by Richard L. Bowman
March 2,
2014
Contrasts and Construction
Yesterday we spent a long day travelling to Berat in the southern part of Albania. We toured a castle there and played tourists in this city of one thousand windows. Today I preach at the church and then have quite a bit of grading to do before Monday morning, so I'll not have time to go through my 100+ photos from yesterday until later in the week. But for now I want to try to finish the blog I started several days ago. Enjooy!
Every morning as we approach the market (the closed indoor booths are on one side of the street and the open-air stands are on the other side), I check to see if there are any chickens in the pens near the edge of the canal and the open-air market. Quite often there are some awaiting to be purchased and butehered.
Chickens in Cages at the Open-air Market (24-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
About a week ago we left our cell phone battery run out, and when we recharged it, it told us we needed a PIN. So after doing some checking around, we discovered that we could walk into the ACM store and have them find the PIN for us. So we walked into a very modern looking shop and got the code. Our in-country phone is now working again.
Modern ACM Cell Phone Store (24-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Lezha Academic Center will be receiving the Eastern Mennonite High School touring choir as quests sometime in June. So, Lisa Mast, our music teacher, put together a short video to show the EMHS students something about Albania and LAC. She was happy to share it with an appreciative audience, Elsie and Lois King.
Lois King and Elsie Listening to Video Lisa Mast Made (25-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
I do enjoy interacting with students in class and outside of it (even when the class chatter gets pretty loud), and they also gladly let me take their pictures. Below is a tenth grader getting settled into study hall after school.
A Student from My Fourth Period Physics Class (25-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Mona, the receptionist at the school, greets students, teachers and parents as we come to school, takes our lunch money, does our photocopying, and otherwise provides a warm and knowledgeable presense.
Mona, Receptionist at LAC, at the End of Her Day (25-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Elsie and I and whoever else is around eat together between the two student lunch periods. So we get a chance to touch bases in the middle of our days.
Elsie (and I) Eating Lunch in the LAC Cafeteria (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
While most of the persons we meet and interact with are very Western in their dress, we do see a few more traditionally dressed Albanians as they shop in Lezhë.
More Traditionally-Dressed Albanians (25-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
As an example of the friendliness we almost always experience here in Lezhë, a mother and her seven-year-old daughter came into the bread shop as I was trying to communicate what I wanted to buy. The mother who spoke English well, interpreted for me and the baker, and then her daughter let me take her picture. I told hare we have grandchildren her age. Now who is seven years old--Jared, maybe? As a grandparent I shojld know!
Seven-year-old Girl in the Bread Shop (25-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
On my walk, the long way around, to LAC, I passed a yellow-painted school bus near the Roman Catholic church. That was the first such bus I have seen in Lezhë.
Yellow School Bus (26-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Also, there is a new street that is under construction not too far from our home. With my dad having worked in stone quarries and concrete block plants for so many years, such construction definitely gets my interest. I want to know how such things are done in Albania.
A New Street under Construction (26-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Large Dump Truck Used in Constructing the New Street (26-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Backhoe Works on Substructure to the New Street (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And surprisingly, on Thursday I saw my first some (cute?) backhoe working on the floor of a shop being renovated. A wheelbarrow was also clearly ready for when it was needed.
Small Kubota Backhoe at Work (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Also, on our way home on Thursday, we noticed a mason working on putting down new blocks for the sidewalk in front of a high-rise building that has been under construction.
Mason Putting down New Blocks for a Portion of Sidewalk (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Lezhë has several churches. Here are two--the Methodist building and the Roman Catholic one.
Methodist Church Building (24-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Relatively New Roman Catholic Church Building (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
On my second trip down the new street, I noticed some homes like which I have never previously seen in Lezhë. They appeared to be barely able to weather the rain or wind we get here. What should we as Christians do in the face of such poverty?
Some Substandard Housing (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Another contrast is the castle ruins on top of the hill to the east of Lezhë. These two photos were taken from street-level, not too far from our home. We will climb to see the castle ruins and the view sometime while we are living here.
Castle Ruins behind Lezhë (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Close-up of the Castle Ruins behind Lezhë (27-Feb-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Contrasts abound anywhere, and Lezhë is no exception. And we thank God for the many connections we are making with peoople in the city and school.
--©2014, Richard L. Bowman
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