Quarantined

I have very little to report to day as I remain quarantined in my apartment. Emily left here around 2:30am and it was a quick goodbye. Refreshingly, at least from my perspective, it was an exciting goodbye. I felt like it was the sign of completion at the end of a very productive and positive year of work. Also, it was exciting to say "See you in the States!" and know that we will be comparing notes as we both find out what God has in store for us next.

At the same time, I did shed a few tears after I locked the door and walked back up the stairs, alone, to an emptier apartment. It did sink in that our time here is truly at an end.

After waking up at 1pm, (Hey--I was tired, up late, I'm sick, and I'm supposed to be resting. ;) At least I have good excuses. lol) my daily activities included:

• Flushing mass quantities of various fluids.
• Taking a shower. Being alone is no excuse to be stinky. Hee hee!
• Doing one load of laundry.
• Folding the sheets and towels Emily hung on the line yesterday.
• Talking to people on Skype.
• Watching movies on TV (when I could find something in English).
• Reaching a new level on the facebook game Farm Town.
• Playing other online games.
• Making soup for dinner.
• Emailing my travel plans and full itinerary to my family and Meghan, since she'll be picking me up in Chicago and driving me to Milwaukee where we'll meet my family for dinner.
• Frequent visits to the bathroom due to the extensive liquid consumption. lol

Tomorrow's agenda includes much of the same from today, minus the cooking because I have leftover soup. Aida is coming to keep me company and to help with some things. She offered to come and help me pass the time by keeping me company and helping with some things. What a great friend!

I'm feeling fine. There's hardly any pain thanks to mostly sitting still, no talking, and ibuprofen. The swelling maybe went up just a tad from yesterday but it's hard to tell. Other than that, I just feel tired and don't really feel like doing much except sitting on the couch. I'm just feeling a little stressed about all that needs to get done before I leave and not pushing myself those last few days before I head to the airport. Olsa and Neda had agreed awhile ago to help me with cleaning the apartment, so I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried about all of the stuff from our apartment that has to get to church and then get organized in the new location. Tomorrow I'll try to think of a plan for that. It will give me something to do.

But for now, I'm having a flashback from my childhood. I know I need to get some sleep so I hear my dad's voice in my head saying, "Shadrach, Meshach and To-bed-we-go!" lol Goodnight!

Time Is Of The Essence

First and foremost, you will have to read this post in its entirety if you want to know my most recent news. So much has happened in the past week that if I don’t write about it in order, I will forget it all. So let’s back up a bit, focus on the highlights, and then begin, shall we? (Forgive the horrible formatting with this. I am NOT an expert and have just guessed my way through.)

Sunday, June 14
- Was jolted awake, literally. We had a small but noticeable earthquake shortly after 7am.
- Met at church to take any available girls 12 and older to the beach.
- About ¾ of the way into the furgon ride, Doris puked.
- At the beach, we saw another bear on a leash—twice. This was a different bear than the one Emily and I saw in Tirana.
- The furgon ride home was, thankfully, puke-free.
- After showering and treating sunburn, we went downstairs to Pastor’s for our last pizza and game night. Each person won at least one game. Very appropriate. :)

Monday, June 15
- I cancelled my classes because students hadn’t been coming and we had an unrelated huge project to complete.
- We spent between 4-5 hours at Pastor’s assembling liturgy/hymnal worship booklets
- 100 Albanian booklets for the church in Durres
- 30 Albanian booklets for the church in Tirana
- Approximately 5 English booklets for Durres
- Approximately 10 English booklets for Durres
- One Worship Leader binder for each church
- One Accompanist binder for each church
- Tirana (Agron, Vitori, Pastor, Me, and Emily) and Durres (Mikal and Pavolina) church workers unite for one final dinner together.
- After the meal Emily and I met up with Tim and Helen, Lejda, and Aida for some drinks and chat time.

