So I am finally leaving later today for BANGKOK to have my wisdom teeth removed!! When Peace Corps told me I thought they were joking about sending me to Bangkok, but I guess they were serious!! I am totally excited to be able to see Asia and finally get rid of these darned wisdom teeth!
Anyways, I am flying Turkish airlines to Istanbull then to Bangkok. I will get there tomorrow about 1 in the afternoon Bangkok time. Right now they have me scheduled to return on the 23rd but that depends on if I get medical clearance. If I don't then I could end up spending Christmas in Bangkok! How exciting would that be!
I hope that everyone is keeping warm and enjoying the holiday season. I will try to post again as soon as I'm back in Albania. Just in case Merry Christmas, Happy Hanakuah, Happy Kwanza and anything else that you may be celebrating!!!
Hugs,
Leslie
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Be Thankful!
I have so many reasons to be thankful this year. I have a house, food, clothes, family, friends, a job and the opportunity to live in another country. It was a little hard to not be with my family and friends this year but I know that they thought of me as I thought of them.
I was very lucky to be paired with a family from the US Embassy for Thanksgiving dinner. I had the best family!! Dave and Cindy Eldrige took Kendra, Bill, Peter and I in along with numerous other Americans, Canadians and some Albanians for the special occasion. There was plenty of delicioius food, great converstaion and heat! I couldn't have been luckier.
My luck continues though as the Eldrige's invited me to stay at their house for the whole weekend. I accepted based on the fact that their house was heated, had a bath tub and Dave is an amazing cook! It turned out to be a great decision and I was sad to leave this past Sunday afternoon.
I am still waiting to hear about my wisdom teeth. I know that they are going to med evac me but its a question of when and where. Hopefully this will all be resolved soon as I am ready to take them out myself with a spoon!!!
Anyways, I want to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving and hope that you all have told those people who you are thankful for, just how much they mean to you. Know that if you are reading this you are one of the people I am thankful for :)
I was very lucky to be paired with a family from the US Embassy for Thanksgiving dinner. I had the best family!! Dave and Cindy Eldrige took Kendra, Bill, Peter and I in along with numerous other Americans, Canadians and some Albanians for the special occasion. There was plenty of delicioius food, great converstaion and heat! I couldn't have been luckier.
My luck continues though as the Eldrige's invited me to stay at their house for the whole weekend. I accepted based on the fact that their house was heated, had a bath tub and Dave is an amazing cook! It turned out to be a great decision and I was sad to leave this past Sunday afternoon.
I am still waiting to hear about my wisdom teeth. I know that they are going to med evac me but its a question of when and where. Hopefully this will all be resolved soon as I am ready to take them out myself with a spoon!!!
Anyways, I want to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving and hope that you all have told those people who you are thankful for, just how much they mean to you. Know that if you are reading this you are one of the people I am thankful for :)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Is It Really November??
So my calender says its November 6th but that can't be right. The weather is still in the 60's and there are flowers in bloom. But then again, my birthday was 4 days ago and there is a new president-elect in America so it must be November.
October was a nice month. The weather stayed warm which was a great treat. I spent some time in Tirana, Durres, Shkoder and Elbasan which was awesome. I didn't get to go to Italy because I decided it was more important for me to stay in Lezhe and plus I wanted to save my money for future trips but that turned out alright. I also didn't go to Macedonia with the Women's Club but that's only because the trip dates got pushed back to November 14th-16th. I got to go to the Elbasan Halloween Party instead though on the 31st which was a blast! People got very creative with their costumes and it was great to see everyone. I was the Energizer Bunny. You know why?? 'cause I keep going and going and going..... hahahaha
My birthday was low key but very nice. The Lezhe gang, Leslie L, and myself had dinner at Besa. Following pizza and beer we had a homemade chocolate cake curtesy of Winifred and red wine, curtesy of Bledar. Yeah that's right we're classy! The best part was instead of candles I blew out a match. It was a really nice night and I have never had such a warm birthday!
