The first two weeks of July found us hosting a team from the USA and offering two weeks of day camp. Day camp is a service we provide through the center for a small fee to families in the community who are seeking something for their children to fill their summer days. Since we are located almost exactly between Tirana and Durres, we are just far enough away that there are few (if any) programs with transportation for those of us living in the 'in between' (those with resources to send their kids to camp live in town, not in the village).
We offered camp last summer at the request of local families. It was so well received and introduced us to so many new families that we decided to do it again this summer.
After camp, we held a week of VBS. Thanks to our partners, we can provide VBS at no charge, and this year we taught the Armor of God through three different Bible stories.
Years ago my father brought over trunk fulls of puppets. We dug them out to complement Luli's oral retelling of the stories. Anneco and I served as puppeteers! :-) (see video re-cap further below)
The younger ones really got into it and loved playing with the puppets afterward!
Below, my neighbor friend "S" greets me with a big hug every day. This day, she gave me a handwritten note in shqip that read "Jesus loves me." Oh my heart.
As we did in camp, the last day was water games during the game rotation! The kids get a little wild, and it's a mess in the center to clean the locker rooms after they change their clothes, but boy do they have a good time! In fact, so I don't forget (because I have no photos of this) the staff celebrated the end of camp and VBS with an adults-only water fight in the kalceto. The village kids were stunned to see our antics!
We were super grateful to the Chaney family (below) who recently moved to Albania and spent the week with us in Vlashaj to help facilitate VBS! We look forward to getting to know them better! They were a big help!
July brought its typical heat wave and so evenings were spent diligently watering all the trees and shrubs at Jeta to keep them alive!
We would often have 'helpers' -- which makes any chore more enjoyable!
Conclusion of the Spring/Summer Soccer Season
By the end of July, more than 50 students had enrolled at some point in our KF JETA (Life Football Club) soccer program. We celebrated with an expo where the students demonstrated their skills for parents, competed against the dads, and received medals for participation.
We are so grateful for our colleague Luis, who not only imparts technical skills but trains with love, gentleness and respect. In turn, his students love him dearly and we have seen dramatic improvement in their playing skills on the pitch!
One morning we made the trip into the civil registry office to witness the legal marriage of Luli and Hannah, exactly one month after their church ceremony.
From a cultural perspective, it was interesting to hear the details of the oath they took according to Albania's Family Code. Hannah was unexpectedly asked to decide her legal name proceeding forward. In all, the workers were very pleasant and we enjoyed being a part of this formality!
The next day was our anniversary, but we were unable to celebrate until the following weekend because of VBS.
Anniversary #24
We were gifted an overnight away and chose to stay at a restaurant and small inn located about 30 minutes outside of Berat.
The asphalt road literally ended at the establishment. There was no signage so we didn't know if we were even at the right place until we saw the name on the employee's uniforms!
We watched the sunset off the restaurant's deck overlooking a valley. Above, Mt. Tomorr (the highest peak in central Albania) reflects the golden hour. I took this photo to remember the sense of utter peace and tranquility of the place. What a balm after our hectic summer!
At restaurants like this, there is no menu. They just serve you the day's fare. The food was incredibly fresh and delicious and I'm so glad I took photos to share.
Below:
(Left) Grilled zucchini, peppers and eggplant, oven-roasted potatoes seasoned with sage.
(top) Cucumber, tomato and red onion salad tossed in olive oil and seasonings (one of the best I've ever had -- I don't know what special seasoned salt they used but it was yummy!!).
(middle) Beet salad with sweet corn, feta cheese, and lemon juice. And soft cheese with roasted red peppers (we usually smear this on bread).
(lower) Lakror, a cornbread pie with spinach and onions.
We capped off this incredible meal with a plate of fresh fruit. All in all, it was a very special getaway. The establishment had quite a reputation, so I expected it to be a bit more pretentious, but in reality, it was simple and charming -- just what we love. Such a lovely gift!
Last week of July
We had endured a brutal heat wave much of this month. It honestly left us depleted and limping toward the upcoming August break. The photo below shows the thermometer we keep in our bathroom. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not! This was taken after 10PM at night!
A highlight of the week was the installation of a new door on the guesthouse (we live upstairs, accessible through the gate to the left). The former door had become warped and presented a lot of challenges for opening and closing to those who didn't know how to jiggle, lean, and push at just the right angle when turning the key. It also didn't have any windows, which meant no morning light could come through to illuminate the entry (Nathan argued that was a minor point). In all, I'm so happy with this improvement, made possible through the gifts collected from those who occupied the guesthouse this summer! (The wall has been painted since this photo was taken)
With day camp and VBS complete, and no homeschool demands, we relished big blocks of time to catch up on loads of office work which included updating our residency, months of backlog in inputting receipts and updating mileage/vehicle logs, and turning our attention to leaving Albania for five months! These are the realities of living overseas that are hard to depict. Every year it seems we manage more and more people, projects and resources. It demands more and more of our time and energy, especially when it comes to anticipating what will be needed in our absence.
Late July also brought a bumper crop of goodies from local gardens. Below, I roasted these amazing tomatoes from our neighbors Sabri and Zama in the oven with some sliced onions, olive oil, garlic, herbs, and a block of feta cheese. After about 30 minutes I stirred those goodies all up and blended them into a delicious sauce over chicken and pasta. SO EASY and TASTY!
Holta Canyon (Gramsh)
The last week of July was John's last week in Albania. We planned a special day trip to a canyon we found during the Pandemic. It is just a few hours away yet most folks we know have never been (partially because the canyon is only safe to access a few months per year). It was so nice to enjoy a really fun day with many of our team after a busy summer and introduce them to a new-to-them place.
The heat broke the night before our adventure making for a perfect day outside. Below, we pose at the entrance to the gorge.
The light in the canyon varied as the canyon twisted and turned directions and the opening at the top widened or narrowed.
Sometimes we had to scramble over rocks to keep walking.
The water levels varied from ankle to chest-deep. In one place, you had to swim a short distance!
The neat part of this hike is one never knew what you would find around the next bend!
We gave Ellie the time-lapse camera and this is what she shot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUMLUATlAv8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUMLUATlAv8
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