Winding Up!

Those of you that work in schools understand me when I say that the year isn't "winding-down" it is "winding-up!" We have only 3 weeks of regular classes left, finals are on the 12th & 13th.

Then we have a special English program in the mornings lead by LCC International staff. LAC teachers will be assisting in the classroom as 40 students have intensive English study and some fun too. We are looking forward to the half-day schedule and not having to prepare lessons. I will be finishing end of the year reports and tying up loose ends with student records. At the end of June our responsibilities are done for the year. I have plans to go to Italy and Greece to travel with some friends before returning to PA.

I would appreciate prayers as I do not know what God has planned for me next. I will be looking for work once I arrive home but have no idea what that will be. I do know I will be back in Telford and I am excited to catch-up with family, friends, and church community.

Traveling to Southern Albania and Greece
 - with Phil, Betsy, Merlin & Lisa

This year has taught me a lot and likely I will be reflecting on my time here and its impact on my life for years to come. One lesson that sticks out to me right now is the example given by the volunteers of retirement age I have met here. Over the course the of the school year there have been 7 individuals that have come to LAC for various amounts of time to help serve. As retired professionals they all found the time and resources to share their skills and gifts with us. I was so encouraged by their presences and willingness to jump in and do whatever they could to help. I am also inspired by their examples of servanthood and continual call to ministry. They have taught me that courage, energy, and adventure are not just traits of youth but rather character traits of spirit. I enjoyed getting to know each of them and glean from their knowledge, heart of service, and wisdom. Also, they were an answer of prayer because we would not have been able to carry on without them. They each filled an important need at the school and we were blessed to have their help. Just last Thursday the Bowmans returned to Virginia. Richard taught Physics for a semester and Elsie was the librarian. However, that being said they did so much more that I cannot outline in a short blog. The week before that we said "good-bye" to Phil and Betsy. Phil, a retired Cardiologist taught Biology and Betsy team-taught English. They are from my home congregation of Salford so it was great to have friends from home here and share this experience with them. They also spearheaded some travel weekends and I got to see more of Albania thanks to them.

So I would like to say a big THANK YOU! to my new friends for volunteering at LAC! Sandra Cardinal, Lois King, Phil & Betsy Moyer, Merlin Miller, and Richard & Elsie Bowman. You have both enriched my life and have served God faithfully setting an example for the students and staff. Blessings to you in whatever God calls you to do next!

Back row - Merlin, Dini, Klementina, Betsy, Phil, Lois, and Jordan
Front row - Richard, Valentina, Elsie, me, Justin, and Lisa

it's not all work...

Well “Spring has Sprung!” and we are so ready! It wasn’t until April that we turned our clocks ahead and began to enjoy longer days. Now it is light until 8:00! Just like predicted April was full of rain and of course power outages as a result. I even felt a few earthquakes, which was a new and unnerving experience for this “East Coast” girl. Now everything is in bloom and the grass needs to be mowed again. Our neighbors are planting their gardens. I am starting to take more walks up to the castle again but miss my typical outdoor hobbies.  If I were home I would be finding time to get the kayak out on the lake.

At LAC the seniors are suffering from “senioritis” which as you may have expected is not unique to just American students. Graduation is June 13^th and they have many National Exams that they need take for Albania in addition to finishing their current classes. They have had to endure many lectures from their teachers to “stay focused” and “finish strong.” Several are hoping to find themselves in college in North America next year and more are planning to be in Lithuania at LCC International which is an excellent opportunity for our students as it is a North America style education at a price that can be afforded. The seniors are also looking forward to Prom which will be the last Sat. of May. 

"appropriate attire" for visiting the Meteora Monasteries 

So let me tell you what I have been doing for fun! I have had a few adventures this past month. I got to go paragliding with my friend Stela from Tirana. Though not quit the same rush as skydiving, I gotta say running off a mountain is still pretty fun! The location was Vlore a coastal town in the south so the view of the Sea and the mountains from the air was beautiful. We also went to a traditional Albanian restaurant for lunch afterwards which was great! The first weekend in May I also took a quick trip down to Southern Albania for two nights and spent one night in Greece. 

This is the Monastery used in the Bond movie.
I did not have time to visit this one.

While in Greece I went to Meteora which is a very unique place where monasteries are built on the edge of cliffs like bird's nests. There are six that are open for visits. If you ever watched the old James Bond movie "For your eyes only" than you know the spot. We took a tour of one which was a cool experience and they had wrap-around skirts they had us ladies borrow to cover our "slacks". 


  

View of distant Monastery from the one I got to tour. 

Also, a really cool spot in Southern Albania that I enjoyed visiting is the archaeological city of Butrint. Some of the ruins date back to the Roman empire and it was a functioning city during the Venetian and Ottoman time periods as well. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Park. I have encountered this "recycling of ancient fortresses" over an over again. In Gjirokastra we visited another castle that was used as a prison as recently as the Nazi invasion in 1943. That particular city was very old and the architecture in the old city very unique.


This past weekend I went to Tirana and finally visited the National Museum of History which helped me understand the importance of some of the cities I had visited and some of the events that happened there. I also, went to see a movie in a very nice, modern theater. Spiderman in English and 3D so a very "American" experience!

"Lion's Gate" entrance to the walled city of Butrint

Gjirokastra streets

National History Museum

Amphitheater in Butrint - cooler than that movie theater in Tirana. So close to sea level the first few rows are flooded. 

Woman walking with her bags in Permet.

A true story...

A little girl named Faith wanted to give a gift for her 9^th birthday instead of getting gifts. So she asked her friends to bring markers for a school in Albania instead of bringing her presents to the party. Today we received that gift! 5 padded envelopes full of 74 dry erase markers, 11 erasers, and a bottle of cleaner from a bunch of little girls in America.

What a beautiful inspiration to us all.