These last two weeks I have been in Albania seeing a friend and helping with their camp and after school program. They have probably been the best two weeks of my summer. Before I left on my trip, I had talked to my mom about possibly going to Albania this summer before school had let out. At first she was reluctant to let me go, especially since I would be flying by myself, with not much experience before hand. She (and others of my family) were worried about me going over to that part of the world because of what has been going on in the East. However, Albania is farther south than the action that's been going on over there. The bottom line to this is in the end my mom let me go on this trip.
My trip started at 5:15 in the morning when I first woke up. We left the house at about 6:30 in the morning and traveled to the Minneapolis airport to catch my flight at 10am. From there I flew to Atlanta, Georgia and then from there on an overnight flight to Rome, Italy and then finally into Tirana, Albania. As you can imagine, I didn't get much of any sleep, so I was very tired when Abi's family came to pick me up at the airport. For lunch we went to a mall in Tirana (Albania doesn't have much for malls) and had some delicious crepes. From there we spent some time in Tirana as they had some errands to do. The cars there don't always stay on their side of the road and they tend to drive where there is space for them to go and so they go about their business going as fast as they can while avoiding crashing. It's even more intense being in a car while this is happening when you're dead tired. But it was fun. I loved the drive back to their house through the mountains on windy roads because of the scenery and because the roads are much more interesting than the straight roads in Iowa. After a stop for food in what I think was Korca, we continued the rest of the way in the dark and made it to their town of Erseka. I went to bed soon after that after being briefly shown the house.
The next day, Friday, I woke up early (at least for me in the summer) and was greeted by Abi's family when I went up for breakfast. It was good they had me go to bed and wake up at a normal time because that helped cut down on the jet lag. After breakfast most of us went down to their camp for the morning activities. I was introduced to many people that the Stoscher's knew and worked with and so it was a kind of confusing whirlwind of names and faces and learning how to act when greeting people because the culture is different (such as greeting people by kissing both cheeks) and also trying to understand when people spoke in Albanian. (at that point I only knew a few words) Abi translated for me, which I greatly appreciated, and then they had some worship practice and started their morning worship meeting at about 9:30am. I enjoyed it despite the fact it was all in Albanian and because of that I thought it was very cool to see songs I know in English in a different language. Soon after Abi and I went to the forest for a little while as a sort of break from the events if the day. After that we went back to their house and I was introduced to their Foleza after school program and then joined them in trying to help with what the kids were doing, which was a challenge because all I could say to them was "shumë mirë" or "shumë bukür" which is "very good" and "very beautiful" in Albanian. Despite that it was fun. Later in the day, in the later part of the afternoon, I went down with Abi to help with facepainting at the camp. Abi translated for me saying what the kids wanted when I couldn't understand what they wanted. Luckily it was the World Cup and so most people wanted flags for what country they supported, though there was one girl who wanted a dragon. After that was supper at the camp and then the evening meeting. Even though I couldn't understand what was being said most of the time, (I had an awesome translator named Liz) I could still tell that there was a presence at the camp and it was a pretty powerful and good feeling which gave me goosebumps. There was a campfire afterwards, in which everyone gathered around it was chanting and generally being crazy and having fun. I also enjoyed the walk back that night to their house because it afforded me to see more of Ersekë at night and to walk with some if Abi's friends. That was my first full day in Albania.
The next day, Saturday, was a bit more laid back. I don't remember what all we did but I think we played a game called Settlers of Catan and had home made pizza. I think we also watched a movie called "The Spelling Bee" either that night or Sunday night, because the other one was spent watching a football (soccer) game by the church guys. On Sunday, I went to their church just across the road and had the opportunity to have it under the shade of grape vines, which was pretty cool. The sermon was said in Albanian that day, so my friend again translated. I also enjoyed the songs the worship team played and trying to pronounce the words so I could sing too, despite not knowing what they said. After the service, one of the Foleza kids came up to me and motioned for me to follow her to the backyard of the church for a drink and some cake. I thought it was very sweet of her to make sure I was able to have something. I went back to the house after that and proceeded to take a nap before lunch because I was tired. For lunch we had some delicious fish (kuran) that we had picked up on the way from Tirana and some cheesy potato and meat stuff along with the Albanian staple food of bread. When the meal was done we all played a card game called "up the river" which is similar to spades and wizard. Linda, a wonderful lady, and the Stoscher's and I played the game until it was about time to go to a birthday party for a girl in the church. The party was fun and I was amused by the younger kids running around. At one point I was told the word for popcorn and was encouraged by my friend to say it to one of the Albanians there because they're thrilled whenever someone tries to talk in Albanian. As a result, I ended up standing around with a bowl of popcorn for a while because I was shy about saying it, and so at one point people were teasing me in a friendly way that I was 'serving' them for 20 days because of the shirt I was wearing (10 days of service) and because I was holding the bowl of popcorn. It was hilarious. So that was my first three full days in Albania.
