Time Out

I'm taking a short time out but will be back soon. Between hosting a series of large events, busy times at work and planning for a much needed quick get away this coming weekend, I haven't had time to blog.  I know!  It makes me sad but I will return. Soon.  I promise.

Honoring America's Military Family (A Re-post)

Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day in the United States.  Many Americans are probably unaware of the day but since 1950 it has been celebrated on the third Saturday of May.  This is a day to pay tribute to men and women who have volunteered to serve in our armed forces.

Being fancy with my favorite military member

First a brief history lesson:  On August 31, 1949, Louis Johnson, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace the separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days that were recognized annually. The consolidation stemmed from the unification of the armed forces under one department – the Department of Defense. The Army, Navy and Air Force Leagues adopted the newly established day. The Marine Corps League declined to drop support for an individual Marine Corps Day but supported Armed Forces Day too.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on Saturday, May 20, 1950. The theme for that day was “Teamed for Defense”, which expressed the unification of all military forces under one government department. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the day was designed to expand public understanding of what type of jobs were performed by the military and the role the military played in civilian life.  It was a day for the military to show off the capacity of the military to Americans who might otherwise be unaware of the strengths of the country's armed forces. It was also a day to honor and acknowledge Americans in the armed forces. Parades, open houses, receptions and air shows were held at the inaugural Armed Forces Day.  Armed Forces Day is still celebrated nationwide today and is part of Armed Forces Week, or as it is recognized in the U.S. Navy- Fleet Week.

And now some statistics:*  Just who makes up today's American all volunteer armed forces?  There are 1.46 million active duty service members and an additional 850,000 men and women in the Reserves.  14.4% of all active duty and 15.5% of the Reserves are women. Outpacing the general population, 37.7% of Officers have advanced degrees. Over half of active duty service members are married and 44.1% of this number have children under the age of 18.  Dual military marriages account for 6.7% of all military marriages and 5.4% of active duty military personnel are single parents.  All together there are 1.9 million active duty family members of which 1.25 million are military children under the age of 18. All total, that is a lot of people, both military and civilian, who are part of the American military family.

Today:  Today Glenn (and I) will recognize Armed Forces Day by hosting a reception.  Invited guests included American, Albanian, and NATO military members and their spouses currently working and living in Albania. In his speech, Glenn will acknowledge the work and sacrifices that both military members and their family members make during long working hours and even longer deployments.  Regardless of our individual nationalities or political affiliations, those of us in the room will all share the common knowledge of what it is like to have a loved one deployed in harms way for months on end.  It isn't easy and in reality, until you have been there, you just don't understand what it is like.

While Memorial Day recognizes those military heroes who lost their lives in battle and Veteran's Day recognizes those who are retired from the Armed Forces, tomorrow is a day to recognize those men and women are currently serving our country.  Please find a military member and thank them for their service.  And while you are doing that, thank their family as well.  Their spouses, partners, children, parents, brothers, and sisters are all doing their part as well.  Together we are all a part of the large military family.

*These statistics and many more are part the 2010 Profile of the Military Community study which includes tons of facts, charts, and graphs that data junkies like me find so fascinating.

Talking About America

U.S. Embassies around the world provide a variety of services in the countries in which they have a presence.  There are the programs that immediately come to mind when we hear about the roles of embassies--consular services for American citizens, the issuing visas to host country citizens wishing to travel to America, and of course working with the local host country governments and militaries to implement U.S. foreign policy.  There is a lesser known, but equally important, component to the work U.S. Embassies do in each of their host countries that gets to the heart of what America is all about.  The Public Diplomacy division of the State Department operates a program that sends Americans out into their host country communities to talk about American culture and share what it means to be an American.  The Speaker's Bureau program reaches beyond the typical politicians, diplomats, and business leaders who interface with the international community by allowing Americans the opportunity to meet with the ordinary citizens of the country. Through this program Americans from the Embassy, employees and spouses alike, go out into local schools and community groups to share a bit of their homeland.   Discussions may focus on American specific holidays and traditions--Independence Day, Earth Day and President's Day are popular topics but educational opportunities in America, popular culture, business and economics, and the electoral process are other popular issues host country residents want to hear about.  Volunteers may speak on these standing popular topics but any aspect of American culture that they are knowledgeable about and excites them is up for grabs as a discussion topic.  The Speaker's Bureau seems to be especially popular here in Albania where every aspect of American culture is observed and emulated by ordinary Albanian citizens.  I've known about this program since we arrived in Tirana and this past week I finally joined the ranks of a Speaker's Bureau speaker.

