A Coffee Culture

Albanians love their coffee.  One only has to take a look around any village or city to see the hundreds of cafes that line the streets.  From the capitol city of Tirana to smaller towns throughout the country, cafes are as ubiquitous as car washes in Albania.  Whether we were pressing olive oil at a roadside factory in the seaside village of Orikum or we exploring the mountain village of Theth (which lacked any restaurants or stores), we have been able to find cafes.  There are three things I've learned about Albanian cafes. First,  while there are places that I would readily associate with the word "cafe", rarely are they fancy--any place where a rickety table or two and a few chairs can be set up---is considered a cafe.  If there isn't space inside, an outdoor porch, patio, or even front lawn will do.  Second, the majority of them don't sell any food.  Your menu options are most often limited to coffee, perhaps bottled water and juice, and of course, raki.  No fancy coffee drinks are served here.  The actual coffee itself is most likely to be served in the form of small shots of thick Turkish coffee or as a macchiato-- a small, equally strong cup with a dollop of hot milk.  Two packets of sugar will always be served on the side.  The price is an equally unimpressive equivalent 50 cents to a dollar- depending on the drink and the location.  I can only imagine what Albanians would think about paying four plus dollars for a fancy cappuccino from Starbucks.  A few places might have slightly fancier drinks but those really aren't cafes.  Thirdly, cafes, like the rest of the country, are filled with smoke.  Albania has a national ban on smoking inside of buildings.  While most businesses will have signs posted to this effect, I have only encountered a handful of full fledged restaurants that actually enforce this rule.  Asking someone not to smoke will be met with hostile glares and more often than not, smoke being blown in your face.  Fortunately, the weather is often nice here and just about every cafe has outdoor seating.  If you can manage to grab a table that is upwind of the smokers, you might be able to enjoy your coffee in a relatively smoke free environment.

Drinking coffee is an event; you will never see an Albanian walking down the street holding a giant paper cup of the hot beverage.  (Given the excess trash that fills the streets I suppose we should be grateful for this).  Albanians and internationals alike will invite you to meet for coffee. Whether it is business or personal you will sit in a cafe for hours talking. If you are meeting for business it is unlikely that any business will actually take place during that first meeting; a second meeting for coffee will become necessary.  From sun up to long after sundown, cafes are filled with lounging people nursing small cups of coffee.  At fifty cents a cup it is cheap entertainment.  The cafes are usually filled with men (I speculate that the women are too busy working for such idling) but on occasion you will see groups of women sharing a coffee.  I actually belong to two international coffee groups and we have been known to spend several hours at a time talking and drinking.  In true Albanian form I've learned that the actual drinking of the coffee is only a small part of the event; it is the socializing that is what is most important.

While strong Albanian (and Turkish) coffee has grown on me, I still love my large cups of American style brewed coffee.  At the Embassy we bring our big mugs up to the coffee bar each morning to be filled with milky cappucino (because the coffee bar is inside of the American Embassy, they cater to American tastes).  We buy whole coffee beans by the case from Starbucks and grind them ourselves each morning.  We serve brewed coffee at dinners to our international guests and all but a few ask for second servings.  We even give out bags of the beans to friends who have spent time in the U.S. and now find themselves missing the coffee.  I've learned that there is definitely something to be said about leisurely drinking your coffee instead of gulping it between stop lights during your morning commute.  Some days it really is nice to sit back and enjoy your coffee.  But in the end I'd prefer to sip a Cinnamon Dolce Latte on the go.  That is really more my speed.

Extra! Extra! Can You Still Read All About It?

Is print media obsolete?  When I was in the U.S. --and even during my short stateside visit this past summer-- reading The Washington Post while sipping my morning coffee was an important daily ritual that wasn't to be missed.  When I travel to other cities, both domestic and international, I try to read at least one local newspaper.  Whether it be a large internationally recognized publication or a local arts and entertainment guide, newspapers provide a unique insight into a community.  From front page articles to back page advertisements, what gets published (or isn't published) says a lot about a community's culture and values.  My favorite part of any newspaper is by far the opinions, editorials, and letters to the editor sections that grace every newspaper. Where else can you get a better sense of the political and social vibe of a community?  From editors endorsing right wing candidates to crotchety old men with too much time on their hands, these printed words speak volumes about a city or town.  But are print newspapers soon to be a thing of the past?

