My second summer in Kosovo is so much different than last. On most days, my routine includes a morning walk for veggies or to replenish grocery items that have run low, watering or tending my balcony herb garden, practicing the Kosovar dialect of Albanian, crocheting, reading, catching up with family and friends, and an evening walk after dinner. Throw in occasional coffee with friends and a Sunday hike with the hiking group, and it is a really great summer. I realize now that just being out and about speaking English with my students on the street will help them to be better prepared for English class next year. It is so nice to see so many friendly faces on my evening walks.
It is so different from last summer. Mentally, I am just more relaxed. I know what to expect and what is expected from me. I know what a school year looks like here, and I am not at all anxious about the upcoming school year. I am also thankful to those of you who supported the funding of the English Language Lab at the school that I am assigned to. We have almost met the goal, and should be able to purchase the needed items for the start of the school year. After being in several other schools, I can really see how lacking our classrooms are in our school. I will keep you posted through my blogs.
I am happy to be able to mentor a new volunteer for a summer camp program at his school. The kids who have shown up for Danny's English camp are really nice and well-behaved. He is doing a great job. In fact, on Wednesday, Danny taught the students to do the Cotton Eyed Joe. I am pretty sure that is a new one for Koveçec. It has been nice to have the added activity.
Along with walking to the school in Koveçec three days this week to help Danny, Monday also included a trip to the dentist in Prishtina for my mid-service teeth cleaning. It was a good check-up, and no need for any follow-up work. Yay!!
Next week, I'm helping at a tennis summer camp in a town (Podujev) north of Prishtina for a week with other volunteers. We will stay there and help from around 8 am to 4 pm. We will have some hot weather, but there is a cool down forecasted for the middle of the week. It should be a nice diversion, and it will get me out of Kaçanik, which is getting noisier as more diaspora arrive.
Last Sunday, we hiked with the hiking group on a hike to a mountain lake (Gjoli), which we have hiked to before. We started at the ski area in Brezovice. It was a fun and beautiful hike, and the weather was perfect. Danny came with the hiking group, and we met up with Birgid there. She came with the hiking group from Prishtina. My co-teacher's daughter, Erjola, was on the hike, and two other girls whom I had met before on previous hikes. I always like talking with Erjola and her friend, Amira. They both have excellent English skills. The other girl, Flora, just graduated from high school, and we met on a hike about a year ago. She is an amazing young person. She came on the hike to take her mind off the matura exam scores, which were going to be posted the day after the hike. I found out later in the week that she had the highest score for students taking the test in Kaçanik. When we stopped to eat lunch, Danny noticed some wild chives growing near the lake. I was able to dig up a couple of chive plants, and now I have chives growing on the balcony, and Danny has a pot of his own as well.
Beginning the hike at the ski area
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It makes such a difference to be past the halfway mark of my service. With just 10 months left to go, I know that I can make it until my end-of-service date in April. I know I will have my students for the best part of the school year, in the beginning months when they are most ready to learn. I won’t be here for May, when they are mentally done with school and every school day feels like such a challenge. Things are good in Kaçanik.
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