100 Years! Part 1

This past week, all of Albania has been fest-ing in honor of the 100th anniversary of Albania's independence.  I debated a lot about staying in Gramsh to celebrate or joining other volunteers for the bigger celebrations in Tirana and Vlore.  I ended up staying in Gramsh and I couldn't be happier!  Here is a timeline of the first two days of the celebration.

Monday - Albanian History Competition

On Monday, we started off the day thinking it would be a normal day of school. (Or maybe it was just me who thought it would be a normal day.  That happens a lot.) But during the long break our Director called a meeting for all the teachers and let us know that school would be getting out at noon so that we could have an Albanian history competition.  After school we all walked over to the Pallati i Kultures (literally translated as the Cultural Palace but basically the Community Center) where teams from the 3rd year classes competed.  It was great for me to learn some more about Albanian history but I think I'm still just as confused about it all as I was before!

Teacher Bana served as the MC for the event.

The teams had to answer 3 rounds of questions, with an essay question, a multiple
choice question and a fill in the blank question in each round.

Sylvana (English teacher), Laura (English teach and my amazing counterpart)
and Moza (literature teacher).  These women are my guides to Gramsh and
Albanian culture and would probably kill me if they knew I put this picture online.

Tuesday - 'Shefqet Guzi' Concert and Party

On Monday we were also informed that we wouldn't have classes on Tuesday, instead we would have a concert in the morning and then a party in the afternoon.  All of the teachers and students were decked out in kuq e zi (red and black) and everyone was excited.  The concert included some Albanian songs, poetry, traditional dances and even a skit with Ismail Qemali.  After the concert ended some of the students stayed around and circle danced in the school courtyard.  I wish I could have taken a picture of their faces when I joined in.  I like to think I gained a lot of Albanian street cred that day.

There is no better way to start off your day than with a little circle dancing!

Ismail Qemali himself.

Oh Professor!

Kuq e zi everywhere.

Traditional dancing.  The boy in the center is actually one of the students
in my 9-vjecare English group.

Later all the teachers went to the cafe next to the school and had our own little party which included two history professors sharing their thoughts on Albanian Independence as well as some dancing.  As shocked as the students were to see me dancing like and Albanian, the teachers were even more surprised. 

And last but not least, one of the lokals in town had a party for the students in the afternoon.  I went with my counterpart Laura and two other teachers, Bana and Arba.  It was a lot of fun and also made me realize how far I've come since the beginning of the school year.  At this party I was up dancing with the students and trying to teach them Gangham Style while they tried teaching me how to circle dance without staring at my feet the whole time. 

Our DJs who are also my counterpart's cousin and brother,

Check out Part 2 to see what happened on Independence Day!

Gëzuar 100 Vjet Pavarësi!

Tomorrow Albania turns 100!  It is a big deal and we're celebrating all week over here.  I'll post pictures of everything later but I thought I'd share the independence day spirit with some Shqiptar songs!

Kuq e Zi - Sinan Hoxha ft. Seldi

Xhamadani Vija Vija 

Enjoy!

Giving Thanks.

I know this post is a bit late but I wanted to take the time to point out the things that I am thankful for this year.  This past year has included a lot of big changes in my life and more than ever I realize how much I have to be thankful for.

1. My friends and family back home.  Being away from you all has only made me realize even more how amazing you are.  You've continued to support me even though I'm a continent away. You're always there for me when I need to talk to you even though I'm not always around for you.  I know its not easy being friends with someone who has a compulsive need to move and see the world so thank you for being there.
2. My mom.  You have no idea how much you mean to me.  You're an amazing mother and woman.  Thank you for always being there, for calling me when you get a less than happy email from me, for making sure I'm drinking tea when I have a cold and for always supporting me.  Get ready for more adventures to come!
3. My dad.  You always lighten up my day whenever I hear from you.  Thanks for helping me keep a level head over here and for always making me laugh.  But most of all thanks for having the confidence in me to send your little girl out into the world.
4. Nicky-Pooh.  Your the best little brother a girl could ask for. (even if you did steal my birthday)  Thanks for watching over mom and dad while I'm away.  I know its not easy to keep them in line.  I cant wait to see you next summer!
5. Home.  Being away from home has made me realize how lucky I am to have a caring supportive home life to return to.  Thank you to everyone who helped raise me and made me into the person I am today and to the people who continue to support me today.  
6. Albania.  I've never seen such a beautiful country and lively people.  We may not always get along, but when we do I cant think of any place I'd rather be.
7. My Albanian Friends.  You've taken me into your homes, fed me way too much food and paid for way too many coffees.  Thank you for letting be a part of your lives and for being my guides to Albania.  
8. My fellow PCVs.  We're a crazy, rambunctious, strong willed group but it wouldn't be the same without you guys.  Many of you have seen me at my worst but are somehow miraculously still friends with me.  Thanks for always being there to answer my calls, thanks for posting hilarious videos on days when all I need is a laugh and thanks for never judging.

