Mirembrema. C'kemi - "Good Evening. What's up?"
The first week of school at Lezha Academic Center has been completed. For the four of us teachers, it was also the first week in command of our own classroom. After all the hard work and preparation, all of the staff at LAC have now been able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The past few weeks have flown by. The first week of September was spent planning for our classes and trying to finalize many details for school. There was big news that had arrived the week before when Mrs. Shahini told us we would not be receiving the license when we were told. After discussion, we decided that it was not worth the risk of opening the school without the license in hand and elected to push the start of school back a week. I did not mention this in my last blog because we wanted to be sure that all the parents of students were informed before the information was released. While the continued delay of receiving the license was frustrating, this decision turned out to be blessing in disguise. Firstly, the start of our school would now coincide with the start date for the public school system in Lezha, which would help to avoid confusion. Secondly, we were very stressed being prepared for the start of school and I don't think that we were ready. The extra week gave us time to more thoroughly prepare and to take care of many details that had fallen through the cracks. Finally, it allowed us to relax and enjoy the coming week as the board members and others who have been involved with starting the school would arrive for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The beginning of the week was marked by the school finally receiving the official license on time after all. A few phone calls and a letter from Dr. Don Steiner to the Ministry of Education contributed to the Albanian committee getting their act together to finalize the details of the license that had been neglected. I would later find out that this was only the second time that a private school received an official license from the Ministry of Education. Something really cool is that our registration number was #606, the Mennonite anthem, "Praise God from Whom all Blessing Flow." We certainly have to give praise to God for the success of this school. We spent the beginning of the week finalizing our plans and making preparations for our guests. The majority of the group arrived on Wednesday morning signaling a welcome lunch to come. This would be the first in an onslaught of meals aimed at expanding our stomachs. At the meal, we also met a third member of the Shahini family, Kledia along with her fiance Mark. Being only a few years older than us teachers, these two were a welcome addition to the group as we quickly connected with them and enjoyed many lengthy conversations. Also, since Kledia could speak Albanian in addition to English, we know had someone else who could show us around town.
It was a privilege to have the group of school supporters gathered together along with the staff of LAC to open the school. We heard stories from each of them about how God has been moving in Albania through the years and how this dream of starting a school has already experienced many miracles to get to this point. Our time of fellowship together included a trip to the beautiful northern city of Shkodra. The group took two vans into the city before spending time to walk around the center of city with stone streets, coffee shops, mosques, and old buildings. Our tour of this quaint historic city was capped by an evening meal at a beautiful restaurant built in tiers on the hillside across a river from another hilltop castle. The food was the best I have had thus far. I ordered a cheesy tortellini while other plates included fish, veal, and calamari with all the fixings to share around the table. The great location and food along with great company and live music combined to make this one of my favorite nights in Albania.
Friday morning came and it was time for the ribbon cutting ceremony. This ceremony represented the culmination of a lot of hard work and faith. Mrs. Shahini, Rev. Sam Skaggs, Dr. Don Steiner, Elaine Moyer, Ken Horst, and Jim Dombach each gave a short speech to both bless and reveal a sense of purpose for the school. Two Albanian officials also spoke to represent the support that the local and national government have for this school. As the sun began to beat down on the school courtyard, the guests were anxious to rush inside the school for some refreshments after the ribbon was collectively cut by Don and an Albanian official. The school was now open for public viewing, so we moved to our classrooms to welcome guests. Most of the visitors were very impressed by my room and the "flamuri" or flags that decorate the ceiling. It was a relief to know that the school was finally ready to open.
We spent the weekend eating and in fellowship with our guests before they departed. This included an afternoon trip to the beach in order for our guests to be able to "dip their feet in the Adriatic." The group walked along the shore and out to the edge of a jetty where a couple of us decided to swim. While crossing the rocks in the water I stepped on a sea urchin, but it was not until I got out of the water that I realized the damage it had caused. I was bleeding from sizable cut on my foot and some needles that I pulled out that left a stinging sensation. However, the damage was minimal and I was amused by the encounter. Saturday morning we had a local missionaries meeting where we were invited to introduce ourselves and give input into some of the issues that were being discussed. Church was full of Americans that week, so the message was translated into English by Klementina. We also had a baby dedication for the son of Rafael (the pastor) and Solange. On Monday morning, the final group left for the airport, so we said our final goodbyes and thanked them for the support.
The week before school was not very eventful. Naturally, there were many road blocks that kept getting in the way of progress and had to be dealt with. We finalized our planning and met to discuss student and school policies, strategies, and to talk about a our approach as a school. After constantly changing, on Thursday we finally decided the schedule and what electives we would offer for the first quarter. Despite the variety interests in certain offerings, we decided that the greatest need for the beginning of school would be learning English, writing, and support for the core subjects. This culminated in the creation of English Foundations, an elective that would be required for each class during the first quarter. To avoid having three preps, I offered to teach both sections of 10th grade English Foundations while teaching the group of 11th graders World History. At first, Miss Bontrager was going to teach the 11th grade Foundations class, but after the first day of school we decided that it was not beneficial for the 11th grade to have her for two blocks (half the day) so we gave the class to Miss Reinhardt, who now teaches two sections of Math and one of Foundations. Miss Hedrick will teach two sections of Earth Science and an evening English class. Miss Bontrager, now only teaching one block of English language arts in the morning, has taken the primary responsibility for tutoring English along with Mrs. Troyer and will teach an evening English class. The evening English classes are open to anyone and are planned to begin October 1st from 5-6.