Tuesday, June 16
- To keep Pastor’s family tradition alive, we went up to Sky Tower for his last night in Albania. He and I both chose ice cream (of course) and Emily tested out the Irish Coffee. All choices were heartily approved and enjoyed.
- Pastor’s taxi picked him up at 3am so around midnight we wished him farewell and said, “See you in the States!” :)

Wednesday, June 17
- My last classes with my St. Louis, Boston, and Atlanta groups. Also our first class in the new location so we played games, snapped a few pictures and I treated all classes to ice cream.
- Attendance was poor and some of Emily’s students came to my classes. I guess once school’s out, they don’t pay attention to anything but playing and having fun. :)

Thursday, June 18
- Around 11am, Aida came over for coffee. We enjoyed a nice chat and made plans to meet later in the week.
- Last class with the Seattle group. Attendance was great, and a few kids even brought friends. - More games, pictures, and ice cream.
- Emily had her last classes. All’s well that ends well. :)

- Had dinner at the Huna house where we were stuffed to the max with Mrs. Huna's scrumptious homemade byrek. Mmmm!!!

Friday, June 19
- Went to the French Pastry shop for lunch with our new American friend, Kate, who’s spending the summer in Durres. (Her husband is Albanian.) I will miss their Orange Chocolate Torte.
- Last Activity Night was held outside to play some relay games. After a group picture we were suffocated with kisses and farewell wishes. J
- Fun continued with salsa dancing with Helen, Lejda, the other Lejda, and Aida for some salsa dancing. We also joined for a bit at various times by Shari, then Nardi and his friend. A great time was had by all!
- *Note* At one point, we were line dancing to Mexican salsa music at an American-themed Irish pub in Albania. Among the group were people from Albania, England, the US, and Macedonia. How’s that for cross-cultural? ;)

Saturday, June 20
- Had our first worship service in the new location. No electricity, but since only Agron, his mom, Vitori, Emily and I showed up, we skipped songs and Vitori translated for Emily and me. It was actually quite pleasant.
- Luckily, were able to change our Saturday afternoon plans so that we could finally have some time to ourselves. This was great as it gave me the afternoon to rest since I wasn’t feeling the best and it gave Emily time to pack.
- Needed to get out of the house in the evening so we went to the Hunas to say hello. Found Neda all dressed leaving for a school dance. Ledio was getting ready so we left a bit later with him. Turned out to be a good thing as he didn’t know where it was being held so we helped him find it.

Sunday, June 21
- Woke up with a strange swelling under my left ear and around my left jaw area. Though it was uncomfortable, I couldn’t cancel plans. Had a lunch date at the Huna household so Mrs. Huna could teach me how to make petulla. Yum! :)
- Still experiencing discomfort, I sucked it up and enjoyed our evening guests. Aida and Lejda came over for dinner and games as a final way to spend some time with Emily. They are always great to be around and will be dearly missed.

Monday, June 22
- Swelling and pain in my ear/jaw area was worse when I woke up. Emily suggested I go to the doctor. Good advice.
- The doctor touched it, asked if it hurt, asked two more questions, looked in my ears and my mouth, and asked me if I was up to date on my MMR vaccinations. I said yes and the doctor proceeded to tell me I have a version of the mumps virus.
- Deciding this couldn’t be possible, I carried on with daily plans.
- Went to the Xhika’s house (Fatmira, and her three girls, Aurora, Albina, and Albiona) for pasta, pizza, fruit, and candy. They surprised us with a fresh elaborate bakery cake. Played games, talked, laughed and ignored with pain and swelling. Much fun was had.
- Continued ignoring the pain and swelling as we moved to Kesi and Klea’s house for a 12th birthday party for Klea with her sister, parents, cousin, and uncle. Gjoka household is always fun and feels like another home. ‘Twas a great time. :)
- Kept moving because our next date was with Ledio. His American sisters (Emily and I) wanted to take him out for ice cream to spend some time with just him. We spend so much time with Olsa and Neda and we wanted to show him that we love him, too. Had a great time and a great talk with our Albanian brother. :)

- After returning home, I checked WebMD and the Mayo Clinic website to see if what my doctor said was correct. It was. I had the classic symptoms of more mild strains of the mumps virus.
- Looked at the rare but extremely severe complications and got scared.
- Checked on treatment and prevention.
- Lots and lots and lots of rest. No going out and very very very limited home activity. (Think mono. Had that once, too. Eww.)
- Force fluids, fluids, and more fluids.
- Stay away from people due to being contagious.
- Take Tylenol or Ibuprofen for pain.
- Ice swollen area.
- Rest, rest, rest. Sit, sit, sit. Very still. All day.
- Called my family to report the news to them. Parental units showed extreme concern.
- It was decided I shall treat this like mono and do absolutely nothing until Saturday, when I go to church.
- Thus cancelled all plans I had for this week. Sad. L
- Decision was made to keep the same flight and ask for help with packing and cleaning. No need to wear myself out before a big trip.

