This week has given me many and more opportunities to expedite my learning of the Albanian language. Shqip is what Albanians call their tongue. On my list of things to learn are two sayings that Vissy told me. Translated into English, the first one says “a snake never shows his feet.” The second one says “a wolf can change his fir more easily than he can change his habits.” Vissy and I don’t spend a lot of time talking about snakes and wolves, but there is of course the occasional need to ascribe to specific humans the attributes of creatures and beasts.
My teacher has asked that I make note cards to expedite the learning process. Our sessions thus far have mostly consisted of her very patiently answering my questions about Albanian. A part of me wishes that I had began taking lessons in April, when I arrived here. Wisdom reminds me however that only Satan would have me thinking that way. Of course it is always too late to make a difference, to have an impact, to learn a skill. That is one of the Devil’s half-a-dozen or so lies that he has recycled to the detriment of the human race over the past million years. If there is a God, then His timing is perfect, and I am learning just as I should.
There are some yellow wild-flowers peaking up over the wall at the church project in Fushekruje. I love flowers. I love the bright, vibrant colors that nature exhibits so effortlessly.
After our lunchtime coffee break, Vissy and I visited a small market. The school playground feeds directly into the store itself. I wonder if Albania will have to bring laws with reference to age for the purchasing of cigarettes and alcohol into effect before it will be admitted to the EU. Self governance is something I always wanted to experience first hand but now that I am in a place that has it, I am missing the rule of law. There is a simplicity and an intrinsic reliance on community where law enforcement is absent.
I don’t really miss it that much.
albaniacalling 