On Monday, I decided it would be a smart idea to go on a walk with their family. I quickly found out that Abi's mom is a fast walker and was sometimes hard to keep up with! It was a good workout at least. An hour later we went to the camp for a meeting of just the staff. They were preparing us to spend another week with kids (middle school) and also so we could bond a little more. The speaker talked about how we should treat kids who weren't listening or behaving as they should and then the bonding part was a series of popcorn games which was a blast. They also gave out cool orange staff shirts to all the staff with the camp name "Udhekryq" which means "Crossroads". After that Beka and I went back to the house to help their mom out with Foleza. After a little while after lunch, when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, I went upstairs and found their two brothers up there. We played a game of 'Lord of the Rings Risk' in which Jamie won and by that time it was almost time to go down to the camp for supper. I was really enjoying those supper times because I would ask questions about what certain things were in Albanian, was told, and then would try to say them to people at the table I was sitting at. It was fun. Then there was the evening meeting again with a short drama (all week) about finding the Tree of Life and the Living Water and then a speaker. He was a very good one too. Afterwards we walked back with some friends and went to sleep.
Tuesday was much the same of Monday, except that there was the normal morning meeting instead of the staff one, which happened every Monday morning. I set up rows of pillows for the kids to sit on and then tried to participate in the morning worship. As before I went back and helped with the Foleza kids for a while and then went upstairs when my head started to spin from trying to understand what they wanted. This time I made paper airplanes and a paper airplane Toothless with the boys and then we went down and flew them with the kids. Again we went down to the camp for supper and then afterwards I went and played foosball with Stephen. The worship meeting was a good one and again the speaker was good. I was really starting to enjoy those walks back from the camp at night with the group of friends that accompanied us.
Wednesday was the same as Tuesday with the events of the day. The kids wanted me to play a game called "Uno" with them, which was interesting in itself but I enjoyed it despite not being able to communicate very well. I asked later at supper what some of the colors were in Albanian so that I could play it with them a little easier. I think this was also the day that Mark took the Foleza kids out to a grassy field to play a little bit of baseball. Some of those kids can really hit a ball! They had a blast chasing after the balls that Mark hit far away.
Thursday morning was one of my favorite mornings because I was outside with the kids and playing with them. As I was pushing them on the swings, one little girl would sound out an Albanian word she wanted me to say and then point to what it was she was trying to get me to say. Whenever I said it correctly she would cheer and then start on another one. This continued until she was tired of swinging. I saw at a small table near the door to the house that some kids were trying to make things out of paper and so I joined them for a while until lunch. We succeeded in making fortune tellers which they loved. After lunch they wanted me to play Uno with them and so I joined them for two games of Uno. They were thrilled that I could say the colors in Albanian. A little later in the day I went back down to camp and helped with the craft of the day which was making some sort of bracelet out of lanyard with Addie and Lydia. (Either that or it was Wednesday I did that craft.)
Friday came and I joined Beka in the forest with the campers. We played two fun games with each of the groups until about one and then we had lunch. After lunch we went into the forest and picked what I call the world's tiniest strawberries. They were so good! Then in late afternoon after we helped with face painting I went back with Lydia and Addie to have tea at the house. Then it was down to the camp for supper and it was at this point that Linda invited us to her house the next evening for pizza and games. The meeting this night was a powerful one. When they sung "Une Kam Vendosur" anyone who had chosen to accept Christ gathered at the front of everyone. Those who went up numbered over half of the campers that week! There were a lot of tears by many people in the room. It was a powerful moment. Then there was a really cool video that Abi and someone else put together. When everything else finished up for the night and before the bonfire started I went back with the others because I was tired. (Though each night I would read out of the book I brought with me.)
The next day, Saturday, was the day I climbed a mountain for the first time ever. We set out early at around 7 in the morning and started walking towards the mountain called Gramozi. After half an hour of walking or so we came upon a fountain with fresh mountain water coming out of it. The first leg of the journey was probably the easiest of the whole thing because it was a gradual slope. We traveled through the edge of a forest and over some big rocks all while several people in our party collected mountain tea. There were some steep parts in which we had to cling to long grass to pull ourselves up and at some point someone told me it was better to walk in a zig zag up the mountain rather than go up the slopes directly. Another person also told me to straighten my legs after each step so as to not wear out the muscles too fast. Both of those pieces of advice helped, especially later on when it started getting tougher for me to keep climbing because I was getting very tired. At one point when we were getting close to the top we had to stop because of sheep dogs guarding cows/sheep. Luckily their shepherd was nearby and let us pass without being attacked by the dogs. After five hours of climbing upwards and several breaks, we finally reached the peak of the mountain! I was the last one to make it to the top but when I did I literally cried tears of relief for having made it. At the top of the mountain we had lunch and rested for about an hour. The view from the peak was amazing! You could see forever! We were even able to see a ways into Greece because the top of the mountain was on the border of Greece. So you could say I was able to stand in two countries at once. :) After a group photo we started our four hour journey back down the mountain. Within the first ten minutes down I slipped and fell and jarred my head so hard it hurt for the next two hours. After that I was constantly afraid I was going to slip and fall and/or twist my ankles and injure them. While I did twist them several times on each foot, neither of them were injured. Several people were nice and gave me a helping hand down the steep parts of the mountain for much of the way. There were a couple times I thought my knees were going to give out simply because my body was so tired, especially when we neared the forest. There were also many prickly plants and thistles that we tried to avoid though after a while I just gave up and ignored their pricking. When we finally did reach the bottom of the mountain we were picked up in a truck and given giant jugs of water to which we were very happy to be able to drink and very grateful to the guy who gave us a ride back to our houses. We all took showers and changed out of our sweaty clothes before heading to Linda's for supper and games, The only injuries I received from this adventure was sores on my heels where my shoes rubbed and a nice sunburn. I had a fun time at Linda's eating pizza with everyone there and then playing board/card games. I think it's safe to say we all slept very well that night.
