Ski Albania

Winter can be hard in Albania. A few inches of snow and ice in Korca makes the roads treacherous and one has to be careful not to slip and fall on the icy sidewalks. In villages in the mountains around Korca, deep snow can make roads, which are not great under the best of circumstances, impassible. I may complain about the lack of heat in my apartment, but people in villages may have not electricity and live in houses that are literally crumbling. Emigration to Tirana and abroad has depopulated many villages leaving the few old people left amid the ruins to fend for themselves. My counterparts at the NGO that provides home services to disabled people around Korca talk of making long treks through the snow to visit patients in villages like this only to find that the cold has taken its toll.

I left early one Saturday morning with Isufi, Maca, Kristof, Fredi and Comisari in Maca’s ancient Mercedes diesel van for Bigell, their homemade ski area, near the village of Dardhe. We were loaded with supplies; food, beer, wine and gasoline. I was surprised and pleased to find the road up the mountain was both plowed and sanded. Other than the coughing and sputtering of the diesel engine the trip was uneventful.

We ascended out of the fog that lay in the Korca valley into the clear mountain air, amid pine trees encrusted with snow and ice, under a cloudless, deep blue sky. Maca carefully parked the van on the side of the road, pointing down the hill, anticipating a cold start after everyone else went home. We unlocked the gate and ported the supplies up to the day lodge.

It looked good. The black double eagle on a red background that is the Albanian flag flew proudly above the entrance. The lodge was set up as a lokal with several tables and chairs in front of the bar. There were two wood stoves among the tables and a large fireplace in the corner. The kitchen we had built in the summer had two grills, a fryer and a sink, as well as another wood stove. There were large stereo speakers inside and out and a big mixer board behind the bar. Assorted ski boots were on the floor under the windows and skis and poles and sleds and a few other items were stacked in an annex, also built during the summer. There was yet another small wood stove in there.

We unpacked and set up. The water from the spring up the mountain was only a trickle, so Isufi and I set off through the snow drifts to the source to clear the ice from the opening to the pipe leading to the lodge. As we got back to the lodge customers were arriving.

I helped fit people with boots and Maca adjusted the skis. Fredi passed out skis and poles. Kristof ran the bar and Isufi the kitchen. Comisari kept the fires stoked. One lady was so fussy with the fit of her boots that I thought I was selling her a pair of shoes. She looked down at me. “Jeni ju shqiptar? (Are you Albanian)”, she asked. She had to be kidding. Most people can spot an American from a kilometer (about ½ mile) away.

It costs only 300 lek (about $3) to ski for an hour. This includes rental of skis, boots and poles and, if needed, a snow suit. They don’t keep close track of your time, but an hour or two on the two hills of the area will more than let you explore the terrain. In any event, I wouldn’t recommend being too adventurous since the skis and bindings are not the newest or best maintained. Even so, after the first group was set up, I got myself skis, boots and poles and set to see if skiing in Albania was up to the standards of an old, Idaho skier who has had season passes for so long he can’t remember what they charge for a day pass on Brundage Mountain. It turned out to be really enjoyable, and certainly not something I expected to be doing in the Peace Corps. Maybe they should add it to their recruitment materials.

The rope went up a pretty steep incline and was a good upper body work out. I was pretty careful as I didn’t trust my gear and, like in much of Albania, no one is looking out for you. You are responsible for your own safety- whether walking on a sidewalk that may suddenly open to an unmarked 3 foot deep pit or crossing an intersection with traffic coming at you from 6 directions. No ski patrol here. But that only makes it more of a challenge, like when back home I would make a day when conditions limited me to the lower, groomed slopes more interesting by telemarking in my old, cross country skis. Of course, the younger skiers were…well, young skiers. They went to the top, lined ‘em parallel and went for it. One teen flew past the people outside the lodge, through the gate, and across the road where the snow covered trees caught him, preventing him from going off the cliff. He smiled broadly as he clambered back to the rope tow to do it again. No one had to ask him if he was shqiptar.

