Homemade and Delicious

Today, I met the mayor of Elbasan. He is so enthusiastic about us and has high hopes for the city, which is great to hear. Diamante, one of our Albanian COD organizers, gave a fabulous presentation about the various branches of the government in Albania. Out of all the information we have been given I think her presentation was the most helpful in terms of understanding how the government works, is divided and how to get things accomplished.

It’s so much fun to go to the big city and see everyone. Though Elbasan has a population of only 125,000 (about equivalent to a half my neighborhood in Manhattan) it feels like a city: there is tremendous action and bustle. Everyone is going here and there, people are sitting out at cafes and there is a sense of urgency. I get all excited for my by weekly adventure. Lunch was just as good- it’s exciting to have all the options of the city, even if the waiter thinks Mayo and Yogurt are the same. That got me thinking about yogurt.

On the way home, I picked up some fruit flavored yogurt (which was actually surpisingly expensive) and took the furgon back to Shales. The furgon fits about 8-10 people, depending on how big they are: 3 or 4 in each back seat and 2 in the front. When I arrived at the furgon stop there were already 2 people in the front and 2 in each of the back rows: 6 people total. I waited for about 5 minutes for another person to come to make at least 8. Instead of a person two other Peace Corps people arrived. I explained to them in English that the furgon needed 1 more person to go. While we were discussing, the little boy sitting in the middle row was tossed to the back. The three of us were squeezed in the remaining seats and off we all went on the Belesh furgon to Shales. I put on my headphones on and picked up my book.

At some point, the girl next to me and I bumped. While it was completely minor (it is a bumpy ride) I did look up. She said “sorry” in English and I realized she had been trying to see what I was reading. I was happy that she was curious about my book. After that, I tried to read with my book wide open so she could glance at the words.

When we were arriving at the outskirts of Shales she said “Excuse me “ to Chris. Both he and I looked up. I took out my headphones, put down my book and listened. She proceed tell him that she had seen other Americans in Albania and asked why we were here. Chris explained to her that we were part of the Peace Corps and what we did. She told us she was familiar with the Peace Corps because she had had a PCV as an English teacher which is probably why her English was so fantastic. She then told us Albania is really poor and asked us why we came to Albania if Albania is so poor. She also asked us if we liked Albania. We told her how much we loved Albania and how beautiful it is. We told her that maybe Albania doesn’t have much money but it does have human capital (hard to explain) and beautiful geography (easy to explain by point to the mountains). I told her I loved the mountains and landscape. Chris told her how warm and welcoming the people were. I asked her what she, as an Albanian youth, would do to change Albania if she had tons of money. She told me there was so many problems she didn’t know where to start, but when prodded she stated the roads and education system. She told us that she was a first year nursing student and was upset with the way the schools were run, particularly the fees she had to pay to take exams. Mostly, she seemed genuinely disappointed in her education and the lack of options waiting for her when she finished. There was someone something so touching in her questions. I told her she was doing the right thing, in obtaining an education and that things will work out. With her drive, which I saw burning through, I’m certain she will do well.

On my way home I saw the sheepherder again. This time the sheep were grazing in the field. I also saw a chicken crossing the road and a pony tied to a fence near my house. Add the sheep, pony and chicken to the donkeys I saw this morning and I had a pretty decent animal sighting day for a city day.

I came home and was welcome by Lavdeje. Rina and Gjushi are sleeping Elbasan. She showed me my jeans which she had washed today, much to my surprise and was very concerned about my dirty clothes. This has become a major source of concern for her. She is very, very worried that I have yet to wash my clothes. Yes, I’ve been here a week now, and should probably do laundry now but the distress and concern started on Monday, when I’d only been here for 2 days.

Every day she asks me if I want to wash my clothes, and every day I say tomorrow. Wednesday it stormed, so I wasn’t asked, but did get very muddy (hence, the washing of my jeans while I was in Elbasan). Yesterday, I said I can’t because I had not bought laundry detergent. Today Lavdja insisted that I do laundry. Saying tomorrow just wasn’t cutting it anymore: she thought I was saying it because I didn’t understand her. After I was given a tour of the laundry the laundry machine, shown the clothes that were hanging outside to dry and we both engaged in quite a fine act of charades which was included underwear pointing and other fine animated motions, I realized saying “I understand. Tomorrow” wasn’t going to cut it. I finally gave in. I found some clothes that were dirty and tossed them in the wash.

When the clothes were safely in the wash Lavdja tried to make me come with her to check up on the chickens. She kept screaming Poula (chickens) and Hajde Hajde (Come Here! Come Here!). I wasn’t sure what she going to do so I kept motioning chicken murder by tilting my head to the side and pulling my hand from my neck. She replied yes and no, but kept saying Hajde! Confused, I went outside with her. We went around back and she closed up the chicken coop (Btw- it is not under the house but in an actual coop. This is a picture of the coop through what I think is the olive trees). She then went behind the coop to chase after a loose chicken. The chicken shrieked and I really thought she was going to kill the chicken so I screamed and turned around. She laughed and came around empty handed. Again I made the motion for chicken murder, but this time she said yes, pointed to Gjusha’s house, said Poula and Hajde. I ran back into the house not wanting to see chicken murder. She cracked up. I sat at the table and was beginning to type when she came into the house with one hand behind her back, pretending she had a dead chicken in it. I made a squeamish face even though I had peeked out the door and knew she didn’t have a dead chicken behind her back. She cracked up again and then produced her empty hand. She then pointed to the house next door and told me she was going to lock up Gushi’s chickens. No matter how much I enjoy the Kopsht (garden), dairy and lifestyle, I’m not sure I will ever be able to stomach killing a chicken with my bare hands or watching it be done.

After the whole chicken fiasco, we had dinner. Lavdeje served me the spinach dish she had made with the Spinaq from her Kopsht (garden). Delicious! We also had yogurt that she made today, bread she had made yesterday and cheese with onions she had made today. I told her the yogurt was Shume Mire (it was) and that I wanted to learn how to make yogurt. Luckily she said she would show me.
We are now watching the news. I saw the leaders of both parties that are running for parties (socialist and democratic) as well as the report from Washington which I could not understand. I can identify bits and pieces of the soccer report and story on deteriorating schools, but in general need to work on my Shqip.