OMG!!! So I have finally found an internet cafe! It has only taken 4 days! Well I have been Albania for 4 days and it has been interesting! We arrived at Tirana International Airport (which by the way has one landing strip) and I knew I was in Albania when I saw a donkey on the side of the strip. The country is absolutely gorgeous! There are mountains everywhere! It's true that Albania has a little bit of a trash problem but I'm sure I'll learn to overlook it.
So I was in Elbasan for the first 2 1/2 days. Now I am in Cerrik which is about 25 minutes away. I am living in an apartment with a host father and mother. They have a son who is 23 that is studying in Italy (his name is Aldo) and a son who is 21 who studies in Tirana (his name is Besmir). I live in the living room which I have been told is my room. We're on the first floor so luckily I don't have to do stairs everyday. Now the bathroom... They have a turkish toilet. Which if you're not familiar with, google it. YOu'll feel my pain. The shower is not really a shower as much as it is a shower head over the toilet with a tiled floor. It is going to be interesting to do that.
Today I have walked around town with Besmir and he has shown me things to know. This has been interesting since he doesn't speak English. There are 4 other volunteers living in Cerrik. Courtney and Chris ( they are married), Karen and Rebecca. I know, another BECCA!!!! hahaha :) Well I'm about out of time on this thing so I'll wrap up with my new cell number. Dial it exactly as you see it here (0355 69 34 75 492). Calling is extremely expensive for me but I'll be able to send text messages. Oh and I don't have all your addresses so if you want mail send me a message with your address!!!I miss you guys!
Leslie
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Time to Hit the Road
Ok, so after what seems like forever I am leaving tomorrow for STAGING!!!! I can't believe I really am. I've hit a few minor problems (my suitcases didn't fit the specified dimensions, they were over the weight limit......) I think I am ready to go. Tomorrow morning at 4 am I will be waking up, walking out my front door for the last time for awhile and saying good-bye to my parents.
I'm not going to lie, it hasn't really sunk in yet that I really am leaving. Like this is the REAL THING! Saying good-bye to everyone hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be (I thought there would be a lot more tears...) but you guys have helped me to have a blast the past few weeks and I have so many new pictures and memories that it has made it a little bit easier to actually get on that plane and go.
I guess what I want to say is thank you. You guys are the most amazing friends ever and I don't think I would actually have the courage to go if I didn't know that you guys are supporting me all the way. With that said, I expect mail!!!! My address for the first three months is:
Leslie Surrett
Peace Corps Albania
Rruga "Ali Visha" Nr. 15
Tirana, ALBANIA
Good-bye everyone!! I will miss you all! I wish the best for all of you!
All my love,
Leslie :)
I'm not going to lie, it hasn't really sunk in yet that I really am leaving. Like this is the REAL THING! Saying good-bye to everyone hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be (I thought there would be a lot more tears...) but you guys have helped me to have a blast the past few weeks and I have so many new pictures and memories that it has made it a little bit easier to actually get on that plane and go.
I guess what I want to say is thank you. You guys are the most amazing friends ever and I don't think I would actually have the courage to go if I didn't know that you guys are supporting me all the way. With that said, I expect mail!!!! My address for the first three months is:
Leslie Surrett
Peace Corps Albania
Rruga "Ali Visha" Nr. 15
Tirana, ALBANIA
Good-bye everyone!! I will miss you all! I wish the best for all of you!
All my love,
Leslie :)
Monday, March 10, 2008
Good-byes
So this weekend was a blast! Here's a recap......
Friday March 7th we were at Magoo's. My friend Paula bought me a doodle bear which all my friends wrote on for me. Some of the comments got very inappropriate very fast. Anyways, the bartender knew it was my going away party but he decided to tell everyone it was my birthday instead because it would be "more fun". Thanks James. So everyone was buying me shots all night. We played a lot of pool and joked around and took lots of pictures. I didn't get home until about 4 am and I had to baby-sit at 7:30. Surprisingly I was able to get up and I felt fine all day so overall a good night.
