It’s the little things

Dear World,

Tonight, I am more inspired to write than I have been in a very long time. I’m thanking God for the people He has created and how they make up this beautiful world. Yes! There is so much craziness going on right now but in the midst of it all I’ve been seeing so much light. If I counted all of the little blessings I have received in the past two weeks and wrote about them all I’m sure this would be a ten page post but I’m going to keep it short and talk about one instance that truly touched my heart and one act of kindness I’ll never forget.

Yesterday I was in the capital city of Albania and had to take a bus from there to the city where I live which is located about two hours south of the capital. Everything was normal. I fell asleep on the bus, I had my dog with me, and we arrived safely to our destination. I grabbed my belongings, paid the driver, got off the bus, and went home. In my mind nothing was out of the ordinary. But something was very wrong. I left my most important belongings on the bus. I left the pouch in which I carry my passport and wallet which contains my residency permit and ATM cards. I didn’t realize it at all until I received a message on Facebook tonight from a stranger. I usually don’t even read messages from people who I’m not friends with but for some reason, tonight I read that message and my heart was warmed.

The message read:

“Hello Jessica, my name is Boralb Mimani. You may not know me, but yesterday you were in my father’s van, traveling from Tirana to Kucove. Today while travelling back to Tirana a random passenger found the wallet and notified my dad about the lost wallet. When he came back to Kucova today, he told me to try and find a way to contact you in order to return you your belongings. I apologize in advance for opening your wallet, but I needed some contact info in order to contact you. Now if you could give me a place and time in order for me to return your wallet it will be great. Hope to hear soon from you.

It’s amazing how things can change in a matter of moments. Because I am such a forgetful person who would lose her head if it wasn’t attached I assumed I had my wallet here in the house with me the whole time. I thought it was sitting where it always was, but after I received the message, it hit me that it wasn’t. And so many thoughts started racing through my mind. Like what did I do to deserve such grace? It’s all so unbelievable. But it reminded me that I want my life to be a story of such grace. I want to always pay such actions forward. The actions of the young man that emailed me, the actions of the passenger that found the wallet and decided to return it, and the actions of the father who charged his son with the task of finding me. In this moment I really can’t be more grateful and I am truly reminded that it really is the little things of this life that we should learn to be grateful for. Some great miraculous event is not going to happen to us every day to remind us how loved we are and how dearly we are held in the sight of God. Sometimes it is going to be those little acts of kindness that keep us afloat. And the act of kindness that was bestowed upon me tonight was something that I had to share with the world because it is something easy to overlook in the midst of corruption, prejudice, hatred, and dissention.

The third goal of Peace Corps is to document and share our experience with those back home and I am reporting back that as bumpy as this year has been for me, my trust and hope in this country and its people has been restored quite a bit and I feel I would be foolish not to share my experience.

Sincerely,

Jess

Byrek or Bust

This blog entry marks many occasions, not only for me, but for the world. Firstly, today is a leap day (Febuary 29th) and this year is a leap year. As for me, it has almost been a year since I stepped foot in the country of Albania as a Peace Corps trainee (15 more days to be exact). It has been about 3 months since my last entry and most importantly, yesterday I got the chance to eat at the arguably best byrek place in Albania. I think it is the most important because when I think about what this blog was founded on (my relationship with God and food) Byrek fits into the food category. See my first post for the specifics of that last statement and you’ll see what I mean. Anyway. Byrek. So what is Byrek you ask. This is Byrek:

ahhhhh, hi honey.

1. It is a traditional Albanian food.
2. It is usually savory.
3. Sometimes it is translated as “pie” (I think Byrek (b-ewww-rek :p) is more fitting but to each his own 🙂 )
4. It is like puff pastry or filo dough stuffed with a variety of options (Spinach, cheese curds/cottage cheese (gjizë), tomato and onion mixture, and meat (with onions) are the types I have come across but I have heard of others. I guess one can refer to those listed above as the basics.)
5. It is tasty (especially when fresh from the oven)
6. There are usually two types. The pocket version, like the one pictured above (more common at take-out restaurants or coffee shops) and a layered version which is not pictured (think of a savory baklava with less layers). The layered version is also sold at some restaurants but mostly made in the home.

