Weekend of Culture

Last Saturday my friends Morgan and Kristina mentioned that Swan Lake was playing at the Opera House. I really wanted to go, since it is a Tchaikovsky ballet, and luckily Rachel, Alyssa and Jon also were interested. Morgan secured six tickets and we set off on our maiden voyage to the Kiev Opera House. We had all walked past the outside many times, but never entered. While on the metro, Morgan filled us in on the Swan Lake story. (I slightly remembered it, the basics anyway, because of a ballet book I received when I was 9 years old. I wonder what happened to that book?) The main character, Odette, is a girl transformed by an evil sorcerer, into a swan. The sorcerer transformed all the girls in Odette's village into swans and a lake was formed by their tears. The only way for the swans to become girls again is for someone to fall in love with Odette. Meanwhile, a young prince, sets off on a hunting expedition, only to encounter Swan Lake and to fall madly in love with Odette, the swan girl. The prince returns home and the evil sorcerer, in order to maintain his company of swans, enchants the prince and tricks him into falling in love with another girl who is disguised as Odette. The prince soon realizes that the girl is not Odette, when Odette flies into the palace. She retreats to Swan Lake and.... The ending was a mystery. Kristina had seen a production where Odette is killed through the heart by the prince's crossbow. Morgan said that sometimes the prince kills the sorcerer and the spell is lifted, or that the two star-crossed lovers drown themselves in the lake and their spirits ascend like swans.
It was the coldest night of the school year, so far. But, I've made a decision. Thick boots are not fashionable with a fancy dress and I absolutely must look for boots like Kristina's. They lace up in back and are very stylish, unlike my sturdy sensible boots.

Alyssa, Jon, Rachel and I sat in box seats like these. I felt a bit like I should be watching my back and Jon made it worse by saying that someone was shot in a political dispute back in the early 1900s. Every theater needs a good haunting! The opening dance, with all the members of the prince's court, was absolutely gorgeous. The music, surprisingly, had a strong, om,pa,pa, theme to it. That's not a sound I normally associate with ballet. I had one of those moments as I sat listening and watching on the edge of my seat (the chairs were slightly sloped forward) that made me think, "My goodness. This is my reality for the next year. I am in a beautiful Eastern European capital with world class entertainment opportunities to be enjoyed with fabulous new friends." That's when I started to cry.
The first intermission was rather long and we spent it eating chocolate in the lobby. We returned five minutes before the second act was beginning. I looked over the edge of the balcony and saw a little girl in the lower box seat, completely alone, pretending to be a swan. She was oblivious to the rest of the audience as she became a ballet of one. All through the second act, she danced along with the ballet company, quietly and serenely. We all enjoyed her performance as much as the professional dance company performance!

During last intermission, we began debating how the ballet was going to end. Rachel predicted that everyone would take a shot of vodka and would get along, I was feeling tragic and determined that Odette would die with an arrow through her heart, and Alyssa predicted that true love would conquer all. I'm very glad to report that, in this version, Alyssa was correct. The prince managed to defeat the sorcerer and Odette turned back into a girl. And they all lived happily ever after! (Though, wouldn't you think Odette might have developed some odd habits spending so much of her life as a bird?)

