Likes & Dislikes

One of my favorite games was one created on Friday night while waiting for drinks at the CJL during Shabbat, this lovely game is called the "I hate game." Now many people have criticized this game claiming that it is too negative, depressing, and disheartening -- those who have actually taken the time to play it know that it is quite the opposite. It is relaxing, relieving, a good way of getting to know people, and a down right funny time (the I hate game is not all that serious, often it is simply items like "I hate when people walk with umbrellas too low and you get poked.") To counter the perceived negativity of this game some dear friends of mine (Stacey, Hayes, and Joe) decided to add the "I love game" as an addition to the game, after playing the I hate game for a good hour while having to pick up vans for camp instead of going to the counselor teambuilding (not at all bitter).

So here is my slight own version, a brief list of what I love, and don't love so much about my life here in Albania.

1. I love how you decide where to buy based on who you know and who you like, it makes me feel like people are getting what they deserve.

2. I hate how it is appropriate to talk about weight here. I am often called fat, accompanied by a motion of blowing out the cheeks and putting out the arms in a round motion to the sides. I have told people twice that this is hurtful to me, but of course my Shqip skills tend to go a little (ok a lot) downhill whenever I am upset.

3. I love my friends and community members. They are awesome, and they take care of me beyond belief.

4. I hate living alone.

5. I love my orange trees in the back yard.

6. I hate my lack of freedom. We all know I've never been all that good at listening to what others tell me to do, but have been conflicted with my need to please people. Now imagine that with cultural differences, much of what we take for granted (walking alone in a place you don't know, going out for coffee alone, going to the park) have become things that I cannot do in my community as they are not cultural acceptable, or people worry about my safety, and I respect my friends and coworkers too much to go against what they tell me to do.

7. I love how hospitable Albanians are.

8. I hate how when I want to walk fast everyone is walking so slow... and in groups... or bobbling back and forth. Yes I accept that this is more of a problem of me and my American sensibilities.

That's all for now!

Trivia Tuesdays (3)... On Thursday

Sorry for the delay folks, I've been incredibly busy napping lately.

First the winner of last weeks Trivia Tuesdays:

There were three entries
1. Leslie
2. Mike
3. Meredith

Leslie had 8 wrong answers and 14.5 correct
Mike had 16 wrong answers and 15 correct
Meredith had one very lovely sentence written in Shqip amounting to the equivalent of “is that a banana in your jeans or are you just happy to see me,” which was entirely incorrect.

So with +1 for correct answers, and -1 for incorrect...
1. Leslie: 6.5
2. Mike: -1
3. Meredith -1

So that makes Leslie the winner, and she has won yes a postcard but also a coloring book for Avital. Oh and since Mike did get the most correct answers I will also be sending him a postcard.

The correct answers were:

1. Kastravec, domate, djathë, qumësht, mish, kos, ujë, mollë, pica.
2. It means a female part of the body
3. It is a not really a pie, it is most like spanikopita, with crispy (and oilly/milky) outers, and a filling inside.
4. Smoothie, or bread and coffeee
5. Italian, Greek, Turkish
6. Melons, lemons, pears, apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, okra, zukini, yellow squash, eggplant, peppers.
7. Oranges, and grapes
8. From my neighbors!

And onto this weeks question:

1. What 3 places have I lived in in Albania?
2. Name 3 places I have visited in Albania
3. What are the 3 largest cities in Albania?
4. What is the climate like in Albania?

Trivia Tuesdays the 2nd

For some reason whenever I hear "the 2nd, 3rd, ect" I think of dogs named Heidi, yes I do know the reason, damn you family stories!!

Anywhose, and the winner from last week is... drum roll please... .

NAT!

... Granted he kind of knew he won as of yesterday because he asked to be told since he had already made his guess. 

The correct answer was $1.20. Sorry Leslie, you were very close and if Nat had not done the $1.00 you would have won (he was going to do $0.76 but decided he did not want somebody else to do .77 thus beating him in case it was there...)

So congrats, you have won... A POSTCARD!!!

And that brings us to this weeks Trivia Tuesdays, bah bah bah bah!

The theme of this week's trivia is Albanian food, try to get as many right as possible:

1) how do you say the following words in Albanian: Cucumber, tomato, cheese, milk, meat, yogurt, water, apple, pizza.

2) why is it inappropriate to say "peach" in Albanian?

3) what is byrek?

4) what is my most common breakfast?

5) what other cultures influence Albanian food?

6) what fruits and veggies are currently easy to get?

7) what type of fruits can i get from my backyard?

8) where do i get parsley from?

Footnote...

Hey all, I just wanted to add on a little to the last post and say that for the most part the camp was amazing. It was run and organized amazingly, the things which made me upset did not relate to the camp itself but to my perception of Albanian culture. The camp was tons of fun, and the kids played great games (including us making them run after chickens), rock climbed (my hands are completely ripped up but it was worth it), swam (and a few gained some skills), arted, trampolined, and interacted. My frustration comes at a larger level... cheers!

