Home of Hope 2014 Summer Camp

Home of Hope had another amazing summer camp at Spille Beach for a week in July 2014. Twenty children from the orphanage and the local Roma community attended as well as the staff and their families.  This is a great group shot as we were watching the sun go down.

The camp was paid for by the hard work and committment of 5 young ladies from Holland: Eveline, Heleen, Floor, Mandy, and Imke. It fills my heart with hope when I see such great youth of their age involved in volunteer work; youth that want to make a difference in this world; youth that have sacrificed their time, money, and worldly conveniences to make other's happy; youth that care deeply about the world around them.

On one of the days, Alban and I walked with the girls to General Beach, about 1 1/2 hours each way. It is a beautiful beach. We had time to get to know the girls really well and how they all came together to make this camp possible. The weather was perfect, and we had a really nice lunch together before walking back and joining the kids again for beach activities.

I don't need many words to describe the happy faces in the photos below. The pictures speak for themselves. Lots of smiles, lots of laughs, lots of fun!

More photos to come!!!

And here they are, finally!

And that is how you build a fire on the final day!!

Cerrik Youth Center & PC Trainings

I moved to Cerrik in January. It is about 20 minutes from Elbasan, where I am also doing some work in Tourism. Below are some photos of me and the youth of Cerrik Youth Center. There are also some photos of fellow PCVs and I attending conferences and trainings.

PC Trainings

At a Peace Corps grant writing seminar with my Counter Part.

USAID Local Govt Program Conference...looks like I'm nodding off! 

And sometimes, we just get together for a party!!

2014 Albania Summer (Verë)

As a Peace Corps volunteer I try to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:

• To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women
• To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served
• To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Goal #1 is a slow and arduous process, and actual activity in this work area can be spread out quite thin and infrequent. So I occupy myself doing a lot of Goal #2: Building relationships with Albanians and becoming a member of their society in every way possible. So here is a list of some of the places and activities I have been doing with my new friends.

JUNE 

BERAT 

w AST Hiking Club, Elbasan

MOUNT TOMORR

(2nd highest mountain in ALBANIA)

 2,416 m (7,927 ft)

w AST Hiking Club, Elbasan

JUNE - GJINAR

w AST HIKING CLUB, ELBASAN

JUNE - GJIROKASTER (UNESCO)

JUNE - BUTRINT (UNESCO)

w PCVs

THE BLUE EYE

w PCVs

2014 Albania Spring (Pranverë)

As a Peace Corps volunteer I try to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:

• To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women
• To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served
• To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Goal #1 is a slow and arduous process, and actual activity in this work area can be spread out quite thin and infrequent. So I occupy myself doing a lot of Goal #2: Building relationships with Albanians and becoming a member of their society in every way possible. So here is a list of some of the places and activities I have been doing with my new friends.

APRIL

Razma, Shkoder, Mount Velecik

Alpine, Ski, and Tourism Hiking Club (AST)

MAY -  POGRADEC

MAY - PELLUMBUS CAVE & ERZENI CANYONS, TIRANE

MAY- SOLTIRA WATERFALLS, GRAMSH

w AST HIKING CLUB