Today, a large group of us from school, left the city and went to an ethnographic museum, Savka House, just outside of Kiev. It's a family run museum, dedicated to teaching Ukrainians and foreigners how Ukrainians lived a century ago. The family lives off what they produce and their income comes from the tours and demonstrations they give. The great-grandfather and grandfather were both history teachers, and the family has a soft spot for that profession. (It was Ukrainian Day of the Teacher yesterday, so I think that is why we went today.... Yesterday, the school gave every teacher a huge box of chocolates. Danger!)
Roman is another first grade teacher. He and his wife, Pat, are Canadians of Ukrainian decent. They speak fluent Ukrainian and Russian. They acted as translators today and did a fabulous job retelling stories. The boy is the youngest member of the Savka family and spoke the most English. Rachel and I were trying to guess his age. I think he's about 17.
We were shown how the farmers produced the grain and flour from their wheat and how the wheat was harvested. Grinding the grain was much more of a challenge than I anticipated! Bev loaned me a scarf, since she had an extra, and it came rather close to getting stuck in the stone. I wonder if there were ever any bread-making related deaths 100 years ago?
Alyssa was also surprised by the weight of the stone!
The papa demonstrated how the iron forge worked and pulled Adam in for a tutoring session. Adam, the high school guidance councilor, now has another connection for career day.
I had no idea, even after reading The Secret Life of Bees, how sacred bee keeping is. We were given a lengthy bee keeping lesson. Since this museum is geared toward children, there are no bees on site.
We were ushered inside for a hearty, delicious traditional Ukrainian meal. Everything, including the tasty bread, was made from the resources the family has. The borsch was by far the best I've tasted. I even tried the pig salo, which I can honestly say I hope to never try again. It was spongy. The baby cradle was actually occupied! Tim and Allison had their baby twins girls along and they took a nap in the cradle. The babushkas were so sweet with them, rocking and cooing over the girls. Sadly, the musicians scheduled to perform, were unable to make it today, so we didn't get to hear the traditional Ukrainian songs. Next time!
There is so much to learn, see and do here. Cultural opportunities are everywhere and I truly want to experience all that Ukraine has to offer.

A Sigh of Relief

One solid week. It wasn't a bad week, just a very unexpectedly strange week. I knew that I would miss Albania, but I had no clue that I'd be homesick for Albania. Homesickness quietly sneaked in last week, I think after pub night at the Canadian Embassy. It naturally made me think of my two Canadian friends. Four of us went out, after pub night for the first Friday night down-town. It was a very fun night, discovering an artsy restaurant that was serving free champagne, but it did cause me to remember Fridays past, out with a group, laughing our way through Tirana. This, I suppose, was the trigger. All week, I was missing my friends, the students, the parents, the swim team, everything good about Albania. And then there was the dull ache and the nagging question, "Why did I come here? I was happy in Tirana, why did I leave my friends?" This place, I feel confident, is the next step and it is an answered prayer in many ways: A larger school, an excellent team to collaborate with (we had our first team meeting on Thursday!), a pool (though it's only 13.1 meters long), public transportation, culture, and (gulp) seasons (actually, it's raining now!). The question "why" was answered, but it didn't cure me. What did?

This morning, Tracey Skyped me. To hear from someone else missing Tirana was actually a breath of fresh air. We were able to laugh about what was bothering both of us. Then, I emailed a family from TIS who I want to visit in Vienna over October break. While on Facebook, another mom from school started chatting with me. She was so encouraging and told me that I was gone, but not forgotten (and truly missed. I would have had her daughter, this year, if I had stayed). The homesickness began lifting.

This afternoon was the school picnic. I had volunteered to help Rachel with face painting, because I thought that it would be a fun diversion. While in the middle of painting a butterfly, I looked around at all the families gathered, the parents who were coming up to say hello, my students who were hugging me, teachers who are becoming my friends and I breathed a sigh of relief. It's gone. The homesickness. Oh, I'm sure it will surface every now and again, but I'm home now. I'm ready to embrace this new community, to invest my life here and not to pine for the past.

Ten Days in Kyiv

Today, I loose jet lag privileges. I have been in Kyiv for ten days; the allotted time for recovery from the flight from California to Ukraine. It's been a full ten days. The first few days were spent settling in and shopping. Luckily, the shopping is affordable. There are so many options here, compared to Albania. Each wine glass is classier than the last. The knives are sharp and efficient. And the cutting boards! Who knew there would be such a selection? I stocked up on spices at the Embassy's commissary. There's nothing like finding cumin and chili powder in a foreign country. So, I have the comforts of home and then some. There wasn't any internet in my apartment, so they installed wireless for me. I am feeling at home here in my oddly set up apartment. (The kitchen and dining room are at opposite ends of the apartment). My place is a ten minute walk from school. We'll see how I survive winter morning walks!


My first introduction to downtown Kyiv was a river cruise down the Dnipro River. To say that it was a hot day would be the understatement of the century. It was extremely hot. The river glowed a fluorescent green, which made us all wonder about the anatomy of the Dnipro fish. Cruising the river was a nice way of getting a view of historical Kyiv. Two returning teachers, and their daughter, took us to an American cuisine based restaurant to cool off in air conditioning and with a beer.
From the left to right: Brenda, Carolyn, Val, me, Jon, Alyssa and Rachel in front of the WWII and Forced Famine Memorial.

