Things I took for granted

Some might be silly, but also very true. I'll preface this by saying that I know there are things I'm taking for granted in Albania. I'm going to try my best not to do that.

10. Cheddar Cheese/Cooking- Seriously. $12 for a block! I don't know how to cook anything here, and I'm not sure why. My meals are the following: Pasta with red sauces, pasta with white sauce, Risotto, and potatoes and eggs. For breakfast yogurt, granola, oatmeal, and fruit.

9. Stone Arch Bridge- I miss running. I think I'll break down soon, but there just isn't anywhere beautiful to go here. In MN I could run in my neighborhood and still see beautiful plants and houses. Here just about everything looks like garbage.

8. Beer/football- I really miss IPA's and I really miss Stout. But by far the worst days are those when I should be watching the packers with a beer in my hand. I also just realized I haven't had a Bloody Mary since my last week in MN, which involved daily trips to get my favorite from Legends.

7. Super Targets- How nice it was to go to one store (sometimes 2) to get everything I needed. Now if I need ziploc bags I go one place, for storage bins I go to another. If you want food you have to search to find gingerale at one store, greek yogurt at another. It is so complicated.....

6. Clean Air- pollution everywhere. and no escape. So many cars for such a small area, and so many people.

5. Living with others- Never thought I'd miss this but I do. I just wish I could hang out in my living room and have someone walk down the steps to watch TV with me or cook dinner at the same time as me.

4. Teaching Resources- People in America complain that their aren't enough resources. Be thankful for your tag board and laminators. I spent 4 hours making 6 copies of one game yesterday. First you print (If there is paper and toner) then you glue two pages together so the kids can't see through, then you cut, then you tape, and then you cut again. Finally, 6 copies of a memory game that has only 20 cards.

3. Live Music- I've had 2 music experiences here and neither have been bad, but I think the cheap beer is what salvaged them. I miss having choices of where to go for GOOD free music every night of the week.

2. Having Family so close by- This is one of the biggest. Never thought I'd ever say this, but I really miss home. Both Minneapolis and Marshfield. Mostly just because it was so nice to know that if I ever really needed someone, out of the many people nearby, at least one would be able to come. I could call anytime I wanted. If something happens here I just have to deal with it. Granted I'm one lucky girl who was blessed with a ton of incredible, close to family, friends. But there is something to be said for knowing someone your whole life versus knowing them for less than 2 months. Last weekend when I was homesick Cortney gave me a hug and it was really helpful, but part of me really, deeply wished it was my mom or my brother.

1. Having English as my first language- Oh wow. As I watch my kids try to learn English, and as I try to learn very minimal Albanian I realize how privileged and lucky I am to have grown up in an English speaking country. English is quite the universal language. I know that not everyone speaks it, but even in a country like Albania (a bit behind) the majority of people know enough to communicate with me. I just started teaching a second job. The job is focused on teaching teachers the pronunciation of English words. They are so complicated. I even catch myself saying them wrong. They are all perfectly able to communicate, but they want to know bigger vocabulary words such as notoriously, and solely. I think i'll have to write a whole blog post about it after I teach a bit more.There is so much more I want to say about this issue, but I think I'll let my good friend and co-worker Cortney tell you a bit more about it, since she did such a fantastic job. Here is the link to her blog post:
http://whereexactlyisalbania.blogspot.com/2012/10/language-barriers.html#

Hate and Love

I love parts of this city and I hate parts of it.

Hates

1. Not knowing the language.
2. The fact that you can’t drink the water.
3. I have no idea how to cook for myself. I now know why most college students live off of pasta and peanut butter. That is what I’m doing.
4. No one runs
5. Living on my own
6. The pop music that plays late into the night on my Plaza.
7. The honking and almost being hit by cars
8. The guys whistling at me.
9. The garbage that is everywhere.
10. The fact that it is a city.

For every hate there is something I love.

1. Most people are understanding and will communicate with you using the little English they know or hand gestures.
2. Bottled water is very inexpensive and the cute old guy I buy it from downstairs is very cute. My goal is to be able to have a conversation with him at some point.
3. Food is very inexpensive. We went out to a super nice “expensive” restaurant yesterday and I ate and had an imported “expensive” beer for about $13. Just wait until I’m able to order at the cheap restaurants.
4. Everyone still walks a lot, and this is how I get my exercise. I will just have to find more creative ways to work out. (like dancing around in my apartment in my underwear….which I did.)
5. Living on my own. This is both scary, lonely, and exciting. I just wish I at least lived closer to the other teachers.
6. The plaza by day is fantastic! Kids playing soccer, and lots of people drinking coffee. Wish I could understand what they were saying. It’s great for people watching. The balconies are awesome.
7. Oh my! People honk here for no good reason. Just because they feel like it. And crosswalks are just an excuse for them to try and hit you. I guess there isn’t anything I love about the city for this one.
8. The confidence that comes from guys whistling at you every day. Though I know it is just because of the blonde hair.
9. Alright. No love for this one either. It’s gross, and this is  what would lead people to believe that it isn’t a developed country.
10. The countryside is so very close. And I intend to leave the city as much as I can.

I’m also currently sick with what we call Tirana Tummy. My stomach just feels like it is constantly moving, and I have to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so. It also come with aches, chills, and a slight fever. Seriously sweatshirt and sweatpants and it's in the mid 80's. Needless to say I will not be eating anything tonight, in hopes that I can hit the ground running on classroom set up and finishing my plans tomorrow. Heading to bed early.