Host Family

So, this is the post you've all been waiting for. And if you haven't, you should have been. Today was the day I moved from the city to the country. From high speed internet (albeit sporadic) to no internet. From restaurant meals to home cooking. Today was a big day.

I woke up pretty tired, but psyched that I had chosen to shower during lunch and not before breakfast a time during which, I later learned, there was no hot water. After taking my dirty self to breakfast, I sat through a lesson on Albanian culture which I found mostly unremarkable. The traditions are different, but certainly not too different and at the end of the day people are people. Some will be different from you and some will be the same as you. What might offend one American might not offend another one, and the same is true here.

The main difference, we were told, is that electricity is really expensive so people usually only heat up water for the shower 3-4 times a week and that many people eat out of communal bowls and plates during meal time. Not a big deal. I've eaten with many Americans who I'm sure would secretly love to eat out of the same bowl. As to water and electricity having running water and electricity at all are pretty big perks and it shouldn’t be hard to live with limited service. They are, after all, the very luxuries I have been preparing myself to live without since I initiated my Peace Corps application 15 months ago. And even I hadn't- I went to art school where the reigning mentality was that there is always someone who hasn't showered for longer and someone who smells worse, so showering every other day seems pretty good. Not to mention limited water is better for the environment. Lastly, it is really good to be in a culture not overly obsessed with eradicating natural body order. That must sound really weird to some of you, but it's true. As Americans we are oddly and monomaniacal obsessed with covering up our natural (Natural, not bad) body order. This is the order which animals are meant to have (and yes, we are animals) to use to mate and attract one another. In other words, we are not robots we are living creatures and each of use is meant to have a unique smell. Smell, like eyes, feet and nose is one of should be a feature that sets each of us apart.

Armed with this new knowledge about Albanian culture I returned to my room to find most of the clothes drenched in yesterday’s storm had dried. I packed and brought my bags downstairs to the hotel lobby and then took my last hot shower for a few days. As I and the other volunteers tried to stuff ourselves and our bags onto the Shales (my village’s name) furgon we realized that we should sort ourselves according to how we would be dropped off. I was told to get on the bus first as I was the last to be dropped off, which made me really start wondering about how isolated I would be. I already knew I was the only volunteer without a full service toilet, but I had to prepare myself for being a bit isolated on the outskirts of the village. As we drove away from Elbasan I started to realize how plush my past few days had been- I don't think I ever ate that well for that long in America. Additionally, I had a shower that heated up right away (in NY my shower could take a good 7 minutes), a non-steam (read: quiet, non-banging and non-hissing) heater, waiter service and clean up for every meal, 2 food breaks a day and plenty cheap and good cappuccinos. Now, I thought, my true PC experience will start. Now, I will start seeing Albania for real and actually start living as a regular person. Also, I will be forced to use my shqip something I realize I must start doing.

As the bus drove down the road to our village I started seeing things a bit differently. I observed the many construction projects that had run out of money. There were stairways heading off to nowhere and stairways with no railings. I also started paying attention to other vehicles on the road, as I will now be responsible for my travel to Elbasan. I noticed BMWs, Mercedes, bicycles, walkers and a not few donkeys.

On the way to my village, our little caravan dropped the first person off at a two-story house that bordered houses with chickens on the front porch. We all stared at the chickens- what a novelty! Everyone seemed really impressed by the diversity of housing.

Our 5 person caravan then peeled off to my village which was about 15 minutes down the road. I noticed a few stores and one restaurant. The first COD volunteer (we are in satellite sites based on our program) was dropped off at a pretty large 2 story home in the center of the village. The next volunteer was dropped off up the road in a house with an intercom! As the 3 remaining volunteers waited outside in the furlong for her family to come get her, I observed I could see a sea of red tiled roofs from that vantage point on the hill. I truly felt like I was in a Mediterranean culture.

We dropped one more person off in the center of the village (above the restaurant) and then drove off to the outskirts where the last two volunteers, Katie and I, would live. Katie got dropped off at a huge house with a chicken coup, Mercedes and tractor outside. A herd of people came to greet her and then I was left alone.

Basa and Martin (the driver) took one of Katie's host family members with us to find my house. We found it and were warmly greeted by my female host family. I was really nervous and I'm sure it showed. My family, however, was so excited and kind that it was hard to stay tense. The women loaned me house shoes, helped me unpack and then sat me in front of the heater. Though I clearly could not say more than orange, soup, cold, sister, father and my name is, they kept asking me questions eager to get to know me. I told them I had a sister, brother and was from New York. I even remembered how to say it without looking at my notes. They then fed me and helped me learn some new words (gez (spreadable cheese), fork, table and gas stove). The food was fantastic and fresh. The salad had just been picked and the cheese was clearly not mass produced. Even the bread was so tasty (yes- I ate the bread- and plenty of it). I was asked why I didn't eat meat (mish) and explained that even in NY I didn't eat meat. This explanation helped a bit, though it is still hard for them to understand why one would refuse meat (in all fairness, many American's do not understand the concept of vegetarian either).

Being here is a relief. It has taken a huge question mark out of my service. Given how kind these women were today, I know that the next two months will be great. Most of all, from now on, everything is only going to get better. I'm going to learn more Shqip, use my Shqip, be mostly internet free, eat super fresh food and get warmer! Spring is coming and the next 6 months have only the best weather in store.