Sunday, September 30, 2012

Pictures from September


On my way to Tirana for Susan's birthday I made some new friends on the
bus.  These two girls were going home after visiting their Aunt
in a village.  They were absolutely adorable, even when they got a little car sick.


She noticed me making a card Susan's birthday and wanted to
make one too.  It says "Happy Birthday Zyzi.  You will celebrate!"

Susan spoiled us with Pete's Coffee!  My Nescafe Instant coffee hasn't
tasted the same since.

It is officially apple season!  My goal for the school year is to
get my students to bring apples for their teachers.  That counts as
sharing American culture right?
My lovely care package from my grandparents!  I'm not sure what I was
the most excited about, duct tape or the Scooby-Doo coloring book!
A good luck charm that the mom of one of my students made
for me.  Albanians are very superstitious and since I'm a woman living
alone I'm considered to be especially vulnerable to the evil eye.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Ska dritë

With the change of the seasons, comes the change of weather and here in Central Albania, that means thunderstorms!  And here in Gramsh, a thunderstorm means you'll be ska dritë aka without power.  Growing up in Davis, California I can only vividly remember 3 times that the power went out for more than an hour or so.

(That is if you don't count those rolling blackouts in 2000.  By the way, how crazy was that?  How does that even happen?  And imagine if that hadn't happened, we never would have had the Governator...OK sorry about that random thought brought to you by Jen.  Back to the blog.)

When I moved to Gramsh, I quickly realized that this wouldn't be the case here.  Since Gramsh is removed from any other major cities and is nestled between hills and valleys, our electricity isn't the most reliable.  And now that the stormy season is upon us, it looks like there will be even more ska dritë days ahead.

In comparison to my expectations coming into the Peace Corps, I still have access to electricity way beyond what I thought I would during my service.  But still, for someone who is used to having electricity, even going just a few hours without it was a shock to my system.  But as you'll hear many PCVs say, it is surprisingly easy to live without the conveniences we take for granted back in America.  
Now my goal here is not to preach about the power of living simply and all that jazz but simply to state that being ska dritë can be fun!!  So I've compiled a countdown of some of my favorite activities:

5. Read a book!!
4. Enjoy the silence that is only possible without power. (Bonus: If its night time, go outside and look at the stars. You won't regret it!)
3. Organize your house.
2. Go downstairs and talk with the neighborhood women about how sad it is that there isn't power. (There is no better way to bond than complaining about the lights, the water or the weather.)
1. ARTS AND CRAFTS!!!!!

Now why is that last one in all caps?  Um because its awesome!  There is a reason why we were entertained for hours as children with coloring books and yarn.  I dare you to try it one day.  Build a fort on the ground with some blankets and pillows and sit around with markers and some paper.  You'll feel like a crazy person at first, but there is no better way to relax.

Of course, being ska dritë isn't all sunshine and rainbows.  But for any future PCVs reading this, here are some ways to prepare.  The moment you see clouds that look like the alien invasion from Independence Day or hear thunder do this:

1. Start boiling water.  Nothing is worse than storm watching without a warm cup of tea.
2. Strategically place candles around your house.
3. If your internet is fast enough, make a last ditch effort to download something to watch.  That episode of How I Met Your Mother will be a life saver come hour 5.
4. Accept it.  You can't stop the power from going out.
5.  In extreme cases, if the power is out throughout the day and the night is coming without any sign that it'll come back on, go buy bread.  Just do it, you won't regret it.  And there will be a run on bread.  Nothing is worse than wandering around the streets using your cell phone as a flashlight trying to find the last loaf in town.

And that my friends, is life ska dritë.  Now go do some arts and crafts!!!


Sunday, September 16, 2012

The First Day of School

The first day of school here in Albania is a really big deal.  Just to show how big of a deal it is I'm going to repeat this...the first day of school here in Albania is a really big deal.

Now that we've established that let me try to explain.  In America our first day of school is exciting for maybe 30 minutes.  Thats the time you get to stand in the hall or sit at lunch and catch up with your friends, talking about your summer vacations or showing off your new clothes.  But other than that it involves going to all of your classes and hearing relatively the same speech about classroom rules and expectations and the occasional icebreaker to get to know everyone.  It isn't a difficult day, you're slowly eased into the routine of going to school again, but it definitely isn't like summer vacation.