I hope that the sentiments above have helped you to better understand this Byrek thing, but if not Google is amazing as well. I hope you at least get the gist. Because here comes the epic part of this post. As I stated before, some friends and I went to a Byrek place called Met Ҫela in the city of Lushnjë. It is apparently super famous for it’s byrek (I don’t know why I’ve been capitalizing byrek) because everytime I tell my students I was in Lushnjë, they ask, “Did you eat any byrek while you were there?” And most likely I had, but not from the infamous Met Ҫela. In my mind Met Ҫela is like the Randy’s Donuts of Albania. Because sure you can get donuts anywhere in Cali, but if you haven’t had one from Randy’s, have you even really eaten a donut? I’m just sayin’. So alas, I was there at Met Ҫela and finally sitting down to have the byrek of the century (or of the year for me).

The girls getting ready to indulge

I was joined by three dear friends and fellow volunteers.Two of them had been to Met Ҫela before but I got all of their opinions on the Byrek:

1. P: *Eating byrek me mish (with meat)* “I’m mostly getting dough and not much filling. As with tamales, byrek should have the right amount of filling, not too much, not too little. I want my byrek with filling but the dough is tasty and not too flaky to where it would make a mess.” ; *Byrek me gjizë* “The gjizë isn’t too sour and it’s evenly spread.
2. K: Intial thoughts: “It’s good. I love byrek.” *Me spinaq* “The spinach isn’t overcooked. Sometimes it can be super squishy.”
3. H: *Me mish* “Crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. The meat is too hot though. It burned my tongue. It pairs well with a macchiato and not dhallë. It’s easy to eat on the run.”

Somewhere in there dhallë was mentioned which is a drink many Albanians enjoy with their byrek. It is basically watered down plain yogurt. It is definitely not for everyone but it has grown on me and others I know here.

To dhallë or not to dhallë

So overall this byrek was delightful and made for a great experience. Lushnjë should also be known for it’s huge outdoor bazaar because that is where we headed next and it was crazy. Imagine piles and piles of clothing, cookware, shoes, and so much more being sold. On top of that, we were caught in a sea of hundreds of people. We even became aware that we were being followed at one point but I’ll save that for another topic on another day [everything turned out fine].

Peace Lushnjë:

Gëzuar Thanksgiving!

This week has been a hard week. The week wherein Americans celebrate “Thanksgiving” has been a tough week. I suffered through sickness, a sinus allergy that turned in to constant coughing, spitting, sneezing, and the eventually loss of my voice. I battled severe loneliness that comes with living in a foreign country with little communication with those you love in the place you call home. I opened up to a dear friend about some demons I’ve been battling lately in a personal life tell-all. For someone who identifies as a mostly introverted and anxious person, a tell-all in itself is more than half the battle. But I made it. I made it today to tell you about how it all turned around for the better.

We all have bad weeks and days and months and years. So I know I am not alone and I am definitely not trying to throw out complaints. The biggest disclaimer here is that without the bad days or weeks or months or years I would have never aspired to become a writer. This blog would not exist. In a way, my life thrives on the hard stuff, on that thick mud in the Black Forest that we just can’t get our feet out of. I love the hard stuff. It has shaped me to be the girl facing the world (or at least attempting to) in front of this screen. So do not take my truths for ungratefulness. Anyway, as I stated before by the end of the week things have started to look up. Why? It’s one of my favorite days of the whole year.

I. GIVE THANKS (right now. No I mean it. You’re breathing. YOU CAN RREEEAAADDD. Someone’s week may have been worse than yours.)

It’s funny that the day full of thanks arrived when I felt like I actually had nothing at all to be thankful for. I’m just another drop in the ocean. But I am so much more than that and even though it is taken me up until this moment to realize that it doesn’t matter. What matters is the reality of my status in light of being loved and accepted with grace. So there’s that. On Thanksgiving day I had the opportunity that unfortunately many don’t have, some by choice and others not by choice; I was surrounded by people that I had come to love in such a short amount of time (8 months) here in Albania. They are also people who I felt warmth flowing from in love for me. I never imagined that my first Thanksgiving away from family could have been like that. Another Peace Corps volunteer, who I call my Big (big sis), hosted the gathering at her home in her assigned city with another volunteer and I, her sister and best friend that are visiting from America and two Albanian families she had gotten close to during her service. We cooked together all day and in the end fellowshipped with one another with delight. It was a culmination of cultures that I will never forget. And that is what I was thankful for. All of those new people in my life. When I left America to come here, I felt like I was leaving a lot behind, but I also felt like I wasn’t. The slate was clean for me to start new. To build new relationships. Love new people. Hold new hands. And right now that is the reality. I will always make time for the ones I love back home in America but my heart is not split between the two places anymore. As volunteers, if we cannot fully be here it impacts our service in a certain way. That is not to say that that impact is good or bad, it’s just what it is and being here, present, is so much more effective in my opinion than living here physically, but living in America with our whole hearts. I am making a life here and living in the moment God has provided in this time and place because I am the last person to know what tomorrow holds. I am learning to walk by faith and it is a beautiful thing. A beautiful and hard thing but I would like to believe the beautiful things outweigh the hard things. The smiles outweigh the frowns. The laughs outweigh the desperate cries of fear and anxiety. That is my prayer for my time here. And for you reading this as well, wherever you are in this beautiful and hard life.
Love,
Jess

