Sion's Albanian Adventure

Its been a while

2009-10-21T10:33:00.001Z

Just a few words to say how I miss my adventures in Albania. Being back at the grindstone of work has its pluses (a wage packet at the end of each month) but the freedom, the people and the byreks are definitely missed heaps.

2007-06-15T11:25:00.000Z

Hey.... My apologies for the lack of writing. I do however have a lot of stuff to say, as well as pictures to show, but my bag has unfortunately been lost by British Airways. That means that uploading pictures to this site is now nigh on impossible, and just a chore. I hope that I will be back on line this afternoon, but that depends on Corfu airport and their incompetent staff.

Hope you're all well.

2007-05-18T22:59:00.000Z

The weather is indeed pants at the moment in the uk, huh?!? I really hope it will be much better tomorrow for Rhodri and Ceri's wedding. I hope tomorrow is a brilliant day for them both. I'll remember my camera too tomorrow (I forgot it for Vix and Kurt's wedding!!) so I'll get some photos. I'm really really looking forward to seeing people again too.

You also might notice some pictures have appeared below. Just for the record, adding these took me 5 mins at my parents' home in Cardiff, whereas it would've taken about 2 hours in Albania!! The joys and blessings of a decent connection!! :o)

Anna and I are also working very hard on our wedding arrangements at the moment. I've created little fliers... What do you think...?

There's not much on the blog just yet, but there will be soon - I promise.

2007-05-14T12:04:00.000Z

Tomorrow I leave for the sunny shores of Corfu, as I travel home to England, in order to go and attend my friends wedding - the wedding of Ceri and Rhodri, in Cardiff. I must say I am looking forward to it, although I would not swap the weather here for the weather at home right now!!!

I'm working up a tan at the moment, and hopefully - I will be nicely tanned in time for the summer!! Just in time to... tan some more!!! :o)

Work here has been hectic of late. I've been busy fixing computers, installing antiviruses and teaching my class. I've also finished a tourit map for Lidia (the foundation I am working for) to print.

I have made unsuccesful attempts to contact a guy in a town called Vlora, to arrange a recording of the Albanian worship songs I have, but when I return in 12 days, I hope to further that, as I will try and get these songs recorded before I leave.

Hope all is well at home. Sorry to hear about the bad weather. :o) Hopefully - I will post all the pictures which should be posted below too when i am home. I will do my best.

2007-05-07T17:00:00.000Z

Sorry for the lack of pictures.... I've tried uploading them, but the speed of the connections here is so slow, that the upload keeps timing out. I promise to keep trying.

Saturday night saw a warm wind come from the deserts of Africa. Unfortunately it also brought soooo much dust, and a bit of rain, so everyones car is now very dirty in Saranda!! Ha ha - makes me glad i don't own one!! The other thing that the wind brought with it was mosquitos. Lots of them. And they're a pain in the backside. The weather at the moment is still hot and humid, so they are all out in force.

No other news really. After a slow start, my pupils are getting the hang of computers, and they learnt very quickly the ins and outs of Excel today. I'm currently fixing a computer, but the Windows XP is all in Greek, and so its a bit of a nightmare. Actually - a big nightmare. You know - one of those really scary ones. Where you're constantly falling. Ha ha.

2007-05-05T17:41:00.000Z

There is sad news to report today.

I'm afraid that Mitzi the cat has died today. She was quite old, and very ill. She will be missed from the Barjami household.

On a lighter note, the ambulance which Ruth and Steve Courteny from Reading have worked so very hard on fund-raising for, finally arrived on Thursday. It has been passed on to the hospital here in Saranda, and will be used especially to reach the hard-to-reach places. It is a very well equipped Land Rover, specially adapted as an ambulance.

Today Richard and I visited Jorgo, who is house-bound, due to suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. I had been kindly given a donation of 300 pounds from 'J.P. Gainsford Associates' to buy Jorgo a wheelchair so that he could be a bit more mobile. Well - that arrived with the ambulance, and today we took the wheelchair to him. He was smiles from ear to ear, and was so very greatful. It was a great moment.

There was fighting at Cuka today. Lots of it. Bedro - one of the ladies at the church - had managed to get a very large pile of clothes from her family to distribute at the gypsy camp, but it was like the first day of the Next sale. It was crazy!!! I've never heard such shouting and screaming over a few items of clothing!!

Last but not least... A big thank you to Ruth and Steve for bringing various bits and bobs, including a little parcel from Anna. Safe journey home.

2007-05-02T10:22:00.000Z

Yesterday was a terribly dull May day holiday, weather wise. So celebrations were at home, instead of the customary picnic. It's a big celebration here, and we had a fabulous meal at home.

News which I forgot to mention is that a week ago, there was a new addition in the Barjami household - the house where I am staying. 'Ene' was born on the 27th of April, and weighed in at around 9lbs. I will post photographs of little Ene soon. In case you are wondering - Ene was named after a great warrior in Albanian history. Unfortunately - everytime I've wanted to take a picture - its been sleeping!!

Bimi, Joni and I went on a little adventure the other day too... We found a dried up river, and walked for a long time down the river bed. We saw some wonderful creatures, like butterflies and spiders, as well as just appreciating a relatively unspoilt piece of the countryside.

That's it from me.... The ambulance, which Ruth and Steve Courtney from Reading Vineyard have been raising money for arrives tomorrow. Sorry for the lack of pictures... :o(

Hope all is well in the UK (or wherever you're reading this).

2007-04-18T07:21:00.000Z

How exciting!!! On Saturday, Tirana - the capital of Albania - had an earthquake that reached 5.6 on richter scale. I've never been in an earthquake before, so I didn't really realise what was going on until it was too late. First of all the crockery on the table started shaking, and so i thought that it was like a kettle boiling making the crockery shake. But then I realised the kettle wasn't on!! Then my chair started shaking too. I thought it was a train or a subway train, but then realised where I was, as they don't really have neither trains or subway. Then it was over!

I was in Tirana taking my fiance to the airport. Unfortunately I won't see her now for another month. She had a good time here, and bless her little cotton socks - worked very hard on her projects here too.

We visited a family in Berdenesh, which when we last visited the newborn baby was tiny. This family have a sad story indeed. The mother was left to die whilst giving birth to the baby, as they couldn't afford the "payment" to the doctors. She bled to death in the hospital, and no eye was raised. The doctor is still practicing in the hospital, and no compensation payout was given to the father. The father is out of work, and struggling to make ends meet, and they live in a two "bedroom" house, which is in fact just two rooms. In that house is the father, his new wife (I'll come to that in a sec), the grandmother, the sister, and 5 children. The new wife I mentioned earlier had a dream a few weeks ago, where the dead mother (her best friend) came to her and said in the dream "take care of my children". So despite her family's protesting, she went ahead and married the father in order to be able to take care of the kids. We took the family some clothes, and some gifts donated by someone in the UK, and they were very grateful.

We also took some amazing photos of some of the Albanian scenery... Here are just a few...

Finally - the most fun thing I did in the last two weeks was to visit the "shtepi oficare". This is where the old people come to hang out, play games, drink coffee and, on thursdays, get a quick checkup from a missionary nurse here called Jo. She checks their blood pressure and blood-sugar levels. We had a great time, as the old people are so friendly and full of life here. I even joined in a game of dominos, slamming the domino on the table each time!!

I would finally like to offer my condolanses to the families of those who died in the Virginia Tech shootings. I was watching "Bowling for Columbine" just two days before, and am perplexed how this sort of incident could happen *again* in America. Very sad.

2007-04-10T15:50:00.000Z

Once again - sorry for the lack of updates. I am currently taking a little rest from blog writing, and spending time with my fiance who's currently visiting me here. Promise i will update you soon, with lots of pictures and stories.

2007-03-27T17:41:00.000Z

Diti, Kiko and I have just finished playing some of our newest songs (and some old classics) at the orphanage. What a hoot that was. I'll upload some pictures tomorrow, but there was dancing, singing, clapping and just an all around feeling of jollyness.

I've also never played such a hotly contested game of Volleyball in my life. The final score was 2 games to 2, but because the Albanians are all such fiery charachters, lets just say that there were the odd argument here and there!!! And a spot of cheating going on too, and most suprisingly of all - not by me!! :o)

Hope you're all doing well - am missing the UK a lot (apart from the good weather we're now finally having!!)

