Culture 101: Weddings

We have been building some really tight relationships with some of our students here, so we are creating a really awesome group of friends. Being able to casually hang out like normal teenagers has made a huge difference in our time being spent here. Our friends our inviting us out places and we even got invited to one of their cousin's wedding!

It was a huge culture shock, we had no idea what to expect and what we witnessed was nothing like any kind of wedding we were used to. So very briefly, the wedding is a two day event: the first night is only the groom and his family celebrating. (Celebrating is eating a huge dinner and then dancing traditional dances along with live traditional music from 8 p.m. to anywhere until 4 a.m.) The next day, the groom and his family will take several decorated cars to the bride's village and bring her back to the groom's home which is her new home. (Here, when you get married you live with the groom's family.) There they have a few ceremonies that no one could really explain what they meant, except one where the bride and her mother in law had to "bless" the front door before she entered her new home. Then the new couple meets both sides of the family at a restaurant/hotel to eat and dance even more. I really appreciated the experience and getting to see a side of the culture I hadn't been able to witness before. But I really loved spending some quality time with some beautiful girls who have been such a blessing to get closer to.

P.S. We have started taking Albanian lessons from some of our students, and it might be the hardest language ever. There are 36 letters, 4 of which are impossible for me to pronounce, and apparently there are 6 million grammatical rules. So wish us luck, we really do want to learn more so that we can adapt further into the lifestyle here!

Pray for us to have joyful and uplifted spirits. The realities of the real "grown up" world are beginning to bog us down considerably.

Here are some pictures from the wedding!

My roommates and I with our precious friends

This is a traditional dance--you also see several people wearing traditional outfits

Here is the bride (they wear soooo much makeup!) and the groom behind her

And these are some men playing traditional instruments as live music to celebrate the bride's entrance

A Sense of Normalcy

I have been here for a month and a half now, and it finally feels normal walking around Suhareke and waking up in my top bunk. Our class schedule (two classes a day, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) has really helped us feel the comfort that a routine provides. It's weird to think about how normal everything feels. It's like all of a sudden I noticed that I don't feel like a visitor anymore. This is my home. There are definitely things and people I miss back in America, but I'm already realizing just how difficult it will be to leave our home and friends here. Some of the cultural oddities have become part of our daily lives and we don't even recognize them as "oddities" anymore!

We have started hanging out with a few of our students on a regular basis. The girl I talked about in my last post has started meeting with us every Wednesday after class...to do a bible study. (Don't worry, you read that right.) She came to us about how to live her life completely devoted to the Lord. We did listening prayer with her and will now be reading a chapter from Proverbs with her every week! We are really excited, especially because she entered the Kingdom purely by the power and timing of the Lord. She has also decided to start bringing her cousin (they will both be going into the 12th grade) to meet with us too! So we are very happy that we will have a small group with some amazing girls here. We hope that it will continue to grow!

Today we got to go into a different village called Bukosh to visit a brother and sister who are both in our class (and their three cousins who are also in our class who live right next door). The father and his four brothers own all the land, it was passed down to them by their father. They each have their own home and garden, and one owns a restaurant at the very edge of the property. The mother woke up at 6 a.m. to prepare a traditional food called flia for us! We had it with a salad made of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions all grown in their garden, honey from their own beehives, and jam made from the plums they grow. Their house was beautiful, they had a huge garden with a gazebo looking at a perfect view of some incredible mountains. I am not exaggerating when I say looking at all the flowers and the mountains in the background took my breath away. They have an orchard with over 300 trees, including plum trees, apple trees, and peach trees! They also have a "small" corn field. We had so much fun visiting this family. The father and mother told us stories (translated by their son and nephew, two of our best students) like how they met, what their wedding was like, and when they lived in Switzerland. It was really fun, they were honestly the most comfortable people to be around. Their relationship is so different from many of the other marriages we have seen here, they were really in love and it was obvious. It was refreshing to witness! Emily taught everyone how to play a card game called "Spoons" and it was seriously entertaining. We felt so welcomed and enjoyed our time with them. We're taking all the kids to ice cream after class tomorrow to say thank you, and the parents are coming into Suhareke on Saturday to go to lunch with us and Berat! It was such a blessing to be with such a sweet family, the culture differences didn't create any awkwardness like it sometimes can, and there was never a quiet moment. The questions they asked us weren't just about us being Americans but about who we really were. Something new that I know I really enjoyed was how much they told us about themselves! That never happens, and I loved hearing all the "embarrassing moment" stories and "worst injury" stories from all the kids. I cannot wait until we can go visit them in Bukosh again.

I am very thankful for the weirdness of how normal my life here is becoming. Even in the struggles I am facing, I feel comfortable, at ease, and peaceful (which I know none of those things would exist in my heart without the Lord).

Emily, Sam, and I have really meshed into an awesome bond. I love them. We are each so different and the Lord teaches us in such different ways. Their wisdom and perspectives are enlightening and I enjoy every moment with them. I couldn't imagine being here with two better people!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and thoughts. We need them.

