Take Care of Me

It's been warm lately in Albania. Last year, the double-overcoat and long underwear weather seemed to last continuously from December to late February. Instead, this year has been warm for the past few weeks, and, outside of Peshkopi, I can get by with just a sweater. 

Now, my Peace Corps service is definitely winding down. Most of my project have been wrapped up and I plan to coast as much as possible these last few months, savouring the experience of Albania. Last week, I went fishing for the first time in 2016 and plan to go a whole lot more during the coming months!

Briana Marela's "Take Care of Me" is a song that one of my Peace Corps friends recently suggested to me. Definitely up the alley of the stuff I've been listening to here, and it felt great to have a friend notice such fitting tune for me.

The streets of Peshkopi from a furgon at the station

A view on the way from Peshkopi to Tirana

Peshkopi

Site mate dinner--queso and enchiladas

Pellumbas Village

A view en route to the Pellumbas Caves

Outside the Pellumbas Caves

The cave. We walked about 400 meters into the cave with headlamps and turned off our lights at the end to feel the dark quietness. A bear skeleton was found inside 30-40 years ago, so we felt happy to have the dogs around just in case.

The hike down from the caves

Still hiking back from the caves

About to return to Pellumbas village

The skeleton of a billiards table in Pellumbas village

Gjize (kind of similar to ricotta) with scrambled egg bits on top

Just Like Anything

Not much new to report, but I just wanted to share some photos of the heavy snow that arrived in Albania this past week. Tonight, it's -11 degrees celsius in Peshkopi. At school, the cold meant that lessons were cut from forty minutes to thirty minutes. My stacks of wood outside my apartment were looking abundant during the warm December weeks, but, at the rate my stove's been burning, they don't look like they'll last me too long.

Today's title come from a folk singer named Jackson C. Frank. Definitely check out his biography if you've never heard of him, since he had a one of a kind career. From being caught in a furnace explosion as child, to an album produced by Paul Simon, and eventual homelessness, he's got a terrific story.

Bajram Curri

Bajram Curri

Bajram Curri

Bajram Curri

Kukes

Kukes to Peshkopi road

A Sight for Sore Eyes

Still no snow in Peshkopi. On the day that I arrived back in town, the rain and dew had frozen into a decent amount of ice on the trees and throughout Peshkopi, making it feel as though winter was here to stay. However, it didn't last long, and, even as it rained this past week, real snow has yet to fall.

Work continues as usual. School and my bathroom renovation project take up most of my time. However, as things wind down, and I'm starting to feel more free. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my service on more passion projects and other stuff that I'll hopefully remember after service. Definitely a few more murals too.

Last week, when I was in Tirana, I visited a unique "cafe-museum" in Tirana that featured lot of Albanian communist memorabilia, creatively decorating the place. A must-see for tourists in Tirana! Below are some pictures that I took while writing post cards.

Today's song is a favourite Tom Waits of mine off the album, Foreign Affairs. I also like his more grungy tunes, but the slower ballads on this album, Closing Time, and The Heart of Saturday Night are my favorites.