Driving!!

Can I just say that I am absolutely loving driving here in America?! I love just rolling the windows down, cranking the music up (country, usually) and letting the wind blow through my hair as I sing at the top of my lungs like I'm the only person in the world. I love it. When people complain of traffic, I tell them "B-b-b-baby you just ain't seen n-n-n-nothing yet!" God hooked me up with a great reliable Nissan Altima with tinted windows & satellite radio! :)

Loving funky foods

So I'm loving eating all the American foods that got the nose crinkle in Albania...things like sweet meat (that includes BBQ, ketchup, anything sweet that we don't even realize is sweet), a little bit of salt in our sweet cookies (I tried explaining that we use it to activate the rising agents, but the response was "They were good, but make them without salt next time."), french toast and pancakes that are not deep fried or eaten with salty, sour cheese, and hamburgers that do not have cucumbers or yogurt sauce on them. Some of the food there was quite a challenge for me, especially since they eat "salad" daily that consists of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olive oil and some salt. Anyone who knows me at all knows my avid appreciation for tomatoes. And then there was all the sour yogurts, cheeses, and something that resembled cottage cheese, but it was sourer and drier. Things that are not available in Albania include: brown sugar, peanut butter, chocolate chips, caramel, maple syrup, salsa, only three kinds of cheese (only one kind that melts), McDonald's!, fountain pop, free refills, and until recently cheddar cheese, pecans, and limes. There are probably more that I can't recall at the moment, so I'll have to update the list later. But there are some foods that I do miss from Albania...like sufllaqe (a pita with rotisserie chicken or pork, french fries, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and yogurt) and byrek (phillo dough with an assortment of fillings (the cottage cheese stuff mentioned eariler, meet and onion, spinach, or tomato and onion. Very flavorful.

Rupdate

This update is in honor of my beloved friend Marianne who just reminded me that it's been way too long since I've posted anything. But part of that is because I had problems getting into my account. What can I say? I have been thoroughly enjoying living in Ohio, despite the lack of sunshine (it only shines like 1/3 of the year) and wretched cold (-20 with the wind chill occasionally). The whole time I was in Albania, I thoroughly missed the snow. After all, I'd rather have the beauty of snow over the gloominess of daily rain that goes on for days at a time. However, it's no fun when I'm running late for work and realized it snowed and now have to clean off my car! :) But I do really enjoy central heat and having it a comfortable 68 degrees in my house! And I enjoy the bathroom not being freezing cold when I have to go into shower. Ahhh...America!

Home for the holidays

There's nothing like being home for the holidays, although the term "home" is taking on new meaning as I "mature". One thing I loved about being home was the almost palpable anticipation of Christmas. It hangs in the air. There's Christmas music EVERYWHERE you go, some stations play nothing but Christmas music, the lights, even my least favorite part (the shopping) gets you looking ahead to December 25. And then trying to make the celebration last as long as possible once the day finally arrives. Some of it is just plain disappointing though. All the emphasis these days is on buying gifts. Where did that concept even come from? I know some people say it comes from the wise men bringing gifts for Christ, but they had to walk so far I'm sure they didn't haul a whole sack of "stuff" with them. And at least at the house where I celebrated this year, we prayed before ripping the paper off the gifts. But sometimes I just look at what we've made it into in our materialistic society. It makes those of us not raking in the big bucks feel a bit pressured to buy something with wow factor for the whole list of people we know. I would never want to receive a gift given out of obligation, and giving one doesn't invoke the kind of feeling that giving a heartfelt gift presents. So while I thoroughly enjoyed being with people I love for the holidays, there are parts of how we celebrate our best friend's birthday that utterly annoy me.

Black Friday, Whacked Friday!

