I’m officially no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer. I’m going back to America tomorrow, for the first time since March 22, 2007. Two years has gone by quickly, and it’s hard to express and digest what I’ve harvested from this experience. I have become comfortably numb. On the eve of my departure, here are [...]

I completed the Skanderbeg Castle trifecta this week. The Albanian hero Skanderbeg built/rebuilt these three castles on hilltops in the northwest of Albania to defend against the Ottomans in the first half of the 15th century. Each was about 30 km away from one another, and by lighting signal fires, they could warn each other [...]

Hey remember me? I used to post blog entries on this site. Then Baby Nephew Luke arrived, and I’ve been real busy what with the feedings and changings and such. I mean in a cyber/virtual sort of way. Today, I was invited to hang out at “Mini-Culture Day” for the new Peace Corps trainees in [...]

This is my brand new (March 6) nephew, Luke Charles. In Albania, they’d say “T’ju rroje!” which means “long life.” Congratulations Becky and Kurt! One of these days, the boys will see their uncle…

I just realized that the word “Accommodate” has two ‘m’s. That just doesn’t look right to me. I’ve also had a problem with the word “independence.” I used to spell it with an “a” as in “dance,” because that’s what independent people do, as we will see tomorrow when Kosovars celebrate one year of independence, [...]

I learned this new word today, and shall use it in a sentence: The Balkans are populated with irredentists.

Just as the Christmas holiday appropriated many pagan symbols, Albanian New Years has appropriated Christmas symbols. Case in point, the picture below. Joe is standing in front of a beautiful seasonal display, complete with Santa Claus and a tree. But the mostly Muslim Albanians consider these all to be New Year’s symbols. I heard a kid say [...]

Tonight I finally saw the atmospheric phenomena known as the “The Green Flash .” When you have the right conditions, you can see a little burst of green light from above the sun just as it sets. The trick to seeing one is to live by the sea (or a clear horizon) [...]

  (I’ve been waiting a month to write that headline…)