We got out site placements today and as I expected I’m going to Bajram Curri. I’m going to have two male site mates, Garrett and Eric, both seem like they’ll be a blast to work/live near. Bajram Curri is the northern most tip of Albania and is known for its snow, Albanian Alps and bloodfueds (and the movie Taken). Thank goodness the blood feuds have been taken care of but the weather is another issue. I’ve never lived anywhere where I have to deal with more than 2-3 inches of snow at a time. It is actually snowing in B.Curri now.. That’s right, in April.
Anyways, I’m really excited about. It’s going to be especially challenging because there is a thick Northern dialect and we’ve basically been told it will take some time to get used to the differences in the language. Emily, one of my closest friends here (the red head) has been placed in Kukes which I’m really excited about.
Things to look forward to in B.Curri:
- Deep fryer left by the previous volunteer
- Tourism development galore
- Basketball court in the middle of the town
- Borders Kosovo and Valbona Valley
- We're opening up a new site that has been previously off limits to volunteers
- We're opening up a new site that has been previously off limits to volunteers
Although you’ve seen pictures with me and the current mayor of B.Curri he was not nominated to run for re-election, therefore, even though he has been named as my counterpart, this will definitely change before I get there because he will no longer be in office as the mayor.
I’m really excited to see what the future brings with my placement. We got bottles of wine with the current volunteers and hung out in the park in Elbasan today and rode bumper cars and got to ask questions...