The only thing people are talking about now is our new president-elect, Mr. Barak Obama. I am thrilled that he won and look forward to what he does during his term. I am a little sad that I was not in Chicago to join in on the celebrating though. Maybe for the 2012 election....
Anyways, that's about all for now. Hopefully, this month doesn't fly by like October and I will be able to post again soon.
As always, air hugs for you all!
Leslie
October was a nice month. The weather stayed warm which was a great treat. I spent some time in Tirana, Durres, Shkoder and Elbasan which was awesome. I didn't get to go to Italy because I decided it was more important for me to stay in Lezhe and plus I wanted to save my money for future trips but that turned out alright. I also didn't go to Macedonia with the Women's Club but that's only because the trip dates got pushed back to November 14th-16th. I got to go to the Elbasan Halloween Party instead though on the 31st which was a blast! People got very creative with their costumes and it was great to see everyone. I was the Energizer Bunny. You know why?? 'cause I keep going and going and going..... hahahaha
My birthday was low key but very nice. The Lezhe gang, Leslie L, and myself had dinner at Besa. Following pizza and beer we had a homemade chocolate cake curtesy of Winifred and red wine, curtesy of Bledar. Yeah that's right we're classy! The best part was instead of candles I blew out a match. It was a really nice night and I have never had such a warm birthday!
The only thing people are talking about now is our new president-elect, Mr. Barak Obama. I am thrilled that he won and look forward to what he does during his term. I am a little sad that I was not in Chicago to join in on the celebrating though. Maybe for the 2012 election....
Anyways, that's about all for now. Hopefully, this month doesn't fly by like October and I will be able to post again soon.
As always, air hugs for you all!
Leslie
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I have been a' traveling!
My passport now has 8 stamps. This is from me coming to Albania initially, going home to the US, coming back and then going to Montenegro. My trip home was amazing but I wish I had had more time. I barely had any time to just sit down and relax. It was like I needed a vacation from my vacation. Don’t get me wrong I had a blast getting to see everyone and eating American food! Ok, not to bore everyone but the hi-lites…
-My brother got married on September 20th. It was a very nice ceremony but the unity candle did not light. Bad omen – I think so J I got to meet my two new little cousins, Carlie and Faith. They are adorable! Justin was my date and he was a great sport since the reception died pretty early and we hung out till midnight.
-I got to hang out with almost everyone I wanted to on Friday. We had drinks and went dancing. So much fun!!
-Sunday was Becca day. We had lunch at Noodles and had a photo shoot.
-Monday I spent at Tosa East giving presentations about life in Albania. Not exactly my idea of fun but I got to count the day as business leave so it was worth it. On Monday I also went to the YMCA to say hi and as I was talking with my former boss she says “You know I never took you off payroll.” Then I say “Wouldn’t it be funny if I taught?” and she replies “I have a suit you could wear.” Needless to say I ended up teaching for 2 hours so now I can look forward to a $10 paycheck! Hahaha
-Tuesday was a family day. My mom and I had breakfast and went to see Mama Mia! The sing-a-long edition. It was amazing! We had dinner with my dad at Cheesecake Factory and then my dad and I went to see Wanted, which I remember watching being filmed in Chicago. It was pretty awesome too.
Wednesday I had a tearful good-bye with my mother at O’Hare as I headed through security to head back to Albania. The flight wasn’t too bad. There were good movies playing so the time went pretty fast. Ardi was supposed to pick me up in Tirane but he had work and couldn’t so I ended up taking buses back to Lezhe. Because he didn’t pick me up it also meant I didn’t get to Montenegro for the Madonna concert. It was super sad L However, he made up for it by taking me on Saturday night and then we spent Sunday walking around seeing the sights of Budva. It was gorgeous!
Other than these last two trips I can’t think of anything too important to catch you all up on. It looks like I might be going to Italy for the weekend of the 18th of October just for fun with Kendra, and I might be going to Macedonia for the weekend the weekend of the 31st with the Lezhe Women’s Club. We’ll see how things go I guess :)
Air hugs for you all!
