Taking it all in... Or (Hiking Up the Learning Curve)

Përshëndetje nga Shqipëria!
(Greetings from Albania!)

I have been in Albania for two weeks now, and I feel that I have experienced so much already.

Since I arrived at my training site to meet my host family, my daily routine has changed quite drastically. Although I grew up in an urban environment (San Francisco), and have lived independently for quite some time, I am now living with a family again, and am living in a village environment. This alone has offered some great contrast to my daily life in the States. How so? Well for one, I seem to be the center of attention as I walk around the neighborhood. I am American and that certainly gets people's attention! Here are some "American" things that make me stick out:

Language use - Although The Peace Corps language training is pretty intensive and highly effective, several locals have told me that they don't get many tourists/foreign visitors who can speak more than a few words of Shqip. Locals seem to get really happy when they hear me speak in Albanian and sometimes admit that they are surprised to hear it coming out of my mouth. haha. Sometimes I am surprised too! Both that I am here, and that I am speaking Albanian with an Albanian! Today I met my host mother's brother and family. Although my Shqip is getting better, it is hard to understand a lot of conversation with the average Albanian, as they speak with a wider variety of vocabulary and at a faster pace than our teachers. Despite this, and despite the fact that I am relatively shy, I decided to sit with them all evening and be a part of their visit to the house, and actually spoke with them for most of the time! They complimented my Shqip (yay!) and were very surprised that I had only been in the country for a couple weeks! I am glad that I decided not to isolate in my room. It was a great interaction and I got to understand a little bit more about my host family. I was able to also compliment my host mother's cooking to her brother and his wife. She seemed very happy about that. :-) I am glad they understand me, as sometimes it might be the first time I have said a given phrase outside of the classroom (or even at all!)

Wearing a backpack - Most people in Albania do not wear backpacks, except for the school children.  So when they see me and the other volunteers shlepping Timbuk2's, Osprey and Northface, they ID the foreigner pretty fast.

Walking fast - Americans tend to walk faster (apparently). Hopefully with practice I can get my Xhiro to avash to match the locals. :-) Btw, Xhiro (from my understanding) is an evening promenade where folks walk about town, usually in the center/busier area, and usually at a slower pace ("avash" means "slow," although I believe that this is actually a Turkish word.)

Local in Elbasan

Dress - I know that I dress differently than most folks here, but I don't see a huge difference here. I do see that the guys here like to wear fitted acid washed/bleached jeans, and hardly ever wear shorts, tank tops or other clothing revealing a lot of skin. I am certainly dressing more conservatively in deference to the social and cultural norms, although I am on the hunt for some of these "bleach washed" jeans.

Hair - The so-called "high and tight" hairstyle is pretty prevalent here, especially among the younger men - shaved on the sides and long on the top and in the middle. Since my hair is pretty short on the sides, and longer on the top, I have started wearing my hear up in the faux-hawk style on some days to blend in a little bit more. :-) People seem to dig it! It still is not quite the local style, but as we say here in Albania "S'ka problem!" (no problem!)

Village life

Village Life - Well, for those of you who grew up in a small town, you probably experienced something like village life too. When anyone new moves into town, it seems that everyone knows about it. Since folks pretty much know everyone in the village, the strangers are pretty easy to spot. I must say that even though folks in the area often keep to themselves, I have found that once I say hello, they smile and begin to open up. I love that! And I am so grateful for the language lessons that allow me the opportunity to do that. I am learning so much from the people who live in my village. I enjoy listening to their opinions about their country, the local community, their viewpoints about the world, and about America.

I do my best to represent my country well, and talk about what the Peace Corps is all about. We were forewarned that some locals may think us to be government spies, since we are Americans in Albania. I almost didn't believe it, until I experienced it firsthand. Of course, it wasn't posited in a mean way to me, merely an inquisitive way. It makes me happy to be able to talk about what we are doing here as volunteers, and that we are here to learn and help. Although there are many things that may differentiate us, we find a common bond in the goal of bettering communities and helping the individuals and families of Albania. The more language I learn, the longer I can hold a conversation in Shqip, and the more information I learn as a result. Dialogue, conversation, cultural exchange - they are all part of what I am doing here, and they are all things that I can enjoy now that I am here! Of course there is a lot of miscommunication, things that get lost in translation, as well as opinions that may differ from my own, and may even hurt my feelings (or that of my friends...). I pray that I never shy away from sitting down and chatting with someone from the sheer fear of all these potential hazards in communication. I try not to take things personally, but it can be hard at times, especially when I am in a new living environment, in a new country, with a new support network and learning a new language. I remind myself that I can only control my "side of the street" and need to acknowledge that there is a lot out of my control. I just try to keep a positive attitude and choose to believe the best in people. :-)

Regarding cultural differences, there are many, but there are also many similarities. I see the kindness and generosity of family, the closeness of friendships, the concern for others, and the curiosity about other cultures. I am beginning to feel like the people here are an extended part of my own family! Although we are still very much getting to know each other, and there is a language barrier between us, there is still the building of trust and familiarity happening. The Peace Corps has encouraged us to practice Intentional Relationship Building, which like any good relationship, involves actively listening, showing respect, being willing to ask questions and answer questions, and set aside discomfort for the sake of something greater. Since I consider myself a pretty shy guy, I do have to remind myself not to shy away from relationship building. I push myself to say hello to people I do not know, greet people I meet who speak little or no English, ask people about themselves (and remember what they say!) and not be afraid to say something wrong. Let's face it, I am learning a new language in an unfamiliar culture in a foreign country, things will sometimes get lost in translation, and miscommunication will occur.

