Thursday, December 31, 2009

Pazar te Mbare!

Today is New Year's Eve, and as this holiday was one of the only legal holidays to celebrate during the many years of communism, it still remains the biggest and favorite day of the year to the Albanians. To share some of the Albanian New Year's cheer, I thought I could take you through the pazar to do a little NewYear's shopping!!

































Gezuar Vitin i Ri! Happy New Years!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

The Raclette

There's nothing like some good food and great company to ease the pain of being away from home on Christmas! We have some terrific Dutch friends, who were kind enough to have us over for a very traditional Dutch Christmas dinner. This Christmas was one of the best we've had in years, and in addition to the fun fellowship, I have to give much of the credit to this contraption below!

This a Dutch "Gourmet" or "Raclette." It's basically a big electric frying grill that goes in the middle of the table.

The table is spread with a lovely array of food...steak, chicken, minced meat, peppers, onions, potatoes, batter, etc. I even fried some yummy peaches. Each person chooses their own feast and cooks for themselves!

The upper level gets covered with salt and oil to fry the meat and veggies, while the lower deck has eight trays for baking Dutch pancakes.

(House Rules: No silverware allowed...only the special scrapers on the teflon!!)


Doesn't that look WONDERFUL!? When the food is cooked through and smells simply divine, scoop the goodies into your pancake and enjoy! Ju befte mire!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Lamb of God

Just two days before Christmas, I went out to visit the old neighborhood. By good fortune, I was able to greet the shepherdess...who was carrying these two beautiful newly born ewes!



After capturing these pics and patting their heads, I couldn't help but think that at the same time next year, these sheep would probably be someone's New Year's feast...maybe mine!

But don't you think that it's a strange time of year for a lamb to be born. It's cold and it's almost the end of December...aren't baby animals born in the spring?!

But then it came to mind...it's Christmas! Wasn't it around this time 2000 years ago that another lamb was born? The Lamb of God?! King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

He was born in a lowly humble state, with a birth not that much different from these little guys. "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

And not only did he enter the world like in humility, but he died in same way, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." Isa 53:7

These sheep will be killed so that people can feast, but the Lamb of God was killed so that our sins could wiped away, clean forevermore . "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool". Isa 1:18



This Christmas, I hope you can join with me in proclaiming these words of the angels and voices of heaven:

... "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing" Revelation 5:12

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Twelve Days of Krishtlindjen

Here's a little ditty we naughty missionaries composed...

Sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"


On the first day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

a cup of cai mali.
(a lovely tea made from local plant)

On the second day of Kristlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Two shots of raki.
(Albanian hard liquor, a cure-all for EVERYTHING)

On the third day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Three red lokumme
(comparable to Turkish delight)

On the fourth day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Four Birra Korca
(local beer)

On the fifth day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Five Nigerian DVD's
(aka: pirated but legal...sort of)

On the sixth day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Six Leje Qendrimis
(literally "permission to stay" or visa)

On the seventh day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to ...

Seven Pickeled Peppers
(yummy)

On the eighth day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Eight Policemen Sleeping
(typical)

On the ninth day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Nine Women Sweeping
(it's a wonder the country's not any cleaner!)

On the tenth day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Ten Leaky Bombels
(a gas tank)

On the eleventh day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Eleven Dodgy Passports
(can you tell we wrote this with some Brits?!)

On the twelfth day of Krishtlindjen an Albanian gave to me...

Twelve Baklava
(we need more days for all the baklava Albanians love to give!!)

Gezuar Krishtlindjen!!

Christmas Carol Quiz

Here's a little Christmas game we enjoyed at our Christmas party last night.

The following are clues to the names of well-known Christmas carols. Can you guess the names of the Christmas songs from the cryptic clues provided below?


