were. But you could see where the prayer gardens had been because paths were worn and even lined with stones in some places. So we walked around and explored that for a while, and, of course, we took pictures. lol Then we got back in the car, drove into Bar and decided we should stop and eat since we were all hungry.
We stopped at this beach side food stand and got a table right out on the beach. Only one table was between ours and the beach. It was a picnic table with a canopy tent over it. Since no one was sitting at it, I took pictures of it because you see the edge of the beach, the waves, and the shining water behind it. It looks like the pictures on those Corona commercials at home. Pretty sweet! ;) We finished our food, used the bathroom, and left. I should explain the bathroom though. You walked through this door, and it was a long hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was a little sink and a toilet. I realized I needed to go lock the door at the end of the hallway, because that was the only door to the bathroom. And up in the corner of the wall to the right of the sink, just at the very end of the hallway, was a little window. It was open. Not an open window. It was just open. Like a hole. No curtains, no screen, not even a window. lol Kind of funny.
We got back in the car to head back across the border, though northern Albania, and back to Tirana. We made it through without hitting any barnyard animals, and they were out in plenty, that's for sure! We had no problems at the border crossing, so that was a quick stop. The drive from the border to Tirana seemed to take forever, but that's only because Emily and I were so tired. This sounds bad, but we were stuck between wanting to fall asleep and trying not to fall asleep so we could still talk and be social. lol
In the end, we made it back here safe and sound. We were exhausted so we got something to eat, watched Alias, and just crashed. Since the next morning started registration, we didn't get much time to recover. We've been tired all week. And this weekend we're helping the Ahlers with their garage sale. I'm curious to see how popular a garage sale is here. I don't think it's something they see very often, but I think the people here will like it. They're so used to open markets and things like that anyway that I'm sure they'll come check out the items.
Our Orientation for our classes was last night and it went ok. We had put on all of the posters that no late applications would be accepted. If you hadn't registered by the end of the time on Thursday, too late. This was because we needed Thursday night to go through all the placement tests, create levels and a schedule. So we did that and we had everything ready to explain at orientation. Well, it didn't quite work like that. We had another 8 people or more who registered and took the test. Vitori told them they could, so we didn't really know what to say or do then. But now we are for sure not accepting anyone else for this first session. But having all these extra people test changed our classes a bit. Plus, not all the kids have the same school schedule because private school schedules don't follow the public school schedules, so we totally needed to redo the schedule we had made for the beginner groups. Oh man. We got everything done, but it definitely was not as smooth as we'd planned or imagined it would be. But now we know the things to change when we go through this process again at the beginning of our second session after the new year. Today we have to finalize the schedule and call a few people to make sure the changes are ok.
I promised to explain the two other fun nights that are going along with our classes. They are open to everyone, not just students, in the hopes that we get more people coming into the church and meeting the staff and then, hopefully, becoming serious outreach prospects. So these events are open to anyone, students, church members, family, friends, the community, etc.
Every Tuesday night we will have American Culture Night so that they can learn about the ways of life in one English speaking country. It will also be good practice for speaking English. We will introduce American foods, talk about the presidential election (people here are very curious about that), celebrate American holidays, learn about American places, teach line dancing (there was a request for that), etc. We've gotten a few ideas and suggestions from people, so that's encouraging for us as we plan.
Every Thursday night we will have Friendship Night. This is just so people can come, hang out with friends, make new friends, talk to each other outside of class, and just get to know each other. We'll have game nights, food nights, movie nights, celebrate Albanian holidays, and maybe even do activities like bowling and whatnot. Again, we've gotten more ideas from people so I really am hoping this goes well.
When we introduced these activities to people last night, it seemed like there was some genuine interest. Olsa and Neda said that yes, people were definitely interested in it. We'll have to see what happens. We're not starting these nights until the first week in October because we want to have our classes settled first. I sure hope these go well!
That brings me to the end of the Montenegro story and the end of the registration report. Monday starts classes so I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that. I still have not been feeling the best, so continue to pray for me, please. Other than that, I will keep you all in my prayers and you'll hear from me soon! :)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Montenegro -- Part 2
Let’s see….Where did I leave off yesterday? Oh, yes! Emily was speaking some Bulgarian at the ice cream place in Bar….
After we enjoyed the ice cream, which Emily said tasted more like gelato, she told the lady thanks (in Bulgarian, of course), we took a picture or two more, and left.
As we continued to make our way through the mountains overlooking the sea, we saw some spectacular sights. The sun was starting to peak out again at this point in the day and the water started sparkling. The Adriatic Sea was a much more brilliant color along the Montenegrin coast than it was in Durres. However, every Albanian I have spoken with says the beaches are even better here outside of Durres, so I will just have to see for myself. ;) But I’m getting off track here.
We stopped to take some pictures from the road of a place called Sveti Stefan (Saint Stephen). It looks like an island just off the coast, but it is connected to land by a walkway that was built over sand. That’s probably not the best description, but you’ll just have to look at my pictures. :) The island is full of buildings that, we believe, make up a monastery. It is simply a gorgeous sight, and just like at Stari Bar, I couldn’t believe I was seeing this for myself and not from someone else’s pictures.
We kept driving and stopped at a monastery along the way. We had been able to see it from the road on the opposite mountain. As we drove in, the first thing we saw were the sheep. These ones however, were contained in a field. They were fenced in instead of being in the road. Lol This monastery, like most around this area, was an orthodox monastery. It had a cute little gated entry right off of the parking area. Through that gate was the cutest little garden in front of the original chapel, the “new chapel” (which was still really really really old) and the living area buildings. Flash photography was not allowed inside the gated area, so I took videos. I’ll try to get those posted too. We walked over graves because they made up the sidewalk areas. I looked in the new chapel and paintings covered every inch. The main background color was a brilliant blue. It was quite beautiful and there were a few candles that people had lit, along with icons and such, which was expected. Still, it was fascinating to see and experience. The old chapel was much smaller and much darker. But it had even older paintings covering the walls and ceilings, but from ground level to about shoulder height they were chipping off the wall and everything. That’s how old they were. Crazy!
In the garden area there was a little building that had many things for sale, such as crucifixes, olive oil with medicinal qualities, pictures of the virgin and child, candles, and other such items. This little building was staffed by one of the orthodox priests, and even though the sign by the gate said no cell phones, here he was, sitting behind a little counter just chatting away on a cell phone. An orthodox priest who lives at a super old monastery was on a cell phone. Isn’t it ironic? Talk about a sign of the times. Haha! After we saw him, we went and walked out to their little area that overlooked the sea. The views were amazing so we snapped some pictures before we kept moving towards Budva.
When we reached Budva it was sunset and was starting to get cloudy again. It even started raining lightly as we drove around looking for a hotel. This took awhile since things were either expensive or closed. Not all hotels here are open year round. Some are just open for the season since summer is their busiest time. Eventually we found the place where Emily stayed last year, so we stayed there again because the price was right—only 10 Euros per person! Granted, this was no fancy hotel or anything. It was just the basics. It was more of a hostel style room with your own bathroom. I should also point out one thing about this bathroom. Here, it is not uncommon for the bathroom to have a drain in the middle of the floor and for everything to be tiled. This is because most places don’t have bathtubs so the shower is just in a corner of the bathroom and there is no “stall” or curtain or anything closing it off from the rest of the bathroom. Some places, like our apartment, have a small closed off area, but many don’t. This was one of them. Unfortunately, I forgot to get pictures of this hotel. But, since I know Emily and I will be doing more traveling, I will get pictures of the next ones or of any hostels we stay at.
We unloaded and then headed out with open umbrellas to walk to a restaurant for dinner. People in Montenegro were very friendly, and we definitely noticed a difference in the males from those in Albania. In Albania, we’ve been warned to not make eye contact with them on the street, unless we know them or if they are with someone we know. They see foreign women and throw all their normal rules of decency out the window. This is so hard for me, not because I’m checking out guys all the time, but because when I walk down the street in the states, I smile at people as I pass or I say hi, especially if I almost run into them. In Montenegro, and probably because Budva has many many tourists, the males look at you, give you a little nod or slight smile, and go on their merry little way. In Albania, if we catch an eye, we get started at and possibly even followed. Not that we feel in danger or anything, it’s just out of curiosity because we’re foreigners. Not just any foreigners, but Americans. Albanians really like America, unlike much of Europe it seems.
We had dinner and dessert (crepes—yum!) and headed back to the hotel. Emily and I were exhausted and just wanted to relax and wind down since we’d been up so early, especially from the storms the night before. So when we got back, we put on our pajamas and sat on the beds to turn the TV on but it didn’t work. So instead we ended up playing a travel game I’d brought along (magnetic Ludo, which is the same as Trouble without the little popper thing in the middle). Then we read a little bit and decided to go to bed.
That’s when things really got started. Haha! We got the giggles. And it was more than the giggles, it was an outright laugh factory. We started telling funny stories from high school, then we ended up signing fight songs from various schools, then we ended up just singing some random songs, then we got talking about how so many children’s songs and stories are so disturbing (ie. Ring Around The Rosy, or the song Mr. Johnny Von Beck, or the story about the lady buried in the Shkodra Castle in Albania). Then we started laughing even harder because we remembered that the door to the balcony was open. There was no fan or air conditioner in the room so we’d opened the door since they don’t have the mosquito problem that the Midwest does. It was raining so the breeze was nice. But with the door open, we realized that anyone else with their door open could hear us. Hahaha!!!
So we fell asleep really late and ended up meeting an hour later than we’d planned to the next morning. When we weren't going to be ready by 8am, we sent Pastor a text that said we'd meet later. lol We met Pastor and Mrs. Ahlers at 9am and headed to do some more exploring in Budva, besides what we’d done during our hotel search the night before. We went to Old Town Budva. Old Town Budva is right on the sea and it was the original fortress of Budva. When I say right on the sea, I mean that the sea crashes into the city wall. It’s all old buildings but many of them have been restored and updated. The streets are super narrow, walking room only, and many of the buildings have been turned into stores, restaurants, art galleries, and bar kafes. It was awesome because it was really a perfect mix of an ancient setting with modern attractions.
We ate breakfast there outside under some umbrella tables. Our timing was perfect because just as we sat down and were given menus, it started pouring. I didn’t feel so hot that morning, but my breakfast was very good though. I ordered toast with honey and a cappuccino. It was quite tasty! We took our time and enjoyed ourselves because we weren’t on a time schedule. When we were finished, we kept walking around the old town and looking in shops here and there. Then we got to the bigger buildings by the coast that have been kept more traditional. There were churches, though they were closed, and the big towered part of the fortress. We took some pictures and then walked out of the fortress to follow a path along the beach and the sea for a little while.
I have traveled a pretty decent amount in the states for my age. I’ve seen the Grand Canyon, been to Southern California, Seattle and the surrounding area, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Bar Harbor in Maine, Boston, big East coast cities, Niagara Falls, New Orleans after Katrina hit, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park in Canada, and other beautiful locales, but this path around the edge of the sea in Budva, Montenegro tops them all. I’m sure my pictures won’t do it justice, but it was a scene I will never forget. The Sea was crashing on the rocks, and you could look across and see Old Town Budva, behind it modern Budva, and behind that the mountains with clouds covering the top. The sea was laid out before it like a blanket of blue green jewels. And as the waves rolled up to the shore, you could see through the clear water. Once they crashed on the rocks, the water just turned white. The sound was beautiful and, combined with the scenery, it just painted a spectacular picture. It was obvious that only the hand of God could paint such a picture.
After that, we went back to Old Town Budva and paid the two Euros to go up to the top of the fortress part, right on the edge of the wall on the sea. The views were gorgeous so I took more pictures. The pictures were thanks to Pastor because as we were walking on the path, my camera ran out of memory! Oh no! But when we walked back, pastor remembered another memory card that he had in his car, so my pictures from that point on are all courtesy of Pastor Ahlers and his thoughtfulness in loaning me the memory card. I even took a video from the very top because I could see 360 degrees over the city and the sea. I’ll post it for you to look at. Just don’t bash the camera work—I’m not a pro. I did try to go slow and stay as steady as possible, but I was standing on the base of a flagpole and it was windy.