Saturday March 8th we went to La Cage. I met up with Scott, Ryan, and Paul at Scott's house so we could pre-game. Apparently my straight guy friends did not want to go to the gay bar sober. Hahaha. Well we did a power hour (which is when you take one shot every minute for an hour) and then headed off to La Cage. It was pretty packed. Lots of dancing followed. I got the guys to take off their shirts and they liked it!! Hahahaha. Seriously I don't know what their big fuss was. I asked them if they had fun and they were all like, "Let's come here again!" What a good time.
Sunday March 9th we went bowling. Katie and Maria made me a very sparkly card which Andrew went ahead and signed his name on later. Thank you Andrew. Toni, Becca and me were the only ones bowling until Jessica showed up. Toni was rocking it and me and Becca were just doing our thing. You know, the not such good bowlers thing :) hahaha. Everyone else who came was just sitting around and talking but it was pretty amazing. Scott, Paul, Toni, Becca and I went on to have dinner at Steak & Shake. Oh I will miss their shakes! We were causing so much trouble I'm sure the waiter was very happy when we left. Oh well, we bought stuff and paid so too bad for you mister! Oh we are such trouble makers!
Anyways, I got a lot to do this week. For instance PACK!!! I'm starting that today. I need to go make some prints of some of the pictures from this weekend. I have a few miscellaneous things to buy. I need to go over the language courses that the Peace Corps sent me so I can know a few words when we get there. I have to finish all the paperwork they sent me to bring to staging. I have to spend some time with my parents but I know I have a lot of things planned for with friends too. This week may get kinda hectic but I can't believe I leave in 6 days for Philly!!! AHHH!!!! I'm so excited! My next post will probably be from Philly so until then, keep on smiling!
Leslie :)
Friday March 7th we were at Magoo's. My friend Paula bought me a doodle bear which all my friends wrote on for me. Some of the comments got very inappropriate very fast. Anyways, the bartender knew it was my going away party but he decided to tell everyone it was my birthday instead because it would be "more fun". Thanks James. So everyone was buying me shots all night. We played a lot of pool and joked around and took lots of pictures. I didn't get home until about 4 am and I had to baby-sit at 7:30. Surprisingly I was able to get up and I felt fine all day so overall a good night.
Saturday March 8th we went to La Cage. I met up with Scott, Ryan, and Paul at Scott's house so we could pre-game. Apparently my straight guy friends did not want to go to the gay bar sober. Hahaha. Well we did a power hour (which is when you take one shot every minute for an hour) and then headed off to La Cage. It was pretty packed. Lots of dancing followed. I got the guys to take off their shirts and they liked it!! Hahahaha. Seriously I don't know what their big fuss was. I asked them if they had fun and they were all like, "Let's come here again!" What a good time.
Sunday March 9th we went bowling. Katie and Maria made me a very sparkly card which Andrew went ahead and signed his name on later. Thank you Andrew. Toni, Becca and me were the only ones bowling until Jessica showed up. Toni was rocking it and me and Becca were just doing our thing. You know, the not such good bowlers thing :) hahaha. Everyone else who came was just sitting around and talking but it was pretty amazing. Scott, Paul, Toni, Becca and I went on to have dinner at Steak & Shake. Oh I will miss their shakes! We were causing so much trouble I'm sure the waiter was very happy when we left. Oh well, we bought stuff and paid so too bad for you mister! Oh we are such trouble makers!
Anyways, I got a lot to do this week. For instance PACK!!! I'm starting that today. I need to go make some prints of some of the pictures from this weekend. I have a few miscellaneous things to buy. I need to go over the language courses that the Peace Corps sent me so I can know a few words when we get there. I have to finish all the paperwork they sent me to bring to staging. I have to spend some time with my parents but I know I have a lot of things planned for with friends too. This week may get kinda hectic but I can't believe I leave in 6 days for Philly!!! AHHH!!!! I'm so excited! My next post will probably be from Philly so until then, keep on smiling!