Last night's 60 Minutes ran a feature on the impending move on the part of New Orleans Times-Picayune to reduce their production from a daily newspaper to one that is printed three times a week.  Citing reduced readership combined with increased expenses, the paper's publishers state that this move is the only one that can help keep the newspaper financially solvent.  The situation in New Orleans isn't unique; across the United States newspapers of all sizes have been shuttering their presses or reducing their production over the past few years.  From Cleveland to Baltimore to Honolulu, dailies are being printed no more.  And what happens in a community when the press isn't readily apparent?  Even here in Albania, where the media is rampant and partisan to a fault, newspapers play an important role in making information public and in many instances, holding politicians and other public figures accountable for their actions.  If reporters weren't so ready to report the news as it happens, how would the rest of us find out about what is happening in our own communities?  Many blame the Internet for making print media obsolete but I think that both forms of media can co-exist.  Yes we can read about news as it happens on the Internet but not everyone has ready access to the world wide web.  Don't these people deserve access to the news as well?  Will prolific letter writers continue to submit letters to the editor if it can only be done online?  (I think they will but the authors will be a different genre of readers and something is sure to be lost in this transition).

Being separated from home delivery or a local newstand selling the paper, I now read The Washington Post's online version each morning as I drink my coffee.  Sure I can click through the articles without having to worry about getting newspaper print on my hands but somehow the experience just isn't the same.  It feels cleansed and distanced from the real thing.  Missing are advertisements and in their place are annoying pop-up windows.  (I also no longer have access to the colorful flyers and coupons that are stuffed into an already think weekend edition).  Reader responses to articles are terse snippets rather than thoughtful prose.  Maybe I am just dating myself and need to get with the times.  I know that without this high tech edition I wouldn't be able to read any of the paper and I should be grateful for that. I am. But I long for all of the sensory images that come from the real deal.  I can only hope that the real thing continues and that someday I will be able to fall back into my original age old morning routine.

Snow Envy

This is the picture that started it all

All it took was one picture (the one above) popping up on my Facebook wall.  An idyllic snow scene courtesy of Swans Islands Blankets in Northport, Maine.  I took one look at the picture and all of a sudden I craved a cold snowy winter.  Yes, I've said it.  As hard as it is for me, and anyone who knows me, to believe, right now I am envious of my friends and family who are experiencing this very weather I want (to borrow, not keep).

I'm a New England girl at heart. I grew up in Maine back in the day when snow storms were true snow storms.  Days off (or more likely delays) from school because of the weather were the norm during the winter months.  By mid February chances were good that when looking out the first floor windows of our house, the view would be obstructed by mountains of snow.  My brother and I would build snow forts out of the snow banks and in our even younger days, go sledding on the huge hill next to our then house.  Receiving both a red plastic sled (for home) and a roll up sled (for recess) was a give-in each Christmas.  As a child I loved it; as I grew older I didn't give it much thought.  After all, that is what winters in Maine were all about.  You bundled up when you went outside, planned accordingly on winter mornings to allow enough time to dig your car out of the driveway, and anticipated that all events and activities might have snow delays or postponements.  (It was smart to always plan an alternative snow date just in case).  It was just the way things were.

My acceptance of snowy winters continued when I went off to college.  Ensconced on a campus in Western Massachusetts we still got our share of snow but it rarely interfered with daily life.  You walked to class and everything you really needed was provided for you right there.  Winter was winter and with a good pair of boots and snow tires, you dealt with it.  It was during my first post-college winter that my attitude began to change.  I was sharing a house with two other women.  We were in the heart of a city that enforced parking bans like they were going out of style.  We were the only house on the street with any driveway (it only held two cars and there were three of us) so on-street parking was the norm. It also turned out that we received record breaking snowfalls that winter.  By mid December our entire neighborhood was buried in snow and it had gotten to the point where there just wasn't any place to put the new snow as it arrived. Whenever our neighbor cranked up their snow blower the snow ended up in our driveway.  More often than not the police would end up in the neighborhood to mediate a dispute between snow bound neighbors.  Oh, and working for a company that operated 24/7, I had to get up and go to work each and every day.  All of a sudden this fluffy white stuff wasn't so fun any more.  Yes, the snow was pretty and the occasional snow day off from work was nice but the day in and day out of dealing with snow was tiring.  Snow might be nice to play in but when you needed to get from point A to point B on time on a daily basis it just proved to be a hassle.

