It has been about a month since I last posted and that time has flown by in good rhythm. Things have remained stable at LAC as we reach the halfway point of third quarter. This stretch has flown by and it is hard to believe that it is already March. As we pull away from winter we have been left with beautiful weather for the past couple weeks. We endured one of the coldest European winters in recent history and I am very glad to no longer feel cold all the time. For the past few Saturdays I have been able to put the spare mattress out on the roof to do some reading, studying, and resting in the sun. This year my expectation and joy at the changing of the season and the returning warmth of the sun is the greatest it has ever been. I have been able to sleep without worrying about my wrap strategy keeping tight and to teach without wearing a winter coat. This means that the tie has returned allowing me to feel a little more professional and colorful.
The warm weather has led to an increase in activities. Last weekend, the teachers took a large group of students up to the castle on a beautiful morning. It was a day after Prime Minister Berisha had come to town to commemorate Beselidhja, the signing of a defensive alliance against under the leadership of national hero Skanderbeg to resist the Ottoman Empire in 1444. The road up to the castle was completed in time for the celebration marking the end of a notable process for Lezha. At the top we ate lunch and played dodgeball, volleyball, and guitar.
On the way down I got a surprising phone call from a local friend asking if I wanted to play American football on the beach. I could not miss this opportunity since it would be the first time playing football and the first time back to the beach since the fall. Playing was a lot of fun, but it showed how out of shape I had grown because I was exhausted and very sore for days. It was an interesting experience because these guys were athletic, but they had little idea how to play football, so it was a little unfair. It felt really good to get out into an open space to run and throw my body around a little because winter had kept me closed up.
Over the past month I have grown attached to a simple breakfast of two clementines and half a banana. At school, we have replaced the catering with one of our student’s parents bringing in sandwiches, burek, and pizza. I usually get a sausage sandwich with a cheese burek for lunch, which costs $1. Two weeks ago I decided to go out and buy some new things to eat so I found sliced cheese, sausage, mayonnaise, pickles and chips to go along with bread, lettuce, tomato, and hot peppers to make sandwiches. It felt good to revive this food that had been nearly an everyday mainstay in college. The warmer weather has also brought a return to my desire for salad that I have been eating with olives and feta cheese. As a side note, I have completed last three seasons of Seinfeld this year since I usually watch an episode while eating dinner and I have now moved onto watching the Office. The girls and I have made it a Friday custom to go out for pizza on Friday night, which is usually accompanied by a new personal favorite, red wine and coke. This is a great way to spend some time in non-school conversation with each other and relax around some great food to kick off the weekend.
At school we have begun to incorporate new things and figure out our after school schedule. All the kids are involved in this online math program that customizes itself to the needs of each student. This is intended to fill in some of the content gaps that may have been left by the Albanian school system and prepare them for taking more advanced math classes in the coming years, particularly since math has been our most problematic subject. We have also begun student clubs including basketball, volleyball, Ping-Pong, soccer, music, public speaking, and bible. There are a lot of complications involved in working these into the school routine but these clubs represent great opportunities for interaction with the students and education in the future. We fastened some screws into the side of the building and conveniently placed tree along with painting lines on the stone to produce an impressive volleyball court in the courtyard.
Bible club has met twice on Friday evenings in an attempt to create a youth group type atmosphere and give the students something productive to do on Friday night. We have been playing a lot of games with them to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Linda Miller, one of the summer class teachers, had returned for a couple weeks and she brought a bunch of American games including Yatzee, Uno, Imagine if, and Catch Phrase. This last week we played Capture the Treasure and Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids before having a conversation about what questions they had about religion. Conversation was limited at first, but then Jessica shared her testimony as the students listened closely and they began to ask a lot of questions. They understand very little about religion and their affiliations are mostly due to family and traditions rather than faith and knowledge. We have so much to cover and it will be an adventure to see where God leads us as we begin to share our faith with them and open up in meaningful conversation. Please pray particularly for this time and ask God to reveal Himself and use us to share his love to these students.
The clubs have completely filled up all of our time after the school day. In addition to evening classes, meetings, and Albanian class, these clubs mean that I am busy until 6pm every school night. Although I am changing and adding resources, I am glad that I have a strong handle on my history class and that I do not have to learn all new content for class. My two sections of World History class have progressed through an introduction to history and the ancient civilizations of the Near East, China, and India. We are still playing with some changes in school discipline and have had to incorporate in and out of school suspensions since some students have been having problems adapting their behavior to our school environment. Despite some difficulties, overall the students are doing well and it is very exciting to see them improving and growing to appreciate this school community. My evening classes have been fairly relaxed and I have been taking my Tuesday conversation class out for coffee every other week and one night we went out for pizza. We usually have some very good conversations and they feel accomplished since they have been able to understand and contribute in English. Our evening classes are gaining students, so it feels like we are well established and have a pretty good reputation in the community for evening classes as well.
