Week 1

I arrive in Tirana, Albania and get off the plane to find that one of my bags didn’t make it along with 33 others. We were told this was normal and our bags arrived the next day. I then take 2 ½ hour bus ride to Elbasan and I get to stay in a hotel for 3 days. I think that staying in the hotel made the transition easier because we got a feel for Albania without really roughing it. Language, culture, and health lessons started right away. I find that in Elbasan social restrictions are not as strict but still upheld.
I then find out that I will not be staying in Elbasan but going to a neighboring town with 3 other volunteers. I end up in a beautiful mountainous town called Librazhd. It is about 45 minutes into the mountains away from Elbasan. In Librazhd I met my host family. My host mom is a doctor that works 1-2 days a week in another town and my host father is a geological engineer who doesn’t work much in the winter because of the snow. My older host sister is 18 and speaks very good English. She has been a big help. Next is my host brother who is 15 and goes to school in Tirana so I only see him on the weekends. The youngest is another sister and is 8 and loves cartoons. The only English she knows is “Oh my God” and uses it frequently. She starts Engligh class next year. My host family has hosted 2 other volunteers before me so the first things I was asked were “Do you run?” and “Are you a vegetarian?” Albanians don’t run and eat a lot of meat.
The second morning in Librazhd I woke up to find it snowing. Because I am in the mountains my group was the only one get snow and in the coldest site. I am rarely warm since there aren’t regular heaters. I travel to Elbasan twice a week for community classes and I get to see the rest of our group. I look forward to these days.