Al Llegori

Coming up on the end of my service and just thinking back to the early days when things were so new, fresh, and sometimes confusing.  This little story pretty much sums up a larger point/picture that, as a volunteer in another country and culture, I had to be patient enough to learn.  Thankfully, I was able to learn.

So, the story goes like this: In Albania I've spent a lot of time in cafes drinking coffees with friends.  When I first arrived I noticed a strange habit the waiter would do while changing out the ash tray.  Instead of grabbing the ash tray, and replacing it with the new one, he'd place the new ash tray on top of the old one, pick them both up, then set the new ash tray back down on the table.  I remember the first 10-20 times I saw this I didn't understand why he was doing it this way, and I saw it as a wasted step.  

Anyway, after getting more acquainted with cafes, smoking and Albania, I realized that the waiter would take this extra step so as to avoid having ashes fly out of the ash tray and onto the customers.

I think this is an allegory for what many volunteers/travelers go through, and we have to be aware that there may be more than meets the eye.  We also may not completely understand why things are happening the way they are, but that doesn't mean there isn't a good reason why things are this way, it may simply mean that we don't understand the bigger picture.

This is one of the skills I will gladly take from my time in the Peace Corps, and although I may have had it before, I think it has only been sharpened through this experience.

7 days left....yikes.

Indefinite and definite? what's that?

So, if you're not quite to sure of what indefinite and definite mean in terms of grammar and language, you're like me. I'm not sure how I was taught grammar in school, or how I was supposed to learn it. But it's actually pretty simple, I think.  In definite you include "the" before the item, in the indefinite, the "the" is not there.  Like: Can you give me "the" socks vs. Can you buy me socks.  My friend Matthew wrote a great blog about the language very early on, here.

I digress, my point was, when I came here I didn't know much about grammar rules in terms of "terms" or knowledge, but I did know how to speak English, which can be helpful, except for the fact that many of the grammar rules are different in English and Albanian.  Aside from Matthew's eloquent example, another instance is the word for "the municipality", bashkia.  Depending on where it is in the sentence, and whether you are talking about "the" municipality, or "a" municipality, the municipalities, or some municipalities there are many different ways to use the word "bashkia."  *Off the top of my head I can think of bashkia, bashki, bashkise, bashkiake.  I may not have spelled them all correctly, and I'm sure I missed some, but you get the idea.  Needless to say when I began studying the language, and we got to this point in the lesson I nearly broke down in tears.  I decided to continue on though, but ignoring these slight changes in the word, and instead just studying my flash cards to no end.  I figured as long as I knew the base version of the words I needed to use, I could be understood.  While that wasn't always the case, it was good enough.


*I'm pretty sure I'm missing something here, but that's ok.

I'll never forget the day I was riding in a furgon (van taxi) with my buddy John and he repeated at least three times "Thane Shkolle" finally, one person in the furgon understood.  I don't know exactly what he was supposed to say, maybe "Shkolla Thane" (using the definite, and putting the noun before the adjective (?)), but we both just sat there in awe when one guy understood, and we thought repeated exactly what John said, at which time the driver immediately.


It was moments like that which also kept me from being complacent about the language.  One day I'd be on top of the world, thinking I knew so much, then a person wouldn't understand me when I said the simplest thing.  The graph below captures my perceived ability, and my actual ability taken over time.

Anyway, I was thinking of all of this because we just had our COS conference which included our language test.  Which, when we began, I never imagined I'd be able to take without studying.

In general my experience went like this.  Usually my confidence fell after I spoke to an Albanian who couldn't understand me, or one who said that I should've learned more up to that point.  But, over time I became more aware of my level.  Also, you'll notice larger jumps in actual knowledge at the beginning, then as concepts got more advanced, more casual jumps.  Toward the end my improvement mostly came from conversation and recognition.  Finally, you'll notice, there is no "scale" for actual ability, haha.  End of longest caption ever.

What do you do?

So, the trip to Kenya got postponed due to safety reasons and Peace Corps policy, but Kristen and I decided to take a short trip to Rome.  It was on this trip while staying in a hostel where we met numerous people that I began to really think about the question that many Peace Corps volunteers probably get, "what do you do?"

While we can all answer that question, in many different ways, it finally dawned on me today, that Peace Corps is so much more about what I learn than what I do.  I wish I could say I've gotten a lot more done.  Not because I don't think I've done anything, I'm happy with what I've done, but simply wish i could have done more.  So, if you've read my blog, you might have an idea of some of the things I've done, but I don't know if I've ever talked about what I've learned.  The reason I think this question is much more poignant is because learning is what floats my boat, even more so than what I do.  The idea that I now know what it's like to live in Albania, that I now KNOW that I'd rather live in an uncomfortably hot rather than an uncomfortably cold location makes me happy.  Especially when I consider that prior to coming to Albania I didn't think that...

So what have I learned? I've learned...

...to communicate better.  Working in a professional setting with the language ability of a 5 year old really makes you think about what you're trying to say, and figure out a way to say it that makes sense to those around you.  I've really grown to enjoy this challenge, although I must say at the beginning it was quite painful and often felt limiting and defeating.  As someone who loves to joke around, finding the comfort in a foreign language to make those jokes is difficult, but you can get huge laughs with jokes that aren't quite as funny simply because sometimes getting to the joke is the funny part.

...to make use of the tools available to me as efficiently as I can.  This is something that I will continually need to work on, but being here, as with the language has helped me think outside the box.  Finding ways to get things done when the tools I'd like to have aren't available. It kinda reminds me of the scene from Apollo 13 where they throw the mismatched box of tools on the table and tell the guys to figure it out.

...to put myself out there.  Whether it was meeting new volunteers, Albanian friends, or anyone for that matter, I've gotten much better than this.  Early on in Peace Corps a volunteer said something like "Peace Corps is about putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and learning from them," and that couldn't have been more right on for me in this instance.  Social situations have always been a bit "uncomforting" to me, and it's something I joined Peace Corps to improve upon, and it's working.

This is me putting myself out there...i led this circle dance at one point....SOBER!

...that although I can live 1,000s of miles away from family and friends, I don't want to.  I've learned this not only through being away, but also through watching the dynamic present in Albanian relationships.  Seeing their dedication to family has led to me questioning how I could possibly have lived in the same city as my sister and mother, and 30 minutes from my father, and not made it a point to see them MORE.  It's something that I plan to do when I get back, and not something I plan to take for granted again.
...

I wrote this blog entry about a month ago with the intentions of adding more to this list...but, i'm not in that writing mode, plus, i think it's long enough at the moment....if i don't like reading more than i page of a blog, why would i put you through it?

so, lookout for part 2..although it might never come...we also had a close of service conference, so i'll have a few notes from that too..hopefully soon! only about 2 months left.....

just for fun

so my last update was work...this update is fun.....just got back from a short trip to macedonia, bulgaria, romania, turkey and greece with four other peace corps buddies...we rented a car in macedonia and did quite a bit of travelling...i think romania was my favorite country of the places with travelled, with a town/city called Brasov being my favorite place (although it was all enjoyable).  i had good company, good food, good sightseeing and good times...i think i simply reinforced my belief that major cities are not for me as istanbul although beautiful and full of history, was probably one of my least favorite cities...i just think it's tough to get a feel for a country by a major city, i'd much rather spend my time in the rural areas getting to know the people, and the culture...but that's just me...

next up is a trip to africa (kenya and possibly tanzania) with my girlfriend kristen...she has yet to be to africa, so i'm excited to share that with her...i have been there once and can't wait to get back..we're planning on going to a elephant orphanage, go on a safari, feed some giraffes, and hopefully visit a peace corps volunteer or two so we can see what life is like in Peace Corps AFRICA!

finally, i made a video for an organization called Travel with Balls...the idea is simple, when travelling the world, bring a couple soccer balls you can buy for about 2-3 dollars, and pass them out to kids in need...the response you'll get is amazing...clearly i'm not suited to be an anchor on ESPN, but it was well worth my nerves to make this video and support a good cause and good people! you can see my video below, and the official video below (official video first) and if you search "Travel with Balls" on facebook, twitter and the web you can access their respective accounts and their blog...i really hope it takes off and more people get involved...that's all for now..have a good one folks....