Leslie
-My brother got married on September 20th. It was a very nice ceremony but the unity candle did not light. Bad omen – I think so J I got to meet my two new little cousins, Carlie and Faith. They are adorable! Justin was my date and he was a great sport since the reception died pretty early and we hung out till midnight.
-I got to hang out with almost everyone I wanted to on Friday. We had drinks and went dancing. So much fun!!
-Sunday was Becca day. We had lunch at Noodles and had a photo shoot.
-Monday I spent at Tosa East giving presentations about life in Albania. Not exactly my idea of fun but I got to count the day as business leave so it was worth it. On Monday I also went to the YMCA to say hi and as I was talking with my former boss she says “You know I never took you off payroll.” Then I say “Wouldn’t it be funny if I taught?” and she replies “I have a suit you could wear.” Needless to say I ended up teaching for 2 hours so now I can look forward to a $10 paycheck! Hahaha
-Tuesday was a family day. My mom and I had breakfast and went to see Mama Mia! The sing-a-long edition. It was amazing! We had dinner with my dad at Cheesecake Factory and then my dad and I went to see Wanted, which I remember watching being filmed in Chicago. It was pretty awesome too.
Wednesday I had a tearful good-bye with my mother at O’Hare as I headed through security to head back to Albania. The flight wasn’t too bad. There were good movies playing so the time went pretty fast. Ardi was supposed to pick me up in Tirane but he had work and couldn’t so I ended up taking buses back to Lezhe. Because he didn’t pick me up it also meant I didn’t get to Montenegro for the Madonna concert. It was super sad L However, he made up for it by taking me on Saturday night and then we spent Sunday walking around seeing the sights of Budva. It was gorgeous!
Other than these last two trips I can’t think of anything too important to catch you all up on. It looks like I might be going to Italy for the weekend of the 18th of October just for fun with Kendra, and I might be going to Macedonia for the weekend the weekend of the 31st with the Lezhe Women’s Club. We’ll see how things go I guess :)
Air hugs for you all!
Leslie
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Full Speed Ahead!
Looking at my calender for September I can't believe how busy I am going to be!! First off, they are having a big grand opening for the new Red Cross Center here in Lezhe. We're keeping busy making the place clean, organized, and Red Cross worthy. Next, I'm going to be helping with a kindergarten for Roma children. I have a meeting with parents this week, and classes start next week. Then I have couch surfers coming in and out staying with me throughout the month. I love having couch surfers because it gets me out of the house and its always so interesting talking to them! My first trimester report is due so I'm busily working on finishing that to turn in. Then I have a training in Tirane for 3 days next week. After that I am going home for a week for my brothers wedding!! I am super excited to get to see my family and friends and eat all sorts of different foods! I of course will be super busy with wedding stuff on Friday and Saturday but am hanging out with friends Friday night and doing a presentation at my old high school for the foreign language classes. That means I also have to prepare a presentation before I leave. The day I come back I'm going to Montenegro for the Madonna Concert. Then its back to translations, web design and coffees. But by then September will be over!
Another big thing happening this month is that on Saturday 8 volunteers who were evacuated from Georgia will be arriving in Albania. They will get a crash course in Albanian and culture. I will be greeting them when they arrive at Rinas Airport and helping out a lot since they are going to do the training in Tirane and I am only an hour away. It's going to be super exciting having new volunteers here!
So as you can see September is going to be a busy month for me but that makes me happy. I'm ready to keep going and am excited for all my small projects! With that said, "Full Speed Ahead!"
Another big thing happening this month is that on Saturday 8 volunteers who were evacuated from Georgia will be arriving in Albania. They will get a crash course in Albanian and culture. I will be greeting them when they arrive at Rinas Airport and helping out a lot since they are going to do the training in Tirane and I am only an hour away. It's going to be super exciting having new volunteers here!
So as you can see September is going to be a busy month for me but that makes me happy. I'm ready to keep going and am excited for all my small projects! With that said, "Full Speed Ahead!"
Monday, August 25, 2008
Time Flies!!
