Where did the time go...

Well, today was our last whole day in Albania. We fly out of here at 11:40 a.m tomorrow. Today we met to watch a parliament session. They had a heated debate over a mandate to remove two women from the parliament. We had just talked about gender issues with the deputy ambassador, so it was a nice tie in for today. After the gender issues, they discussed their budget. I got a little confused because they spoke in Albanian, so I can't really tell you for sure how it ended. After the session, we all had a nice meal at Taiwan, a place we have been eating a lot, mainly because the staff is super friendly. Then we went for crepes, souviner shopping, and finally a nap. We then had "the best pizza in the Balkans," according to Dr. Bego. I can definitely agree it was the best pizza we had eaten. Then, most of us walked to a place called the Sky Tower, where we took an elevator up to drink some coffee and enjoy the view of Tirana. Glenni and his friends accompanied us, so it was nice to be able to thank them for their hospitality. They were the ones that showed us the weekend scenes and took us out for dinner a lot. That's one thing I'll miss the most about Tirana. Their sense of community and family is so much more different than Hastings. As I was packing, I had time to think about what an adventure I had here. I don't think I'll fully understand what I experienced until I get home and adjust. The people, the food, the climate, and the landscape are the things that I will miss the most. I will also miss walking everywhere. It's a big city, but I honestly felt at ease here. I'm also going to miss the group. Luckily, everyone is mainly in a political science major, like myself, so I'm going to see them around a lot. I sure hope to stay in touch with the people that aren't though. This group definitely had some conflicts because we all have such different personalities, but no major drama happened. That says a lot because we were all tired, on the go, and someone was usually sick this whole time. We got a little snappy at times, but for the most part, this trip was full of laughs and smiles. I think it's so cool to have ten random people put on a plane and see how the dynamics of the group turns out. And, like I said, for the most part, it turned out amazing. I would recommend Albania to anyone who asked what I thought. It's safe, beautiful, and compared to the US and parts of Europe, fairly inexpensive. I have plans to come back for an internship. And who knows, maybe kids from Hastings will come here and visit me in the Embassy! It's been real Albania, but I'm ready to go home, see my dog (and family ha!) and make 2014 my year! If that involves an internship in Albania, well, challenge accepted!

Two more days left....

Today was an interesting day full of important people! We left around 9:30 and got some coffee. Then we arrived at the University of Tirana to attend a lecture. This was definitely a new experience. None of us speak Albanian except Dr. Bego, and the lecture was completely in Albanian, obviously. For the most part, we just sat there and tried to pick up the words we know: yes, please, no, thanks, and good. It was uncomfortable though because all of the students kept looking at us and laughing. I felt pretty paranoid, so I was glad to leave. We then met with the Deputy Ambassador of the American Embassy. Our conversation with him was so insightful as to what the embassy does in Albania. They do things from working with battered women to helping Albania grow economically, so it was a delight to here first hand what they are trying to improve. He even gave us a sheet that had links for jobs and internships in the Embassy which is something I am interested in. I can't even imagine what it would be like to internship in the Embassy. That would be such an honor. After our meeting, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the t.v. station. Makayla and Ethan were interviewed on national live television, and the rest of us got to sit front row and watch! They mainly talked about why we all like Albania, and what their experiences have been like here. During their interview, I had the pleasure of sitting next to this adorable elderly woman named Natasha who spoke excellent English. She was so interested in what we were doing in Albania. She told me to tell everyone to clap when the others did. It was mainly elders in the audience, but they looked like they were having a blast. I was sitting there talking to Natasha when all of a sudden I felt someone pulling my pony tail up. I looked back and one of Natasha's friends was tracing my dream catcher tattoo with her finger. They were curious as to what it was and what it meant, so I explained to them the importance of it to the Native American culture. They kept telling me, "Beautiful, it's so beautiful." They also kept touching it. I was surprised at their positive reaction to it, mainly because tattoos don't seem totally accepted in America, let alone in Albania. As we were leaving, they told all of us goodbye, and Natasha squeezed my hand and told me to come back anytime. She was such a nice lady! After the t.v. station episode, we walked back to the hotel and have had some free time. Miranda and I have just been reading and laughing at things like ex-boyfriends and silly things that have been happening on the trip. She's been a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got to know her better! For the most part, I think everyone is ready to go home, but yet we don't want to leave if that makes any sense. We all are tired and getting a little sick, but at the same time, the weeks have been flying by. I really think I'm going to be ready for an internship or semester abroad. This trip has showed me I'm ready to leave for longer period of time, so that's another good thing that came out of it!

Kosovo!