- Got frustrated with the lack of information from the doctor I saw here.

Tuesday, June 23
- Spoke with parents again, after they consulted the clinic at home.
- All information I found was recommended by the doctors at the clinic as well.
-Sat on the couch virtually all day but made three photo albums.
o Road Trip to Croatia
o Fun From May
o Salsa Dancing


As I write this, Emily is filling the last of her luggage and doing the last minute odds and ends. Her ride to the airport will be here in about 2 and a half hours and her flight leaves at 5am. It will be weird to spend time here without her, and since I am pretty much quarantined to the apartment, it will get a bit lonely, I think. Thank God for Skype! lol

My main concerns now are that Emily makes it safely to Germany, has a great trip, and then makes it to the US safely. And while she does that, I will become great friends with the couch in my apartment--as if we aren’t close already. Haha! My other main concern is to do exactly nothing until Saturday and then take it easy and slowly until I leave for the airport on Wednesday evening. Please keep both of us, as well as the mission here, in your prayers. And expect more updates from me these next few days since I will have plenty of time on my hands. ;)

The Way I See It...

For some reason, facebook has refused to successfully upload any photos for me this weekor last. I’m not sure why there is a problem, but I do know that I will share my Croatia pictures with you as soon as this problem is resolved. On the bright side, I can share pictures from our day trip to Shkodra. I actually had this album done awhile ago, but I forgot that I hadn’t shared it yet. Oops!

Lately, class attendance has not been good because school is officially done. I just hope that today and tomorrow for my last claasses the students will come back. We’ll see. I’ve been playing games with my classes. I’ve been playing hangman and am absolutely amazed at how much they’ve improved since the first time we played that way back in the fall. Wow!!! They’re so smart! :) We’ve also been playing Spelldown, which is the same as Scrabble. Their ability to recognize and find words had improved leaps and bounds. A few students have even found 5 or 6 letter words. Good for them! And we’ve played some Jeopardy games to review concepts and vocabulary we had studied. It’s been really fun for me to watch them develop and improve their English speaking abilities.

We also had coffee at another home this past Thursday night. We went to Anxhela and Ina’s house. Their mom actually knew more English than any of the other parents we’ve met so far. She was at about the same level as some of the beginning students. Then we found out that she speaks Italian, so, obviously, she’s able to pick up languages. It was fun because all of our other students that live in that same apartment building joined us. It was like a little party! And she made some delicious Turkish coffee. Mmmm! I love that stuff! We had a nice visit with them and they wished us the best of luck and health upon our return to the States, but they said they wished we weren’t going back and told us that they are sad because we are leaving. Awwww! So cute! I wish I could stay and get to know more people, but I promised them that I will save money so I can come back for a visit. :)

Wednesday night we met Aida for a backwards dinner walk. Let me explain. The fast food here can be ordered to sit down, to go, or to walk and eat. But it was very hot that day—in the 90s (that's why I look so bad, lol)—so we decided to meet for ice cream first. We went to Behari, the best place in town. I ordered a special item, the Behari Sundae because it’s an original. I can’t get it anywhere else so I wanted to find out what it was. I’ve never had anything like it. I got this HUGE dish of what looked like whipped cream covered in fruit. I’m not kidding you! There were pieces of apples, oranges, kiwi, strawberry, melon and two cherries on top. There were a few nuts sprinkled over it and it was drizzled with chocolate syrup and cherry syrup. Under this was a massive mound of whipped cream. Once I ate all that, I got to the ice cream. There were two flavors, chocolate and kiwi. It was super tasty! I’m very happy I ordered it. :)

Our backwards dinner walk continued as we headed towards a qofte joint. Qofte, in case you’ve forgotten, are little sausages. Albanians think they are spicy, but Emily and I think they’re just right. They eat them with a spicy flavored salt on them. Qofte = delicious artery clogging goodness. :) So we got qofte on bread because you can eat it on the go, like a sandwich. Aida was proud of me because I ordered completely in Albanian. lol She likes to make Emily and I do that when we are with her. We ate and chatted a bit more as we walked.