Conversation of the Day

I typically get myself into some pretty interesting conversations here, which I typically like to blame on the language barrier.  You see when you live your life in a language that you maybe only understand two-thirds of the time, there is plenty of room for misunderstandings.  Conversations that in America I could recognize would get awkward real quick I could nip in the bud, but here its not until they've reached their full level of awkwardness that I realize what I've gotten myself into.

And as any PCV in Albania will tell you, the most awkward conversations typically revolve around finding a husband/wife.  This country is full of wannabe matchmakes and let me tell you, they are persistent.  On an average day I hear some form of "you need a man/I have a brother who is your age/have you met (insert Albanian man's name here)" multiple times.  But for the first time today, I won.

This is what happened when I went to buy my monthly internet.  We'll call my friend Bob.


Bob:  How have you been?

Me:  Good and you?

Bob:  Good.  School is good?

Me:  Good.  Family is good?

Bob:  Yes, good.

Me:  Very good.

Bob:  Are you bored?

Me:  No.

Bob:  You should get ready for the winter.  You shouldn't get bored.

Me:  I know.  I don't like the winter.  Winter in California is like the weather now in Gramsh.  I will be very cold!

Bob:  (laughs)  Oh my, in Gramsh we have snow.  What will you do?  Do you have clothes?

Me:  Yes I will wear all of my clothes.  I will be too cold.

Bob:  You should stay warm or else you will be bored.

Me:  I have a wood stove at home.  It is no problem.

Bob:  You are still alone?

Me: Yes.

Bob:  A stove isn't enough.  You should find a man.

Me: (laughs awkwardly)  Yes?

Bob:  Yes.  You should find a man.

Me:  An Albanian man?

Bob:  Whatever man you want.  A man is better than a stove.

Me:  I think a dog is better than a man.

Bob:  Eh, maybe a dog is quieter.  You should find a dog.


And that ladies and gentlemen is what winning looks like.

Pictures from October (And some updates)

Since I was MIA during October, lets play a little catch up...

Village Market

In a previous post I explained the ins and outs of the Gramsh market but what I failed to mention is that a 45 min walk outside of town, there is also a village market.  This market is very very very different from the Gramsh one.  Here you can buy animals (chickens, sheep, goats, cows, donkeys, you name it they got it) farming tools and food basics like ginormous bags of flour and corn.  Needless to say, they were shocked to see a foreigner walking around but it was definitely worth the experience.

Get your hunting gear here.

Need some pots and pans?

Yes those are chickens hanging on the side of the trailer and of course the trailer
itself was later filled with sheep. 

Albania vs. Iceland Soccer Game

At the beginning of October, I and around 20 other volunteers went to Tirana to see the Albanian national soccer team play Iceland in a World Cup qualifying match.  Watching sports and going to games is one of the things I miss the most here and it was amazing to have the opportunity to do that again.  But what we didn't count on was the fact that a huge storm would roll into Tirana right as the game started.  A little rain wasn't going to stop us but when the lightning started we decided that standing around in a stadium with umbrellas in a lightning storm probably wasn't the best life choice.  We relocated to a bar to watch the rest of the game but by then we were absolutely soaking.  Despite the fact that Albania lost, it was still one of the highlights of my time here.

Just a little wet...

 Language Refresher

During our time here, there are a few ISTs (In-Service Trainings) that are mandatory.  The first one is Language Refresher.  So after a little under 6 months at site, all of the volunteers from my group were reunited in Elbasan to learn some Shqip.  It was great seeing everyone again and it truly felt like returning home.  Elbasan was were we were during out training and we even stayed at the same hotel we were in for our first 2 nights in Albania.  It is shocking how much we've all changed since then!