As a part of their international week, the Memorial International School of Tirana, housed in a former Communist-era school building, was looking for speakers to come talk to their students about their home cultures.  Not feeling excited about any of the potential topics that were timely (I loved the idea of talking about women's history but since this isn't women's history month the subject felt a bit out of date), I selected my own that is near and dear to my heart.  My presentation on volunteering in America would not only discuss the importance of volunteering for both volunteers and recipients but would also discuss how our Embassy personnel has volunteered in Albania and provide my audience with a list volunteer opportunities for them right here in Tirana.  I was excited about my topic and I hoped my audience would share in my enthusiasm.  After all, regardless of where I have been living, I've always made an attempt to volunteer and I'm not alone in my efforts.  In 2011, over 64 million Americans volunteered the equivalent of $171 billion in U.S. dollars in time and in-kind donations to their communities.  Now that is giving back!

I used to speak to large groups on a regular basis but it had been a long time since I spoke formally in front of a group and much to my surprise, I found myself a bit nervous at the prospect of addressing my audience.  The forty or so slouching youth sitting in front of me wearing bored expressions on their faces did little to ease my discomfort.  I opened my presentation with a YouTube video which seemed to reel in my audience -- or at least earned a round of applause.  Most of the audience seemed to warm up to the topic as my presentation went on. Of course there was the group of boys sitting in the back of the room who made faces and threw things at each other for the duration of the entire presentation.  (I guess this behavior is not unique to American culture; boys around the world strive to look cool and disinterested when there are girls present).  I received a few questions and some polite applause as my presentation concluded so all in all I'm going to assume I did alright.

Did what I say make an impression on my audience?  I'm not sure.  What I do know is that I shared a little piece of America with this group of teens and perhaps one or two of them will in turn volunteer in their own communities.  And if they do, my message was a success.

Being Challenged, Finding Comfort

I'm in another writing funk; yesterday I started several posts covering various subjects but just couldn't type out enough coherent thoughts to form a blog entry that I felt comfortable making public.  I'm still feeling that way today but in order to power through this latest block,  I'm turning to NaBloPoMo's prompt of the day to find inspiration and get my creative juices flowing again.  So here it goes:

Today's writing prompt:  Frank Clark said: "We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't." Agree or disagree?

My response:  Absolutely! Whether it be at home with my family or out and about with close friends, I am in my comfort zone when I know and like the people around me.  It is easy to be around these people and many times easy equates to comfort. However, I am a person who is always up for a challenge and there is nothing I find more invigorating than participating in a well thought out and intellectually stimulating conversation with someone who is in complete disagreement with me on an issue.  I'm not talking about someone who feels strongly about an issue and justifies their responses with statements along the lines of "because I say so", "because I think so", or "because so and so says so".  Rather I relish a well thought out argument based on a variety of facts, sources, and life experiences that may cause me to be uncomfortable, but one that will also cause me to step back and think about my own stance on the issue.  These conversations definitely take me out of my comfort zone but as uncomfortable as they may seem at the time, I know they are good for me.

