A joke on me and a teaching gig (yay!!!)

Yesterday marked my fifth full week in Albania. My new regimen of getting up at 5:30 in the morning to work on the language is paying off. Still slow, but making some headway. In fact it’s pretty much a source of humor with the rest of the volunteers and the PC staff that my pathetic language skills don’t seem to get in the way of my cross-culture IRB – intentional relationship building. Last week at the local café my friends Mike and Nate (both from California) and I were all studying (well, Nate was downloading The Three Stooges I think); but it was evident Mike was having too much fun at his lap-top. He’d just taken a picture of me and I cracked, “What are you doing now, photo-shopping?” Mike had given the café a new name weeks earlier – “Bill’s Boy Bar” – so I had expected some other manifestation of his humor. He just laughed and a few minutes later announced and posted his success:

Now, sometime last year my daughter Abby did the same thing when she posted a Dos Equis add with the tag – “I didn’t know my dad was making commercials!” I told Mike he wasn’t the first. Funny.

I need to give Mike attribution on some of the cooler local-color pics I've posted and will post. OK, Mike, happy now?

With Nate and Mike

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My small group of seven (me, Mike, Nate, Cristin, Jo, Polly, and Julie) consists of teacher-trainers and university bound volunteers. These next two weeks are filled with our practicum. We’ll make teaching method presentations to other current volunteers and Albanian teachers/students. It will be nice to be able to get in front of a class. Speaking of which, Ymer and I were talking a couple of weeks ago and he asked how things were going. To his surprise (I'm sure) I told him: "I have not been in front of a classroom in five @%&*!! months and I'm going $@$##!! crazy!! He laughed and said "No problem, teach my class up at the university one morning." So, tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm teaching a session on inter-cultural communication. I've edited a bunch of stuff from my humanities courses and just finished the preps. Believe me, it's been a great distraction from the regular routine – and you know I’m always up for opportunities to corrupt young minds. I’ll have a report and some pics for you on the next post.

We were up at the university today observing classes. We each introduced ourselves. I started out “I was born and raised in Albania.” The kids cracked up. At the end of class before I could get my camera out they came up and asked for a photo opportunity. These kids are great.

 

Kids at Elbasan's Aleksander Xhuvani University

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One more totally cool thing. As most of you also know I don’t get too excited about holidays (excepting Thanksgiving) or birthdays (especially mine). I turned sixty-eight a couple weeks ago during my volunteer visit with Marty in Thane. On Thursday I got home from school in Elbasan and Sali was on the front porch with some of the extended family and friends. He invited me to sit down and have a raki – one was enough. After the company left we sat down for dinner; Rezarta brought out this beautiful cake (with a heart on it!) and the family turned to me and said a whole bunch of stuff in Albanian (shqip – but you figured that out by now) with a “Bravo, Billi” or two. It turns out that during the week the PC staff did a check with our families to see how things were going (surely to make sure we weren’t driving our families crazy). Rezarta asked Imelda why I brought the cake home the week or two before (I swear, something I’m thinking happened two weeks ago turns out to be the beginning of the current week, amazing). Imelda says that knowing me, it wasn’t a special occasion, but “that’s just how Billi rolls” – translated loosely. Imelda also mentioned my birthday. Well, the family was disappointed that they had missed it and decided to surprise me. Holy hell. You guys know how sentimental I get. Man, I got all misty (no tears, though) and pretty soon Rezarta’s getting misty – a serious Martin Moment in Thane, Albania. 

Then Sali brought out the bottle of wine I picked up for him earlier in the week – I told him for his use when special friends came over. I was total mush by this point. Seriously, this family is comfortable but I get no sense that there is much to spare, and the bakery cake cost as much as many of the villagers make in a day. It was a touching moment that I won’t forget. (Pics later)

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Oh yeah. On a coffee break next to our school in Thane, another friend, Besi, says (apparently in all seriousness), “Billi, Amerika needs to appoint you ambassador to Thane.” And then later in the day Sardi tells me that he’s decided to give me some of his family’s property so I can build a house on it after I get finished with my service. I’m telling you, all these open arms are doing a number on me.

With Besi

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Well, Group 18 (our total group of fifty-four) had their individual assessments last week. Mine went pretty well (that is, I don’t think I’ll be seconded to Kosovo or Macedonia). Interestingly enough, Genti (the head of our pre-service training) and Agim (the education head) were aware of my scheduled teaching at the university (I hope Ymer didn’t quote me verbatim) and Mike’s dubbed “Bill’s Boy Bar” in Thane. Again, it’s hard to imagine a PC staff so clued in on the well-being of the volunteers. This Friday I get my site assignment – where I’ll spend the next two years! Best wishes to you all! XOXO