Albania is closing in on election day. The election for prime minister is on June 28 and the city is plastered with posters and advertisements for the various candidates. Albania is a country of roughly 3 million people. Land wise, it is the same as the state of Maryland. However, they have between 20 and 60 recognized political parties. Of course some parties have more money for campaigning than others. But everyone always talks about how many parties there are. Right now, from what we can gather, the leading candidates are from the Democratic party and the Socialist party. Sali Berisha, the current prime minister is running as the Democratic candidate and Edi Rama, the current mayor of Tirana is running as the Socialist candidate. There are a few other parties that have popular candidates, but Sali Berisha and Edi Rama are the two most well-known because of their current roles.

Many of our students and their families are pro-Sali Berisha. This is because he is from the northern part of Albania, as are many of the families we reach. He has done good things for Albania, but he has also done some very questionable things. For example, there are two small cities right outside of Tirana that are basically illegal cities. When he became prime minister, he told me people from the north that they could come to Tirana and just have this land. Well it belonged to someone else and he just gave it away. Nothing else to it. There are still lots of disputes going on because of that action. Also, he has taken credit for getting Albania into NATO, when in reality, Bamir Topi, Albania’s president, is responsible for that because he is the one who went to meetings, studied the process, entered negotiations, etc. The other thing that does not impress us about Sali Berisha is that when we got here, much controversy began involving the credibility of those he placed in high positions around him. Many of them have since been found to be corrupt.

If we could vote, we would vote for Edi Rama. He has studied in politics and business and has vastly and quickly improved the city of Tirana. He understands tourism and he understands that reputable conditions improve opportunities for business. Also, Edi Rama understands that world standards are different and really wants Albania to reach those same standards. He just has a wider, broader view of what Albania can be and from what we’ve seen, heard, and observed, these types of changes represent a positive future for Albania. Edi Rama also has a much better understanding of the younger generations of Albania. He grasps that they are the future of his country.

Now remember, we are by no means experts. What we know we’ve learned from seeing, observing, asking questions, being told, or catching English on TV. But, how can we form an opinion from anything else? I am very curious to see what Election Day is like and to find out the results.

I might do something I've never done before--post two blog updates in one day. That's right. I said it. It is definitely down to crunch time around here. And since it feels like every waking minute is spent doing something or seeing someone, my free time is at a minimum. However, after my last days of classes today and tomorrow, I have actually schedule free time into my schedule so that I can take care of things like this. lol :) I also have to sort some things and start packing. Plus, I believe that today is when we are moving the church from our current location to the new location just down the hall. Exciting! But, I will write later because the events of the weekend, Sunday in particular, certainly need to be recalled. What a day! :) Now you have something to look forward to. Hee hee!

Easier Said Than Done

It started with a toaster. And some plastic canisters. Then it was a heater. Next came the rugs. After that it was the bike. That's when it hit. When I gave up the bike, it hit me that I'm leaving. It was a little sad, at first, putting things up for sale and givnig them up. But now that there are a few more items removed from our apartment, it's just a reality check.

Harder though, were the moments on Sunday after English church. But let me backtrack to last Thursday to explain.

Emanuela told me after class that she and her sisters, Brisilda and Dajana (both my students as well), would be leaving the next week to go to Greece for the summer. Their dad works there and is only home in Tirana on the weekends, and they have lots of family there. A large majority of their summer is usually spent with these relatives. But when she told me this, it sank in that those three won't even be here for their last class with me. That made me sad.

So Emily and I decided to invite those three, plus Luela and Aldo (Luela is my student and Aldo is her cute little 6 year old brother, who I'd like to put in my suitcase and take home as my souvenir. lol), over to our house for dinner on Saturday. The five of them are always together so it just seemed logical to invite them all, even if Luela and Aldo aren't leaving. They hadn't been here yet, anyway.