My Albanian Summer [Camps and more Camps]

Hopefully as my time in Albania progresses, my blog post titles won’t remain so generic. And this may be excessively long, because how do you wrap up one summer in a single blog post? I think I can do it so I will try.

My disclaimer for this post is that I did not think I would accomplish as much as I have already in Albania during my first summer here. I imagined myself locked in my house, binge-watching television shows with no plots and eating jars of Nutella all day long. But no, that was not the reality. Only half the reality really. It stopped being a reality when my beloved site mate (Peace Corps term for another volunteer that lives in the same community/site as you) texted me and asked if I would be interested in putting on a GLOW (Girls Leading our World – Peace Corps initiative) camp with her in our city. I think saying yes had implications that I did not fully understand, but I did say yes and I am so glad I did. Along with GLOW, I decided to apply to be *shadow* camp coordinator for another Peace Corps Albania initiative called OA, or Outdoor Ambassadors. They host a national camp that unites different OA clubs from cities all over Albania totaling to 50 campers that are eligible to attend. My site mate that I mentioned earlier was in the coordinator position and the icing on the cake if I got the position of shadow coordinator was to work with her. Low and behold, I officially became shadow coordinator in June of 2015 and added a second camp to help plan to my arsenal this summer.

In between time, though not an official counselor for the camp, I got to volunteer with another camp called “Kampi Pa Emer”, or “Camp no Name”. I love even the name of the camp because it rings true. All children between ages 5 and 14 or 15 no matter their family status or skin color are welcome to this camp. It is all about equality and coming together in one of my favorite cities in Albania: Librazhd. The camp was started years ago as a way for Albanians and the more impoverished Roma community in the city the come together and I think it has been a success since then. I look forward to being more involved in the future. Learn more about it here and give them a like: https://www.facebook.com/kampipaemer

                          Kampi Pa Emer

A little after those opportunities came my way, in stepped BRO Albania, or Boys Respecting Others. Some call it the boy version of GLOW, except that is a reversal where young men are being taught to strive to respect the growth of gender equality in this time and age and actually support it and the women involved. Let’s make men feminists (just kidding). But seriously the kinks are still being worked out because BRO was jump started this summer and 7 camps were organized throughout Albanian cities to promote this new initiative. It was also something I wanted to get involved with because I do think it is important for young people to break free from culturally created gender norms. Therefore, let’s add another day camp to the mix and there’s my super-duper-nifty all Albanian summer. BUT WAIT, when the BRO camp in my community was ending, the president of BRO elected me as Project Kitchen Manager of BRO because we saw how well getting the young men into the kitchen fit into what BRO was trying to do. So fast forward to now and I sit on a beach as I type this. I am about to pack up and head back to my community.

I came to a beach city in Albania, Vlorë to be exact, to strut my stuff as official kitchen manager of BRO. Dubbed “Men in the Kitchen” (pretty straightforward, I know) 10 young men are assigned to cooked a three-course meal for 10 young women who would play sports outside while the men cooked. This plan was obviously devised to switch up the normal roles of gender in Albania, and I will let the pictures speak for themselves on how the event turned out. If you know me, you know that I really, REALLY do not like tooting my own horn. I am really rejoicing in the fact that I have a position where I get to play Gordon Ramsey for a spell and do it for something really great here in Albania. I am just extremely proud of the effort that was put into not only the BRO camps I participated in, but the GLOW camps I have seen and the one put on at my site, and of course, one close to my heart, OA national camp. A big thanks goes to the Albanian Volunteer Corps volunteers, those who hosted camps at their sites, giving other volunteers the opportunity to get involved and witness the growth first hand, those who helped out at the camps here in Kuçovë and at other sites, and the counselors at OA camp and other national events.