But in Albania, the first day of school is something that students and teachers both look forward to.  You see Albanians don't have classes on their first day of school, they have a party!  Thats right, here on your first day of school you stand around with your class and socialize while enjoying performances, poems, songs and dances.  And the best part about it all...it only lasts for 2 hours and it counts as a day of school!!  Here are some of the highlights of the ceremony:

My school director welcoming everyone.

President of the Student Senate


My landlord was taking pictures for the Bashkia and managed
to paparazzi me.

A student singing Taylor Swift's "Love Story"

The teachers.

The students.
Needless to say, it is a much kinder way of starting the school year.  Parents come with their kids and take pictures, the school director welcomes all of the students, the mayor wishes everyone success and the students get to catch up with everyone.  While part of me missed the structure and efficiency of the first day of school in the states, I realize that the Albanian way has its perks as well.  Ive come to appreciate that here in Albania everything is celebrated.  It shows a willingness to take things slow and enjoy the little moments of our lives that most Americans don't have.  So this is one of the only times you will hear me use the dreaded (ok maybe I'm the only one who dreads it) PC saying, "It's not better, it's not worse, it's just different."


Saturday, September 15, 2012

Just when you think nothing can surprise you...

Lately I've been struggling with ideas for blog posts.  After 6 months in Albania, my life here seems normal to me.

  • Waiting for half an hour for a meeting where you drink a coffee for 2 hours but only discuss business for the last 5 minutes?  Normal.  
  • Being told to watch for the evil eye by my neighbors when I leave for school in the morning? Normal.  
  • Shaking my head to mean yes? Normal.  
  • Using 'mirë' as a question, answer, greeting, silence filler, and any other way you can imagine?  Normal.  
  • Men drinking raki at 10 AM?  Normal.  (Actually I'm surprised they didn't start earlier.)
  • It is raining outside yet my house doesn't have water?  Normal.  (But still annoying.)
  • Having my cheeks pinches, my chest rubbed and my rear end grabbed by old women just saying hello?  Normal.

All of those things that when I first arrived in country seemed so foreign to me, are just a part of my life now.  But today I woke up from a nap and was for the first time in awhile surprised.  There is a horse grazing outside of my apartment.

A horse!
I sat there for awhile watching it, assuming that someone would come by to collect it but no, it has been just standing there for 2 hours now with no sign of moving anytime soon.  And the women who normally sit out there knitting and talking during xhiro time?  Why they're still out there like it is any normal day.  I guess I still  have a ways to go...


Sunday, September 2, 2012

How Stuff Works: Gramsh Market, Part 2


Now onto the clothes area...

Here in Albania there are stands/stores that sell used clothing, typically donated by charities in the US or Europe, known as Gabis.  In larger towns they are open everyday and in the big cities they even have real stores with the clothes hung up and everything.  But here in Gramsh we like to keep it real.  Right next to the food area, is a big field that every Wednesday and Saturday is taken over by makeshift tables and covered with clothes, shoes and accessories.  Some stands are more organized, with a table for men's clothing, a table for women's clothing and another for children's, but many look like someone just poured a trash bag of clothes onto them.


The view as you approach the gabis.

Checking out the winter coats that are just now starting
to pop up. 

Buying things works a little differently over in the gabis.  First of all, you have to search through the tables of clothes to find what you want.  Go on, don't be shy.  If you hesitate too much someone else will take that lovely grey sweater of yours.  Second, you can bargain over here.  Now this isn't like Thailand where you can assume that they're doubling the price on you, when I say bargain I mean if they want 500 leke or $5 for that pair of jeans you can get them down to 400 leke or $4 if you play your cards right. (And yes that $1 difference is worth the hassle.)  And finally, don't expect them to throw in something for free or give you a deal if you're buying more things.

Shopping for clothes at the market obviously poses a few more issues for Americans than shopping for food.  The most glaring issue being no dressing rooms.  It helps to have a good eye for roughly what size your clothes are, especially since any clothes you find that do have sizes printed on them can't necessarily be trusted, but you do pick up a few tricks with some practice.  Did you know that you can use your forearm to measure pants?  (The waistband should fit comfortably around your arm from your elbow to your fist.)  There is also the issue of buying someone else's used clothes.  They will be dirty.  You will need to wash them a few times.  And they probably won't ever fit you just right.  But at the end of the day, it is a way better deal than buying clothes from a store here and oftentimes gabis actually have higher quality clothes.  For roughly $5 I can find a used pair of Levis at the gabi while a new pair of Albanian jeans is easily $20 and will wear out in a month or two.  For us PCVs, gabis are the only way to go.