My love-hate relationship with snowy winters continued until I finally left New England years later.  I spent my first winter in southern Virginia relishing in the fact that it didn't really snow in Norfolk.  Every once in a while a flake or two would fall causing my southern born co-workers to speculate as to whether or not we'd get to go home because of the weather.  It never happened.  Nor should it have.  Shortly before we left Hampton Roads in 2010, a fluke of Mother Nature caused a snow storm to hit that resulted in our receiving almost a foot of snow.  The roads were a mess, no one knew how to drive, and I was housebound for the day since the City didn't own a single plow and we had to wait for the snow to melt off of the road before venturing out.  (Yes, this was the way Norfolk dealt with snow).  It would have been rather humorous had it not been for the fact that Sidney was still in the NICU and a snow day meant I couldn't visit him.  Predictably however, the snow melted the next day, the roads re-opened and life went on.

It does snow in Albania, just not here in Tirana.  The few flakes that have fallen in Tirana over the past two winters have elicited the same level of excitement as they did in Virginia.  We can see snow on the mountains outside of the city (and yes it is pretty).  At the higher elevations heavy snowfalls cause roads to be closed and villages to be cut off from services for weeks on end but this is not something we have to deal with on a regular basis.  Despite the fact I don't really like snow, the New Englander in me still equates Christmas and the entire winter season with snow.  I had been thinking about this for a few months and then the Swans Island picture popped up on my computer.  All of a sudden I wanted to once again experience a good old fashioned snow storm.  (Just one mind you, not week upon week of snow).  I had thought our Christmas in Bavaria would produce the desired effect but alas, snow was scarce and it took going up to the top of the Zugspitze to even experience falling flakes.  Even caught up in a squall, it just wasn't what I had been hoping for.

Call me crazy; as I read comments from my friends in Vermont and Maine I find myself longing for a real snow storm.  I think Sidney would love it; he's only seen snow from afar but never really experienced it.  How does one even explain what snow feels like to someone who has never felt it themselves?  Growing up surrounded by snow I can't even begin to describe it since it feels so natural.  Am I going to get to experience snow this year?  Probably not.  Plans are afoot to allow us to experience a snowy winter next year though:  since Bavaria isn't snowy enough this time we're going to set our sights on Switzerland. After all, surely there will be snow in the Swiss Alps in December. Right?  In the meantime I must apologize again to my snowbound friends.  For the rest of this winter I'm going to live vicariously through all of you as I see your pictures and hear your stories about shoveling, playing, and living with snow.  Enjoy the snow for me; I'm jealous.

Winter at Mount Holyoke College

Brakes Are Optional

Yesterday on Facebook a friend posted her frustration with the impatience of Boston drivers and their liberal use of the car horns.  I read the comment and chuckled since I had been thinking the same thing about Albanian drivers during my own short, but anxiety laden drive between my house and the grocery store.  We had been warned about Albanian driving habits before we arrived in the country and were briefed on the dangers of driving in Albania on our very first day at the Embassy.  Some joke that driving is a contact sport in Albania. While most days I wouldn't go quite that far (although I have experienced my share of bumps and dings while driving) driving here certainly isn't for the faint of heart.

The first thing one notices about Albanian drivers is that they only use their brakes as a last resort.  Blinkers and horns are used to an excess but Albanian drivers will swerve around slower vehicles, pedestrians or stray animals rather than use their brakes to slow down.  If you are like me and are foolish enough to stop for a red light (when the lights are working) or a stop sign, cars will come barreling up behind you, swerve to either the left or right (if you are lucky) and continue right on down the road.  I've had more near misses than I can count as both a pedestrian and a driver because I've assumed that on coming vehicles will stop for the traffic signals.  And don't even get me started about driving through the numerous traffic circles that clog Albania's roadways.  Cars pummel into them at full speed crossing from left to right and back again with nary a brake light in sight.  It continually surprises me that I haven't seen more accidents.  The aforementioned bumps and dings on the other hand, are another story.