Talking to a young Albanian volunteer that helped out at the BRO camp here in Vlorë, Albania, really showed me that it is so much bigger than us. It really is for this nation. He was telling me how he has been in contact with Peace Corps volunteers mostly all of his life and it has really impacted him to not just learn from them but to put what he has learned into action. And boy is he an amazing young man. He and the other Albanian volunteers I worked with this summer keep me going. The youth of Albania keep me going and my fellow volunteers keep me going. The more I see, the more I learn and grow and want to serve this country with all that I have. It most definitely is not always easy but just to hear a young person speak about their experiences with past volunteers inspires me and I hope it will inspire me to the end because I am here and I am in it. I am living it and I want to be the change that mentors and molds the change. For those that aspire to be future Peace Corps volunteers and even those serving now, no expectations can mar the change just your presence will make. Don’t give up.

BRO Camp Divjake- Camp I got to observe before ours in Kuçovë

GLOW Kuçovë – a week of exploring the feminist movement, ideas on body image, and empowering these young women in the fact that they are beautiful and powerful; that they can change their lives and the world [GLOW motto]

                        GLOW Kuçovë

BRO Kuçovë – teaching young men that gender norms can be broken; that they don’t have to fit into any mold other than who they are and that they can indeed be in the picture when it comes to the empowerment of women.

         BRO Kuçovë – “In the Kitchen”

OA National Camp – youth from all over Albania gather to not only exert some healthy physical activity, but to learn how they can strengthen the environment within their communities and country.

                       The Counselors

BRO’s “Men in the Kitchen”; Branch of BRO Vlorë

BRO’s “Men in the Kitchen”; Branch of BRO Vlorë

BRO’s “Men in the Kitchen”; Branch of BRO Vlorë

*The views on this site are personal and do not in any way reflect those of the Peace Corps.

3 Ways Human Jesus Saves Me*

Jared Byas

We all have different pictures of Jesus in our heads. There’s White European/American Jesus who generally just creeps me out. And I have sweet Baby Jesus, who I admit, hasn’t done much for me spiritually, but did great things for my toy collection as a kid. But then there’s Human Jesus. Human Jesus changed everything.

I used to be afraid of Human Jesus. Not in the same creepy way as European/American Jesus, but because of what having a God-who-became-human might mean. Of course, I was taught to admit there was a Human Jesus . . . just make sure to quickly add that we all agreed God Jesus is what’s really important. After all, we had to admit Jesus was human, but that didn’t mean we had to like it. I mean, liberals, progressives, and even secular ego-driven, anti-god academics admitted to a Human Jesus. It’s God Jesus that really…

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Albanian Adventures

     Sorry guys. I cannot say I have been faithful to blogging over these past few months. I have not. At all. But here is my biannual contribution to the cause. I will not fill you in on my journey up until now but I will say that it has been a whirlwind thus far. My last post was posted during the first weeks of my Peace Corps training and I guess I haven’t blogged since then because I did not want my blog to fit into some particular mold. Well I guess that the good news is that it does not have to. I felt it necessary for me to start writing right now for you guys because I am literally sitting in a furgon (mini van, Albanian transportation) waiting for the driver to finish up his abrupt fishing trip. Yes, you read that correctly. The driver of my furgon decided to pull over next to the river we were passing between the locations of Valbona and Bajram Curri in order to fish. At 7:15pm. So I had to update my blog ASAP. Let me take you back to the beginning.

Friday, July 17, 2015:

     This is the morning beginning the adventures of myself and Albanian language teacher and dear friend. A while ago we talked about taking a trip to the North of Albania (I pretty much live in the South and she central). The trip would ultimately be made to the furthest point North (Bajram Curri) to visit friends there although there would be a few pit stops along the way. On this day, the 17th, we would first head to the capital, continue to the beautiful city of Shkoder, and stay in a neighboring town. I will briefly say that Shkoder is my dream city. Before getting there I had heard so much about it and from what I’d seen it was very unique and I plan on going there to explore more since we only made a quick stop. In Shkoder we sat in an air conditioned cafe for about two hours and talked because it was just so sweltering hot outside. We also ate at a recommended restaurant and had ice cream afterwards. Later in the afternoon we headed to where we would stay for the night. Let’s just say we were treated extremely well by the volunteers living there. An interesting thing that happened while we were at dinner was my being asked to take a photo with a local mother and her child. I was so drained I almost refused this frequently asked request for the very first time but with the encouragement of friends I gave in once again.

Saturday, July 18th, 2015

     We were “up and at em” pretty early. We caught a furgon around 7 am in order to get to lake Komani to catch a ferry. The ferry would take us to Fierza where we would catch another furgon to meet our friends in BC. Once in BC we would take a 20 minute break and head another 45 minutes or so to beautiful Valbona. The ferry ride was about 2 and a half hours, so pretty long but worth it because the sites were absolutely amazing.

Between Shkoder and Lake Komani

On the ferry

    Valbona was breathtaking as well. Once there a friend and I went splashing around in the coldest water I had ever stepped foot in but it was totally worth it. It will forever be etched into my memories and even have scars to recall the memories. It was just a fun day.

 

Being stranded is never fun 😦

 

Soo cold, soo slippery

Headed to Valbona!

     All of that leads us to where we were in the beginning. Being tired from the ferry ride, getting stranded in Valbona for a while, and getting beat up by slick and slippery rocks (in my case) we all were just ready to head home. But our furgon driver did not think so. Exhibit A:

Yes, he really stopped to fish.

 

Gruaja fut shejtanin me shishe (A woman puts the demon in the bottle)

How does she do it?

     The Albanian woman. How does she do it? How is she so strong? How does she work all day (literally all day) and then come home to cook dinner, do laundry, clean up after dinner, entertain her children, entertain her husband, stay on her feet, and the list goes on.

I am a peace corps volunteer serving in Albania going through pre-service training. During this period my fellow volunteers and I stay with a host family. I am living with my host mama, baba, motër, dhe vëlla (Albanian for mother, father, sister, and brother). I have another sister who is around my age at university in the capital. She also works hard in the household from what I’ve observed (she was here for the weekend when I arrived) and it almost feels like I’m taking her place.

A little about my family:

-Both my host father and host mother work every day of the week, maybe excluding Sundays (not sure yet), making clothing. They work from 10am until around 7 in the evening.

-Once again, my sister is at uni studying to be a nurse.

-Both of my other siblings are in high school.

I just started seeing a lot of my family this week because when I got here this past weekend they were away for a wedding most of my second day. They were working the day that I arrived. Of course mama came home and cooked dinner but I think it was all so overwhelming at first I took the time to observe. I knew that I loved the family dynamic. It reminded me of my own family dynamic. My brother and I were latch key kids. Our parents were working when school got out so we had our house key and made it home to an empty house. So I’m quite used to the dynamic and the independence that it comes with. That’s not to say that our parents weren’t there, they were just doing everything in their power to provide and that meant sacrifice. For the first time since I’ve moved in with my host family, I am seeing that it is the same situation for my host parents. They are trying to provide the best way they know how and they are doing a heck of a job.

Tonight I got to help my host mom made a traditional Albanian dish. My back is hurting all over again just thinking about it. I spent maybe an hour and a half on my feet rolling dough and learning the right way to do it in the process. I’m definitely not complaining though. I saw it as a blessing from God that I got the opportunity to do something I love in a new place. I probably won’t always be fortunate enough to receive such a gift. Whilst helping my host mom though I just started thinking about writing a blog that was basically an ode to Albanian moms, at least to my Albanian mom. I’m not trying to generalize, I just know that this is something a lot of Albanian woman do on the day to day. I am going through cultural training on the topic led by Albanian women/men so I think I am at least partly accurate. All I know is that I can expect my host mom to come home change into more comfortable clothes and head straight for the kitchen. Mostly she is watched but sometimes I see my siblings do their part (i.e. make coffee for baba, help cook, set the table, etc.). Today, I wanted to do my part and everyday I want to do my part.

“You are not alone mama,” I wanted my actions to say. I may not speak great Albanian (yet), but oh what a set of hands can do :). It is 10:08pm and we are just about to eat dinner. That’s just customary in Albanian culture. I’m less concerned about the time and more concerned about watching mama making it all happen in admiration. Thanks mama. Faleminderit mama! You rock! Time to eat this yummy meal. Oh, and I hope this was a small glimspe into Albanian culture. For the next two years, I hope these glimpses add up. Signing off. ✌

More Ramblings

It is hard to believe that just a little over a week ago I flew to Philadelphia for a little pre departure preparation at what the Peace Corps calls staging. I have been contemplating writing again. It should come easily. I have just arrived in another country that I have never been to before with 50+ people I just met, but my brain is blank. I write when I am inspired and you’d think that I have enough inspiration. I guess I just want it to be genuine. When I started this blog it wasn’t just “something to do” for me. It reflected a big step of opening up for me. I want to share with the world who I really am. Everything that I don’t always open my mouth and say can be found here. Those who know me know that I am a very inward person. I think a lot. I am constantly inside of my own head. Writing is my outlet and my desire is to give it to my readers straight (the few that I have).

All of that to say, I don’t know if this post is more out of obligation or inspiration but here it is. Earlier tonight I was in a group with my cohorts, and we were sharing our “Peace Corps blogs”. I was telling one of them that I only write when I am inspired and I guess he was trying to encourage me to write even when I’m not particularly inspired. It is kind of funny in a way because now that I think about it he inspired me to write this post tonight and I decided to write about diversity and how it ties in/will tie in to my Peace Corps experience. It is fitting because during training today we had a panel discussion on diversity.

The three goals of Peace Corps:

1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. To help promote a better understanding of peoples served on the part of Americans.

Peace Corps volunteers cannot complete any of those tasks without embracing diversity. I look at the group of volunteers I came to Albania with and I see a wide array of different people who at diverse in many ways. We are not only different by skin color but by our academic backgrounds, work experience, and hobbies. Each and everyday, at least during training, I get to interact with people who are not just bilingual but TRILINGUAL! People who have been professors. People who have their PhDs! People who play different kinds of instruments. People who have already lived all around the world before coming to Albania. People of different ages and worldviews. Just so many different people all coming to do the same thing: serve. We are set apart in many different ways but alike in atleast one way. I do not think we should suppress this diversity but actually express it to the Albanian people. We can incorporate this diversity into our service. The people of Albania are obviously culturally different from us in a lot of ways but they desire change in their country, which is why they requested us, and we are here to continue implementing the change that those before us started. Maybe this post is not the expected “my initial thoughts on arriving in Albania” but thankfully it doesn’t have to be. I’m a put my fingertips to the keyboard and see where the words lead me type of girl. BUT, they say pictures are with a thousand words:

[Lotta luggage]

[Fellow volunteers]

[Elbasani Castle]

[Elbasani]

Peace Corps Albania Chronicles 1

Ring-a-ling-a-ling. Ring-a-ling-a-ling. That’s the alarm I hear at 5:15 sharp this morning. Most naturally, my being a night owl did not help in this scenario. Five more minutes. My body, full of excitement, dread, and anticipation was not having it! Up and at em’.

Five forty-five am: Fresh out of the shower. Clothes are already picked out. I put on the sweater I plan on wearing and bam, a little too snug. Off. Plaid shirt it is.

Six ten: Headed out. Three heavy items of luggage that I imagine to be filled with three years of things I just cannot live with without…*rolls eyes*.

Eight forty-five am: “You’re now in Jacksonville, Florida.” There is no sign that officially says that (that I’m aware of) but that’s where I was. I was in Jacksonville, Florida, in transit to th airport, where I would embark on the adventure of a lifetime (at least my lifetime).

Nine twenty: Three hefty items of luggage, one laptop case, one roller carry-on, one sleeping bag, one stuffed dog, two pairs of stray shoes tied to the one sleeping bag, and one case full of DVDs/books are packed onto a flat silver rolling device and we’re off to see the wizard.

Letting go of many “needed” things is hard. Paying for luggage is hard. Walking through an airport so bogged down with stuff you can barely move is HARD, but don’t they say the Peace Corps is the hardest job you’ll ever love. Well the hard stuff has begun.

But don’t think there is no grace and redemption in the traumatic experience:
1. My friend, who is more like a dear sister, was there to catch the clothing being thrown out from the hefty luggage to make it lighter.
2. Herbert, an angel of a man I met on the plane to my first destination (Philly) before my final destination (Albania), made the load a lot easier to bear.
A pop of light can always manage to shine through in the darkness of this life.

*nothing stated above reflects the views of the Peace Corps.

Congratulations to Alabama Gays (and a note to the church about how we should—and shouldn’t—respond in light of current events)

The Gospel Speaks

No, I’m really not being cynical or sarcastic when I say “congratulations to Alabama gays.” But let me clarify what I am saying lest I be misinterpreted. I am saying congratulations that you can now enjoy the benefits of civil union, recognized as a couple by the government of the United States of America. I am saying congratulations that you can now enjoy the many tax benefits, estate planning benefits, government, employee, medical, and death benefits offered by the government that the rest of us married folk have been able to enjoy for some time now. I truly am glad that America has ceased in this regard from their bigotry and hypocrisy in espousing “freedom” (assuming their definition of freedom) and equal opportunity for all, and yet have only now made this available to you. Anyone who takes an honest look at what America calls freedom can only conclude that…

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