LIKE: COFFEE OR CAPPUCHINO EVERYDAY!
After a solid week in Korce, Albania, I have formed some opinions and made some observations about the people and the culture. Here they are:
Like: Korce is known for their apples; it feels like fall in Wisconsin because apples are in abundance (and admittedly better than apples in the States). You can get a whole bag for a buck!
Dislike: Chivalry is dead here. In South America, men would jump out of their bus seat if a woman was standing. On a recent trip with the college students to a nearby village, the young men staked their claim on their seats and had the “Heck no, I’m not giving up my seat!” look on their face.
Like: Focus is relationships. At the same “picnic” with the students, we spent time conversing over coffee, then played team games and enjoyed the afternoon. If you were hungry, you’d grab a piece of bread and sausage. In the States, the focus for a picnic is usually the spread that you can put out; it’s refreshing to take the focus off food.
Dislike: Most men smoke here. Yuck. Do these people know what they are doing to their lungs? And my lungs? None of the restaurants or coffee shops are smoke-free, so my chances for lung cancer are greatly increasing this month.
Like: People focus on relationships here through coffee. That’s right, everyone drinks coffee! When you want to hang out with students or friends or chill by yourself, you can choose from the hundreds of coffee shops in the area. A cappuccino only costs $1 here…all I gotta say is that Starbucks has got to be makin’ a fortune!
LEFT: A TYPICAL CAPPUCINO RIGHT: A "HOT CHOCOLATE", LITERALLY A CUP OF MELTED CHOCOLATE.
Dislike: The clothing color of choice for most people is black, gray or brown. Drab. The young men on campus typically wear a black leather jacket with jeans- I kinda feel like I’m on the set of Grease…
A NORMAL DAY ON CAMPUS. ONE BRAVE SOUL WORE ORANGE…PROBABLY TO CELEBRATE FALL.
Like: The food. Lots of veggies, salads and fruit. Our contacts are great cooks and have made us many traditional Albanian meals. I feel like I can make healthy choices and still eat within our food budget…with the occasional gyro or slice of pizza! Oh, and don’t forget the fresh baked bread from one of the many bakeries…ah, and the cheese. Wisconsin girls like their cheese!
A TYPICAL "GREEK SALAD" TOP IT WITH SOME OLIVE OIL AND PEPPER=DELICIOUS!
Dislike: No shower curtains. These people really got to get up to date on this one. Each bathroom has tile floors and walls so that you can mop up the water after you shower but I think it would be much easier to just put up a shower curtain. Just sayin’…
Like: I can exercise! It’s finally safe for me to run or walk by myself, so I’ve been enjoying the morning jog. Though it’s a bit brisk and people stare at me like I’m crazy, I’ve been enjoying putting in a few miles. I’ve clocked about 10 miles around the town and hope to put in more!
Neutral: The greeting. 4 kisses on the cheek…start to the right, then left, then right, then left. End with an embrace. I’m not opposed, it can just get awkward when you’re used to South America when you start on the left side and just give one kiss. And you get kinda dizzy if you have to greet multiple people in a row.
Like: The scenery. I feel like I’m in a quaint ski town, without the skiing. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
VOSKOPOJE, ALBANIA
POGRADEC, ALBANIA. A LARGE LAKE THAT BORDERS MACEDONIA.
A PARK IN POGRADEC.
SWANS. JUST FLOATIN' AROUND AT LAKE OHRID.
ME. JUST FLOATIN' AROUND ON LAKE OHRID. OKAY, I WAS STANDING ON A PIER…
