Stick a toe in the water

This has been a busy week and I think I owe you readers a better summary than my random, sleep deprived observations. My official peace corps term began on Monday in Philadelphia. We met that day at noon and had sessions until 7pm. There was some good information presented, but the day primarily seemed to be used to introduce us to each other and the broad principles and goals of the Peace Corps. The next day, we loaded up all of our luggage (50 people x 2 50 pound bags = lots of work for the bell hops) and ourselves on two buses and made the trip from Philadelphia to New York City. We flew out of JFK just before 7:00pm on an overnight flight to Munich. The flight itself was actually much more pleasant that I expected for my first overseas flight. The seats were relatively spacious and comfortable, the company was good, and the food was descent. After dinner and two or three restless hours of sleep, we arrived in Munich. I saw very little of Germany (read: an airport), but it fulfilled all the stereotypes I imagined. Very clean and orderly. Lots of straight lines and efficient employees. Three hours later, my brief stay western europe ended and it was back onto a plane and off to Tirana.

A flyover of the Alps. I need to see those from the ground someday.

Landing in Tirana was very surreal. I knew that this place existed in theory, but in some ways I never expected it to actually take form. But there it was, in all of its mountainous, Mediterranean glory. We slowly made it through customs (oh how the other passengers on the plane must have hated us), just to find that nearly half of our baggage had been left behind in Munich due to weight restrictions. As I mentioned previously, almost everyone (including myself) was missing one bag, and a few unfortunate people were missing both. We once again formed huge lines and overwhelmed the baggage services men, and then took what we had out to buses that the Albanian Peace Corps staff had waiting to pick us up. After a group picture and a rather tasty sack lunch, we started on our way to Elbasan. For the crows, Elbasan is only thirty or so (I think) miles from Tirana. It is a very mountainous and winding thirty miles, though, so the bus had to take the long way around. Our route took us out to the coast for a fleeting glimpse of the Adriatic and then back inland along the lowland routes. Most people slept for the two hours that the journey took, but I was wide awake, snapping pictures and trying to take in my new home. Albania is a land of stark contrasts. Clean, modern looking buildings are neighbored by structures that never made it beyond a concrete frame. The land is beautiful, sometimes stunningly so. (I sadly was on the wrong side of the bus to get a good picture, but we spent several minutes in the view of a towering Alpine mountain that was surrounded by a huge thundercloud that was being blown apart as it swept past the peak. Fantastic.) On the other hand, there is lots of trash. Everywhere. Rivers banks, especially, are covered in it. Brand new Mercedes and BMWs share the road with carts pulled by mules. It will probably be a very different place in 20 years. For now, though, we'll hopefully help push it in the right direction.

And you thought I was exaggerating.

We finally arrived in Elbasan at the Hotel Universe, where we have spent the duration of training. The hotel is very pleasant and, in many ways, quite modern. Wireless internet is available in some areas. Hot water and western toilets can be found in the bathrooms. Our days are packed full, but not so much as to cause undo stress. We have plenty of coffee breaks (Albania is a coffee culture, they continually remind us) to break up our sessions on Peace Corp policies, health and safety classes, cross culture discussions, and language learning sessions. The Peace Corp Albania staff are all very kind and helpful. Breakfast and dinner are served in a buffet style, while dinner is a more formal meal in the main dining room. The food has all been quite good. A fair amount of repetition (veggie plate, sliced meats for lunch, meat filets for dinner, sides of rice and pickled cabbage, breads, flan for desert, etc.), but it is enjoyable food, so I can hardly complain. Overall, it has been a great period of transition into our Albania lives. We are in the country, but we've had a few days to acclimate inside a small American comfort zone. Oh, and yes, our missing baggage did eventually arrive.

Hotel Universe

The room I've been staying in. My bed is in the far corner.

The bathroom. Can you find what is missing? Hint: it starts with "shower" and ends with "curtain."

The lunch spread.

All of that, however, ends tomorrow. We'll have a couple more sessions in the morning, but at 2:45-- check that, 14:45-- we pack our bags, check out of the hotel, and move in to our individually assigned homes with a host family, where we will live until the end of May. My host family lives in a small village west of Elbasan called Bishqem (pronounced Beesh-chem). It is home to about 1,650 people. The family consists of a 42 year old couple who both work in business and their 16 and 18 year old sons. Their home is very close to the school where I will be attending language and culture classes four days per week for the next ten weeks. There are four other community development volunteers who will be in my same town for training. These, I am sure, will quickly become some of my best friends. Oddly enough, one of the girls in my group is from Blacksburg, so I'll have someone to sob to when I could really go for a Gillie's special. Twice a week, we will all be taking a minibus into Elbasan (which, if I'm not mistaken, is about 25km away) for sessions with our entire volunteer group.

So that's where things stand right now. I'm looking forward to reaching a place where I can unpack my bags and claim a little bit of personal space. At the same time, the prospect of meeting a family who may or may not speak any English and in whose home I will be living for almost three months is rather intimidating. I don't have any qualms about my treatment-- families are carefully selected and Albanians pride themselves on their hospitality-- but it is a big step, regardless. With a little bit of courage and the willingness to laugh at myself as I stumble my way through these first few weeks, however, I'm sure it will be great.

So look forward to the next update: Life in Bishqem with the Sinani family. It should be fun!

Goodbye Elbasan!