by Richard L. Bowman
February 18,
2014
February 16, 2014
February 13, 2014
Students, Food, Birds, and More
It may seem strange to put these three subjects together, but they are three of my personal best interests
So I'll begin with my students yesterday as we collected time and distance data for students running on the concrete pavement in front of the school building. We then plotted their positions as a function of time.
Seniors at LAC Do a Physics Experiment (17-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Junior and Sophomore Physics Students Do an Experiment (17-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And on Monday evening after school, I used the chicken Elsie had cooked at the end of last week to make some chicken corn noodle soup. I'll season the left-overs with more chicken bullion, but other than that, it tasted pretty good as comfort food (if I must say so!) Nothing like importing a Pennsylvania Dutch dish into Albania!
Chicken Corn Noodle Soup (17-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
On our walking to and from the school and to do shopping, we see lots of house sparrows. Here are two I captured today on our way home from the school.
House Sparrows on the Street (18-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And last evening as we were coming back from a shop,, we noticed a man and two children doing their family duty keeping a parking spot reserved for someone. Is that red coat their wife's and mother's?
Making Reserving a Parking Space a Family Affair (17-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
This evening we ate with Phil and Betsy Moyer and talked literally around the world. It is very good to be here and to learn many new friends.
February 16, 2014
Vignettes of a Weekend
Friday evening we ate a meal with some other teachers at the restaurant in the basement of the Liss Hotel. Phil Moyer and I enjoyed a nice chat with Justin Rittenhouse at our end of the table. Elsie contributed to conversations at both ends of the table.
Enjoying a Meal at the Liss Hotel Restaurant (14-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Elsie Listened and Shared (14-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Our Saturday began with a slow start, and when the water pressure was finally up enough for Elsie to wash her hair, I went out to get some money from the ATM and to buy the tres leche cake I planned for her as a belated Valentine. The baker I bought it from puts a caramel sauce on top. The second photo shows Elsie enjoying a dish later in the day.
Tres Leche Cake for Valentines Day (15-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Elsie Samples the Tres Leche Cake (15-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Since we had such a late breakfast we called it brunch and left our apartment for a walk around Lezhë. Our first stop was the souvenir shop to see its wares and possibly buy a map of Albania. As we asked the person serving us if he speaks English, he said he speaks a little but then pointed to a young couple in the shop as persons who did. So we shook their hands, and I said, "We are Richard and Elsie Bowman." The woman immediately said, "Oh, you are Todd's parents!"
Yes, we are our oldest son's parents, but how does a stranger in Albania know him and our names. A very pleasant conversation ensued as we learned that Lorisa had become a Christian while Todd and Maria were here with a team of other young persons from Eastern Mennonite Missions back in 1996. She is now married to Anton, and Todd and Maria had written and told them we would be here in Lezhë for three months. Anton and Lorisa are working with Campus Crusade for Christ in Tirana.
From the souvenir shop we continued walking north and met Cindy Moyer who was coming back from climbing up the road to the castle. So we had a nice out-of-school chat with her. Following that we walked around the cultural and historic area we do not get to see much and took a number of pictures which I will post later. The spring flowers are starting to come out, and here is one. Is it a zinnia?
A Spring Flower Blooms in the City Park (15-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And as I posted on Facebook, here is a dandelion that begged me to turn it into a motivational poster.
A Poster in the Making (15-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
So however disorganized and even messy my environment might seem, I want to be God's child brightening that corner of his world with his Son's light.
As we continued to walk the streets, we noticed two boys playing "futboll" on this sun-shiny Saturday.
Two Boys Use the Sunny Saturday for "Futboll" Practice (15-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Today our congregation met with several other evangelical churches at the Brethren church. (This group is neither the Brethren Church nor the Church of the Brethren we know in the US. Many of its missionaries are from England, and it is sometimes referred to as the Plymouth Brethren because that is where they first met as a group in England in the 1830's.) Mr. Hedley, a veteran missionary from England who has lived in Italy and Albania, spoke in English with an Albanian interpreter. It was a good time of sharing with others as we worshiped God together.
Joint Worship Service with Other Evangelical Groups (16-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
After lunch we ate lunch (gyros) at a "fast food" shop called Snack Attack with Phil and Betsy Moyer. Phil is teaching biology, and Betsy is co-teaching English at Lezha Academic Center this quarter just as we are teaching physics and helping out in the library.