After an hour or so of skiing, people headed to the lokal to warm up and drink and eat, this being Albania, after all. Prices were about the same as they would be at a lokal in Korca (in fact, prices never seem to vary all that much in Korca- something that always amazes me). Wine was about $1 a glass, raki (homemade brandy) only 50 cents, a huge plate of french fries about $1 and a plate of 12 meatballs or 8 hot dog size sausages with sliced onions and toasted rolls about $1.50. Salad and fruit and sodas were also available.

After eating, those who could still walk headed out for another round on the slopes. I went up with one of Maca’s kids who had come up later. She is a pretty good skier. It looks like she may have skied elsewhere because she has quite a few pins on her ski cap. There are more developed areas not far away in Macedonia and Greece.

Not everyone skied. Some used the sleds. One group of dental laboratory technicians from Turkey took a long canvas banner and used it as an improvised toboggan. Many sat around the stoves and chatted until long after sunset. Korcan serenades played on the stereo, although at times the young people would put on rap music, some of which is even in Albanian. Some English was spoken for my benefit, but I am sure there were Greek and Italian speakers as well. There was a retired German pharmacist who lives part time in Dardhe and had hiked on snow shoes from the village. I was surprised at how many Albanians had skied around Europe; in Innsbrook, Austria, or the Dolomites in northern Italy. Years ago, when I was in the Air Force, I skied there too, but I don’t remember having as much fun or such a novel experience as I did at Bigell.

This is obviously not a destination ski resort; although I think it would develop quite a bit if there were available public transit either by bus or by furgon. For now, one needs a private car or to hire a taxi. I suppose you could hitch a ride in Maca’s van. Still, a few days at a nice hotel or bed and breakfast in Korca, visits to the icon museum (with arguably the best collection in the world), the quirky Bratko museum or the interesting archeology museum, maybe attendance at a musical recital at the theater or cultural center, or the many disco bars around the university if that is more “your thing”, visits to interesting old churches in villages around Korca, sight-seeing at the nearby mountain lakes, shopping in the large bazaar, and sampling some of the great local restaurants could be combined with a couple of days skiing at Bigell to make for a pretty unique and reasonably priced vacation. You should consider this soon before the prices go up. I even know an old tour guide who, for at least the next year and a half, might be persuaded to show you around.

Preka

The end of the Christmas season was marked by the traditional “cross toss” in front of the Cathedral in the center of the Korca. It was pouring rain, but a good crowd turned out to watch the priest throw the cross into the fountain and the young men scramble to get it out of the water. The winner gets to keep it for 40 days and it is supposed to bring good luck. It also brings a $50 prize, so I guess the good luck part is valid. Everyone crowded into the coffee shops around the square after the ceremony. Many will be heading out of the country and back to work abroad. I am looking forward to that as the internet and even the cell phone system have been overloaded and non-functional since before Christmas. I feel guilty even thinking about the inconvenience of this, since I do have indoor plumbing, a stove and refrigerator and, most importantly, a space heater. I am in the Peace Corps, after all. I could be living in a yurt in Mongolia.

The water and the cross are done to celebrate the baptism of Jesus, which the Orthodox Church celebrates on the 12th day of Christmas (Catholic tradition has it a week later and celebrates the Adoration of the Magi on the 12th day). Of course, Jesus was baptized as an adult by John the Baptist, but I would not want to argue the point. I shudder to think how they would commemorate the circumcision of the baby Jesus which Catholics and most traditions, I think, observe on the 8th day after Christmas as the “Celebration of the Holy Name”. Maybe that was part of the reason for the New Year’s fireworks. There certainly were plenty of opportunities to blow off different parts of your anatomy, although I didn’t hear of any injuries of that sort.

I have previously mentioned that one of my main volunteer activities is teaching Life Skills classes at a private, missionary high school in Korca. This is called “Kolegji Preka”, after St. George Preca, a native Maltese proclaimed a saint by the Vatican in 2007. It is run by a lay order from Malta, following the example of the saint in the education of young people, with schools and other projects in developing countries worldwide. They live communally but, although they do take a pledge of celibacy, they are not ordained monks. This is partly because St. George Preca preached that it was more important to be effective than to be qualified. I find this philosophy appealing.

