It was only inevitable that my blog-posting would drop off. However, due to the encouragement of a friend (thanks Allyson!), I'm going to do my best to write a little more faithfully. Once a month at the least.
Life in Peshkopi continues to be more or less the same. School, volleyball, and cooking dinner compose the majority of my days. However, falling into this rhythm has also opened up my life in a way. Having this pattern of comfort, I feel that I can handle more work and go on more adventures, like today's day hike, with the assurance that I'm reasonably settled in Peshkopi.
Amidst so many new experiences, life moves tremendously quickly. As such, it's difficult to fully take in what is for me an entirely new phenomenon--seasons. Only two weeks ago, the leaves turned golden yellow and wild chestnuts were falling on the streets. Now, the persimmon trees are, for me, the perfect symbol of this winter before the frost, with their leafless branches and orange fruit.
A few days ago, I listened to Astral Weeks for the first time. I was reading up on the album when I came across Van Morrison's description of Cyprus Avenue: "a street in Belfast, a place where there's a lot of wealth. It wasn't far from where I was brought up and it was a very different scene. To me it was a very mystical place. It was a whole avenue lined with trees and I found it a place where I could think." Something about this, "a place where I could think," resonated with me and reminds me of the places of I've been and where I am now.
A picture taken by sitemate during today's hike. Check out this neat 360' view of where we were.
The hostel during an engagement party
Our Thanksgiving table
The meal. For my contribution, I adapted an Italian sausage stuffing recipe to use the Albanian sausage, qofta.
A small Orthodox chapel near Peshkopi
The watermill close to Peshkopi. The hostel is trying refurbish this building to get it up and working again.
A Picture from my recent trip to Pogradec
The boulevard of Pogradec
