hard truths and random asides

I'm not going to lie to you, life in Albania has been good to me. I rarely want for things that I can't have. I am in love with the landscapes, the sunsets, and the beautiful weather. The people are incredibly kind. However, I will not pretend to you that my life here is easy. There is so much to my experience that doesn't make it onto these weekly blog posts. I try to save the moments that I felt truly inspired, at peace, or extraordinarily happy for these Tuesday moments because inspiration, peace, and happiness are things that I feel on a consistent basis here, and I want this blog to reflect my true experience, despite omitting some of the details. That being said, I think it is also important for me to convey those realities of life, those moments, though few and far between, that have been difficult for me as I have entered into this next great adventure.

In this jumbled mess of a blog post, enjoy this picture at the Berat Castle that has nothing to do with anything in this post.

Disclaimer: The rest of this blog post won't feel cohesive. I'll ramble, then I'll state something plain and simple. Just go with it, or go look at the pictures that I've added to the "mo photos" tab, as they will probably be more fun.

Why did I bring a hair dryer? Honestly what was I thinking? They don't convert, regardless of if you have a converter. So now I just have this bulky piece of plastic that is good for nothing but short bursts of extreme heat and extreme wind speed before blowing a fuse.

On that note, why did I bring a straightener?

Today, I was sitting with my friends in our favorite lokal, when I realized the sun was setting, which was beautiful as per usual. So, I got up and ran outside to chase down a good picture of it. I noticed some kids by the corner, but didn't think anything of it because I've got a one-track mind when it comes to sunsets, and I ran right past them. No sooner had I turned the corner than I heard the kids yelling at me, "Hello!", "Hi!", "What's up?", etc. I ignored it because usually when kids yell these things, they are only yelling them because these are literally the only English words they know, and they just want the attention of the American. So, usually engaging in conversation leads to blank stares. However, the situation progressed as I went along in pursuit of the sunset. They were following me, and now they were yelling insults, which again, is probably one of the limited phrases in their English vocabulary that they picked up from some show.

Knowing that there is no one in this town or this country that would just yell something like that at me, an American guest, I shook it off and moved on. I didn't want to give these kids the idea that those words would be the ticket to any sort of attention, which is clearly what they were after, so I just ignored it. It wasn't until one kid said, "Your friend is here!", and called one of the members of my youth group by name, that I turned around. Hidden under a hood, giving me a look of absolute shock and horror, I spotted him in an instant, standing next to another member of my youth group, also hidden under a hood looking rather embarrassed. I walked up to them and said hello, and asked about our plans for the weekend hiking trip, said it was great to see them, then walked back to the lokal, all the while listening to the rest of the kids hanging around yelling insults at me, infuriated that I had only given attention to the two students that had remained quiet, that had respect for me, that I would and do trust with my life and safety.

Why did I not bring more ear plugs? Like a gallon size bag of ear plugs?

On that note, please enjoy this educational insight: Roosters do not, in fact, only crow in the morning.

Also, sleep masks are really honestly the best gift you can give yourself while traveling. You might look like a goober, but you'll thank me when you want to sleep on the plane while the person next to you is reading with a book light.

When your screen protector cracks and you don't know where to get a replacement screen protector, all of the sudden it bothers you so much that your screen is cracked, even knowing that my screen cracked 1 week into having my last phone back home, and it was still cracked two years later when I gave that phone to my sister. PSA: Pack extra screen protectors.

Does syrup just not exist in other countries or....?

Why do we shower so much back home? I get to shower day and sit there for a while contemplating how much I really need it, how many more days I could feasibly make it, and really if I can be bothered to put in the effort to do it. It is really very taxing on the mind, friends.

What am I going to do when my chapstick runs out?

Here's a picture from Belsh, otherwise known as the #1 suspect in the great jam mystery of 2019.

Today, I had a minor breakdown when I realized I had melted part of my favorite work pants. It was truly awful as I only brought two pairs of black pants, and one pair hadn't even made it through PST. So I sat in class pondering how in the world I could have melted them in that particular place, wondering which heater I had stood too close to today, and thinking to myself that of course I would be the person with enough skill to melt my pants without noticing and with absolutely no idea how it happened. So this evening, I looked at the pants once more to see if perhaps there would be more clues to the mystery when they were off of my body. But... why was it sticky? So I did the sniff test, and alas: jam. White vinegar maybe removed it, but that is TBD.

In a similar vein, the other day I learned that white vinegar removes coffee from clothing. So, next time you just pour that cup all over your favorite jeans, just remember, blotting with a sponge as the Pinterest instructions might tell you is for suckers. You must empty the bottle directly onto the pants until highly over-saturated... just to be sure.

Wine is best when: drank straight from the bottle, shared with friends, and saved for the peaks of mountains with beautiful views.

Sometimes you should quadruple check translations.

"Cold" is subjective, and all of those years wearing shorts and t-shirts despite the weather forecast really paid off.

Not pictured: Wine.

Everyone told me that I needed to be careful because women generally don't hang out in places alone, don't drink alcohol in public, don't exercise in public, and don't hang out with guys. I came here thinking that I would test those waters, and in doing so, decided that it was fine, and everyone was exaggerating. However, I was mistaken. Though people don't talk to me about the odd behaviors that I do on a regular basis, they definitely talk to each other. So, here I am, thinking I don't need to be careful about my actions, that no one has even noticed what I do, and that what I do won't impact the way that people think of me, and in turn, my ability to succeed in my community, when one conversation tells me, no Mohri, people notice. I am not saying that it has created huge barriers for me, but it is definitely a topic of conversation, and something that I will now bear in mind.

It's crazy how fluent you suddenly become when you are uncomfortable with silence.

I should have brought a middle jacket. I have a winter puffball and a thin raincoat. Honestly, what was I thinking?

There is a song called "Mori" that plays about every 7 seconds here. I know what you're thinking, but no, it is not, in fact, an ode to me. I was surprised too. However, it's good, and those of you who do not speak Shqip can pretend it is an ode to me if you so choose.

Also, why did I not bring more t-shirts? Just, all the t-shirts. All of them.

I wish I had brought my stylish rain boots.

History lesson: Under Communism, Albania had a bunch of slogans written on the hillsides and mountains. This mountain used to read "ENVER" for Enver Hoxha, the head of state during that time. However, following Albania's shift to democracy, this slogan was changed to read "NEVER". So have a fun little search for that in this cool picture from the Berat Castle.

If you ever find yourself in need of lotion, and it seems that the entire country has just boycotted the substance, remember that lotion doesn't have to be in a bottle. Sincerely, finally itch-free but still mad about it.

This morning I woke up at 6 am because there was a massive storm happening and the tin roof of the chicken coop right outside my window was perhaps about to fly away. I decided to get a head start on my blog post on this fine blustery Tuesday, and went to work writing a beautiful, thoughtful piece about a particularly interesting revelation I recently had. It was really something, let me tell ya. Yet here you are, reading a post about all the random things I forgot or have learned over the past weeks in Albania. Why? Because power outages are real, and that blustery situation that pulled me out of my blissful slumber took with it the electricity. So, in the midst of writing this great piece, the auto-save stopped, and I opened my computer this evening to post said great piece to find a half-written, not-so-great piece. Now I can't really remember what I said that was great, so while I ponder that one, I hope you enjoyed this jumbled mess.