The local people in Korca call Kolegji Preka the “Maltese School”. The school requires an entrance exam and is quite competitive. I helped with the exam and had to “take” it myself this summer because they had not received the answer key from Preca Central in Malta. It was not easy. Parents are quite happy to have their children at this school, but the kids should be proud too. They had to earn their way in.

My Life Skills class of 88 first year student is now down to 86 since 2 students emigrated with their families to the US after winning the visa “lottery”. Never one to do something conventionally when I can have fun playing around, I have organized the class a bit differently from the conventional Albanian style of lecturing in front of students and then having them regurgitate, preferably from memory. I divided each class into groups of 2 or 3 students. They then picked cards from a deck and got to choose from 15 presentation topics and dates, high card first for topic, low first for date. The topics are mostly from their text book, but they are encouraged to research their topic from the school library and the web. They are graded on their preparation, organization, presentation and evaluation questions. I emphasized to them that the “Life Skill” of working in small groups and doing presentations is something they will find very useful in their future in higher education or in corporate life.

I did several classes before we started with the presentations. This was both to kill time while we had to wait for the textbooks to arrive and to give them a demonstration of different strategies for presentations, including didactic, demonstration and participation. I encouraged them to narrow the topic area as much as they wanted and told them I would fill in during my sessions what they left out in theirs. I also told them that this was an opportunity to try out new styles to maybe better relate to their classmates. I feel the process is as important as the subject matter.

They have really stepped up to the plate. They have incorporated Power Point slides, shown on my computer as I walk around the class holding it, videos, and demonstrations into their lessons. The headmaster and other teachers have sat in on a few of the classes to watch. I even invited the health education nurses from the Directorate of Public Health. I think there is potential for the Preka students to present at grammar schools in Korca, both to educate and be examples for the younger students. I am very proud of them.

Albania is a young country. Although the birthrate has declined in recent years, it is still among the highest in Europe. Unlike in Italy or Germany, you can see lots of children with their families, downtown and in the parks. They go to school but afterwards their employment prospects are doubtful. Many will move to Tirana or go abroad for work. Despite professional degrees, they are likely to end up laboring for wages that may be meager in the countries of their employment, but fantastic by Albanian standards.

With that facing them, I am not surprised to hear from many of my Peace Corps cohort, with teaching assignments in high schools, about problems with inattentive and disruptive students. I am not so old that I don’t remember that when I was their age I took it for granted that I could be anything I wanted. The opportunities were unlimited. I still firmly believe that the US offers a person of ability, who is willing to work hard and take some risks, prospects that are unequaled in the world. I am sure that is why getting a visa to America is called “winning the lottery”. Yet Albania is a country that has lots of resources, a favorable climate, educated and hard working people, and a location at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. I see incredible potential and am surprised it is not a center of investment and development. I am enthusiastic about their future potential, but when I talk with people, particularly young people, they don’t see much here. No doubt I am ignorant of the effects of corruption and history and culture, but I also see this as a distinguishing character difference between Albanians and Americans. Maybe that is the best lesson I can impart to my students during my volunteer service.

Viti i Ri

New Years. Nine months into the 27 months of a Peace Corps tour. Actually, 2010 will be the only full year I spend in Albania. That thought makes the term of service seem short. I have found in my past relocations that 2 years is the minimum amount of time one needs to feel at home in a new place. I suspect that is part of the reason for the time commitment required of volunteers.