After that, we got back in the car because we knew that we’d seen the best Budva had to offer. I’ll save the details of the ride home for later because this is getting long and we stopped to see some other sights on the way home. I hope I still have your attention because this story isn’t done yet! :)
To catch you up on the registration process here, we had another 7 or 8 students sign up today. We have gotten a lot of children so far, which is good, but it would be nice to have a few adults as well, especially since our main goal is outreach for the church. But the children really like coming here and they even come on their own to church. God uses people of all ages, so I will teach whoever shows up in my classroom. And besides, if I know the kids, I might get to know a few of the parents too. We also have a little plan to reach them too. I explain that later as well. ;) Now you have no choice but to read my next entry because I’ll finish two stories! Hee hee!
After we enjoyed the ice cream, which Emily said tasted more like gelato, she told the lady thanks (in Bulgarian, of course), we took a picture or two more, and left.
As we continued to make our way through the mountains overlooking the sea, we saw some spectacular sights. The sun was starting to peak out again at this point in the day and the water started sparkling. The Adriatic Sea was a much more brilliant color along the Montenegrin coast than it was in Durres. However, every Albanian I have spoken with says the beaches are even better here outside of Durres, so I will just have to see for myself. ;) But I’m getting off track here.
We stopped to take some pictures from the road of a place called Sveti Stefan (Saint Stephen). It looks like an island just off the coast, but it is connected to land by a walkway that was built over sand. That’s probably not the best description, but you’ll just have to look at my pictures. :) The island is full of buildings that, we believe, make up a monastery. It is simply a gorgeous sight, and just like at Stari Bar, I couldn’t believe I was seeing this for myself and not from someone else’s pictures.
We kept driving and stopped at a monastery along the way. We had been able to see it from the road on the opposite mountain. As we drove in, the first thing we saw were the sheep. These ones however, were contained in a field. They were fenced in instead of being in the road. Lol This monastery, like most around this area, was an orthodox monastery. It had a cute little gated entry right off of the parking area. Through that gate was the cutest little garden in front of the original chapel, the “new chapel” (which was still really really really old) and the living area buildings. Flash photography was not allowed inside the gated area, so I took videos. I’ll try to get those posted too. We walked over graves because they made up the sidewalk areas. I looked in the new chapel and paintings covered every inch. The main background color was a brilliant blue. It was quite beautiful and there were a few candles that people had lit, along with icons and such, which was expected. Still, it was fascinating to see and experience. The old chapel was much smaller and much darker. But it had even older paintings covering the walls and ceilings, but from ground level to about shoulder height they were chipping off the wall and everything. That’s how old they were. Crazy!
In the garden area there was a little building that had many things for sale, such as crucifixes, olive oil with medicinal qualities, pictures of the virgin and child, candles, and other such items. This little building was staffed by one of the orthodox priests, and even though the sign by the gate said no cell phones, here he was, sitting behind a little counter just chatting away on a cell phone. An orthodox priest who lives at a super old monastery was on a cell phone. Isn’t it ironic? Talk about a sign of the times. Haha! After we saw him, we went and walked out to their little area that overlooked the sea. The views were amazing so we snapped some pictures before we kept moving towards Budva.
When we reached Budva it was sunset and was starting to get cloudy again. It even started raining lightly as we drove around looking for a hotel. This took awhile since things were either expensive or closed. Not all hotels here are open year round. Some are just open for the season since summer is their busiest time. Eventually we found the place where Emily stayed last year, so we stayed there again because the price was right—only 10 Euros per person! Granted, this was no fancy hotel or anything. It was just the basics. It was more of a hostel style room with your own bathroom. I should also point out one thing about this bathroom. Here, it is not uncommon for the bathroom to have a drain in the middle of the floor and for everything to be tiled. This is because most places don’t have bathtubs so the shower is just in a corner of the bathroom and there is no “stall” or curtain or anything closing it off from the rest of the bathroom. Some places, like our apartment, have a small closed off area, but many don’t. This was one of them. Unfortunately, I forgot to get pictures of this hotel. But, since I know Emily and I will be doing more traveling, I will get pictures of the next ones or of any hostels we stay at.
We unloaded and then headed out with open umbrellas to walk to a restaurant for dinner. People in Montenegro were very friendly, and we definitely noticed a difference in the males from those in Albania. In Albania, we’ve been warned to not make eye contact with them on the street, unless we know them or if they are with someone we know. They see foreign women and throw all their normal rules of decency out the window. This is so hard for me, not because I’m checking out guys all the time, but because when I walk down the street in the states, I smile at people as I pass or I say hi, especially if I almost run into them. In Montenegro, and probably because Budva has many many tourists, the males look at you, give you a little nod or slight smile, and go on their merry little way. In Albania, if we catch an eye, we get started at and possibly even followed. Not that we feel in danger or anything, it’s just out of curiosity because we’re foreigners. Not just any foreigners, but Americans. Albanians really like America, unlike much of Europe it seems.
We had dinner and dessert (crepes—yum!) and headed back to the hotel. Emily and I were exhausted and just wanted to relax and wind down since we’d been up so early, especially from the storms the night before. So when we got back, we put on our pajamas and sat on the beds to turn the TV on but it didn’t work. So instead we ended up playing a travel game I’d brought along (magnetic Ludo, which is the same as Trouble without the little popper thing in the middle). Then we read a little bit and decided to go to bed.
That’s when things really got started. Haha! We got the giggles. And it was more than the giggles, it was an outright laugh factory. We started telling funny stories from high school, then we ended up signing fight songs from various schools, then we ended up just singing some random songs, then we got talking about how so many children’s songs and stories are so disturbing (ie. Ring Around The Rosy, or the song Mr. Johnny Von Beck, or the story about the lady buried in the Shkodra Castle in Albania). Then we started laughing even harder because we remembered that the door to the balcony was open. There was no fan or air conditioner in the room so we’d opened the door since they don’t have the mosquito problem that the Midwest does. It was raining so the breeze was nice. But with the door open, we realized that anyone else with their door open could hear us. Hahaha!!!
So we fell asleep really late and ended up meeting an hour later than we’d planned to the next morning. When we weren't going to be ready by 8am, we sent Pastor a text that said we'd meet later. lol We met Pastor and Mrs. Ahlers at 9am and headed to do some more exploring in Budva, besides what we’d done during our hotel search the night before. We went to Old Town Budva. Old Town Budva is right on the sea and it was the original fortress of Budva. When I say right on the sea, I mean that the sea crashes into the city wall. It’s all old buildings but many of them have been restored and updated. The streets are super narrow, walking room only, and many of the buildings have been turned into stores, restaurants, art galleries, and bar kafes. It was awesome because it was really a perfect mix of an ancient setting with modern attractions.
We ate breakfast there outside under some umbrella tables. Our timing was perfect because just as we sat down and were given menus, it started pouring. I didn’t feel so hot that morning, but my breakfast was very good though. I ordered toast with honey and a cappuccino. It was quite tasty! We took our time and enjoyed ourselves because we weren’t on a time schedule. When we were finished, we kept walking around the old town and looking in shops here and there. Then we got to the bigger buildings by the coast that have been kept more traditional. There were churches, though they were closed, and the big towered part of the fortress. We took some pictures and then walked out of the fortress to follow a path along the beach and the sea for a little while.
I have traveled a pretty decent amount in the states for my age. I’ve seen the Grand Canyon, been to Southern California, Seattle and the surrounding area, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Bar Harbor in Maine, Boston, big East coast cities, Niagara Falls, New Orleans after Katrina hit, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park in Canada, and other beautiful locales, but this path around the edge of the sea in Budva, Montenegro tops them all. I’m sure my pictures won’t do it justice, but it was a scene I will never forget. The Sea was crashing on the rocks, and you could look across and see Old Town Budva, behind it modern Budva, and behind that the mountains with clouds covering the top. The sea was laid out before it like a blanket of blue green jewels. And as the waves rolled up to the shore, you could see through the clear water. Once they crashed on the rocks, the water just turned white. The sound was beautiful and, combined with the scenery, it just painted a spectacular picture. It was obvious that only the hand of God could paint such a picture.
After that, we went back to Old Town Budva and paid the two Euros to go up to the top of the fortress part, right on the edge of the wall on the sea. The views were gorgeous so I took more pictures. The pictures were thanks to Pastor because as we were walking on the path, my camera ran out of memory! Oh no! But when we walked back, pastor remembered another memory card that he had in his car, so my pictures from that point on are all courtesy of Pastor Ahlers and his thoughtfulness in loaning me the memory card. I even took a video from the very top because I could see 360 degrees over the city and the sea. I’ll post it for you to look at. Just don’t bash the camera work—I’m not a pro. I did try to go slow and stay as steady as possible, but I was standing on the base of a flagpole and it was windy.
After that, we got back in the car because we knew that we’d seen the best Budva had to offer. I’ll save the details of the ride home for later because this is getting long and we stopped to see some other sights on the way home. I hope I still have your attention because this story isn’t done yet! :)
To catch you up on the registration process here, we had another 7 or 8 students sign up today. We have gotten a lot of children so far, which is good, but it would be nice to have a few adults as well, especially since our main goal is outreach for the church. But the children really like coming here and they even come on their own to church. God uses people of all ages, so I will teach whoever shows up in my classroom. And besides, if I know the kids, I might get to know a few of the parents too. We also have a little plan to reach them too. I explain that later as well. ;) Now you have no choice but to read my next entry because I’ll finish two stories! Hee hee!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Montenegro -- Part 1
Before I keep my promise to write about my trip to Montenegro, I better warn you that this will probably be a little long. But you’re so used to that by now that you probably just expect it from me, right? ;) Well, now that that’s out of the way, on to my adventure!
Emily and I headed over to Pastor’s house for English church on Sunday morning. We planned to start church at 9am, which isn’t all that early. But we had monstrous thunderstorms the night before. Since buildings here are made of cement, not wood and insulation, the thunder was super loud. Just obnoxious. If it had been a normal thunderstorm, I think I would have been able to sleep through it. However, since this one was monstrous, it shook the shelves and lights, blew windows open, and subsequently created a huge puddle out of the bathroom floor and the kitchen floor. We were awakened around 5:30am and cleaned things up a little bit and went back to bed when things quieted down around 6am. This made for a short little early morning nap before we got up to get ready and pack around 7:30am. But we managed and made it to the Ahlers’ on time for church.
It was drizzling as we walked over there and during church, and it was sprinkling by the time we loaded the car and hopped in to leave. The drive through Albania was not really anything special. We went through the smaller town areas and saw the large number of unfinished buildings. I mentioned such buildings in an earlier entry and on this trip I found out that they are just as common in villages and small towns as they are in bigger cities like Tirana and Durres. Also, we saw tons of bunkers. People aren’t kidding when they say Albania is the land of bunkers. I now understand why miniature ones are for sale in bookstores, souvenir shops, and gift shops. We even saw some of the really big ones that are large enough for vehicles to drive in to.
The border crossing was teeny tiny little buildings, but that was because it’s under construction. Albania and Montenegro are building a joint border patrol and crossing so there was a lot of construction around where we had to drive and get our passports checked. We had no problems and soon enough we went through “no man’s land” and were in Montenegro. When we were in “no man’s land” Pastor said, “Alright! Now we can do whatever we want!” And Emily replied, “You know that black line between the countries on the map? That’s where we are now.” It was funny because it’s actually true. It’s international land. Lol
So anyway, driving through Montenegro was interesting. Although their roads are much better paved and marked with signs and they drive in a more civilized fashion than Albanians, they don’t have as much control over their animals. We saw all sorts of animals in the road at random times with out people present. Sheep, donkeys, cows, dogs, chickens…Yeah, that pretty much sums up the barnyard animals that were just chillin’ on the road. It was funny though.
