We had a really nice Thanksgiving dinner in Tirana at the home of a young military man who works at the Embassy. He and two other families got together to host about 30 people, including about 10 of us PC volunteers, the rest being friends who work at the Embassy with them, mostly Albanians. We had 2 turkeys, 2 hams, stuffing (made with sausage and Pepperidge Farm seasoned bread crumbs), cranberry sauce (whole berry, not the canned stuff), green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, and tons of pie to choose from for dessert. We haven’t eaten comfort food like this for 8 months.

Those ex-pats live large. They even brought their DOGS!! They have their own furniture from home – guess they did not have a 100lbs weight restriction when came into country, food from an American commissary, Military TV with American SPORTS!! Football on Thanksgiving (only it was on really late here and we had to leave to catch the last bus back to Durres before it came on)… that’s living the high life! We didn’t stay in Tirana overnight because we were leaving early the next day for our mini-vacation trip to southern Albania. It was probably good that we had to leave early, as we were getting too comfortable there.

It is hard to choose what the high point of the day was. One thing that rated right at the top was listening to music. The host had a Bose sound system linked to his pc and IPOD. Now, it is well known that you loose sound quality through the MP3, but you could not tell we minded as we sat in the cushy chairs listening for hours. As much as we enjoy Albania traditional music, there is nothing like Rock and Roll.

We are already looking forward to next Thanksgiving. Now, we wonder about a Superbowl party…..