Pershendetje nga Shqiperia - "Greetings from Albania."
This post marks only a two week gap between posts, which I believe represents a change that I have felt within this experience as a whole. The weekly schedule that I described last time has lasted for the last two weeks marking the longest period of relative stability that I have experienced since arrival. There has still certainly been some ups and downs, but overall I would say that I am beginning to find a rhythm to this experience. The more stable schedule has led to more time that is not intruded by the feeling that I should be doing something else. Throughout the whole beginning of this experience, there was always something that needed to be done. Whether it was figuring out how to actually teach high school history, lesson planning, working on the school building, coming up with school policy, discussing thoughts and feelings, emailing, conversing about what needs to change, or just thinking about the whole experience, I was busy. This time has been great because we accomplished a lot by establishing a school and I feel rewarded by the work we have done.
However, I am beginning to feel that I have more time because I no longer always have something hovering above my head that needs to be done. This means that free time actually feels more free. I have actually allowed myself to watch two movies in each of the past two weeks, something before that seemed like an irresponsible waste of time. Although, as has been my experience, when the gift of free time comes along it is usually accompanied by the desire to procrastinate...which causes a paradox because once again I always feel like I should be working during my free time. My next hurdle in this experience is to find the discipline to establish a routine where I do sufficient work after school to allow me to feel good about relaxing with my time before going to sleep.
Six weeks of school are now complete and we are moving forward. As routine begins to set in the issues and adaptations are becoming less and less frequent. My biggest concern is that we do not let complacency take hold because we can always improve. I have felt the improvement in student behavior begin to plateau over the past couple weeks and we may need to come up with a renewed focus on how to address this ever-present issue. Throughout my teaching experience I have seen a noticeable divide between normal student behavior and Friday behavior. This past week was particularly clamorous because we had off school on Wednesday promoting sense of coming freedom in the classroom which always unveils its face through short attention spans and verbal processing. Furthermore, each of us teachers must each figure out what the coming end to the first quarter looks like in terms of wrapping up classes and beginning new ones. This job is never complete.
I feel like the atmosphere in the school is becoming very comfortable as students and staff now know what to expect when coming to school. It is obvious that many of the students enjoy coming to school in the morning. I believe that each of the staff members is settling into their role which has shown itself in our interactions. We have become more comfortable with each other because we are learning more about how each person functions and, more importantly, because emotions are becoming less sporadic as the unknown regions of this experience become more defined. I see the different personalities and gifts of the staff coming together to fill the gaps and create a loving school environment. This has shown itself in my interactions with the students. Last Friday, I again took the students to the field to play some games and taught them "Crossing the river." I felt that the students were interacting with new people and were coming together as a unified school community. I have also had some meaningful conversations with students about deeper-level topics. I pray that the students continue to sense a loving community at this school and allow themselves to be more open to new ideas.
This feeling of settling in has coincided with the changing of seasons. The cold and the wind have arrived in Lezha in dramatic fashion. The wind can sound like a train passing by as it threatens to blow over trees, buildings, or individuals and the rains arrive with the flash of lightning. I have turned to the warmth provided by a thick blanket to sleep with along with my hoodie and scarf to relax in. The cold weather has a way of slowing life down as you become more conscious of the natural reality around you. Over the years, I have learned that the cold weather signals the approach of the holiday season and the warm gatherings of family and friends. For our Wednesday night staff worship times we met first in the girls apartment and then in the Troyer's apartment. The sense of home and hospitality in both places lead to comfortable and meaningful time of fellowship that reminded me of these holiday gatherings. I will admit that a significant reason I made this connection was likely the scent and taste of hot tea in both locations which is something I do not often indulge in apart from these familiar times of gathering. These gatherings were also my first experiences in leading worship with guitar, something that has been a goal of mine for the last few years. I look forward to continuing to practice and improve this ability for immediate and future use.
The changing of seasons has brought about a noticeable shift in the available food. Some fruits such as: peaches, nectarines, and figs are being replaced by oranges, persimmons, and chestnuts. However, more interesting to me was the appearance of large water bottles stuffed with small yellow peppers at my regular produce stand. I bought one, cut it open to, let the water rush out, and had a taste. The results were an elevated heartbeat, burning tongue, and a few extra tears in my eyes...these were hot peppers. I immediately thought that this was the missing ingredient to a Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and feta cheese. These pepers gave the needed kick to this healthy dish which I have made several times in the past week. To go along with the salad, I have discovered that I can revive stale bread by toasting it and then apply olive oil to give it a delectable crunchy/chewy consistency. At school we have discovered a catering service that will bring in food during activity period and provide a buffet type lunch for $3. On days that I decide to pay for this opportunity, the students enjoy watching me walk away from the serving table with plate after plate of food...I get my money's worth.
