Gazuar Pashken

Another spring festival? This seems a bit much even by Albanian standards. Winter wasn’t that bad. At this rate it will be autumn by the time we finish celebrating spring.

Still, Easter is the big holiday in the Orthodox Church to which most Korcars belong. In fact, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter is called “Big Week”. On Good Friday (called “Black Friday” here) five other volunteers from Saranda, Permet and Bilisht converged on my small apartment to view all the traditional events. It was a bit crowded, but everyone was very considerate about picking up, not hogging the bathroom, pitching in on kitchen duties and not violating personal space. These Peace Corps kids were well raised.

I felt a bit guilty because the Peace Corps office had scheduled the volunteer visit for Easter weekend. I had offered to host up to three of the 50 new arrivals, but I had also told them that I would not be available on Easter weekend and that others from my group had planned to come to Korca. In their wisdom, they did not move the date. All my friends in Korca said the ceremonies around Easter were especially beautiful here and not to be missed. On almost any other weekend I would have happily helped out. They were given plenty of notice and decided the program could do without hosts in four southern sites. Even a volunteer has to say "no" at times.

My company arrived around noon on Friday, so the first order of business was lunch in the garden at the Birra Korca plant across the street from my apartment. My guests all ordered the dark beer which is hard to find outside of Korca, although I have been told that Birra Korca will begin to be exported to the U.S. next year (be sure to ask for it). I had the bacon wrapped chicken shish kebob. The beer is about 80 cents a half liter and the chicken about a dollar a skewer. Order a salad and some French fries and lunch might set you back a couple of bucks. The trees are beginning to leaf and there was Korcan music playing over the loud speakers (being Albania, the operative word is “loud”).

After lunch we walked through the cobble stone back streets of old Korca to the bazaar. We bought some fruits, vegetables and a roast for our Easter dinner. I wasn’t sure if the market would be open on Saturday or Sunday, but, of course, it was. I have never seen a day when it was completely closed, so I should have guessed. After that we went to the traditional pottery market in the square in front of the Cathedral. I have seen a large photograph of the market from Ottoman times. The quality of the wares seems to have deteriorated substantially in the past few hundred years. You can buy a gold painted bust of Skanderbeg or, if you prefer, a set of the seven dwarfs. I saw very few items that were made in Albania, which, if I were Shqiptar would have been reassuring. After that we hit the Moscow coffee bar which serves a thickened hot chocolate with hazel nuts that I particularly like.

We had a light dinner of salad and macaroni and then joined the pilgrimage of the faithful who walk between three major churches of Korca. These include the Cathedral, St. Mary’s (a small church in a park near the town center) and at third of your choice, usually one of the churches on the road up the mountain that leads to the cross.

On Saturday morning we walked up the road from my apartment to the village of Mborja where there is a small 14th century church with murals that are both gorgeous and fascinating in their contrast to the 17th and 18th century iconographic styles for which the Korca region is famous. We met two other Americans on the road, a consular staff officer on assignment in Albania and her photographer husband. They are in their third and final year here, and in June are headed to southern India for their next posting. They joined us as we walked up the mountain stream to a water fall that cascades over the ruins of a bridge that looks like it is of Roman design. Then we hiked on trails across the face of the mountain. The hardier ones went up to the cross on top. We stopped at St. Theodor’s church to ring the bell and view its Kristos Pantacreator and St. Michael icons which are among my favorite in Korca. Then we walked down the hill and through the old part of town to an unnamed restaurant that, I think, has the best roasted chicken in Albania. They get their chicken fresh from Pule Bobostica, a product of a relatively large enterprise in a village outside of Korca that is known for high quality, organic chickens. They are beginning to market their product in other parts of Albania which should be quite successful. Maybe someday they will be able to ship to the European Union as well. For dessert we hit the Djana Pasticeri, a local bakery (actually a local chain of bakeries based in Mborja), that also serves up gelato when the weather is warm enough, which only began in the past couple of days. Three scoops are about 50 cents. I had fig, melon and hazelnut. Another reason to celebrate spring.

We went home to rest awhile. Shortly before midnight we headed downtown for the main Easter ceremony in front of the Cathedral. We met up with our new embassy friends and, as we were early, went to another coffee shop, this one with a balcony that overlooked the square. When they found out we were Americans they insisted we take the table on the balcony with the best view (I can’t imagine that happening anywhere else but Albania).

At midnight the Cathedral bells began tolling and the crowd surged out of the church onto the darkened square. Then the metropolitan (the head Orthodox priest) and his assistants came out in their red and gold vestments, announced the risen Christ, blessed those assembled, and passed the flame from their candles. This was passed in turn through the crowd until everyone carried at least one candle. We had purchased candles from vendors in the square and joined in. Then fireworks were set off, including roman candles held in the hands of ten year olds (this is Albania, after all), and the multitude walked slowly home in the cool, clear, and calm night, being very careful not to let their candle flame go out.

Easter Sunday was warm and sunny. We got our pot roast started before we headed outside. We saw several of my friends and wished one another “Gazuar Pashken” (happy Easter), even those I know are Muslim-everyone likes a good festival in Albania. They gave us red dyed eggs which are a tradition in Albania. We bumped these end to end, analogous to pulling on a wishbone; cracked egg shell loses. A few of my guests were pretty competitive. I thought this was a bit out of the Easter spirit. The fact that I was eliminated early in the first round was merely a coincidence.

Early Monday, my Peace Corps cohorts headed back to their cities. Monday was not a holiday, so I went to work. The former head of the Directorate of Public Health came in to work on his project. He is now pursuing a specialty certificate in oncology (doctors in Albania typically practice for a few years before applying for additional training in a specialty, almost always in Tirana). He is especially interested in breast cancer. We have been visiting groups of women with the nurse educators to talk about breast cancer. He has administered a survey which I am helping him compile. Unfortunately he did not standardize or test the form before beginning the study which makes it a challenge to enter the data on the computer for analysis and questions the validity of the data in any event. I have tried to tactfully discuss issues of survey technique for future reference. I keep reminding myself that I am here to be helpful and I absolutely don’t want to dampen his enthusiasm. Excel will generate some nice looking graphics, so I think he will be happy.

He also wants to write a grant to support mammography and ultrasound examinations for women in the region. Presently the nearest facilities are in Tirana which is not at all accessible for most local woman, even assuming they could afford it. I have asked knowledgeable friends from back home to help me compile the equipment list. When we have gone to the internet to price some of the items it is sad to see how daunted he is by even the cost of used machines. I remember talking with salespeople about some technologies in the U.S. which seemed a bargain at $20,000. Used ultrasound machines are $5000 to $10,000 which seems astronomical to Albanians ($10,000 is more than a million Lek). Even simple, portable mammography equipment is hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don’t know what grants are available. My investigations so far have not been fruitful. I have read that diagnostic ultrasound imaging is undergoing a technological revolution similar to the laptop computer. It may soon be carried around by doctors as routinely as the stethoscope. Maybe such high tech devices will become as ubiquitous in third world countries as cell phones and the internet. Perhaps they should include video poker in the software to hasten this.