"Many Meetings"

It is amazing to watch a community build itself together in a couple of weeks.  There is something very special about seeing people of different cultures and different languages grow together, pray together, laugh together, learn together, and love God together.

Of course, it's not easy, and it's far from perfect.  In fact, it's often downright frustrating.  Will you pray for unity between the students?  With 15 different students there are 15 points of view, 15 personalities, 15 senses of humor, 15 worldviews, and 15 different reasons for being here. 

I'm reminded of some reading that I did in Ephesians in my first week or two here.  It's probably the book of the Bible that I've read the most, yet God showed it to me in a new light this time.  Try reading through the whole of Ephesians and looking for all of the references to UNITY (also think: body of Christ).  Here are a few:
1:22, 23 - And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
2:13, 14 - But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace, who has made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.
4:2, 3 - [Walk] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4:4-6 - There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

On to a few introductions!  I'll try to respect the privacy of the other students while still giving you a decent introduction  :)  I don't have pictures of everyone, so I've scattered a few random pictures throughout too, just for fun!

Turtle...  Isn't it cute???

Three students are Canadian, two are American, one is German, and the other nine are Albanian.  Some are just beyond high school age, and some were born in the same decade as me. 
There are three other girls in my room: Zhuli, Sonila, and Elisa.  Zhuli is outgoing and fun, AND she speaks great English, which is really a blessing!  Sonila is a few years older then me and quiet, and very caring and concerned for others.  I feel crippled by the language barrier more with her than with any other student.  Please pray for me and the other students as we learn to show God's love to Sonila.  Elisa is another Canadian.  She's another extrovert, and is creative in many different ways.

Elisa

Lydia is German.  She plays guitar, and we lead the music for the student service on Sunday nights together. 
Rozela is Zhuli's sister.  She has a big heart and is always willing to help me with my Albanian in exchange for some help with English!
Fiona is from Florida.  She is lovely and fun and always willing to challenge herself, no matter what anyone says!
Natasha is from a city north of here.  She has a musical laugh and like me, she uses it when words fail, which is fairly frequently!

Natasha, Zak, and Andrea

Zak is getting up at 2am tonight to watch the Giants play.  (That should help you figure out which state he is from.)  He knows when to lighten the mood and when somebody needs to lean on him.
Mitat grew up here in Erseke.  He is the joker of the group.

Caleb and Mitat

Marjus is very serious in a funny way.  Or very funny in a serious way.  I'm not sure which.
Caleb grew up in northern Alberta.  He's doing a really great job on the unity front.  He's also secretely a super-hero, but it would be unwise to give you any more information than that.

Visi and Caleb

Visi spent quite a few years working in Greece.  He's a drummer, and I'm betting that he's got the fastest double-kick chops in Albania!  We occasionally have a little jam session on the wall that separates our rooms.
Valter and Manjola are married.  Valter is boisterous!  Manjola is very sweet, and we've had a few really fun walks together exchanging words and phrases.

I can't leave out Andrea.  She is the Resident Assistant (or, the one who keeps us all in the loop and in line!).  She's an encourager, and she cares deeply for everyone.  She has been a huge blessing to me during my time here.

Well, that's all folks!  Fifteen individuals united in Christ.

Dumpster diving

Finally, random fun fact of the day about Albania:
Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road.... usually.  Of course, any number of things might change that - potholes, pedestrians, sheep, donkeys.... :)

"Mount Doom"

Perhaps the title is a tad bit over-dramatic.....

There is a mountain, and it is called Gramozi.  It towers over the town of Erseke, hiding the sun until late in the morning.  It is barren and dry, but it is beautiful.  It is the third highest mountain in Albania.  The summit looks like a pyramid, and on the other side is Greece.

Barren and dry.

And so we set off, armed with water and sandwiches and the most appropriate shoes we brought.  First a casual walk from a nearby village to the base of the mountain, then an easy hike across a stream to the bottom of the trees.  Spirits were high.  Then, up and up, and UP some more!  Everyone was relieved when we reached the top of the trees - our first resting point.  But then, the shade was gone.  Up and up and up.  There were no insurmountable difficulties, but just always up!  Over rocks and scrub and through the prickles.

Prickles, prickles...

 (Oh, the prickles!  A friend here aptly said, "Albania has a disproportionate amount of prickly plants." and it's so true!  Thistles and roses and prickly tumbleweed-like plants.  Prickly evergreens, blackberries, other berries, prickles, prickles, prickles!)

....beautiful prickles!

Erseke from our first rest point.

  
Erseke became smaller and smaller below us as we pressed on.

Can you spot Erseke on the left?

 By this point, the motto was 'one step at a time'.  Muscles were aching and lungs were straining.  Friends from Miami and Vancouver were having a hard time with the high mountain air.  Up..... up..... up.  Finally, the pyramid came into view, having been hidden behind the mountain for most of the trek.  Most of the group was up ahead, and now we could see some of them, making the final ascent to the summit.  They looked so small.  We still had so far to go.

Looking ahead.

A curious cow.

We passed a shepherd with his sheep.  A chorus of cowbells alerted us to a herd of cows up ahead.  We were happy to avoid any encounters with sheep dogs - the most dangerous of the 'wild' animals in the area. 

I 'signed' my name at the summit - can you spot it?

Finally, one step at a time, up..... and up...... and up....., we were there.  There's a reason this place is called "one kilometer closer to heaven".  We gained well over 1000 m in elevation!  And it was worth every aching step.  Words can't describe the beauty of God's creation, nor the satisfaction of having persevered to the finish.

 

Coming home.

"The Window On The West"

The problem with blogs is that if you get behind, it seems impossible to catch up!  So much has happened in this last week that I hardly know where to begin!

I'm settled in at the school now; the effects of jet lag have passed.  The school more or less feels like home now.

I share a dorm room with three other girls.  One is Canadian and two are Albanian, though one knows wonderfully good English!  Our windows face to the west.  There is a stunningly beautiful mountain ridge in that direction.  On my first (jet lagged and sleepless) morning here, I captured it in three photos, and I am so happy with how the panorama turned out.

The view out my dorm room window.

So, what has filled my last week or so?
- Frequent trips to the coffee shop for ice cream, Fanta, or iced tea
- A hike up Gramozi (more on that another time!)
- Quite a bit of reading
- Canoeing (with great games!)
- An overwhelming amount of listening to another language and struggling to start speaking
- Believe it or not, a lot of volleyball!  I'm not great, but the great part about that is that I can only get better, and I have!
- Playing my pan in the beautiful outdoors
- A surprise chance to hear a traditional wedding band
- A church service and a Bible study at the church
- 8 hours of sleep every night and three meals a day
- To market, to market.... 
- A football (soccer) game with all the students
- Getting to know the other 14 students
- Cracking open some fresh walnuts and slacklining at the walnut grove
- And.... even some classes!

More details on some of these things to come, but for now, I thought you would all enjoy some more pictures!

My home away from home

        Volleyball and the old cheese factory, now property of the school.  Wish I could bottle up the smell and share it with all of you at home! 

A typical sight (and sound!)

Walnuts

Heading home.  My favourite time of day.

At the summit of Gramozi. The border between Greece and Albania follows this ridge.

Me and Andrea at the summit.

        

And finally, a couple of fun facts:
- Erseke is one of the highest towns in Albania.  It is roughly the size of Sundre.
- The elevation is 1050m (2m higher than Calgary!  Sundre is 1097m.)
- Erseke means "windy city".  From one to another.  Go figure.