When Albanian drivers see an open space--whether it be a left turn lane and they are continuing straight or turning right or the empty space is the lane for on coming traffic, they drive in it.  I'm not just talking about the mopeds and scooters whose drivers seem to have a completely different understanding of traffic laws.  (Personally, if I was driving such a small vehicle with no helmet or protective gear I would be especially careful and observant).  Furgons, trucks, and even buses join the ranks of sedans in creating three and four lane roads out of single lane streets.  On a street such as Tirana's main boulevard which already has numerous lanes, more often than not it will become a free for all of cars speeding in all directions in all lanes.  If a car has actually stopped to turn across oncoming traffic, it is a common sight to see two, three, or more other vehicles who have driven up around or in front of the vehicle in order to make the same turn.  Or a car will pull up on the left then continue straight on through the intersection and down the road--again with no brake lights.  The most common sight on the road is a vehicle heading straight towards you in "chicken" mode honking their horn to tell you to get out of their way.  Since we've been here a few "designated" bicycle lanes have popped up throughout the city.  I don't think I've ever seen an actual bicycle in any of them; rather, the bicycle lane is an additional lane for motorized vehicles whose drivers don't feel the need to wait in the traffic jam with the rest of us.  The country's numerous driving schools must teach all drivers that if there is an open space, they need to drive in it.

Just as Albanian drivers don't slow down for traffic signals, they don't slow down or stop for police officers.  I can't imagine any other place where police and other law enforcement officials are so disrespected and flat out ignored as they are on Albanian roadways.  Never mind if emergency vehicles with their lights flashing are approaching; your typical Albanian driver will continue on through either oblivious to or uncaring of the rules of the road that the rest of the world observes.  On a daily basis cars continue to speed by the police officers who stand in road in front of the Embassy as they attempt to direct traffic.  This morning we witnessed this disrespect again first hand as a driver got into a verbal altercation with a police officer who had the gaul to call him out on the fact he had cut off the police vehicle and nearly caused an accident.  (We were directly behind this incident and in the end I can only surmise that the driver "won" since after a lot of hand gestures and yelling he eventually sped away with the police officer following at a slower speed).  I can only imagine how different this scene would have been in any other western or civilized country.

Whether you call it defensive driving or just pure carelessness, you are taking your life into your own hands every time you take to an Albanian roadway.  Glenn says driving in Albania is liberating.  In some ways it is but the fact remains that getting behind the wheel here scares the living day lights out of me.  I  still do it though.  I use my horn more liberally than I could have ever imagined I would and I have become more relaxed about dings and bumps.  I haven't gone totally native though; I still stop for all red lights and stop signs and when I encounter the neighborhood cows in the street, I come to a full stop and allow them to pass.

Politics As Usual?

Yesterday, in a rare moment of solitude I did something I've only done a handful of times since we've been in Albania:  I turned on the television in the middle of the afternoon.  Thanks to AFN, we have a limited ten channels of American television to choose from, which once you weed out the multiple soap operas (I didn't even realize that they still existed), the family channel broadcasting shows whose "family" status I question, and the program guide channel, left me with a choice between news and news.  I opted for watching the news.  Having narrowly "dodged" the fiscal cliff for the moment, both news channels were broadcasting live coverage of the new 113th Congress being sworn it.  As I watched old white man after even older white man (despite a record number of women and minorities being recently elected) parade to the staging area for their swearing in photo op, I found myself zoning out the prattling of the commentators and thinking about the structure of the American political system in general.