Once again I have a story about a food-related encounter. Last Saturday night I went to grab a quick dinner. The sausage carts were no where to be found and the pizza place did not have any on-the-go slices ready. I decided to order a personal pizza and attempt a conversation with the chef as I watched him make my custom pizza. As I am a regular at the place, the owner and I have had a few very limited conversations about Italy, opening a pizza shop together in Philadelphia, and getting a visa to live in America. Hand signals and sporadic use of known vocabulary from each other's corresponding language can accomplish a surprising amount. After the fresh pizza was complete with a red pepper garnish, I took my time enjoying the tastes while watching a soccer game on TV. As I ate the whole pizza myself, some older gentlemen came into the shop and slowly began to set up for a late dinner. As I was about to leave, they asked me to join their table. Wanting to take advantage of this cultural opportunity and not wanting to be rude I accepted. After some broken attempts at conversation they insisted that I eat with them piling fish, cheese, vegetables, and bread on my plate despite the fact that I had just eaten a big pizza. They would not accept my first or second "yo falemenderit (no thank you)" to their offerings and, not being too strongly opposed, I would give in and accept their generosity. I received good food, home-made wine, and cigars while playing the part of American companion and audience member to their impressive ability to never have a break in conversation. Apparently I did something right because almost three hours later, at the end of the meal they communicated that they wanted me to join them again for their exclusive dinner fiasco. This was a good example of an unexpected Albanian cultural experience.
The recent sense of routine also allowed Kristi, Kaitlyn, and I to take most of the day last Saturday to take a trip to the northern historic city of Shkodra (pics on Facebook). In the morning along with Tori and Besnik, two peers from church who are familiar with the city, we took an hour van ride to the city. We walked around for a while before finding an awesome cafe to drink some come coffee. Then we walked some more to an old building made into a restaurant which was like a small museum with displays of traditional Albanian clothes and tools. We stopped to get some fast food and check out the city theater before taking a bus to the castle. We had to climb up the hill to reach the castle which was a combination of great views and history. The castle had a 360 view of the city, lake, and countryside sprawled out below. The castle was much larger than the one in Lezha and had Illyrian and Roman stones to go along with the later Ottoman structures. We ate at our fastfood at the top of the castle before I broke off to explore, take pictures, and climb old stuff. We concluded our time by relaxing and drinking coffee at the cafe on the edge of the castle. We took the bus back to Lezha in the early evening, just before I had my cultural dinner encounter.
As I have been settling in over the past few weeks, I have begun to reflect on this experience and what it is teaching me. One thing that has been a normal part of socializing here is drinking coffee. Bars/cafes are everywhere. It makes me wonder how their is enough people to give business to all these places, but it is the thing to do at any time of the day. Unlike in America, the coffee is served in tiny cups that remind me of a child's tea set. Also, while in America coffee is always taken on the move, here people stop to sit and do nothing else but drink coffee and talk to those with them. While at times it has seemed unproductive, particularly when I become the audience for a conversation I do not understand, I have found that it can be very releasing. In the States we have our routines, and when things or people get in the way, it can be bothersome. Here if you run into someone you often stop to get coffee and forget about other tasks. It becomes a major component of the day as often these times average an hour and they can happen multiple times a day depending on your schedule. People here are more deliberate about "being with" other people and that is something I have often searched for in the States. Why do we feel like we always need to do something? Why can't we just take the time to stop being busy and talk about life? While I have realized this through my experiences in the past, this culture has reminded me to slow down and take time out of your routine to truly be present with others. I don't see Jesus with much of a routine...a schedule of miracles to perform or Pharisees to rhetorically best. He took time to be with those who He encountered and to change their lives. He was never to busy doing something to talk to or show compassion to someone. While at the time our schedule may seem important, most likely it does not bear eternal value, and if we don't have enough time to stop and be with those who need love around us then maybe our time has become an idol.
Outside of school my relationships have been largely formed during drinking coffee. Over the past few weeks, I have spent time with Dini, Tori, Besnik, and Rafael around a table conversing. I am grateful for this fellowship with men that I can identify that is not within the confines of school. These times of slowing down help me focus on what actually matters. The few things I have in Albania have reminded to be thankful for everything God has given me both here and at home. I am thankful for the conversations at coffee, a warm blanket to sleep with, fresh produce, wireless internet, electricity, time, the Bible, an extra mattress, friends, driving stick with the windows down, my education, my hoodie, the air conditioner in my class, the faithfulness of God, my family, rain, my home church, hugs, nature around us, a comfortable chair, warm bread, insulation, running water, and a computer that works. The slow and frustrating process of getting the things necessary for a school to run effectively have caused me to be very thankful for everything we receive. Yesterday, we finally got all the beautiful computers here, so we will be able to have a computer lab. Students will be able to write and print papers and we will be able to teach them how to organize their papers and do research online. Looking forward to it.
I have also been working hard at gathering support at home to get the things we need sent over and it looks like we are close to salvation. Christmas will arrive early when we get a copier along with a lot of other supplies in a big shipment from the States. Thank you to those of you involved in this process. For those who are supporting with prayer, please pray that this process goes smoothly so that everything can be gathered and sent efficiently. It will be very encouraging to finally feel like we relatively fully supplied as a school. Of course continued prayer for the staff and students is always needed. Thank you to those of you who continue to be present here with us through your support. Whether or not I choose to stay another year, God is working through this experience and is teaching me new things everyday, which I hope that I can remember.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a verse that really hit me this past week. It does not really relate to anything I discussed nor does it leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling, but it was something that I had not taken notice of before. In direct fashion 1 Peter 4:11 says, "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God." Wow! That is a lot of responsibility. I think we could all work on striving toward this by removing bitterness, gossip, and idle talk from our lives. As a teacher, this is particularly heavy...how can I teach by making every word as if it were from God?
Well have fun with that and count your blessings.
