Experience Albania: Travel, Pictures, History, Culture

It’s a phrase as common as “Hello” or  “How are you?”
And it means “It’s very, very hot.”
I drink at least a liter of water by 9AM and wouldn’t mind an ice bath by 11. 
My arms and face are especially brown and I have pronounced tan lines on my feet from the two pairs of shoes [...]

 I’m writing this over a week after my two years as a Peace Corps volunteer truly began.  My group and I swore in as official volunteers last Friday, June 16th.
It was an excellent, top notch ceremony.  The President of Albania and the American Ambassador were in attendance, as well as the entire Peace Corps staff [...]

Took a few photos the other afternoon while hanging out on the second floor of my family’s house.

I will definitely miss this home, not to mention this family.
Hard to believe I will actually begin my two years of service on Friday.
Another change, new adjustments, different people and responsibilities … but that’s what I’m here for, [...]

Dinner party!
My cohort group and I went to an excellent get together at Margaret’s host family’s apartment on Saturday evening. It was so fun to meet them and see her home for the past three months.

We ate, spoke Albanian, laughed, and watched Smackdown without missing a beat.
My cohort group and I have had such [...]

B & Lauren

Originally uploaded by nicollet.

I brought a few photos albums with me, filled with photos of my family and friends. People absolutely love to look at these albums. So curious about my “people” - who they are, what they look like, what they do back in America.
And I must say they have [...]

Please reference this imagine from now on whenever I mention “the xhiro” or “going for a xhiro.” These three men are the true image of the “xhiro form,” which means you’re male, you’re old, you have your hands clasped and behind your back, and you’re walking very, very slowly. Of course the nice [...]

Dad - this one’s for you!
Berat is literally full of beautiful, residential architecture.
I’ll start with my host family’s home. It’s in the center of the city - I travel up a cobblestone street (as most of the streets in Berat are cobblestone … so, so cool) and arrive at this:

The entrance way into a [...]

Things are a little hectic right now … they have been the whole time, but with language interviews coming up this weekend combined with the reality of packing up and moving to Berat puts me that “at a loss of words” state.
But, avash avash (slowly but surely), I will hopefully do justice to my recent [...]

I swear in as an official Peace Corps volunteer in about a week and a half. It’s hard to imagine that training, 12 intense months of adjustments, changes, ups and downs will wrap up and become part of the new and different “Two Year Assignment” chapter. I’m excited, slightly nervous … I, along [...]

Hang in there with me … even though you, the reader, is most likely sleeping at the moment.
But somehow while I was just typing and posting photos, I lost post that was well on its way.
As a result, I’m a little frustrated and not that excited to start back up again.
I’ll leave you with this [...]