My Balcony garden...

 Those of you that know me, know that I love to garden. There is something therapeutic about having dirt under your fingernails.  I started collecting plants last spring/summer, and have added a few new geraniums in the window sill box. Some annuals that were a gift of seed last spring from friends in  NM, overwintered very well and are blooming now: the nasturtium and the snapdragons.  

At the end of the balcony is a Jasmine...it is just now blooming and smells so wonderful in the mornings.  It has grown now so that it is hanging well over the balcony...so when you climb the stairs into the house...you can smell it.  I can also enjoy it when I am inside with the balcony door open.  

Also at the end of the balcony is a strange succulent type plant...that has hundreds of little starters that fall off of the branches...those are my "weeds"...I am pulling them from my other pots all the time. 

Our Spring has been cooler than normal, and I am glad...it will give my plants and the new starts a chance to get some strong roots before the summer heat arrives.

One of the girls from ABC Health was in disbelief that I purchased a "bag of dirt...!"  to pot all of my flowers. Wait until she learns that I used to buy bags of steer manure...!  Americans...we are a strange group...!

So...enjoy my little garden...

You go girls...!

The city of Albania is in the process of planting trees along our street.  Yesterday as I was walking to ABC Health center I noticed many new piles of dirt on the sidewalks...and then  I came across a group of women that were responsible for digging the holes for the trees to be planted.  They agreed to allow this  photo. The gentleman standing there...he was giving them orders.  There was some laughter as I took the photo, it made me smile that these women...aren't really dressed for this kind of "labor"...but they are doing the work...! The Albanians are not afraid of hard work! 

A little bit of Mexico in Tirana...

Look at the items on this menu...it actually says
Santa Fe...the sauce was good, but
Definitely not spicey.
Look at item number 8...don't know what that is.
We had a lot of fun and laughter just reading the
menu...the Santa Fe spring rolls were very good,
but of course could have used some "heat" in the
sauce. 

Our waiter, had the facial hair added with a marker,
and he spoke no Spanish. 

Suela, Lirak and me...at the Mexican restaurant. The food was good,
and flavorful, but I need to go back and
teach the chef the definition of  "spicey " !


The weather was beautiful, we had a  table on the porch...
it was a  nice way to spend the afternoon with friends...! 

World Down Syndrome Day...Albania

 I have been a part of  the Jonathan Center since I moved to Albania.  The Jonathan Center provides support, information, medical care referrals, developmental education, counseling and of course, physical therapy (me), for children with Down Syndrome and their families.  

Families from all socioeconomic backgrounds receive services from  the Jonathan Center.

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, and the theme for this year is "Let me in, I want Health care".  I had the honor of being in the video for Albania...please go to the following link to see all the countries that a part of this celebration in 2014.

http://www.ds-int.org/let-us-in-i-want-access-to-healthcare




 The phrase on this banner, in translation says... "We celebrate the colors of life behind an extra chromosome. "  



Part of the campaign to bring awareness to Down Syndrome in Albania was the "lots of socks" campaign.  We sold one, brightly colored striped sock, and encouraged people to wear it on their jacket, sweater, or lab coat.  All of the staff at ABC health center joined in on the fun...wearing the socks for two weeks prior to the celebration.             

It was a very busy week for everyone involved...but we were so greatly blessed by the support and energy to increase awareness of the children and their families.

Now that is something new...!

I was recently walking through a park near my apartment and came across this "recycling center".  Wow...! In the Balkans...? If you have ever visited Kosova or Albania, you know that trash is absolutely everywhere, and then out of nowhere there is a "recycling center"? 

There is actually a lot of "recycling" that takes place in Tirana, at least along the street where I live. The dumpsters are constantly being cleared of plastic bottles, scrap metal, plastic bags, wood, and whatever else may be discarded. You will see small carts with huge bags overflowing with crushed plastic bottles and other recyclable items. 

Back to the "recycling center".  I was told by a friend, that there are only a few of these "recycling centers" in all of Tirana...that the government moves them around each week, to make it look like there are a lot of them. There is no way to find out what happens to items that are actually put into the "recycling center", my guess would be that they are emptied into the dumpsters with everything else. 

I guess it is a place to start...???

How much...???

Here is a glimpse into the cost of living here in Tirana, Albania.  I decided to figure how much things cost in $USD.  So here are things I purchased or paid for in the last week. 

• oatmeal, bought in bulk, $1.31 per pound
• eggs, with chicken poop on them, $0.14 each
• oranges from Greece, $0.43 per pound
• mandarin oranges, from local growers, $0.43 per pound
• olives, in bulk from local growers, $1.31 per pound
• snickers bar, $0.48
• honey, from local growers, $4.37 per pound
• rotisserie roasted chicken, from vendor on the street, $4. 33 each
• filtered water in container, $0.68 per gallon
• telephone service $ 6.07 per month, free calls/texts to all missionary numbers, and  250mb data
• internet service, unlimited $5.85 per month
• diesel fuel, $6.78 per gallon
• milk, $5.64 per gallon
• notary public signature, $30.00

I find it always interesting the cost of some items, generally the produce is all local grown, very fresh and very inexpensive.

Then there are other things like phone and internet service, compared to the US standard crazy inexpensive, and the notary signature, crazy expensive.

Also, a gallon of milk costs almost as much as a gallon of diesel fuel. I buy much more milk than diesel fuel...I am so thankful for the great gas mileage I get on my little car.

Gëzuar Vitin e Ri....!

New Year's Eve in Tirana, Albania...from my bedroom window. Last year I watched this event from the top of a 9 story building, it was pretty amazing to look in every direction and see amazing aerial fireworks...and hear the constant explosions of intense firecrackers. Last night, it was crazy, almost scary,  from my apartment window...

When I closed the window after watching for about 5 minutes, my clothes and my bedroom smelled like "fireworks smoke...is that sulfur?"  This spectacle lasts for about 30 minutes...and longer.  It started with great intensity about 15 minutes before midnight...and was still going strong at 12:15am...even this morning...there continues to be some firecracker celebration.  The firecrackers in Albanian...not the mild mannered "cap gun level of noise...firecrackers"...but the ones that sound like something is exploding.  (pretty sure that the firecrackers/fireworks sold on the street here in Albanian...pretty much illegal in the US.  They make me jump...I look out the window and I see kids...lots of kids...laughing with delight as they "blow up" more firecrackers.