1. APPROACH EVERYONE WHO IS STEADFAST.
2. ECSTASY TOWARD THE ORB.
3. LISTEN, THE FORETELLING SPIRITS HARMONIZE.
4. HEY, MINUSCULE URBAN AREA SOUTH OF JERUSALEM.
5. QUIESCENT NOCTURNAL PERIOD.
6. THE AUTOCRATIC TROIKA ORIGINATING NEAR THE ASCENT OF APOLLO.
7. THE PRIMARY CAROL.
8. EMBELLISH THE CORRIDORS.
9. I'M FANTASIZING CONCERNING A BLANCHED YULETIDE.
10. I OBSERVED MY MATERNAL PARENT OSCULATING WITH A CORPULENT UNSHAVEN MALE IN CRIMSON DISGUISE.
11. DURING THE TIME OVINE CARETAKERS SUPERVISED THEIR CHARGES.
12. VIRTUOUS ROYAL PHILANTHROPIST.
13. THE THING MANIFESTED ITSELF AT THE ONSET OF A TRANSPARENT DAY.
14. WHAT OFFSPRING ABIDES THUS?
15. REMOVED IN A BOVINE FEEDING TROUGH.
16. VALENTINO, THE ROSEATE PROBOSCIS WAPITI.
17. THE SLIGHT PERCUSSIONIST LAD.
18. FATHER CHRISTMAS APPROACHES THE METROPOLIS.
19. SERAPHIM WE AURALLY DETECTED IN THE STRATOSPHERE.
20. THE CREATOR REASSURES YOU, LIVELY FELLOWS

Happy Caroling!

Won't You Be My Neighbor?! (or not!!)

While living in the village, I had a love/ hate relationship with my neighbors. It would take hours to describe the neighborhood we lived in and the culture of the people around us. They were far different from anybody we had ever met in Korce, and moving into their world felt like being on anther planet.



Immediately, our privacy was a luxury of the past, as our new neighbors were overwhelmingly intrigued by the strange foreigners living on their little private street. They were a small community of extremely conservative people that had come from a very remote village, not even reachable by car. About ten years ago, they all transplanted themselves to Libonik. Most of the women my age had little education and were just waiting for their parents to find them a spouse, so that they could move out to serve their husband’s family. Naturally, we were a novelty, and our lives were just as strange and foreign to them, as theirs was to us.

Their curiosity though, was stronger than their usual social graces. It often had them peaking through our windows to watch what we were doing, or inviting themselves to our house uninvited…even snooping through our trash to see what the funny foreigners had thrown away. All hours of the day, they would feel free to call out my name continuously to get my attention (had they forgotten about knocking?). Not a single guest could enter our house without us getting the great inquisition from them later on. Naturally, these were the parts I hated.

But they were wonderful to us too. We were constantly brought gifts from their gardens or animals (like eggs and freshly slaughtered meat!), invited over for coffees and incredible home grown and homemade meals. They even offered to help me with the cleaning and sometimes just started cleaning my house without being asked (which I was clearly not able to keep up with their standards of cleanliness).



So, upon moving out of the village, I was overcome with mixed emotions about our new separation from the neighbors. These were people who had warmly welcomed us into their community, invited us into their lives and had been a part of our everyday life for over a year.

However, eager to welcome back a life of privacy and normality, I was thrilled to be in apartment on the sixth story where it would be impossible for outsiders to look into our windows. So I was surprised to find myself thinking about and missing the neighbors terribly our first few weeks back in Korce.

I thought about them constantly, but most all when I was cleaning. Part of me was rejoicing to be able to clean however I wanted, at any time I wanted, without anybody telling me I was doing it wrong! I could clean at four in the afternoon, and nobody would know, nonetheless care! I could do it my way, and at my leisure!!

So I decided to tackle the rugs out on our balcony…a chore that the neighbors constantly offered to do for me and I always refused…simply because I’m stubborn and did not want their help. Now, this isn’t just a vacuum job. Cleaning the rugs means hosing them down, scrubbing them with a scrub brush forever and ever, and then rinsing them with a hose and letting it dry for days.

Now our rug is about twice the width of the balcony so I had to fold it over and do it in sections. Little did I know, a wet rug is heavier than I can move by myself. Also, we don’t have a hose on our balcony, so I had to make about a gazillion trips to the sink with the mop bucket to wet, wash, and rinse the beast. At first, I was singing praises, happy to be doing the difficult work alone, without anybody watching me, or telling me what to do...thinking to myself, “Ha ha neighbors!! Look at me now…I CAN clean all by myself!!”

