March 30, 2016

I am not making fun of Good Friday (which I value as a reminder of Christ's death), but I am making a play on words. Last Friday was good in as far as people goes. I gave back the tests my Chemistry 11 students had taken the day before, and then Bardhe stepped in and very willingly took my class while I consulted with Klementina, the principal of Lezha Academic Center about some school items since that was the first day she was back from her several week trip to the US.

Since Fridays are "early-release" days, we had a half-hour all-school assembly after classes and then after the students left we hads a faculty and staff pot-luck picnic. Both of these were good events to share in with other persons. 

Senior Class Skit in Italian (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Eleventh Grade Class at LAC Assembly (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Artjola and Kristi Up Close (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

At the potluck picnic, I enjoyed getting several informal close-up photos of my colleagues at LAC. 

Alba Gestures and Ponders (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Tone and Ina Pose As Friends (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Sonila Considers the Conversation (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Josh Enjoys What's Happening Around Him (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Julie Observes It All (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Edona Voices a Puzzle (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Robert Looks Further Down the Table (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Dini and Klementina Host Us from the End of the Table (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Looking at the Feast to My Left (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Looking at the Feast to My Right (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Morela Cuts One of the Cakes for Dessert (25-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

It was a good day. "Thank you, God, for friends and students." 

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March 28, 2016

Happy Easter! This is the greeting (the Albanian words in the title) we shared and heard many times on this Easter Sunday. Here are a few photos telling the story of our day.  

 My dear friend and brother in Christ invited me to watch the sunrise from the castle here in Lezhë. So I was up at 5 a.m. to do a basin shower since our water is not on at that time. By 6:10 I was outside waiting for the Sun to rise outside of our apartment, but it was cloudy. (The street light gives a greenish cast to the scene while the neighbor's light in their apartment is more yellowish.)

A Cloudy Dawn Arrives at Our Apartment (2nd floor on left) (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Dini picked me up, and we were up at the castle looking eastward by soon after 6:30. (Daylight Saving Time had come on during the night, so sunrise was  an hour later than Saturday.) In the quietness of the dawn, Dini pointed out the four tunnels to the left in the photo below and began to talk about his three years in the Army during communist times. He eventually became a commander of as unit in charge of a "TOP" gun (probably a KS-19 manufactured by Russia after WWII) near Shëngjin.

This led us to talk about how after becoming a Christian, Dini gained an awareness of the global nature of God's family and Christ's way of peace.  To me these are specially dear understandings of God's kingdom. We also shared in some Scripture reading and prayer before we left the top of the hill with a renewed thankfulness for God's love, forgiveness and power.

At the Castle Looking toward the East as the Sun Rises (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Gun Tunnels Illustrating Humans Failed Attempts to Protect Ourselves with Violence (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Decaying Barracks Where Soldiers Who Manned the Guns Had Lived (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Another Look out over the City of Lezhë (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The castle at Lezhë dates from sometime BC and has been rebuilt a couple of times since. Sometime Elsie and I must go visit it when it is open. 

The Whole Castle Fortress (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The Castle Close Up (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

One of the Locations Showing Continued Archeological Work (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Later Easter morning(at our 10 a.m. church service) two groups gave us a reminded that the church really is global. First there was the singing in Albanian, then the Shahini's, Moyer's and us (the Bowman's) sang two Easter hymns in English follwed by the Tatari's, Marques's and Francis's brother's  families singing in Portuguese.

Klementina, Elsie, Betsy, Phil, me and Dini Singing (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman; by Norma [thanks!])

The Tartari, Francis' Brother's, and the Marques' Families Singing (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

In his sermon, Pastor Rafael reminded us of what Paul wrote in Colosians 2:13b-14.

"God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross."

Toni Helps Rafael Do a Visual Interpretation of Col. 2:13-14 (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

After church, with the other expatriate teachers gone on various trips into other countries for Spring Break from Lezha Academic Center, we three couples went to lunch at a seafood restaurant in Shëngjin. It was good food and good conversation (fun and serous). 

Even before the Food Arrived, the Conversation Flowed (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

And of course I had to stop outside of the restaurant before we entered in order to photograph the plum tree in bloom. "Thank you, God, for the beauty of the natural world around us!"

Fi (27-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

By the way, the proper response to "Gësuar Pashkët!" is simply "Gësuar!"   

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March 15, 2016

Below are the last 35 of the 55 photos I have had ready to post. They show more of the events and settings of our lives during the past several weeks here in Lezhë. Hope you enjoy seeing our friends and the places we live. 

I begin with a photo of all who attended a congregational leaders meeting of all in formal ministry through the congregation. Rafael called it for 5 p.m. on Friday evening, February 26.

First Meeting of Church Leaders in Formal Ministry (26-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

After the meeting several of us went to the restaurant that specializes in rotisserie chicken for our dinner. 

The Owner's Daughter Gets Our Chicken from the Oven (26-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

On the following Sunday Phil and Betsy Moyer hosted the expatriate teachers and staff from LAC at a Brilant Restaurant on Patok Lagoon. The restaurant is named for one of the students at LAC whose parents own it.

Waling to the Mini-bus We Pass a Bundle of Wires (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Placing the Order for Our Food (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Some of the Side Dishes that Came with Our Fish (and Other Meats) (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Fishermen Out on the Lagoon (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Seagull Soars Near the Restaurant with the Fishermen in the Distance (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie and Dini Shahini Stand by the Restaurant's Sign (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

On the way back to the city of Lezhë, I captured a few other vistas I thought were signifiicant.

