A Year in Albania

Actually, I have now been in Albania almost 22 months of my 27 month Peace Corps term of service. However, since I arrived in March of 2009 and finish in May of 2011, 2010 is the only full year I will have spent in the country during my stay. New Year’s marked the end of that year, and so, seemed momentous.

Not that I dislike Albania, quite the contrary. In many ways it is a charming country, its people are extraordinarily hospitable, and it is interesting and scenic. Except for being pretty cold in the winter, somewhat confused by the language and the culture, and sometimes discouraged by the degree of pollution and corruption, that in reality is not bad for a developing country (or for some cities in the US for that matter), I could imagine myself on extended vacation in the mountains of Italy on the other side of the Adriatic. I feel a bit like a friend of mine whose military service during most of the war in Vietnam was as an aide, scheduling tennis matches for a general in Germany.

I had 19 volunteers through my apartment over the holidays. On Christmas morning we passed out presents around a small tree while we listened to a music cd titled “Krishtlindje Ne Tirane” (“Christmas in Tirana”) that I had found in the Peace Corps office. Presents were pretty simple; candy bars, small bags of coffee, a knitted shawl, used books, some costume jewelry, etc. We made homemade bagels for breakfast, served with cream cheese, prosciutto, tomatoes and lettuce. 13 volunteers were crammed into the place for Christmas dinner. There was hardly elbow room, but the pot luck dinner was great; roast chicken, Swedish meat balls, mashed potatoes, candied carrots, a walnut salad, chocolate cake, macaroons and apple pie. Albanian wine and beer was also available for those who imbibe. Someone even brought Starbucks Christmas blend coffee to go with the desserts (one of my prized possessions is a 12 cup coffee maker I inherited from a previous volunteer).

On Boxing Day, December 26th, we rented the minibus that is used by the Soqata for their excursions, and a group of volunteers went to the ski area at Bigell and to the picturesque village of Dardhe, in the mountains not far from the city. There was snow, and although not enough for skiing, there was enough for a snowball fight and other snow play. A few sat in the day lodge to drink and keep warm while the rest went into the village. The old stone houses are mostly renovated along steep cobblestoned lanes. There are a few new ones, even a multi-unit building that may be condos, and a magnificent new hotel with a view on a clear day into Greece.

We went into a coffee shop to warm up and ran into a volunteer from a previous group who was visiting over the holidays. I had just had an email from her from Guyana where she is working as a HIV educator as part of Peace Corps Response, a newer organization spun off from the regular Peace Corps, which uses special skills of returned Peace Corps volunteers for short term projects. She was happy to be back in Korca, where she felt safe and among old friends. Her work in Guyana is in a jungle village and there are parts of the area where she is cautioned from travel for reasons of safety.

We attended several of the many events in Korca that were scheduled for the holidays. One was a dance recital at the Cajupi Theater. Our ticket stubs were included in a drawing for prizes. I was glad we didn’t win any of the toys, and the microwave, which I could have used, was kept for the drawing that would happen with the next day’s performance. The kids ranged in age from around four to young teens. Sometimes they would lip sync to performances that we figured were prerecorded, although one number was clearly the Jackson 5.

Santa Claus arrived in Korca in a carriage, pulled by a pony, up Republika Boulevard, attended by children in Santa hats who passed out candy and post cards. He had some difficulty due to the construction that is going in the square in front of the movie theater (which has been inoperative for about two years and still advertises its last film, “Terminator 3”), and the traffic along the street which did not want to yield, despite Santa’s police escort. This event was at midday on December 30. If this seems late, don’t forget that the Orthodox tradition celebrates Christmas on January 6th.

New Year’s we were invited to the home of my neighbors Titi and Miranda. Keeping up what amounts to a Peace Corps, Albania, tradition, I tutor their daughter, Iris, in English. Their small apartment was warm, heated by a wood stove. Miranda put on a fantastic spread which she had cooked on it. This included turkey, steak, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, hard boiled eggs, salad, cheese, cake and baklava (which is a traditional New Year’s food and is usually homemade- I was served it several times over the holiday, including three times on New Year’s Day).

New Year’s is the big holiday here. The communist regime discouraged religious celebrations and made Christmas a regular work day. Some Albanians still call a Christmas tree a “New Year’s Tree”, and many visit on January 1st and 2nd, which are both holidays, giving gifts to mark the day. At midnight, Korcans gathered in the square in front of the Cathedral for the annual fireworks free-for-all. Afterwards, Titi chaperoned Iris as she went to a party with her friends at one of the local discos. We went home as they left for the fireworks. I still have PTSD from last year’s fireworks.

In the afternoon, we took a furgon to Elbasan to do some visiting of our own with our host families back in Thane. Everyone was doing well. The sister of the girl whose wedding we attended in 2009 is now engaged to a boy from the same town as her sister’s husband. He works in Italy. The older boy in my family has been studying English in school and is getting to the point that his English is much better than my Shqip. His family now has five cows and a donkey. The mother goes into Elbasan every other day to sell her milk products. As I walked up to their house, the father was driving a donkey cart full of fodder for the animals. He also continues to work construction jobs in the area. He and his mother had plans to leave for Italy on January 3rd to visit his brother who has lived and worked there for years. The recent liberalization of visa requirements for Albanian visits to the Eurozone countries has made this possible. I am still hoping the boys will find time to visit me in Korca, maybe for some winter skiing or for Easter. Of course, we had to eat baklava and drink coffee at each house. So far, we agree that Isufi’s wife, Flora, wins the prize for the best homemade baklava.

I was back at work at the Public Health Department on Tuesday morning and helped haul in wood for the small stove which heats the office. Most of the nurses and lab technicians were still on vacation. Preca started up again on January 6th, but only for a half day. My tutorial classes went on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and the aviation interest group started up at the library again on Thursday. Dr. Isufi moved into his new building. The concrete is still drying and the windows, mirrors and walls were covered with condensation. I hope it doesn’t grow mold, which is a problem in some buildings.

Also, on January 6th was the “cross toss” into water to mark the 12th day of Christmas for the Orthodox Church. Hundreds gathered around a fountain in the plaza to the north of the Cathedral steps. A few beggars worked the crowd and there were vendors selling candles and icons. A carpet covered platform had been erected on one side of the pool. At 11 AM, the bells began peeling from the twin towers that frame the entrance of the church and a procession of ornately clad priests and their acolytes emerged from the side of the building. One carried a large basin of holy water which was liberally sprinkled over the people. Once on the platform, as some of the priest sang hymns, the remainder of the water was poured into the water in the fountain. Then the head priest tossed a golden cross into the pool. Almost before it hit the water, young men along the side jumped in and the cold and sodden victor climbed up the side to the priest, who blessed him. He also receives about $40, good luck for the year and gets to keep the cross at home for a few months. After the ceremony, many people filled up water bottles from the pool to sprinkle around their homes to give them good fortune in the New Year. I have heard that in Berat, another city in a valley to the west of Korca, the priest throws the cross into the river. I hope whoever retrieves it gets more than $40.

The low clouds and wood smoke make Korca seem even colder than it is. I am back in my long johns and down sleeping bag and staying close to my space heater. It is winter, after all. I am leaving for a brief visit home at the end of the month. Some friends sent me photos of McCall, which is covered with about three feet of snow in town and about six feet in the mountains. In spite of that, when I look at pictures of home, it engenders warm feelings within.