The Cook and Owner of the Snack Attack (16-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
I'll share more photos of our weekend later. May God grant you and us a continued awareness of his empowering presence.
February 13, 2014
Want to Trade?
And I am not talking about any used car or truck I have but rather about the weather. Here are pictures from our balcony at just a few minutes after 5 p.m. CET here in Lezhë as the Sun is about to set.
First is a photo looking down our street toward the west and the second one up our street toward the east. I really like the interplay off the sunlight reflecting off of the buildings in the second photo and the rain clouds that appear to be coming in from the northeast.
Looking West from Our Balcony (13-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Looking East from Our Balcony (13-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Mrs. Klementina Shahini, director of Lezha Academic Center, returned from her month long visit to the USA on Tuesday. She was visiting supporters of the school and attended the Mennonite Educators Conference. (She also spent some personal time there.)
She came back energized for her role and in particular for leading the group of students from Lezha Academic Center who were going to the Model United Nations conference in Tirana today through Sunday. I wish them all a good event. And I thoroughly enjoyed a conversation I had with one of my students who is on the LAC team about war as an inadequate response to solving political problems. While I advocated for the position of Christian pacifism, he felt that sometimes war was justified for the greater good.
Below is a photo of Mrs. Shahini leading a faculty meeting on Wednesday after school had completed.
Mrs. Shahini, Director of Lezha Academic Center Leads Faculty Meeting (13-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
As I walked home from school on Tuesday and Wednesday by myself, I took some photos of our immediate surroundings near our apartment. Here are some lemon trees which a neighbor has on their balcony.
Clock Tower, Tirana, Albania (12-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Behind our building is a newer high-rise apartment building.
High-rise Apartment Building behind Us (11-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And to the side and behind our building is the school from which I had posted photos before. The sign says, "Welcome to the new school!" So I am still in need of info about this school. I keep forgetting to ask Dini Shahini about it.
Welcome Sign on the School Behind Us (11-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Elsie stayed home from the school on Tuesday and Wednesday as she rested up to alleviate her pain and tiredness from her lupus and arthritis deciding to kick up a storm. This is not unusual for her, but she does get annoyed at it for which I do not blame here. She has been very instrumental in making the library a newly going enterprise; for this she should be proud!
Later on Wednesday evening, we had another good set of interactions with people living and working near our apartment.
I completed my two exams for today by early evening yesterday. But since I had not completed them 24 hours in advance (to my chagrin, this is fairly normal for me!), I could not have the person at LAC who runs the copy machine make my copies for me. So I took them to the school supply shop just two shops away from our building. They can make copies from a USB drive, so that is what I did. As we waited for the copies, we talked with the owner. The shop is normally taken care of by his wife while he is away during the day being a ship's pilot at the port not far from Lezhë. It turns out he knows the Shahini's well.
After we left the copy shop, we headed to Kristi's, a nearby restaurant. They have what one can almost call a buffet line, but the cook dishes up the food after the customer chooses it. Elsie had lasagna while I had potatoes, beef, and spinach with a fried egg on top. We felt we ate very well. Below is the cook and his offerings.
"Buffet" Line at Kristi's Restaurant (12-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Talking abut food reminds me to share about some of our meals. We like the cheeses we can find here. Elsie is keen on some of the "fresh"' cheese from cows, goats and sheep while I prefer the more aged cheeses. We both have tried and like all kinds of bread from the local shops, but the one pictured below is particularly good. And of course, Elsie likes the Nutella. We like coffee and tea in the coffee bars, and I like the loose tea from Ceylon of the brand Loyd. Loyd packages several black leaf teas,, but all I have seen so far is the Ceylon variety. And of course, I cannot forget the crazy cakes that Elsie makes here without any measuring cups or measuring spoons. I am very proud of her and her adaptability!
Bread, Crazy Cake, and Nutella (13-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Today I have especially appreciated the time to write about our experiences here since I had to discipline a student this afternoon which tends to be a real downer for me.
We are definitely feeling very at home here in Lezhë, Albania. We trust that God will use us as his people for his purposes..
--©2014, Richard L. Bowman
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