Hospitality

Something I learned right away on my first visit to Kosova last summer was the overwhelming level of hospitality the people here offer towards us. This visit hasn't been any different. A couple of our students have already brought us into their homes to meet and spend time with all of their family and to eat traditional meals made by their mothers. Yesterday we got to visit one of our student's home in a village about 15 minutes away. We met her uncles and cousins and sat with her grandmother who couldn't understand any English. Even though we couldn't speak to her, and despite the fact that we had only known her for about 5 seconds, all she wanted to do was make sure we were comfortable. She was so willing to serve us without even knowing us. The food her mom made is called "pita" and its a flaky pie type thing filled with a vegetable and cheese. All the vegetables in the pita and served to us were grown from their garden in their yard--such a cool part of the village lifestyle that I love. Her little sister had practiced how to say "What is your name?" and "How are you?" in English and recited the phrases to all 5 of us English speakers in her home. (It was seriously the most precious thing.) The amount of effort the whole family put in to talking to us and welcoming us was amazing. It's so hard for me to understand because the level of respect and hospitality they offer to us is way beyond anything else I've ever experienced. This particular student is a friend from last year, so meeting her family was very exciting for us! And we really wanted to be as gracious and reflective of Christ as possible. Any difference in our behaviors and actions makes a huge difference here. Most of her family is fasting for Ramadan, so the fact that they wanted us over to eat with them in the middle of the day is a huge deal! Even though I don't think I will ever get used to the incredible amount of hospitality here, I am so grateful for it. I wish everyone back home could experience it. (And trust me, you wish you could eat the pita too, it's delicious.)


We have had a really great week here. Thank you for all your prayers and support! 

My view everyday:

This is from a little "mountain" behind our apartment building. It's an amazing view overlooking the city and behind us are more beautiful mountains. I am still surprised to see all of this around me sometimes. But I'm not complaining--seriously I am so thankful. We are so lucky to call this place our home!

Blessings from Suhareke, Kosova.

One Month later....

I have officially been living in Kosova for one whole month! It feels very surreal--some times I feel like the time has flown by and at other moments I feel like it's going by very slowly. There are still lots of cultural things that are hard to adjust to, and most of them are things that we will probably never figure out because we aren't Albanian. Nonetheless, I love Kosova because God has given me the heart to love it. I miss a lot of luxuries in America, like not having seasonal foods. (I never thought how hard it would be not being able to get whatever fruits and veggies I wanted, because when does Kroger not have what I want? Hah) There have definitely been some trying times and struggles to overcome. Thankfully, as my dad reminded me just today, my weaknesses are filled with the strength of the Lord.

I miss my family--especially my sisters and best friends who I've relied on everyday for encouragement and advice. But if I went back to America today I know that I would have already learned such an amazing lesson of what it looks like to wake up and "die to myself" everyday. Choosing the Lord is honestly my only option, otherwise life here is just too hard. There is so much left for my heart and spirit to learn, and I am anxious for those lessons to come and for me to share them with my family and friends when I do get home in November.

There is definitely a feeling that God is preparing Suhareke, Kosova for Him. This city is special, and so is everyone in it. We have a really great (small) community of believers here--the three of us, an Irish missionary named Gillian, some other American missionaries, and several Kosovars. We have such a unique opportunity as American Believers. The people here SEE a difference in us, besides the physical differences of being from a different country, they see something IN us that is different. What a blessing! We have already seen some amazing opportunities to have great conversations because of this. I am reassured daily that we are planting seeds in our English classes and friendships by our behavior. Just recently we were actually given the opportunity to go to a "family camp" in Albania for a week, so we have no idea what to expect with regards to that but we know it will be an adventure!

The English classes are going pretty well. We are in our third week, and I am teaching the "intermediate/advanced" level students. We have two classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There  are about 10 students in each of my classes, and they are all really sweet. It has been very interesting trying to make lesson plans, and make myself appear as though I know what I'm talking about, everyday for class--honestly I'm just winging it! I hope that I will learn just as much as my students.

Continue to pray for me and my roommates, the Gegaj family that we are working for, our fellow believers here, our students, unbelievers here, and for countless opportunities to talk about Jesus! <3

Real life.

We had our first day of English classes yesterday (Monday, July 2nd). It was definitely a lot more difficult than I ever would have imagined. There were some students who seemed completely uninterested in trying to be involved and speak English with us, and then there were some people who couldn't speak any English at all. I was very discouraged after that first day, and honestly had no idea what we were supposed to do. Teaching English is a daunting task when you're only an 18 year old right out of high school...

I had to spend a lot of time praying and really just being honest with God that I was lost with this project. I'm clearly unprepared for this job--so why was I here? It wasn't until the morning when I was doing my word study/journal time that God showed me the answer. I'm not the one doing this. I was never meant to carry the burden of this difficult task. Instead, God wants to take it from me, and He wants to provide me with whatever wisdom and power I need in order to accomplish it. His Spirit is alive and working around me to clear the path I need to take and working in me to instill an unlimited source of energy. If we rest in Him, He fills us with the energy and power we need to go do His work. How cool is that?

Our other roommate Samantha Crain got here on Tuesday, July 3rd. Emily and I are really excited to have her here, and we're praying she gets adjusted to the very different lifestyle you have to have in Kosovo.

I am thankful for all your prayers. <3

Shtepi

People keep asking if I'm "homesick" yet, but I'm not. Yes, I miss my friends and family, I miss my church and hearing a familiar language, and of course I miss Mexican food. My physical home here isn't luxurious or normal for American standards, but I love it. Emily and I were talking about why we love Kosova, and why despite the trials we feel welcomed here. We were reading a word study on the word "abide" that my dad sent me, and part of it was discussing the use of abide in John 15:5-10. In those verses Jesus is telling His disciples "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he that bears fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown way like a branch and withers; and those branches are gathered and thrown on a fire. If you abide in me, and words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be acted upon. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear fruit and so prove to be my disciple. As the Father loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in that love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have listened to my Father and abide in His love." The word abide means: to share the life of, dwell in, remain in, walk with, live in, and make a home in. Our homes are meant to be with Christ. So wherever He is will be my home. The physical building I live in or the place it is doesn't matter, I can take refuge with the Spirit. If we keep His words at home with us, He will be with us, so we'll never go without a place to call home. Emily and I really felt like that was such a blessing for us to know at this point in our lives. So no-I'm not homesick because I never left my home. I do miss everyone and certain things, but I love my home He's making for me here.

P.S. "Shtepi" means "home" in Albanian!