2007-03-26T15:52:00.000Z

I have today completed my course, teaching my Albanian pupils the basic techniques of MS Excel, PowerPoint and Paint Shop Pro. I gave them all a test today, and they all passed with flying colours.

Am currently furious, as I am missing out on the best film of 2007 which is currently showing in the UK cinemas. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is now out at home, and I am missing it. Its not fair. You can tell that I'm gutted, can't you??!

Having missed an hour, just like you guys at home, this morning was impossible to get up. When I did eventually get my backside out of bed, I ventured over to Lidia, where the pastor of the evangelical church, Sotiri, was there visiting. I went over to his house for coffee, and to fix his PC. Now, I knew it was possible to have Windows XP in a whole different language, but in greek?!?! When all the characters are totally messed up?!?! That was a bit of a test!!!

Finally - I want to leave you with a very bad picture of me, concentrating very hard at a computer at my local cafe. Its even Windows Vista, to you geeks out there. Valentino's cafe is the best cafe EVER. He always shows the football on the projector screen, always serves beer nice and cold, and now the barman - Nardi - even knows my usual order :o) All I have to do is raise a finger!!! Bliss!!!

2007-03-21T10:51:00.000Z

What is with this weather?!?!?

Sunshine one minute, hailstorm the next?!?! I guess that's the mediterranean for you. Glad I'm wrapped up warm with about 5 layers on today. There's a cold wind!!

So - once again - my apologies for the lack of regular updates. I tried to upload some photos the other day, but the link is so unreliable here, I decided to give up.

Not really any brand new news here at the moment. The weather is changing every 5 minutes, the work here which I'm doing is not. My course is still going ahead, teaching about photography at the moment, and how to change and improve digital photos with a graphics package. Finding the time and energy to write the documentation for it is hard though. I was never one for documentation (as all at HP know!!)

One good thing is that I've joined a video rental shop - and they have pretty up to date movies, and at 50pence a night.... My evenings are much more enjoyable!! Watched Ghost Rider last night.... Give that one a miss guys - terrible!!

Will write more soon - I promise.

2007-03-12T11:07:00.000Z

My apologies for the lack of updates recently. I've been working pretty hard since my return from the UK.

Trent, Bruce, Mark and I produced a CD of Albanian songs when I was at home in February, and we have just heard that we have gone platinum. Well.... not quite. But I played some of the songs at kids church on Saturday, and the little blighters were merrily singing along to the ones I've taught them!!

Yesterday I was official match photographer at the local derby.... Saranda FC vs Butrinti FC. The final score was 3-0 to Saranda. The first goal was untidy defending by Butrint, and the Saranda attack capitalised on their mistake. You can see the ball in the back of the net below, but a lack of decent zoom stopped me from catching the scoring moment. Unfortunately I had to leave at half time.

I went to see Jorgo and his wife, who we have bought a wheelchair for yesterday. Jorgo suffers from MS, and was very difficult to understand. Richard (who came with me) was able to converse with him, and told him the good news that the wheelchair has arrived in Reading and will be on its way at the beginning of May. I am going to visit again, now that I know where they live, and I will probably take Anna with me too, when she arrives in April.

Finally I preached yesterday, as well as sang a very old Welsh hymn - Here is love vast as the ocean - at church. The preaching went well, and i think it was well received. The song, which I sang one verse in Welsh (so that they would realise that its a totally different language to English) and the two translated verses of Albanian also went very well, and I received many words of encouragement afterwards.

Hope all is well in the UK (or wherever you're reading this).... Greetings to Lionel and Lorace who are regular readers in Australia.

2007-03-05T12:01:00.000Z

I hear that the weather in the UK at the moment is stunning, but I would like this opportunity to make everyone very jelous.... It is T-Shirt weather here!!! Its sooooo warm, it's fantastic!!!

Anyway.... Back to updating you guys with my news...

In the Uk, I recorded 13 songs in Albanian (with the help of Trent, Mark and Bruce). This has proved to be a very important resource. I have given out several copies of these songs, and the people here seem to enjoy them very much. They will I hope prove to be very useful for them to learn the new songs which we have translated.

Not much else has happened as yet. We didn't go to Cuke on Saturday due to a lot of illness which is going around at the moment. Church on Sunday was pretty good, although the Forskuaer church is once again lacking in numbers. Please continue to pray for them.

An update with Iliar, since I've been away, is that he has gone to the God Loves Albania center in Tirana, and is settling in. I will keep you updated on how he's doing, but he seems to be happy there apparently.

Finally - I want to thank one person in particular who contributed money to buy a wheelchair for one of the residents here in Sarande. The wheelchair will be used by a guy called Jorgo. I will hopefully get some pictures soon. The wheelchair is due to arrive in Albania in May. That is great news, especially to Jorgo and his wife.

Will write again soon, and will hopefully get some great pics of the sunshine, just to prove I'm not kidding!! :o)

2007-02-22T18:48:00.000Z

Whoever thought planning a wedding was so difficult :o(

2007-02-13T15:19:00.000Z

Congratulations to Mr Kurt and Mrs Vicki Jacobs.....

What a wedding!!! And how nice to be back in the UK.

More photographs to come....

2007-02-03T12:41:00.000Z

Thieving little blighters!!!!

Kids church this morning was great, but when it came to locking up the gates, we noticed that some little swine has stolen the old rusty chain we use to chain them up!! Can you believe it!?! We were there for an hour at most!!! Unbelievable!!

More chocolate on their way to Cuke again today..... I've put some Snickers in there too, just to spoil them!! :o)

2007-02-02T11:17:00.000Z

No jokes today, although in my Albanian lesson today, I was reading some very unfunny jokes.... One of them was....

Man1: Oh no - I've lost my dog.

Man2: Have you put an advert in the paper?

Man1: What's the point of that - my dog can't read!!

Terrible, I know.... Sorry.

I received terrible news this morning, that I owe the taxman a lot of money, due to the tax peoples TOTAL incompetence. Unbelievable... I may now have to take my mums advice of planning my honeymoon in West Wales, instead of the Far East, where we wanted to go.

I also received GREAT news about Iliar. Some of the more regular readers will remember that I was trying to get Iliar a wheelchair part from the UK. Unfortunately, I got absolutely no replies from the companies which I contacted. News reached me this morning however, that Richard (a missionary here from Birmingham) has made steps forward in getting Iliar to a boarding school for the physically disabled. This is a place run by a charity called God Loves Albania (http://www.godlovesalbania.org/ - they haven't finished their website yet). This will cost around 50 pounds a month (all donations gratefully accepted!!), but this will give him room and board for the whole month, as well as the opportunity for him to learn valuable life skills and a trade, to help him in the future.

The weekend is beckoning, and a busy one before I venture home to the pastures of the UK for my 3 week break. I have organised a Youth Meeting at church this evening. Tomorrow morning is kids church, and Cuke Gypsy camp will be receiving more chocolates at 3pm tomorrow!! Sunday morning, I will be preaching on Repentance at the Baptist church, and I will be leading worship at the 4sq church on Sunday afternoon. Ha ha ha - I can't wait to be on holiday!! :o)

2007-01-31T09:35:00.000Z

When is a wall not a wall.......?

When its an Albanian Urinal....

My eyes didn't deceive me yesterday, when in plain daylight, and not even in a corner or somewhere dark and out of the way, but on the pavement of a main street, was this youngster taking a tinkle up against a wall.... It was beyond belief!!!

2007-01-30T09:49:00.000Z

When is a one-way system not a one-way system.....??

When you're in Albania!!! :o)

Sorry once again for the lack of posts. Writers block!! Actually, apart from the mundane daily things that I normally do here, nothing especially exciting has been happening here this last week. Kids church, Cuke gypsy camp and my computer lessons have been the main focus. Yesterday, however, I went to Konstipol, close to the Greek border to visit a school, and help them install two new computers for their department.

I also went to the border to get my passport stamped so that I'm legally here in Albania!! After the Albanian side meticulously wrote all my details in a book, I walked over to the Greek side. The greek passport guy took one look at my passport, threw it back at me said 'that's ok..'. I'm sure he was meant to write the details in the computer. Ahh well - never mind.

It's power cut time, so I'll sign off. Take care.