OK, so this is the first time in three years that I've had to witness "Black Friday", the whacked out shopping spree that takes place on the day after you just gave thanks for all the great things God's given you when you go out shopping for all the things you lack. Does this make any sense at all? The fact that people get up to be waiting outside a store at 4 am is just plain insanity! The only thing that should take place at that hour is sleep! Who on earth would put themself through the torture of getting up at 3am so you can get to the store for the "once in a lifetime deals" just to have to push your way through swarms of people and wait in long lines? Oh, and let me guess you probably put it all on your charge card because you don't really have the money to be spending, but who can pass up a deal like this? Take a step back and evaluate folks, what the season of celebrating hope and joy coming to earth has turned into! It's turned into a season of materialism, debt, selfishness, coveting, and complaining. Not exactly what Christ pictured his birthday bash to be like.

Free minutes?!

One thing I'm loving here in America is free cell phone minutes! There is no such thing in Albania...you pay for every second you talk and every text you send (roughly 20 cents/minute and 25 cents/text!). So every time I call and it's free or rollover minutes, I have an urge to sit back and say "Ahhh, some of the best things in life really ARE free!" :)

Going out with a wet head!

One thing I love about being in the States is being able to take a shower and just leave without having to blowdry my hair! If this happens in Albania, numerous people will say "You're going to catch a cold!" even though I try convincing them over and over and over again that there is no scientific evidence of GETTING a cold from BEING cold (after checking with the doctor on our team, of course). They are convinced that things like sitting on concrete, leaving a window open so a breeze can come in, leaving the fan on all night (even if it's 95 degrees), sitting close to an air conditioner, and going out with a wet head (regardless of outside temperature) will cause near death pneumonia! Another favorite home remedy that I heard was for a fever. If you soak your socks in raki (moonshine) and then put them on your forehead, it's supposed to cure fever. I think it just gets your mind off the fever and onto other things (like the smelly socks!).

No subtitles??

Another interesting thing about being home is having so much TV in English...with no subtitles! Especially when we get old JAG re-runs in Albania with Albanian subtitles. I kept flipping through the stations expecting to see Portugese soap operas or hoochie mama music videos (oh wait, they have those here, too!) :)

The TP thrust!

One thing that's hard to get used to in America is being able to flush the toilet paper when you go. In Albania, the waste system can't handle it, so there are little trash cans right by the toilet. It takes a few times of doing double takes when you come back before you get used to just THROWING & FLUSHING!

Carpet cleaning

Vacuum sweepers are a luxury here in Albania (along with clothes dryers, air conditioners, bath tubs, etc.). So how do we clean the nasty carpet? We hang it over the balcony and take the course side of a wet, soapy sponge to it! Just one of the occassions when I wish people back home could see me now! :)

Bushi's watch NOT stolen in Albania!

The buzz going around town was that Bush's $50 Timex watch was stolen during his visit here in Albania. The record was set straight...Bush removed it himself and put it out of harm's way! For a correction, check out Youtube again!

Bush comes for a visit!

President Bush visited Tirana, Albania on June 10. Prime Minister Sali Berisha was all smiles! All over town you could find Albanian and American flags, as well as ones reading "We're proud to be partners." and "Welcome President Bush...making history". It was a lock-down secure day. No one shoed up for church except me because most of the roads were closed not only to traffic, but to pedestrians as well. Needless to say, it was a frustrating day to have my very own president here and not be able to get within eyesight of him. Meanwhile, some people had gathered at "Skenderbej Square" to welcome him. However, I felt imprisoned and couldn't wait for the visit to be over just to be able to go out! Had I been able to see or even meet Bush, the day would have been different...

the road to healing

There are no chiropractors in Albania! I've been experiencing neck & shoulder pain for about 3 weeks now, and decided to finally go get it checked out at the Korean-run physical therapy center here in Albania. It was quite the trip trying to find the place! I went to the road mentioned on their address, rode my bike up and down the road & still couldn't find it! It ended up I had to go off the beaten path down a very bumpy road and wind my way around the "Arab apartment buildings that are sky blue and white" and asked about 5 people along the way. Just as I was about ready to give up, I found the sign. It ended up I was at the back of the building and it was about a city block away from the road of their address. The bumpy dirt road made my neck pain even worse! So long mapquest & google earth, hello landmarks! :)

Driving is crazy!!!

