Road Trip~~~

I have been in the planning stages of a road trip to Vajta, Hungary to attend the Leadership Missions Conference at CC Bible College at the end of June.  I have made the trip before by flying to Budapest, staying the night and then taking several trains to Vajta...of course it was an adventure transferring to the different trains. The conductor always provided another passenger for me to follow to get off and get on the next train.

This year...I am driving. The flights and train fares are nearly $400, I can drive 800km in my car for about $60.  From Tirana to Vajta it is about 950km (625miles) each way.  I had to purchase international insurance which was about $25 for 2 weeks, as well as an international permit for my car, about $5.  I will drive to Prishtina the first day, 3 1/2 hours, and spend the night...then it will take another 10 hours to Vajta.  Lirak, my dear friend, will help with the driving.

Now for the route to Vajta.  Initially, I had decided to take the shorter route from Tirana, through Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina into Hungary.  Due to transit visa expenses for my friend Lirak we moved on to plan B...through Serbia.  Lirak, being from Kosova...has to have a "transit visa" for each of these countries, which takes a long time and a lot of money. The new route goes from Tirana, to Prishtina, to Macedonia, the entire length of Serbia into Hungary. In the past I would get out my paper atlas and plan the route. The paper map I have from the US is 7 years old...and to be honest...the roads in eastern Europe have significantly changed.  So...I moved on to Google maps which for the most part worked pretty well.  I received some counsel from other missionaries that travel the route from Macedonia to Hungary often.  Great tips and encouragement for the trip. 

Interesting facts regarding this trip:

• It is not possible to enter Serbia from Kosova.  Serbia still does not recognize Kosova, and if you are in Kosova without going through Serbia first...you are in the country illegally. So...that is why we must drive south to Macedonia to enter Serbia. But...on the return trip, we can save 250km of travel, because we can enter Kosova from Serbia, not having to go all the way south to Macedonia.
• There are required items that must be in the car: reflective vest, reflective triangle, first aid kit, tow rope, and safety helmet. I understand all the other items...safety in the event you break down on the side of the road.  What is the helmet for...?   Hmmm....???

For the very last part of the trip, Google maps was not very specific about the directions to the Bible college campus.  I asked one of the staff at the Bible college for specific directions from the closest city.  He sent me GPS coordinates.  Really...??? Clearly this is a sign of our technology saturated society.  My cell phone only sends text messages and rings.  My car does not have GPS.  My friend Lirak has been a student at the Bible college...so I will rely on him for directions the last 50km. 

Stay tuned....always an adventure!

"Brethren" from afar...

Today at Kisha i Kalveri, there was an international presence: 4 visitors...one man each from Hungary, Serbia and Macedonia all traveling together sharing the Gospel, and another man from Canada who was a journalist.  The teaching was in Serbian...translated into Albanian...it was about the Love of God and being obedient to His commandments.  

It was a challenge for me to not listen to the "Serbian" and focus on what the translator was saying in Albanian.  I could follow what was being taught, as I was aware of the verses in 2 Chronicles 17:1-10.  

It was a great blessing for our fellowship at Kisha i Kalveri. 

Besides the teaching...God showed my heart that there are Serbian "brothers and sisters" that have a heart to share the Gospel in the Balkans...and were willing to come and to encourage the believers in our fellowship.  From my experiences while living in Kosova, my perspective of Serbians was quite biased. God continues to work in my heart...to see people the way He sees them, and to love others in the same way He loves me.  

What an amazing surprise...! 

Customs~~~

Since I moved to Albania last November, I have been exploring the process of getting my car registered in Albania.  In my mind I did not even consider the fact that I was now "importing" a car.  This was something new for me.  The first path to registration, through the organization that supports missionary and Christian ministry work, ended with some disappointing news last week, after 10-12 hours of obtaining documents, notary expenses etc.  Since I am serving with a medical ministry my car is not eligible for the waiver of customs fees.  