2007-01-21T18:11:00.000Z

Congratulations to Roo and Tom Jeffrey, who had a fantastic baby girl on the 18th of January. Really looking forward to coming home and seeing little baby Isabelle. Hope you don’t mind but I thought I’d put the picture here for everyone to see…

Yesterday I visited Cuke, and took with me about 10 pounds (40 bars) of chocolate!! I was soooo tempted to eat a bar myself, but I resisted. The money was given to me by Anna’s mum to buy

something for the children, and since the money was raised by
holding a tuck shop at a Bosh gig (http://www.boshmusic.com/) I thought it would be fitting to take the children some chocolate.

On buying the aforementioned 40 bars of chocolate, needless to say, I had some VERY funny looks at the shop, but thankfully my Albanian is coming along enough to manage the explanation that they were for the kids at Cuke.

When we arrived at Cuke, we found out that a lot of the residents there were very ill. It looks like they all had flu, and some of the younger ones – one girl in particular (pictured here with Anna back in September) looked terrible (bless her). Please if you can remember these guys in your prayers – I really hope they all recover quickly.

Nothing much else to report, I’m afraid. Still no rain (which isn’t a bad thing in my book!!) and am still giving computer lessons – Mondays lesson is on MSN Messenger!! Hee hee!!!

Take care readers…. Still glad to know you’re all alive, so keep in touch.

2007-01-15T16:26:00.000Z

My apologies for the lack of writing lately....
I am trying to update this site at every opportunity, but with the current electricity situation - those opportunities are getting fewer and further between.

Where shall I start, after a full weekend's work?

Well - I'm not so sure whether it was a total success, but I've just finished teaching my very first lesson here in Sarande. I was mainly teaching computers (the first lesson was on the internet, and to teach basic understanding of how to get around). However, due to my lack of Albanian, I also taught a lot english too.

The class was a difficult one, due to the difference in calibre of students, some of which were younger, and therefore understood more of the basics of computers, and some of the slightly older ones (and I'm not trying to be ageist here guys) who had never even used a mouse before!!

Not exactly a simple task. We'll see how the next one goes!! :o)

2007-01-15T15:29:00.000Z

Saturday 13th January

Again - my apologies for the slowness of my writing. I'm just catching up with the updating since the very busy weekend, and lack of internet connection.

Saturday morning was another early(ish) morning. Instead of the usual kids church, I joined Richard and Lynda (his wife) in helping to fetch the Cuke and Orphanage children for Saturday morning football and volleyball. They turned up at my doorstep at 8:50, and the car was jam-packed full of kids!! I thought they came to say 'We'll take them, and come back for you' but no - I got in the car. Half the kids were shouting 'stop' for some reason as we got on our way, and to my horror - one of them had got out as i was getting in!! Richard, though, fully accustomed and aware of their tricks, had noticed, and was only teasing her by driving away and making her run after the car!!

When we arrived at the nunnery, where the football and volleyball training is held, I was shocked to discover that it was about a 10 minute walk away from my house!! When I'd seen pictures of the nunnery previously, it seemed like a place that was miles and miles away in the country. Unfortunately - now it is surrounded by brand new high-rise flats which are currently being built, and are basically an eyesore!! Its amazing how westernised Sarande is becoming, and how property is now fast becoming such a big business in Albania.

I spent a lot of my time taking photos whilst I was there, but it was amazing to see a few things. The first fantastic thing I saw was how well all the cuke children and the Sarande town kids (including the orphanage kids) are getting on. With the exception of poor Tolli, who definately has a physical disability of some sort, the kids have integrated seemlessly. This is such a blessing, as the gypsys are so often the outcasts of soceity. They are also so engulfed in their own community, that it is rare for them to be able to communicate and hang out with other people. This really gives them a fantastic way of developing social skills and increasing their potential later in life.

The second was to see a guy called Shaban there. Shaban is a shopkeeper in the town of Cuke. He has volunteered to help drive the children from Cuke on Saturday morning, for no more than petrol costs. Obviously - a taxi journey would cost over 5 pounds each way, but Shaban is dedicating his time for these children. It is defintaley a ray of sunshine in a world which I have come to realise is a very 'me me me' place.

1) Richard (left) and Shaban...
2) Sadike (i think thats how you spell it) coaching...

Volleyball is a very difficult game. We weren't playing the 3 touch rule, and a lot of the younger Cuke kids were given special treatment, being allowed to serve much closer to the net. But this was good training for them all, and it was great to see smiles on their faces when they scored points on the board (not that i dont think anyone was keeping count though!!).

1) Kristina and a girl from Sarande getting taught by Sadike the coach
2) Training in a group

3) About to serve - one of the Cuke youngsters

4) the girls mid-game...

5) Kristina hitting a return
6) The girls team (and enjoying their well deserved Sprite)

The football was great to watch, especially watching both Kristo and Jorgo. Kristo struggled a bit, hi touch letting him down a few times, and as a youngster he's evidently learning that life outside the Cuke camp will be a bit more difficult, and that its not all that easy to play against a full team. Jorgo on the other hand was in his eliment. He was a fantastic goalkeeper in the training part, and in the outfield he ran rings around the other boys, scoring 3 goals!!

1) Kristo in some 'pre-game tactics' with the Sarande town boys
2) Kristo (top right) with the boys...

3) One of the Sarande kids doing some practice drills
4) One of the orphanage children doing some keep-ups

5) Jorgo shoots and scores....
6) Jorgo showing off his dribbling skills

I would like to ask you to think about contributions to this work. Richard is funding most of the costs which is incurred for this training, and as readers of this blogsite, I am giving you the opportunity to contribute. I dont want you to feel under any pressure, but the more I spend time here, the more I realise that a little goes a long way. I would estimate the costs of this work being 10 pounds a week. Now - obviously - thats a large sum of money, but for 5 people to give 10 pounds a month, means that this project is fully funded for a month. That will include paying the petrol costs, a shaperone for the kids and of course the all important drink of Sprite at the end!! To think that David Beckham is on half a million pounds a week for his new team in the USA - it outrages me to think that a week of his wages would change this city upside down!!!

The boys football team...

2007-01-15T12:36:00.000Z

Friday (12th of January)

As you know from previous posts, I am not a good early riser. I need at least 14 coffees until I wake, and then I would probably spend most of my time in the bathroom!! Early mornings and me just dont mix. It was a shock to the system therefore that I had to leave at 7:45 with Richard, to go to Borsh. Richard lived in Borsh for many years, before he eventually moved to Sarande.

Borsh is a very beautiful seaside town, situated about an hour north from Sarande. It was a very split town, made up of 7 little suburbs. You can see some of the suburbs from the pictures below. At the center of the town is a huge orchard, of apple, orange and olive trees. Borsh was one of the first places where the communists set up an orchard to be maintained by the people. For this, a lot of people were brought in from other places in Albania, causing a huge rift between the new arrivals and the old true Borsh residents. Richard told me how the rift still exists even now, 60 or 70 years later.

There's a few photos below. I took more, but these are the best ones. Apologies for the quality - they're not as good as they could have been, cos the light was very tricky (thanks to the pesky clouds) and I'm still mastering the art of photography with an SLR.

1) on the way, we stopped at a garage at the bottom of a little valley
2) a difference between the new and the old in the center of Borsh

3) an old car, just off the side of a cliff. Accidents happen!!
4) an ilusive horse, who wouldn't raise his head for me at all

5) a beautiful house on the side of the mountain
6) the mountains where the house was situated

As an aside, just around the river bend, they are now using this area as a rubbish dump. Can you believe the fact that anyone in their right mind could destroy such an amazing place by using it as a rubbish dump?? Albania has really revolted from the Communist era, when every Saturday was a clean up day, and everyone would go out to the streets and clean up rubbish. Now - they blindly throw their rubbish bins and bags EVERYWHERE.

7) old ruins at the bottom of the mountains
8) the tiles on the floor of the ruins

9) The orchard from ground level
10) The orchard (which is vast!!) from above.

We visited some people in Borsh. One woman in particular we visited lived in a little two room house in the most beautiful location I have EVER seen. Her name is Drita (which i think is translated - light), and her husband unfortunately killed himself a year or so ago. She looks after her 2 or 3 littelest children (the older 3 or 4 have since left) here also. Richard donates food and meat to her every month, and she was pleased to see us, but she was evidently upset and not doing to well without the husband. Please keep her in your prayers.

