The Midwestern farm girl in me will always appreciate a clean soybean field and tall, straight rows of corn. I think that sight will always be comforting, familiar.
Living in a different part of the world now, agriculture has a very different look, and its diversity and proximity are still a novelty.
Here I'm learning how to identify fruits like figs, persimmons, and pomegranate. Then you've got the wild nuts and berries and herbs like hazelnuts, sage, and oregano.
Now we are entering grape season. I do know what those look like, but I've never had them growing literally over my front door.
Our front sidewalk was showing the tell tale signs of maturity as the heaviest began to fall and splat on the ground below. So yesterday our friend Demir came over to start the harvest, lest nothing good go to waste.
Of course we are grape newbies and totally unqualified to discern which are mature and which need a few more time on the vine. So we lent support in the form of company.
While we watched our friend at work, many a neighbor walked by, thumb to their mouth, tipping their hand back in the universal sign of drink.
Were we getting ready to make some raki?
Raki is Albania's famous home brew. The process hasn't changed in centuries, and in a culture where the man has few domestic hobbies, raki ranks up there at the top. Virtually every man in the village makes his own and proudly proffers samples every fall and winter to show his expertise. (I think come summer the home made stuff is long gone).
If we drank, and if we wanted to try our hand at producing this beverage, I'm not sure we had the volume to make much more than a small bottle. (Stills are easily bought from road-side convenience stores but the process of producing raki is pretty extensive from the beginning of the fermentation process).
Instead, we let Demir keep the fruits of his labor -- though he refused to keep the best. Grapes anyone?
The kids preferred the purple grapes.
Chew on this Have you ever wondered why we eat "ears" of corn? I don't know that I really ever thought about it until I learned that Albanians don't call them "clumps" or "clusters" of grapes, like corn, they are called "ears"!
I know most of our friends have been back in school for a while now, but we're still ahead of the local public schools here by a few weeks. Knowing that our year will have a few interruptions, we wanted to get a jump start on the semester.
This year of homeschool brings a few changes. The first is that we are moving 'school' down stairs to the ministry center and out of our home.
The second change is that Reni will be back in the classroom with Ellie. They are separate for some subjects, but share several (Bible, History, Art and Science). We are SO grateful for Ms. Pam returning to help in our school house! She brings so much to their educational experience besides just her presence. Thanks to her, they have a really creative, motivational learning environment.
Home schooling Ellie and Reni is a big task, but we are so grateful we do not do this alone! We are thankful for God's provision for their needs this school year.
It's that time of year when I tackle that list of unfinished projects or plan to do things our regular routine doesn't permit.
One of my biggest priorities was planning a trip to Elbasan. We hadn't seen our friends at the Sisters of Charity home since January.
But Nathan has done a LOT of driving this summer, and frankly, I think we all were tired from riding in the car for long distances (hence, our 'stay-cation' when we usually try to go out of town).
Last weekend though, Nathan broached the subject of scheduling the long-desired trip to Elbasan and a plan was made.
We were so glad we went! We started out with a coffee and play date at a local shopping center with some Albanian friends who had a baby in late June.
Then we swung by the orphanage and picked up Dyzi. If you've followed our blog for any length of time, you might remember her as Reni's self-appointed 'mama' at the orphanage. Her special love for Reni is a gift we'll always be grateful for. No doubt his healthy emotional state is due in large part to knowing that someone has always cared for him.
Now, though, he is a 7-year-old who has no memories before us, who doesn't fully understand the significance of her role in his life, in spite our stories and attempts at maintaining a relationship.
"You know how you always lift your shirt for us to scratch your back? You got that from Dyzi," we tell him.
We visit as we can, and bring pictures and tell stories of his latest accomplishments. And she tells us of the newest ones in the orphanage, and the ones who have families coming to adopt, and what they hear from those who have gone to their forever homes.
It was a special lunch together and before we knew it, it was time to get on the road back home before hitting the late afternoon traffic in Tirana.
Lord willing, it won't be 8 months until our next visit.
Summer is winding down (we resume home school and our other programs next week!), but I can't let the chapter close without recounting our wonderful trip to Kosovo at the end of June for camp.
It's hard to know why I like Kosovo -- if it's because of having friends who minister there or if it's just such a beautiful place (or both)? If you ask Reni, he would say it's because "they have grass." (Funny the things you miss when you don't have them).
