Week One and Two

This blog is my own creation and is not affiliated with the Peace Corps or the US government and does not represent their views.

My first two weeks in Albania have been great and the I have learned more than I ever thought was possible to learn in just 14 days.

I arrived in Albania at the Nene Tereze Airport in Tirana on March 17^th. It was a beautiful day the sun was shining and I was tired. However, I had to stay awake for a little bit longer because we had a two-hour bus ride from Tirana to Elbasan, just a little farther south, before I could find a nice comfy bed to sleep in. That first night we had a traditional Albanian meal (and have had one every night since). It consisted of lots of vegetables and several pieces of meat and a dessert of something that closely resembled flan. We (a group of 47 Community Development (COD), Health Education (HE), and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) volunteers) stayed at the Hotel in Elbasan for three days as we began to learn Shqip (Albanian) and all of the ins and outs of being a Peace Corps volunteer. Before we headed off to our host family the staff taught us Albanian circle dancing, which is common to do at weddings.

Saturday was the day that we set off for our host family. The initial greeting went well. However, I didn’t know much more than “miredita” (hello) and “si jeni?” (how are you). It was an awkward day. One of the other volunteers lives in the house right behind mine. Her family came over and we all attempted to have a conversation. It mainly consisted of Alicia and I pointing at things and saying “cfare eshte?” (what is that?). Our families could not have been more patient. They were so caring and just wanted to make sure that we felt at home.

By looking at my room and the fact that I have a western toilet and a hot shower, it looks as if Albania doesn’t need the Peace Corps. However, the closer one looks the more one sees that it is still a developing country and is in a great place move forward toward a better future. There is little to no disposal system for trash, so it is everywhere. People still ride along in horse-drawn carts even though there is an abundance of cars. Chickens run freely and as far as I know you can’t really tell whose chicken is whose. Every now and then you see a donkey or horse tied up and no one is around and it seemingly belongs to no one, though I am sure it does. These differences just add to the feel of the country. It is European in feel, however it is more like a Europe from fifty years ago with modern technology and influences seeping in.

As for my host family, they are amazing. They all work hard in there own respects. My host brothers help serve the food in the family’s “local” (coffee bar), my host sister helps with the cleaning and takes care of her baby. The hardest worker of all is my host mom. She is down in the kitchen by 4 am every morning making the dough for her famous byrek (philo dough filled with cheese) and for her mini pizzas (which are eaten as a breakfast food). She is still making byrek and pizza by the time I leave for school at 8 am. She continues all morning. She then goes and helps with mixing concrete for something that my family is making (I am not quite sure what it is yet) or she goes into the fields to till and turn the soil around her olive trees and grape vines. By seven or eight she is back at home making dinner for the family. It is truly incredible how hard she works and she does it all with a smile and still tries to teach me her language and customs. Overall these first two weeks have been an incredible experience.