I’ve already mentioned that the main floor of my house is a store and a salon. “Salon” is really a loose term since there are only two chairs, but still. In my third week here, my host mom and her students highlighted my hair. But they didn’t want to stop there: my host mom wanted to dye my hair grey. Apparently it’s pretty popular here, but my Albanian isn’t good enough to explain that to an American, grey hair is indicative of age. Today in class, my language teacher told me that my mom really wanted to do it but respected my repeated nos.
There have been a few washes, blow dries and manicures this whole time, which can really spoil a person. I’ve also used the salon blow dryer because the idea of using my American hair dryer with an adapter is terrifying to me. In a country with somewhat fluctuating electricity (there are surges and outages, although they have occurred far less than I originally thought), the last thing you want to do is plug in an appliance from another country that heats up. I’ve already heard stories of some sparks and some really, really bad smells when fuses blow.
For the wedding we went to on Sunday, my host mom’s students used tiny curling irons to practically perm my hair. Then they sprayed more hair spray on my head to hold the curls than all the hair spray I’ve ever had collectively in my life. Should be interesting to see how it washes out later tonight!
Oh, and one more thing: when I was at the salon one morning, one of the customers came up to me and told me I was very white and that it was beautiful. So that’s for all you haters over the years who made fun of me because I was too busy studying to do weird things like go out in the sun.
Monday, April 20, 2009
A Word about the Language
I thought for this entry, I’d talk a little bit about the language. At this point, Albanian may be one of the harder languages that I’ve learned. But I can use a lot of things I learned in other languages to help me with my current studies.
Here’s why it’s so hard (and it’s not because it has 36 letters, which most Albanians will cite as the key reason that the language is difficult):
1. Definite and indefinite. Albanian has no “a” or “the” like we do in English. Instead, you can tell by the ending of a word whether you are talking about “an apple,” “the apple,” “some apples,” or “the apples.” It’s a lot to wrap your head around. Definite nouns also apply to names. For example, you can say either Ervin (an Albanian name) or Ervinit. The difference? The second literally means, “The Ervin” and you use it for stress purposes.
2. Every other verb we learn seems to be irregular. Sometimes you have verbs that are regular in the present tense but irregular in the past. Great, guys. The think about irregular verbs is that you just have to memorize them to learn.
3. Adjectives follow nouns and match the gender and number of the noun they describe. I know that already because it’s the same in Italian, but it’s still a little difficult to grasp.
We’ve spent the last week on these two items in particular, which has lead to a lot of mind blowing in our Albanian classes. I feel like a parrot sometimes: I have memorized phrases and can respond to certain questions, but the minute conversation strays to something that wasn’t covered in my book, it’s back to the deer in headlights look.
However, most people know what you’re talking about. Here are some recent gems I made up on the fly in the grocery store: “Can buy 6 or 7 potatoes?” or “Can buy little cheese?” Or creating sentences using two words, as in: “Montenegro, good?” when I asked my host dad about his recent trip. We can’t forget the classic maneuver of using the present tense to talk about the past, as in “Today I go to school,” instead of “today I went to school.”
Although I go around sounding like a moron most of the time, using my limited language and miming skills gets me through most daily communication.
Here’s why it’s so hard (and it’s not because it has 36 letters, which most Albanians will cite as the key reason that the language is difficult):
1. Definite and indefinite. Albanian has no “a” or “the” like we do in English. Instead, you can tell by the ending of a word whether you are talking about “an apple,” “the apple,” “some apples,” or “the apples.” It’s a lot to wrap your head around. Definite nouns also apply to names. For example, you can say either Ervin (an Albanian name) or Ervinit. The difference? The second literally means, “The Ervin” and you use it for stress purposes.
2. Every other verb we learn seems to be irregular. Sometimes you have verbs that are regular in the present tense but irregular in the past. Great, guys. The think about irregular verbs is that you just have to memorize them to learn.
3. Adjectives follow nouns and match the gender and number of the noun they describe. I know that already because it’s the same in Italian, but it’s still a little difficult to grasp.
We’ve spent the last week on these two items in particular, which has lead to a lot of mind blowing in our Albanian classes. I feel like a parrot sometimes: I have memorized phrases and can respond to certain questions, but the minute conversation strays to something that wasn’t covered in my book, it’s back to the deer in headlights look.
