a bit of time has passed with my last blog...but something happened this week that provided me another spark and give me another dose of energy for my upcoming service. The new group of trainees arrived in Albania this past thursday. 41 new volunteers, and possibly three more on the way shortly made there way to albania from all of the US and landed successfully in albania, finished orientation, and are now at their host family houses! (oh, the arrival of the new group obviously means i've been here for a year also)
you might wonder how this could possibly jumpstart me, or give me energy, but it's quite simple; their arrival brought back all my memories from staging, orientation, moving in with my host family, and training...it reminded me of how excited i was to meet 49 new people in philadelphia, of the night before the flight to albania, and how nervously excited i was, of flying over albania and seeing it's natural beauty, of going to a store my second night in town, and having no idea what the clerk behind the counter was asking me (if i wanted a plastic bag)...all of those things were so new and exciting...then came the move in with the host family which is a very exciting/nerve wrecking/awkward time, especially when nobody in the family speaks english...
things that were once foreign and strange are now common place...for instance, drinking an expresso shot slowly over the course of half an hour (considering i never drank coffee to begin with), or sipping raki (which i could barely stand when i first arrived), 2.5 hour bus rides are now the norm, and the time actually passes very quickly...
i could go on and on about all the things that i've slowly become accustomed to in my year here, but i really am cherishing this new found nostalgia after the arrival of group 14...it reminds me of how far we've all come here in albania, and pushes me to continue to try and do better...to be successful, and to overcome my current challenges, just like i've overcome my past challenges here...
with all that said, just want to say thanks to everyone for all the support over the last year i've been here...i'm looking forward to a productive next 15 months!
