Greetings:
I
know, it’s been quite a while since my last post – been pretty busy – and this
one is brief. Since that post I have moved to the Tirana, the capital of
Albania and started this semester teaching at Beder University -
http://www.beder.edu.al/.
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| Early morning preps from my apartment balcony. |
Time
in Vlora was great; wonderful people, some good colleagues at the university,
and I made some new friends. But at the end of the term last spring, with a new
university rector, new department head, and a bit of misguided pressure to pass
a student (“Now, tell me again, who is this guy?”), I was out of work again.
Bummer. So, with the help of Mitesh I kept my fall busy teaching private
lessons at my various coffee shop offices. Had a great time doing that – good
kids.
Then
in December I got a call from the Vice-Rector at Beder University in Tirana who
had gotten word through the Albanian academic pipeline (thanks again, Mitesh)
about a stranded American academic looking for a new place. So, a face-to-face meeting,
a tour of the facilities, all the right answers to my questions about the
academic environment, and BAM! – a new home, a new experience, and back at it
again. Yay!!
The
term started in March but they wanted me on campus in January for conference
talks, video voice-overs, workshops, visits to local high schools (near and
far), and of course I really appreciated the time to prepare for three new
classes: American Studies, Academic Writing, and Stylistics. Undergraduate work
in Albania is completed in three years, and the English Language and Literature
Department has a total of around eighty students – I get to teach every one of
them.
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| Kickin' with my American Studies class |
After
living in a hotel for about a week, the Vice-Rector found an apartment right
across the street from the university – five minutes door-to-door. The
neighborhood is great and the locals are friendlier as hell: a great outdoor market
around the corner for sundries, fruit and vegetable, another perfect barber,
cleaners, mani-pedi shop (welcome to Tirana!), dentist, pasta dishes and the
pizza as good as anything this side of the PIE in Salt Lake City.
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| Dinner at the International Hotel and the Skanderbeg Square makeover |
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| Faculty dining room with Sami - who always serves me an extra portion; and one of the professors with the Islamic Studies Department - the collegiality around here is as good as it was back at the University of Utah - nice |
The
big difference at Beder compared to my experience at the universities in Elbasan and
Vlora is quite remarkable. Are you ready for this? The professors have offices
where they can work and meet with students! Yeah, I still have a coffee office
for the early morning double cappuccino, and the gang at the Aba Bar makes me
feel right at home.
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| One of my Stylistics students and a few of my first year Academic Writing kids |
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| And without question, the two most important pieces in my day: Krisien, the IT guy who keeps things running smoothly; and Pulon, who gets me running every morning at 7am with my "dopio" Cappuccino - BAM! |
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| With my new attorney, Julian, and Gazi |
***
On
the “Clubbing” front – only a quick note: finally (!!), a hearing a couple of
weeks ago in Tirana, and another next month. Whatever the outcome (yeah,
everyone is hopeful), Seattle this summer to make contact and get things
rolling in the states. What a trip. (And I promise, these guys on the right do smile - but serious stuff, huh?)
Later,
munchkins. My best to all of you.
XOXO
