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!