Yesterday morning, we left for Kosovo at 8:00 A.M. It was a three and a half hour drive to our next destination: Kosovo! We got another stamp in our passports, so we were all in good spirits. We stopped in Pristina and immediately got some coffee. The people on this trip are addicted to coffee, I swear. I still don't like coffee, but they all talk about how wonderful it is. How odd. Anyway, once we got to the coffee shop, we were all scrambling to get the wifi to work. We were getting a little annoyed because some people's wifi would work on their phones and others wouldn't. It's actually quite comical to think about how much we depend on the internet, and if we don't get our social media fix for the day, we get grumpy! After our coffee, we went to the museum of the war in Kosovo and Serbia. The pictures were gruesome, but it gave us a hindsight of what the people had to endure. Women were a constant target for abuse, and it really hit home that women as war victims are common in not just Kosovo, but all over the world. It really saddened a lot of us, especially the girls, to imagine what they had to go through and how they are healing. That being said, the museum was one of my favorites because it put everything in perspective. We were all young when this war was happening, but in reality, it wasn't that long ago. After another museum, we went and ate lunch, saw a mosque, and walked around the plaza. We then stopped for coffee, and I had some delicious chocolate cheesecake. We then headed for Prizerin, the city that had our hotel in it. The town reminded me of Barat, one of my favorite towns we have seen. The hotel, on the other hand, was a little bit too open for me. Miranda and I entered our room, and you can imagine our shock when we saw a see through shower, in the middle of the room, right in front of our show. We made lots of jokes because obviously that's the only thing you can do in that situation. It was a little awkward, but I just hung out in Makyala and Rachel's room while she showered. It turns out that two other rooms had the same problem. It was, as Dr. Bego puts it, quite the European experience we had. There was some more excitement that night as Makayla had an allergic reaction to some peanuts and was rushed to the hospital around ten o'clock at night, but she's okay now. Because of that, we took it a little easier today. We met at nine, went to another castle, mosque, museum, and then ate lunch and came back to Tirana, the place that we all now call home. It's so nice to have a consistent hotel waiting for us. We don't have to take our whole suitcase when we go to other countries because we can just leave our luggage here. This hotel even did our laundry for us. The staff here is so nice. The Sars'Otel is definitely my favorite! Tomorrow seems busy, as does Thursday, but then I'll be home! I'm excited to come home and get some good sleep, see my friends, and just hang out in Hastings, but I'm going to miss Albania and all the nice people we met!

A bunker with graffiti

Skanderbeg, the Albanian hero

The whole group in front of the European University of Tirana that we toured

The view of Prizterin from the castle

Ruins from the castle

The mosque we toured from the castle

Castle stuff

The ceiling of a mosque we toured

Our last weekend :(

The days have been flying by here. I can't believe that I only will be here for five more days, but mainly four, considering Friday we will be flying the whole day. This has honestly been one of the best experiences of my life, and I can't express how lucky and blessed I am! Friday we met with the minister of foreign affairs. He explained to us Albania's role in the international settings. He expressed the necessity for Albania to join the European Union. He said there is no other alternative at this point if they don't get candidacy. He expressed some off record opinions, and then we got the opportunity for a photo with him. He's high up in the government, so I thought it was cool that he would make time for some college kids from America. After our meeting with the minister, we had free time. I took the best nap known to man. We then had the opportunity to go to a restaurant that had a band of three generations of musically talented people. This older man played the violin; his music and passion was the most wonderful thing. I've never seen anything like it. The restaurant was quite interesting too, because it had animals outside in cages. They had bears, swans, llamas, and some other animals. I'm not sure how I felt about the bears being in a cage, but that's a different issue for a different day.  After dinner, we then went with some staff members to Rock Stock which a nice place that had a live band. They played ACDC, Kiss, and even some more modern music. They had four singers, but the first girl that sang was my favorite.
Saturday was a nice adventure as well. We took the gondola lift to the mountain. Makayla and I rode horses which was really more two guys leading us around. I think I surprised the guy leading my horse because I took the reins out of his hand. We then walk around and enjoyed the view. We had more free time once we got back, so a lot of just walked around the town. It's incredible how comfortable this city feels. It seems like home. We grabbed dinner on our own, and then we enjoyed a nice evening with Glenni. He's been so kind and generous to us while we have been here.
Today, we went to a city higher in the mountains. We went to another castle, saw two museums, and had a nice lunch. We are all pretty tired, and tomorrow we leave for Kosovo at 8:00, so it's important we get some rest. I'll post more pictures tomorrow!

A much needed relaxing day!

