While everyone at home was eating turkey for Thanksgiving, the Fulbright girls and I decided to make a trip to Turkey ourselves. I don't really have the words to describe how much I really loved Istanbul. The city itself, the people, the experience was incredible. I feel like each time I visit a place I pour my heart out over how much I love it, but Istanbul has rendered me speechless. It was everything I was expecting and more.
28 November is the Albanian Flag Day--this year is Albania's 112th year of Independence. Today (the 27th), classes were cut short in order to extend the holiday for the students (kind of like having a 1/2 day), but there was a mini program in between classes. It only lasted for about a half hour, but the choir sang some national songs, students read poems, and teachers explained the importance and history of this very special holiday. It's not so much about just being independent, but also remembering the martyrs and people who gave their lives for the independence of the country. Children here, boys and girls, are still named after the famous heroes of Albania: Skanderbeg and Marigona, for example. Marigona is the woman who created the Albanian flag--imagine if girls were named after Betsy Ross in the US.
Here are pictures of the choir. If you didn't guess it already, the colors of the Albanian flag are red & black: ...and apparently I can't construct one out of paper either. My students definitely slapped their feathers on the wall and I didn't yet get a chance to finish arranging them, but this is what we got so far. Ugh, I am so not good at crafts. So, I may not be celebrating Thanksgiving this year (technically) from all the way in Kosovo, but we definitely discussed it at the American Corner. The students shared what they're thankful for, in full-on stereotypical activity mode (though I suppose they didn't know it was stereotypical).
We also talked about their Albanian holiday which is happening the day after Thanksgiving. Friday 28 November is the Albanian Flag Day--sort of like our US Independence Day. Even though the population of Kosovo is technically Kosovar, most of them identify with being Albanian. Nationally identifying with being "Kosovar" is a new idea for the region because Kosovo gained its independence very recently in 2008. The whole idea of identity in this country is very fascinating. There are families who have lived in the same home for decades, but each generation has lived in a different country: Yugoslavia, Serbia, Kosovo...the list goes on the further you go back in history. I had the students teach me about the holiday--one even wrote a very long poem for the class--and then I had them write reasons why they are proud to be Albanian on little flags. One older guy randomly showed up and started complaining that the students shouldn't be talking about their Albanian heritage or celebrate the holiday because they don't live in Albania and many of their families haven't lived in Albania for many generations. He was told to leave. It's a very complicated issue, but a very important holiday to many people. I'm told the celebrations are even bigger than Kosovo's Independence Day. It's not my place to single-handedly rewrite the culture of identity for ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, so I wanted to spend the day honoring their own beliefs about themselves and their families, much like they honor mine. Not to mention, Kosovo had a celebration in the capital on Monday specifically for thanking America, so I'm not one to be over-critical of them, especially my young students, anytime soon. The US doesn't have too many countries in the world left that love us as much as Kosovo does. One of the best parts about being stationed in Prizren is that there are several Peace Corps Volunteers in the neighboring villages. Sometimes, when they are able, they come into Prizren on Saturdays to spend the day in the city. We met a handful of weeks ago and have tried to keep our Saturday tradition of drinking, eating, and sharing stories of the ridiculous things that happen to us. They are such a great break from the craziness of everything else going on, and our meetings have helped kept me sane in the face of frustrations. They are also great exploring partners, and I have seen many different parts of Prizren from our wanderings. The PCVs are some of the best people I've met in the past few months. Their dedication and passion for their Peace Corps work is amazing. I don't know if I would have the strength or character to commit to spending 27 months in a small village in an unknown area of the world. I am lucky to have met such intelligent and courageous souls. You can tell which one is me (above) from the little bun poking out.
After two months of being in Kosovo, one might think that I would have developed some sort of knack for the Albanian language. Or, at the very least, that I would have picked up simple things: greetings, directions, ordering.
Welp, that hasn't happened. Like, at all. I can count to five and thank someone. That's the extent of my Albanian. So, I decided to start formal lessons. My friend Dorina, who is a volunteer at the American Corner, also volunteered to give me lessons, bless her heart. She is a wonderful teachers, but I can't say the same about myself as a student. She hasn't quit yet, but I can only imagine what it's like to hear me pronounce her (extremely difficult) language. And then forget everything 5 minutes after she teaches me. I forgot what it's like to be a language student! We'll see how much I can learn over the next 7 months! |
AuthorCassie Ganzak is a current Fulbright ETA teaching in Prizren, Kosovo during the 2014-2015 academic year.
DisclaimerThis site is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author, Cassandra Ganzak, and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the United States' Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.
Archives
December 2014
Categories
All
|