The five of them came over and we had a blast! We snacked on some peanuts and cherries and soda while we played Uno. Then we ate hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, potato chips, cucumbers, and cookies for dinner. An all-American meal. They liked it. :) Then we played some more Uno, took pictures, and chatted for a bit. It was hilarious because Aldo doesn't know any English, but he totally came out of his shell and was cracking us all up! He was making little jokes that the girls would translate so Emily and I could understand. And he was being silly--not wild--just funny. I think he had the time of his life being here with those girls.

When I had spoken to the girls to invite them over after Activity Night on Friday--**side note** The Activity was Line Dancing and it was super fun to watch them try it. :)--Aldo was with them. He understood enough to know that they were going somewhere with me. With a very concerned look on his little face, he said, "Teacher! Teacher!" and pointed to himself in a questioning manner. I smiled and said, "Po! Yes! You too, Aldo!" And he beamed. :)

Back to Sunday after English church.

Emanuela, Brisilda, and Dajana came and after church Emanuela told me, "Teacher, I have some bad news. Brisilda and Dajana and I will leave for Greece tomorrow." I was sooooooooo sad! I know I shouldn't have favorite students, but those three are definitely among those at the top of my list. Emanuela and I have really become buddies and I was truly hoping to be able to spend some extra time with them between the end of class and the day I leave. But, alas, that's not in the grand plans, so we took some pictures and said good-bye just like we would any other day.

However, I leaked, as is typical when I have to say a serious good-bye. I didn't cry cry, but I felt like it. There were other people around though, so I held it in. And since I can joke about myself, I explained that my friends and family all know I'm the crier, especially at movies. Everyone always tells me, "Katie, you should watch this movie! It's really good! But you better make sure you have some Kleenexes because you'll cry." lol I can't help it, ok? It's just the way I am! lol ;)

Class attendance has been dwindling lately. I'm not that surprised though. We have come to realize that the last week or two of school here doesn't actually involve any real classes. Students, when they have already taken their final tests, just have school to go through lessons that they won't get tested on. It's kind of like a big study session. They seem to treat it that way, too, because if they don't feel like going, they don't. So since school attendance is shady, our attendance has been shady. Besides, it's been summer weather here since the end of April and no one wants to spend time in a classroom. The summer bug has bitten!

A strange and unfamiliar feeling has overwhelmed me these past few days. I'm very very eager to get home, of course, because it's been so long since I've seen family and friends or just been able to pick up a phone and talk to them at will. And there are plenty of foods that I'm just dying to have again including these two at the top of my list--milk and real cheddar cheese. Have I mentioned I'm from WI? Haha! True Wisconsinte at heart, can you tell? lol But really though, I'm caught in this feeling of wanting enough time to get things done so I feel organized and ready when July 1 arrives and at the same time feeling like time is crawling now and I'm stuck waiting because I'm looking forward to something so much. This sounds crazy, but the closest feeling I've had that I can describe it to is like Senioritis. Hee hee! I kid you not!

I don't have a choice about staying here, so I feel like my work here is complete. I really feel like I've done all I can in the time that I've had. I feel like there's little left for me to offer. Yet, I know that there's much for me to offer when I'm back in the States so there's much to look forward to. It's just like graduating from high school or college. You feel good about the accomplishments behind you, the work you've completed, and the experiences you'd have. Yet, at the same time you are eager for the future, ready for adventure, and curious about the new experiences.

Saying good-bye is always easier said than done. But apparently the preparations for returning home are the same way. I feel like I'm in "The Waiting Place." You know, the one Dr. Seuss mentions in Oh, The Places You'll Go. (Which I should really start including in my list of favorite books....) This is what he says:

"...headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!"

The story goes on to say somehow you'll escape. Patience is a virtue, and I must not have enough of it yet, so God is teaching me how to have patience and wait. Soon I'll be somewhere new and things will take a new route.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point in my life, I started looking forward to change. I like knowing something new is coming. It keeps things exciting. It gives me something to look forward to. I am motivated by being ready and preparing for a new challenge. It really helps if I can choose the new task, but even so, it's fun for me to look for something new. The idea of a career always doing the same thing in one place is absolutely unappealing to me. God has given me a different opportunity every year for the past three years since I finished college. Next year will be year four of something new.

I've realized that he's taught me I don't need physical stability because he is my stability wherever I go and in whatever I do. He won't change no matter where I am or what I'm doing. The good-byes are the sad part about enjoying frequent change. Being able to feel like my work is complete and that I am ready to move on to the next thing is the blessing.