Leslie :)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Travel Plans!
Hey everyone!
Ok so here are the travel plans as they stand so far......
Departing Milwaukee, WI March 16th 7:00am
Arriving Detroit, MI March 16th 9:14 am
Departing Detroit, MI March 16th 10:14 am
Arriving Philadelphia, PA March 16th at 11:45am
Staging is at the Sheraton University Center March 16th - 18th.
Leaving Philly March 18th at 11:00 am to head to JFK.
Departing JFK at 6:45 pm
Arriving Munich, Germany 8:00 am March 19th
Departing Munich, Germany 10am March 19th
Arriving Tirana, Albania 12:00pm March 19th.
I can't believe staging is in 3 weeks! I still have a week and a half of work to do. Then there's all the packing to do, good-byes to say and last minute details to take care of. I can't believe it's almost here! I'm so ready to get going I just wish work was over. I'm sick of working overnights and I'm tired of the naughty kids I teach swim to. Only a few more days then its time to hit the road!
Leslie :)
Ok so here are the travel plans as they stand so far......
Departing Milwaukee, WI March 16th 7:00am
Arriving Detroit, MI March 16th 9:14 am
Departing Detroit, MI March 16th 10:14 am
Arriving Philadelphia, PA March 16th at 11:45am
Staging is at the Sheraton University Center March 16th - 18th.
Leaving Philly March 18th at 11:00 am to head to JFK.
Departing JFK at 6:45 pm
Arriving Munich, Germany 8:00 am March 19th
Departing Munich, Germany 10am March 19th
Arriving Tirana, Albania 12:00pm March 19th.
I can't believe staging is in 3 weeks! I still have a week and a half of work to do. Then there's all the packing to do, good-byes to say and last minute details to take care of. I can't believe it's almost here! I'm so ready to get going I just wish work was over. I'm sick of working overnights and I'm tired of the naughty kids I teach swim to. Only a few more days then its time to hit the road!
Leslie :)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Lost in the Snow
This winter has been so terrible! Yesterday we got 14 inches of snow. That's on top of the 5 we already had on the ground. And they are saying we're probably getting more today! I shoveled 5 times yesterday. I had to shovel out the coffee shop and the house. My dad has been gone since Sunday on his little Washington D.C. vacation that my mom and I got for him for his birthday. How convienent. My hands hurt and my back hurt like no other.
Before I could come to the coffee shop today to shovel I had to shovel out the end of our driveway which was blocked by ridiculously heavy snow. Then I got to the coffee shop to see that the stupid plows pushed almost all the snow from the road up onto the sidewalk. The side is now completely impassable unless you're ready to be shoulder deep in snow. I have a little path in front and three openings to the road so people can get in without having to walk the half a block that's still covered in snow.
I keep asking people what the weather is like in Albania and they say that its really hot in the summer but gets really cold in the winter. I asked how much snow and they said not really any at all. I am so ready to be there instead of here! I found out from my placement officer that the staging is going to be in Philly. That made my day. I'm so excited that the day I leave here is getting closer. I keep thinking about packing and stuff that I still need to get. One month left of work and then a week after that I leave! Let's hope I don't drown in the snow before that day gets here!
Hope everyone else is staying warm/dry/safe!
Leslie :)
Before I could come to the coffee shop today to shovel I had to shovel out the end of our driveway which was blocked by ridiculously heavy snow. Then I got to the coffee shop to see that the stupid plows pushed almost all the snow from the road up onto the sidewalk. The side is now completely impassable unless you're ready to be shoulder deep in snow. I have a little path in front and three openings to the road so people can get in without having to walk the half a block that's still covered in snow.