Last Thursday I went to the customs office, for 3 1/2 hours.  I returned to the customs office on Friday with another Albanian gentleman, and 5 1/2 hours later had my import documents.  There was a nervous moment when the office staff learned that I had moved to Albania last November, 7 months earlier. This meant I would need to pay a penalty fee of $500 USD, above the $720 USD customs fee.  OUCH...! 

But GOD...!

In the process, one of the office workers discovered a passport stamp from Kosova, for Jan 2013...and guess what?  NO Penalty Fee...!!!  Also, when the staff learned I was a missionary...they did not charge me the "foreigner" rate, but the "kosovar" rate.  I never heard what that saved me. 

Today I completed the registration process, paid taxes, had the car inspected and now have Albanian license plates. Another 3 1/2 hours of time.  The fees were very inexpensive...compared to what I had to pay for customs fees, less than $100 USD. 

It is clearly a "man's world" at the customs office and the registration center...I was the only woman I saw the entire time. I am very thankful for the Albanian gentleman that helped me through this process. 

Always an adventure...

Sweetness of Spring~~~

This morning I had the door open to my balcony, and I was sitting on the couch reading.  Suddenly, I noticed the sweetest fragrance.  I have never smelled this before...I can not fully describe it.  I discovered the lemon tree in my yard is blooming, and filling the air with the sweetness of spring.  

Wow...what a special gift from God...!

Back to school...

Today I had the opportunity to attend a physical therapy class for 2nd year students. The class was cardiac pathology/physiology...and yes it was all in Albanian. I understood the discussion.  (latin is the same everywhere) The teacher was a cardiologist, and the students only knew him by his first name....Zamir.  

The students sitting in the front of the room next to the teacher, came to class late...those were the only chairs left in the room.  Note to self..."don't be late to class!"

I found it very interesting.  Any student that came to class after 9am...knocked quietly on the door, opened it, and asked for permission to enter...the teacher then waved them into the class room.  I don't think I have ever experienced that kind of courtesy at the college level.  At one point this teacher made a comment about a few students that were talking...they were respectful and stopped their conversation.

This class was a review of hypertension and hypotension (high or low blood pressure) and the teacher involved the entire class...there were even a few moments of humor when they were discussing that men could drink more alcohol than women before having an influence on blood pressure.

I was a little nervous that I would be asked a question...what if I didn't know the answer...???

It was fun to meet the students, future physical therapists...

always an adventure...

Good morning...Tirana

This is the orthodox church bell tower near my apartment in Tirana.  Every morning at 7 am...I get to hear the chapel bells.  Later in the day the tower plays another tune...but not near as special as the one first thing in the morning.

Enjoy....

Xhuxhmaxhuxhat...???

Last weekend I was visiting a dear friend in Prishtina, Kosova, she was my first Albanian teacher in Prishtina in 2008.  Her daughter, Lidia, asked me to read her a book....Snow White and the Seven 
Dwarfs.  Of course the book was in Albanian and it was a challenge for me to read to her. I love to read books to children changing your voice to make it more exciting.  I was having trouble getting through some of the unfamiliar words....words like, xhuxhmaxhuxhat.   The thing that made me laugh is that Lidia...3 years old...was correcting my Albanian pronunciation of the words in the story.  I tried to skip a few words, my tongue was in knots already, and she corrected me. She knew the story very well.  Towards the end of the book, Agnesa, Lidia's mother came into the living room, and Lidia asked her to finish reading the book.  To be honest...I was relieved...I didn't think I could say, "xhuxhmaxhuxhat" one more time. 

So...are you curious how to pronounce it...???

"xhuxhmaxhuxhat"

xh=j in jaw
u=u in put
m=m in make
a=a in father
t=t in toy

stress the second syllable.  Good Luck!

oh yes...the word means "dwarfs" in this case.

Always an adventure, to have your Albanian pronunciation corrected by a 3 year old.  Still learning...