Then, all of a sudden we drove around this corner in the mountains and there it was, an absolutely gorgeous view of the Adriatic Sea and the coastal mountains. It would have been nicer if it had been sunnier, but it wasn’t raining at that point so we had a clear cloudy view, if that makes sense.
We were starving by that point and stopped at the restaurant that pastor always stops at according to his wife. It was at the top of the mountain and had amazing views of the sea. Even though it was chilly out, we sat outside to enjoy it. It was just so relaxing to sit there and look out over the sea with the chilly breeze pushing my hair in my face. Also, right below the balcony we were dining on was a little grove of lime trees in someone’s yard. It was so cute! Plus, I’d never seen a lime tree before. And across the street was one of many olive groves we passed. I’d never seen olive trees before either. They are something else with their gnarled trunks and the crooked way they grow. They also have tiny leaves that are whitish green. It reminded me of the color of the back side of silver maple leaves that you see when the wind blows in a good summer rain storm.
We left the restaurant and decided we’d head towards Budva (pr. BOOD-vah) instead of Ulqin (pr. ool-CHEEN). Ulqin is a beach city and since the weather that day was definitely not beach weather, we all agreed that Budva would be more enjoyable. We headed in that direction and made it to the city of Bar. Bar is the biggest port city of Montenegro. It’s probably also the biggest port city for Serbia as well because when Montenegro split from Serbia, it made Serbia a land locked country. Anyway, now that you have that little fun fact in your head for future trivia games, let me just say that we ended up stopping in Bar. :)
We kept seeing signs for Stari Bar, or Old Town Bar. We tried following them but instead we ended up at the site of some Olive trees. They wanted us to pay a Euro to get in, but since we could see everything from the street (it was just a little park with a low fence around it) we decided to get the same pictures from the street for free. We found out thanks to a poorly translated sign that the tree in the center is around 2000 years old and is most likely the oldest tree in Europe.
Once we’d seen that, we continued the hunt for Stari Bar. We found it. Stari Bar is the old, original city of Bar, complete with fortress walls and lookouts around it. They use a combination of the Latin alphabet and the Cyrillic alphabet in Montenegro and unfortunately for us, everything at Stari Bar was in the Cyrillic alphabet so I couldn’t read any of the real history. But I did read on something that it is kept preserved as a historical site by some historical society (go figure) and that it was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1979 but that it has been around for centuries.
That place was awesome! I have always wanted to see ruins of someplace really really old and I finally have! I just have to say that it is fascinating being in a part of the world that has ancient history and buildings that go with. Don’t get me wrong, I love America, but buildings with plaques that say “built in 1864” or whatever just won’t get me all that excited anymore. Even buildings on the east cost from the 1700s aren’t as much of a thrill as the sites here. Haha! God bless the USA, but Asia Minor and Europe started it all. ;) It’s really astounding to think that I’m in a part of the world that was once ruled by the Roman Empire and once by the Ottoman Empire as well. Wow! And then when you think about how close Albania is to Greece….WOW!!! St. Paul and other people who knew Jesus traveled this part of the world!
Stari Bar was absolutely fascinating to me. I can’t describe it fully without being able to narrate my pictures. But I will post the link to the photo albums of this trip and will do my best to write clear concise captions describing things as well. Just be a little patient with me. The fortress at Stari Bar was so old that it had places for archers to sit and the little narrow holes they shot through that branch off to the sides to people can shoot out but not in. In side the fortress was a complete city. There were little churches and pathways and it was just amazing. It was hard to believe I was finally at a place like that! While we were exploring there (They didn’t have tours or anything. You just paid two Euros and could wander around on your own for as long as you wanted.) it was lightly raining for awhile but I don’t even really remember noticing it because I had an umbrella and because I was so entranced with my surroundings.
When we left there, we stopped at this cute little place for ice cream. There was a steep cobblestone road coming up to the entrance of Stari Bar. You couldn’t drive on it, just walking was allowed, but it was adorable. It had houses that people still live in, tourist shops, bar kafes, and restaurants. But because of the Cyrillic alphabet, I couldn’t understand it all. Emily could at least pronounce things because she knows that alphabet from when she lived in Bulgaria. But they use the same Cyrillic symbols that Russia uses so there were some she didn’t know so well. The funny part was that when we went in to get ice cream, the lady didn’t speak English or understand a little Albanian, but she understood the Bulgarian that Emily remembered. All of a sudden Emily just started talking to the lady and I realized it wasn’t Albanian. I laughed right out loud when I realized what was happening. :)
I told you this was going to be long, and I wasn’t lying. I was so tired when we got back last night that I just had to wait 'til today to start writing this story. But now, after our first day of registration, I’m tired and need to rest. Plus, I fear that if I continue this post, you’ll stop reading and will then miss out on the fascinating tale in its entirety. ;) Just kidding. But I do want you to read the whole thing without getting bored, but I’m tired and need to stop now if I want to be awake through another day of registration tomorrow. We had over 15 people come and register today which was more than we were expecting! We’ll see how tomorrow goes.
Now that I know I have your attention with such a cliffhanger, I know you won’t want to miss out on the rest of my Montenegro escapade so I’ll “see” you here tomorrow—same time, same channel. Lol :)
Emily and I headed over to Pastor’s house for English church on Sunday morning. We planned to start church at 9am, which isn’t all that early. But we had monstrous thunderstorms the night before. Since buildings here are made of cement, not wood and insulation, the thunder was super loud. Just obnoxious. If it had been a normal thunderstorm, I think I would have been able to sleep through it. However, since this one was monstrous, it shook the shelves and lights, blew windows open, and subsequently created a huge puddle out of the bathroom floor and the kitchen floor. We were awakened around 5:30am and cleaned things up a little bit and went back to bed when things quieted down around 6am. This made for a short little early morning nap before we got up to get ready and pack around 7:30am. But we managed and made it to the Ahlers’ on time for church.
It was drizzling as we walked over there and during church, and it was sprinkling by the time we loaded the car and hopped in to leave. The drive through Albania was not really anything special. We went through the smaller town areas and saw the large number of unfinished buildings. I mentioned such buildings in an earlier entry and on this trip I found out that they are just as common in villages and small towns as they are in bigger cities like Tirana and Durres. Also, we saw tons of bunkers. People aren’t kidding when they say Albania is the land of bunkers. I now understand why miniature ones are for sale in bookstores, souvenir shops, and gift shops. We even saw some of the really big ones that are large enough for vehicles to drive in to.
The border crossing was teeny tiny little buildings, but that was because it’s under construction. Albania and Montenegro are building a joint border patrol and crossing so there was a lot of construction around where we had to drive and get our passports checked. We had no problems and soon enough we went through “no man’s land” and were in Montenegro. When we were in “no man’s land” Pastor said, “Alright! Now we can do whatever we want!” And Emily replied, “You know that black line between the countries on the map? That’s where we are now.” It was funny because it’s actually true. It’s international land. Lol
So anyway, driving through Montenegro was interesting. Although their roads are much better paved and marked with signs and they drive in a more civilized fashion than Albanians, they don’t have as much control over their animals. We saw all sorts of animals in the road at random times with out people present. Sheep, donkeys, cows, dogs, chickens…Yeah, that pretty much sums up the barnyard animals that were just chillin’ on the road. It was funny though.
Then, all of a sudden we drove around this corner in the mountains and there it was, an absolutely gorgeous view of the Adriatic Sea and the coastal mountains. It would have been nicer if it had been sunnier, but it wasn’t raining at that point so we had a clear cloudy view, if that makes sense.
We were starving by that point and stopped at the restaurant that pastor always stops at according to his wife. It was at the top of the mountain and had amazing views of the sea. Even though it was chilly out, we sat outside to enjoy it. It was just so relaxing to sit there and look out over the sea with the chilly breeze pushing my hair in my face. Also, right below the balcony we were dining on was a little grove of lime trees in someone’s yard. It was so cute! Plus, I’d never seen a lime tree before. And across the street was one of many olive groves we passed. I’d never seen olive trees before either. They are something else with their gnarled trunks and the crooked way they grow. They also have tiny leaves that are whitish green. It reminded me of the color of the back side of silver maple leaves that you see when the wind blows in a good summer rain storm.
We left the restaurant and decided we’d head towards Budva (pr. BOOD-vah) instead of Ulqin (pr. ool-CHEEN). Ulqin is a beach city and since the weather that day was definitely not beach weather, we all agreed that Budva would be more enjoyable. We headed in that direction and made it to the city of Bar. Bar is the biggest port city of Montenegro. It’s probably also the biggest port city for Serbia as well because when Montenegro split from Serbia, it made Serbia a land locked country. Anyway, now that you have that little fun fact in your head for future trivia games, let me just say that we ended up stopping in Bar. :)
We kept seeing signs for Stari Bar, or Old Town Bar. We tried following them but instead we ended up at the site of some Olive trees. They wanted us to pay a Euro to get in, but since we could see everything from the street (it was just a little park with a low fence around it) we decided to get the same pictures from the street for free. We found out thanks to a poorly translated sign that the tree in the center is around 2000 years old and is most likely the oldest tree in Europe.
Once we’d seen that, we continued the hunt for Stari Bar. We found it. Stari Bar is the old, original city of Bar, complete with fortress walls and lookouts around it. They use a combination of the Latin alphabet and the Cyrillic alphabet in Montenegro and unfortunately for us, everything at Stari Bar was in the Cyrillic alphabet so I couldn’t read any of the real history. But I did read on something that it is kept preserved as a historical site by some historical society (go figure) and that it was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1979 but that it has been around for centuries.
That place was awesome! I have always wanted to see ruins of someplace really really old and I finally have! I just have to say that it is fascinating being in a part of the world that has ancient history and buildings that go with. Don’t get me wrong, I love America, but buildings with plaques that say “built in 1864” or whatever just won’t get me all that excited anymore. Even buildings on the east cost from the 1700s aren’t as much of a thrill as the sites here. Haha! God bless the USA, but Asia Minor and Europe started it all. ;) It’s really astounding to think that I’m in a part of the world that was once ruled by the Roman Empire and once by the Ottoman Empire as well. Wow! And then when you think about how close Albania is to Greece….WOW!!! St. Paul and other people who knew Jesus traveled this part of the world!
Stari Bar was absolutely fascinating to me. I can’t describe it fully without being able to narrate my pictures. But I will post the link to the photo albums of this trip and will do my best to write clear concise captions describing things as well. Just be a little patient with me. The fortress at Stari Bar was so old that it had places for archers to sit and the little narrow holes they shot through that branch off to the sides to people can shoot out but not in. In side the fortress was a complete city. There were little churches and pathways and it was just amazing. It was hard to believe I was finally at a place like that! While we were exploring there (They didn’t have tours or anything. You just paid two Euros and could wander around on your own for as long as you wanted.) it was lightly raining for awhile but I don’t even really remember noticing it because I had an umbrella and because I was so entranced with my surroundings.
When we left there, we stopped at this cute little place for ice cream. There was a steep cobblestone road coming up to the entrance of Stari Bar. You couldn’t drive on it, just walking was allowed, but it was adorable. It had houses that people still live in, tourist shops, bar kafes, and restaurants. But because of the Cyrillic alphabet, I couldn’t understand it all. Emily could at least pronounce things because she knows that alphabet from when she lived in Bulgaria. But they use the same Cyrillic symbols that Russia uses so there were some she didn’t know so well. The funny part was that when we went in to get ice cream, the lady didn’t speak English or understand a little Albanian, but she understood the Bulgarian that Emily remembered. All of a sudden Emily just started talking to the lady and I realized it wasn’t Albanian. I laughed right out loud when I realized what was happening. :)
I told you this was going to be long, and I wasn’t lying. I was so tired when we got back last night that I just had to wait 'til today to start writing this story. But now, after our first day of registration, I’m tired and need to rest. Plus, I fear that if I continue this post, you’ll stop reading and will then miss out on the fascinating tale in its entirety. ;) Just kidding. But I do want you to read the whole thing without getting bored, but I’m tired and need to stop now if I want to be awake through another day of registration tomorrow. We had over 15 people come and register today which was more than we were expecting! We’ll see how tomorrow goes.
