Early Impressions of Peshkopi

I haven't posted recently because my internet isn't set up yet. It's at least partially intentional that I haven't done so. I still haven't finished The Lonesome Dove yet but wouldn't be nearly as close as I am with a distraction like the internet. So, I imagine that I'll continue being productive and put off getting internet for a little while longer.

Anyhow, like the rest of Albania, Peshkopi is very beautiful. The city is small and Wikipedia says that it's 651 meters above sea level. As a result, the air here is extremely clean. Air cleanliness has never been something that I noticed before. However, I stop every now and then for a deep breath and it truly feels different how the fresh air fills your lungs.

My apartment is a rare dream come true. Ever since I applied to the Peace Corps, I imagined writing at a desk with a view of a foreign land. Although I didn't put much stock in this dream, it's a source of constant contentment to sit there and fantasizingly feel like Hemingway.

My desk in front of my window

The view from my apartment

My first homemade meal in Peshkopi--a vegetable soup

First attempt at pilaf. Although the yogurt container on the right may not look appetizing, it's one of my favorite Albanian dishes. It's called 'tarator' and its few ingredients are plain yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, a little olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

Pie that I made for my teachers

Finishing Pre-Service Training and Leaving Peqin

Tomorrow, I'm leaving Peqin. My suitcase is almost packed and I'm saying my 'see you in five weeks' to all my friends. Ever since I received my site placement, time has gone by very quickly. Almost every day, I have been in Elbasan this week. The constant routine makes it hard to remember anything particularly noteworthy. However, one definite highlight of this week is that I found the closest thing to an americano that I have encountered in Albania. I asked for it as I usually do in my broken Shqip: "I want a big cup. I want a double espresso. And, I want hot water." The waiter gave me a 'duh' look and asked, "Americano?" After, eight weeks without a coffee larger than a cup, you can't imagine how wonderful it was to be finally understood. Gulping down that americano felt like a religious experience.

I came up with some goals for May. They'll be posted on my fridge once I get to Peshkopi.
- Finish The Lonesome Dove 
- Start Ulysses and finish it by Bloomsday (June 16)
- Make one decoration for the house
- Make sweets for my neighbors
- Try making white rice
- Memorize the names of every teacher at my school
- Find a piano
- Backup hard drive
- Listen to a full album that I've never heard before (in one sitting and without doing anything else)
- Take one day completely off

Dinner two nights ago

Nice family from near by

Delicious homemade strawberry jam that I ate the other day

Adriatik with his coat hanger in progress

Peshkopi

Today, I received word that I am assigned to work in Peshkopi for the next two years! I know next to nothing about the city, so I'm not going to spend much time talking about it. However, I hear that it has a lovely boulevard for the nightly promenade and that the winters will be frigid. Though I've been sweating in my 20 degree sleeping bag until now, I'll be able to make good use of it in Peshkopi and am excited to have a wood furnace in my apartment.

Here's some neat graffiti that I found around Elbasan: