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!
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!)
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!
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!
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!
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