Official Trailer:

My contribution:

still moving

it's been a while since i blogged last...i have a couple updates to give...

first, we've completed the soccer project, named a champion, and made a cool video that all the participants can remember...hopefully sopa, protect ip and the music companies will allow me to continue to share the video for years to come with the music i'm borrowing using the "fair use" clause....haha..anyway, here's a video recap of the soccer tournament...i had a great time doing it...and i think the participants did as well...

next up is the park project...what can i say besides it has been an up and down experience...the latest is that we've had to uninstall some equipment to make repairs to insure the equipment lasts...in addition, we had a "volunteer day" with some of the high school students to help turn the soil around the trees, and paint different features to keep the park looking nice (which is hard to do in winter when the grass turns to mud)....we had about 8 students come out to help us out which was nice, my sitemate kim and i even did some work ourselves....after winter dies down a bit we will return to the park and reinstall the equipment we uninstalled with the necessary reinforcements...

finally, although my time here is winding down, i'm working on two new projects, i won't be able to fully complete either, but i hope to lay the foundation for the volunteer who follows me to gramsh so they have some work to do when they arrive...

the first thing is a project at the local health center...i'm submitting an application today to begin to replace an outdated filing cabinet (about 30 years outdated) where residents medical records are kept...this is a small grant i hope we can utilize to show the benefits of a modernized filing system in one office...i also like the idea of starting with one office to make sure the project is worthwhile...we're starting with one filing cabinet, but if this project is useful, i think we can replace about 30 cabinets at 5 different locations, which would be a much bigger grant that would have to be completed after i left...but, given the importance of keeping medical records in good shape, i think this project is a good candidate for a grant...

the second thing i am working on is a tourism project for the region of gramsh...again, we're setting the foundation for something bigger...right now we're picking the 5 best locations, and trying to put together a program for travelers, and a place where they can easily gather information...the final piece will be teaming with an english speaking person (possibly a high school student) to act as a tour guide...i'm hoping we can get all the information ready and up on the web before i leave....

so that's that when it comes to work..hope you're all doing well....

the iron is hotttttt

ok, so i have a couple updates...

1st - i finally got the the root of why the playground equipment has yet to be installed at the park and the grassy area has yet to be fixed...the crew that does these types of jobs for the city is currently digging trenches to fix the sewage system..and when i say "crew" i mean group of about 4 or 5 guys, so, we have a little more waiting to do...i guess the sewage system should come first...

2nd - today we got started on our other project, the soccer tournament bringing youth from the cities and villages together in a soccer tournament.  it was great to see and here the excitement of all the kids involved, and getting the two groups together (village and city) was just a start for what we have planned...the girls also got out there and played some soccer which they really enjoyed (we thought they may be resistant since they normally play volleyball or basketball)...i think pictures speak loader than words...i also plan to put together a video once it's all said and done (we have two weeks to go)...

getting ready to start

standing room only

gettin after it

concrete is set

Workers at the Bashkia have begin to set the foundational concrete that is needed for the playground equipment I mentioned in my last post.  So far things have been moving extremely fast. I didn't expect to receive the equipment so soon (next day free "shipping" - maybe it's called freight) and work by the Bashkia staff to install the concrete basins the following week!

I have been pleasantly surprised by how things are moving.  I am trying to stay on top of things with my counterpart and paying attention to detail and potential issues.

As you will see in future pictures there is a "new" fence that has been installed around the boundaries of a park.  This is great because it keeps kids safe and out of the nearby street.  This fence was not part of our project, although it very well could have been.  It has been up for a few months now and has been damaged a bit by people trying to walk over the fence to reach the entrance (as they originally only created one entrance).  They have since created two other entrances.  Also, to help keep people from climbing over the fence we are planning on moving the plants from the middle of the playground to the edges by the fence so people won't be able to step over.  This will also open up play space for children.

Still to come:

installation of new equipment
repairing of existing equipment
moving plants
removing excess concrete
fix damage to fence
plant grass

Thanks again for all the support!

the wheel in motion...

