A Day in the Life

Well, I've been here eight weeks and am finally feeling a bit settled in.  I am living in an apartment that will eventually be shared with it's original tenant, Sherry.  She is currently on furlough in Canada and is due back at the end of this month.  I look forward to meeting her as I understand from those who know her that she is quite nice.  Let me introduce you to some new friends and take you through a typical school day and on into my evening.

This lovely group are the teachers from GDQ.  Such a great group of people!

Now let me introduce you to a few of the students with whom I have the pleasure of working.

Hi, I'm Emily.  I am 10, my sister Nicola is 7 and my brother Sebi is 4.  I am the oldest in the family except for Mum that's 44 and Dad that's 36.  I have 4 cats. Tiger's one month old, Chocolet is 6 months old, and 10 is younger than Star.  My birthday is on December 28.  I have dark brown long hair and light brown eyes.  I like listening to stories, climbing, running, leaping, and dancing.

Hi. I am Rea.  I am 12 years old.  I have a sister which she is 10 years younger than me.  I like pizza and Coke.  I live in Albania and I am from Albania.  I live with my grandparents.  I like Facebook.  I like to wear fancy clothes.

I'm Nicola.  I like to play that I am camping out and I like to spy on my brother and sometimes I scare him.  My sister's called Emily and my brother is called Sebi which is short for Sebastian but he likes Sebi.  I was born in a car in England but the person driving us to the doctor was a nurse so it was okay.  My mum is English and my dad is Albanian.  My mum is a missionary and my dad makes videos.

Meet Anna and Karin.  Anna is from Germany and is one of four children who attend GDQ.  Karin is from Brazil and is currently working to add Albanian to her repertoire of three other languages: Portuguese, Spanish and English.  These two third grade girls are full of energy and giggles.  They are also natural leaders because no matter what I plan to teach, they always end up telling me a better way to do it.  So I have relinquished the teaching to them.  Here they are at the board giving each other words to read with the patterns I have given them for the day.

And then there's John.  John is seven and in the first grade.  John is Korean and currently does not speak much English.  This bright boy is full of mischief and one of his favorite games is making mistakes on purpose and then sniggering when I "catch" him.  He is taking Tae Kwon Do and loves to play chase with the girls at recess.

 

 

 

Here's a daily schedule for me here in Tirana.

5:45     Wake up and have QT with God

7:10     Meet Jane for ride to work

7:30     Arrive GDQ-get ready for the day

8:00     Students and staff assemble on field for morning announcements and prayers

8:45     Literacy with Nicola

9:30     Literacy with Anna and Karin

10:10   Maths with Rea

11:20   Literacy with Emily

12:15   LUNCH 

1:00     Literacy with Rea

1:30     Planning time

2:30     Literacy with John

3:15     Dismissal duty

4:45     Begin walk home

5:30     Arrive home; head to market for dinner

6:15     Cook and eat dinner; watch a little Albanian TV or a few episodes of Spooks (British TV series on DVD)

10:00     Bed time

 

 

But never fear!  There are plenty of opportunities for fun and fellowship with friends.  Oddly enough, they all have to do with food.  Hmmm

Dinner with Granny's Chicken and Ham Pie

Making Chicken Pilaf with Sarah and Yunna

Staff Luncheon

So, life is good.  I have recently begun singing with the worship team and the Instituti.  We meet on Fridays and rehearsals  are remarkably similar to the ones at home in Raleigh, and just as much fun.  I have made many new and wonderful friends and I am feeling more and more sure about and blessed by this move every day.  Please continue to pray for me as I continue to adjust and work on my Albanian.  Zoti të bekoftë! (God bless you!)

It's a Brit Thing

Since arriving in Tirana, Albania just 17 days ago I have experienced several levels of culture shock.  Navigating the traffic (on foot) has certainly become an exciting part of my day as has the walk through the market with the smells from the fishmonger, the butcher shop, and the various dumpsters strewn along the path.  Not to mention the packs of stray dogs that wander and laze about in the streets.  Culture shock about Albania...I expected that.

But I have encountered a whole other level of cultural adjustment with my new friends (and there are a lot of them) from the UK.  You think to yourself, "They speak English.  They're basically a western culture.  How different can they be?"  Riii-ight.  A large portion of the staff at GDQ are from England and I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing meals and experiences with them.  They are delightful and an "all round brilliant" group of people.

