We left the most touristic place of Albania, the beach of Durres, 70-degree weather and sun shining, to go to the tiptop of the Tropoja region of the Albanian Alps. From Durres we went back to Tirana to catch a furgon that we traveled through most of Albania, parts of Kosovo, then finally arriving in the BC around 7:30 that night.
Garrett’s (or Gerti’s, his Albanian name) counterpart is actually my neighbor in my apartment building, which made the transition a little easier when we got off the furgon. I will live on the 4th floor of a complex that is directly across the street from where I’ll be working and right in the center of town. Just like Peace College and getting to classes, I’m still getting a little pampered when it comes to getting to work. One of my site-mates will be living on the 1st floor of the same complex, which is comforting and just downright awesome.
Apartamenti im eshte shume i madh or my apartment is very big. When you walk in on your left is a sitting room with couches and a coffee table, surrounded by ivy and Albanian pictures of kittens. To the right is my bedroom with two twin-sized beds (I’m convinced I’m sleeping on an Albanian cloud it’s so comfortable). The living room is bigger than my living room at home, with a couch that could fit about 10 or 15 people on it so I better make some friends fast.
The pictures don’t do it justice because it’s my digi cam but I’ll take better ones when I go back in a few weeks.
From living in Bajram Curri for 3 days the people were very friendly and actually talked a little slower than they do in the south, which was helpful for me to understand them easier. The three of us weren’t stared at as much as we are in our sites now but I think that’s from BC getting tourist (mostly German or Italian), so they just assume we’re tourist for now I’m guessing.
It’s already a little chilly up in the Alps but hopefully it won’t get too much colder before the summer. My site-mates are planning to start growing out their beards September 1st in order to become “maltores” or “mountain men.” I’m a little jealous I can’t participate. Don’t be afraid. Two more weeks in my host family’s home and then to the BC. I’m going to miss my host family but I’m ready to start working and gain a little more independence.
I will be the first female Peace Corps Volunteer (possibly female American) that has lived in the Tropoja region of Albania…ever. This is the first year that this region of Albania has been open to the Peace Corps and we’ll be opening the site that is a pretty big deal. BC is a traditionally conservative town (most are in the North) and is the home of Sali Berisha (the prime minister of Albania) so it is a Democratic town (in Albania, Democratic means our ideas of “Republican” or “Conservative” and the Socialist party is like American’s “Democratic” party).