This was our second over night trip to this little country to the north -- our third time across the border if you count when we were on a trip to northern Albania and experts told us it was actually faster to drive up into Kosovo and back south again (they were right).
We took 6 youth from our village plus our three summer interns (Hannah, Nashana and Jenna).
(Below) We took a selfie while we waited at the border for our Albanian friends to cross. Turns out the law changed just a few months prior regarding permission for minors between the ages of 16 and 18 and we had some complications to iron out! Praise God it all worked out and everyone was able to come to camp!
Camp was held at a very large guesthouse on the outskirts of Peja, a city on the western edge of the country, at the base of a mountain range that comprises the border with Montenegro. Our first night in Peja we actually needed jackets! It was a wonderful reprieve from the heat!
I know the photo above isn't the greatest -- you can't see any faces and it's kind of dark, but it did my heart good to see Ellie and Reni having a good time as well. Their friends, the G Family, were hosting the camp, so they got to play with them AND a bunch of cool teenagers who engaged them in games of "chicken", ping pong and soccer/futbol (on real grass!).
The youth from our village got to make some great new friends from 'across the border.' I read once that Albanians and Kosovars are like brothers, one of which grew up abroad and speaks with a slightly different accent and picked up some different traditions. They are related and have that understanding that they're 'family', but they have missed out on a lot of shared experiences which makes them different enough.
It was a kick to hear our youth shake their heads in confusion when they didn't understand their Kosovan counterparts whom they thought they should be able to understand, and we all marveled at the different vocabulary used for common household objects. Probably not unlike the differences between American and British English (hood/trunk, boot/bonnet, anyone?).
Ellie brought her guitar and was thrilled to observe a real worship team up close. She even got one-on-one instruction from Pastor Jon, who led the group from Georgia.
One day of camp everyone drove up into the Rugove to embark on hiking, climbing and ropes course activities. I stayed behind with another missionary wife to supervise the kids.
I'm not exactly sure what Reni and the boys were making, but they thought their creations were valuable and set up a shop for when the rest of the campers returned.
Isn't it funny how some of our favorite memories are the times spent on the 'less exciting' parts of camp? Like washing dishes for 60 people? Proud of these guys for stepping up and serving their friends this way! In the American Church we regularly use the term "servant-leader" as a characteristic of Christ we try to emulate with the help of the Holy Spirit. It's a counter-cultural concept in the States. Even more counter-cultural here. Ask me about it sometime.
Some pics from up in the Rugove!
Photo credit: Jenna Drucker
Photo credit: Jenna Drucker
Photo credit: Jenna Drucker
Incidentally, after the day up in the mountains, Nathan's fitbit said he had climbed 96 flights of stairs... Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful?(see below)
For those who know my folks and the history of their relationship with Albania, you might be interested to know that this camp in the Rugove was the dream of a couple from Iowa who came on one of the two SEND Int'l farmer teams that came to Albania in early 1993. My dad was on the first, Keith (plaid shirt, far right) was on the 2nd! Small world! The dividends from those two short-term trips continue to reap dividends, 23+ years later...
Photo credit: Jenna Drucker
Some of our youth teaching the 'Mericans the right dance steps...
Photo credit: Jenna Drucker
I was especially proud of our youth who stepped up and led singing in Shqip! Most of the songs were new to the Pejan youth... Music was led by the team from Georgia, and they did a fantastic job. Thanks for letting us worship in TWO languages!
Photo credit: Nashana Jackson
Photo Credit: Nashana Jackson
Above, the "Albanian" crew! Special thanks to our colleague Mandi who drove the Planters van and hung around camp during the week til it was time to return to the village. The shirts translate to "Base Camp", the theme of the week. Our youth were thrilled to keep a souvenir from camp.
Before we knew it, it was time to go back home! I was so glad to catch the moment below. It's an Albanian "guy" thing when two buddies say 'bye.' We were so glad to see our youth make new friends and hope that someday maybe we can host them down here in good ol' Shqiperia!
Each of the youth worked or paid about $10 towards the cost of camp (around $50). If God has blessed you and you want to make a small gift to help cover the balance of a camper's fees, you can give here. We are working on some ideas for youth to start earning money towards camp fees year-round. We believe camp is a valuable time for our youth to meet other Believers, to be discipled in their faith and to experience extended times of Christian community. It's also just a special time to get out of the village and be blessed to experience a beautiful piece of God's creation. Without help, though, few of them would get to experience such a blessing, and we feel it's a worthy investment.