The "loovleh" lady I am staying with is Jane.  Jane is from Leeds in the county of Yorkshire in Northern England.  Think Calendar Girls and Wallace & Gromit for the accent and the countryside of the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small for her birthplace.  She is gracious and funny and we have spent many evenings in tears from laughter.  I am working on my Yorkshire accent and she is working on her Southern.  Frankly my Yorkshire is much better than her Southern.

Just last night we were preparing food for guests who were coming over tonight for dinner. Jane announced she was going to make her Granny's chicken and ham pie.  Yes, folks, you read that correctly.  Chicken and ham pie...served cold.  The more Jane explained the pie the more leery I became.  The pie is baked for an hour and a half (so the sausage can cook) and is then filled with a gelatinous goo that, when cooled, holds the whole thing together.  Think fancy Spam.  Jane was worried that the pie would not be as good as Granny's because all we could find was "poofed" pastry and we needed "shaught" pastry.  Below is an account of Jane pouring the gelatin in the cooked pie...at 11:30 at night.  We were a bit punchy by this point.  Notice my excellent Yorkshire accent as we discuss the lack of the correct type of pastry.

Mmmmmm...chicken, ham pie held together with sausage and gelatin.  An acquired taste. 

Penny (Canada), Kathy (US), Jill (Ireland) and Jane (UK) sitting down to chicken and ham pie.

Other odd things in Jane cupboard.  Marmite is sort of like Vegemite and Bovril is a beef gravy drink mix.

It's a Brit thing!

Shkolle GDQ

Since my arrival I have spent considerable time at my new school. 

Shkolle GDQ - front of school

I have a classroom, of sorts, and have spent some time pulling it together to resemble a workable space.  Here's where I will be serving the students at GDQ with special needs and those who need intervention, as well.

Student Support Services room - before.

Student Support Services room - after

Student Support Services room - after

Stalin and Lenin

After dinner with some of the GDQ staff Thursday night, Kathy (one of the staff) asked me if I was  interested in seeing Stalin and Lenin.  I responded with a resounding "Yes!"  We walked across the street and down an alley.  There behind a run-down building, standing next to an abandoned car with four flat tires, stood the statues of Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin.  Figures that had been displayed with dignity and prominence in parks throughout the city as reminders of the state of Albania and the oppression that marked the four decades of communist rule now stand aboandoned   Further proof that this country is doing what it can to put behind it the grim reminders of communist oppression.  Ironically, standing behind the parking lot with the statues is the residence of Prince Leke, the current royal in residence.  He holds no political power but serves as an adviser in the government.

 

First Impressions

Arrival:  Wednesday, August 22; 1:20pm
     Although my body at that time thinks it is 5:20am and that I have had no sleep.  Needless to say, it is all a bit surreal.

First Impressions
The Traffic:  Chaotic, Jammed, Energetic, Never-ceasing movement
     The lanes marked on the road are really more of a suggestion than a rule, as are the directional signs on one-way streets.  There are very few traffic lights and no street names.  When you dare to cross the street, you go when you are ready and when there is somewhat of a lull in the traffic.  I find it easier not to make eye-contact but once you start, don't stop.  The cars are basing their speed on yours.  It sounds like great danger but I have been told that if a driver kills a pedestrian, they will spend the rest of their life in prison.  So I cross bravely.

The People:  Busy, Entrepreneurial, Social
     When walking people don't tend to make eye contact (probably watching the traffic) but when I have been introduced, they have been warm and friendly, proud to use the few words of English they know.  As you walk down the street, people on the side of the road are selling everything from bananas, roasted corn, and vegetables, to bandaids and live chickens.  But when they meet, the greet with a kiss and seem very happy to see each other.  The main park in the center of Tirana is full most evenings with people playing volley ball and soccer, walking their dogs, or just sitting on blankets talking.

The Buildings:  Colorful, Unplanned,
     I feel a bit like I am trapped in a Dr. Seuss book.  The buidlings are erected wherever space is found.  Until the building is finished, no taxes need be payed so very few buildings are ever completely finished.  They are painted with bright colors and designs and most apartments have balconies with veritable jungles of plants growing on them.  I imagine this is due to the lack of anything green as the only grass is at the park.

The view from my bedroon window.

The largest mosque in Tirana.  I have heard the call to prayer several times.

Center City

Apartments

View walking up the street where I am staying.

