The first days in any country are usually the hardest. Albania is no different. Getting used to the time change, the new eating schedule, the unsurety of where to get food and then the effort necessary to prepare almost everything from scratch add to the challenge. Include the heat of summer and the complications of language barriers, learning the rules of safety and security and the result is, I suppose, what we call culture shock. These realities bring one face to face with one’s call. In the midst of this adjustment period, we have not doubted for a moment that this is where we should be.
If it weren’t for the warm spirit of the Albanian people and the assurance of prayers back home, the adjustment would be much harder. We often get involved with a visit on the street or in someone’s house where we speak the language of smiles and hugs with some very basic, simple words thrown in. The greetings and the salutations come fairly easily. It’s just the conversation in between that gives us some problems.
We’re working on our vocabulary with the help of nearly everyone. The Albanian people are very patient and willing to aid in our language acquisition. In fact, sometimes, they get a great laugh out of our efforts and don’t hesitate to correct us. Like the time I told someone we had 40 children or when Debbie told some friends Kristen was a “cow”. The words for “cow” and for “tired” are similar. The words for “postage stamp” and for “chicken” have only a subtle differentiation in pronunciation. You can imagine the chuckle we got at the Post Office when we walked up to the counter and asked the price of a “chicken” to America. All you can do is laugh. We can only get better.
We take a lot for granted when we communicate in our mother language. It is difficult to remember all the learning and time that went into knowing our mother tongue until we try to learn a new language. The average Albanian’s religious background is like our Albanian language experience prior to coming overseas.