America's democratic form of government is one that is envied and often replicated (or attempted to be replicated) by countries across the globe.  Our democratic system allows us as voters to elect our representatives who in turn are supposed to advocate for and represent our interests in Congress.  When working well, it is a truly dynamic and incredible way of running a government.  When it isn't working efficiently, however, we are left with a stagnant mess where no one's interests are being met.  And unfortunately, the later has been more the case lately.  I think it has taken my living overseas, in a country with an "emerging democracy" for me to truly see how dysfunctional our own government is at the moment.

The last Congress, the 112th, was reportedly the least productive in recent history (since 1947 anyway) in terms of enacting new legislation.  Partisanship has become so rampant that, whether by principle or pure stubbornness, neither party has been willing to reach across the aisle in order to move things forward.  In fact, some elected officials boasted about their unwillingness to work with members of the other party.  (I bet these same people never played nice on the playground as kids).  Last month's down to the wire fiscal cliff is a prime example of the behavior and lack of actions that have driven most of the past political year.  As the country dangled over the edge of the fiscal cliff, Congressmen and women from both parties publicly bemoaned that they weren't happy with the emerging outcomes since they had been forced to give up issues of importance to them.  That is what compromise is all about.  Everyone gives a little to achieve the best possible outcome.  (I am NOT commenting on the merits of the final bill; that is a conversation for a future blog post).  

So my question is this:  Is Congress truly reflective of the United States?  Yes, with both men and women, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asians; and Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists, like American itself, this congressional body has become more diverse.  There are liberals intermingled with conservatives, people in the middle of the road and Tea Partiers (what exactly do all of these labels really mean anyway?).  What disturbs me the most, however, is how proudly partisan everyone seems to have become.   I worry that this indeed is also reflective of America as a whole.  Are we really that unwilling or unable to compromise.  Can we really not see the other side of the issue and be willing to accept others whose values and beliefs differ from ours?  If we can't do this and work together on all fronts, is our democracy really that more developed than those of "emerging democracies" around the world?  Or do we just produce better sound bites?  

I want to remain optimistic that the 113th Congress will be more productive than the 112th.  I hope that they can hear each other and work together to achieve results that really put the interests of the United States first.  Or maybe at this point I just want to see any results....  I am proud of America's democratic history and I can only hope that in the coming year(s) we will be a good example of what functioning democracies should look like. 

Energy.........

For the third straight month I'm attempting to participate in NaBloPoMo, the BlogHer challenge to blog every day during the month of January.  My November and December attempts were moderately successful; in November between my two blogs I managed to submit an entry each and every day.  December was a bit more challenging.  Due to the holidays, travel, and the general craziness I call life, there were a few days when I didn't blog at all.  Somehow, however, by the time December drew to a close I had made up for it as I managed to submit more than 31 entries to both of my blogs (actually 34). So let's see if I can keep up the momentum this month (and year).

January's NaBloPoMo theme is energy.  My initial thought upon hearing this theme was to wonder "what energy; I don't have any."  But then I realized that I do.  We all do.  In fact, although there are days when I am seriously dragging and it doesn't feel that way, I have a lot of energy.  After all, I must if I am to accomplish everything that is required of me. 

So what energizes me?  Ironically, being busy keeps me going.  If I have a single task to accomplish in any given day (when was the last time that was really the case?), then it will take me all day to complete it.  If I have ten tasks to complete, somehow my momentum carries me through and all ten items will get crossed off of my list before my head hits the pillow that night.  I doubt I'm so unusual in this case; after all isn't it always the same over worked, over committed people who keep volunteering to take on even more responsibilities? 

I can readily identify two actual activities (beyond the general keeping busy) that gives me energy.  First, I realize that being around other people energizes me the most.  Friends and family have the biggest positive effect but in their absence any talking human being will do.  This is why, in my pre-child days when Glenn was at sea and some long weekends felt very, very long, I would make a concerted effort to get out of the house.  Even if it was only to go to Target or Starbucks, just getting out and talking to other people --even if they were strangers--had the rejuvenating effect I craved.  Picking up the phone or logging onto the computer works as well, but there really isn't any substitute for good old fashioned face-to-face interactions.  As much as I love my solitude at times, I would never do well on a deserted island!