The views were incredible. Richard and I stopped for a little picnic here, just down the road from Dritas house, and was probably the best picnic I have ever had, just for the views! They had to be seen to be believed.

2007-01-09T12:58:00.000Z

Imagine life with no elecricity. None whatsoever. What would you miss...? Your TV? Your Microwave? Your brand new stereo, with surround sound? your computer?

Try missing the simpler things. Light. Heat. A kettle to have a cup of tea. You have absolutely no idea how lucky we are in the UK and in the Western world that we have electrcity on tap, and no restrictions or power cuts.

Yesterday, I sat in darkness for an hour and a half, with no heating in the house, and a cup of tea that went cold after 10 mins. God bless batteries, which meant my laptop still worked. But to be honest - I don't know what i would have done without it.... Sleep I guess.

You don't realise how dark it gets.... Its spooky!!

Above is a picture of the bay during a power cut. You can see that some of the buildings are lucky enough to have a generator, but these buildings are few and far between.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but Albania is currently in a state of crisis. They haven't had enough rain to be able to create Electricity of their own at the HydroElectricity plant which isn't far from Sarande. This now means that they have just spent an awful lot of money buying electricity from their "Neighbours" Greece. The Albanians and the Greeks are about as "neighbourly" as Joe Mangle and Harold Bishop!!! Not exactly the best of friends. How will the Albanian Government recoup their losses?? By charging the people double or treble the usual price!!

2007-01-08T11:10:00.000Z

I’m back. After my secret trip to the UK (which turned out not so secretive in the end) I‘m finding it very hard to adjust back to the routine of living here. I would much prefer to be enjoying being with my fiancé, and making plans for the wedding, but I’m back in Albania. Since arriving, I’ve found out that I’ve forgotten half the words I’d learnt last term. I also brought back some of M&S’s finest coffee. The coffee quality still hasn’t improved, and so I have now totally given up in finding a decent cup of coffee in this place. The only common cause is the water – must be the amount of limescale in it, cos my kettle is white!

I have had bad news regarding Iliar. His neighbours in the flat above have moved out, and have been replaced by a couple and their 20-year old son. This son is highly involved with the gangs of the area, and carries a gun. A couple of days ago, he came down to Iliar’s flat, whilst his parents were out, using the gun as a threat, stole the battery to Iliar’s buggy, and his brand new personal CD player which Richard (the missionary) had given to him as a present. Iliar’s parents are too scared to go to the police and so this man is still at large, and is still a menacing threat to Iliar and his family.

There were 27 kids (and one big kid - me) at the kids church this morning – including about 5 new kids. We also had a relatively full turn-out for Cuke church. This was a busy Saturday though, and I slept well that night.

What really made my day on Sunday was the fact that they were showing Cardiff City and Tottenham on TV here!!! I honestly never thought I would get the chance to watch the (not so) mighty Bluebirds whilst I was here. Who knows – they might even show the replay?! 0-0 was the final score, and I didn’t even miss anything during the power cut!

This week has the potential to be very busy…. I need to work out when I will start the computer lessons with Bimi’s foundation. This will probably involve teaching 4 or 5 lessons per course on the basics of the computer, including how to use Microsoft Word and the Internet.

Update you soon.

2006-12-27T19:18:00.000Z

So..... Let me fill you all in for the last few days.....

Some of you may know, that I have since departed the lands of Albania.... Temporarily..... Last Thursday, I spent the 8-hour bus journey from Sarande to the capital of Albania - Tirana. Yes, it was exactly as bad as everyone had told me. My first mistake was to drink a coffee before leaving. Half an hour later - I was busting for the loo, and unable to translate the words "stop", "can we pull over" or "I need a wee". I managed to hang on for two hours until we stopped for a break, but trust me - it wasn't easy!!

In Tirana, I sampled my first curry in 6 weeks, thanks to Magdalena. That was a definate highlight. I also spent the whole of Friday drinking coffee with friends and looking around the town. I then secretly sneeked off back to the UK on Saturday.

Due to the fog situation, I arrive in London far too late to catch the last train to Reading. Thankfully, Tim offered me a couch for the night, which was awesome of him. Thanks dude - very much appreciated, as Clapham Junction gets a tad chilly at night!!

Anna was totally unaware of all of this, thanks to everyone who was in on the secret, and who kept it that way. On Christmas day - I drove down to Taunton, and shocked her!! I then gave her a ring and asked her to marry me. She said 'Get down on one knee and ask me again!!' So - I did, and she said 'Yes!!'. So my big news everybody.... I'm engaged!!

I will be returning to Albania on the 2nd of January, so I will continue with all updates on my return.

2006-12-19T21:18:00.000Z

On the eve of the Sarande all-churches concert.... I've developed a cold. My throat really hurts, and I'm meant to sing tomorrow. Its a concert which all the churches of Sarande are contributing to. It was aranged at slightly short notice, so I hope people turn up!! I'll tell you how it goes tomorrow.

On a happy note.... We've got rain - lots of it. Ive soaked through 2 pairs of shoes today. I was being sarcastic about it being a happy note. I hate having damp feet :o(

2006-12-16T20:56:00.000Z

Today I went to the Cuke gypsy camp once again. But the weather today was so good, I took my camera for the first time since arriving here. I wanted to give you guys a feel of life there. There are some great characters there. Some of them young and some slightly older...

There are also some really cute babies!!!

This is where they live..... There are a couple of houses (well.... shacks really) either side of this road.

This is their church. It was fairly packed today.... It also doubles as their school during the week.

I'll leave you with a picture I took later on today, when we had our usual 6 o clock power cut. Apparently theres only enough water left to create (using hydroelectricty) another 10 days of power. Then the country is in trouble. We need rain!!! The town being so dark, brought the stars out in such an amazing way. Unfortunately - this picture REALLY doesn't do it any justice. But I thought I'd put it on here anyway. Naten e mir. :o)

2006-12-15T10:18:00.000Z

Ouch.

I'm in total agony today. Wednesday I played my first game of football in over two years. And its this morning that I am feeling the after effects. My joints are stiff and my entire lower half just generally hurts :o( On the plus side.... we won, and I scored a cracking volley, beating a defender and my Diti (who was on my side) to the ball, and put it past the keeper in the bottom corner. Beautiful.

I think I'm getting old though.

2006-12-14T17:47:00.000Z

Thank goodness for an internet connection!!! :o) No more smokey atmosphere of the Internet Cafe! Hooray!!

I've not quite managed to get one for the house yet... That is apparently on its way. However - today I spent all day working at the Lidia Foundation headquaters in Sarande, organising their network. This is so that they now have a little room of 6 computers, all hooked up to the internet. This is in preperation for the lessons that I am to be giving after Christmas. It took all day... I've never seen things happen so fast. Normally in the UK, if you need a hole in the wall, you have to wait months for the builders to come round!! These guys took half-an-hour!!! The guys who came, also just drilled a hole. Now keep in mind that there was an electricity socket about 30cms away from the hole.... This didn't seem to worry them. They just drilled. They also found that the wall was thicker than their drill bit, so they seemed to guess at where the first incision was made, from the opposite side, resulting in what can only be described as 'one and a half holes in the wall'. It made me chuckle!!

Cable problems aside (these were handmade cables, and they were a little troublesome) the network was succesfully installed. I was proud of myself for remembering my University training on using hubs in networks and the fact that you need a crossover cable hooked to the router. Sorry - teccy stuff I know, but I was pleased :o)

Not much news apart from that. Weather has been a little overcast, but thats nothing to the rain that the UK has apparently been suffering. Ha ha ha... Sorry - I have to laugh!!

The other day I took a walk around town with my camera. The weather, as you can see was superb. Just thought I'd put the best ones on here, so you can see. Hope you enjoy.

2006-12-12T09:11:00.000Z

As Christmas comes near, plans for Christmas here are hotting up. Christmas is celebrated here, but apparently its nowhere near as popular as new year. From what I gather, the church here is going to celebrate by having a big all-day party, with a large sheep or goat on a spit roast, a drama of the nativity (which I’ve had to write) presents for each other and a lot of singing!!