That's how I feel right now.

Teeth Sticks, 55 States, and Jellyfish

Sasha: "Teacher, you have teeth stick?"
Me: "Oh, you mean a toothpick? Yes, I have some toothpicks."

Teeth stick. That is probably my new favorite Albanglish word. That's what I call the words my students make up in English. It's kind of like English speakers who make up words in Spanish. They speak Spanglish.

Anyway, in regards to the Albanglish, Sasha asked me that question when we were finished eating yesterday. The MMM group came over for some American food and a movie. We had hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, chips, salad, and pickles, with ice cream for dessert. Very American. They enjoyed it a lot, but the teeth sticks became very popular at the end of the meal. lol

It was funny when Sasha asked because right away, I knew exactly what she meant. What else could a teeth stick be? Emily and I have realized that we have become quite proficient at interpreting Albanglish, however, our English skills have diminished over the course of time because sometimes we catch ourselves speaking in likeness to our students. Haha! :)

I haven't mentioned this next part yet, but this past week there have been some physical troubles with our church building. A large chunk of the building that houses us has had problems with water leaking from pipes or pipes that have basically burst. Well the situation became so bad the weekend that we were in Croatia that part of our ceiling collapsed. Fortunately, it was just a small area that fell. There was a soffitted area right above our door and that is the portion that collapsed, however significant water damage was done to the cement walls on that end of our room. The computer and printer and electronics are all on that side of the room, but thankfully none of that was damaged.

The water pooled up in the one end of the church and continued dripping for a few days. This past Tuesday, it started running instead of dripping, so Agron made the decision to cancel class. He said that the water was bad, and was concerned for our health and the health of our students. Agron was afraid of someone getting sick or getting an infection from too much exposure to it, so he cancelled classes for that day.

God has been good to us, though. No one has had problems with their health, and he was able (and willing!) to continuously clean out the dirty water, mop the floor, and keep things clean. Agron is such a blessing to the church not just for all his work with the services, but for the physical work he puts in to situations like this. He is a wonderful Christian man, leader, and example.

Also, Agron was able to talk to the owner of the building and there is another spot that we will be able to move to. It's only about 4 storefronts down the hall. This is in a section of the building that has not had water problems, it still has a bathroom, and this new area will have a window. Currently, we are windowless. The window will be awesome for airflow, especially when we have very busy motion-filled Activity Nights. Thank God that he was able to provide a space for us basically next to our current location so that we are still easy to find for new people, still easy to locate for our regular contacts, and in a section of the building that has been damage free. Rejoice in the Lord always! :)

When class was cancelled on Tuesday, the decision was made once I arrived. Agron didn't want to make the decision without me. I thought that was very thoughtful. However, since my students like to arrive early because it gives us all a little time to chat (Aren't they sweet?), they were already there. I didn't want to just send them home after saying hi, so I came up with a different idea. I took anyone who wanted to stay to a bar kafe by the church that had umbrella tables outside. It was a very hot day so I let everyone order something cold to drink, got out some paper, and we played hangman. It's a good game to work on spelling and letters and just seeing and recognizing words. We sat and played for about an hour before heading our separate ways.

However, while we were playing, somehow we started talking about the States. During that conversation, I mentioned that when I was in 1st grade, we had to learn all the States. I told the kids that when I was in 1st grade, I already knew them because I'd learned a song that had the name of every state. They wanted to hear it, of course. Any time a song is involved, my students want to hear it. lol So I sang it, right then and there. After I finished, the following funny conversation occurred.

Aurora asked me, "How many states there are?"
Me: "How many states are there? There are 50 states."
Aurora: "Wow! This is many!"
Klea interrupted, "But, no, teacher! There are 55."
Me: "No, there are 50."
Klea: "Why only 50?"
Me: "....Because that's all there are."

