The whirlwind of sickness seems to have almost completely moved past us. Quinn and I got violently sick with stomach bugs and needed a few days to regain our energy and appetites, especially poor Quinn. Morgan and Jude both experienced a much easier and quicker version of this stomach bug, although Jude continues to have an occasionally unsettled stomach. Nic and Laila must have the best hygiene, as they have remained healthy.

Sickness definitely affected our volunteering goals, but so did things out of our control like multiple losses of electricity. In the end, we were able to learn about the Joshua Center’s important work and the Roma people they serve. Nic set them up with a good wood supply for their wood stove and built some much-needed shelving for storage. We were able to purchase some items they needed as well. So although we wish we could have done a lot more, we feel thankful to have had a chance to serve alongside these kind people.

And now we have left Lezhë and headed south to tour the country over the next two weeks.

We stayed a quick night in Elbasan to break up the drive to our next longer destination. We arrived with enough daylight to head out on foot and explore briefly. Structures were first built in this site over 2000 years ago, as it was an important defensive post along the Roman Via Egnatia, an important route linking present-day Durrës, Albania, to eastern places like Thessaloniki and Constantinople. The castle walls we saw were only around 600 years old, though. We wandered the narrow cobbled streets for a few minutes before finding frozen pizza in a grocery store (not a guarantee in even bigger Albanian grocery stores). We saw no other foreigners and felt a little famous. Ha! Nic said we’d certainly end up in the paper.

Today’s drive brought us farther south to Korçë. We spent the morning winding through the Albanian countryside. If you look just slightly above where you would normally look, things are beautiful, the hills undulating endlessly and dramatically across the landscape, snowy mountain towering in the background. But if you look down at the ground, or the shore of the river, or just too closely at anything, you see trash and neglect. So look back up to see terraced fields on the hills, smoke rising from chimneys on a cool morning, old men in the middle of nowhere waiting for their ride, endless little fruit markets and farm stands.

Our route brought us to Lake Ohrid, a big body of water bordered by Albania and North Macedonia. We found lunch in Pogradec (no other foreigners in sight) and made our way to Korçë.

We found our Airbnb easily, but maneuvering our rental minivan into the tiny parking area was tricky. We’re staying in a rather claustrophobic warren of narrow cobblestone streets and hope to not move the car much while we’re here. We were met by our Albanian grandmother hostess who doesn’t speak a lick of English and jabbered in enthusiastic delight when she laid eyes on our kids. She went home and came back with treats for them and wouldn’t stop talking about Jude’s bare feet in the cold house. We had a hard time figuring out her instructions, but it all worked out okay.

The atmosphere of Korçë feels different, and it’s more than just the crisp mountain air. We are excited to explore more tomorrow!