I can't believe it has been over a month since I've been able to post a new entry. I have actually found a lot of little projects that have been keeping me busy and I've been traveling. Most of my work is with an Albanian who owns his own trasport service. He does transfers from the airport at Rinas to cities all over Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo and Greece. I'm learning how to do web design in order to help him upload new information and update old information. It is a big project but learning web design is keeping me busy! I also am doing a lot of translations for area guide books for Lezha because most of the translations are very VERY bad. Just one more thing to do when there is no power.
Traveling is an adventure here and I love every minute of it. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but there are no published schedules for buses or the more popular furgons (minivan) and there aren't really stations so to say. In order to travel with a bus or furgon you have to know where and when to catch it and its better to know how much otherwise the driver may try to charge you more. I've been to Tirana a lot, Durres, Cerrik, Shkoder, Puke, Rubik, Elbasan, and Milot. Just this last weekend I was in Puke for a camping trip with some other volunteers and I had a blast! There were about 20 of us who all hiked up one of the mountains and set up camp for a night. Oh it was so cool and wonderful there compared to the hot weather here in Lezhe!!
I was sick (again) and spent a week in Tirana at the Peace Corps office which sucked. I don't think Albania likes my body. We never figured out what it was that made me sick but I barely moved the 5 days I was there and didn't eat anything until the last day. It sucked because I missed Ola's wedding (she was one of my language teachers) and I missed beer fest in Korca. Yeah, I was not happy. But on a positive note, I have lost 20 pounds since I've been in Albania.
Another thing that is keeping me busy is being a couch surfer. I have a ton of people coming to Lezhe within the next few weeks just for a night or two on there way through Albania. I've had a few already and they were so much fun! I love meeting new people and talking about the differenes between life here and there and everything! Anyways, I'm excited to be able to leave the country soon and be a couch surfer myself instead of just a host!
I'm going back to the US in 4 weeks for my brothers wedding already! I can't believe how time flies! I think that's about it for now but I will hopefully post another blog sooner than later. Until then, I wish you all well and I miss you guys!!
Hugs,
Leslie :)
Traveling is an adventure here and I love every minute of it. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but there are no published schedules for buses or the more popular furgons (minivan) and there aren't really stations so to say. In order to travel with a bus or furgon you have to know where and when to catch it and its better to know how much otherwise the driver may try to charge you more. I've been to Tirana a lot, Durres, Cerrik, Shkoder, Puke, Rubik, Elbasan, and Milot. Just this last weekend I was in Puke for a camping trip with some other volunteers and I had a blast! There were about 20 of us who all hiked up one of the mountains and set up camp for a night. Oh it was so cool and wonderful there compared to the hot weather here in Lezhe!!
I was sick (again) and spent a week in Tirana at the Peace Corps office which sucked. I don't think Albania likes my body. We never figured out what it was that made me sick but I barely moved the 5 days I was there and didn't eat anything until the last day. It sucked because I missed Ola's wedding (she was one of my language teachers) and I missed beer fest in Korca. Yeah, I was not happy. But on a positive note, I have lost 20 pounds since I've been in Albania.
Another thing that is keeping me busy is being a couch surfer. I have a ton of people coming to Lezhe within the next few weeks just for a night or two on there way through Albania. I've had a few already and they were so much fun! I love meeting new people and talking about the differenes between life here and there and everything! Anyways, I'm excited to be able to leave the country soon and be a couch surfer myself instead of just a host!
I'm going back to the US in 4 weeks for my brothers wedding already! I can't believe how time flies! I think that's about it for now but I will hopefully post another blog sooner than later. Until then, I wish you all well and I miss you guys!!
Hugs,
Leslie :)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I will go where the wind blows me...
Well it has been another few weeks since my last post but I have been a busy girl! On the 4th we had the first meeting of the Lezhe Womens Club. There were probably about 40 women who showed up! It was definitly amazing to see so many women show up. The meeting was held at the Cafe Drini, which is owned by a women and she offered to let all the attendees have free drinks after the meeting. I had to dash out a little early because I had a meeting with my parents on Skype. It was so nice to see them and my aunt, uncle and two cousins. I miss those little rascals! Anyway, later that night we had a party at Winifred's and we ate, drank and had a great time (even without fireworks).