But about an hour into it (and about 200 trips to the sink later) I really began to miss the neighbors. Why, oh why, hadn’t I accepted their offers to help? Why had I been so stubborn? It would have been so easy at their house…with the entire rug laid out, and their hose to rinse, and four girls, all eager to clean and scrub. But no, I had to do things MY WAY.



I’ve learned a lot from those neighbors…like how to make byrek and Turkish coffee and I have a deeper understanding of their culture, but mostly my relationship with them taught me multitudes about myself. Now that we have a healthy ten miles of distance between us, my relationship with those neighbors has changed. It is no longer love/hate relationship …it is just love.


p.s.
Once Steve got home, he helped me get the sopping wet rug hung over the balcony to dry. Later that night, a disgruntled and annoyed neighbor from downstairs came knocking on our door. Our rug was dripping onto her balcony. Sigh. So much for my “island living!!”

"...you shall love your neighbor as yourself..." Mark 12:31

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Shopka

(This actually took place last September…found it in the archives!)

People often ask us, "What does a typical day look like for you?" I never know how to answer, because typical days don't really exist!

Let's look at yesterday, for example.

Here's what I expected the day to look like…

Morning: go to Korce to make arrangements with new apartment landlord and run other Korce errands.
Mid afternoon: swing by a birthday party just long enough to make a polite appearance.
Afternoon/evening: pack pack pack up the house for the upcoming move.

Here's what actually happened...

The owner called and canceled our appointment. Kind of a bummer but not really a problem. We had the morning free to watch cartoons, listen to a sermon, drink coffee and enjoy a relaxing Saturday morning.

At around noon, a youth from the church called to tell us she needed money for the party immediately. Steve left to go the church, and I got to packing up the house. About an hour later, Steve called to tell me the party had been bumped up an hour and that I needed to get to the church ASAP.

I was dressed to do grungy work around the house, t-shirt and jeans. So certain was I that I would be back to house packing soon, I didn't even bother to put on real shoes...I just slipped on my shopka (Albanian house shoes...ONLY worn in the house and appropriate for going to the corner store. NOT TO BE WORN at public functions.)



I got to the church to find, what was supposed to be just a small cocktail party, had turned into a full blown BBQ (which now obligated us to stay for the rest of the afternoon) The BBQ led into a round of Mafia, and one round of Mafia turned into 3 rounds of Mafia. Finally, around 8:30 pm, people FINALLY started to head home. One of the girls asked if I'd escort her. Naturally, I agreed. Thinking that she lived directly across the street, I didn't even bother to tell Steve where I was going because I knew I'd be back in a flash.

Wrong.

She lived about 10 minutes away, and once I got her to her door, she and her mother INSISTED I join them in the upstairs apartment to see a bride celebrating her wedding. They promised, just 5 minutes (Now, I have lived long enough in this country to know that 5 minutes DOES NOT ACTUALLY mean 5 minutes!! Shame on me for falling for THAT trick!!) Next thing I knew, I was (still dressed in my house-packing-scrubbies and shopka, mind you) dancing traditional Albanian “vale” around a tiny room with beautifully dressed strangers and posing for pictures with the bride (I didn’t even know her or her family...but they had to document the foreigner at their wedding!!!)

Wanting to escape the madness, I tried calling Steve to pick me up, because now it was late enough that I needed an escort home. Much to my chagrin, his phone had died. I was stuck at the wedding until he could get home, charge his phone, call me to figure out where I was, and then make the 15 minute walk to pick me up.

I'll spare you the rest of the details, but I finally got home around 11 p.m. Needless to say, my day did not turn out as planned...I guess that's what I get for wearing my shopka out of the house!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Gossip Circle

Just about every night of the year, the neighborhood girls and women gather in a circle on the road, directly across from our house. They pull out carpets to sit on the road or squat (they never sit directly on the dirt!), and pass the evening away chatting and gossiping. Each night they take turns buying sunflower seeds and share them around the circle. I occasionally join them, knowing that if I don't, the evening's gossip will most likely be about me!

Last week, there was a quick and hard down pour of rain. Steve and I ran home in the rain, and laughed when we got to our gate. Six neighborhood girls, almost identically dressed, had sought dry refuge under our porch. So much for having our gate locked!

Apple Crisp

Yesterday, Steve came home with a huge bag of beautiful green apples. Immediately my mind jumped to my one of my favorite fall desserts. Apple cobbler.

