Getting Started on my Fourth Year of Teaching in Albania Plus a Saturday Morning Run in Tirana

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I have been slow in writing a new blog post. As my teacher friends know, September is always a hard month as the students and teachers get back into the school routine. I am glad October is here! Randy and I arrived back in Tirana without an issue in mid-August. We have the same apartment which makes life much easier. We have finished five weeks of school. The primary part of Albanian College has gone from 300 to 500 students this year. That means every part of the school is overcrowded including the cafeteria, classrooms and the playground. There has been a shortage of everything from desks to chairs to drinking water. I have 24 students which is about twice as many as I have had in the past. Having 24 students is not unusual in many American classrooms but for an inquiry-based international classroom, 24 is a lot of students. In the previous three years of teaching at ACT I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about and implementing the international baccalaureate curriculum. Unfortunately, with 24 kids, it is much harder to use the IB. I have gone back to much more direct teaching. 😦 Many of the parents have expressed concern about the overcrowded classroom so the school is working to split my class and a few more that have too many children.

Here are the usual silly and serious photos of my class of 24 children. My assistant this year is a young woman named Alba. She has her Master’s degree in teaching but this is her first teaching job. She has been delightful to work with. She will make an excellent teacher!
In mid-September, Randy was asked to be a witness at the marriage of two teachers from ACT. Corey has been a biology teacher at the school since it opened 8 years ago. He is originally from Philadelphia. Mikela has been a teaching assistant at the school for the last two years. Her family now lives in Greece but she is originally from Albania. They are a lovely couple! Randy was honored to be a witness at their wedding.

My sister, Kim, who is 18 months younger than I am, has four children with her husband, Phil. I missed her first child’s wedding because we were in Albania. We missed her second child’s wedding because of Covid. When her third child announced that he was getting married in late September, I decided I did not want to miss another of her kids’ weddings. As a result of that decision, Randy and I made a very quick trip to Cleveland, Ohio for the wedding of Andrew and Jessie. Andrew and Jessie truly love the outdoors and did not want to have a traditional wedding so they rented out a summer camp for a weekend. We were altogether from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. Our children and grandchildren were there along with all my siblings. It was wonderful!!!!

Waiting for the ceremnoy to begin.
Here comes the groom…
Here comes the bride…
All four parents were up front for the exchange of vows, lovely.
We are missing Ben who is in NYC at the UN General Assembly.
I am so fortunate to have a good relationship with my four siblings, love them!
The silly family picture…
Three of my most favorite human beings in the world. xo
My sister, Jeanette, and I frequently like to go on an early morning run when we are together.

I missed three days of school plus it was an exhausting trip but well worth the effort.

On most Saturday mornings I like to go for a run. Since much of my blog centers on us traveling to different places I thought it might be a good idea to show several pictures from our temporary home of Tirana. I then decided to take a bunch of pictures of the places I run past on Saturdays.

I frequently start my run by taking a bus to the park. It costs 40 lek (40 cents) to take a bus anywhere in the city. There is no schedule for the bus, you just go stand next to a bus stop and wait until the bus you want comes around which is usually every 10 minutes or so. The picture on the right is the entrance to the park. Throughout Albania trash is a problem. People think nothing of throwing trash on the ground. However, at the park, there is no trash which is one reason I like it.

The centerpiece of the park is a large artificial lake with a walking/running/biking path around it. As you go around the lake you will see mountains, tennis courts, an amphitheater, a football (soccer) field and coffee shops. It is never boring, always lots to look at.

These two monuments are also part of the park. The picture to the left and above are a nod to the informal alliance between China and Albania in the 60’s and early 70’s. The picture on the right is a tribute to the Albanians that sheltered Jews during the Holocaust. There were 11 times more Jews in Albania at the end of the war than there was at the beginning of the war. Most of those Jews immigrated to Israel at the end of the war.
At times, I run back to our apartment from the park instead of taking the bus. I pass an Orthodox Church, a Mosque and a Catholic Church. About 60-70% of the country is Muslim, 10-15% is Orthodox and 10-15% is Catholic. One of the many things I love about Albania is it’s religious tolerance. Many other countries around the world could learn something from the Albanians about the lack of judgement they have for religions other than their own.

The blue and green building is one of my favorite skyscrapers in the city. Love that it is so different and colorful. The yellow building is the new Intercontinental Hotel that is replacing the original white one in front of it. There are lots gorgeous florists in the city.

I usually end my run with a cucumber, celery, apple and ginger juice from here. Yum!

That is the update for now. We are looking forward to our son, Josh, visiting next week for five days. Our Irish son, Daniel, will also be visiting from Belfast at the same time. Can’t wait!!! Our week-long October break is coming up in a couple of weeks. We have done a lot of exploring in Western Europe so we want to try something different. Many of the teachers here have said how much they like Egypt so we are heading that direction.

Thanks, as always, for reading my blog.

October. 2023

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Published by Sarah Williams

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4 thoughts on “Getting Started on my Fourth Year of Teaching in Albania Plus a Saturday Morning Run in Tirana”

  1. When I see “Teaching in Albania” in my mailbox, I am so excited and grateful that you take the time to post. The OH wedding looks like such a special one; I can’t imagine squeezing in a trip like that while teaching, but you sure made the right decision. 24 kids in an IB primary class – oh my – hang in there. I loved going on your run with you. Take care, my friend!

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  2. Praying they get another teacher so that your class can be split. 24 is WAY too many children.
    Love the outdoor wedding! So nice for your family to be together. Loved the photos! Glad you were able to take the days off to go to the wedding. Enjoyed learning more about your life in Tirana. Thanks for sharing about your runs. Look forward to reading your next blog. Love, Sarah K

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  3. Once again, thanks for this beautifully written blog and all the wonderful pictures! I love ‘traveling’ through each of these ! Hope they get your class numbers down, but even if they don’t I just know you will have a great school year!
    Mary LaShomb

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  4. Thanks for your updated blog … always a joy to read! 👏🏼 It was fun to “be with you” on a run. You’re right … so much to observe! And I had no idea that so many Jews found shelter in Alabania. What a wonderful tribute. Have a terrific school year! 📚

    Love,
    Lisa

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