Three of our students were chosen to represent Lezha in the regional final for a public speaking competition that will take place in Tirana. They each wrote essays and now the teachers are working with them to improve their essays and public speaking skills. We also had a parent teacher conference day last week. Each of the parents come into one by one to talk to the group of us teachers about how their student is doing. This is something that does not happen in the public school system and most parents seem to be very appreciative of the support and attention that we offer to the students. They are all very supportive of our suggestions and they do not question our teaching ability as a reason for why their students are not performing up to their expectations. I think we have built a good reputation and created a largely supportive community of parents. While Linda was here, she also worked to start a women’s group with the mothers of the students and they are planning to meet at least once a month. It is important that we are able to reach the community outside of the school and this is an incredible opportunity for ministry and conversation in the future.
Last month, Kaitlyn had her birthday and the students planned another surprise party for her complete with a treasure hunt, gifts, cake, and a video from the students. That night I had planned for one of my evening class students, Reni, to pick us up and take us to his parent’s restaurant. We never told Kaitlyn what was happening, but we drove out to the nature preserve lagoon and braved the dirt roads in his Mercedes to reach this beautiful retreat restaurant situated on Albania’s mini Everglades bordering the ocean. The location would have been better taken advantage of in the light of day, but that was not a possibility and this added to the mystery of it all. Reni showed us around and then joined us along with his fiancé for a spectacular dinner of fresh salad, fish, eel, and duck. I believe that fire simmered fish was the best I had ever had and the others thought the same…caught that day, wonderfully cooked, and perfectly seasoned. We enjoyed some great conversation before making our way back home.
One annoying issue we have encountered is with our residency paperwork. Klementina and Dini have been working with a residency officer who is constantly assigning them new tasks to fulfill for the paperwork to go through, likely in hope that they will pay some money under the table to get it taken care of. Dini and I had to go to Tirana to clarify some details and everyone seemed to have a different idea of the requirements. Finally, a few of us went to the US embassy to get some paperwork that should wrap up the process, but you never know with the system here.
Just a few days ago, we got a big and sad surprise. Klementina came into my classroom and told me that the Troyer’s would be going home. At first, I thought she meant home from school for the day, but then I realized she meant all the way home. Milt has been feeling sick the past couple of weeks and he has not been able to shake his flu. He had visited the hospital last week and gotten some anti-biotics that had been having some negative side-effects and then he was having some chest pain. A doctor visited him, and with his past heart complications, it was decided that it was time for them to go home to find out what was wrong and ensure his safety. This all happened very quickly because one day they were here, and then the next day before I finished teaching they were gone. We have received news that after a night in the hospital, it was determined that his chest pain was likely because he had been coughing a lot. Please pray for Milt as he continues to recover and for both of them as they transition out of their period of international service into life in Ohio again with their family. I would like to say thank you to the Troyers for all their care, willing support, and effort in starting this school. They definitely played a crucial role at the beginning when we were in over our heads in new issues and challenges and we appreciated Milt’s input as an experienced school administrator. We will miss them as a staff at LAC, by the students, and I am sure by their English class students, which they so dedicatedly taught over the past half-year.
I have continued to spend a lot of time in the evening on studying my content, creating resources, planning my lessons, and following other topics of interest. My lifestyle here is so different then anything I have experienced in the past because when the school day is over, I always have the evening to myself for studying, eating, working, and entertainment. One thing that I had recommitted to during my reflection while in Turkey was a more regimented schedule for time with God. The craziness of January led me to forget this goal as I was praying often throughout the day for support because we needed it right away. With the coming of Lent, I have been reminded of spiritual discipline and instead of giving something up, I decide to commit to a basic schedule of prayer and bible reading every night in addition to my devotionals in the morning. I have spent some time every night trying to fulfill this goal, but has often been difficult because I feel closed in by work that I want to get accomplished, distracted by many things, and very tired by the time I am ready for bed. I certainly want to improve my efforts and commit to spending more focused time to reading scripture and listening for God’s voice and I hope to feel like I am in more of a natural and productive rhythm by the end of Lent. I also believe that God will bless our time if we give more of it to Him, but this is not something that I have practiced much in the past. Please pray that I will have the discipline to take time out of my evening to spend with my Savior and the focus and discernment to have meaningful and deep interactions with the Lord of the universe.
Thank you to all of you who have continued to support LAC. I have been noticing that I have less Facebook and email activity than I did toward the beginning of the year and I think it is easy for people to become focused on what is in front of them. Part of this is simply because as I separate from college life, I will also begin to separate from many of the people who I spent a lot of time with in those days. Either way, I especially thank those of you who have committed a part of your life to continually working with us, supporting us, praying for us, and remaining interested in our lives here. We feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity of ministry in this place, and the tools that we have been provided to work here have allowed us to create an loving and professional environment in Lezha. Pray that our influence continues to grow and that we will remain true to the path that Christ is laying before us. God bless each of you and I hope you notice and enjoy the coming of new life and opportunities in the spring.
Zoti ju dhëntë gezim! – “May God give you Joy.”