New year here is a much celebrated event, and it involves fireworks – lots of them!! Apparently its like a war zone here on new years, so I’ll be with camera at the ready, and I’ll try and get some pictures. The best fireworks display I’ve been to was for the July 6th Independence day celebrations at San Francisco harbour, with the Golden Gate bridge as a backdrop… These fireworks had better be good to beat them!! :o)

I preached on Sunday… It was a sermon on sex before marriage! It was quite a difficult topic to raise with the younger generation, especially when a lot of their parents were there too! My translator did very well too, as I said some very rude words in church, which she translated, despite originally refusing to translate them!! Next Sunday, I am going to preach another one on sex within marriage, and how that is a blessing which is blessed by God.

Cuke on Saturday was rather entertaining. I was the only older guy there, and the women asked me to look after the children just outside the room where they were sitting, so that they could have a bit of a ‘womans chat’ with some of the cuke women. So I took the guitar outside and sang some songs. Most of the kids songs here have actions. One in particular has evolved into pushing and shoving during one part of the song…. This could only result in injuries! Thankfully they’re tough kids, but they were practically jumping on top of each other during the song…. I’ve now banned the song. Until next week.

Yesterday, I visited the local High School. On arriving, we walked into one of the worst smells in the world!! Someone had let off a stink bomb, and it was dee-sgusting. It reminded me of my school in Cardiff though!! I have been told that they do not have Internet there, and they have asked me to install the internet, and distribute the connection around the 20 or so computers (HP I might add – thought it could be worth a publicity shot perhaps?) in the computer room. The cables are all plumbed in, and all I will need to do is configure the ADSL, configure the network and most importantly – restrict the website access!! Its probably the first thing these cheeky kids would do!!

Keep your messages coming in. Its really good to hear from you all. I will try and write some more before Christmas, but its going to be hectic here up until then.

2006-12-07T10:45:00.000Z

Those of you who know me know that me and early mornings do not mix. This morning I was awoken at 6.15am to go to Greece, and was ushered out of the house before I took even one sip of the coffee I had managed to put together in a doze. Therefore, a happy Siôn this does not make.

The reason for this impromptu trip across the border was that today was exactly one month since I arrived here in Albania (only two more months to go before I return home!!) and therefore according to Albanian visa laws, my visa had now expired. Its strange though, as none of the policemen we have talked to seem to know about this law, and I would probably have no trouble staying here longer. But at the end of the day – its not worth the risk.

So Bimi and I started off at around 6:30 this morning to head for Greece. The road started off ok – many twists and turns, but not too bad. However – as we got to more open countryside, the roads also got a little bit more rural. I think I hit my head on the roof at least 3 times!! Bimi’s car isn’t in the best of shapes either. Bimi has frequently recalled the numerous accidents this car has been involved in. He calls it a ‘lucky’ car. I would hesitate that it is no more than a ‘death trap’, but I’m not sure of the Albanian for this, so we’ll leave it at that. Anyway – thank God – I’m back home in one piece.

On our travels, we met two policemen – one on the way there, and one on the way back, and we gave them lifts to their destinations. We also came across some sheep and some goats. In the middle of the road. Kind of reminded me of back home in Wales really :o)

As you can see from the photos too – the road was incredibly picturesque. The views at Butrint were amazing, and the pictures we took in the summer of this castle pale into comparison with the ones I took this morning.

My apologies for not writing for a while. I’ve been busy doing mostly church related things – encouraging and teaching Diti and Kiko – the band at church. I’ve also started writing a sermon on marriage. Its not from an ‘experience’ perpective, of course, but as most of you know – I’m going to ask Anna to marry me sometime soon, and so am just checking out all the small print ? My favourite quote is from Proverbs 27:15 – “A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day”. I didn’t know my mother featured in the Bible :o) Just kidding mum!!

Things are going well, but I miss you all very much at home. Keep your comments and emails coming in. Thanks to the two of you who offered some help with the Buggy for Iliar. I haven’t got a reply from the company I wrote to yet, so am trying again today.

2006-11-30T16:17:00.000Z

This is Iliar. Iliar is the same age as me – 27. He was born in a remote village in the Permet region of Southern Albania. He was one of twins, but complications at birth meant that Iliar's twin brother only lived for a few days. As for Iliar - he spent the first three months of his life in an incubator. Conditions were grim in the ill-equipped hospital and an operation to straighten his twisted feet (a straight forward operation in any western country) was not possible. This has left him with a strong upper body, but he has no other option but to get about by shuffling around on his knees. As you can see – Iliar’s house is very small, and they are a very poor family, with only one bread-winner in the family.

Richard (a missionary here for 11 years) found a very good looking buggy that was in an aid warehouse in Albania's capital, Tirana. After transporting it for 7 hours in the back of his vehicle directly to Iliar's home, he was extremely disappointed to discover that there was a fault. Despite being told at the warehouse that it had been tested and was in good working order, we cannot repair it. A new part is needed and parts are not available in Albania. As you can see from the photo – the buggy would be amazing with Iliar’s road being such a rough terrain.

I am making enquiries from this end for a replacement part, but any assistance from the UK (or anywhere else for that matter) would be much appreciated. I can send details to anyone who would like to help.

After taking a bit of a break from learning verbs – my head couldn’t any more!! I am back in the books, studying more words than you can shake a stick at. Tomorrow I will tackle the 3rd group of verbs – the most difficult of them all, as they do not follow any pattern.
As a taster – here’s the verb ‘to hurry’

English HURRY
Unë Shpejtoj
Ti Shpejton
Aj / Ajo Shpejton
Ne Spejtojmë
Ju Shpejtoni
Ata / Ato Shpejtojnë
Past Unë kam Shpejtuar
Fut –Unë do të Shpejtoj
Order Shpejto

Now try learning 40 of them! :o)

I’ll leave you with more pics from the beach – there was some waves yesterday (which was a rarity, as normally the sea is like a sheet of glass). Enjoy.

2006-11-28T14:45:00.000Z

Happy Albanian Independence day!!!!

Today I was meant to get up at 4:30am to go to a town called Vlora. The festivities there apparently are very good, and therefore I was very prepared to get up and go at stupid o’clock on the bus on a 4 hour journey through mountain territory. But unfortunately, I had a very restless night, probably due to the fact that I was due to get up at such an unearthly hour, and therefore in turn, couldn’t sleep. I instead caught up on my sleep and slept till 9, and had a very chilled morning. Nice. :o)

You may think I’m writing this in a dingy internet café, somewhere in southern Albania. Well – I’m actually writing this in warm sunshine on the roof of the house where I’m staying. I’m overlooking the mountains, the bay where Sarande is set, and therefore an all-round beautiful view. The only downside is that I can’t see my laptop screen as well, due to the amount of sunshine!! I think I can live with that though!!

Sorry once again for the lack of writing – let me recap of the events of the weekend…There wasn’t much to tell I’m afraid. But I’ll try and make it as interesting as possible.

Saturday, we didn’t go to the gypsy camp, as we usually would, as Richard (the missionary who normally takes us) was in Tirana (the capital) on a conference. I therefore spent the day catching up with Diti, watching Liverpool and Man City play in a bar in town. It was good to catch up, and since Liverpool is his favourite team – he was pleased too.

Sunday was spent with an early morning for church. And unfortunately I have no idea what sermon was about!! Its not that it was difficult to understand – it was just in Albanian, and I’m still not getting the hang of it. My verbs aren’t coming along all that well, and every day that passes, I realise that I just don’t know that many words :o( I have to remind myself that I’ve only been here two weeks though, and I have learnt so much already that I just have to be patient.

Evening church (at 4) was er… empty. It seemed different to last week. There were 6 of us, but 4 of us were in the band, so that was kind of strange. We had a very good time of prayer though, and I think we were all encouraged, despite the low turnout!

In contrast, the second half of the Manchester United vs Chelsea match was dire. Chelsea were all over United, and probably deserved more than a point. Skender and I went to see the match in a bar round the corner, and it was nice to spend some time with him. I will make sure that I try and do this more often.

I have honestly done a lot more than watch football. HONEST!! I went to the beach again the other day. Once again - I was appauled at the state of the beach - someone has left a MASSIVE amount of needles on the beach (probably thieves, apparently), and so I had to be careful to keep the kids away. Here's some pics... As you can see - the weather was beautiful. The youngster in the photo is Arifi - he lives accross the road with his mum and his two sisters.

