Who has forgotten where they were on this day eleven years ago? And just as important is where you are today. Not mentioning nine-eleven in this post would be like overlooking the fact that it was Christmas or Easter. Hopefully another decade or so will relegate this date to history like December 7th, 1941 or June 6th, 1944; dates which are significant to our collective history but no longer compel us to curse faceless cowards or condemn entire nation-states to any of Hell’s many levels.
I spent the morning in Tirana taking my first formal Albanian language lesson. Arta is my teacher’s name, and she seems both capable and personable. After going over the alphabet and some questions I had about pronunciation of letters, our time was up. There are 36 letters in the Albanian alphabet, nine of which are called diagraphs. Diagraphs are two-letter combinations which always stand for a certain sound. We have these in English too; combinations like ph and qu. It is essential to know these in Albanian because pronounciation of the double L verses the single L can mean the difference between the words for “tile” and “old woman,” or “boy” and “devil.”
On my walk to the bus stop from Arta’s house I took in some of the local graffiti art. I arrived in Fushekruje around 10:30, en-route having a chance to speak with a pair of Germans on their way to Kruje. As I approached the job-site Shpetim Lula waved to me. I told him that I would meet him after lunch time. Shortly I had a chance to speak with Vissy about the morning’s events and to take a look at the results of the first day’s concrete pour. I was pleased on both accounts. The crew we hired is taking the necessary time to place the concrete as it should be placed, and to give it the proper finish before moving on.
I was pleased also to see that Fisnik had hired Agim to lend a hand on the job. Agim has a smile ready for me every time we meet. He is a sweet man. After checking on the work, I walked to Capo Nord for a coffee while waiting on Vissy to take his noon-time break. Once he arrived we went over the cost estimates he has put together for some of the last remaining tasks on site. Over the course of this job he has shown a keen ability to learn, and also to take the lead when necessary. Hopefully the church in Albania can find a way to capitalize on his maturity and growth. We have grown together over these past five months. I value his friendship as highly as any that I have.
albaniacalling 