Now that I know I have your attention with such a cliffhanger, I know you won’t want to miss out on the rest of my Montenegro escapade so I’ll “see” you here tomorrow—same time, same channel. Lol :)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Getting Ready
Around here, Emily and I have been getting ready for a lot of things lately. We have registration next week Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10-4 for our English classes. The reason there's so much time isn't because we think we'll be really busy each day, but because people here are really busy between work, family, school, etc. That way they just have a big window of time to come and register.
To prepare for those days, we put together a placement test, a student information sheet that they will need to fill out, and other odds and ends that need to be taken care of before then. Since we'll be at the church during those times for three days, we're trying to do as many things as possible to get ready to turn the church into our classroom. When we worked at church earlier this week, I organized the supplies while Emily worked on the fliers we handed out. So that's done. Now I've tackled making bulletin boards out of wall space. It's actually pretty fun because I like that sort of thing.
We've also been getting ready for a little vacation. I need to leave the country before the 16th (Tuesday) because that's when my 30 days of being a tourist are over. Since my residency papers haven't been completely processed yet, I need to leave the country and come back. I could literally cross the border and turn right back around and come right in, but pastor had a different idea. I told him my 30 days were almost up and he said, "Oh, darn! Looks like we'll have to make a trip to Montenegro!" :) So we're heading out tomorrow morning around 10 or 10:30 and we'll come back sometime on Monday. From what I gather, it's kind of his tradition that he takes the Kingdom Workers to Montenegro near the end of their initial 30 days. I keep hearing that it's just outrageously beautiful, but the forecast is predicting rain. That's ok though. I'll still be able to see everything, even if I can't spend time outside walking around. I'm looking forward to it.
I've also been busy practicing my bike riding. No injuries or anything so far. Not even any close calls. It's not nearly as bad as I thought, but so far I've been avoiding the really congested areas. We rode to the Artificial Lake the other day (aka Big Park). Today we rode around on a few errands. Emily's a good leader because she knows the easiest ways to maneuver through places.
And I've been busy meeting more new people. :) Emily knew them already, but we got together with them plus Lejda and Aida. So here are a few more people to add to the cast of characters:
Tim & Helen - They are a married couple from England who have lived here for a few years. They work with the Baptist church so they know Lejda very well. They are very friendly and are only a few years older than me. I also found out that they play Settler's of Catan so a game night is now in the works. Tim seems like a bit of a teaser and Helen loves to laugh so I'm really hoping we get to spend more time with them because they seem like a lot of fun!
Lori - She has been here a couple years already and plans to stay a couple more. She teaches math and is closely associaated with the Baptist church as well, though I'm not sure if she works for the church. Lori is from the States and, along with Emily, is a big fan of Mexican food so we're also planning a Mexican night. I've run into her a few times before since she lives basically right behind us. It was nice to have a chance to talk to her more. She has some incredible stories!
Aside from all the getting ready and meeting people, I haven't been feeling particularly well yesterday or today. Hopefully it's just nerves as it gets time to start everything and really get the ball rolling for the year. I'm hoping and praying that once things are in full swing I will feel like myself finally. I just haven't feel 100% since I arrived. For the time being, I'm chalking it up to the overwhelming change and adjustment plus the little bit of nerves about teaching. But please, keep me (and Emily) in your prayers that I may feel strong and healthy soon so that I can do my best work and have energy too. :)
Check back Monday night to read my notes from Montenegro!
To prepare for those days, we put together a placement test, a student information sheet that they will need to fill out, and other odds and ends that need to be taken care of before then. Since we'll be at the church during those times for three days, we're trying to do as many things as possible to get ready to turn the church into our classroom. When we worked at church earlier this week, I organized the supplies while Emily worked on the fliers we handed out. So that's done. Now I've tackled making bulletin boards out of wall space. It's actually pretty fun because I like that sort of thing.
We've also been getting ready for a little vacation. I need to leave the country before the 16th (Tuesday) because that's when my 30 days of being a tourist are over. Since my residency papers haven't been completely processed yet, I need to leave the country and come back. I could literally cross the border and turn right back around and come right in, but pastor had a different idea. I told him my 30 days were almost up and he said, "Oh, darn! Looks like we'll have to make a trip to Montenegro!" :) So we're heading out tomorrow morning around 10 or 10:30 and we'll come back sometime on Monday. From what I gather, it's kind of his tradition that he takes the Kingdom Workers to Montenegro near the end of their initial 30 days. I keep hearing that it's just outrageously beautiful, but the forecast is predicting rain. That's ok though. I'll still be able to see everything, even if I can't spend time outside walking around. I'm looking forward to it.
I've also been busy practicing my bike riding. No injuries or anything so far. Not even any close calls. It's not nearly as bad as I thought, but so far I've been avoiding the really congested areas. We rode to the Artificial Lake the other day (aka Big Park). Today we rode around on a few errands. Emily's a good leader because she knows the easiest ways to maneuver through places.
And I've been busy meeting more new people. :) Emily knew them already, but we got together with them plus Lejda and Aida. So here are a few more people to add to the cast of characters:
Tim & Helen - They are a married couple from England who have lived here for a few years. They work with the Baptist church so they know Lejda very well. They are very friendly and are only a few years older than me. I also found out that they play Settler's of Catan so a game night is now in the works. Tim seems like a bit of a teaser and Helen loves to laugh so I'm really hoping we get to spend more time with them because they seem like a lot of fun!
Lori - She has been here a couple years already and plans to stay a couple more. She teaches math and is closely associaated with the Baptist church as well, though I'm not sure if she works for the church. Lori is from the States and, along with Emily, is a big fan of Mexican food so we're also planning a Mexican night. I've run into her a few times before since she lives basically right behind us. It was nice to have a chance to talk to her more. She has some incredible stories!
Aside from all the getting ready and meeting people, I haven't been feeling particularly well yesterday or today. Hopefully it's just nerves as it gets time to start everything and really get the ball rolling for the year. I'm hoping and praying that once things are in full swing I will feel like myself finally. I just haven't feel 100% since I arrived. For the time being, I'm chalking it up to the overwhelming change and adjustment plus the little bit of nerves about teaching. But please, keep me (and Emily) in your prayers that I may feel strong and healthy soon so that I can do my best work and have energy too. :)
Check back Monday night to read my notes from Montenegro!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Little Drummer Boys
To give you a little background on Albania, I need to explain some "facts" first. If you look up information about Albania, you will see that Albania claims to be around 70% Muslim. I say "claims" to be because every source gives a different number near that range. But mostly I say "claims" because that's exactly what people say. They say they're Muslim, but they are non practicing. For example, we hear the call to prayer when the wind is right, or when we're walking somewhere close to a mosque, but I have yet to see a single person bow or kneel on a mat or pray or even turn and start walking in the general direction of a mosque. People just keep going about their business. I do see people dressed as Muslims do, but besides that, there is no visual witness that 70% of Albanians are Muslims. In fact, every Albanian I've met says that not many people are Muslim at all. They say what I just said--that people say they are but don't practice any part of the Islamic faith. In fact, on any given day, you're bound to see more people wearing crosses (probably because they're Catholic or Orthodox) than you will see in Muslim garb.
Despite the non-practicing Muslims, those who take their beliefs a little more seriously are taking part in Ramadan right now. How does this affect me, you're wondering? Very little, actually. Daily life on the street has stayed the same except for two small things. First of all, I will randomly see boys or men walking around banging on drums. It has been explained to me that this is done to remind the Muslims that it is Ramadan. They did this drumming much more last week and over the weekend. For now, the drummer boys have slowed down a bit. But a few mornings I was awakened to the sound of drums. Not quite the wake up call I'm used to, but it could be worse. (Like an air horn....although I did sleep through one of those going off right outside my door once...) The only other change I've noticed is that there are more beggars. Many more poor people, invalids, or gypsy people will sit on the street, especially the main streets or on streets around the mosques, and beg. That probably accounts for why Emily and I were kind of attacked by those kids last week. The reason more beggars come out now is because, as it has been explained to me, during Ramadan Muslims are supposed to be extra generous and give more to the needy.
The other big process I learned about recently was buying a bike. I mentioned that Aida was going to take Emily and I out to help me buy a bike. She kept her promise. Emily brought along the bike Laura used last year so we could try a trade in to get a better price on my bike. Laura was much shorter than me and her bike was too small for me. The first place we went had a few very nice, semi expensive bikes, but the man wouldn't give us anything for the other bike. The second place would give us a decent price but didn't have any good enough bikes for me to show any serious interest. The third place at first said they would give us 2000 leke (pr. LEK) for the bike. Emily told Aida to ask for 2500 leke. The guy said yes but he needed to check with the older man who was also there. The older man, probably the younger guy's dad, said no, only 1000. We were like, forget it. So we started to walk away. Then he called after us, "Ok, ok, 2000." They had a bike I liked so they gave us 2000 off that bike and took Laura's bike. He also put a new seat on the bike for me for free. By American standards, it's a men's style bike, with the bar straight across, but here no one pays any attention to that.
Then we bought a good lock for the bike and Aida took me down the street to buy a bell. Everyone has bells on their bikes here because of the crazy traffic. You ring your bell at people or cars to get out of your way or let them know you're coming. It's kind of like how the drivers honk for absolutely any little thing--cars, buses, bikes, people--I think they just honk for the sake of honking. It's crazy. Aida said my bell is very good, that it will wake people up in their homes if I ride in the mornings. lol She said that's why she took me to that guy to buy the bell because she knew he has the best ones. So I have a bike with a lock and a bell.
It reminds me of the bike I had since 3rd grade at home. It's black and neon pink. It's used, as almost all bikes here are, so it has some scratches. But it's a very good one because the brakes work well, the wheels spin straight, it has wider tires, it has a holder for a water bottle, and it has very nice rather new fenders. Bikes here have fenders because of all the dust, dirt, gravel, and because people ride when it's wet or even in the rain. So for 7650 lek (which means less than $76.50). I have a new form of transportation. :) Thank goodness! The buses here have no air conditioning, mostly windows that don't open, few vents on the top, and many times are packed with more people than should be legal. They don't have the same concept of personal space here that Americans do either. Haha! Since it's been so hot here anyway, many bus rides have been very unpleasant just because you get so stinkin' hot and sweaty. Yesterday was especially awful. It was just stifling. As Emily said once we got home, "I think there's probably a special spot in hell that is Tirana buses." She was joking of course so we got a good laugh out of that one.
We spent a lot of time in the heat yesterday as it was our day to go walking around handing out fliers about our English classes. We decided to focus on the Lapraka neighborhood of Tirana which is the neighborhood across the street from the church. Olsa and Neda had said they would help us. That was good because they obviously speak Albanian and we don't, so if people had questions, those two could talk.
All four of us met at church and took a stack of fliers. They were printed on one side in Albanian and on the other side in English. Emily and Neda teamed up and went one direction and Olsa and I teamed up and went the other direction. We decided to meet back at that particular corner in 20 minutes. A short time, but it was so hot that we thought that would be a good time for a break if we needed it.