In honour of the fact that I watched the film 'High Fidelity' last night on my ipod, I thought it would be fitting to do some top 5’s. (If you haven’t seen the film, you’re missing out).

Top 5 things I miss about home
1. Anna-Faith Gainsford (she has to be top, or she’d kill me!!) – but no – really I miss her like crazy.
2. My car – although I wouldn’t drive it here – it would be scrap metal by now!
3. HP – ha ha ha – only kidding. Although I do miss my colleagues. Russ – I miss your stories!! Lynne… The CCM support team…. Hope you boys are doing ok without me!
4. Electrical things like my big TV (and English programs on said TV) and a permanent internet connection.
5. Not having to worry so much about money - I have to count every penny here!

Top 5 things I love about Albania
1. The sunshine and the views
2. The family I’m living with – they’re fantastic
3. Tirana beer
4. The fact you can find any football match (apart from Cardiff city matches) at the bars here
5. Kinder chocolate. One of the few western things here at the moment, but my goodness – its good :o)

Top 5 songs played on my ipod while im here
1. The happy song – Delirious (from the Access D album)
2. When we were young - The Killers (Sam’s Town)
3. Maneater – Nelly Furtado (Loose)
4. You’re all I have – Snow Patrol (Eyes open)
5. All we need – Charlie Hall (Flying into daybreak)

Top 5 things most needed over here
1 Blank acetates for songs at church (and some permanent marker pens)
2 A new laptop for Magdalena – a ZX spectrum would Windows XP quicker than the one she has at the moment
3 Plectrums – lots of them – mainly cos Diti has lost all of his!
4 A pirate’s compass – to stop Joni mentioning it so much, and save my sanity!! :o)
5 Money… There are so many good causes here to support… the gypsy education program, building new amenities for the gypsy people, supporting the work of the churches here, support for the missionaries who are out here…. Tons of things!!

I will close today by showing some of the pics I took the other evening of Sarande by night.

2006-11-23T15:58:00.000Z

Well – I haven’t written for a while. My apologies for that. I’ve been busy, and hiding from the rain!!

To those of you who are thinking that I’ve probably got a tan by now, and that the weather is always wonderful here (and i wouldn’t blame you for thinking that – i have been praising the weather a lot) I can definitely refute that rumour. For the past two evenings, we have had horrendous storms!! We’ve had wind, rain and thunder!! Its been atrocious weather. Definitely doesn’t help your sleeping patterns either.

Life in Sarande has been plodding along really. I went to church on Sunday twice, and both times had English sermons… The first was preached by Jeff, who spoke about the consequences of sin, and the urgency to commit your life to God. The second was by Richard, who spoke about his recent trip to Tirana, when he attended a day conference on ‘trafficking’. He told of horrific examples of women and children who have been taken from their homes all over eastern Europe for sexual exploitation in western Europe, including the UK. He challenged us by asking what would we do if someone who had been trafficked came to us for help. Would you be a Good Samaritan?

I have been very busy learning Albanian over the last few days, but the last two lessons have totally blown my mind…. Did you know that Albanian has 9 past tenses? Two of which doesn’t even exist in English!! It’s driving me crazy!! And they’re only verbs. The nouns all change their ending, depending on who’s article they are, and whether they are plural or not. And don’t get me started on the male female… Depending on whether the article is male or female, the endings change again!! Its nuts!!

I went to have dinner with Richard (a missionary here) and his wife on Tuesday. Food was delicious, especially the bread and butter pudding we had for desert. I couldn’t help having seconds! Richard and I then went to a very nice bar showing the champions league footy. Once again, I can’t believe that Manchester United lost!! Rubbish. We kind of watched two games….. There was a huge thunder storm happening at the time, so each time the tv signal got a bit dodgy, they changed the channel. I found this quite annoying, but no-one else seemed to care. Part of the life here, I guess.

A group of us came together yesterday to translate some church songs into Albanian. An easy task, you would think. Hmmm…. Try fitting the words buzëqeshur or pandryshueshëm into a song… Its not easy!!

I was going to go to Tirana for the weekend, but I won’t be going any longer – there’s no room in the makina(car, but car is a rude word here!!). So, it’s a huge shame that I will be missing out on another 7 hour journey!! Ha ha…. Not!!

I will leave you with my trip to the seaside the other day with the kids. Top left are Elda and Joni showing me what they won in a packet of crisps (with Sarah in the background). Top right are Elda and Alma, having a right laugh, although I'm not quite sure what they were laughing at!! :o)Bottom left is a banana plan we came across on the beach. Finally, I've included a photo of the storm clouds which were over Corfu island at the time, but eventually arrived early that evening.

2006-11-18T18:41:00.000Z

This morning, I have finally received my first case of a dodgy tummy. Sorry readers for telling you this, but I thought it was a historic event worth noting. To be honest, I don’t think it will be the last time I will have dodgy tummy while I’m here, but I promise from now on I will spare you any details :o)

Today I was awoken early (again)… There’s only so much pokemon in italian you can take before I got *very* fed-up and decided that it was time to get up.

I sorted out my washing this morning. This was because I’d left my clothes to dry on the roof for about 3 days. Yes – my pants were out for all to see for 3 whole days. Oops!!

Kids church was at 10. This involved me generally making a total idiot of myself, not knowing all the words to the songs, and doing all the gestures in a… well…. idiotic fashion. It’s a great laugh, but more importantly – the church was much fuller than last week, and I felt that the kids enjoyed it far far more (probably cos they didn’t have to put up with me on guitar!!!) During the talk bit, one of the leaders took the younger kids to a little side room to give them an easier lesson. Having tried to listen for about 10 minutes to the big kids talk, I was fed up of totally not understanding a word, that I went to play with hand puppets and try and understand the little kids talk. Now these kids are 4 or 5, but I didn’t really understand their talk either, so I was completely at a loss. I felt as though I was making headway yesterday (by learning a whole heap of new verbs), but today felt a step backwards.

We visited Cukë (the gypsy camp) at 3pm. Well – we picked up some food parcels for them, which consisted of bread, flour, oil, a frozen chicken and some biscuits. I believe this is a contribution from the church for every family there. This must be a costly operation. I would hazard a guess that each pack would cost around 1000 lek (about 5 pounds) and there was about 20 in the back of the jeep, which for each family I would estimate a monthly cost of around 100 pounds. I’m sure the church here would love some contributions, and if you’d like the details – please email me.

Before leaving the shop, we all took timeout for a quick drink of Fanta. Hmmm – this was probably a bad move. A whole can of fizzy fanta, my dodgy belly, a back seat in the jeep and the state of the roads on the way to cuka don’t make for a happy Sion!!! Man – I felt ill when we arrived!!! :o)
The Cukë people were on good form when we arrived. They thought for a second we weren’t coming, and some were on their way back to the second camp, so we turned them around. I can honestly say that i have never had so much fun when I’ve visited these guys in church. There was a bigger congregation than last week, but the heart of some of the ladies truly is astonishing. One of the women gave a testimony of how she prays every day, and really encouraged the others to do the same. Another told of how her knee was healed after she had prayed for it. It was fantastic, and that coupled with more crazy singing….

The only problem with visiting Cukë is that you never know what else you come home with. I’ve had the warmest shower in the world, but I’m still not feeling clean. Ah well – S’ka problem.

Busy day tomorrow, so I probably won’t post, but please do keep your comments and thoughts coming in – its good to hear from you.

2006-11-16T18:58:00.000Z

The other day, I arranged a meeting with the mums of the area which I live in. This was an opportunity for me to just show them that I had arrived, and get to know them a bit better. They all came over this morning to have some nibbles and get the pictures of our previous visit, which I had printed out for them. They liked the photos a lot, and I had put on a great spread of biscuits, walnuts and mandarins. Some of the youngsters also came, and I think a good time was had by all. I tried my best to pluck up some courage to speak in albanian, but to be honest – I woosed out, and ended up using Liri as a translator. I did understand a lot though, so that was a start.

Life here is very different. It’s a bit weird, as all the men are generally earning a living, and so being at home, and getting Joni from school, for example seems very strange to me, as I’m pretty much the only man doing it. It’s all good though, as once again, we are having a scorcher of a day. Being out in the sunshine is totally fantastic.