Today was a fabulous day. We slept in for the first time we have been here; we woke up around 9:30 A.M. and ate breakfast and did our daily discussion. Normally I would not consider 9:30 as sleeping in, but we are constantly on the go here. After we ate, we had the honor to meet former prime mister of Albania: Sali Berisha. We arrived at the building called "The Coin." The European Commission was meeting there, too, so we saw some security; this was the first time we had seen this because Albania is less strict than the United States. For example, we didn't even go through customs when we arrived. They say we were a big group and waved us through. This would never happen in the United States. We sat down with Dr. Berisha where he briefed us on terms in Albania. He told us that Albania joining NATO was the biggest victory. He also talked about how the poverty was unimaginable after Communism, but the people are strong. He also said he read books by former President Ronald Reagan on how to regain the economy. He did something unusual at the time by letting the industries fail, but that's what Regan said to do in his book. He said it was the hardest but wisest choice he made. Another interesting thing he said is that he had no clue on how to run the economy. He hired people straight out of the university because hey had the desire to learn and an open mindedness. The former prime minister was so welcoming and charismatic. He also had a way of talking. The pride he takes in his country is admirable, and it was awesome to be able to meet such an iconic person in the history of Albania. After we met him, we went out for lunch, followed by free time. I took a nap, and then we got ready for a nice dinner with Dr. Bego's family. We ate at an Italian restaurant, and now we are all back at the hotel, ready for an early morning. Tomorrow we meet with the diplomat of Foreign Affairs. I can't even express how fantastic it is to meet such important people. We leave at 9:00 A.M., so I'm ready for bed!

Cratia, rain, and a long journey home (To Albania of course)

Today started off with an omelette and chocolate in a cute diner in the old city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The picture that I put on Facebook doesn't even give this city justice. On one hand it was rainy all day, and on the other hand, the city was so adorable that the rain couldn't put a damper on my mood! We broke up in small groups so that we could be free to explore the city. The city looks like it's inside a castle, and there are many museums and old churches within it. Needless to say, it was an exiting day. I paired up with Miranda, a physics major, and we set off in a good mood. Our good mood unfortunately interrupted a movie that was being filmed, and the director quickly told us to be quiet. Luckily, that couldn't ruin our mood either. We explored the city and somehow ended up on top of the city walls, which apparently you have to pay for. We didn't know that, however, so we wondered around for twenty minutes before a man asked us to get down. We then set off to explore the coast of the sea by the city. We found sea glass! We also explored this house area and almost went into a tunnel, but then we thought of the question we are supposed to ask before we do anything suspicious: what would Dr. Bego do? Dr. Bego would not want us to go into the tunnel obviously, and we thought of all the animals and homeless people that might be in there ready to eat us. We then went to a market, where I bought some lemons to eat on the long drive back to Albania. It took six hours, and I am so done with being on a bus for awhile. Tomorrow we get to sleep in! I'm excited for this long sleep. We meet with the former prime minster of Albania. How cool is that?! I obviously need to get my beauty sleep for that. Here are the pictures from the last few days!

The outside of Budva, Montenegro.

The streets of the old city Budva.

The view of the old part of Budva (Our hostel was in this part)

A random building in Montenegro

An old book in the National History Museum of Montenegro

a street view of Dubrovnik Croatia

The port of Dubrovnik

The crystal clear water of Dubrovnik

The secret area that Miranda and I explored (this picture includes the tunnel we wanted to go into)

Overall, it's beautiful! Obviously. I feel like every word out of my mouth includes beautiful, amazing, and pretty. Those words and these pictures don't even describe the places we have seen. I can't wait to come back!

Goodbye Montenegro, hello Croatia!

Last night was filled with some excitement, so it was a early morning today, once again. But it was worth it. We ate breakfast outside along the breathtaking coast. We has some free time today, so we walked around the town. I got Tia a key chain and a cute little notebook, so even over seas I'm being a good sister. We then drove a half hour to check out some museums. While we were there, it started raining, and it set the mood to dreary and dark as we drove to our next destination: Croatia! We are staying in another hostel, and the consensus is that this hostel is cleaner and more comfortable than the last. We also feel a lot more safe! Miranda, Eekie, (a girl we met from Taiwan who is our roommate in the hostel) and myself sat in the common are and met two younger men working all around Croatia. They taught us some Croatian and shared their popcorn while we listened to Croatian music! It's been a slower, peaceful night, but tomorrow is sure to be full of adventure. I'll post more pictures tomorrow, but I need to get some sleep and do the daily readings for tomorrow. The time is flying by here, and I only have ten days left over here. I'm sure to enjoy it!