Olsa and I started walking and right away someone asked us for a paper. They were just curious, but hey! That's good! So we walked and handed them to people we passed. Our strategy was simply to smile at people because smiling is a universal language. We came across a small pool hall. (Billiard Bars, as they're called, are fairly popular here.) There were three teenage boys inside so I said "Let's take some in there." Olsa was a little timid because they were her age, so I just went in, said "Mire dita!" (Good day) and handed three fliers to the boy who was sitting at a table. Then I smiled and left. We started walking away and the boy came out and said something to Olsa. He gave her two fliers back and said, "We can share so you have more to share." Then a boy around 11 ran up and asked for one. He had some question for Olsa and then she told him I was one of the teachers. I waved and smiled at him so he did the same back.
We kept walking and handing some out. Then we ran into a spot with very few people so we started putting them on car windshields. We thought we were doing pretty good as we were walking back to meet the other two. But then we saw them and they were all out of fliers! We had given out a little over half of ours, but theirs were gone. Neda saw us, shook her head at us, took our fliers, and by the time we were back at church, she had them all gone! lol Wow! Sometimes it's a good thing she's so bold. She loves doing things for the church too. She really truly wants to tell everyone about it. That's so awesome. :)
There is a bar kafe next to the church that we go to often to get water or Nescafe or other coffee drinks. The bar tender there asked Agron about our classes for him and about 4 of his friends. Even though they're close to our age, which could be akward since we're foreigners and have been warned about not talking to Albanian men, Agron said they could come to our class. He knows them well enough to know that they really just want to learn English and and Emily and I have been in the kafe enough to know they probably wouldn't try anything sneaky or say anything inappropriate, especially since Agron is there during our classes. So I went in and gave the guy a flier before we left. He usually tries to say an English word or two when we're in there. So I said, "For you" and gave it to him. He said, "For me?" I said, "Po" (yes) and handed it to him. When we came back, two of his friends were with him so I gave him two more. He smiled.
All total we handed out 150 fliers and put two big posters on the door to church, one in English, one in Albanian. Next week Tuesday through Thursday is registration, so we'll see what kind of response we get. I really have no idea. Emily and I did take 3 extra medium sized posters home with us. One is so we have a final copy of the info we handed out (smart, huh? lol) and the other two are for people around here.
There is one man at the sufflaqe shop (sufflaqe, pr. soo-FLAH-chay, is an Albanian fast food. It's like a gyro only there are a few french fries folded into it as well. He speaks some English and always talks to us. He's a nice man and is used to foreigners because there are a decent number of them in our neighborhood since it's a very safe section of Tirana. We thought he might be interested in classes because it could help his business and because sometimes, Emily said, he asks how to say things. Then we took another one for a guy we met on Monday, Jim, who lives in the apartment building across the street from ours. He heard us speaking English and stopped to ask us about it. Turns out, he lived in the states for while (NJ, near the PA border) and his wife is American. They recently moved back here for business. She has 2 masters degrees, but I forgot the subject area, and he has two bachelors degrees but didn't say in what. His English was very good and he has 2 young children that he wants to learn both languages. His oldest is his 7 year old daughter who was catching on quickly in the States and he wants her to continue in lessons besides at school. His wife can teache her too, but he wants her to have more opportunities to converse with people in English and be around other children who are learning to speak both languages. We'll see what comes of it. He invited us to come visit any time and suggested that his family and Emily and I all meet for coffee at the little place just down the street sometime. Maybe we're about to make more friends. :) He was wearing an American shirt and had American mannerisms like shaking hands and other classic American hand gestures when speaking. Overall, not very sketchy at all. Whew!
I should mention that Monday night we met Lejda at Taiwani for drinks. (Not drinks like Americans think of, but coffee drinks, or iced tea, or soda. Or people will say they are meeting for coffee and if they are meeting at a bar kafe. Remember that for future reference.) I really like her! She is super easy to talk to, she's extremely talkative, and funny to boot! We got on all sorts of funny topics! She's part of the Baptist church here and works there part time too. She is very spiritually grounded and is a wonderful example that even though people might not emphasize the same details we do, she knows the truth. She knows Jesus is her Savior, that he died for her sins, and that he'll come back for us. Emily told me that the only things she doesn't fully understand about our beliefs are--take a guess. Yep. Communion and baptism. So while we don't feel a huge push to try to convert her or anything, I mean, she does know the important part, it's nice to hang out with someone who has the same values system and has the same morals. It's nice to be around someone with the same mindset. There are many people here who don't know the truth at all and those are the people we really need to share with. But we had a blast with Lejda and are excited that we already decided to get together again on Friday.
Whew! This was a long one but there were many stories to tell and much to explain! I'm off to bed because tomorrow is a work day for Emily and I. We're going to ride bikes to Big Park (Remember that story? Haha! ;) Too funny!) for practice. It will be my first time taking the bike out and braving the unpredictable Tirana traffic. Plus we can bike around the park where things are under control. And there is a kafe there where we can stop and work on our planning for a while. We're creating a placement test so I need to be well rested tomorrow. I have to remember things like simple past tense, present perfect tense, irregular verbs, etc. It's been awhile....I feel old. ;) So until tomorrow, goodnight and sleep tight!
Despite the non-practicing Muslims, those who take their beliefs a little more seriously are taking part in Ramadan right now. How does this affect me, you're wondering? Very little, actually. Daily life on the street has stayed the same except for two small things. First of all, I will randomly see boys or men walking around banging on drums. It has been explained to me that this is done to remind the Muslims that it is Ramadan. They did this drumming much more last week and over the weekend. For now, the drummer boys have slowed down a bit. But a few mornings I was awakened to the sound of drums. Not quite the wake up call I'm used to, but it could be worse. (Like an air horn....although I did sleep through one of those going off right outside my door once...) The only other change I've noticed is that there are more beggars. Many more poor people, invalids, or gypsy people will sit on the street, especially the main streets or on streets around the mosques, and beg. That probably accounts for why Emily and I were kind of attacked by those kids last week. The reason more beggars come out now is because, as it has been explained to me, during Ramadan Muslims are supposed to be extra generous and give more to the needy.
The other big process I learned about recently was buying a bike. I mentioned that Aida was going to take Emily and I out to help me buy a bike. She kept her promise. Emily brought along the bike Laura used last year so we could try a trade in to get a better price on my bike. Laura was much shorter than me and her bike was too small for me. The first place we went had a few very nice, semi expensive bikes, but the man wouldn't give us anything for the other bike. The second place would give us a decent price but didn't have any good enough bikes for me to show any serious interest. The third place at first said they would give us 2000 leke (pr. LEK) for the bike. Emily told Aida to ask for 2500 leke. The guy said yes but he needed to check with the older man who was also there. The older man, probably the younger guy's dad, said no, only 1000. We were like, forget it. So we started to walk away. Then he called after us, "Ok, ok, 2000." They had a bike I liked so they gave us 2000 off that bike and took Laura's bike. He also put a new seat on the bike for me for free. By American standards, it's a men's style bike, with the bar straight across, but here no one pays any attention to that.
Then we bought a good lock for the bike and Aida took me down the street to buy a bell. Everyone has bells on their bikes here because of the crazy traffic. You ring your bell at people or cars to get out of your way or let them know you're coming. It's kind of like how the drivers honk for absolutely any little thing--cars, buses, bikes, people--I think they just honk for the sake of honking. It's crazy. Aida said my bell is very good, that it will wake people up in their homes if I ride in the mornings. lol She said that's why she took me to that guy to buy the bell because she knew he has the best ones. So I have a bike with a lock and a bell.
It reminds me of the bike I had since 3rd grade at home. It's black and neon pink. It's used, as almost all bikes here are, so it has some scratches. But it's a very good one because the brakes work well, the wheels spin straight, it has wider tires, it has a holder for a water bottle, and it has very nice rather new fenders. Bikes here have fenders because of all the dust, dirt, gravel, and because people ride when it's wet or even in the rain. So for 7650 lek (which means less than $76.50). I have a new form of transportation. :) Thank goodness! The buses here have no air conditioning, mostly windows that don't open, few vents on the top, and many times are packed with more people than should be legal. They don't have the same concept of personal space here that Americans do either. Haha! Since it's been so hot here anyway, many bus rides have been very unpleasant just because you get so stinkin' hot and sweaty. Yesterday was especially awful. It was just stifling. As Emily said once we got home, "I think there's probably a special spot in hell that is Tirana buses." She was joking of course so we got a good laugh out of that one.
We spent a lot of time in the heat yesterday as it was our day to go walking around handing out fliers about our English classes. We decided to focus on the Lapraka neighborhood of Tirana which is the neighborhood across the street from the church. Olsa and Neda had said they would help us. That was good because they obviously speak Albanian and we don't, so if people had questions, those two could talk.
All four of us met at church and took a stack of fliers. They were printed on one side in Albanian and on the other side in English. Emily and Neda teamed up and went one direction and Olsa and I teamed up and went the other direction. We decided to meet back at that particular corner in 20 minutes. A short time, but it was so hot that we thought that would be a good time for a break if we needed it.
Olsa and I started walking and right away someone asked us for a paper. They were just curious, but hey! That's good! So we walked and handed them to people we passed. Our strategy was simply to smile at people because smiling is a universal language. We came across a small pool hall. (Billiard Bars, as they're called, are fairly popular here.) There were three teenage boys inside so I said "Let's take some in there." Olsa was a little timid because they were her age, so I just went in, said "Mire dita!" (Good day) and handed three fliers to the boy who was sitting at a table. Then I smiled and left. We started walking away and the boy came out and said something to Olsa. He gave her two fliers back and said, "We can share so you have more to share." Then a boy around 11 ran up and asked for one. He had some question for Olsa and then she told him I was one of the teachers. I waved and smiled at him so he did the same back.
We kept walking and handing some out. Then we ran into a spot with very few people so we started putting them on car windshields. We thought we were doing pretty good as we were walking back to meet the other two. But then we saw them and they were all out of fliers! We had given out a little over half of ours, but theirs were gone. Neda saw us, shook her head at us, took our fliers, and by the time we were back at church, she had them all gone! lol Wow! Sometimes it's a good thing she's so bold. She loves doing things for the church too. She really truly wants to tell everyone about it. That's so awesome. :)
There is a bar kafe next to the church that we go to often to get water or Nescafe or other coffee drinks. The bar tender there asked Agron about our classes for him and about 4 of his friends. Even though they're close to our age, which could be akward since we're foreigners and have been warned about not talking to Albanian men, Agron said they could come to our class. He knows them well enough to know that they really just want to learn English and and Emily and I have been in the kafe enough to know they probably wouldn't try anything sneaky or say anything inappropriate, especially since Agron is there during our classes. So I went in and gave the guy a flier before we left. He usually tries to say an English word or two when we're in there. So I said, "For you" and gave it to him. He said, "For me?" I said, "Po" (yes) and handed it to him. When we came back, two of his friends were with him so I gave him two more. He smiled.
All total we handed out 150 fliers and put two big posters on the door to church, one in English, one in Albanian. Next week Tuesday through Thursday is registration, so we'll see what kind of response we get. I really have no idea. Emily and I did take 3 extra medium sized posters home with us. One is so we have a final copy of the info we handed out (smart, huh? lol) and the other two are for people around here.
There is one man at the sufflaqe shop (sufflaqe, pr. soo-FLAH-chay, is an Albanian fast food. It's like a gyro only there are a few french fries folded into it as well. He speaks some English and always talks to us. He's a nice man and is used to foreigners because there are a decent number of them in our neighborhood since it's a very safe section of Tirana. We thought he might be interested in classes because it could help his business and because sometimes, Emily said, he asks how to say things. Then we took another one for a guy we met on Monday, Jim, who lives in the apartment building across the street from ours. He heard us speaking English and stopped to ask us about it. Turns out, he lived in the states for while (NJ, near the PA border) and his wife is American. They recently moved back here for business. She has 2 masters degrees, but I forgot the subject area, and he has two bachelors degrees but didn't say in what. His English was very good and he has 2 young children that he wants to learn both languages. His oldest is his 7 year old daughter who was catching on quickly in the States and he wants her to continue in lessons besides at school. His wife can teache her too, but he wants her to have more opportunities to converse with people in English and be around other children who are learning to speak both languages. We'll see what comes of it. He invited us to come visit any time and suggested that his family and Emily and I all meet for coffee at the little place just down the street sometime. Maybe we're about to make more friends. :) He was wearing an American shirt and had American mannerisms like shaking hands and other classic American hand gestures when speaking. Overall, not very sketchy at all. Whew!
I should mention that Monday night we met Lejda at Taiwani for drinks. (Not drinks like Americans think of, but coffee drinks, or iced tea, or soda. Or people will say they are meeting for coffee and if they are meeting at a bar kafe. Remember that for future reference.) I really like her! She is super easy to talk to, she's extremely talkative, and funny to boot! We got on all sorts of funny topics! She's part of the Baptist church here and works there part time too. She is very spiritually grounded and is a wonderful example that even though people might not emphasize the same details we do, she knows the truth. She knows Jesus is her Savior, that he died for her sins, and that he'll come back for us. Emily told me that the only things she doesn't fully understand about our beliefs are--take a guess. Yep. Communion and baptism. So while we don't feel a huge push to try to convert her or anything, I mean, she does know the important part, it's nice to hang out with someone who has the same values system and has the same morals. It's nice to be around someone with the same mindset. There are many people here who don't know the truth at all and those are the people we really need to share with. But we had a blast with Lejda and are excited that we already decided to get together again on Friday.
Whew! This was a long one but there were many stories to tell and much to explain! I'm off to bed because tomorrow is a work day for Emily and I. We're going to ride bikes to Big Park (Remember that story? Haha! ;) Too funny!) for practice. It will be my first time taking the bike out and braving the unpredictable Tirana traffic. Plus we can bike around the park where things are under control. And there is a kafe there where we can stop and work on our planning for a while. We're creating a placement test so I need to be well rested tomorrow. I have to remember things like simple past tense, present perfect tense, irregular verbs, etc. It's been awhile....I feel old. ;) So until tomorrow, goodnight and sleep tight!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Beach Day
This past Thursday, Agron and Vitori took us to Durres for a beach day on the Adriatic Sea. First of all, let me say that I got up on time and was there at the bus station on time. I know some of you doubted me. ;) Haha!
We had about an hour bus ride to Durres. However, we weren't at the beach yet. We had to take a second bus to get to the stop that was close to Vitori's brother's apartment. He has an apartment in a gated community. It's made up of some apartment buildings (We would call them condos because they own their apartments.) that people use mostly during the summer season. Some people go there in the winter just to relax, but they're more busy in the summer. So it was very nice and it was a quiet and relaxing place. We got ready there and made sure we had everything we needed and then we walked to the beach.
I have finally seen it. I've seen it and I've swam in it. What is it? The Adriatic Sea!!! I love traveling. It is my favorite thing to do. As a kid, I would sit and look at maps and pictures of places and tell myself that one day I would see those things. And now I really am seeing those things! It's so awesome!!!
We were there on an absolutely beautiful day. We got there early to get a good spot. We had a little beach umbrella. It looked like a little tropical hut and was just too cute. :) We got chairs and set up our area. It was such a relaxing day! Agron had also promised Olsa, Neda, and Ledio that he'd take them to Durres for a beach day, but Olsa couldn't come so it was just Neda and Ledio with Emily, Agron, Vitori, and I. We had fun all day eating snacks (I tried figs. Yum!), reading magazines, getting coffee drinks, napping in the sun, walking along the edge of the sea, playing SkipBo and Uno, collecting shells, and taking pictures. We even rented a paddle boat so Emily and I paddled Neda and Ledio around. Ledio is a typical 15 year old boy--he thinks he's in charge all the time. So we had a little confrontation with him when it came to getting the boat and getting out in the water. But, God gave me a little brother who was that age once so I knew how to handle him. (See, David? Me bossing you around as a kid and learning to ignore annoying little boy behavior paid off. ;) lol You know I'm just kidding.)
The paddle boat ended up being a lot of fun because we took it out and then took turns jumping off of it into the water. It was so cool and refreshing. It wasn't cold, but it was the perfect temperature where you jump in and it's cool but as soon as you come back up to the surface, it's just the right temperature for you stay in the water. Ledio jumped first, then I wanted to join. Then Neda asked if I would help her since she doesn't swim well. Of course I said I would. It wasn't very deep. Only up to my shoulders, so she jumped a few times too. Then Emily gave in because it just looked like so much fun. Hee hee! We spent a half an hour with the boat and then had to take it back in.
When we were tired and sun burnt we went back to apartment. I think it was probably around 3pm by that time and we'd been there since probably 9:30am so it was a long, fun day. We changed and rinsed off back at the apartment and then left to catch a bus home. Emily and I were so tired when we got back that night! I didn't have enough energy to write this then. Then on Friday, I put all the pictures from the beach into an album. Here is the link to the album:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=125600102&k=55LU36S2U43M5FCGYK23RW
Click on the link and it will bring you to a page that tells about the album. Click on the title of the album, "Durres + The Adriatic Sea = BEACH DAY!!!", to see the pictures. It will also allow you to leave comments on the pictures. The pictures will help tell the story of the day including some of the interesting things (bunkers, a hill where Julius Ceaser fought a battle, donkeys, etc.) we saw and the toilet I had to use. The pictures just explain the whole day. Haha!
On Friday night Aida came over for a movie. We had lots of laughs and decided that on Monday morning she's going to help me buy a bike. Should be interesting. On Saturday we had church in the morning in Tirana. It was so much fun because there were 5 adults (that includes Emily and I), Neda and Ledio, and then 8 little kids. :) They were singing their little hearts out and it was just so cute! They were so happy to be there. It just helped motivate us even more to do our job and get people into the church. And kids are a good place to start! Then they learn from little on how important it is to keep close to God.
After that service, Olsa came over to our house for the afternoon. She had missed communion the week before but the church in Durres was having communion that day and their service is at 5pm. We were going to go along with Pastor and he had room for her, too. So we ate lunch, found clothes and jewelry for her to wear and played dress up. Haha! It was pretty fun. Then we went to Durres for church.
That congregation is very different from Tirana. It's bigger, but the people are very different. Instead of being younger people and kids, it's old people mostly. And I couldn't help laughing on the way home because they talk all through the service. They just sit there and whisper. And three different cell phones went off. And during the offering, they played "Joy To The World." Not that it was bad--quite the opposite since it's my favorite Christmas song. I enjoyed it. I just wasn't expecting to hear it in September. But, hey, we should remember the Christmas message all year round, shouldn't we?
After that, a few people stayed for a brief Bible discussion so Mrs. Ahlers, Emily, Olsa and I walked down the street and got ice cream while we waited for Pastor. He said we didn't have to stay because the class is in Albanian so we wouldn't have understood it and having so many English speakers there would just distract the people. So we figured we were helping them more by not being there for that. Then we came home. Emily and I decided to go to Taiwani to get dinner.
On our way there, we realized there was some big soccer game going on. How could we tell this? Well, besides the people dressed up crazily and cars flying the Albanian flag and honking, every bar kafe was full and had a TV on with a game. People even brought TVs out into the streets and were gathering to watch. At Taiwani, they had a big screen with the game projected on it. It wasn't even the national team playing, it was two Albanian teams. I can't wait to see what it's like when the national team plays!
Anyway, we had an awesome dinner. Good food, (salad and a vegetarian pizza and dessert) fun atmosphere, and great conversation. We had lots of laughs and just sat there for a long time enjoying ourselves. It was very fun.
This morning we had English church at the Ahlers house and Vitori joined us. Emily and I shared the keyboard playing responsibilities. (We're a little rusty. Yikes! But in our defense we didn't get the order of service and hymns until we were on our way to dinner last night.) Mrs. Ahlers had made coffee cake for dessert. It was a cinnamon one, which is one of my favorite flavors, and it was super tasty! We all stayed and chatted for a long time, but then headed our separate ways. Emily and I are headed back there tonight. We have a standing "date" for dinner and game night at their place on Sundays. I've come to love it and will miss it when they're back in the States.
So that brings you up to speed on the happenings here in Albania. Well, at least from my point of view. ;) I'm doing very well and am learning new words every day. I'm learning to distinguish between their letter sounds. I've now pretty much mastered the "l" and the "ll" so I'm excited about that. Little by little, or as they say, "pak nje pak" (pr. pahk nee-ya pahk).
We had about an hour bus ride to Durres. However, we weren't at the beach yet. We had to take a second bus to get to the stop that was close to Vitori's brother's apartment. He has an apartment in a gated community. It's made up of some apartment buildings (We would call them condos because they own their apartments.) that people use mostly during the summer season. Some people go there in the winter just to relax, but they're more busy in the summer. So it was very nice and it was a quiet and relaxing place. We got ready there and made sure we had everything we needed and then we walked to the beach.
I have finally seen it. I've seen it and I've swam in it. What is it? The Adriatic Sea!!! I love traveling. It is my favorite thing to do. As a kid, I would sit and look at maps and pictures of places and tell myself that one day I would see those things. And now I really am seeing those things! It's so awesome!!!
We were there on an absolutely beautiful day. We got there early to get a good spot. We had a little beach umbrella. It looked like a little tropical hut and was just too cute. :) We got chairs and set up our area. It was such a relaxing day! Agron had also promised Olsa, Neda, and Ledio that he'd take them to Durres for a beach day, but Olsa couldn't come so it was just Neda and Ledio with Emily, Agron, Vitori, and I. We had fun all day eating snacks (I tried figs. Yum!), reading magazines, getting coffee drinks, napping in the sun, walking along the edge of the sea, playing SkipBo and Uno, collecting shells, and taking pictures. We even rented a paddle boat so Emily and I paddled Neda and Ledio around. Ledio is a typical 15 year old boy--he thinks he's in charge all the time. So we had a little confrontation with him when it came to getting the boat and getting out in the water. But, God gave me a little brother who was that age once so I knew how to handle him. (See, David? Me bossing you around as a kid and learning to ignore annoying little boy behavior paid off. ;) lol You know I'm just kidding.)
The paddle boat ended up being a lot of fun because we took it out and then took turns jumping off of it into the water. It was so cool and refreshing. It wasn't cold, but it was the perfect temperature where you jump in and it's cool but as soon as you come back up to the surface, it's just the right temperature for you stay in the water. Ledio jumped first, then I wanted to join. Then Neda asked if I would help her since she doesn't swim well. Of course I said I would. It wasn't very deep. Only up to my shoulders, so she jumped a few times too. Then Emily gave in because it just looked like so much fun. Hee hee! We spent a half an hour with the boat and then had to take it back in.
When we were tired and sun burnt we went back to apartment. I think it was probably around 3pm by that time and we'd been there since probably 9:30am so it was a long, fun day. We changed and rinsed off back at the apartment and then left to catch a bus home. Emily and I were so tired when we got back that night! I didn't have enough energy to write this then. Then on Friday, I put all the pictures from the beach into an album. Here is the link to the album:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=125600102&k=55LU36S2U43M5FCGYK23RW
Click on the link and it will bring you to a page that tells about the album. Click on the title of the album, "Durres + The Adriatic Sea = BEACH DAY!!!", to see the pictures. It will also allow you to leave comments on the pictures. The pictures will help tell the story of the day including some of the interesting things (bunkers, a hill where Julius Ceaser fought a battle, donkeys, etc.) we saw and the toilet I had to use. The pictures just explain the whole day. Haha!
On Friday night Aida came over for a movie. We had lots of laughs and decided that on Monday morning she's going to help me buy a bike. Should be interesting. On Saturday we had church in the morning in Tirana. It was so much fun because there were 5 adults (that includes Emily and I), Neda and Ledio, and then 8 little kids. :) They were singing their little hearts out and it was just so cute! They were so happy to be there. It just helped motivate us even more to do our job and get people into the church. And kids are a good place to start! Then they learn from little on how important it is to keep close to God.