During my first few post-college years I had a friend who provided me with just such an intellectual challenge.  As single twenty somethings struggling to find the right job, the right life partners, and the right path in life, we met through a mutual friend and formed a strange friendship that endured for several years.  On the surface we had nothing in common:  he could be considered conservative to my liberal, his religious upbringing was everything that mine wasn't; our political views couldn't have been more different.  In hindsight I have no idea how we even became friends.  The only thing we did have in common was the fact we were both smart, well read, and could argue our points and opinions with conviction.  And we were willing to listen to opposing viewpoints.  I think this was the key to our friendship.  Our conversations were rarely comfortable but over the course of several years worth of dinners and beers, we challenged each other intellectually.  Through our conversations I found myself thinking about subjects from a viewpoint that I would never have thought of on my own.  I can't say he ever changed my stance on any of the more "hot button" issues but it certainly opened my mind to other ways of seeing the world.  

There wasn't any particular event that triggered our parting but over time we drifted apart.  We both changed jobs and houses, got married and had children.  As I've gotten older I know my stance on some issues has changed.  I've become more liberal on some issues and increasingly conservative on others. I'm no longer the slightly naive twenty something who thought I knew everything and was out to change the world.  I am more willing than ever to listen to opposing viewpoints and yes, on occasion I will now (slightly) change my views on issues.  I still find many of these conversations uncomfortable but again, discomfort can be healthy.  After all, how else can we grow?

Attention To Detail

The exterior of the station

Maybe it is the fact I'm living in the land of concrete block construction (a.k.a. Albanian) or the fact that  the country is filled with the trademark lack of architectural detail that identifies buildings built during the Communist Era but during my travels throughout the rest of Europe, I repeatedly find myself in awe of the amazing architecture and attention to detail that is prevalent throughout the Continent.  My most recent moments of awe occurred during my trip to Spain.  With her grand boulevards, sweeping arches, and gold gilded buildings, Madrid was impressive.  I was most struck however, during our day trip to Toledo and the impressive attention to detail that I saw at the Toledo train station.




The original station was designed by architect Narciso Clavería y de Palacios and built in 1858. The current station was rebuilt on the same site and opening in 1920.  With the introduction of high speed rail to Toledo, the station was renovated yet again in the mid 2000s but care was taken to preserve the smallest of the original details.  It comes as no surprise to me that this building is listed as a Property of Cultural Interest and is considered to be a protected monument.  From the outside to the inside of the building, no detail is left untouched.

Inside details on a grand scale

Details, details.........

An old ticket window (everything is now automated)

Even the floor tiles are fancy

While the entire city of Toledo was beautiful it was our stepping off and departure point that impressed me the most.  High speed trains pass through Toledo today but for me just the mention of train travel evokes grand images traveling in luxury and class.  That class was missing amid Madrid's chaotic transit station but I felt it in Toledo.  Yes I thoroughly enjoyed my brief visit to Toledo but first and last impressions count for a lot and sure enough this little train station has left a lasting memory.

The walls that weren't detailed wood were tiled

Mother's Day Musings

Three generations of mothers

Mom, Mamma, Mommy, Mother, or hundreds of other renditions; regardless of the actual title the understanding is the same.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mother as a female parent and also as woman in authority.  A mother is the person who perhaps gave birth to you (or maybe not), who raised you (or maybe not), and who loves/loved and cares/cared for you (or maybe not).  There are women who have wanted to be mothers since they were little girls and there are mothers who only entered into motherhood reluctantly.  There are women who long to be mothers and others who would be better off never bearing that title.  There are women, who by choice or circumstance, will never become mothers.  There are good mothers, bad mothers, and mothers who fall somewhere in between.  In reality mothers come in all shapes, sizes, and incarnations.

And today is (American) Mother's Day.  (Other countries celebrate a similar holiday on different days throughout the spring).  Held annually on the second Sunday of May, Mother's Day celebrates mothers and motherhood.  Today my Facebook wall is filled with pictures of mothers and warm greetings to mothers all around the world.  Unfortunately, however, this day that was once set aside to recognize mothers has become the ultimate of Hallmark holidays.  Entire advertisement campaigns for everything from jewelry and florists to clothing and yes greeting cards, have been designed around buying things for mom.  Restaurants market their special Sunday brunches and I've even seen grocery stores advertising "easy meals" that presumably children and husbands can put together for mom.  In our mass consumerism society the message is that if you aren't spending copious amounts of money lauding your mother, there must be something wrong with you.  It is virtually impossible to ignore today and yes, there are people who would like to do just that.