The rest of the day was pretty hectic really - lunch, meeting Jeff again before he goes back to the US and finally helping Skenda to pile up about a 1000 logs which they will use over the coming winter as firewood. I'm cream crackered now, so im off for an early night.

2006-11-16T18:39:00.000Z

Whoever thought kids would be so tiring…??

Today, I mainly looked after some of the neighbourhood kids. For those who have been here before – they were Elda, Alma, Sara, Arifi and Joni. They are full of beans, but thankfully – they also served a great purpose today. This morning I had a lesson in verbs with Liri, and this afternoon, I got a chance to try them out. I told the kids what I had learned, and they helped me put those verbs into practice.

We went down to the beach, and I let them play for a while, collecting shells and throwing stones into the sea. I, meanwhile, had a chance to get some photos. Now, this was no ordinary day. Today was a scorcher!! It was so warm, I couldn’t even wear my jacket. I hope the weather back in the UK is just as nice!! Ha ha ha ha!!! :o)

This evening, I met with one of the local missionaries – Jeff. Jeff has been working in the orphanage for a long time, but is due to fly home at the end of the week to care of his mother, who is in hospital, and is not very well. His wife is currently in the US, caring for both her parents, who are both very ill also. Prayers for Jeff and his family would be greatly appreciated. He will hopefully return to Sarande in February.

Sorry – not a very eventful day, so I will leave you with some of the pictures I took today. The children on the beach are as mentioned above, and the view of Sarande is from a road, which should be named ‘Sarande’s balcony’. A beautiful view I hope you agree.

Until next time…

2006-11-14T14:24:00.000Z

After my meeting with Richard, who has been a missionary here from Birmingham for over 10 years, he took me to see his good friend Romi. Romi is a barber, and I found out (through my very basic Albanian) that he has been a barber for over 30 years. When I explained how I wanted my hair cut, I prayed a lot that he would understand. In my terrible Albanian, I continued to tell him that I wanted the top short, but the sides and back even shorter. I think he understood, but when he got the number 3 razor out first, and cut my head into the shape of a mushroom, I was beginning to get a bit scared. Thankfully – he did it very well…. Who needs a Tony and Guy hair cut for fifty quid, when you can have a cut from Romi for the equivalent of one pound fifty?? Bargain!!

This afternoon, I continued in my Albanian lesson, failing miserably to remember I am, You are, He is…. Etc etc. Its something so simple, and yet so complicated. I am really finding it tough – especially then putting things into practice.

I must admit I slept in this morning – something I have been doing quite a lot. This is only because I have been waking up to the sound of screeching brakes quite a lot lately. There is (and this a good thing) a very large and thick piece of rope lying across the street now, since our last visit as a team, to slow the traffic outside. It is quite a hefty piece of rope – enough to make drivers slow right down (a little like the bumps on Beech Lane, for those of you living in Reading). The problem is – there’s no signposts, so the drivers are seeing it at the last minute and skid to a halt. I’m sure I’ll get used to it though!! I haven’t heard the cockerel for a while, but I’m assured its because I’m used to the sound now, because I would have been eating it if it were dead :o)

My morning meeting with Richard was very productive. We have been discussing both politics (unfortunately of the church variety), and ways of raising money for the Cuke gypsy people. Richard suggests that we contribute money towards their education, providing funds to purchase both books as well as contribute towards funding the employment of a full time teacher. This is one sure-fire way of helping them help themselves. I think it may be too late for the older generation, but the younger generation should be molded to help shape the future of their settlement.

Contact me further if you would like to contribute regular donations to this work.
Thanks.

2006-11-13T19:17:00.000Z

Do you remember french lessons back at school?

Je, Tu, Ill, Elle, Nous, Vous….etc etc…

I used to hate these, especially since we had to learn them all from memory. Well – unfortunately, they also have these in Albanian, and they are equally as important, and equally as difficult. To make matters worse, they even put an emphasis on how far away a person is, and whether the objects in question are masculine or feminine. It is SUCH a difficult language!!

After my lesson this morning, I helped Liri with the shopping, and picked little Joni (her grandson) up from school. I was amazed at the kids playing in the yard there – they were playing totally separately from each other – boys with boys and girls with girls, despite playing exactly the same game.

Joni then took me on a tour of the neighbourhood to find 'treasure'.... He's obsessed by Pirates of the Carribean,.... Funnily enough - I know another little boy back in Reading who is also obsessed by that film.... He however, doesn't draw maps and uses his grandfathers pickaxe to try and dig for the treasure.... At least I hope he doesn't :o)

Missing you all.

2006-11-13T19:02:00.000Z

Today was an early morning, with church at the Baptist church starting at 9 o clock!! Not quite what I’m used to, but after dragging myself out of bed, wolfing down a sausage sandwich, not quite as precisely prepared as my good friend Russell prepares them (He is the master at sausage sandwich making), I arrived at church with plenty of time to spare.

Thankfully – I was offered a translation to the service, and I gladly accepted. I am still finding the language difficult at times. The sermon was on unity within the church – fairly apt as I am aware that two of the church members had a falling out. This is reflected by the passage which was chosen in Phillipians 4.

Bimi and his son Joni took me for a drive to the farthest ends of sarande after church. We went to see a fish farm, which is only accesible by climbing over some seriously high rocks. We also saw the marina where after the communist times, 7 of the best boats of the Albanian army were sank by saboteurs. On our way we also saw this cow in the middle of the road. Something you don’t normally find in Reading town center :o)

Lunch was served on our return. Now most of you may not know that there are 3 foods I cannot eat… Mushrooms, coriander and beans. Unfortunately for me, lunch today was a bean soup, garnished with what I thought was coriander. It was lucky for me that there were no mushrooms, or that would have just spoilt the meal :o) But – it was actually quite nice. I have been spoilt so far with regards to food. Don’t worry mum – I am eating well.

My final activity of the day was going to the church in the evening, and then meeting up with old friends here – Diti and Eri. Genci came too – he was catching the 10pm bus back to Tirana, which he was planning to sleep on. Lets hope he did, as he had a 9am lecture!! I told him that he could always sleep there instead!!

We went out for a drink, and after spotting some Kalhua behind the bar, I decided to order a Black Russian, which to the uninitiated is Kalhua, Vodka and Coke. Of course, they don’t call it that here (I still don’t know what its called) but the waiter looked at me funny when I asked for it, and looked at me even funnier when I described what it was!! It passed the test though, and when the bill came, it was a pleasant surprise to see it was quite reasonable too.

2006-11-11T18:30:00.000Z

Cock-a-doodle-doo……. No prizes for guessing what chuffing time I woke this morning??? Yes – that’s right – 6am!! An unearthly hour…. This time, until recently - about 12hours ago in fact – I didn’t know existed.

Thankfully, I went back to sleep, and slept until I was, well… fashionably late for youth church. Nice. I was kind of thrown into the deep-end a little today. The leaders were having a meeting, so they just said to me ‘make sure the kids behave’, and then closed the door. Erm…. Ok…. I know the words for ‘don’t touch’ and ‘I don’t understand’….. Thank goodness Genci turned up.

Genci then asked to play some guitar!! Given that my chord vocabulary is as awful as my Albanian…. It wasn’t an easy task.

At lunch today, I was asked if I slept ok. I dropped into the conversation about my aforementioned encounter with the cockerel, and my host – Liri – replied ‘Don’t worry – we will cut its head off’. A slight unnecessary overreaction, but I would sleep much better!! This afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit the Cuka – the Gypsy community near to Sarande. On my arrival, I was greeted by one of the girls, Christina, who recognized me instantly, shouting ‘Sioni’!!! This is now my new Albanian name apparently. Superb.

The church here in Sarande supports the Gypsy community in many ways. One of those ways is by once in while providing them food (ham and cheese rolls, which looked fantastic. The thought of them is making me hungry!). These rolls are given to those attending schooling in the area, provided by a charity called ‘The Lydia Foundation’.

2006-11-11T18:21:00.000Z

I was warned very sternly 4 years ago, when I first came to Albania, that the road from the north to the south was very long, with many twists and turns, and in terrible conditions. Four years on, I thought that it had to have improved. Surely an 8 hour bus journey was because the bus stopped in every town on the way, and that it had to go to different places. Surely they’d built a proper motorway by now??? Well – if that was the plan, it’s a little behind schedule.