It was really funny to me because she was ready to argue with me that I was wrong. But when I said, "that's all there are," she looked at me, thought about it, smiled, and said, "Ok!" I asked if they knew what provinces or territories were, but they didn't, so I'm pretty sure she wasn't confusing states with territories or anything. Still, it definitely made me chuckle! ;)


It was after this that one of my students introduced me to a tasty new snack. See, I was waiting around to talk to Agron to decided what to do about classes for the rest of the week. We decided to play it by ear, but anyway...as I was waiting, Xheni (pr. Jenny) walks by and stops to chat briefly as she was on her way to a class. She was eating chips but I had never before seen the flavor. They were chicken flavored chips. She asked me if I wanted to try one. At first, I thought it sounded kind of strange, but then, in the same thought, I realized that barbecue flavor is strange too, but it's good on chicken and it's good on chips, so maybe chicken flavor is good on chips. I tried it. It was delicious! I got some later in the week as a snack for myself. lol

Other events from the past week included two coffee dates at students' homes. First, we went to the Kodheli family's home. The mom, Ariana, and her young daughter Ester, are in one of Emily's classes. Their son, Kevi, was in one of my classes, but now that it's nice weather, he's involved with soccer (excuse me--I mean, football), and doesn't come to class anymore. We had a very nice visit at their home. Kesi and Klea were there too, since they live across the hall in the same apartment building, and to help with translating. They fed us many snacks and gave us plenty of soda and we had lots of laughs. Ariana is a teacher, too, so she had stories to share with us. Then, her husband got home from work and was asking us many questions about our families and our homes in the States. They are just a super nice family and both Emily and I felt very happy and blessed to have been able to spend a bit of personal time with them.

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon with Kesi and Klea. Their grandmother lives near us and they usually visit her on one of the weekend days. So they planned to come over to our house for a little while before going back to their home, and from our house, we would go with them to theirs. While they were here we took some of those funny quizzes on facebook. Whenever our students come here, they want to use the internet. It's not that popular to have home internet here. Some families do for a time (people pay by month here), but the fact that we have it all the time and on two computers is very exciting to our students.

One of the quizzes we took was called "What is your true inner nationality? A quiz of global clairvoyance." As it turns out, I am German at heart (surprise, surprise, lol), Klea is actually Spanish, Kesi is Swedish, and only Emily is truly what she appears--American. Obviously, these results were humorous to us all and continued to be a running joke throughout the day.

At their house, we were stuffed with snacks and treats and soda, and we also played a rousing game of Scrabble. In class, we have the same game except it's called Spelldown. I play it with my students pretty often and am always impressed at how well they do at spotting the words. Every game they are quicker and find longer words. But when we play in class, we don't play for points. We just play with the goal of using all the letters in the bag. Klea, however, is quite competitive and requested, "When you come in our home, you can bring the Spelldown and we will play for points!" So I obliged and packed my travel Scrabble game in my bag before we headed to their apartment and it was a blast. The girls' parents were laughing as they watched us. :)

On the way home, I almost stepped on something I've never seen outside of water. They were thrown on the ground--just dumped out of a bag. I could tell, because the empty back was near them. It took me about 5 seconds of looking at them to realize what they were: Jellyfish!

We already have another home invitation from two sisters, Anxhela (pr. Ahn-gel-ah) and Ina. We had originally set a time for this week, but we forgot to tell them that Emily's sister Sena and her husband Brian will be visiting this week and are arriving that night. So we re-scheduled for the next week. One of my students, Doris, had also mentioned wanting us to visit her house, though she has not brought it up again, and though Albanians don't seem to mind people inviting themselves, I don't feel comfortable doing that since I've only met her mother once. We'll see if she mentions anything.

We've now been to Kesi and Klea's house 3 times, we've been to Ariana's house once, to Emanuela, Brisilda and Dajana's house once, are going to Anxhela and Ina's house, and have been to Sara and Danja's home on multiple occasions. And the Huna household (Olsa, Neda, and Ledio) is our other family so we are there very frequently. It's nice to have these connections here.

As promised, I spent much of my free time the last two weeks trying desperately to catch up on my photo albums. Here is the result of my work. I now have pictures of the end of Day 2 in Rome as well as the first half and the second half of Day 3 in Rome. I even finished off the Rome trip by adding Day 4 and Day 5.

Though I'm not completely caught up, I was able to finish the photo album of the beach day in Durres with Sara and Danja. And I even had time to complete one more album so you could see pictures of some of the activities with my students. Now I need to work on the pictures of our road trip to Croatia and compile the last of the random fun pictures from the month of May.

