One week down...

Rumor (and my calendar) has it that I have now been living in Bishqem for slightly over one week now. I'm always skeptical of rumors, only sometimes skeptical of my calendars (two r's in February? Likely story.), but am completely sure that both of them are lying to me this time around. I am quite sure that I have actually been living here for about three months now.

Oddly enough, I can remember the day that I arrived in Bishqem like it was only a few days ago. (Really, this joke is stopping now) After a few final sessions with the entire group at the hotel that morning, we divided up into groups by the towns that we would be living in during training, loaded all of our things into an awaiting Furgon (that's minibus to you, American) and were whisked off to our new homes.

When we were told that we would be living in an Albanian village during training, I had envisioned the van driving into town on an old dirt road into a small cluster of ancient brick homes with small windows and short doors that are connected by meandering dirt paths that you must share with random market stalls and the occasional stray chicken.

So you can imagine my surprise when the van stopped in front of a home that was located directly on the main highway we had been driving down and the Peace Corps staff member that was riding with us turned to me and told me that this would be my home for the next ten weeks. Instead of dodging chickens, I had to mind the passing semi trucks as I unloaded my luggage from the van. Wasn't expecting that one.

The near-constant drone of traffic aside, my home is very nice. It has two stories, but all of the living space is located on the second floor. The first floor is currently standing unfinished, but will eventually house the restaurant my host family plans to open. You enter the living quarters through a door into the living room. It is a large room with two couches and a bed, as well as a small tv. Connected to this room is a large kitchen and the one bathroom in the house. Both are western and have all the gadgets you would expect to see in a typical american home (minus the microwave. and a shower curtain). There are also two bedrooms in the house. I live in the bedroom that overlooks the front of the house. It is a large room with a twin bed, a futon, a wardrobe, and a small central table.

You notice three things rather quickly when you enter most Albanian homes. First, they don't have insulation in the outer walls or any central heating. Nights get a little chilly. Secondly, there are none of the knicknacks or books or non-practical items that are crammed into every corner of most American homes. Finally, they are spotless. The next piece of dirt that I see in the house will be the first.

I share this home with a family of four. The father manages a general store that is a short walk down the road. His wife is a housewife extraordinaire. She is up at dawn. She cooks. She cleans. She does laundry. She tends to the garden (read: small farm) in the back yard. When she finishes all the chores around the house, she goes to the store to help her husband. They return around 8 pm each night. At that point, she makes dinner (from scratch, of course). And after we eat, she diligently cleans all the dishes. This happens every day. I don't know where she finds the energy. She makes me feel like a lazy, lazy man.

They have two sons. The older one is 18 and the younger is 16. The younger one is the only one in the house who speaks any english. He isn't fluent, but we can communicate basic ideas back and forth- an invaluable asset at this point in time. My conversation with the rest of the family primarily consists of yes, no, good morning, good day, thank you, good night, and lots of smiles and nods. Of course, Albanians nod for no and shake their heads for yes, so even that can cause some confusion. It is a strange thing to live with people and not even have the ability to communicate basic thoughts and ideas to them. All in good time, I suppose. For now, I know that they are all very kind, I eat well (more than I ever eat back home), and I have a warm bed each night. Hard to complain about any of that.

I'll leave things there for now, seeing as how this is already a short story. More on Bishqem itself the next time around. Oh, and don't expect many pictures for a while. The only access I have to the internet right now is through public computers in internet cafes, and those are renowned for their collection of viruses... so flash drives aren't really an option either. I am taking pictures, though, so they will come eventually.