Careful the things you say...

" Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see and learn
Children may not obey, but children will listen
Children will look to you for which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say "Listen to me"
Children will listen "

- (Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods)

For those of you who don't know me all that well, I grew up with a few things;

1) Watching, over and over, Stephen Sondheim's musical "Into the Woods"

2) Summer camp

3) Being taught that creativity, free thought, encouragement, happiness, and love are the most important things that anyone, especially children, can have in their lives.

I spent three days helping out at a summer camp in Lezhe, ran through the Bashkia for children of poor families, with much help from my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and friends up in Lezhe. Although there were many songs sang this weekend, the one that I have posted is the one which continually played in my head the entire weekend. 
                 

 But why?

A common way of teaching/working with kids in this country is yelling at them and giving them directions of what to do. This weekend for many became about a few colored teams, and gaining points to win the giant competition. Not that I am against competition, I'm just against unhealthy competition. What good are we really doing when we yell at a child who already feels like she can't do much of anything? What are we teaching when we make it all about winning, not even telling the kids to finish if they are not in first place? Why do kids need to be absolutely attentive and quiet and in straight lines, and why do we get so angry if they do their own thing? I watched all weekend as adults stepped in and told the children what to do for skits completely overriding the childrens' original ideas, or yelled at them to run faster, be quieter,  and stand in straighter lines. These actions led me to an extreme sadness at one point, but when I told my friends that it hurt me how children are not encouraged, and creativity is not fostered they just gave me a look and said something along the lines of

"Relax, these kids are having

more fun than they have in a long time..."

Well maybe this is true. Maybe they are enjoying the games, but careful the things you say, children will listen....

1) We say go faster and they can't -- they listen I am not good enough.

2) We say don't finish somebody else already won -- They listen to just give up.

3) We say it's all about a prize -- They listen to only do for themselves and to win and gain. 

4) We say listen -- They listen to rely on other people and not themselves.

5) We say listen -- And they listen but can no longer think.

And these children will someday grow up, these children will become the business men, municipality workers, shop owners, waiters, mothers, and fathers of Albania. 

So Careful the things you do...

Children will look to you for which way to turn

To learn what to be

Ideas

1) you have until next tuesday to finish your guessing...

2) I am working on a people bingo sheet, if anyone has any good ideas as to what should go on it do share!

Trivia Tuesdays

I'm bored... I am starting something new for all y'all it will be called trivia Tuesdays! It will consist of a question, the first person to get it correct, or the person to get the answer closest will win a prize from Albania (something small which I can mail, but I will look and find something AWESOME each week). So here is the first week's question (for those I already told you can't play this week, sorry):

How much did I pay for my water

bill for the month of July (In American Dollars)?

Let the guessing begin!

All Too Normal

A few things that seemed very strange to me when I first got here but are becoming all too normal:

1) Sweeping the rugs. I thought this was absolutely crazy when I first got here, but now I do it everyday. Hey, if you don't have a vacuum cleaner what are you supposed to use?

2) Obsessive house cleaning. Again, I wondered how women could possibly care so much and have such an assigned space for each object. Well, if your house is what you have, and really the only thing you have control over you will certainly obsessively clean it.

3) Shower curtain/wall--less showers. What? No curtains, it's so open I used to think. Now I think how nice that I can walk around my entire bathroom while showering.

4) The semi crazyness at work. Now I just sit there in calm and get what I have to do done, and laugh at the rest.

An Ode to Posts & Ropes

While my grandfather (my mother's father) was still living he had an uncanny ability to find, point out, and explain the greatness of "posts and ropes". The standing poles connected with varying types of chord, rope, and webbing which sector off areas and create order while we wait in lines blend into the background for most of us, but not for him. My grandfather used to work for the posts and ropes company, hence his pride. Well after being in Albania for 5 short months (yes it's been that long think on that) I have come to share his admiration for posts and ropes.


I came into the Bahkia today to a mess of people, a huge clump blocking the entire hallway. The people spilled out into the waiting area, and then out to the front of the building. I pushed my way through (literally pushed) just to get to my office. This is not an uncommon site in Albania. Waiting "lines" don't really have any order, actually they don't really have any lines. People just clump in front of the window or door hoping to push their way into the front. This trend continues into food station windows, and many times I have left without buying ice cream, too frustrated that about 5 people have just cut in front of me. What I wouldn't do for a little order. To know that it is my turn, or the person in the red sweater, or sparkly sequined top's turn. What I wouldn't do for just a few old posts and ropes.

So thank you Pop-pop for all your posts and ropes, and for all the times you pointed them out to me; I'm sorry I never appreciated them enough before.