However, most people know what you’re talking about. Here are some recent gems I made up on the fly in the grocery store: “Can buy 6 or 7 potatoes?” or “Can buy little cheese?” Or creating sentences using two words, as in: “Montenegro, good?” when I asked my host dad about his recent trip. We can’t forget the classic maneuver of using the present tense to talk about the past, as in “Today I go to school,” instead of “today I went to school.”
Although I go around sounding like a moron most of the time, using my limited language and miming skills gets me through most daily communication.
A Big Day
Friday was a huge day, probably one of the single most important days I will have over the next two years: site placement announcements. After attending several sessions at a conference for English teachers, the big moment finally came.
Let me preface this by saying that my only concern about placement was how far I’d be from my family. I’d say that in four weeks here, I’ve grown closer to my Albanian family than I ever did in eleven months with my previous host family. So although I tried to be at peace with whatever was in my envelope, I was worried how I would react if I would be far. In bed the night before, I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine even if I wasn’t close to them… that going through PST and moving out was just the natural progression of things, and that even if I would be far, I could always visit.
With these thoughts in mind, I opened up my placement envelope and nervously looked inside. A wave of relief swept over me when I figured out that I would be about an hour away. As I continued to read the details of my placement, I became more and more at ease. On paper, it looks great: very close to Durres, a large city; teaching at a technical high school focusing on business and tourism; close to another very cool volunteer; and a 5KM-long beach. I don’t want to get too excited, but I see a lot of potential and the ability to use my skill set to really serve my community and my students. The site has had two previous volunteers and I would like to continue with some projects that they have started. In a few weeks, I will meet my future counterparts, students and community stakeholders and see my future site. I can’t wait!
We had mid-training reviews in language and technical aspects, and they told me I might as well go home and pack my bags immediately. Kidding! They went great. I appreciate that our teachers and training managers are always giving and asking for feedback. The team has done so much work to help us learn the language, culture, and customs. Another part of the team looks for our housing and identifies placement sites, which oftentimes involves multiple visits to the sites and frequent contact with community leaders and counterparts. It’s a lot of logistics and organization and it is greatly appreciated.
On Tuesday, our teaching practicum begins. During the next two weeks, we will teach classes and observe many more in the mornings. In the afternoons, we will continue with language study and spend Fridays at the central training hub. It’s really going to start picking up around here, but I’ll try my best to update with all the news.
Today we had a cultural day where we made American food and our families brought Albanian food. The food turned into a giant dance party later. My teacher liked the pierogies I painstakingly made and gave me the “may your hands be blessed,” compliment. I’ve cooked a few things for my host family and so far they have been well-received. It’s no small feat given that I have to incredibly alter my recipes through conversion and lack of ingredients. Creativity is key! Tomorrow I’m going to a wedding with my host parents, so I’ll be getting a bite from the dancing bug again tomorrow.
Let me preface this by saying that my only concern about placement was how far I’d be from my family. I’d say that in four weeks here, I’ve grown closer to my Albanian family than I ever did in eleven months with my previous host family. So although I tried to be at peace with whatever was in my envelope, I was worried how I would react if I would be far. In bed the night before, I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine even if I wasn’t close to them… that going through PST and moving out was just the natural progression of things, and that even if I would be far, I could always visit.
With these thoughts in mind, I opened up my placement envelope and nervously looked inside. A wave of relief swept over me when I figured out that I would be about an hour away. As I continued to read the details of my placement, I became more and more at ease. On paper, it looks great: very close to Durres, a large city; teaching at a technical high school focusing on business and tourism; close to another very cool volunteer; and a 5KM-long beach. I don’t want to get too excited, but I see a lot of potential and the ability to use my skill set to really serve my community and my students. The site has had two previous volunteers and I would like to continue with some projects that they have started. In a few weeks, I will meet my future counterparts, students and community stakeholders and see my future site. I can’t wait!
We had mid-training reviews in language and technical aspects, and they told me I might as well go home and pack my bags immediately. Kidding! They went great. I appreciate that our teachers and training managers are always giving and asking for feedback. The team has done so much work to help us learn the language, culture, and customs. Another part of the team looks for our housing and identifies placement sites, which oftentimes involves multiple visits to the sites and frequent contact with community leaders and counterparts. It’s a lot of logistics and organization and it is greatly appreciated.
On Tuesday, our teaching practicum begins. During the next two weeks, we will teach classes and observe many more in the mornings. In the afternoons, we will continue with language study and spend Fridays at the central training hub. It’s really going to start picking up around here, but I’ll try my best to update with all the news.