After working from dawn to dusk for most of the week, we took a break after work on Thursday to fulfill our desire to take an evening trip to the beach before it got too cold. The four teachers, Mark, Kledia, and two of her cousins piled into the back of Dini's pick-up as we headed to the beach. After arrival we took a quick dip in the warm ocean to watch the sun set and the mountains change color. As night approached, the men set up a fire while the women continued to swim. We built a large tepee style fire which needed to collapse on itself before being suitable for cooking the chicken kabobs we had brought along. The night was very relaxing as we ate and talked about whatever came up. When we got tired we slept on blankets around the fire. During the night each of us had to search for the right distance from the fire so as to not be too cold or too hot. That was the first night I had slept on the beach and it was awesome to be able to hear the ocean and see the stars...although the trade-off was not so great sleep.
The weekend function as a time to prepare our classrooms and ourselves for school. We each slept late on Saturday to make up for our beach trip and we needed to think about our time in Albania and focus on the start of school. On Friday, I took a trip to the printing store where I would stay for the next 3 hours slowly making all the copies that everyone needed for the first week of school. After weeks of expecting computers and a copier we were told that we would have to wait longer. Initially, the computers were supposed to be brought with our guests from America, but because of some issues they never made it. To buy a copy machine that would needs would be too expensive in Albania. The cheapest remaining option is to buy the computers and the copier in the states and have them shipped over along with some of our other electronic needs. Without computers, a copier (and no budget for making copies), the cords needed to use my projector, and a volunteer hiatus from a history textbook, teaching my for the next few weeks will be very difficult and not as effective as initially hoped.
September 12, 2011. The first day of school at Lezha Academic Center had finally arrived. All of the staff waited in the courtyard in the morning to greet the students. We had aimed to start school at 7:30, but it was 7:25 and only five students had arrived. We were starting to get nervous, but all at once a big group of about fifteen students arrived followed by some stragglers. We had exactly 30 students, which was the goal that was given to this school for the year. After a short welcome speech by Mrs. Shahini, the students were sent to their rooms and classes began. I start with the first block off so I had time before my three blocks hit me one after another. First was 11th grade World History. The class had 12 students and I was impressed because they each spoke sufficient English. After a fun and well-behaved class time of getting to know the students, I thought to myself, "this is going to be easy." We have a 30 minute activity time after the first two blocks so that students can eat and have a break. Dini has been working on supplying drinks and snacks to run a snack stand downstairs and hopefully some others will come by school during the period to sell their food items. My third block was 10th grade Foundations, and since I allowed the Albanian history and geography teacher to use my room for third block, I moved over to Miss Bontrager's room. This class had a few students who did not speak English very well and some who were not as quick to participate. Fourth block was back in my room with the other section of 10th grade and it was like a smack in the face. All of these kids spoke English very well and were quite talkative and energetic. Unlike the other two classes, this class would need some discipline to form more appropriate behavior. After the period was over, I was exhausted and retracted my previous statement...this was not going to be easy.
After saying goodbye to the students, everyone was happy. We had pulled off the first day and Mrs. Shahini was very impressed by our performance. Although there would be some difficulties, I was very pleased with the students and was impressed with their English level. There are a few students who will need a lot of work and support, but overall the language will not be as much of a barrier as I initially thought. The students seem to be excited by the differences in our school and are very eager to learn. Because the school charges for tuition, the students are more motivated than you would find at a public school.
The week was spent with introductions, going over the rules, getting to know the students, taking diagnostic tests to measure what they know, and going over course syllabi. In history I introduced concepts like World view, Primary sources, and the dynamism of history as never being one set story. English Foundations was aimed at gauging the reading, writing, and speaking ability of students as well as finding out the best way to support their learning. Overall, the week was a great success. There were a few students sent to the office and some cell phones confiscated in order to set an example, but I believe these students will adjust and be very well-behaved. By the end of the week, I was exhausted...it is hard to think and be on your game all the time. My first week as a teacher was complete and I was pleased, however, this job is never complete. I have worked into the night making preparations for the next day, but I think it is worth it. The education we are giving these students is something very unique for this area of the world.
Because of my teaching schedule, apart from a quick snack, I do not eat from 7:30 until at least 3:30. This week I (and the girls too) have indulged in a nearby fastfood place that sells these delicious gyro/sandwiches called sufflaqe for under 2 dollars. Similar to the Arabic schwarma, they are made with pita and slices of pork topped with french fries, cucumber, onion, yogurt, mayo, and ketchup. I will probably make that a usual stop at the end of the day after our teachers' meeting. On Friday, an important discovery was made. Kledia and I found this pizza shop that makes pizza with nice thick crust, as opposed to the paper thin cracker crust common around here. The girls and I ordered two 18' pizzas and ate most of it because we had not eaten all day. Although, it still did not have hardly any sauce, it was so good and a welcome addition to our limited eating options.
So that has been the past few weeks around here. Most of my day today has been spent writing this blog post...I apologize for how extensive they are. I believe I will be able to write more regularly now that we have a routine and there is likely to be less content as we begin to settle into this school year. I will have to spend the majority of the rest of my weekend planning for next week. I am hoping that as I get into a routine and as our supplies arrive, this will become easier, but for now it is a sun-up until time for sleep type of job. It has been a great ride so far and certainly a relief to start the school with success. Thanks again to those praying and supporting me or this school. We will need your continued support to become the school we want to be and to minister to these kids. I have seen God moving and it will be exciting to see what He does through this school.
Here is my address for any interested parties:
Caleb Benner
Lezha Academic Center
Lagja: Beselidhja
Lezhe, Albania
Until next time.