This past Saturday, a group of us set off to redeem last Saturday's extremely uncomfortable sight seeing day. We had a gorgeous day indeed. This is a group of us from school (minus Brenda's friend from the states and his interpreter). These are new faces that you'll probably see often!
The parks are so lovely here. Kyiv is called the greenest city in Europe, and that's not because of any recycling initiatives. (Though, I think those are coming to the city too!). There was plenty of shade!
Our main objective was to see the cave monasteries (Perchersk Lava) where many monks are mummified and interned. There were churches and museums surrounding the caves. We went into a fascinating museum that was filled with miniatures. We're not talking doll house miniatures. This artist (forgot his name!) in the late 1950s to the late 1960s carved and created tiny works of art only visible through a magnifying glass. One incredibly small flower (it was a chrysanthemum) had 99 petals painstakingly carved. I can't remember if it was from a seed or a bone. There was an Egyptian pyramid scene set into an eye of a needle. There was the smallest 12 page book in the world. I've never seen anything like this. Incredible. We also went into a small church, after buying a head scarf. From now on, I'm just going to travel with one in my bag. You never know when you might need to go into a church!
The mummified monks were incredible. I was nearly as claustrophobic as I was going into the Egyptian pyramids. Many people were kissing and crossing the lids of the monks. I'm not exactly sure why these monks are so holy.
Here are Alyssa, Jon, Hans (Brenda's friend from America) and Brenda in front of the Iron Lady of Kyiv. There are Soviet symbols still present on her shield.
Today, we ventured back out to see more of Kyiv. We saw the outside of Saint Michael's and Saint Sophia's (above and below) but didn't go inside either of them. I am feeling much more orientated to the city and I am prepared to call Kyiv "home" for at least a year. It's a busy, buzzing metropolis filled with parks, churches, museums, the opera house and restaurants to explore. I'm not going to be bored here!

The Last Hurrah

Yes it's a cliche, but it's the truth: All good things must come to an end. And it has. Two amazing years in Albania are over and done. The friendships, the travel, the students, have all been legendary. I'm going to continue overseas life, for at least another year, this time in.... Kyiv, Ukraine. I'll be teaching 1st grade, which, honestly, is my first love.
Leaving Tirana...

Tracey, Sarah, Entela and I wanted one final trip together. Unfortunately, Entela's Croatian visa didn't come through in time, so it was just Tracey, Sarah and me. But what a trip! We decided to drive up through Montenegro and spend 5 nights in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We had reserved an inexpensive econ car, but were pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to a comfortable, high powered vehicle (that loved the bends in the road). Sarah drove the first leg of the road trip through Albania. We stopped in Skodra, at one point, to ask for directions right before the Montenegro border. After we crossed into Montenegro, Sarah and I walked back to Albania to pick up our green card, that allows us to travel in Montenegro and Croatia. We left Tracey in the car, sending a text to Entela. Nearly 15 minutes later, Sarah and I came back with the green card, only to discover Tracey standing on the burning pavement exclaiming, "I can't find my sandals! I had them and now they just aren't here!" Sarah and I also searched the car, with no luck. It was Sarah who finally solved the Mystery of the Missing Sandals. When we had stopped to ask directions, Tracey had placed her shoes outside the car, intending on getting out to ask a shop keeper. Sarah, since she was driving, ran into the shop instead. Tracey turned back into the car and closed the door. Some happy citizen of Skodra inherited a very nice pair of summer sandals and Tracey bought a pair of sandals off of me. The next portion of the trip was relatively uneventful, but incredibly breath-taking. I drove, after stopping near Budva for a seaside lunch.

We used our limited Albanian to purchase our green card in the little shack closest to Sarah.

"Where are my sandals?"


We arrived in Dubrovnik and made our way to the apartment we were renting. Tracey's brother knows a guy, in Canada, who owns this apartment. What a way to live! We each had our own room and bathroom. The owners shared our tastes in literature (I read the children's lit book, "The Lightning Thief" in just 3 days and Sarah set in on "The Kite Runner." Trace was reading a book of mine called "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox."). I loved all the wall art. One of the pictures was simply the blue of the sea. I thought it was powerful... I was the only one who thought so, though. Every morning, I looked out my window to a view of the harbor and the island. So spoiled. So, so spoiled.
The views from our patio...
My bedroom. Really, I should have been writing poetry in the early morning sun.