I keep asking people what the weather is like in Albania and they say that its really hot in the summer but gets really cold in the winter. I asked how much snow and they said not really any at all. I am so ready to be there instead of here! I found out from my placement officer that the staging is going to be in Philly. That made my day. I'm so excited that the day I leave here is getting closer. I keep thinking about packing and stuff that I still need to get. One month left of work and then a week after that I leave! Let's hope I don't drown in the snow before that day gets here!
Hope everyone else is staying warm/dry/safe!
Leslie :)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Here I come Albania!
I GOT MY INVITE TODAY!!! I will be leaving on March 20th for staging and leaving on the 23rd for Albania!!! I will be doing community development as mentioned before. I'm so excited!!! I freaked out when I saw the FedEx package in front of my front door. I keep reading all the stuff that sent me. I get to fill out a whole bunch of new paperwork, write a whole bunch more stuff and start stressing over what I need and what I don't! I have less than 2 months to prepare myself and I know the time is going to fly!
I'M SO EXCITED!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Well I guess that's really all for now. I'll post more info as I get it!
Leslie :)
I'M SO EXCITED!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Well I guess that's really all for now. I'll post more info as I get it!
Leslie :)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Finally! Medical clearance has come!
Oh. My. God. I finally have medical clearance! It has been a long time since I thought this day would come! All the things I have had to do has been crazy! I'm so happy that I finally have it. I only know because my toolkit was updated. How crazy is that? No more bold HOLD! on my toolkit. Now I just have to wait for an invite.
It has been over 5 months since I went to my interview for the Peace Corps and was told I was going to be nominated for Community Development in Eastern Europe leaving in March of '08. That seemed so far away then and I can't believe it's the middle of January and I still don't know when and where I'm going. This process has just aggravated me and pushed me to the point of asking if this is really what I want to do. Even though I had to go back to the doctor over 5 times to get something that was missed or needed more information, even though I had to go all the way to Chicago to get a medical file for something that happened a long time ago, and even though I had to go the dentist 4 times, I can say.......... yes. This is the one thing that feels right right now in my life. Even though it drives me crazy and I'm anxious as all heck, I know this is what I am supposed to do.
I feel like this first part has been so drown out and long that the next part will be a whirlwind. I expect I will receive an invitation within the next month. However, if I am still leaving in March that means as soon as I get my invite I could be leaving weeks later for staging. It will be crazy but extremely fun! I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as it were. I can't wait to see what's on the other side waiting for me.
For anyone out there who is reading this who is going through the medical part of this whole process, hang in there. I know how challenging it is. Just remember to be as thorough as you can be and don't leave anything out. It's like the Peace Corps says, "Now is a good time to practice skills you will need during your volunteer service, patience and flexibility." So hang in there guys. Hopefully you will be as excited as I am now in a few weeks :)
-Leslie
It has been over 5 months since I went to my interview for the Peace Corps and was told I was going to be nominated for Community Development in Eastern Europe leaving in March of '08. That seemed so far away then and I can't believe it's the middle of January and I still don't know when and where I'm going. This process has just aggravated me and pushed me to the point of asking if this is really what I want to do. Even though I had to go back to the doctor over 5 times to get something that was missed or needed more information, even though I had to go all the way to Chicago to get a medical file for something that happened a long time ago, and even though I had to go the dentist 4 times, I can say.......... yes. This is the one thing that feels right right now in my life. Even though it drives me crazy and I'm anxious as all heck, I know this is what I am supposed to do.
I feel like this first part has been so drown out and long that the next part will be a whirlwind. I expect I will receive an invitation within the next month. However, if I am still leaving in March that means as soon as I get my invite I could be leaving weeks later for staging. It will be crazy but extremely fun! I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as it were. I can't wait to see what's on the other side waiting for me.
For anyone out there who is reading this who is going through the medical part of this whole process, hang in there. I know how challenging it is. Just remember to be as thorough as you can be and don't leave anything out. It's like the Peace Corps says, "Now is a good time to practice skills you will need during your volunteer service, patience and flexibility." So hang in there guys. Hopefully you will be as excited as I am now in a few weeks :)
-Leslie
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