A Rainy Week...

Sunday was another nice day for a hike.  It started out gray and cloudy, but by the time we stopped on a grassy knoll for lunch, the sun was shining and the day felt warm.  The hike was a local hike.  We hike south out of Kaçanik along the road for a while, and then we turn off onto a path.  The trail took us through a limestone strip mining operation.  It always amazes us that you can just walk through a working zone.  Even though it was Sunday, people were working in the mining area.

The start of the trail took us through areas we had not walked before, but by the end of the hike, we were back on the Roman Road trail.  Although we were back by 3 pm, it felt much later as the sun was already heading behind the hills.

Monday, a group of us met in Ferizaj to go to the Thai Restaurant for lunch.  Unfortunately, the Thai Restaurant is closed on Mondays, so we will have to try again.  We found another restaurant nearby and it was pretty good.

On Tuesday, Thom and I accompanied Gjethi to Ferizaj to assist with the Water Ambassador Workshop for students from two Ferizaj schools.  The event took place from 9:30 to 3 pm and was once again a success.  I enjoyed meeting the students, especially a group of girls from the professional school.  

It has been a rainy week, and the rivers in Kaçanik were very high.  On Wednesday, the water was up over the walkway in an area north of Kaçanik.  The water broke through the wall in another area along the river.

Our water has been off a bit this week as well.  There was a rockslide. and it caused a pipe to break and the water was off on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.  It also went out in the evening and through the night on Wednesday and Thursday.  This is the second time this month that the water was off because of a broken pipe.

I missed school on Tuesday to go to the water ambassador workshop.  We I told my co-teacher that I would miss Tuesday, he said that was good, because he had to miss Wednesday through Friday.  It always a harder week when I have to teach by myself, so I am glad the week is over.

I am listening to a new round of rain as I write this.  

Mist and fog shroud Guri i Shpum

Two gifts from students last Friday

Walking through the strip mining operation

An old part of the mine, that looks unused now

Hiking on the dirt mining road

Our picnic spot

Some cows along the way

Students from the professional school working on their poster

Students from the gjimnaz

More boys from the professional school 

Students presented their work

The train bridge and new tunnel; the water went over the tracks dumping trash on the tracks

Railway bridge and tunnel

High river water with new barriers near Guri i Shpum                                                           i

High water and misty fog

On the other side of the tunnel the water is all the way over the tracks and up to the tunnel

Plastic bottles caught and trap by the high waters

The water is as high as I have seen it 

Packs of dogs on either side of the street barking at each other as I walked to the store

Although the water is much lower, this area was completely covered on Wednesday

More piles of plastic left by the river

Replenishing my supply of Rosemary from Guri i Shpum