Thankfully – Magdalena was driving, and I wasn’t on the bus!! We left Tirana in a hive of traffic. Lane discipline in Albanian terms means that you know how many lanes there are, and you have to be disciplined enough to find your way to the front in the shortest amount of time. And to everyone who hates people not indicating when changing lanes… You can forget coming here. You’ll be lucky if the indicator light works let alone if the driver is courteous enough to use them!!

After battling our way out of Tirana, we got on to the motorway. ‘This is good’, I thought to myself. Not too much traffic… Two lanes… Fast road… It was a shame it lasted about 20 kilometers.
Imagine a road which was about one and a half car widths across, had pot-holes the size of wheelbarrows and had so many lorries coming the other way that your pants were bound to be slightly more soiled than they were at the start of the journey! This was terrifying stuff. There were some bits of the road that had sheer drops to the sides… The twists and turns were bigger and scarier than Oblivion at Alton Towers.. and I wont mention the number of times I hit my head on the ceiling!! Bless Magdalena – she kept apologizing, but I knew it wasn’t her fault.

Road-works on the motorways back in Britain gets on my nerves… But hey.. at least they leave signposts, informing us of lane closures and they also light the way brightly. We nearly fell down a ravine, due to one set of workmen who seemed to forget to show us that the road was diverted away from the big hole they left. Ok… granted – they were trying to improve the road… But it just wasn’t being done quick enough for my liking :o)

Overall – it took 7 hours. We left at 3, and I didn’t arrive in Sarande until 10. Most of the drive was in torrential rain, and the worst thunderstorm I have seen for a long time. Typically, as soon as we arrived, the lights went off, and the electricity went dead. Power cut.

This journey was one big message to me – Welcome to Albania.

2006-11-10T10:47:00.000Z

Today I begin my journey down south.... To those of you who haven't (and can't be bothered to look up a map of Albania on Google... I've done it for you...) Here's the rough estimation of the distance I will cover today. On a bus - this journey would take 8 hours, but thankfully - Magdalena (the missionary who met me here) happens to be doing the journey today, and has offered me a lift. I am VERY glad, as every bus I have seen so far has been more packed than a London tube train at rush hour!!

So - its roughly the distance from Liverpool to London, which would probably take us half the time... Can you tell I'm a little scared of what is to come? I dont think the roads are up to British standards
:o(

This morning, after having coffee with Aunt Vera and the customary breakfast of French Toast at the cafe (Benni makes the best french toast, and puts up with my shocking language skills!), I went for a wander with my camera. Albania is obviously rich in fresh produce.... The markets boast a fantastic array of fruit, veg and olives....

Tirana really is busy.... I am looking forward to moving south to Sarande where the pace of life is just a little slower... I also look forward to spending some more time chatting to people down there, hopefully in Albanian - its coming along..... Kjo eshte nje libre..... This is a book!!! Ha ha ha.... It's like being back at french lessons in school. Only I'm just reading it from a book.... Ahh well.

I dont think updates will be as frequent from now on.... The internet cafe in Sarande doesn't boast wireless technology :o( Take care guys.... Keep in touch.

2006-11-09T16:34:00.000Z

You can climb every mountain..... I'm sure there's a song that goes something like that. Well - today, after a much needed lie-in... I went, along with Magdalena, Odeta and Genci up Mount Dajti. Ok... now i have a slight confession to make.... Some of you may be well impressed by my efforts, but some of you know me well enough to know that there isn't a chance in the world that i would climb one of the highest mountains in Albania!! And you're right. Thank goodness for the Swiss, who have built a fantastic cable car system all the way up the mountain!

As you can see from the pictures, there were some awesome views... It was just a shame that the thing closed at 4, and we arrived at 3:45. So it meant we had to go up, and straight back down again.

Thats about it from me. Thanks for your comments guys, and your emails. Keep them coming.

2006-11-08T15:06:00.000Z

I can't believe Man Utd lost last night!! As soon as I leave the country, they start playing badly!!!

Anyway - today, I had a nose around Tirana... I had a few things to get - a Nokia charger, which I later found in my suitcase, having already bought one this afternoon... I also needed a UK->Euro plug adapter, which I bought from a guy selling second and stuff.... Not too sure if it works, but it looks like its from circa 1980!!

Having spent most of the day walking around, I have totalled up about 17 near misses with the local drivers.... They are crazy. I dont think there are any actual lanes, crossings dont have any road markings, and some people dont even stop for red lights!!! Amazing!!! You can see from the photo too that Tirana is busy!! Oh - I saw someone driving with no lights on last night too. Well, kind of saw him!!

Talking about traffic isn't all that interesting - sorry, but here are some more pics of Tirana.... The mountains in the background are especially cool. These shots were taken from the top of the Vodafone tower. I've never paid so much for an ice tea!!! I could have had three anywhere else!!

Anyway folks... take care of yourselves...

2006-11-08T08:14:00.000Z

In case you were all really worried about me (mum...) I am here safely.

I arrived in Tirana, and was greeted by a tax collector, who looked at my UK passport with such puzzlement, as I said ‘Sa Kushton?’ (How much?). She then tried charging me in Euros, and I had none!! Thankfully – I had some leftover lek from our last trip, ensuring I could pay my way into the country. To be honest - I'm surprised that they let me out of the UK in the first place, as some of you know - I would win an Eminem lookalike contest easily, but it REALLY doesn't look like me!

Once I had my bags and stepped out of the airport – I was not only greeted by a flock of people, eagerly trying to set me up with a taxi or a hire car, but a small entrepreneurial boy (of about 13-14) trying to make a quick buck, offering to push my trolley. I was perfectly capable of doing this myself, but I liked his style, and despite my panics as I thought my laptop bag was about to smash on the floor into smithereens, it was all good. It's still in one piece! He tried to charge me 200 lek, but Magdalena gave him a 100 and told him to buzz off….

I really don’t know what I would have done without Magdalena... She is a missionary here in Tirana. She is from Malaysia, but is now fluent in Albanian, and has been living here for AGES! She drove me all the way to Tirana town center, found me a lovely room in their guest house come office and took me out for nachos in their restaurant down stairs. This is all in the Stephen Center, where they also have a clinic, and a small Christian bookshop. They are doing some AWESOME work.

We then met up with Genci and Odeta (some of the youngsters from Sarande who are here for University)… They took me on a whirlwind tour of Tirana, showing me the museum, the opera house and the student village where they live. These were, unfortunately, miles apart, and my feet are now killing me! Highlight of the tour was walking through a park, and seeing a security guard just casually erm... how can i put this... watering the plants?! The daft thing was that there was a bar about 10 feet away!!! Suerly he could have asked nicely to use their facilities???

Anyway - I'll keep you posted. I'm feeling as rough as a dog, as I think I may have tonsilitis, so all prayers would be MUCH appreciated. I'm just about to tuck into a nice English breakfast.... must keep my strength up :o).

Sion.x

2006-11-06T10:25:00.000Z

My last day in the UK, and its a total mix of emotion....

I'm excited to leave...
I'm aprehensive about going to somewhere where I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, or who'll be there to meet me.....
I'm freezing my bum off..... (does that count as emotion?)
I'm sad to leave all my friends, family and of course Anna behind.....

It was great to see so many of you out the other night - thank you for coming.

I'll update this blog next when i get to Sarande, but in the meantime - please remember me in your prayers. Thanks.

2006-10-18T14:17:00.000Z

For those who don't know me : This is me.... not the best of photos, but i blame the person behind the camera for that!!

This was taken about two months ago on my last trip to Albania.

Not long now..... :o)

2006-10-18T08:09:00.000Z

All,

Wecome to my blog. I'm sure I'll have a few teething problems with this thing, so I'm checking it out now...

As I'm sure you all know - I am leaving HP for 12 months and taking a step into the unknown... I am moving to live in Albania, where I will be working for some churches out there, teaching children about Jesus (and adults too), helping the Cuke Gypsy people, visiting the orphans, leading worship... and generally being kept very busy!!

(Sarande at night)

I have 3 weeks left before I leave, but still so much to do. This was one of my tasks, so one more tic in the box, but that leaves about a million more....

Thanks for tuning in.... I will keep you all posted of developments as I prepare. Please remember me in your prayers.

Sion.