If you think traffic is crazy where you live, consider that in Albania, the first thing to go out in an electricity outage are the traffic lights! And although there are several traffic "laws", not many of them are actually followed. This makes biking the best mode of transportation, since you also avoid the hassle of trying to find a parking space! However, there are times when you just need a "makina" (Albanian word for car that we use even while speaking English since it's a bad work in Albanian). But not a lot of foreign women drive, because, well it's just plain stressful! I ventured out to a local port city this past weekend with three of my teammates in a Land Rover. At the end of the trip, my teammates chimed, "We think you're ready for the Hummer!"

Lights out!

I was teaching English this week, and the topic was "Jumping to Conclusions". The students were all given a scenario and they had to come to their own conclusion about what had happened. The scenario went something like this: Carol lives alone and came home to find her TV and radio on. Carol knows she hadn't left them on when she left. One of my students raised his hand and said, "Maybe there was no electricity when she left, and it came on while she was gone." I just had to laugh! That probably never would have came to my mind if it were not for having lived in a country with frequent power outages. :)

"Personal space"

We as Americans value our personal space. For example, you walk into a restaurant and try to choose a space away from the rest of the people. Albanians are the exact opposite. I experienced this just this morning. I went to a Christian-owned restaurant to work on something that required some peace and quiet. There was hardly anyone there when I went in, so I chose a quiet corner table. About an hour later a couple of girls walked in. I could tell by where they sat that they were Albanians. Out of all the tables, they chose the one RIGHT NEXT TO ME! I've experienced this several times. We like to go into a restaurant and choose a place with no one around, whereas they like to be close to people. Another cultural difference!

from the homefront

Being home has made me realize how different my two world are! It was so nice to come back to street signs and house numbers when trying to find someone's house for the first time the other day. In Albania, directions involve finding the nearest known landmark, then going close to it and making a ring on the cell phone (just a ring since it's so expensive to use your cell phone) and then the person comes to meet you and show you how to get there. Then you're expected to find it on your own the next time! I've also enjoyed little things, like being able to flush the toilet paper and being able to say the word "car" without looking who's around. In Albania, "car" is a really bad word, so even when speaking in English, we usually still use the Albanian word "makina" instead. I've enjoyed driving so much! I've only driven about six times in the last two years I've spent in Albania, and it's so nice to get in the car, roll the windows down, crank the radio and just drive with the wind blowing through my hair! Two words--air conditioning! I've really enjoyed the green color here. There is very little grass and greenery in Albania, and since Ohio has had two weeks of rain, it's so green here and the trees and grass look beautiful. There are things I miss about Albania, but I'm just really enjoying being home!

don't forget your change

I love that the majority of stores in Albania usually don't have change to give you. So the simple solution--a piece of gum, a single teabag, a box of matches, etc. You can even buy cigarettes individually here!

special offer!

So I went to the EuroMax yesterday with my two best friends. This is the newest, best shopping center in Tirana (doesn't even close to a Wal-Mart). While there, I stumbled upon a special offer that was so hard to pass up. They were offering Kraft mayonaise with a free cosmetic kit! Check that out! Or maybe they were thinking of lice removal--mayonaise with the little eyebrow comb??? Who knows!

The Canal

The distinguishing landmark of Tirana is the canal that runs through the middle of it. It's known for its unmistakable smell since a lot of sewage runs off into it. If I could put it on a scratch and sniff sticker and send it to you all, I would! The other humorous? part of this scenario is that it's where the majority of Tirana's men choose to relieve themselves. It's humorous because the road that runs parallel with it (properly named "the ring road", as it's similar to the Campus Loop) is one of the most busy roads in Tirana, and they are right out in the open doing their business. One of my friends even saw someone pop a squat the other day. Another interesting aspect is that there are public restrooms here, but since you have to pay the equivalent of about 20 cents. However, I can't really blame them because I know the conditions there CAN'T be pretty. I guess stage fright is not an issue for them!