I just wanted to drop in and give everyone an update on the latest with the Peace Corps Partnership Program project I had funded. Things are actually moving along a lot faster than I expected.  Of course there has been a slight hiccup in the process, but that happens everywhere.

So here's the latest:

We received the funds for the project, and then contacted the supplier of the playground equipment with whom we originally received our quote from.  He was still in business so we took a trip to go check out the quality of the product.  Along the way we also knew of another vendor who deals in playground equipment so we were going to stop there on the drive over.  Unfortunately we drove right past the second vendor as they are pretty well hidden, I hadn't passed by in a while, and they didn't have any equipment out in front of their shop like usual.  We decided to continue on and circle back if we needed to.

Once we arrived at our original vendor the hiccup came.  Unfortunately one of the items we originally requested had been sold, and unlike what we may be used to in American, placing an item "on order" is not an easy process.  So we decided to go with most of our original order, then change out an item so we could maximize the value of our leke (dollar).  We ended up selecting:

Swing set: they also had one that was made from more solid material, but I was convinced by my counterpart that this piece was better for a few reasons: it had more spaces for the children, and although the material on this would break down before the other model (which was much more expensive), the workers at the Bashkia (municipality) could put together the frame using wood and replace any damaged parts.

Teeter totter: who doesn't love a good teeter totter.  They had two versions here, we went with the stronger more durable model.

Spinny thing: nothing says fun like spinning in circles till your dizzy.  This piece was high quality and the pieces that are breakable, are also easily replaced.

Finally, our vendor threw in this horse spring thing at a large discount.  We had a bit of money left in our budget, but not enough to cover the cost.  So we said we would come back later after installing the equipment if we'd like more (being the crafty buyers we were), he came back with a reduced price we could afford (being the good salesman he is) because he didn't want to leave money on the table.

Sometimes it's hard to smile...

But usually it’s hard to stop. As some of you may know about 3 months ago I submitted a Partnership Grant to do complete a Playground Improvement Project in Gramsh for a park that has become run down on the City’s main street. This grant program is a bit unique in that after it is approved by the Peace Corps it is up to the volunteer to raise the funds needed to actually complete the project. All in all, we needed to raise just over $4,000 for the project which will include new equipment for the park, repairing existing equipment, improved landscaping, and a health information component which will be headed by my site mate Kim.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when the time came to ask for donations. Everyone knows that the last couple years in America haven’t been great in terms of the economy and I felt a little strange reaching out to people to ask for money. But I did, and the response was great. I received the donor list of those people who had “checked yes” to share their information with me so I could see that they donated, and keep them in the loop on the project. The list was amazing, it included my family and friends, and family and friends from my site mate Kim, Kim’s dog, and some family and friends of other volunteers who helped spread the word about our project. I cannot express how grateful I am to those of you who helped in any fashion (donations, posting a link, etc.)

My counterpart will be returning next week and that is when we will begin the project. I will keep posting blogs on the project and will send out an email to those of you who provided your emails to keep you apprized of the latest news. Below you can see some pictures of the park in its current condition.

Thanks for all the support.

Ha-Merr-Ik (Eat, Take, Leave) - mission accomplished

I recently returned from a nice two week trip to the states where I was encouraged to keep blogging, so I figured what better to do when I got home and all caught up on my sleep, than blog...

I had a great time back in the states, saw my family, friends, ate copious amounts of food, drank flavor filled beers, spent entirely too much money, but most importantly shared my experiences and heard all that I've been missing while abroad.  Special thanks to anyone and everyone who took the time to meet up and say hi.

Adjusting back to life in America wasn't too bad.  I only made a few mistakes in conversation (speaking in Shqip) or out in the real world with cultural differences.  But, shortly after arriving home I realized why the transition that you hear so much about while serving wasn't that difficult, I wasn't making a transition.  I was on vacation.  I didn't have to worry about finding a job, or somewhere to live, something to drive, something to do.  I was there, and that was all that I needed to do, or be.  So to everyone who wanted to ask me, or did ask me if it was weird, or hard being back, sorry if I didn't give you a good answer, but the correct answer (for me at least) is "not yet."  It was a nice taste of what will come when I get back, but all the stuff I listed above, that will be the difficult stuff, the vacation stuff was great!