The next day we were all extremely sore from our trip up the mountain, and Abi and I were sick as well, though I think what I had was a bad case of allergies. We went to their church in the morning and then had a yummy lunch. I took a nap soon afterwards because I did not feel the greatest. I felt a bit better afterwards. Later in the day a woman named Gail came and visited for a while and then we had some delicious soup. It was a peaceful afternoon/evening. We also started watching Pride and Prejudice, which is the first time I've seen it. I didn't finish it until I got home, however, but I really enjoyed it!
Monday was much the same as the previous Monday, except that we were getting ready for a week of high schoolers and the speaker(s) were different as well as the bonding game, which was a relay race making a human ladder of wood planks across the soccer/football field. The Foleza kids were also particularly rowdy and obnoxious that day. After lunch at the camp I spent some time with Linda while waiting to go back and help with the kids and had a very good time and conversation. In the late afternoon I went with Abi and Abi Gundy to have yummy ice cream at Gramozi. (There are several places in Erseka named after the mountain.) Later in the after I don't think much else happened, though it was either that day or Tuesday that we sat and watched the church guys play soccer/football.
Tuesday came, which was my last day in Erseke before I would fly out of Albania on Thursday. There was no Foleza and so we watched more Pride and Prejudice before heading over to have tea with Zhulj (Julie) and Rozela at their place. It was a good time over there with good conversation and I very much enjoyed it. When it was time to go there were some sad goodbyes to people I had come to love. It was a peaceful walk back to the house in which I was enjoying the scenery and taking everything in before I left the next day for Tirana. After supper and the evening meeting were more goodbyes to more people I had befriended and I was sad to leave.
The next day we said goodbye to a few more people and then were off on the drive to Tirana. We stopped for lunch in Korca (delicious crepes!) and stopped again for pears and other food. It was about mid-afternoon when we reached Tirana and Addie, Lydia, Ruthie and I went to the museum there. From there we went to a Chinese place for supper. I had fun using chopsticks and was able to try sushi for the first time. On our way to where we were going to stay that night we stopped at a few touristy stores for souvenirs. Upon reaching our destination, we moved into where we were staying and admired a few of the paintings hanging on the walls. One was of a dove made out of clouds on the ocean and the other was of a very detailed pirate ship sailing the sea. I said goodby to Ruthie before getting ready for bed because she wasn't coming with us to the airport in the morning and thanked her for letting me stay with them. Then I went into the room I was sharing with Abi and said bye to her as well, even though I would be seeing her in about a month. It was both a long and short night because at 4am I woke up to prepare for a long day of flying back to the states. And so, at 4:30 in the morning, Addie, Lydia, Mark and I left for the airport like silent specters in the night. On the way to the airport we passed this really cool looking eagle icon of the Albanian flag which was all black and lit up in red; the colors of the flag. We reached the airport and then said goodbye to Mark before heading through security to where our flight was going to be. It just so happened that the three of us had the same flight to Rome, but from then on we went our separate ways. After a four hour layover in Rome I flew on a ten hour flight to Detroit in which the movie screen was broken so I ended up reading the whole way there. I switched flights in Detroit and flew into Minneapolis at about 6:30 in the evening and met up with my mom and grandma in the airport for the two hour drive back to my house. I reached my final destination at about 9:30 at night and went straight to bed as I hadn't had much sleep for over 24 hours.
And that was my two week trip to Albania! I had a blast being there and meeting so many wonderful people. If I ever get the chance to go back, I will. It has a special place in my heart, and feels as though I left a part of myself there. The work being done there is amazing and also how God has been moving there is also amazing. For now I will enjoy what time is left at home before I head back to college for the start of the fall semester. I am on Orientation Staff so I will be there a week before everyone else comes in order to welcome the Freshman. I'm excited for what this new semester with bring! :)
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