While the conference was fun it was also absolutely exhausting.  We were divided into groups based off of the amount of Shqip that would be spoken during our classes.  I somehow got placed in the 90% group (apparently the language staff has more faith in my language abilities than I do).  Classes started at 9 AM and went on until around 4 PM.  The language staff really tried hard to make our classes as fun as possible and we got to learn a new Albanian song and a poem as well as do some circle dancing.    The video above is of the Albanian song "Nen nje portokalli" that we learned.

Too much Shqip can drive a girl cray-cray!

But there is always enough time to Ha buke (Eat bread)!

 Halloween

Every Monday I teach English to a group of 9-vjecare students.  They are amazing and working with them is definitely the highlight of my week.  A few of them are the girls who I worked with this summer as well.  But in honor of Halloween, we learned about some of the American traditions like Trick-or-Treating and Haunted Houses.  PS- If you want to feel like you're crazy try explaining to people that Americans will pay to go into a house that has been made scary just for the fun of it.  Thanks to my amazing parents, we even had some Halloween themed art supplies!

Watching 'Thriller'

The group with their finished products.  Thanks again Mom and Dad!!

(Photo credits to Joyce and Michael)

Albanian Tarator

Every Sunday, I devote my day to life's simple pleasures.  That means reading, baking and streaming football.  This week, I celebrated by making a big batch of Albanian Tarator.  My obsession with Tarator started during PST when I was invited for dinner at one of the other volunteer's host family's house.  They had two huge plates of Tarator and we easily finished both.  Tarator is a cucumber yogurt sauce, and is basically the Albanian answer to Greek Tzatziki.  During the summer, it is oftentimes watered down and served as a cold soup.  But most of the time it is eaten either slathered on bread or my favorite way,  by the spoonful.

Albanian Tarator

2 cucumbers
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups greek yogurt
juice from 1/2 lemon
drizzle of olive oil

1.  Peel and scoop out the seeds of both cucumbers.

2. Grate or finely chop the cucumber.

3.  Peel the garlic cloves and finely mince the garlic cloves, mixing them together with the grated cucumbers.

4.  Mix in the yogurt and lemon juice, making sure that everything is evenly distributed.

5. Drizzle olive oil on top.

And wallah!  It is that simple.

The finished product

Happy Sunday everyone!

Getting Back on Track

Hello Everyone.

I know that its been awhile since you've heard from me.  I apologize.  To be honest it has been a rough couple of weeks over here.  When I first started this blog I decided that while I wanted to give a complete picture of my experiences here, I wouldn't blog while emotional.  When you join the Peace Corps, they warn you about the emotional rollar coaster.  They have a nice clean looking graph that shows the ups and downs you'll experience over the next 2 years.  What that graph doesn't quite get across is just how big those downs can be.

So I'll be honest with you all, I haven't quite found my groove here yet.  I came to Gramsh with a lot of ideas and a lot of energy.  While my official title is a TEFL Volunteer, I didn't want to strictly teach English.  What I did want to do is work with the youth of the community to challenge ideas, to teach them their self worth and to help them harness their energy to make a difference in their community.  I wanted to work with women in the community to address gender inequality, advance women's health measures and create a supportive community for young women and mothers.  And I didn't count on it all being so difficult.

After over 50 years under a strict Communist regime, most Albanians don't trust change and new ideas.  This can be difficult to accept as an American.  We are taught from a young age to try new things and to always think outside the box.  We are taught that if we see a problem, we should go out and fix it.  But we are also given an advantage that Albanian's don't have.  We are allowed to fail.  Think about all the times growing up you heard the phrase, "At least he/she/they tried." or how many times your parents told you that you should "Try everything once."  Those sentiments don't translate to Albania.  Here, a person's reputation is the most important thing.  Failing at something would make them the topic of gossip and chatter and in a small town like Gramsh, that can change a person's reputation overnight.  For obvious reasons, this makes people hesitant to challenge the status quo.

The problem is, I have always been a go-getter.  I have always given 100% to whatever I wanted to accomplish.  But this is the first time that it really isn't up to me.  I'm not here to force change onto people.  I'm here to serve the needs of my community.  This has been the hardest thing for me to accept.  Sure I could start a youth council or run a training on equality in the workplace, but if the people aren't involved in the planning and execution of it, it won't last or be successful.

I haven't given up hope that I will achieve my goals here.  But I have decided that I need to change my approach.  I spent the last few days with the rest of the volunteers from my group at our Language Refresher training and talking to them reminded me that while I am here to serve my community, I need to take care of myself as well.  So from now on I'm accepting that thing here happen much slower and that even the small victories should be celebrated.  And avash, avash things will get better.