Towards the end of my trip, as much as a love seeing family and friends, I was ready to come home, er, to Albania, which really is my home now.  At the moment I just feel like this is where my purpose is, this is where my home is, and this is where I belong.  I still have work to do, which was actually a great feeling.  I remember waking up sometimes in the states and not wanting to go to work before I ever got out of bed, not a good feeling.  But, wanting to go to work from some 3,000 miles away, it actually put a smile on my face and reminded me of how happy I was to finally make this decision to join the Peace Corps.

So, thanks to everyone who met up with me, can't wait to see you all a year from now, but for the time being, I have work to do.

albanian conversations...

every now and again i'll have a bad day with the language and get down on myself because of my desire to communicate better...the truth is, i do alright, but, as with everything, there is room for improvement...anyway, i recently had two conversations that i'd like to quickly highlight because of their randomness, and because i'm proud of my ability to understand the topic...

a few weeks ago i went back to my host family's house to visit, enjoy some food, and company...i brought a liter and a half of RAKI as a gift (i'll be bringing some back with me to America on may 28th for all those who would like to try it) and was more than repaid in hospitality, food, and wine...gift giving has never been a forte for me, in fact, gift receiving has even gotten weird for me as i've gotten older...

anyway, back on point..my host dad and i were sitting in the living room watching a little tv and out of nowhere he asks if i've ever had a dream where i was able to fly...i excitedly responded that yes i have, and asked him if he has, and how often he has that dream...he explained that he recently had the dream, but it wasn't the first time...he was sooooo excited to tell me about his flying dream, and the things he did, how weird it was to be flying, and how weird it was that i also had that dream...i explained to him it's a pretty common dream, i don't know why people have it...but it's a lot of fun as long as you don't fall down..we both got a laugh out of that...in my head i could only think of the "naked at school dream" - i quickly ran through the scenario in my head and realized i had the vocabulary for it, but quickly realized this wasn't the time of the place for that conversation....thankfully i hadn't been drinking...

then, this past week i had a conversation with a coworker about a stamp collection, again, another topic that is very unusual, and unordinary...the more i think about the conversation, the less difficult i remember it being, probably because the only word that i don't use often is stamp...but nonetheless, at the beginning of this blog i cited two stories (i think), and this is the second one that actually inspired me to write this post...so anyway, he told me about the age of his collection, where they were from, and how many he had....asked if i had a collection, to which i replied no, but i did collect sports cards when i was a kid...i think i was able to explain that accurately...

i'm hoping that within my last year here i'll have many more conversations like these and will be able to express myself even better with continued practice and study of the language.

gabim - mistake

in my post titled "welcome to albania - again" i recently noticed that the bottom of the submission had a quote i found from an article that i remember from the time and had copied because i thought it was funny...somehow i accidently inserted that quote at the bottom of my submission...as you can see, it's totally unrelated...so, just like the nytimes, i'd like to print a retraction...
what was included at the bottom said: "if english was good enough for jesus, it should be good enough for you" which is funny and ironic on so many levels, but anyway, sorry about that if anyone found that weird or offensive.

imazhi i ri per gramshin

New Image for Gramsh - this is the name of a local non-profit organization that i've recently started working with...i met the founder through a mutual friend, two days later we had a project idea, and two days later i wrote a grant looking for funding for that project...yes, life is good...

back in the states i may have complained about having to bring work home, or i may have simply said, no, that i wouldn't do it...but sitting at my house the night before the grant was due i was happy to be doing this work...i finally got to a point in albania where i felt as though i was doing something...i could see the light at the end of the tunnel...now, i may not have written a good enough grant in those two days...but, if we don't get funding this go-round, we will have another opportunity in july...either way, i'm hopeful...

the project was thought of by the guy i am working with who has years of experience as a soccer trainer..his idea, put simply was to have a soccer tournament over the course of 3 weeks including kids from the local city, and surrounding villages...after going over his ideas, and then beginning to write the grant i realized that we would need to do a little more than a soccer tournament for local boys to secure funding..given the short time, i think i found a pretty good plan...