Secondly, and I think this is more a factor of my current circumstances, traveling outside of Albania gives me the larger sense of energy I need to keep plugging along.  While there are many wonderful things about the country and the experiences we have had, that living here affords us, day to day life is hard.  Very hard.  Whether it is driving, grocery shopping, or just getting out and exploring, everything is more difficult here than it is elsewhere and over time, this daily struggle pulls me down.  As a family we've discovered that getting away from it all gives recharges our batteries in a way that nothing else can.  A few days stay in a nice hotel room, driving on well maintained roads (or taking advantage of safe public transportation), dining in smoke free restaurants, and playing tourist in countries where law and order is both expected and respected, revitalizes us in a way that prior to moving to Albania would have been impossible to imagine.  Regardless of where we go, we returned feeling renewed and ready to face the new challenges that are thrown our way.

So, as we launch into a new year I am feeling very energized.  We've just returned from a trip to Germany and have a trip to Austria looming on the horizon.   My schedule is busy with lots of activities and I've had some great conversations with friends this week.  I am as energized as the Energizer Bunny at the moment so bring it on-- I'm ready for it!

Oh The Places We Will Go??????

As I took down our Christmas tree this morning I found my self thinking about the year that lays ahead.  What does 2013 have in store for us?  Only time will tell for sure.  Will it be a continuation of 2012 or something completely different? Will we have new adventures with never a dull moment?   Will moments of incredible frustration be intermingled with fantastic opportunities that makes even the toughest days worth it?  Yes, yes, and yes again.  With just a year remaining of our time in Albania I'm realizing that from here on out everything will be our "last".  This May we will celebrate our last Armed Forces Day and in July will stand in our last Independence Day receiving line in Albania.  We will swelter through our last long hot summer in Tirana and relish in our last limitless harvest of figs, mandarins, and pomegranates.  We will have one final holiday season of wondering whether our mail will arrive before the big days and I will put together one final Thanksgiving dinner with make shift substitutions taking the place of real American ingredients.  Yes, this coming year is sure to be an adventure.

At this point next year we will once again be packing up our house and preparing for our next move. Where to you ask?  We don't know and the answer really isn't in our hands.  Rather, the U.S. Navy will decide where we land next.  (Or will it; if Glenn retires then the future is completely in our hands but in turn, that will open up a whole new set of possibilities, complications, and decisions that need to be made).  Sure we'll have some input but in the end the decision isn't really ours to make.  Will we be researching neighborhoods, commute times, and house hunting stateside or searching for rental property overseas?  Regardless of where we call our next home, for the first time schools will factor into our housing decision.   As hard as it is for me to believe, Sidney will be starting school during our next set of orders.  Do we go the public route and buy in a good school district or do we opt for private and live in a funky neighborhood where our money will go farther?  Will I be adding a job search to my list of things to investigate? If so, what type of job do I want?  Full time, part time, in my career field or something completely new.  The possibilities are endless............

In the meantime there are many things we want to accomplish in the year we have left.  Of course there is the pesky thing called work.  For both Glenn and I work, along with all of its dueling responsibilities and commitments will continue to be in the forefront of our lives.   But, during our final year in Albania, we will strive to keep it all in perspective.  We hope to finish our European travel bucket list before we depart.  Already trips are planned for Greece, France, England, Italy, and Poland and in honor of my celebrating a "significant birthday" this year, plans are underway for a girls getaway to Spain.  And of course there are places right here in Albania that we want to explore.  On the home front things will be changing.  I will make a concerted effort to mend our fragile family ties that have been tested over the past few years.  2013 will also be the year that Sidney, despite his stubbornness and refusal to cooperate, will become toilet trained.  (Accomplishing this will make traveling so much easier and lighter!).  I also vow to take better care of myself and my little family in the coming year.  No longer will we be last on my long to-do list.  Proper sit down dinners, with at least one new dish a week, will be a new family routine.  Play time, hanging out time, and opportunities for pure relaxation will now be a priority.  And I will make time for myself.  Whether it be  cooking, blogging, reading, or sitting and doing absolutely nothing, I will make the time to do it each and every day.  

It looks like 2013 will be quite the year.  Regardless of what it holds in store for us, every moment will be an adventure!