I finally got one of the gas heaters in my apartment to work and I can sit comfortably in front of it and work at my computer. It then became unseasonably warm after a rainstorm moved through Korca on Christmas Day. My visitors and I fixed a large Christmas dinner. We had roast chicken, mashed potatoes, salad and pumpkin pie for dessert. The stove in my apartment made this a bit of a challenge. It has a number of unlabeled dials that I still have not figured out. The temperature in the oven varies quite a bit so that food in the rear is burnt while that in the front is uncooked. Only two of the four burners on top appear to work. Even so, the meal was great. I had 4 visitors for Christmas and have had 7 at different times during the week. For some of the younger volunteers this is their first time away from home. I wanted to make sure that none in my region felt abandoned so issued a general invite for those wanting to spend the holiday in Korca. We set up a small tree and scrounged some lights. We had some recorded seasonal music and we played Scrabble, Pictionary, Sorry, Monopoly and, of course, Furgon Driver.

When the weather allowed we walked around town and up the hill to the cross on top. We visited the museums and the art show at the cultural center. We had the thick, hot cocoa with hazelnuts that is served in some of the cafes. We had crepes from the vendors in the holiday market. We shopped in the bazaar which has spread along the streets surrounding the market area.

I went to work at the Directorate of Public Health a couple of days, but not much was going on and I left early. My school classes are on holiday break. At clinic, the patients had a holiday dinner. They invited my visitors and had a grand game of “Feed the Americans”. Some of my visitors are part of the Peace Corps group that transferred to Albania when they were evacuated from Georgia (the country, not the state) when Russia invaded. They said that Georgians are even more aggressive at feeding their guests than Albanians. This is hard to imagine. Reportedly, Georgians don’t just continuously refill your plate; they stack the plates in front of you and yell at you until you eat. I used to think that only Americans had trouble controlling portions at meals. I surreptitiously put a few pieces of meat in a napkin to bring home to Ilky.

Korca has been packed with visitors. I have heard the 25% of Albanians work out of the country and they must all come home for the holidays, if they can. Lots of cars have Greek license plates, possibly tourists, but more likely Albanians who live and work in Greece. The internet and cell phone systems, which don’t have a lot of excess capacity at the best of times (the companies sell the services aggressively whether or not they can fulfill the contracts), failed completely for a while and then worked only intermittently. At least the power and the water were reliable.

The warm weather put local skiing on hold. This is something I have experienced before in Idaho, although I saw from the National Weather Service that it has been cold and snowy back home. I am certain that Murphy’s Law will make the next two ski seasons at Brundage ones that will be talked of fondly for years. I almost wish I hadn’t been such a wimp about lightning, hail and darkness last week when I had the chance to ski, but I am sure I will get another chance.

On New Year’s eve we walked to the center of town. It was not what I expected. I had been told there were fireworks and, I guess, I visualized an American style production, where spectators watch professionals safely put on a show. After nine months in Albania, I should have known better. The center of the city was blocked off by the police and people lined the sidewalks. They impulsively threw firecrackers into the street. Some bounced off bystanders before exploding. Participants, mostly males, of all ages, held fireworks in their hands, waving them towards the center of the street (the instructions on the tubes advised fixing them in dirt and standing back 20 feet). Some also stood on the steps in front of the cathedral and launched firecrackers and rockets towards the statue in the center of the square. The temporary ice skating rink which was not being used by skaters was a favorite target for fire crackers. Fireworks were also launched from balconies on several levels above street level. This gave the effect of a running battle between the two sides of the street. No one dared to walk down the middle and even walking along the sidewalk led one under sparks from the balconies and the tubes waved by the revelers. This peaked at midnight while the bells of the cathedral tolled to mark the New Year, but went on for hours before and after. The volunteers were somewhat intimidated. We covered our ears to protect them from the cacophony and carefully picked our way out of the center to the boulevard that led back to my apartment.

It seemed warm and we only wore light jackets when we left but returning, the wind picked up and it turned cold. It rained intermittently as the clouds flew across the valley. Some of my visitors from nearby took furgons home. The walk downtown to see them off found most businesses closed and the bazaar practically empty. Korca was as quiet as I have ever seen it. I expect things will be back to normal when the last of my visitors take the bus home on Saturday. I look forward to going back to work on Monday and starting on my list of resolutions.