No More Mud

During the past month and a half or so they have been paving the road next to my house. It's a pretty decent road now. Before it was just a giant mudhole, and I usually walked a different way when I was heading downtown. Now that it's paved, I can use this road and is a bit faster.

The other thing I have noticed since the road has been paved is how much the kids are enjoying it. In the evening the traffic isn't very heavy on the road and the kids are able to skate and bike on the new pavement. A smooth, paved road with no potholes is a rare find in Durres, and I'm not sure these kids have ever had the chance to play in the street like they are now. Growing up in small-town America, that's all we did as kids. I think we were playing in the street about every chance we had.

Speaking of kids, I have been rather bothered lately by all the kids selling things on the street. I guess it just bothers me that they aren't in school. To think that parents would rather have their kids selling cigarettes than getting an education seems very near-sighted and abusive. I'm not sure why this is just bothering me now, perhaps because I have been spending more time in Tirana and child labor is definitely more predominant here.

Anyway, things are good. The weather is great today.

Long Time No Write

Wow, it's been awhile since I've put anything on here.

Anyway, Friday marks my one-year anniversary for being here in Albania. Honestly, the time has really gone quickly. The new group of volunteers is coming on Thursday, and I will be traveling to Elbasan on Saturday to meet them and answer their burning questions. There are supposedly about 42 new people coming, which will more than double our number of volunteers here. Should add a little spice to life around here, or most likely just more gossip.

Work has been going better than ususal lately. March 8th was International Women's Day and we at Co-PLAN Keneta were able to plan and participate in two different activities. One was a crafts fair in downtown Durres. Women for the peripherial neighborhoods of the city came into the center to display foods and crafts, but more importantly to make their presence known to the city. Often here, the people in the informal areas on the outskirts of town are overlooked and don't receive proper services.

On the 9th, our youth project group organized a performance for the women of Keneta. The kids performed dances, poetry, and skits. It was actually alot of fun, and we were also able to use the occasion as an opportunity to inform the women about the new law on legalization of property and what they have to do to complete their self-declarations for legalization.

I've posted some pictures from both events on my yahoo photos page. The link is on the right.