The point is not to shy away from interaction, despite the learning curve. I didn't join the Peace Corps to stay in my bubble. I joined to help make a difference in the lives of others, to learn about another way of life, and to positively represent my country to others. So shy or not, this is what I came to do, and so I shall set aside doubt. I do acknowledge that it can be hard, and that anxiety can be a constant visitor at times. I am human, and I know that I am loved. My family and friends tell me so all the time. :-) (Thank you for this btw, I really enjoy hearing from you!) As long as I keep trying to make friendships, keep practicing my language skills, keep an open mind, saying yes to invitations from my host family, keeping my door open, doing what's in front of me, and addressing any problems immediately, I will continue to integrate. That's what it's all about! After all, being a part of a community is very important if I am going to be working with them! I hope that I am making a good impression so far. I am meeting some wonderful people here - both in the Peace Corps, as well as in my community.

Toni (teacher in our community) with a student

Language classes are pretty intense. We get a lot of information every day. It sometimes feels like my brain is "full" of knowledge and words, and that I need a quick moment to let it all sink in. LOL My group and I can already carry on conversations with people! (Granted they are quick and basic, but conversations nonetheless!) I can ask about one's occupation, their name, their age, their family, where they live, what they like to do, and what they like to eat/drink! I can also talk about who I am, why I am in Albania, and what I am going to do here for the next two years. People in the village are very friendly, and don't seem to mind carrying on conversations. I like that! It really helps me practice my Albanian, and makes me feel like a part of the community. Although I am from America, and am new to this place, I have been treated with a lot of kindness since I arrived. It appears that Americans are (overall) very well loved among Albanian people. Although I can only talk about my experience, I do hear that other Americans have experienced a similar hospitality and have concluded that Americans are quite welcome here. I am grateful and humbled. I hope that my service here will adequately show my gratitude for this cordial welcome.

So some of you might be curious about Albania itself, and wondering such things as: What do people eat in Albania? What is my daily routine like? Where is Albania? What kind of work will I be doing? How hard is it to learn the language? I have only been here a short while, but I will try to articulate what I have experienced so far. :-) Since I can expand on each topic, I shall write one at a time in future posts to this blog. If you have any questions about what I've written, or have additional topics, please post them in the comments section. I will do my best to answer them, given what I know combined with the additional information of my counterparts in country as well as other locals.

Food

Breakfast often varies depending on the day. Some days I have a glass of fresh milk (from the neighbor's cow) or a glass of kos (fresh homemade yoghurt), some fresh feta cheese, a couple chunks of freshly-churned butter, eggs (from the henhouse out back) and a couple slices of bread. They will also put out a bowl of jelly to eat occasionally. After breakfast, my host dad will ask to have coffee with him in the cafe downstairs. This is our chance to chat every day. I bring my dictionary, and we do our best to make meaningful conversation. By coffee, btw, I mean, a shot of espresso, with two packets of sugar.

Lunch is often the big meal of the day, and can be anything from cheese and meat sandwiches to macaroni, byrek (a spinach pie in phyllo dough), or a bowl of yoghurt, and (of course) bread.

Dinner is usually a bowl of soup, a meat & egg baked dish, or meatballs, with bread on the side, and (sometimes) a salad (which is pretty much just lettuce and an olive oil vinaigrette.) We often have a little glass of Fanta as a little sweet treat at the end of the meal. Yay Fanta! :-D



The volunteers here often hear the phrase "Ha!" or "Ha bukë!" which pretty much means, "Eat!" of "Eat (more) bread!" Our host families are intent on making us feel welcome and I can't thank them enough for that. Although one can politely decline more food, they do seem to like it when we eat. My host dad often says that I need to have more of a belly and that I need to eat more. Haha. Love it. From the language, the idea of health seems to share space with the idea of weight, in that bigger is healthy. I am not entirely sure what that is about, but I suppose I will find out more in the coming weeks/months/etc. When I declined another helping yesterday, they said that it was okay to ask for more, and that I shouldn't feel ashamed. I wondered about that for a bit. Did I feel ashamed? Do I feel guilty for asking for more? Hmmm... I might easily dismiss this, as I don't feel bad about enjoying the food served, but maybe there is something to the question. Do I feel guilty for eating more than I need? Maybe a little. Do they get a lot of joy out of feeding me delicious food? It appears so! So maybe we can have a healthy medium. I like to think that every problem is an opportunity to develop a diplomatic solution. :-)

Coffee here is served in-house only. There are no tall, grande, venti cups to take with you. The idea of coffee seems to encourage folks to stay and interact. A cool concept, and one that has grown more foreign to me in recent years in the US, in light of fast-paced, social media driven lifestyles. It is taking a bit getting used to, but it lends itself to having more face-to-face conversations.

So what else?

How about some more pictures! Check 'em out below, and please be sure to comment at the bottom of this post. I would really like to hear from you! Yes you! haha :-)

Until next time. Mirupafshim!

-Xhon

Sign of the Communist Party of Albania/Partia Komuniste e Shqipërisë (PKSH)

In the hills beside our village

Inside the walls of the Elbasan fortress

One of the many bunkers in Albania. This one is near our village.

Local children in a nearby village

One of our resident gomars

Statue in Elbasan