RPCV talks about Albanian Adventures
RPCV talks about Albanian Adventures
Albania Addendum #2 January 8, 2000
From: Cdcphotog@aol.com Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2000 17:18:11 EST Subject: Albania Addendum #2 To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Albania Addendum #2 January 8, 2000
Thanks to all of you for your responses to the Albania adventures. I’m saving them for possible publishing or just good memories. By the way, one of my friends is going to name her new kitten Kosi.
If you’re curious about Albania-in-depth, read Scott Anderson’s article in last Sunday’s NYT magazine (Dec. 26): "The Curse of Blood and Vengeance," p. 29.
Some questions asked by friends: Did this trip make any difference? Change you? Why not volunteer closer to home, i.e., Appalachia, Am Indians, or East Palo Alto? Do we impose our American values on other countries ? (Heard that the French organization, Doctors Without Borders, which just won the Nobel Peace Prize, does try to impose its standards, but didn’t hear what those standards are) Is it wrong to encourage our views in other countries? How does the Peace Corps handle this? How can a society with such a high literacy rate remain so impoverished?
Teen-age giggles: I thought this is something we outgrow, like blushing, but in Albania I got silly. Not Kathy. She maintained her composure no matter what. But Albania brought it out of me 2x. It felt like the time my stern hi school algebra teacher kept saying "a-ree" for "area" or like the times freshman yr. at Rice some of us did our all-night study sessions & became totally crazy.
The first spasms started the night Kathy & I set out to have supper around the corner from our apt. across the st from the semi-destroyed school at the Paradise Cafe. Kathy ordered another one of her heavy-duty meals.
Waiter: Yes? Kathy (after looking at translated menu): Is this beef grown cow or baby cow?
W: Cow. K: Cow?
W: Cow! K: Baby cow? (Under her breath: "I’m not eating a baby cow!")
W: COW! K: Grown cow?
W: COW! K: Cow?
W: COW! K: Thank you. I’ll take the fish and fries. And double the order. Please.
The other time was the day after Kathy nearly got herself killed first by the Mafia Mercedes Madman followed an hour later by the Kicking Mule. We’d been looking for THE PERFECT STONE HOUSE that "announced hospitality" for the brochure cover. We spent hours looking & photographing while our driver sulked about how much time this all took. The next day on our way to another village, now looking for WATER, we drove past a perfect stone house. Kathy said not a word, but her eyes followed that house until it was out of sight. Her face fell longer & longer. I thought she was going to cry because we’d missed another chance to photograph yet another cover-page house. Poor Kathy. I felt so sorry for her I laughed out loud. And do you know what? After all that, the cover is not a stone house with a family & donkey standing out front. It’s going to be faces, faces of Albanians. That’s not funny, and houses weren’t my strong suit anyway, but to chase all over a country the size of Maryland looking for the perfect stone house is funny & it nearly undid (I say NEARLY) Kathy, my favorite triathalonner. It absolutely did undo her sidekick or should I say, her Sancho Panza?