I can't believe that May is over. Today is June 1 and that means I leave for the US one month from today. My last day here is July 1. At 6:30pm (Tirana time) my plane will head off into the horizon and will leave Albania behind. I've said it before, but this brings very mixed feelings. I know that God wants me back in the States for some reason. Otherwise, he would have given me the opportunity to consider staying or leaving. But, with the funding to Albania being pulled, there is no opportunity to have this job again next year.

Part of me is thankful that I didn't have to make the decision myself, because that way, I never ever have to feel like I made the wrong choice, one way or another. At the same time, I feel a little jipped that I didn't get to think about the ways I can contribute here or if I still have something to offer here. But the Lord know best, not me, and I just have to face the facts.

So on July 1, it's off to America I go. The thought of saying goodbye to my friends, students, Agron, Vitori, and the Huna clan is not a happy one. Goodbyes are very rarely appealing but they are usually unavoidable. Such is the case with this one. Obviously, if the circumstances were different and if it wasn't so far and so costly to come back for a visit, it would be an easier goodbye. I am preparing myself to make it a cheerful and friendly departure as best I can because I know that my lines of communication with my life here will not be severed by thousands of miles, an ocean, and two continents. And that, is a much happier thought. :)

On the other hand, I am ridiculously excited to be home again. I can't wait!!!!! Obviously, the thing I am looking forward to the most is seeing my family and friends again after so long. They are a HUGE part of my life and I can't wait to be around them again and to be able to talk to them whenever I want or to plan time to spend with them. Plus, I am excited to have good health care so I can be feeling good again. I have felt yucky since the first week here and I will finally be able to get to point where I feel great every day. American health care is a gigantic blessing that I have been fortunate enough to have for my whole life. Wow! I will never take it for granted again.

I also have a plethora of exciting events that I am looking forward to this summer. In July, my dad is celebrating a very important birthday. (I'm not sure he'd appreciate me saying which one, but I'll just say this--come July 13th, I'll officially be half his age. ;) Hee hee! I love you, Dad!) Also, my parents bought a house and will move in just a few days before I return so I will be around to help organize and set up the new place--extra fun since that's where I'll be living when I get back. At the end of July, my godson/cousin, Ben, turns 8. I can't believe he's that big already! And I am just itching to see him and his little sister Rachel again!!! Plus, my good friend Matt is getting married to a great girl and I am looking forward to being able to attend their wedding and help them celebrate.

In August, one of my best friends, Meghan, is getting married at the end of the month. I am honored to be part of the bridal party and am anxiously awaiting all the fun that is in store for the wedding weekend. I will also get to see another one of my good friends, Lizzy, and her husband Nate, who will be there from TN.

Two other summer highlights to look forward to include a road trip to West Virginia with my friend Christie. Beth, the same one who visited me, runs a summer camp there for kids mostly from the DC area. We can camp there and get meals there so lodging and food will be free. Basically, all we need to spend is gas money. Bring on the fresh country air!

In addition, my aunt and uncle who live in Grenada are on furlough for a portion of the summer and will be spending some of their time with us in WI. Yay!!! They've always lived far away from me so any chance to see them is exciting. But they moved to Grenada only a few weeks after I moved here because my uncle accepted the call to be the pastor at our mission there. It will be so fun to swap foreign living stories with them.

Obviously, it helps me think of the good things to come in the future rather than dwelling on the sad. Plus, I know that once I am home, I will be so excited to be able to write/email my friends here to tell them all my news. And more and more of them are getting facebook so they will be able to see pictures, too. Technology sure makes the world seem smaller!

Whew! This turned out to be another novel by yours truly. Since I have the day off, I figured it was a perfect time for another update. It's Children's Day here, another holiday. Some of my students don't have school, and some have other activities planned at school, with family, or elsewhere, so I decided to cancel class and let them just have the day to be kids. It goes by too quickly--they just don't know it yet! As for me, I feel a bit like a kid too from the excitement of having an extra day outside of the classroom. You're only as young as you feel, right? :)

Please, continue the prayers. We are steadily making some progress in getting things set up before we leave. Moving to a new location will slow this down a little bit, but I'm confident we can handle it and still have things in place and as organized as possible before July 1. All prayers and encouragement are helpful! Thanks to all of you for reminding me of that! :)