Traffic in Tirana...

 Each week I travel 126 km, 79 miles, for ministry in a small health center in Patos, Albania. I have been driving this route since Sept, so have it down to 2 hours. 

Yesterday, as I arrived on the outskirts of Tirana...TRAFFIC...like what happened???  

There is a major shopping center just as I come into Tirana off of the highway. It took me 1.5 hours to travel from that area to my apartment, 26 km,  8 miles, away. Heavy rains started when I was about 5 min from home, like flooding rains and insane thunder/lightening, so I was thankful I was close to home. My left knee/quads were killing me by the time I got home and had to climb two flights of stairs...standard cars and TRAFFIC...!!! 

The only explanation I could figure out for the difference...everyone was out shopping before New Year's Eve/ New Year's Day celebrations, which are the most important holiday in this culture. 

The fireworks last for hours, and is all "private" Albanians blowing up the skies.

Here is a video from 4 years ago...turn your volume up to get the whole experience...! 

https://youtu.be/7cJdDxUsbGU

Gëzuar Vitin i Ri

Happy New Year 

Half the onion--Please...

 While traveling for ministry to a new area of Albania our group was referred to a local restaurant for lunch before we traveled 2 hours back to Tirana. Our first visit...the "Greek Salad", was loaded with onions. One of my team doesn't like onions...and to ride back to Tirana after eating all those onions....??? (We discreetly moved all the onions to the side of the plate)

So, the next trip, I thought I would be brave and ask for half the onions on the Greek Salad, in Albanian of course. 

The waiter brought the same Greek Salad as the time before, and a small plate with an additional 1/2 raw onion on it. 

After we composed ourselves from laughing at what I had said...we let the waiter know that he could take the plate with the 1/2 onion on it back to the kitchen, that I had made a mistake.

Now...when we go there for lunch...only a very small amount of onion appears on the Greek Salad. One of my Albanian team members, makes the request when we order... so we don't get another chunk of raw onion. 

Car Diagnostic/Repair adventure

My little Toyota Yaris is 17 years old...and still gets 45+mpg. I take good care of it with regular oil changes, new tires, inspections...it is so dependable. It does have it's share of bumps and bruises...!  
I need a dependable car here...driving to other areas of Albania, usually with a student or other PT with me. There is no such thing a "AAA road side assistance", unless a local stops to help you. Recently, there started to be this high pitched "whine" coming from the engine when pushing down on the accelerator. I was still able to drive to my home visit, no issue with power or anything else...just this new "noise".

I have a mechanic that has helped me greatly with my A/C, and most importantly, he explains things slowly in Albanian so I understand. He is patient with me being a woman, dealing with "manly" car issues.

So...I contacted him about this new noise. This really made me smile...!  One guy was in the car pushing on the accelerator, and the other guy had a  rusty pipe to his ear...checking different areas of the engine. After a few minutes...he declared the A/C compressor is bad and needs replaced. 

Then, the owner told me how much it would cost. I said 20,000lek or more (about $200), he said much more, 50,000lek. (about $500). YIKES...!!! I got out my little notebook to write things on for better understanding when "language" is not working.  He started laughing...he was talking "old lek"...5,000, or $50...!!! I was using "new lek".  (See previous post about currency confusion) 

A few days later, I took my car in to be worked on, the final price...for 4-5 hours of work and a replacement compressor....$55.  I gave him and the other worker a nice tip...because they take very good care of me...and there is no high pitched whine coming from my car...!!! 

Life here in the Balkans, always an adventure...and challenging! 

Is it speeding...

when you pass two police officers...

WALKING???

Just some thoughts....

We are all facing the challenges of Covid-19, across the globe.

I was out briefly this morning...and wanted to share some things that did make me smile, and think a little more about the world I live in....

• Tirana is under strict curfew, we can only be out of our homes from 6am-10am, 4pm-6pm. (Police and/or military enforced)
• The shoe shine guy was out...and people with masks on, were getting their shoes polished.
• Albania is a very social culture...
• having "coffee" is a way of life, long before Starbucks. (addiction really)
• People are not allowed to walk together
• even on normal days...young girls walk arm in arm as best friends
• I did spot a young couple...holding hands. (no police or military were around)
• It is the culture...to stop and speak with your friends, that is still happening, but a distance that is not natural for them is maintained...as they speak...they seem to get closer. (If you don't speak with friends or people you may know...you are rude)
• In order to stay connected...people are speaking to each other from their apartment balconies. 
• I have heard music and singing at times, can't quite figure out where is it coming from...but it is a nice change to the day.
• Watch out for the "BICYCLES"...!!!
• Driving, cars or mopeds, is not allowed...at all...
• So...everyone has dusted off their bicycles
• The bike repair places were doing much business, against the rules of closure, to repair old bikes, new tires, adjusting chains etc.
• Why does someone riding a bicycle need a mask...???
• I think the bicycle riders are less safe than the cars...from a pedestrian perspective
• Only one person in the store, bank, bakery, pharmacy...at a time. 
• So...there is a crowd standing outside waiting...trying to keep "distance" but not lose their place in line.
• Hoarding does not exist...!  
• I think it wouldn't exist in the US if they had to carry it all home in their hands...walking...!?
• Our air smells so good...! and fresh. After a rain the other day...wow...what a difference with no car emissions...! 

~~~

So...from this side of the pond...

Find something that makes you smile...

and let it bless your spirit, 

like the warmth of the spring sunshine...

be blessed. 

Toilet paper shortage, Really...???

On this side of the pond...it is baffling to me, and so many Albanians...that the toilet paper supply is exhausted...in the US, as well as in the UK.

This little store near my house...has plenty...! 

Still "Rockin"...in Albania

Last night...9:15pm....another earthquake...5.1 magnitude.
1...about 16km from Durres (where most of the worst took place on November 26)
There was a short 4.1 shake a few minutes later.

I was not quite asleep...but felt God's protection as slept well the rest of the night. 

NO...this doesn't make me laugh...I have recently met people whose lives were devastated in November...and still have no place to live.

It is quite an interesting thing...to suddenly find myself living in an earthquake zone. That is a first for me.

Pray for our nation...for our people...!

Postal service....

The next time you think about the quality and speed of the US Postal service, consider the Postal services in Albania.
I returned a defective cell phone to Amazon, at the main post office here in Tirana. I did obtain a "tracking number" for verification to Amazon that I did in fact return the cell phone. I did the postal transaction the morning of Jan 20.
Today is Jan 23, and according to "tracking" my package has now been put into a transport bag in Tirana.  It has taken them 3 days to put it into a transport bag...no wonder it take 4-6 weeks for letters and packages to get to the US...if they get there at all.

No...we don't have reasonable access to FedEx or DHL...well we can use the services, but it is not worth paying more money to ship with them than the item is worth.

"Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Dark Of Night Shall Stay These Couriers From The Swift Completion Of Their Appointed Rounds."