gtl before gtl

i'd like to apologize to myself, my friends and my family for something i regularly took part in not to long ago...rocking a wifebeater to the gym....what was i thinking? my mom recently sent me a package which included one of those old school wifebeaters...i put it on shortly after, wore it around the house, and began thinking what a tool i must have looked like at the gym in a pair of shorts and this undergarmet...prime-time, i was ready for jersey shore and gtl before jersey shore and gtl....for those who don't know (Gym, Tan, Laundry)...

wants and needs

So I’ve had this idea for some time now to write a blog about my desire to marr (to take/get) certain things from home…before going to albania I had seen people’s peace corps blogs from all over the world, including Albania, and many time they had a small wish list on the side of things they want, but can’t seem to get here…or are just too expensive on a volunteers “salary” maybe tidings would be a better word? Maybe not…

Anyway, after being in Albania for six months I’m finally ready to post my address and make some requests…so here goes:

Xhefi Knoche
Vullnetar ne Korpusin e Paqes
Bashkia Gramsh, Qyteti Gramsh
Albania

What I want…
…
pictures – pictures of you, pictures of me, pictures of us…I currently have a wall that I’m turning into a monster collage, and I can’t do it without your help…so please print out your favorite pics of you, me or us over the years and send them my way…in fact, it doesn’t even have to be a picture of you me or us…just a picture that will trigger a memory of you me or us…

in addition to the shrine on my wall….i’d like to put together a slideshow on my computer when I get time here, so if you can, send me a disc if some pictures as well….thanks!

the great news about this wish is that you’re coming off easy on the wallet if you were planning on sending me a package…I think you can get away with a few pictures and cd in a regular size envelope for about 1/20th the price it would be to send a package…

videos of my nieces/nephews/cousins/even friends and family I guess dancing or singing to new popular music – why do I want this? For one, I’m missing out on popular music, and I was just introduced to Justin bieber’s “baby” today when watching a video of my neice on youtube doing her American idle addition….it was awesome! My heart melted…needless to say I watched it about 3 more times, and not just cuz I like the Justin bieber song….

I guess that’s about it for now…thanks again to everyone for all the support!

if patience is a virtue, what is discipline?

Challenges, challenges, challenges….coming into my sixth month in albania I’m facing a new kind of challenge…a new kind of distraction….myself...it’s like I’m taking care of a 4 year old kid that I keep telling no, but he keeps doing what I don’t want him to anyway…sorry mom, now I know what you must have felt like when you always asked me to do the dishes, and I said “no problem” and then never did them…

I’m trying to maintain a balance....some work, some play…and some nothing…just for my brain’s sake…but I’m currently struggling to find the balance…on occasion I can’t resist watching a good old American movie…I tell myself, well, I’ll watch about 30 minutes of a movie while I eat dinner…then two hours later I’m kicking myself…or I watch an American movie with Albanian subtitles to try a new form of “studying” only to realize thirty minutes into the movie that I look at the subtitles about once every 5 minutes...or how about telling myself I’ll wake up early in the morning to do my workout, that way in the afternoon I’ll have more time to spend our “IRB’ing” intentional relationship building….well, that doesn’t quite work at 6 in the morning when I’m cold, and convince myself that I’m tired and I should head back to bed so I’m not tired at work…or telling myself I’m going to write a blog when I get home from work, and upload it the next day, only to find that I haven’t done either…

Fortunately, the idea for this blog came up about a week or so ago when I was getting frustrated with myself and my lack of discipline…even more fortunate is the fact that so far I’m one day into my new found discipline….blog, done…morning workout, done…

when coming to Albania this wasn’t one of the challenges I expected to face, but I guess it makes sense…we’re at the “6-month” mark…the mark that is notorious for making volunteers head home…I didn’t think much of it prior to experiencing it…I haven’t truly wanted to go home..but I have noticed a struggle..not just within me, but within other volunteers….this six month thing is no joke…but I think we’ll get through it…one day at a time….tomorrow’s plan for discpline? – workout….review flash cards…add thirty new words… I’ll let you know how it goes…

btw, made it outside for some work....