by Richard L. Bowman
February 12, 2014
February 9, 2014
February 8, 2014
February 7, 2014
February 6, 2014
Our Trip to Tirana
As we teachers approached Tirana at about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 8, we were to see many sights. But first let's see how to spell Tirana (or is it Tiranë?) I still am not clear on when to use it or Lezha the one way and when to spell each with the ë at the end. When I definitively find out, I'll be sure to let all of you know.
From Inside the Hired Mini-bus (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The first thing we did was to feast on petulla which Cindy treated us all to. Petulla is a fried dough much like funnel cakes in Virginia, USA, but as a ball of dough.
A Petulla Cart--Yumm!! (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Tirana is a thriving modern city with many tall buildings and some old history and culture. There are plans to build a number of iconic towers in Tirana, one of the first is the TID Tower, which is shown below.
TID Tower, Tirana, Albania (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Nearby are two older cultural icons--the clock tower and the mosque.
Clock Tower, Tirana, Albania (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Muslim Mosque, Tirana, Albania (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Another tall tower is already under construction with more to follow.
Another Tower Under Construction (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
While we were at the Opera House in Tirana, a funeral for Albania's best-loved singer, Vace Zela, was underway. Thanks to Lisa Mast, here is a link to a news article on her life.
Funeral for Albania's Beloved Singer, Vace Zela (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And there were plenty of other sights to fill our day.
Beef Products Truck (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Albanian Flag Blowing in a Breeze (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Eggs Galore!! (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Coffee and Conversation at a Sidewalk Cafe (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The last place we visited was a large, multi-storied mall. On ground floor was a large department store rivaling Wal-Mart in the USA.
Carrefour, a Large Department Store (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
It was good to see how the people in a metropolis like Tirana lived and worked, but I was glad to get back home to Lezhë and its friendly people and small shops and even the noisy students. Thank you, God, for calling us to Lezha Academic Center for this time!
February 9, 2014
A Trip to Tiranë
About 10 a.m.. CET yesterday (Saturday), a number of expatriate teachers from the US and Italy gathered at Lezha Academic Center for an outing to Tiranë. On the way to the school, we walked past the auto-parts shop again,, and I took a street-view photo. It is the second shop from the left.
Sidewalk Shops Including the Auto Parts One (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
As we waited for everyone to gather before loading the van, it was suggested that I take a photo of Elsie in her "obvious" color-coordinated outfit. Even if that is the only purse she has here in Albania!
Elsie Ready and Color-coordinated for the Tirana Trip (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Then we loaded the van and were off for the day.
Loading the Van for Our Trip (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Along the way (basically heading south), we saw off to the east beyond the closest mountains some snow-covered taller ones. The snowy peaks probably included Dejë and Lura Mountains. These tallest peaks closest to Lezhë and Trianë are 2246 m (7368 ft) and 2121 m (6959 ft) respectively. Both the closer range and the snowy ones are part of the Dinaric Alps in southern Europe along the est side of the Adriatic Sea..
Snow-covered Mountains to the East (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
More Snowy Peaks to the East (8-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
I'll post more photos from Saturday in Tirana either later today or tomorrow.
February 8, 2014
A Touch of Art
Last evening as we waited at Kristi's Restaurant for some of the other teachers, I noticed the first quarter Moon nearby the leaves on a palm tree.
First Quarter Moon and Palm Tree Leaves (7-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Today a van load of us are travelling to Tiranë for some sightseeing, recreation, good conversation and rejuvenation of body and spirit. We seek God and his peace, grace and wisdom!
February 7, 2014
It Is Not the Olympics, but...
This is here in Lezhë. Remember clear back on January 29 I posted a photo I took of the outside front of the "foot boll" stadium. (See below).
Football (Soccer) Stadium in Lezhë (7-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Well on my walk to the school this morning, I stopped and took a few pictures of the inside of the stadium since the entrance door was open. I was surprised about how open the other three sides of the stadium are.
View from Inside the Soccer Stadium (7-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The Bleachers (7-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Under the stadium bleachers from the street side there are several shops. I discovered that one of them is at least twice as large as I expected from the outside. And that shop did have a coffee mug I needed to buy to keep in the faculty lounge for my hot tea.
I also visited a shop that looked dusty and small and cluttered with old auto items. However, I learned that it is in fact an auto parts shop. The two men in front of me came out with two huge brand new shock absorbers which I am sure must have been for a truck. I also did find the WD-40 substitute that I was looking for. While we did not understand much of each other's language, I appreciated his friendly helpfulness.
Auto Parts Shop Keeper in His Shop (7-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Lisa Mast has been a great helper in my classroom at LAC even though she has no assigned role other than to be there. Today she was able to spot and "encourage" a student to abandon his disruptive behavior. Her piano playing is also soothing before or after school.
Lisa Mast at Her Computer (7-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Lisa was willing to take some photos of me teaching the seniors in the second block period. Hopefully I add more to the educational program than just looking like Santa Claus, which the students have noted!!
Me Teaching the Seniors Some Physics (7-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And I cannot leave today's post without recognizing that today I ate my first hamburger in Albania. It was served to the students and saff who ate lunch in the cafeteria. It really is a "ham" burger and comes with French fries all inside the bun on top of the ham. Very tasty!
February 6, 2014
Activities: Organizing, Cooking, and Singing (just for example)
Elsie has been working diligently the past four days to get the library at Lezha Academic Center ready to open. Today she completed alphabetizing all of the fiction books. However, tomorrow she will be staying in our apartment while I go to LAC to teach my physics classes. This will give her a chance to keep her lupus and rheumatoid arthritis from getting out of hand. In my opinion she has been a courageous and wise woman here in Albania, as she usually is!
Elsie Works in the LAC Library (5-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Mirela tries to ensure that the students and the faculty who eat in the cafeteria get good food on a limited food budget. Elsie and I enjoy our relationship with her in spite of our difficulty communicating through each other's language. She is a happy teacher helping Elsie to learn more Albanian.
A Friendly Cook Is Important to All (5-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
This evening I graded the first homework set the students turned in, and they just did that today. So maybe I am turning over a new leaf in my teaching career of grading on time! If you are interested, you may check out the website I designed for the students in my physics course for eleventh and twelfth grade students at LAC.
Yesterday after school was finished at 5 p.m., some of the teachers gathered in the music room to sing from Hymnal: a Worship Book, Sing the Journey, and Sing the Story. It was a fun to end the day, and it also became a time for teachers to vent some of their frustrations.
Some Teachers Singing Together after Hours at LAC (5-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Today seemed to be a very good day for me in teaching. I had fun and was invigorated, and the students seemed to be engaged. There was even opportunities to learn more about the students personally and to open myself up to them. As class ended one of the women asked me how I decided to become a pastor. It was neat to tell her a bit of my story and to hear from her seat mate that she is planning on becoming a pastor, too. She has already been accepted in some college or universities in the USA, but she has not deiced where she will go.
Tomorrow will be another day that God will have made, and we will try to remember that it is his day and thus we can rejoice in it.
--©2014, Richard L. Bowman
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