Family, Family and More Family

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We were fortunate to have several family visitors during May and June. Our apartment has three bedrooms and two bathrooms which makes hosting visitors an easy and enjoyable thing to do. It is a real treat to introduce family and friends to life in Albania.

In mid-May our son, David, and his boyfriend, Kevin, came to visit for six days. They arrived on a Monday so our first stop was to school…
…which included the usual meeting and talking with my second graders.
At the Square with a staue of Skanderbeg who is the national hero of Albania.
Standing in front of one of the 170,000 bunkers built by the deranged dictator of Albania, Enver Hoxha. The bunkers were built from the 1960’s through the 1980’s.
David and I standing in front of my favorite mural in Tirana.
The following day we went on an excellent two-hour free walking tour of Tirana. I have been on this tour many times and learn something new every time.

On one of the days that David and Kevin were in Tirana, they came back to school to give the children some hands-on experience with what they do in their careers. David (who is a heart surgeon) went to a local butcher and got a goat heart and lungs. He showed the children and then let them feel the various parts of the organs and used a straw to blow air into the lungs. Kevin (who is a physician’s assistant working at Sloan Kettering in cancer reconstructive surgery) brought some tools with him to let the students practice giving stitches. Of course, the children were highly focused and full of questions during this experience.

On the weekend we took a two hour drive to Vlore, Albania and spent the night at Hotel Liro. We love this hotel that is built into the side of a cliff and offers beautiful views of the Adriatic/Ionian Sea.
This area of Old Town Vlore just opened up and is full of charming restaurants and shops.
I did not take this picture but wanted to include it to show the boardwalk and island.
We walked out on this boardwalk so we could visit Zvernec Monastery built in the 13th century.
The next day we drove to Berat. I am not sure why but I find murals very intriguing. They often appear with some kind of message or perhaps are simply open to interpretation. This mural was just recently completed in Berat. Here is the translation for the words on this mural: “A woman with freedom and a pen has the power to move the nation. A woman with a mind and a voice has the power to change the world.” This message is especially appropriate in Albania because the country does not yet consistently embrace equality for women.
As has been true of our other guests, I made arrangements for us to stay in the Berat Castle. This castle has had people living in it continuously since 400BC.
A trip to Berat is not complete without dinner at Lili’s. Lili and his family live in the same house that his great grandfather did. The restaurant is part of their house and is tucked in amongst the 1,000 windows of Berat. The restaurant seats up to 10 people, Lili’s wife does all the cooking and he and his adult children serve the food and interact with the guests. As you can see the menu is very simple and includes homemade wine and raki. It is a wonderful experience to eat at Lili’s!
On our drive back to Tirana, we stopped in Apollonia which was founded by the Greeks in 500BC. At one time, it was a center for Greek learning with a renowned school of philosophy. One of the students who studied here was Caesar Augustus.
This last picture of David and Kevin’s visit was taken at one on my favorite restaurants in Tirana. Look at the fun cocktails they ordered!

One of our final international baccalaureate units was called “Sharing the Planet”. We took the children to an aluminum recycling center, a plastics recycling center and then to the park for a picnic and playground time.

One of the other international teachers celebrated her 40th birthday by hosting a Disney themed party. She LOVES Minnie Mouse and wanted all her guests to dress up in Disney-themed costumes. In case, you cannot tell, I am Mary Poppins. 🙂

End-of-school farewell dinner with the team of second grade teachers I worked with over the school year.
In mid-June two of my sisters came to visit Albania. My sister, Kim on the left, lives in Johnson City, Tennessee. My other sister, Jeanette lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. The statue of Mother Teresa is a beautiful new addition to the Tirana airport. Mother Teresa’s parents were born in Albania. Albania is only one of many countries that claim Mother Teresa as being from their country. Tirana has a Mother Teresa Hospital, a Mother Teresa Square and the airport is named after her.
As with everyone else that visits, I took my sisters to see the school.

Once again, I took our guests on a free walking tour of Tirana. The stained glass window is in the Catholic church. About 15% of Albanians are Catholic.

Visiting the markets which are full of beautiful, inexpensive fruit. As you can tell, Jeanette loved the fruit markets too!
On our way to Berat we stopped at Cobo Winery. The young man in one of the pictures is the 17 year old grandson of the original owners of the winery. The painting is of his grandparents.
Chatting while overlooking the city of Berat from the castle.
Berat including dinner at Lili’s.
Spending the night in Vlore on the Adriatic Sea.
I am so honored and blessed that my two sisters took the time, expense and had the interest to come visit us in Albania.
We loved hosting them!
Look who came to visit in Albania a couple days after school ended. The last week of June our daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, Ben along with their four children visited for five days. This restaurant is a 5 minute walk from our apartment and with the pool for the kids was a good first dinner location.
An ice cream treat after a big day of flying to Albania from America.
Every late afternoon and evening a neighborhood group of children play football in the community space outside of our apartment. Even with a language barrier our grandson, Bennett (in the blue jersey) was brave enough to ask if he could play with them.