Today we had a cultural day where we made American food and our families brought Albanian food. The food turned into a giant dance party later. My teacher liked the pierogies I painstakingly made and gave me the “may your hands be blessed,” compliment. I’ve cooked a few things for my host family and so far they have been well-received. It’s no small feat given that I have to incredibly alter my recipes through conversion and lack of ingredients. Creativity is key! Tomorrow I’m going to a wedding with my host parents, so I’ll be getting a bite from the dancing bug again tomorrow.
Monday, April 13, 2009
I am learning!
We are coming up on the end of week three, almost one-third of the way through PST (that’s “Pre-service Training” to those of you not in tune with Peace Corps abbreviations). At this point, we continue to have language lessons 4 – 5 hours per day, Monday through Saturday. We have also begun our community service projects. My group would like to organize a hike/picnic/game day. So we will see how the project continues to develop. One day a week, we get to observe classes in local schools. It’s been quite an eye-opener and has given me a chance to see the rewards and problems of teaching.
This past weekend, I visited the port city of Durres. It has everything a nerd like me could need: history, archaeology museum, a Roman amphitheater, and more history. The visit to Durres was part of a larger weekend that I spent visiting a current volunteer who lives close to the city. The “volunteer visit,” as it is called, gives us an opportunity to see what our lives may be like as volunteers. My volunteer has really created a nice life for herself here. Some of her activities include: teaching at a high school, tutoring her school director and supporting teachers at a private foreign language school. We spent this past Monday following her throughout her daily activities and it has given me a lot to reflect on.
Things are really starting to pick up here as far as work is concerned. Our teaching practica start in just two weeks. During those fourteen days, we will teach, co-teach and observe each others’ classes. It’s a bit of a dry run where we can get some practical experience and some feedback. I am a little nervous, but most of me thinks that just rolling up my sleeves and getting in there is the best approach.
Family life continues to go well. I am integrating into my family, picking up more and more of the language, and I feel supported by the PC staff and by my family. This feeling of comfort has made the adjustment painless for me. I am very grateful and I always make sure to show it.
The people here are amazing. They have shown us guests so many kindnesses, from the most minute to the largest. On our way home from the volunteer visit, our volunteer told two women (a grandmother and granddaughter with baby) where we were going and to look after us. The women engaged us in conversation and lead us by the hand to where we were going when it came time to change furgons. This kind of thing literally happens all the time to us here.
I am meeting many people here, too. Most of the time, I don’t remember their names, but everyone certainly knows who I am. Today I went to a neighboring village to observe a class. A young boy knew who I was, but I didn’t know him. He then told me that I went to a party at his uncle’s house. This kind of thing also happens all the time, but when you’re one of six Americans in a village, you aren’t usually surprised when it does.
This past weekend, I visited the port city of Durres. It has everything a nerd like me could need: history, archaeology museum, a Roman amphitheater, and more history. The visit to Durres was part of a larger weekend that I spent visiting a current volunteer who lives close to the city. The “volunteer visit,” as it is called, gives us an opportunity to see what our lives may be like as volunteers. My volunteer has really created a nice life for herself here. Some of her activities include: teaching at a high school, tutoring her school director and supporting teachers at a private foreign language school. We spent this past Monday following her throughout her daily activities and it has given me a lot to reflect on.
Things are really starting to pick up here as far as work is concerned. Our teaching practica start in just two weeks. During those fourteen days, we will teach, co-teach and observe each others’ classes. It’s a bit of a dry run where we can get some practical experience and some feedback. I am a little nervous, but most of me thinks that just rolling up my sleeves and getting in there is the best approach.
Family life continues to go well. I am integrating into my family, picking up more and more of the language, and I feel supported by the PC staff and by my family. This feeling of comfort has made the adjustment painless for me. I am very grateful and I always make sure to show it.
The people here are amazing. They have shown us guests so many kindnesses, from the most minute to the largest. On our way home from the volunteer visit, our volunteer told two women (a grandmother and granddaughter with baby) where we were going and to look after us. The women engaged us in conversation and lead us by the hand to where we were going when it came time to change furgons. This kind of thing literally happens all the time to us here.
I am meeting many people here, too. Most of the time, I don’t remember their names, but everyone certainly knows who I am. Today I went to a neighboring village to observe a class. A young boy knew who I was, but I didn’t know him. He then told me that I went to a party at his uncle’s house. This kind of thing also happens all the time, but when you’re one of six Americans in a village, you aren’t usually surprised when it does.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)