snow

Its no fun being sick on Christmas or when its snowing outside. I have had this bad cold/flu for the past week and I just can't seem to get rid of it. I am drinking lots of tea with lemon (the Albanian remedy when you are sick) and eating lots of yummy mandarins for vitamin C. I think I am finally starting to feel better, and no longer have a tissue constantly to my nose. I may even venture out into the snow today.

Yesterday a friend of mine called me to tell me it was snowing. I just laughed and said, "I know and I wish I could go out in it." He knows I like the snow a lot, for one day he saw me walking in the snow, really big flakes coming down steadily. He stopped to talk to me for a minute and asked if I had an umbrella. I laughed and said, "Ya, its in my bag, but its more fun to walk with the snow falling on you." I was just waking home and didn't mind getting covered in whiteness. He just laughed.

So its nice and pretty and white here now...and I am stuck inside with a cold. No fun!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas.
May you rejoice in the birth of Jesus Christ!

truth

After a lazy day at home catching up on rest and trying to make the most of my day without much electricity, I enjoyed a wonderful night out in the city. As usual I had class at 5:30 and gave the second exam of the semester. I have been tired this week, so I enjoyed the break from teaching tonight. As the students finished their exams they went out in the hallway and waited for friends to finish. Thankfully everyone finished fairly quickly and as the last student left those still in the hall invited me to join them for coffee, a typical after class event. So the usual gang (7 guys) and I headed to our normal spot and drank coffee and practiced some more English. They always say they will make me practice my Albanian, but English is usually spoken more than Albanian, especially tonight as the conversations were sometimes heated. I love this group of guys and making them think hard. After class over coffee we have had some great conversations throughout the past year or so.

Tonight the conversation ranged from Jewish traditions that are similar here to cheating to corruption to city pride. The conversation that interested me the most, even though I have had it often, was about cheating and corruption. Although many people here do not connect the two, I do. Somehow we started talking about cheating during a game, something this is done so often and not really seen as wrong. Its just a game. The competitive person in me, defended this idea with passion. Who cares if its just a game....it starts there and goes on to more serious things, an exam in school, paying your electricity bill, stealing money when in a political position. I tried to explain that children need to be taught that rules are important and are there for a reason. If one does not cheat in a game, I believe one is less likely to cheat in real life. These values need to be taught from childhood, and then they will be more likely to be followed as an adult in society. Most agreed with my reasoning, but still thought it was okay to cheat in a game. Its more fun that way, they explained. They weren't getting my point.

The conversation moved on to corruption, based off the question why is our electricity so bad right now. Everyone knows the power company has been given millions of dollars to make the system better, but nothing has changed. Where has the money gone? I heard from a friend this country is the 4th most corrupt in the world. I am not sure if I believe its that bad, but its bad. One student who works for the power company explained that the company was not to blame, the politicians and ministries are corrupt and therefore they can not change anything. They are the ones in control. Again and again I gave the example, if everyone was jumping off a bridge, would you do it? Of course they said no, but did not see the reason why they should be different. If your boss and your boss' boss and so on are all corrupt, how can you not be corrupt also?

Many times we have talked about truth and right and wrong. What do you base truth on? To me, it seems that this country does not have a basis for truth. Truth is what others have told them, what others do, what has always been done. There is no set standard to base a moral code on. Although most have heard of the Ten Commandments, they don't understand them, and the system has not been based on these.

How do you change a whole society? Where do you start to shape the future? Can one person really make a difference? These are questions my students often ask me, and I persevere to shine my Light as bright as possible, trying to make a difference in their lives, hoping to spread the Truth in this dark and confused land.

Power

For the past couple days the electricity has been very limited. I just heard that we have it better than others, but still its no fun. The schedule has been 3 hours on, 3 hours off, or 4 on 2 off. But you never know which one it will be…so hard to plan ahead.

Its always at the most inconvenient times that the power goes off.

• Right as I am about to turn on the hot water to make coffee.
• As soon as I walk into the bathroom to dry my hair.
• The exact time I had planned to make dinner.
• When my favorite TV show is about to start.
• In the middle of class.

Now usually the power goes out for an hour, and that not bad. You can post-pone any of the above mentioned activities one hour and everything is ok. But when its off for three hours, that puts a bit of a kink in your schedule.

So I have learned to :

• Put on make-up sitting close to a window (to get some light.)
• Be thankful for the battery in my computer.
• Put a cake in the oven 10 minutes past the hour (usually goes off on the hour, so at 10 minutes past the hour, you are 95% sure there will be electricity for at least another 50 minutes.)
• Put a hat on when my hair is wet and I must go outside.
• Go without coffee at home.
• Order take-out when I get really hungry.
• Be flexible with the schedule I had planned.
• Play cards by candle light.
• Enjoy going to bed early.

Owen

My nephew is getting so big!

 

 

uncertainty

Today I ask you all to take a moment and pray for peace in the area I am living in. Much uncertainty lies ahead. Many rumors have been spread about what will happen, and we all hope that they are positive steps towards the future of this land. The people here are tired of waiting and ready for change. I am anxiously awaiting what will actually happen. Please remember these people and this land with me.