Our first day, we woke up late, ran to the corner market and made French toast for breakfast (the kitchen was very well equipped!) Then, we spent the day lying on the beach, detoxing from 10 months of demanding work (a teacher's job is never done. THAT'S why we have summers off!). We took a few swims, back and forth, but really just relaxed. We went to Buza, a bar in the walls of the city, for an afternoon drink, and to watch the cliff jumpers. The property manager had left us a list of restaurant recommendations, so we tried Bosnian food for dinner, which was strikingly similar to Albanian food.
Yes I know. ANOTHER balcony.

The next day was our island adventure. We hopped on a ferry to Lokrum Island for several hours of fun. The island had no flat beaches; the beaches were all giant rocks that had ladders leading into the water. We hiked as far as we could go and made ourselves at home on the rocks. The water was a bit choppy, but we swam anyway. It was so clear that we could see down to the sea floor (which sort of freaks me out, until I adjust) and all sorts of Adriatic fish. We swam far, going to the other side of the beach. Cliff jumpers were flying off rocks that were at least 10-15 feet high, into the clear waters. The three of us looked at each other, then swam over to the nearest ladder. The jumpers were Brits. One girl had been standing on the edge for 20 minutes, trying to talk herself into jumping. I asked one of the guys to jump, just to prove to myself that I wouldn't die (yes, I'm selfish). He came out alive, so one by one, Sarah, Holly and Tracey flew over the side. (The British girl climbed off the cliff by land.) It was an exhilarating experience! Swimming back, I had visitors. Three little blue and white fish swam along side me. I did cry then, knowing that the three sea loving friends were soon to part ways. We ended our Lokrum visit at a cafe that has live guitar music. That evening, we toasted the sea, over a meal of Adriatic sea bass and delicious white wine.
On the ferry over to the island.
Lokrum Island...
Wild peacocks and peahens were everywhere! Sarah was trying to get this guy to show us his feathers.
We swam to the far tip. Just beyond the tip are the cliffs.
Magical. Purely magical.

The next day, we walked the walls surrounding Dubrovnik. We ate our lunch up at the fort, dangling our legs over the edge, enjoying the blueness of the water and the sky. I, for one, was busy imagining the fort alive with soldier activity, defending Dubrovnik from the Venetians. After a lovely day of walking, we hit the Placa shops. Sarah bought some painted glass vases. I really, really wanted to buy the painted wine glasses, but the girls talked me out of it (too much to pack and carry with already exploding excess baggage). I am, however, wishing that I had at least bought a vase. Our dinner plans were to meet up with the McClellans, who had just arrived in Dubrovnik. We were telling Hilary and John about our day and Sarah mentioned the glass vases. Hilary said, "I loved the wine glasses. I bought them. One had a defect so I'll pick them up tomorrow." I could have danced for joy. The wine glasses are going to a good home after all! After a pasta dinner, which did not live up to the hype as "The Best Pasta in Dubrovnik," we went to an Irish pub to watch the World Cup. They had hard cider on tap! Brazil won that game and the group of Brazilians went nuts. The McClellans came back to our apartment where the two boys taught Tracey chess. Those little guys are so smart. I'm proud to have had one of them as my student!


At the Irish Pub. The boys were eating ice cream. It looked so good, we all went for more!
The Brazilians' victory dance...