i added two key components to the grant (which my partner completely agreed with)...we added a team for girls who were interested in playing..i'm hoping we can get 4 girls teams to play...but only getting 2 or 3 may be more realistic...we added this to help promote gender equality, and help shake up perceived and accepted gender roles in the community.

the second component we added was to include a game on the final day when the youth from the villages and the city join teams and cooperate in a sort of "all-star" game...on some occasions people from the city have a negative view of those who live in the villages, and we saw this as an opportunity to promote cooperation amongst them, as well as to show them, at the end of the day they're all the same...

so, we shall see...but i just wanted to pass along the good news of this new partnership and the prospects for opportunity that i envision....

welome to albania! - again

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!  

Call me a cynic. I did.

Call me a cynic.  In fact, I'll call myself a cynic just to be fair.  I came across this article about the Superbowl and it spoke to me about something larger.  (I hope the NFL doesn't come after me for using the word "Superbowl.")

Fans with tickets miss Superbowl

For a quick summary, some fans who had purchased tickets for the Superbowl were unable to take their purchased seats because they weren't ready/safe in time for the game.  As a mea culpa, the NFL refunded three times the purchase price of the tickets, allowed the fans to go on the field after the game, and the fans will be "guests" of the NFL at next year's Superbowl (if there is one, which is what got me thinking...), among other perks including merchandise, food and beverages, although probably not beer.

So now I'm going to give you my completely biased, cynical opinion on this whole situation, and the NFL's intentions.  (Btw, does believing we shouldn't have a Columbus Day make me a cynic?)  So, upon reading the article I couldn't help but think that something was awry.  The NFL was going above and beyond the call of duty with these perks.

The generosity they showed to the ticket holders didn't match the image I've gotten from the NFL lately.  They appeared to be a caring, responsible organization.  This would mean they put fans, and players first, profits and bottom lines would fall in line accordingly, but wouldn't be the drive behind critical decisions.

But what are we used to?  A league that wants to increase the length of the regular season from 16 games to 18 games.  Why? Very clearly to boost revenues, and not one single other reason.  When I read about players who are paralyzed, or who have difficulty walking after playing years in the NFL I can't think of a single good reason to extend the season for two more grueling games besides a lust for MORE money.  Never-mind that the owners are multi-millionaires and potentially billionaires.  Never-mind the fact that the NFL is a billion dollar meal ticket.  When is enough, enough?

So, for those that follow NFL news, you know that the current collective bargaining agreement is ending and there may be a potential lockout if the owners and the players union cannot agree on a myriad of subjects.  And this is where the Superbowl mistake comes in.  What better P.R. can the NFL get with its fans than what this turned out to be.  Going over the top to correct a mistake that was only made for one reason, that dirty little word comes up again, GREED.  They tried to pack as many people as humanly possible into that game, and again, for those who follow the news, ticket prices were ridiculous, then resell ticket prices were even worse.

So, in an attempt to bolster their image before the upcoming labor negotiations, the NFL went over the top.  Which takes me back to intentions.  To me it just feels like the NFL is trying to pull the wool over our eyes, paint themselves in this positive light.  Yes these people missed watching the Superbowl, and should be compensated appropriately.  But, since when did the NFL put fans first, before revenues?  What about all the controversy surrounding the NFL network, and the cable subscribers who don't have the option to get the network without switching to satellite television, what about the regular black-outs that occurred throughout this season.  What about the fact that teams have been known to abandon cities when they don't get "sweet" deals where tax payers assist in paying for a new stadium?  I'm not buying it.