A Chicken Follows a Milk Cow Grazing New Grass (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The Limited-access Highway to Tirana as Seen from the Bus (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

A Bus from Tirana Passes Our Miini-bus (28-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

On Monday we had a slightly belated celebration for the birthday of Edona, an Albanian teacher of mathematics in the LAC middle school grades. The cake was good, and Edona is a good teacher.

Edona Eyes Her Birthday Cakes with Principal Klementina (29-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Mirela (Cook at LAC) Serves the Cake to Faculty and Staff (29-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The next day was test day for my Chemistry 11 students. Below is a composite of two images I took of them at work.

Chemistry 11 Students Take a Test (1-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

On Thursday, March 3, LAC sponsored its first annual fundraising dinner. Friends and parents were invited to purchase tickets and to bring another couple to the event. The close to 100 guests exceeded hopes by double. Principal Klementina Shahini declared it a very successful event. Elsie and I had a good time meeting and talking with four persons from University of New YorkTirana. This private university is one that LAC will continue to have conversations with.

Tow of the Tables Begin to Fill up (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

This Table Is Filling up with LAC Faculty and Staff (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

This Live Music Ensemble Begins to Share Their Selections (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Mr. Balla Voluntarily Sang Several Selections Enjoyed by All (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Ina Yzeiraj Emceed the Evening (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Principal Klementina Shahini Welcomed Everyone (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

One Tasty Entrée Was a Foil Dinner (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Drs. Giakoumis and Moyer Talk History and Biology (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

UNYT Profs Vajjhala and Giakoumis Share a Moment (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

LAC Teacher Robert Cook and His Wife, Mira, Came Well Turned Out (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Samuel, Son of Francis and Juliana Marques Seems Ready to Enjoy the Meal (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Juliana Marques and Norma Telos Enjoy Some Good Conversaiton (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

The Silent Auction Contained Two of My Photos (3-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The afternoon of the next day was  parent-teacher conference time for LAC. Since most high school courses are taught in English, We all gather in one room and have one of the teachers who knows Albanian to be the translator for us with the parents. That works well,. It was a good time, but took three hours instead of the scheduled one hour.

 

LAC High School Teachers Get Ready for Paret-Teacher Conferences (4-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

In preparation for a sermon on what Jesus taught about the use and abuse of money and its power, I took a photo of some of our money (Lek) here in Albania.   

 

Albanian Lek (5-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

We buy a lot of items we need in the numerous small shops around Lezhë,  but we also buy items at the bigger supermarket called "Big Market."

Looking for Bathroom Air Fresheners (5-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

A Young Girl Helps Her Mother at Big Market (5-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

I missed my best friend (Elsie) at the Sunday worship service on March 6, but she was trying to recover her energy and reduce her paon from a flare up of her lupus/arthritis. We both agreed it was best for her to spend the morning resting at home.

 

A Few Attendees Arrived Early at Church (6-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

An Informal Welcoming Group Assists Dini in Greeting People (6-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

That Sunday the church was full with standing room only.

 

The Congregation Stood to Sing (6-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Below is the title slide for my sermon. (Click on the link for a pdf file of the sermon.) Hopefully God used it for his purposes.

Title Slide for My Sermon (6-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The time after the worship service is always a good time to meet and talk with others abut their week past and the week ahead.

Angelina and Juliana Share a Moment (6-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

We continue to feel at home here in Lezhë as we live and work here and learn new friends and more language.

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March 11, 2016

It has been three weeks since I have posted any photos or text on this blog. Wow! That does say something about our busyness. And this weekend we are planning on being with several international teachers from Lezha Academic Center as we visit Ohrid, Macedonia. Hopefully that will be fun and relaxing.

So here are some of the more than 50 photos that are waiting for their spot in this blog. (And I have just done my usual of anthropomorphizing an inanimate object!)

Friday Evening at My Bar 2 for Pizza, Etc. (19-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

On Saturday morning and into the afternoon, we spent nearly four hours visiting Mira and Robert Cook and their two children (Emily and Joseph). What fun!

Reminding Us of Our Own Grandchildren (20-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Younger Brother Watches Older Sister Carefully (20-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Sunday was worship time with fellow believers at the Guri i Themelit building with sufllaqe afterwards. 

"Zoti Eshtë Besnik" (God is faithful) (21-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie Adds to the Money Pot for Sufllaqe at Castro's (21-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Someone wanted a photo with me in it, so I took one using the time-delayed shutter on my camera during one of my Chemistry 11 classes. 

In Front of the Chemistry 11 Class t LACs (22-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

That last week of February, I also decided to document some of the interesting building designs I see regularly on my way to and from our apartment and LAC. 

One of Several Interesting Building Designs in Lezhë (22-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

A Building with the Middle Floor Awaiting Occupants (22-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

An Eleven-story Building Completed Since We Arrived in Lezhë (22-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Across from the Net Center Are Buildings in Process (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The intersection near the bridge over the Drini near the market is a busy one. 

Mothers Walk Their Young Children Home from School (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

I'm Glad to See Fathers Walking Their Children Home from School, too (7-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

At the Market Live Chickens Await Being Sold for the Cooking Pot (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Outside of the Market Building (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Another Day, Another View of Outside of the Market (1-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Bedding Plants Were Purchased and Readied for Wheeling Home (2-Mar-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Life at LAC continues to throb with energy. 

Once a Week After School We Take Albanian Lauguage Lessons (23-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Rice Pilaf Tastes Good and Is Filling (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

After Lunch Time Students Line up by Class to Return to Their Rooms (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

At Our Apartment a Faucet Needs Fixing and Waits for Me to Call the Landlord (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

These are just a few of my recent photos capturing slices of our life in Lezhë. We are thankful for this time and place for us in Albania.

--©2014-16, Richard L. Bowman

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