 

Arrival

During the eight-hour flight from Charlotte, NC to Munich, Germany I had time to reflect on the last month of getting ready for the move to Albania.  I have assembled my thoughts into a top-ten countdown of sorts.  My list is not arranged by popularity or frequency but by actual quantity.

10 - the number of hours (thereabouts) spent in the air traveling to Albania.
       Raleigh - Charlotte
       Charlotte - Munich
       Munich - Tirana

  9 - the number of boxes packed, shipped, and on their way to Tirana.  Megan has reassured my that fitting my life and nine years of teaching into 9 boxes weighing less than 200lbs was quite a feat.

  8 - the number of times I was stuck in order to receive the immunizations necessary for travel.
       Hepatitis A - x2
       Hepatitis B - x2 (although I still need one more)
       tetanus - x1
       MMR - x2
       Flu - x1

  7 - the number of trips to the dentist required to get my teeth ready for travel.  My understanding is that dentistry is somewhat less than what we are use to in the states...and probably doesn't involve Novocain (yikes).

  6 - the number of teeth that were worked on in order to get me ready for travel.  Kids, go to the dentist regularly.  I don't and that's why I had 6 different teeth worked on.  (ouch)

  5 - the number of weeks I stayed with Megan after vacating my apartment.  Thanks again, Megan. It really was kind of nice to have a roommate again.  I hope I was a pleasant and considerate housemate.

  4 - the number of carloads of stuff I took up to church for the Youth yard sale.  This includes one very large load that they came to pick up.  I hear the yard sale was a great success.  I am glad I could be a part of it.

  3 - the number of siblings I have left at home.  Their love and encouragement have been so wonderful during this past year, and always.  Andy, Beverly, and Bruce, I love you all so much.

  2 - the number of bags I packed.  Did I pack everything I need?  Who knows.  Only time and experience will tell.

  1 - the number of Gods I serve.  He is sovereign, loving, powerful, merciful and faithful.  He has set my feet on this path and I will obey and follow.  I am so excited to see what He has in store for me, now and in the future.  Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him!!

My dear friend Melinda putting                                                            
my name on the inside of my                                           The first view I had of Tirana,
bags...just in case.                                                            Albania from the airplane.

The Intimidator

The Intimidator



"What have you gotten me into???" I yelled to Graham, our youth intern, as we began the 21-story ascent to the top of the roller coaster. He looked at me and laughed.  Laughed!!

Last Saturday, I went with our youth group to Carowinds, a thrill-seekers paradise positioned on the NC/SC border. As we entered the park, the first ride on the list for our MS girls was The Intimidator. I've always thought of myself as a pretty adventurous person and have enjoyed roller coasters in the past so I figured, "Why not?"

Being early in the day, lines were short and before I knew what was happening, I was strapped in and listening to the click-click as our car crept up the ramp. As we peeked over the top to begin the 85mph descent, it immediately became clear I am not as much of a thrill-seeker as I once was. Needless to say, I survived, although my prominent memory of the ride is 2 minutes and 48 seconds of strained effort not to throw up.

So how does riding roller coasters relate to preparing for departure to Albania, you might ask.  My primary focus this past few months has been on fund-raising and contacting potential supporters and thanking new ones. I feel as though I have been on the ascending part of the ride all this time and support has been slow in coming, although interest and verbal commitments have been high. Well, I have reached the peak and am currently at 52% of my annual budget! I'm not saying it's all downhill from here but it sure feels good to type that number.

My thanks goes to those who have given but the praise and honor are truly His. God has been so faithful and I have found encouragement in the oddest of times and places. Just yesterday, feeling down and suffering through a sinus infection, my downstairs neighbor with whom I have a passing acquaintance, asked me about my plans for the summer. After sharing the abridged version of my upcoming move, she said she and her husband would like to support me with a gift. He's a seminary student and they have two children under age two.  Talk about a cheerful giver! (2 Corinthians 9:7)

So today, I am encouraged and feel more confident than ever that God will see me through to the end of the ride. I'm sure I will continue to have moments of panic and perhaps even nausea as I move through the loops and negative g-force of full-time ministry, but I claim Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

If you'd like to get on the ride with me and be a part of this exciting ministry, please go to http://www.teachbeyond.org/ and click the DONATE button at the top right of the screen. Be sure to put my name as the missionary. 

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,

not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

2 Corinthians 9:7