Ok, now I'll get off my soapbox.

a jenny jones makeover!

so for those of you who haven't noticed...i gave my blog a little makeover...it had been a while since i posted anything, actually, since before new year's...so i had to get  a post in before i let an entire month go with nothing...and while i was at it...i changed the layout a bit..

in any case...the new year has been good thus far in albania...i have had a few grant writing projects to work out, which although the translation part is a bore, improving the language, and the idea that i may be able to help this city acquire some funds does make me feel good...doing any kind of work really...

in january i also continued my quest to visit all the volunteer sites while i'm here in albania...so, i went with my sitemate kim to erseke where we visited with katie and marie...we had a good time there...its always nice to see what other cities have to offer...erseke is very small compared to gramsh, and not many people were out when we were there..it's supposed to be one of the colder cities where volunteers are placed, but we lucked out, and the weekend we were there i only needed to wear one pair of long johns..

the latest news in albania has been the demonstrations over the control of the democratic government...i'm not going to pretend to know the entire history, but i was able to watch things unfold live on television at my counterparts house...needless to say, it wasn't pretty...there were plenty of peaceful demonstrators, but there were also those who were throwing rocks, tipping over cars, and burning things...the question now looms whether or not the protests will continue, or if things will die down...today should be telling if the demonstrations continue, and how large they are...

for the time being the demonstrations have been limited to tirana, and i haven't had any concerns over my own safety (for those concerned)...

here are some articles on the news:
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/uneasy-calm-returns-in-albania-following-deadly-clashes

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-opposition-protester-clash-with-police

fier...fear...and football

(note...i was waiting to post this post until i got a picture of the marines we were lucky enough to eat with, but it hasn't made it my way, so i'm posting pa-picture...)

so it's been a while..a little over two months ago I sort of realized that it was time for me to get out more..do some travelling, visit some volunteers and get to see more of the country...so in a nutshell, that's what i've been up to..

a few weeks back i went to fier..got to hang out with quite a few volunteers there and had a great time.  quick thanks to susan for hosting...and chris and kristEn for hanging out...one of the things i like most about peace corps are the conversations i have with the other volunteers, learning more about them and what they've accomplished...i'm lucky to be surrounded by some amazing people...

more recently, we had thanksgiving in tirana...fortunately for the volunteers we had the opportunity to be hosted by american families or the marines for dinner...a group of four of my friends..they treated us like royalty..which was weird, because usually when you're around servicemen you want to do the work for them...the food was amazing as well...all in all it was as best a substitute for being home that i could've hoped for...


oh, and before the festivities we also got to play a little football...i think this game is an annual tradition, and the volunteers hadn't won in the past..but we put together a good squad and pulled out the win..had we played tackle i think the marines would've had the advantage...but we represented for the finessers our there...here are some pics..

 

Benny Buttons

so i watched this movie for the first time and the quote just stuck for me...the movie is based on a short story by f.scott fitzgerald, and i guess this sorta sparks a little interest in me to read books other than non-fiction...

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."


i guess the scary thing is the thought of starting over again...but if that's what it takes, that's what you gotta do

What do you wear? WINTER

undershirt...underarmor...sweater...jacket...gloves...beanie...scarf

pants...long johns...long johns part II

and it's still cold...

burrrrreeezyyyy

so i have a post all good and ready for to explain what i did on thanksgiving..just waiting for a picture from a friend before i post...so don't worry..i did something..missed the normal celebration from the states...but still had fun..

in any case...it's starting to get much colder here...i woke up this morning and it was mid forties in my house...i'm guessing that means outside it was high 30's....it's been really brisk here lately...reminds me of a few winter days i've spent in nebraska...difference being, i don't have a heater in my house..i can get one..and may once it gets really cold..but for now i'm saving money on electricity, and i can stand it...as long as you guys can stand to hear me complain..

one thing i always took for granted was socal weather...i'd been in freezing temperatures before, and deserts...and i hate deserts...now i realize it's much different to visit cold...and to live in the cold...it affects a lot more things than you realize...

for instance..i workout in my apartment, using some weights i bought and a pull up bar i brought from home, with my personal trainer, tony horton...(if you don't get the reference, google it)...anyway...now that the weather is so cold in my apartment, when i workout, my tile floors gather up all the moisture in the room and get extremely slippery...i figured i could work my way around it until recently when i almost fell and busted me head open..so i bought this wonderful rug for 20 bucks, and now i feel a bit more safe...

on top of that, the cold air really does a number on my endurance, lungs and appearance...take a look at this shot, post workout, i felt and looked a bit like nick nolte from the old pic...

finally, here's a picture of my windows crying cuz it is sooooooo cold outside...haha..