Finally, while we were in Peja, Nathan played some more with the drone. Enjoy a brief video he shot and get a glimpse of Kosovo! It has been uploaded in HD for best viewing.
Reni has the 'misfortune' of having a birthday at that point in the summer when his mom is just about ready to collapse in a melted puddle from the summer's heat. That doesn't affect our celebrating -- just the energy his mother has in documenting such celebrations.
This particular year Reni really wanted to have a party with his English-speaking friends. He has two friends in Tirana that he considers his buddies, but as it would be, they would be in the States during the summer break. Thankfully, Gigi and Aunt Hannah were going to be visiting over his birthday so that took the edge off not having the party he really wanted.
As it would be, his birthday fell on a Saturday, the last kid's club of the summer, so we made a cake and had Star Wars' themed plates, napkins, and banner to share with our local friends.
Nathan and Arjan got into the spirit of the theme and to the delight of all present, carried the cake in with a bit of fanfare.
Never one to relish special attention, I think Reni was both amused and slightly embarassed.
Nathan made an amazing birthday cake according to Reni's request. (The birthday cake is a really big deal to Reni, something he put a lot of thought into, going so far as to sketch a design earlier this spring which he presented to his dad).
We have a new respect for all you cake decorators out there! (Thinking of you, Chrissy and LeeAnne!)
Thanks to my mom's visit, we had some amazing tools and supplies to work with (like fondant, which you can't buy here).
Happy Birthday, Reni! We love you more than you have any idea and we can't imagine life without you in it! It's been a joy to see you grow and mature so much this past year. I told someone it feels like you have changed more this year than any other year before -- and it's more than just your new smile. We have seen you grow in confidence and maturity. You ask us tough questions, but you have a sensitive, tender heart. You are tough and strong, but you're not afraid to show us you really love your family and friends. We pray you continue to grow to become a man after God's heart, that you grow in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man.
Nathan has been given the use of a drone for a few months! The learning curve is a bit different than a traditional video camera, especially when you are smothered by a hoard of eager village boys hanging on your elbow!
Before I share the latest video he captured I want to say that conveying the look of our village through traditional photographs has always been challenging, to say the least. No one photo can do it justice. Just ask anyone who saw my photos, then made a personal visit.
Nathan's video blows my photos out of the water giving a more accurate perspective of this special place. Watching the video you get a better idea of the scale of the village, the topography of the land, the proximity of neighbors... and that we live in the middle of it all!
Enjoy 60 seconds of sunset footage from our village ...
(We recommend choosing the high definition settings -- the picture will be significantly better).
P.S. Someone commented on the size of many of the homes. Yes! Some of the homes appear rather large, especially considering the size most homes were in the village just 10 years ago. What most do not know is that generations of Albanians (usually about 3) live under the same roof. The grandparents will reside on the lower level and (typically) the youngest son and his family on the floor above that. Or in some cases, the ground level is used for storage (like a garage) and then additional generations live on their own respective levels above.
After a loooong time since their last trip to Albania, we were so glad to have Mom and Hannah come near the end of last month.
We visited a few village friends...
And Mom shared a wonderful message with the women at our weekly Bible Study
She encouraged our staff and gave some much-needed input on decisions
We didn't really do any site-seeing, except to a newly-opened site -- the former dictator's 115-room underground bunker!
But what I think mattered most to the youngest members of the Waggoner household was just some good ol' spoiling that only a grandparent can do...
There were fun times like bowling...
and eating at a special restaurant
playing lots of Skip Bo, Monopoly, and Memory
and don't forget the swimming! (it was our first trip to the pool for the summer)
...or all the special goodies from America!
And we can't thank Aunt Hannah enough for giving 2 of her three weeks' vacation up to come too! And for the powdered Gatorade mixes and other goodies she left for us! (Working at a grocery store has its perks!)
While our previous visits with Mom have felt like they were over just as they started, by coming at the end of the summer as programs were winding down (and staying a bit longer), we felt like this visit we were really able to relax and have some fun experiences together without being so rushed to make the most of every minute.
Thanks, Mom and Hannah, for refilling our tanks! And thanks, Dad/Gjysh, for sharing them with us! We made some wonderful memories!