In the years before Sidney was born I became painfully aware of how hard it is to see motherhood so openly celebrated yet to not be a part of the much yearned for "club."  I shared this feeling of dread with several friends in similar situations.  I knew of others who were mothers in their own right but for a variety of reasons didn't have loving relationships with their own mothers and thus, didn't feel the need or desire to celebrate mom.  I had friends whose sole desire for Mother's Day was a true day off and a little peace and quiet.  And still yet there were my friends whose dearly loved mothers were no longer with them.  All of this can temper an otherwise joyous day with dread and sadness.  I try to keep all of this in mind on days like today.

I am now a mother myself and love my son dearly.  Since his birth I've become closer to my own mother and I have a new, broader perspective on the choices, struggles, and sacrifices she made to raise her three children.  And being a mother definitely isn't easy.  I totally agree with those who say it is the toughest job they will ever have.  And because of this, I guess today is "our" day.  However, we are mothers 365 days a year.  Rather than have a single day to acknowledge our efforts, we should be grateful and say thank you at every opportunity we have to all of the women in our lives.  Remember, a part of the Merriam-Webster definition includes women who are in authority. Think about this broadly and that can include pretty much everyone from biological relatives to friends, mentors and anyone else who has helped shape us into the people, and perhaps mothers, we are today. So we don't have to wait for a single day; rather be kind, respectful and thankful year around.  

Thank you to all of the women in my life who have helped make me the person I am today.

And the little boy who made me a mother

Project Albanian Voices

Today's post is a bit different.  Instead of sharing my own thoughts I'm sharing those of an American linguistic student who is conducting research for a book on the immigration experiences of Albanians through the lens of language and music.  Ashley Elizabeth Woods is looking for assistance in raising money to help her with her field research.  As a history buff and American currently living in Albania, I am intrigued by this project and want to do my part to help support its mission.  

You can read a brief excerpt of the project in Ashley's own words below but for more information or to learn how you can help support this exciting project project click here.

"The true history of mankind will be written only when Albanians participate in its only writing."  This statement is as true today as it was in the 20th Century when the Austrian linguist Maximilian Lambertz said it. The interest in Albania that led to the creation of this project was due to the presence of and assistance by Albanians in a time of dire need.  Awestruck by the history of the Illyrians, their language and the lack of that information that has been present about all of it in most U.S. formal education, one of the aims of Project Albanian Voices is to shed light on aspects of the Albanian culture that are positive (not to portray them as Hollywood villains).  So, the goal of this project is to focus on the aspects of Albanian culture that are positive and inspirational.  One motivational aspect of Albanian culture is the history of how they have defended their homeland from a multitude of antagonistic invaders, saved it from multiple wars and tolerated almost constant political instability.  These stories about the necessity for  migration, be it due to economic factors, deportation or blood-feuds are harrowing and exhilarating.  The tales of bravery in the face of adversity are truly overwhelming and inspirational.

This project focuses on documenting the experiences and stories related to the Albanian people (located inside of and outside of  Albania).  The book will be intended for English-speaking Albanians, academics and experts on Balkan affairs. Ashley also plans to release a simultaneous translation in Albanian so tat the book is accessible to all Albanians.  Her ultimate goal is for the book to be understood in the context of the ongoing immigration debate in the United States which tends to ignore the European immigrants' point of view.

The goal of this Kickstarter project is to raise the necessary funds to travel to Albania during the summer of 2013 to complete interviews and chronicle individual stories related to migration. In order to raise this money by the deadline (May 26th at 11:59 pm), Ashley needs your help.  Only the efforts of an entire community interested in the fair and honest preservation of Albanian history can make this a reality.  If you can donate, please do so at any amount.  If you can help in other ways such as publicizing this via social networks or writing about it in blogs and newspapers, we would thank you immensely."