On the 5th we headed off to Tirana for the party at the Embassy. The food was ok but it was nice to see everyone again. It was so weird to walk into the housing complex for the ambassador and other Americans. It was like walking into suburbia in the middle of Albania. I did get to meet a lot of interesting people from the embassy and other Americans who call Albania home for the moment. When we were hearded out of the embassy compound we headed for "the block". There was more drinking, dancing and just an overally good time. I was lucky enough to go back to Tirana for 3 days for a USAID training and was put up in the Hotel Diplomat. I was in heaven! My room had air conditioning, I had a full size bed, a tv and a shower that felt like a waterfall. Oh I was sad to leave.
This last weekend was also busy. On Friday, Rob (a volunteer from Shkoder) came down to Lezhe and we went to Shengjin with five others from my bashkia and we went to a grand opening of a new hotel. There was a live band, a buffett and the guys bought all my drinks so I didn't pay a cent! The next day, I met women from the Lezhe womens club and we had coffee followed by an excursion to Vain, one of Lezhe's lagoons. The restaurant we went to was right on the water and the food was great. I really am enjoying getting to know the women. When we got back, Bethany, Rob and I headed to the beach for the rest of the day. Then on Sunday, I met people from the bashkia again and we headed off to Shkoder on a mini van we rented for the day. We got to our destination and we played volleyball, hiked around a little, took a lot of pictures and just enjoyed time together. I love the people I work with and I'm really happy that they are not too much older than me because I love seeing them outside of work. Anyway, we spent the entire day out in this village and when we got back it felt good to relax!
This whole work I am at work and actually beginning to get small projects. I am helping the manager of a hotel in Shengjin with promotional materials, I'm helping the manager of a transportation service with his website, I'm going to be working on writing two different grants, one with USAID and one with the bashkia here in Lezhe. I'm beginning to find my place here and I couldn't be happier :)
Keep your eyes open for more posts later!
Hugs!!
Leslie :)
On the 5th we headed off to Tirana for the party at the Embassy. The food was ok but it was nice to see everyone again. It was so weird to walk into the housing complex for the ambassador and other Americans. It was like walking into suburbia in the middle of Albania. I did get to meet a lot of interesting people from the embassy and other Americans who call Albania home for the moment. When we were hearded out of the embassy compound we headed for "the block". There was more drinking, dancing and just an overally good time. I was lucky enough to go back to Tirana for 3 days for a USAID training and was put up in the Hotel Diplomat. I was in heaven! My room had air conditioning, I had a full size bed, a tv and a shower that felt like a waterfall. Oh I was sad to leave.
This last weekend was also busy. On Friday, Rob (a volunteer from Shkoder) came down to Lezhe and we went to Shengjin with five others from my bashkia and we went to a grand opening of a new hotel. There was a live band, a buffett and the guys bought all my drinks so I didn't pay a cent! The next day, I met women from the Lezhe womens club and we had coffee followed by an excursion to Vain, one of Lezhe's lagoons. The restaurant we went to was right on the water and the food was great. I really am enjoying getting to know the women. When we got back, Bethany, Rob and I headed to the beach for the rest of the day. Then on Sunday, I met people from the bashkia again and we headed off to Shkoder on a mini van we rented for the day. We got to our destination and we played volleyball, hiked around a little, took a lot of pictures and just enjoyed time together. I love the people I work with and I'm really happy that they are not too much older than me because I love seeing them outside of work. Anyway, we spent the entire day out in this village and when we got back it felt good to relax!
This whole work I am at work and actually beginning to get small projects. I am helping the manager of a hotel in Shengjin with promotional materials, I'm helping the manager of a transportation service with his website, I'm going to be working on writing two different grants, one with USAID and one with the bashkia here in Lezhe. I'm beginning to find my place here and I couldn't be happier :)
Keep your eyes open for more posts later!
Hugs!!
Leslie :)
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