I thought out loud,"Do we have oatmeal? Yep! Do we have brown sugar? Yep! Do we have nutmeg? Yep! (all special ingredients sent from the States) I'll make Apple Cobbler!"

...a sad pause...

"But wait, we don't have an oven!" (Our only oven is wood burning, and it's not cold enough yet!)

Well, since I can't have any, I thought you could. I love this recipe from Betty Crocker...it's quick, easy, and delicious!!

Apple Crisp


4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I only use 1/4 tsp)

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease bottom and sides of pan.
2. Spread apples in pan. Mix remaining ingredients; sprinkle over apples.
3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender.

Ju befte mire!!

Volcanic Tomato Sauce

About one in every three bottles of tomato sauce I have bought in the village seems to have been a dud...expired and fermenting. None, however, have been as bad as this last one. I opened it up, set it down on the counter, turned my back to it, only to turn back around to see that it had done this...!!



I now buy tomato sauce in the city.

The Fried Cheddar Burger

Eating out in foreign countries is always an adventure! This past week, while dining at a fast food restaurant in Macedonia, we were thrilled to receive a menu in English! However, upon closer inspection, the English version of the menu didn't make much more sense than the Macedonian one. We tried asking the waitress a few questions, like, "what's the duble dog?" but her feeble English skills were not much help.

Excited to see something with "cheddar" on the menu, I decided to give it shot, thinking that my selection..."fried cheddar burger"...may not be as scary as it sounded. This is what a got...



Yes, a fried patty of cheese (NOT cheddar, mind you!)!!



Would you like a quadruple bi-pass with that?

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Big Phat Deal

While we were in America, we entrusted the care of our home to a close friend and welcomed him to stay the night if he wanted to. Upon our return, he informed us that he didn't spend the night because he was afraid of all of the bugs and spiders. We laughed, and thought to ourselves,"So what!! What's the big deal?!"

Well, here's big deal...



Steve's fat lip! He got bit during the night! There's really not much more of a story to this, but like a loving wife, I've just been looking for an excuse to post this picture of Steve!

My Cold Eggs

In Albania, it is the norm for a married couple to begin having babies a year or two after their marriage.

Steve and I are almost six years into our marriage, and we are still childless, by choice.

I am used to everybody here wishing me to have a baby (especially a baby boy). I'm usually able to shake it off by giving a polite "thank you," but since we've returned from America, the guilt trips have been heightened. A recent "lecture" went something like this...

"Don't you know that children are a blessing? Don't you know that a boy will warm your life and your husbands? Can you have babies? Do you need some medicine? Oh bo bo, it's just so shameful! You need to go make a baby boy!!" (and on and on!!)

My favorite came from a 73 year old woman I met for the first time this last week.

Her spiel went something like this...

"You do not have any children yet? That is so shameful! Children are a blessing! You know, your eggs are getting cold! You need to have a baby boy. You need to name him Angelino. And don't worry, I will take care of him!!" (and on and on!!)

Well, I'm sure one day, God willing, children will warm our household, but until we're ready for that step in life, these little guys are doing the job!!

A Cool Reward

Being a missionary is just flat out hard sometimes. It's easy to get discouraged, and it takes a long time to see the fruit of your labor. I try to find practical ways to help people, but most of the time, it goes unappreciated and sometimes even scoffed.

A few weeks ago, we had a very hot day. I had the brilliant foresight to bring an icy beverage along, as I knew I'd need hydration! I brought with me that day Crystal Lite lemonade...

As I was waiting at an unshaded bus stop, a weary woman was coming my way. She looked hot, really hot. She stopped to chat with me, but the entire time, I could tell that she was eying my bottle.

Seeing that she needed a cool drink, a passage from Mark came to mind. Mark 9:41 "And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded."

I thought to myself, "this is my chance to finally do something biblical! If I do nothing else of worth in this country, I can offer this woman a cup of 'water'!"

I selflessly handed over the rest of my lemonade, silently patting myself on the back and smiling, thankful the opportunity to practically serve someone in need.

My moment of self-praise was short lived, when the woman's face puckered and she nearly spit out the lemonade and handed it back to me.

"What is this?!!" She exclaimed. "Do you put this in cars??!"

