Modern conveniences are a thing of the past, well my past.. at least for now. I've made it thus far with no centralized heat, AC, running water 24/7, microwaves, clothes dryers, dish washers, I don't know if a Western toilet would count as a modern convenience but I'm going to count it anyways, credit cards, debit cards.. At first it was somewhat of a hassle, but now it's normal and somewhat refreshing to know that I can go without.
There are also things that I have come to appreciate that come along with not having these modern day conveniences. Example #1: I went to my bread lady the other day and only want two rolls; people think I don't buy or eat enough food because I'm only buying for one and they're used to people buying for entire families. All I had was a 1000L bill which is the equivalent to a $10 bill. She couldn't break it and told me just to take the bread and come back tomorrow or next week to pay her. That would never happen in the States, I would have been told tough luck, put the bread back. Example #2: Hanging my clothes out to dry. Luckily, I hang my clothes on a third story balcony so the entire neighborhood doesn't have open access to my underwear, but a lot of people don't have that luxury. I do sometimes miss the smell of fresh clothes straight from the dryer, it would really help during these winter months as well. Example #3: I went to go buy some dish washing soap and once again only had a 1000L bill, the bank just loves giving those out, but my total came to something weird like 380L.. This time the owner was short about 20L and instead of shorting me, which I tried to explain was no big deal, came back with three different candies for me to chose from that equaled 20L. So instead of getting my change back I got 2 pieces of orbit gum.Okay, the turk situation.. I've gotten used to and some people tell me they end up preferring a turk but I don't think that will ever be me. It is nice though, when you have to go to a public bathroom (and I don't care what country you're in, you never know what you're getting yourself into) and you don't have to line the seat or hover.. you just squat. But don't forget you are responsible for your own toilet paper and the owners can't be held responsible. Oh, and remember not to flush the toilet paper, there will be a trash can strategically placed near the turk and or western toilet. Okay, not having a microwave is sometimes a big pain. It just takes so much longer to prepare anything which I guess in the end is good because I'm learning to cook a lot better but it's hard to get a quick meal around here which is also a good thing because all I have is time. I had coffee with Endrit's wife last week and she lives in America and she said that was one of the main differences she noticed from living in Albania to moving to America less than a year ago, the ability of pre-made, processed, already cooked food.
For the winter months I am equipped with a wood stove and an electrical heater. I hear that running the electrical heater will jack my power bill up really high so I'm going to try and forge through the winter with the wood stove so I've been googling how to kindle fires. It's amazing what you can do without and how much my day to day life has changed since living on my own in Albania. I haven't driven a car in almost a year and I'm rarely in a personal car, usually just public transportation (minibuses, ferries, furgons).. Oh and just incase you're wondering, there is now only one way out of Bajram Curri because the ferry doesn't run during the winter but one day a week.. and I have no idea what day that is..
