Today is Bajram and it is a holiday for all, including us volunteer trainees. We were instructed by our language teachers to be up and dress by 7 am as that is around the time that men come back from the mosque and bring Bajram with them. Women are at home preparing food. We were up and ready, but Sever and Amar did not get back until between 7:30 and 8 am. At least, we were ready. There are several phrases that are used such as "Për Hajr Bajrami" to which the response is "Hajr Paq" or "Për Hajr Edhe Ty". After that it is correct to say "Urime Bajrami" which is something like "Congratulations Bajram" or maybe "Great. I survived 30 days of fasting during daylight". The response is "Urime edhe ty" or "Congratulations to you".
We greet everyone appropriately, with Amar giving us a simplified version. We then went to visit Selver's brothers where we had a good cup of Turkish coffee, baklava, and cake. Baklava and other sweets seem to be the first tradition of the day. This is typically done with neighbors and nearby relatives. Selver's brothers live next door and we did not have far to go.
After visiting for a bit, we went back home for breakfast which was goulash, salad, bread, and peppers. After that we sat on the terrace and drank black tea made in a Turkish tea kettle. Turkish tea kettles are double kettles. A strong tea is made in the top pot with black tea leaves and water is boiled in the bottom kettle. Ganimeter serves the tea by first pouring about a half cup of tea and then filling the cup with the boiling water. They drink the tea with lots of sugar and lemon in small clear glass handle less cups. I don't normally have the tea in the evening because of the caffeine. But I enjoyed the tea while sitting on the terrace in the sun this morning.
The plans for the day were quite fluid. Dini told us last night that the whole family was going to the village for the afternoon. We don't go with them when they leave as there is not room for us all in the car. Ganimete started making flija as soon as tea was done and I had work to do for our lesson activity for TEFL tomorrow. When I came downstairs from finishing the work, Dini told us that they were going to head to Ganimete's brother's house in Gjilan. So it seems they were not going to the village.
Bajram is the day that they spend with family and can be equated to Thanksgiving or Christmas in the US, except we don't fast ahead of it. It does seem to be a great relief to all that Ramadan is over and that life can get back to normal. Arbnora, our English teacher, has been fasting as well and she is excited to have coffee with us on Friday during language class.
Last night for dinner, we had pizza which was made in the oven that is in the oven house behind the main house. Ganimete put the pizzas together and carried them out back and Selver cooked them. The pizza was good even without cheese. It seemed to be a special treat to have the homemade pizza. Ganimete also makes baklava.
It has been a beautiful week with temperatures in the mid 70s to low 80s and it has been mostly sunny. On Friday, I had to take an impromptu trip to the eye doctor in Prishtine. I had a problem with my right eye. It started itching on Monday during the night and I woke up on Tuesday with a red and irritated eye. I let the medical team know and the doctor suggested some drops. The next day it was even redder, but the doctor had told me to let it go a couple of days. On Thursday, it was still very red, but it was not itchy and it did not feel bad. I let them know it was still red on Thursday and he decided I should see a trusted eye doctor in Prishtine on Friday at 10:30 am. Of course, on Friday the eye was clearly on the mend and I let them know right away.
I still went, but it worked out for the best. I was suppose to have a follow-up appointment as per the medical team in DC (headquarters) and they were able to schedule it on Friday along with checking out the eye after the redness. Friday was a beautiful day with clear blue skies. It was so amazing to see the snow capped mountains on the way to Prishtine. I could actually see the mountains in Peja from Prishtine, which we were not able to do when we drove to Peja on our previous trip, as there was too much haze that day. The mountains, lakes, small monastery, hilltop castle, and the flowering trees were beautiful on the drive there. Unfortunately, they dilated the eyes for the exam and I was not able to enjoy the view on the way back. I had Peace Corps drivers to take me there and back. This is a luxury, we will not often get when we are out of training. I was so glad to have it as it was hard to see after the eye appointment. I was also glad to find that there are no concerns with the follow-up or with the eye irritation.
We will be sworn in on Monday, April 29 in the morning and we will leave Kamenice to our new posts after the ceremony. We will find out where we are going next week and will visit our sites that weekend after we find out. We will meet the new host family and stay with them on the weekend of April 19 through the 21st. After that we come back to finish our training in Kamenice.
We will have a very busy week coming up as the TEFL volunteers will be teaching in a local school in the morning and the Community Organizers (COD) will be doing a practicum in Gjilan. Our schedules are quite full until the weekend before we swear in.
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