Our final day in the Dubrovnik area was spent on the road. Sarah and I desperately wanted to go wine tasting, but we didn't want to go on a tour or all the way to Korcula Island. We managed to secure a map of the wine peninsula 1 1/2 hours north of Dubrovnik. I was driving, and was a little grumpy. I was reluctant to pull over for pictures, but finally stopped to take in the amazing view. Our first stop was at a family run winery, where the grandmother welcomed us in, the granddaughter poured us the wine, and the uncles, aunts and cousins were picking the grapes. The wine was nice, and Sarah bought a bottle. Tracey drove us after our first stop. Each stop was unique and delicious. One stop was at a winery that served a limited selection of wine, but all the wine was award winning. I bought bottle of white, primarily because the wine is based on California wine. My favorite stop was at another family run establishment. We got to explore the wine cellar and try a wonderful variety of wines. We all bought a bottle of their red Dignac wine; the grapes are grown on the rocky cliffs close to the coastline. After five wineries (cough, cough), Tracey drove us back to Dubrovnik. We met up with Tracey's friend, Gill, and went for delicious pizza. Then, we did the touristy thing. There was a Croatian folk music/dance show right outside our door. I thought it was fun and very entertaining. The costumes were bright and doll like. I took a million pictures, which might have been a result from visiting the five wineries.
Proof that I did finally stop for pictures opportunities...
Our first stop at the family run winery.
We took a wrong turn, but it was an awesome detour!

My favorite stop... the red Dignac was delicious! I drank it with my family last Friday. My brother started researching how to import it!


We drove back to Albania and the next day we spent readying ourselves for going the rest of our summer vacations. Then, we went for an last day dinner at a delicious restaurant called Vinum. Just the four of us; the ending mirrored the beginning.
The last supper, but never the last adventure.

May Highlights and Happenings

May is half gone, and I haven't posted a thing. There have been plenty of parties and outings. Here are just a few highlights from the first half of May:

My lovely friend, Demetra hosted a May Day celebration. The wine was flowing, the cheese was varied, the conversation was delightful. It made me sad that this Albania chapter is closing.

This past summer, my mom, my aunt, my cousin and I spent a productive afternoon at the fabric store. The quality fabrics were colorful and bright; perfect for summer dresses. I picked out five pieces of fabric for the neighborhood seamstress to transform into dresses for Sarah, Tracey, Entela, Amy and me. The result is below (we were on our way to Amor, which as you may know from previous posts, is my favorite restaurant.). Sadly, Entela's dress was still at the shop, but we'll take another group shot at graduation.

Berat is one of the most magical places in Albania and I was so thrilled to visit again. A large group of us spent a few hours in Berat, exploring the castle area, buying our favorite cookies, and eating traditional Albanian food at the Castle Park restaurant. Then, we continued on to Corovoda and the Osumi Canyon for another rafting adventure.




We stayed the night in Corovoda, before rafting. I threw a fuss about staying there, as opposed to Berat, because I had seen the hotel the year before. My expectations of the hotel were incredibly low, but the hotel managed to even sink lower. There was no toilet paper, the bed was broken, the toilet seat was broken, there were spiders... at least the sheets were clean (I used my sleep sheet just to be safe). It really was indoor camping. HOWEVER, it should be noted that it was best to stay there since it cut off so much driving time.

The river was lower, this year, than last year. We had twice as much rain, but hardly any snow. This meant that the rapids were light, bouncy and fun (and we had more of an arm workout paddling). Tracey, Sarah and Florian were in a raft with Florian's friends and I was in a raft with Megan, Katie and Violeta... and an incredibly fascinating and handsome guide! The guides told us that on our first stop, we could do a little cliff jumping. I was a little nervous about climbing down to the edge, but the previously mentioned guide lent a helping hand. Florian jumped first. He's taller than I am so I figured it was safe. I went in after him. Boy was that water cold! Megan, Sarah, Tracey and Violeta followed. We had a blast swimming up stream and playing in the rapids. After a few stops we arrived at the waterfall. The waterfall was bluer than last year and less powerful. We were able to wade behind it than jump out receiving a face full of powerful water. Violeta kept asking, "Holly, want to go again?" I kept saying, "Okay!" We must have repeated the process three times. This rafting adventure makes its way to the Top 5 list of highlights of the 2009-2010 school year.

A group of us went Salsa dancing Friday night. I'm so glad that we took classes last year. It got me thinking, what have I learned to do this year? Last year, I learned to dance, next year I will learn Russian, but this year? Finally, it came to me. I learned to love teaching kindergarten. Really, I didn't think that would ever happen.

May has been a busy month, already. I've missed so much on the home-front, like Mother's Day, my grandfather's 82nd birthday celebration, and a Welcome Back party for my cousin, but life has been happening here too. Only 4 weeks to go. I'm starting to get nostalgic for Albania already.