After that service, Olsa came over to our house for the afternoon. She had missed communion the week before but the church in Durres was having communion that day and their service is at 5pm. We were going to go along with Pastor and he had room for her, too. So we ate lunch, found clothes and jewelry for her to wear and played dress up. Haha! It was pretty fun. Then we went to Durres for church.
That congregation is very different from Tirana. It's bigger, but the people are very different. Instead of being younger people and kids, it's old people mostly. And I couldn't help laughing on the way home because they talk all through the service. They just sit there and whisper. And three different cell phones went off. And during the offering, they played "Joy To The World." Not that it was bad--quite the opposite since it's my favorite Christmas song. I enjoyed it. I just wasn't expecting to hear it in September. But, hey, we should remember the Christmas message all year round, shouldn't we?
After that, a few people stayed for a brief Bible discussion so Mrs. Ahlers, Emily, Olsa and I walked down the street and got ice cream while we waited for Pastor. He said we didn't have to stay because the class is in Albanian so we wouldn't have understood it and having so many English speakers there would just distract the people. So we figured we were helping them more by not being there for that. Then we came home. Emily and I decided to go to Taiwani to get dinner.
On our way there, we realized there was some big soccer game going on. How could we tell this? Well, besides the people dressed up crazily and cars flying the Albanian flag and honking, every bar kafe was full and had a TV on with a game. People even brought TVs out into the streets and were gathering to watch. At Taiwani, they had a big screen with the game projected on it. It wasn't even the national team playing, it was two Albanian teams. I can't wait to see what it's like when the national team plays!
Anyway, we had an awesome dinner. Good food, (salad and a vegetarian pizza and dessert) fun atmosphere, and great conversation. We had lots of laughs and just sat there for a long time enjoying ourselves. It was very fun.
This morning we had English church at the Ahlers house and Vitori joined us. Emily and I shared the keyboard playing responsibilities. (We're a little rusty. Yikes! But in our defense we didn't get the order of service and hymns until we were on our way to dinner last night.) Mrs. Ahlers had made coffee cake for dessert. It was a cinnamon one, which is one of my favorite flavors, and it was super tasty! We all stayed and chatted for a long time, but then headed our separate ways. Emily and I are headed back there tonight. We have a standing "date" for dinner and game night at their place on Sundays. I've come to love it and will miss it when they're back in the States.
So that brings you up to speed on the happenings here in Albania. Well, at least from my point of view. ;) I'm doing very well and am learning new words every day. I'm learning to distinguish between their letter sounds. I've now pretty much mastered the "l" and the "ll" so I'm excited about that. Little by little, or as they say, "pak nje pak" (pr. pahk nee-ya pahk).
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
On My Own
Guess what? I went somewhere by myself today for the first time! I'm so proud of myself! lol
Really though, I'm writing this from the Stephen Center. I came here by myself because I needed the free wi-fi since I still can't get my computer online at my apartment. It will only recognize and accept Emily's. I needed to update my anti-virus subscription and do some stuff on itunes and just fool around so I came here. And I did it. Alone. Without getting lost. Yay for me! :)
All of the planning Emily and I did yesterday and Monday paid off. Our meeting with Pastor and Agron this morning went really well. They were impressed with how much thought we've put into things and with how much planning we did and how we typed it all out for presentation and reference. We figured that was just smart if we want everyone to be on the same page. We're really excited and motivated to make our plans work! It might be an uphill battle for a few things, be we're optimistic. We did bring up the idea of not teaching in Durres, and though nothing was decided, Agron did say that he didn't like the idea of us going there alone or even together. Too many guys on the bus will see an American female and think "green card" which would make for many socially awkward and uncomfortable situations. Plus, those bus rides are apparently a little sketchy anyway. We'll see what plays out. So after all that, I'm here at the Stephen Center, on my own, and I decided to treat myself to an American meal--cheeseburger, fries, salad and a Coke--for a job well done over the last few days.
Last week Emily and I had another great meal at this place called Gloria Pizza. It was really fancy! We entered and dined in their covered outdoor section, complete with outdoor kitchen. Everything was super fancy and formal. They pull out your chair for you, put your napkin on your lap for you, and if you order a bottle of something (wine or water) to drink, they yell at you if you refill your own glass. The menu had a large selection of mostly Italian items and we ordered a pizza with mushrooms, and two types of Italian meats. It was excellent. Then, when we paid, I was absolutely astounded by the price. Our total bill, including tip, was around $12. And it was not a miscalculation. It was the real price. A place like that in the states would be outrageous. The food was great, the atmosphere was excellent, and the service was impeccable. (Listen to me, I should be a restaurant critic! Hee hee!)
Another interesting thing about grabbing a bite to eat or a drink here is that bar kafes usually also serve ice cream and/or dessert along with their drink menu. I'm not sure why, but I just started noticing all these people either drinking some sort of beverage or eating ice cream when we went to one. And at many bar kafes you don't get a menu. Pretty much every place has the same thing, so you just order what you want when the waiter comes over. Oh, and it's always a waiter. I have yet to see a woman work at a kafe. The French pastry shop was an exception, but it is French, and they usually have a few staff members that speak English. At least that has been Emily's experience in the past. Just thought those were some interesting things to note.
Not much else to report since we've just been busy doing a lot of planning the last few days. However, I should tell you to picture bright sun shining down on the sand. Now, imagine the soft sound of the sea lapping up on the shore. Feel a light warm breeze pass through. There are two chairs under an umbrella. In front of them sprawls the Adriatic Sea, sparking on such a gorgeous day.....Got that all in your head? Good. Because in those chairs is exactly where Emily and I will be tomorrow. :) Agron and Vitori are taking us to her brother's house on the beach in Durres tomorrow. We are meeting them at the bus stop at 6:50am. No, I'm not joking. I am going to be up and going and out of my apartment that early in the morning. Go ahead. Laugh. I know you already are. (At least if you know me at all you are laughing.) But I will be ready early tomorrow because I'm so excited. There is no way I'm missing a minute of beach time! So be ready for some pictures!
Really though, I'm writing this from the Stephen Center. I came here by myself because I needed the free wi-fi since I still can't get my computer online at my apartment. It will only recognize and accept Emily's. I needed to update my anti-virus subscription and do some stuff on itunes and just fool around so I came here. And I did it. Alone. Without getting lost. Yay for me! :)
All of the planning Emily and I did yesterday and Monday paid off. Our meeting with Pastor and Agron this morning went really well. They were impressed with how much thought we've put into things and with how much planning we did and how we typed it all out for presentation and reference. We figured that was just smart if we want everyone to be on the same page. We're really excited and motivated to make our plans work! It might be an uphill battle for a few things, be we're optimistic. We did bring up the idea of not teaching in Durres, and though nothing was decided, Agron did say that he didn't like the idea of us going there alone or even together. Too many guys on the bus will see an American female and think "green card" which would make for many socially awkward and uncomfortable situations. Plus, those bus rides are apparently a little sketchy anyway. We'll see what plays out. So after all that, I'm here at the Stephen Center, on my own, and I decided to treat myself to an American meal--cheeseburger, fries, salad and a Coke--for a job well done over the last few days.
Last week Emily and I had another great meal at this place called Gloria Pizza. It was really fancy! We entered and dined in their covered outdoor section, complete with outdoor kitchen. Everything was super fancy and formal. They pull out your chair for you, put your napkin on your lap for you, and if you order a bottle of something (wine or water) to drink, they yell at you if you refill your own glass. The menu had a large selection of mostly Italian items and we ordered a pizza with mushrooms, and two types of Italian meats. It was excellent. Then, when we paid, I was absolutely astounded by the price. Our total bill, including tip, was around $12. And it was not a miscalculation. It was the real price. A place like that in the states would be outrageous. The food was great, the atmosphere was excellent, and the service was impeccable. (Listen to me, I should be a restaurant critic! Hee hee!)
Another interesting thing about grabbing a bite to eat or a drink here is that bar kafes usually also serve ice cream and/or dessert along with their drink menu. I'm not sure why, but I just started noticing all these people either drinking some sort of beverage or eating ice cream when we went to one. And at many bar kafes you don't get a menu. Pretty much every place has the same thing, so you just order what you want when the waiter comes over. Oh, and it's always a waiter. I have yet to see a woman work at a kafe. The French pastry shop was an exception, but it is French, and they usually have a few staff members that speak English. At least that has been Emily's experience in the past. Just thought those were some interesting things to note.
Not much else to report since we've just been busy doing a lot of planning the last few days. However, I should tell you to picture bright sun shining down on the sand. Now, imagine the soft sound of the sea lapping up on the shore. Feel a light warm breeze pass through. There are two chairs under an umbrella. In front of them sprawls the Adriatic Sea, sparking on such a gorgeous day.....Got that all in your head? Good. Because in those chairs is exactly where Emily and I will be tomorrow. :) Agron and Vitori are taking us to her brother's house on the beach in Durres tomorrow. We are meeting them at the bus stop at 6:50am. No, I'm not joking. I am going to be up and going and out of my apartment that early in the morning. Go ahead. Laugh. I know you already are. (At least if you know me at all you are laughing.) But I will be ready early tomorrow because I'm so excited. There is no way I'm missing a minute of beach time! So be ready for some pictures!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Productivity
In all honesty, today was our most productive day yet. Emily and I slept sort of late, did a few things around here, and ate lunch. Then we watched an old episode of The Bachelor because it's one of the good English shows we get. lol So that postponed us a little bit, but for a show in English that's actually interesting, we were excited! Anyway, after Kristina got eliminated we left to get stuff done. We had to stop at the post office to mail our voter registration and our requests for absentee ballots. Oh, yes, you better believe we're going to rock the vote! Then we kept walking through The Block area to this cute and very nice French pastry shop.
Let me interrupt myself. I need to take a moment to explain that there are different areas of Tirana. "The Center" is also sometimes called Skanderbeg Square. Skanderbeg is basically their national hero. There is a big statue of him on a horse in The Center. Around the center is the Banke E Shqiperise (The Bank of Albania), the government buildings, the opera house, a park, bus stops, and the National Museum. Those are the main attractions there anyway. We go through this area quite often. Sometimes to catch a bus that takes us to QTU (that's what they call their mall), sometimes to walk to certain places, and basically because it's the easiest way to learn how to get around because it's pretty much literally in the center of the city. When walking to The Block, we go through The Center.
The Block area is the "trendy" area of town. It's a very popular place and is always bustling no matter what time of day. There's also a big market area near there. The post office is over that way too, along with Sky Tower, which has a bar kafe at the very top and it rotates. We've been up there and it's cool at night to see the 360 view of the city in lights. And it doesn't cost a thing to get up there! No reservations, no cover charge, you can just go. I couldn't believe it! Places like that in the States are ridiculously over priced and usually require reservations. So that was cool when we did that. The Block area is also home to Taiwani (pr. Tie-VAHN-ee). I have no clue why it's called that; it's not Chinese or Oriental or anything. But that is the center where there's a two level bowling alley, bar kafes, kafe restaurants, and an outdoor fountain display. Sometimes the fountain even does a little show to music, like a miniature, less dramatic version of the fountains at The Bellagio in Vegas. So The Block area is a fun place to go.
I should also quickly point out that kafes (cafes) here are all over. And I mean all over. Any place to sit and get drinks--coffee, soda, water, carbonated water, wine, beer, mixed drinks, etc.--or where you can order drinks and food is a kafe. The difference is that the ones where you only get drinks are known as bar kafes and the ones where you get food are either bar kafes and restaurant or bar and restaurant kafes. They are found even on what look to me like little side streets. Although, most streets are very old and very narrow and many look like alleys. Tirana was designed to be a walking city. However, now cars will drive on any road regardless.
