wrap up

LAC CLASS OF 2014!

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Hard to believe it, but I leave Albania on Saturday. I think it may be too soon to reflect deeply on my time here but I wanted to write some sort of conclusion while it is still fresh. I have for a long time enjoyed the analogy of life being a journey or a road to be traveled. Staying with that analogy, this year of my journey has been traveled on foot. Different than by other modes of transportation, walking takes some time and effort and you experience your surroundings with all your senses. Also, if you meet others on the path you have personal interactions with them and share similar experiences regardless of what has come before or after that encounter. 

Standing on the edge of the end of this year I have the very contradictory feeling of "that went fast" and "this year felt like a decade!" Again like a journey by foot, you feel the effort but do not cover the distance you would by a car or bike. This year is only one year of my life but it has been very full. That, I am sure, is some of the processing I will do upon arriving home. I hope to understand better the impact this experience has had on me once I am back in the States. When listening to several of the 12th graders speak at graduation it seemed as though it was just last month that I was standing up in front of them in the classroom daring them to find a way to positively "Impact the World" as others before. Now they are graduated and many are continuing their education in the fall here in Albania or abroad. (A few are waiting on visas to Canada or the USA, prayers are needed). Regardless of where they go from here we shared this part of the road together. LAC has provided these students with a "Road less Traveled," one of ethical education and personal integrity. I pray they will continue in that direction and change their world.

21 graduates!

These past few weeks since graduation I have continued to work but I have been filling the afternoons and evenings with spending time with my friends here. There are the VMM missionaries that live in the building with me but also the Albanians that I have come to know. I will always feel a closeness to these folks as we spent this year working and serving together in sometimes challenging situations.

What is next? I don't have that answer yet. The immediate is all I know. On Saturday I fly to Italy for vacation with friends from home. The end of July I will arrive back in Telford, PA, but past that is still a mystery. I have faith something will come up, perhaps you may have a idea of something that I would enjoy doing? I want to thank you for partnering on this leg of my journey with me. I have felt very supported by all the prayers and encouraging words you have sent my way this past year. On some days that is what gave me the energy to keep going. Some of you reading this I will not be seeing in the near future or are headed off on a different road for now. Remember that the world continues to get smaller and you never know when we may find ourselves together again. In the meantime I treasure the time we shared and prefer "see you laters" to "good-byes."

Enjoying a student speech from my privileged front row seat.

Live life to the Fullest!
 

A bunker which is still a common sight in Albania.
However, this group of VMM missionaries is anything but common.
I am thankful for the time we have shared the "road less traveled" together. I hope it makes all the difference!

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.

Goings on...

Life at Lezha Academic Center has been rolling right along! This past month we had an addition of new volunteer teachers to help diversify our curriculum and give much needed support in our daily schedules. We also welcomed into our school and church community a volunteer group of 6 ladies from the mission organization "World Race." We were one of their stops in a year long tour of 11 countries. They stayed a little over 3 weeks and helped with church activities and English tutoring after school. We benefited from their youthful energy and enthusiastic service.

The current "Missionary Staff" at LAC and Sandra who left last month

In many ways my life has fallen into a normal routine. I go to work at 7:30 and leave around 5:00, most days I then go to the gym and workout, many times stopping on the way home to buy water for the next few days. Then I set about making dinner and find ways to unwind in the evenings. Even the unexpected power outages, changes of work expectations, and supply shortages have become routine (though still frustrating). Almost daily I struggle with understanding how I can be used by God here in Albania. I know He called me, but I don't know that I can see the fruits of my obedience yet. Today I was given the opportunity to give my Testimony in assembly. This was something I was really excited to be able to share with the students. In addition it was a good time for me to reflect on how much God has guided and impacted my life journey. I am reminded that often in the midst of life's experiences I have no idea how God is working and the impact it will have on me or those around me. I need to just trust that He is in control and He cares for me. This was true in Pennsylvania and equally true in Lezhë, Albania.


   I was glad to have Klementina translate for me.

The kids seemed attentive and I am just praying that there was something in my story that could help them in their understanding of God. 



Fried dough I bought on the street in Tirana. It is an Italian treat and since then
Valentina has also made it for me and her's were even better! 

Mid-term!

Today marks the half-way point for the LAC 2013-2014 school year! Amazing!



students taking finals

It is a time of transitions and new beginnings not just for the students but for the staff as well. We are saying "Good-bye" to our English Literature teacher Sandra Cardinal who was serving a 6 month term with VMM. She is someone that I met during my training in Harrisonburg back in July so it is sad to see her go since we have been traveling this journey together. New arrivals for short-term service are Elise and Richard Bowman, Lois King, and Betsy and Philip Moyer. Lois and Betsy will be teaching English, Philip will be teaching Biology, and Richard, Physics.

The most popular question of the week has been "How am I related to Phil and Betsy Moyer?" As far as I know we are only related though Christ. "Moyer" is a really common name in Eastern Pennsylvania.  However, they are from my home church, Salford and we have known each other for many years so it is wonderful for me to have them here.

LAC operates with block scheduling with 90 minute blocks and this marks the end of the first semester and we start all new classes Monday. The best news for me is that I won't be teaching this quarter. I celebrated at lunch by opening a bag of Kettle Chips that I bought in London. I had been saving them for just such an occasion. The next few weeks I will be busy with compiling grade reports and updating transcripts. We do not have fancy software like we have in the States that generate these types of reports so I do it all manually.

Tonight we will all celebrate this major milestone with PIZZA. Which honestly is not all that different from every other Friday night. Pizza is something that the Albanians do very well. Now if only they understood Hawaiian Pizza.




"Every day is a new beginning, take a deep breath and start again!"

Out for pizza with Sandra!

Ramdom discoveries

Not sure if this is worthy of a post but while I was home many people seemed very interested in what the weather is like in Albania. Today it was sunny and about 58%. However, tomorrow it is supposed to rain. We don't get snow apparently since we are near the sea. It sure can get windy though and that causes frequent power outages.




The other common question I get is what do you miss about America. That is an easy question since I miss my friends and family the most. However, also interesting is that there are a number of things I haven't been able to find in Albania or at least in my small city of Lezhe. I miss many of these things too.

In Shkodra this past weekend at Café Flo.

Here is the list in no particular order.

1. Filling cabinets

2. Brown sugar (got it from Kosovo)

3. Tortilla chips

4. Diet Coke (Coke Zero is not the same thing)

5. Note cards - no need since no one uses the postal system

6. Ben & Jerry's

7. Pretzels

8. Sticky tack

9. Movie Theaters (maybe in Tirana?)

10. Brownies

11. Magazines - don't miss them until you can't get them

12. Milkshakes

 





Beautiful Saturday last week in Shkodra!
Not sure what these lights are supposed to be but
aren't they artistic?

I thought it would be funny to steal her bread.

She didn't agree...

Shkodra is a larger city to the north and has

a lot of culture and history. It is fun to visit since it has many more restaurants and things to do. It is about 45minutes and $2 to take a van.  

... what else would you like to know?