I assured her it was lemonade, but my good deed was not received as I had hoped. So much for that eternal reward.

Luckily, I had another chance... Because I gave my first bottle away to the thirsty woman, I bought another water before returning on the HOT bus ride home. Sitting alone with my thoughts on the bus, I felt a tug on my hair. A little boy, about 2 years old, asked me for my bottle of water. Ah ha! I grinned and gladly gave it away...Redeemed!!

Pro 11:25 Generosity will be rewarded: Give a cup of water, and you will receive a cup of water in return.

The Inside Scoop

"Wow!!" "Praise God" "You're so lucky!!" "You must feel so blessed!"

Now these are exclamations you might expect when telling somebody great news, but these are the responses I get when I've told people about my appendicitis while I was in America!!

And although I find some humor in this, all of my well wishers have been absolutely right!

Here's something you may or may not know about me...I am terrified of doctors(dentists included!) and being in Albania has heightened that fear for me (I have heard HORROR stories about the hospitals here!!) Going to the hospital in this country is an absolute last resort for me, and praise God, I have not yet had to do this. Should anything serious ever happen to myself or Steve, we'd bum a ride to St. Luke's hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece about 3.5 hours away. Anyways, long story short...had I been in Albania, I would not have gone to the doctors, and if I did, by the time I would have made it to the hospital, for sure the appendix would have ruptured (apparently, I only a had a few hours before bursting).

So yes, I am INCREDIBLY grateful for my appendicitis in AMERICA! I am still praising God for this provision!

The entire process was quick and painless (with the exception of the appendicitis part). And, as proof of my former organ...I have pictures!!! People say that when you give birth, all modesty is thrown out the window...well, the same is true of appendicitis, because as I awoke from my surgery, all of my hospital visitors were looking at pictures of my insides...ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus included! And seeing as I only have about 5 blog readers, I might as well share the "inside scoop" with the rest of you too! Enjoy!


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Yesterday, I joined my neighbors for dinner...which almost always means I have a new story to tell! Last night's menu was rice and freshly slaughtered chicken! As we dined, the woman of the house described to me how she killed him. She held down his head with her right foot, held down the body with her left foot, and put an ax right through his neck. Her daughter explained that, in following Muslim tradition, after the rooster died, she took the blood and painted a cross on her forehead (oops...was this meat sacrificed?!). The conversation continued and someone confessed that they would miss his 6 AM crowing, and another boasted about how beautiful and colorful his tail-feathers were. Those of you who know me well, may remember that I didn't eat chicken for about ten years, as I had a pet chicken myself...I think I've come a long way! The dinner conversation may have been a bit strange, but the chicken was delicious!

Monday, March 16, 2009

March 14 - Part 1

Almost every Friday afternoon, the youth of the church are begging Steve and me to have a game night to play Settlers of Catan. Strangely, for the first time in months, yesterday, nobody asked to come over! They all had bigger plans…to celebrate “The Day of Summer.” The festivities began yesterday night (March 14), when everybody built fires. For families with land, the fires burn the scrap pieces of wood, branches and yard rubbish that’s collected during the winter, but the apartment dwellers all gathered together to build a huge bonfire consisting of wood and tires…STINKY!!

There at the bon fire, people just enjoyed an evening out. The children painted their faces with ash, teenagers mingled, young men snuck shots of raki, and some brave souls even dared to jump over the flames (in old tradition, it was believed that this act got rid of their lice and fleas!)





March 15 - Part 2

The next morning, as explained to me by my neighbors, children would be coming around to my door at 5 AM to go “trick-or-treating”. Yes that’s right…5 AM! I asked around and everybody confirmed…5 AM and all morning long.

Well, I am NOT a morning person and knew that if I went upstairs to go to bed that I would NEVER get up on time, so I spent a sleepless night on the couch. At five am, I turned on the lights for the kids to know that they were welcome. Nothing. 6 am. Nothing. 7 am. Nothing. 8 am. “Knock, knock, knock.”

