Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Site announcement and PST life

April 23, 2013

What the heck..it's already the 23rd and PST is flyyyying by. I am having such a wonderful time in Librazhd. My days are occupied by teaching, learning, playing whiffle ball (frisbee, volleyball, and dodgeball), coffee + tea, and spending time with other volunteers and my Albanian family. So..here are today's categories: My future site, Practicum, What I do for FUN, and RPB (random panda banter)

My future Site:
It's... Milot!!! A site up north, 1 hour from the beach, 1 hour from Tirana, and 1 hour from Shkoder. It is a small site with a population of only 4000. The school has only 1 English teacher who is new and has no teaching experience..yet! I will be the first volunteer there, and I will be alone, but with another volunteer 15 minutes away by furgon (mini bus). I am excited, but slightly nervous about my safety there. It should be an adventure.

Practicum:
=practice teaching. This week I have 11th graders. They are awesome. So far, I have taught 4 different 11th grade English classes. The students are receptive and interested in learning. Some love to show off their English skills, some are shy, and some just plain don't speak English. All this practice, however, is making me feel very ready for my own class! I am excited to teach!

FUN:
Other volunteers and my family keep me enthusiastic about Albania. I love circle dancing, drinking coffee, and playing sports with volunteers and Albanians. The other day I visited Pajove (another PST site) with 2 other volunteers from Librazhd and we got to see what village life was like. I got to hold chicks and see how BIG village houses are. There is only one cafe in all of Pajove, and the streets are pretty...dirt-paved. Although it is small, it is full of character, and I love the volunteers..and donkeys there. :) 

RPB:
Clothing. Oh clothing... We Americans feel that 70 degrees is shorts and T weather, right? Ok, well I feel that way. However, in Albania that is not the case. I am constantly being criticized for not wearing enough clothes. I've only gone out in shorts and a T once...maybe twice, and my poor host mom and sisters looked at me like I was about to jump off a cliff. My sister keeps telling me "I think you don't understand that it's not Summer yet." It's pretty amusing. The other day some of us went tanning by the river. It was awesome...and worth the skeptical looks from other Albanians. I hear the Summer here gets VERY hot which means I will be VERY happy and VERY much wearing shorts and skirts. :)) I am sad that I only have a month left in Librazhd now. i love it here. 

Okay, until next time... Mirupafshim!

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