Back to the story.....We got to The Block area and went to this French pastry shop across from Sky Tower. Emily knew of the place last year and we went there to get a quiet table and work on planning stuff for our classes. We got a ton of work done! We made a pros and cons list about teaching in Durres. There is a possibility that we might not do that so that we can focus our efforts in Tirana. We made a schedule of what needs to be done for the rest of the month. We planned out our year of courses into three 12 week sections. We noted Albanian national holidays and US Holidays we want to observe. We created and listed program goals and made detailed lists for the recruiting process, the registration process, and the orientation process. That took us about two hours while we were there. We had some good discussion and are very excited to work together. We have a meeting with Pastor and Agron on Wednesday and want to be overly prepared so they know our plan and can get on board with us right away. :) We typed it all up when we got home so that it will make a nice presentation at the meeting.
While at the pastry shop we also enjoyed some treats. Emily had something that had apples in it and I had a cherry tart. She had a Nescafe and I had a Pepsi. lol How original, right? ;) I didn't want a hot drink. We'd just walked all the way there in the afternoon heat. It's about a mile to get there. We ordered water a little later on too, but our conversations with the people there were interesting. Our first waitress kept smiling when we ordered in Albanian. She liked that we were trying. We tried this with our second waiter, but he spoke English decently and so he wanted to speak English with us. Fine with us! Haha! Then a lady came over to our table and started asking us, in English, if we worked with a church. Turns out she (and the three ladies she was with) was from the Netherlands and had worked here at a church in the past and in some other places, and they come back every now and then to check on things, but this time they came just to see friends. It was a nice quick little chat.
We decided that since we'd finished faster than we thought, we'd walk around a bit so I could see a few more places and keep working on getting my bearings. I am improving quickly, if I may say so myself. I am, afterall, good with directions. Anyway, we walked past the entrance to Big Park or as it is also called, The Artificial Lake. It really is an artificial lake with a park around it but on the few maps you can find, it's labeled as "Big Park" so that's what I like to call it. Plus, I think it's funny. But really, people apparently don't call it the lake, they call it The Artificial Lake. I think that's funny too.
Then we kept walking. We went to the Sheraton. Why, you ask, did we go to a hotel? Because they have some shops there and a movie theatre so I need to know where it is. Plus, they have some American functions sometimes, especially around holidays so it's a good place to know. For example, they have a Christmas Bazaar in December. They also do things for Thanksgiving, Valentines, Easter, and some other American holidays. The Sheraton is also located right next to Mother Theresa Square. If you didn't know it, Mother Theresa was Albanian. In the square they have a university that is named after her and a statue of her. There is also some music university and another building that has a fake McDonald's. I haven't been there, but when I do, you can expect a comparison. lol After that, we took the bus around town the long way to get back home just so I could see more roads, how they relate to roads I know, and how the city is connected.
On the way home after we got off the bus, we had to stop at the market and Euromax to get some groceries and a toothbrush for Emily. The sad part is that on the way to our apartment, we got attacked by little kids. There are lots of poor people here and some families sit on the streets and use their kids to beg. Others send their kids up to you at kafes with little things to sell or just to beg. It's very sad. But twice today we got kind of attacked by very aggressive children. One kid, when we were walking to the bus, saw Emily's change in her hand that was for the bus. He just kept grabbing her hand and arm to try and get the money and he begged in Albanian. She shook the kid off and kept walking. But on the way home from the market, we both and small bags of fruit. Ahead of us we could see a mom and four little kids, one laying on the sidewalk with no pants on though the mom put them on as we approached. One kid came after me and tried to stick his hand in my pocket to check for money, and kept trying to touch my bag of fruit and ask for it. I just kept shaking him off, kept walking, and kept repeating, "Jo!" (Jo is pronounced like "yo" and it means no.) The kid could not have been more than 5 or 6. Emily had two kids hounding her and ended up giving them one of her bags of fruit. She figured it was better to give them the berries than money, but she didn't want to give them anything. We were advised by many people that as foreigners, people will always beg us more and we shouldn't give anything because they'll remember us. But sometimes you just have to.
So that was our day. Tomorrow our plan is to go to the Stephen Center. It is basically the most American place in Tirana. It's a kafe/coffee house/restaurant/bed and breakfast/worship center started by some American missionaries in 1993. It's named after Stephen, the first martyr in the Bible. Anyway, it's mostly ex-pats and English speakers that hang out there. I'm excited because ever since we arrived, it's been closed. But it opened again today so now I can see it. We're going there for brunch and because they have free wi-fi so we can work on our laptops there as we do more planning and prep work. Plus, then I can get on the internet with my computer and update my Norton Anti-Virus. The trial that comes with a new computer has expired so I need protection. Also that way we can work and type out our stuff at the same time and take email breaks if we need to. ;) Plus, hearing English all around us will be kind of refreshing. Although, I am learning new Albanian words all the time. Here's one for you, it's even appropriate now because it means see you later--Shehemi! (pr. sha-HEM-ee)
Let me interrupt myself. I need to take a moment to explain that there are different areas of Tirana. "The Center" is also sometimes called Skanderbeg Square. Skanderbeg is basically their national hero. There is a big statue of him on a horse in The Center. Around the center is the Banke E Shqiperise (The Bank of Albania), the government buildings, the opera house, a park, bus stops, and the National Museum. Those are the main attractions there anyway. We go through this area quite often. Sometimes to catch a bus that takes us to QTU (that's what they call their mall), sometimes to walk to certain places, and basically because it's the easiest way to learn how to get around because it's pretty much literally in the center of the city. When walking to The Block, we go through The Center.
The Block area is the "trendy" area of town. It's a very popular place and is always bustling no matter what time of day. There's also a big market area near there. The post office is over that way too, along with Sky Tower, which has a bar kafe at the very top and it rotates. We've been up there and it's cool at night to see the 360 view of the city in lights. And it doesn't cost a thing to get up there! No reservations, no cover charge, you can just go. I couldn't believe it! Places like that in the States are ridiculously over priced and usually require reservations. So that was cool when we did that. The Block area is also home to Taiwani (pr. Tie-VAHN-ee). I have no clue why it's called that; it's not Chinese or Oriental or anything. But that is the center where there's a two level bowling alley, bar kafes, kafe restaurants, and an outdoor fountain display. Sometimes the fountain even does a little show to music, like a miniature, less dramatic version of the fountains at The Bellagio in Vegas. So The Block area is a fun place to go.
I should also quickly point out that kafes (cafes) here are all over. And I mean all over. Any place to sit and get drinks--coffee, soda, water, carbonated water, wine, beer, mixed drinks, etc.--or where you can order drinks and food is a kafe. The difference is that the ones where you only get drinks are known as bar kafes and the ones where you get food are either bar kafes and restaurant or bar and restaurant kafes. They are found even on what look to me like little side streets. Although, most streets are very old and very narrow and many look like alleys. Tirana was designed to be a walking city. However, now cars will drive on any road regardless.
Back to the story.....We got to The Block area and went to this French pastry shop across from Sky Tower. Emily knew of the place last year and we went there to get a quiet table and work on planning stuff for our classes. We got a ton of work done! We made a pros and cons list about teaching in Durres. There is a possibility that we might not do that so that we can focus our efforts in Tirana. We made a schedule of what needs to be done for the rest of the month. We planned out our year of courses into three 12 week sections. We noted Albanian national holidays and US Holidays we want to observe. We created and listed program goals and made detailed lists for the recruiting process, the registration process, and the orientation process. That took us about two hours while we were there. We had some good discussion and are very excited to work together. We have a meeting with Pastor and Agron on Wednesday and want to be overly prepared so they know our plan and can get on board with us right away. :) We typed it all up when we got home so that it will make a nice presentation at the meeting.
While at the pastry shop we also enjoyed some treats. Emily had something that had apples in it and I had a cherry tart. She had a Nescafe and I had a Pepsi. lol How original, right? ;) I didn't want a hot drink. We'd just walked all the way there in the afternoon heat. It's about a mile to get there. We ordered water a little later on too, but our conversations with the people there were interesting. Our first waitress kept smiling when we ordered in Albanian. She liked that we were trying. We tried this with our second waiter, but he spoke English decently and so he wanted to speak English with us. Fine with us! Haha! Then a lady came over to our table and started asking us, in English, if we worked with a church. Turns out she (and the three ladies she was with) was from the Netherlands and had worked here at a church in the past and in some other places, and they come back every now and then to check on things, but this time they came just to see friends. It was a nice quick little chat.
We decided that since we'd finished faster than we thought, we'd walk around a bit so I could see a few more places and keep working on getting my bearings. I am improving quickly, if I may say so myself. I am, afterall, good with directions. Anyway, we walked past the entrance to Big Park or as it is also called, The Artificial Lake. It really is an artificial lake with a park around it but on the few maps you can find, it's labeled as "Big Park" so that's what I like to call it. Plus, I think it's funny. But really, people apparently don't call it the lake, they call it The Artificial Lake. I think that's funny too.
Then we kept walking. We went to the Sheraton. Why, you ask, did we go to a hotel? Because they have some shops there and a movie theatre so I need to know where it is. Plus, they have some American functions sometimes, especially around holidays so it's a good place to know. For example, they have a Christmas Bazaar in December. They also do things for Thanksgiving, Valentines, Easter, and some other American holidays. The Sheraton is also located right next to Mother Theresa Square. If you didn't know it, Mother Theresa was Albanian. In the square they have a university that is named after her and a statue of her. There is also some music university and another building that has a fake McDonald's. I haven't been there, but when I do, you can expect a comparison. lol After that, we took the bus around town the long way to get back home just so I could see more roads, how they relate to roads I know, and how the city is connected.
On the way home after we got off the bus, we had to stop at the market and Euromax to get some groceries and a toothbrush for Emily. The sad part is that on the way to our apartment, we got attacked by little kids. There are lots of poor people here and some families sit on the streets and use their kids to beg. Others send their kids up to you at kafes with little things to sell or just to beg. It's very sad. But twice today we got kind of attacked by very aggressive children. One kid, when we were walking to the bus, saw Emily's change in her hand that was for the bus. He just kept grabbing her hand and arm to try and get the money and he begged in Albanian. She shook the kid off and kept walking. But on the way home from the market, we both and small bags of fruit. Ahead of us we could see a mom and four little kids, one laying on the sidewalk with no pants on though the mom put them on as we approached. One kid came after me and tried to stick his hand in my pocket to check for money, and kept trying to touch my bag of fruit and ask for it. I just kept shaking him off, kept walking, and kept repeating, "Jo!" (Jo is pronounced like "yo" and it means no.) The kid could not have been more than 5 or 6. Emily had two kids hounding her and ended up giving them one of her bags of fruit. She figured it was better to give them the berries than money, but she didn't want to give them anything. We were advised by many people that as foreigners, people will always beg us more and we shouldn't give anything because they'll remember us. But sometimes you just have to.
So that was our day. Tomorrow our plan is to go to the Stephen Center. It is basically the most American place in Tirana. It's a kafe/coffee house/restaurant/bed and breakfast/worship center started by some American missionaries in 1993. It's named after Stephen, the first martyr in the Bible. Anyway, it's mostly ex-pats and English speakers that hang out there. I'm excited because ever since we arrived, it's been closed. But it opened again today so now I can see it. We're going there for brunch and because they have free wi-fi so we can work on our laptops there as we do more planning and prep work. Plus, then I can get on the internet with my computer and update my Norton Anti-Virus. The trial that comes with a new computer has expired so I need protection. Also that way we can work and type out our stuff at the same time and take email breaks if we need to. ;) Plus, hearing English all around us will be kind of refreshing. Although, I am learning new Albanian words all the time. Here's one for you, it's even appropriate now because it means see you later--Shehemi! (pr. sha-HEM-ee)
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