Well now you're tour of the Gramsh Market is complete!  I hope you enjoyed it and that I was able to do it justice.  And hey if you're ever in the area on a Wednesday of Saturday, come on by!  I'll take you to experience it first hand.

How Stuff Works: Gramsh Market, Part 1

I recently saw this idea on another PCV's blog and thought it might be fun to try.  I realize that so far I've focused more on my personal experiences, telling stories about the adventures I've had or projects I've worked on, but I haven't talked to much about how life works here in Gramsh.  I guess that since I live here now the every day things don't seem that different to me, thus I haven't felt the need to share them.  But with my mom's recent visit I realized that it is these little things that make my life here SO different from my life in the states.  From now on I'll try to post one of these once a month in an attempt to explain the everyday.

For now lets begin with my favorite days of the week...market days!!  Every Wednesday and Saturday I wake up to a Gramsh that looks completely different.  People are out on the streets, cars are everywhere and there are some extra donkeys walking by my window.  As the regional hub, Gramsh has the biggest market and villagers come from as far as an hour away just to sell their crops, buy food for the week or socialize.  The market is divided into two main sections, one for food and one for clothes.

Lets begin with food!  The food area is divided into two as well, an open area for fruits and veggies and a covered building for eggs, spices and dairy.  We'll assume that you're approaching the market from the town center (thats how you get there from my house), in which case you'll enter the covered egg and dairy section first.  I like to think of this area as the light version of the market.  It is always less hectic, less crowded and less noisy.

NOTE: People don't usually stare at you with a "What in the world are you doing?" look at the market unless you're like me and snapping pictures of them.

Here is your standard egg stand.
Thats right...there is a room of cheese, just cheese.
If you follow the light at the end of the tunnel, you'll be taken to my own personal heaven here in Gramsh...the fruits and vegetables.  Now I am lucky enough to come from a town that loves its Farmers Market, but the market here still blows me away every time.  Between the vendors set up on the cement tables in the center and those who simply set up shop on the ground, there are easily 40-50 different stands to choose from.  It is definitely more crowded and hectic than the inside area but don't be intimidated.  I like to begin by taking a lap around the area to check out prices and who has the best looking goods, although I've recently chosen an onion guy who I always buy my onions from.  I find that if you always go back to the same vendors, they throw in a little extra after you've paid.  (Free food!!)

This is what it'll look like from the outskirts.  Just be careful not to
accidentally step on anyone's stand.

A typical stand in the center area.

An example of one of the makeshift stands around the outside.

Now you're probably wondering how one goes about actually buying things here.  

Step 1: Work up the courage to actually approach a stand. (I typically have to do a lap around the market before I get to this point so don't be ashamed.)
Step 2: Make small talk with the seller.  Asking questions about what village they're from, when whatever they're selling came into season or the always trust worthy, tell me about your kids work.
Step 3: If there is no makeshift sign by whatever you're looking to buy letting you know the price, ask!
Step 4: Tell them how much you want. (Warning: Anything less than a kilo will get you a "you must be crazy" look.)
Step 5: Fill the standard blue plastic bag that they hand you with however much you think you want.
Step 6: Watch as they weigh your purchase and probably through in a few more because obviously you meant to buy more than 5 apples even though you live alone.
Step 7: Pay. And you're done.

As for prices, an egg will cost you either 9 or 10 leke or $0.10 and a 1/4 kilo of white cheese (think of feta) will be around 250 leke or $2.50.  Fruits and vegetables change with the seasons but on my most recent trip I got a kilo of onions for 40 leke, a kilo of apples for 50 leke and a kilo of cucumbers for 50 leke all for a total of 140 leke or $1.40.  Tomatoes right now will cost you 80-100 leke or around $1 for a kilo but earlier in the summer they were down to 60 leke or an amazing $0.60. As you can see, with prices like that there is no excuse not to eat fresh produce at most meals, especially when you live off of $5.00 a day.

In an effort to not scare you away with how long this post is and to get around my slow internet, check out part 2 for the clothes!

Pictures from August

Just a collection of random photos from August...enjoy!


The temperature inside my house hovered at around 90 degrees for
the month of August.  Even the candles in my house started melting.

GAD Committee Campout
Reservoir near Voskopoje. Not a bad view to wake up to if you ask me. 

Trying honey raki in Korce.
THOR!!

This month Albania has suffered from the worst wildfires in modern memory.  This photo was taken of the fire along the hillside opposite of Gramsh.