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.