Before I continue, let me explain what the kids are trick-or-treating for. Kids here go from door to door for hard boiled eggs, nuts, dried figs, sweets, fruit and small change! When I went to the shop last night to stock up for today, the shopkeeper explained that I was to give a collection of things, but that I especially needed to give out eggs. I told her that I didn’t want to give out eggs because kids would rather have candy! (Cultural faux pas # 2,349,211) I was then lectured, with the spiel ending in “well, you can just give us eggs for your holiday, Easter!” Agreed.

So the first kids came to the door and to my surprise, the kiddos were holding a bag of treats for me! In addition to the treats given to kids, neighbors exchange similar food with each other (oops, I didn’t shop for that!). The kids chirped, “Ciu, ciu,” which mimics the noise of birds, and I gave them their goodies. But because these kids were the first to arrive, to top it off, I gave them water pistols too! Thrilled, the kids ran off, and one young boy exclaimed, “Thanks! I’m sorry I threw the things on your balcony!”

So although I’m without sleep, it’s turned out to be a pretty good morning! My refrigerator is stocked with hard boiled eggs, I got a confession from the culprit dirtying up my balcony, and the neighborhood kids think my water guns are the coolest. Now I’m going back to bed!

Ary's Healthy Food

It seems like new fast-food restaurants spring up all of the time in Korce. I'll let the photos of this latest joint speak for itself!




Thursday, March 12, 2009

Drip, Drip, Brrrrr, Drip.

Steve and I have gotten into the horrible habit of not getting simple repairs done on our house. For 1, having the owner over means that we have to clean...really clean (but shhh...don't tell the neighbors that Steve helps! This could RUIN his reputation and mine!!)and 2, watching the owner's workmanship really stresses me out (see blog: Culture Shock: Round 2). Well, Steve and I endured a grueling and cold winter with very little water pressure coming from the boiler. It got to the point that the water pressure was so weak that we were avoiding showers and only bathing once or twice a week. Gross. I even went to a friend's place to get myself washed up! Well, after we couldn't tolerate the slow cold drips any more, we finally succumbed and called the owner.

This was the culprit...



Build-up in our pipes! Looks like calcium deposits to us, but the owner insisted it was salt! I'm glad to say, regular showers are back in our routine!

Friday, February 6, 2009

25 Random Things About Albania

1) President George W. Bush was the first sitting President to visit Albania.

2) The Albanians received him like a rock star.

3) Mother Teresa is Albanian.

4) Albanians love their sugar. It is not unusual for my visitors to ask for 5+ scoops of sugar in their tea or coffee.

5) Albanians eat an abundance of bread with each meal.

6) They do not eat bread with pasta.

7) During the years of Communism, in an attempt to protect the country from its “enemies,” the dictator Enver Hoxha built hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers all over the country. With the money spent on these bunkers, each Albanian family could have had a house.


8) 90% of the landscape is mountainous.

9) Almost everybody has a cell phone.

10) Almost nobody has a house phone.

11) The alphabet has 36 letters, all phonetic.

12) The new movie “Taken” features the Albanian Mafia.

13) On the label of a popular brand of Albanian water, their slogan has been translated into English as, “Suffled How it Gush From the Source of the Woods of Tepelena.”

14) Jim Belushi is not only Albanian, but was born in the Korce province. He recently came for a visit.

15) There are tons of thousands of unstable explosives buried throughout Albania. Last year, an entire village was blown up in an attempt to disarm the weapons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO15dZIH_f8&feature=related

16) Albanians celebrate a marriage with several weddings, including one that’s only for the bride and another just for the groom.

17) Although predominantly Muslim, Albania has a rich Christian heritage.

18) Most Albanians clean every day like its spring cleaning…and all before 10am.

19) Parents are unaware of their children’s romantic relationships until engagement is announced.

20) The majority of the cars on the road are Mercedes.

21) Most Albanians make their own lamb jerky during the winter and eat it with beans.

22) House hold pets: N/A.

23) Albanians protected their own Jews during the Holocaust while also offering shelter to other Jews who escaped into Albania from Austria, Serbia and Greece.

24) The world knows this country as Albania, but the Albanians know the country Shqiperia, “land of the Eagles.”

25) Albania was among the first countries to support the war on terrorism, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Okay...I lied, it's going to be 27 things!!

26) Albanian houses are not built with closets or any room for storage.

27) The youngest son is obligated to live with and care for his parents until their deaths. When he marries, his bride moves in with him and his parents!