The following day we visited Kruje Castle where the Albanian hero Skanderbeg was born in the 1400’s.

Elizabeth had the children pose in front of a statue of Skanderbeg in the same way they posed in front of the statue back in 2019. Four years really makes a difference! Look how our grandchildren have grown!
Visiting the school followed by…

…a trip to the fruit markets.

The Chervenak Family, Randy and I took a four hour drive north for a two night visit to Montenegro. Our first stop was one of the most popular coastal cities, Budva to see the bronze sculpture of a ballet dancer. The sculpture is the main symbol of the city.
My favorite two ballerinas: Elizabeth took ballet classes for years and Juliet is getting ready to start her second year of ballet.
Our final destination was Kotor, Montenegro which has a charming, medieval town dating back to the 5th century.
Yummy, mussels were a favorite in Kotor.
Headed to the beach.
While the younger three children went to the beach with their parents, we took Jacob out for a seafood lunch.
Getting to know Kotor, Montenegro.
Cats, cats, cats all over Kotor. The grandchildren loved them!
We took a two hour speedboat tour of the Bay of Kotor that was SO much fun!! Prices in Montenegro are similar to Albania which means tours like this are very reasonably priced.
One of the stops on our boat tour was Our Lady of the Rocks which was built on an artificial island in the Bay.
We also stopped briefly in the beautiful town of Perast where the grands went for a swim.
We even found a fire station where Randy checked out some of the trucks. He is a volunteer fireman back in New York so he is always interested in checking out other department’s equipment.
Enjoying our last meal in Kotor before making our way back to Tirana on the following day.
Packed up and headed out of Kotor.
On our way out, we drove by one of the nearly 500 cruise ships that arrive in Kotor each year. As is true in many parts of the world, there are too many cruise ships arriving in places that have a hard time handling the huge influx of tourists.
The day after this picture was taken the Chervenak Family headed for Denmark and Sweden where they visited friends that they met while living in South Africa.

Randy and I felt very grateful that Elizabeth and Ben brought their family to Albania to visit. We seem to never get enough time with all of them.

After the Chervenaks returned home to Virginia from Europe they came to stay with us in Fairport for three weeks. Elizabeth works remotely which made the extended visit possible. Ben was able to came up and spend time in New York on the weekends. LOVED having them in our home!!!!

As much as I have enjoyed teaching in Albania, I am having a hard time thinking about leaving Fairport to head back across the ocean. Our flights are on August 19th and school starts on the 28th. I know once I get back into the swing of things it will all be fine. I had these same feelings at the end of every summer before going back to teach in Fairport and in the Midwest. I am sure my teacher friends can relate. 🙂

Thanks for reading my blog!

August, 2023

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Published by Sarah Williams

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14 thoughts on “Family, Family and More Family”

  1. Love your blog, Sarah (a.k.a. “Mary Poppins”)! David was creative getting a goat’s heart for the school children .. a cool experience for them!

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  3. Marvelous as usual here. Guess I didn’t realize you were headed back for a third year of teaching in Albania. Loved seeing David, his partner, and Elizabeth and family . Everyone growing up and marching along as well they should. Hoping we can cross paths somewhere in the distant future.

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  4. Of course you were Mary Poppins! I love all your posts, but this is one of the best. I loved the grandchildren posing like their earlier picture and the mural reminding us of the power of women with a pen, a voice, and freedom. Thank you and enjoy this school year. They are so lucky to have you and your interesting family visit them!

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  5. Sarah/Mary, as always I loved your blog! It’s fascinating to hear about other places and people. Out of curiosity, how hard would it be for vegetarians to eat in that part of the world? I see the farm market, but wonder what their protein sources are? Thanks for always sharing so much. It’s wonderful to hear about your family and your class.

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    1. I know a few teachers who are vegetarians. Their main source of protein are beans which are readily available. Thank you for your kind words about my blog. I am glad you enjoy reading it. I know I enjoy writing it. 🙂

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  6. An amazing blog as usual! I love seeing all of your pictures and have learned so much about Albania! Very glad so many of your family members could come to visit. Safe travels!

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  7. I’m glad you had great family visits this summer, Sarah! Enjoy your school year in Albania! Thanks for sharing your story!
    Cathy

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  8. I love reading your posts, Sarah! I teared up at the pictures of the fruit market–how I miss the place where two of my babies were born! Hoping we’ll get to show them its beauty one day. Much love to you and your lovely family!

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  9. Wonderful blog Sarah, I so enjoyed reading it! I’m glad you’ve had all these great experiences with your family! 💕

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