Found this in the drafts folder while cleaning up & thought I would post it…. Ok….the previous post was not our last, but this might be. Throughout our stay, we were watched closely and evaluated daily. One theme that seemed to re-occur was “you Americans are so clever, you can do anything”. A few quick… Continue reading The Vacuum
We left Albania with mixed feelings. We wanted to see family and friends in the states, but we knew we would miss our friends in Albania.
What have we learned from our 2+ year stay in Albania? Lots, but we will limit this to a short list. Some of the items have expanded entries and links are provided where that is the case. There is no importance in the order. We tried to rank them by importance, but it changed each… Continue reading Lessons Learned
If you read about Albania, you will learn that education is valued, a large percentage of the population holds a college degree and nearly everyone speaks 3 or 4 languages (Italian, English, Greek and Russian are the most prevalent). Over the course of 2 years, we have had an opportunity to observe the educational system… Continue reading The Value of Education
In relationships, it is often the little things that have the biggest impact.
What happens when the government spies on its citizens and recruits individuals to monitor and report on each other? Living in Albania has given some insight to that. In the past under Enver Hoxha, there were approximately 50 years of totalitarian control. During this time, citizens were recruited to spy
Back in the States after the longest day filled with travel stress – the cab driver was 20 minutes late, the traffic was backed up at the airport, a large tour group arrived at the ticket counter just before us, we could only get our luggage checked to LA even though our final destination was… Continue reading The first day back
Each day has its surprises, but since we were leaving the house at 10am, there was not a lot of time for the usual number of surprises. The day began early with the call to prayer at 4:30am.
More fests, of course! If you have read the last 2 posts you have the idea. To say goodbye, we have printed off pictures and given out albums of the things we will treasure about Albania. And the memories are not of the days without power, how bitter cold it was this winter or how… Continue reading The last week
Every day we come home frustrated that something has not gone off well, never has and never will. It fells like you are banging your head against the wall, and then we say, “I don’t know why, but I will miss this place”. And that is the truth. Part of the answer is we will… Continue reading And the Fests continue