European Football Anyone?

Nov. 16-18, 2018

On Friday night we went to our tried and true Duff Bar to have dinner and a Malibu for Joey's birthday. We were shocked when we showed up and there wasn't a seat in the house. After a bit of wandering we noticed that all of the tables were occupied by Scotts donning kilts. We were a bit confused because we didn't think the football match was until tomorrow yet here they all were, crowding our spot. We pulled two stools over to the bar and sidled up to our fave bartender. We came to find out that the Scots had flown to Tirana and arranged for a caravan of 20 buses to take them to Shkoder for the Albania versus Scotland match the following day. They were staying in Tirana for the night and damn were they making it a night. From what Mark and I have gathered Albanians are much quicker to drink coffee than they are to drink wine or beer. However, Scots are the exact opposite. These guys partied, HARD. They were falling off of the stools they were so drunk. In between falls they were singing happy birthday to and buying shots for the bartender whose birthday isn't even in November. #ScotsOnTheRoadToShkoder

The next day we took a taxi to Durres with Brett and Kirby, the two who organized the outing to the match. Our plan was to take a 5 hour train from Durres to Shkoder, have dinner and then head to the match at 8. The "raki train" as we dubbed it, was like something out of an old Wild, Wild West film. The windows were shot out, the car shells were graffitied and half of the seat bottoms were removed.

 

However, for 100 lek (about 1 USD) how could we say no?

We brought enough booze to drown an army and took up two cars worth of space.

Inevitably one of us was going to have to use the bathroom, which turned out to be the best part of all. It consisted of an open window that was perfectly level with your private bits next to a toilet with a completely open bottom. t'was incredible efficiency really. Mark and I didn't know most of the group before boarding the train but after drinking a few brews while playing names on heads it was like we were old pals. Luckily for us most of the group was staying at our hostel so we all walked there together after exiting the train.

We flooded the downstairs bar and ordered pizzas in order to make it to the game on time. The hostel was situated on property that dates back to the 1500s and includes part of a preserved house in addition to a well.

While the property was unique and impressive to look at, the drafty, frigid hostel was anything but cozy. I slept in my coat with shower towels over me and each time I got up to use the toilet it felt like I was sitting on an ice cube. Going to the game however, made it all worth it.

 

The stadium reminded me a lot of the Fighting Illini except with more comfortable seating. The cheering sections were large and the fans were rowdy.

It was an incredibly cold evening, yet the Scots were there, kilts and all.

Unfortunately the Albanian National Team was beaten 4-0 but that didn't deter us from going out after 😊
On Sunday we splurged on bus tickets and made it back to Tirana in a third of the time but with 1000 less lek in our wallets (10 USD) It was a great weekend away and we'll definitely always have a place in our heart for The Albanian National Team.... And Chicago. Always Chicago.

Moving Day X2... I Mean 4?

Monday, October 1, 2018

It didn't take long for our "great deal" of an apartment to start showing its true colors. For starters, the flushing mechanism on the toilet didn't work properly. Now for most, this would be a minor inconvenience, but for some (like me) who have limited hand mobility because of a broken wrist, this can be a major handache 😆. Each flush was like playing a game of chance. Not only did I have to remove the toilet tank lid, but I had to pull on the hose that was attached to the inside of the lid at one end and the inside of the tank at the other, all while holding the lid close enough to the toilet so that the hose wouldn't snap. Try this when you're taking a two AM tinkle. I can guarantee even the most able handed individuals would struggle.
Then there was the issue of our shower. Last I checked I wasn't in SE Asia, yet every time I showered I soaked the entire bathroom floor (and if the 2am tinkle scares you, then don't even think about trying the 'post-shower-wet-tile-balance-while-flushing' challenge) I think, after further inspection, that the floor of our shower really was more of an after thought anyway. It's a raised 2 by 2ft platform without any sides, and it's not attached to the wall in any way. The curtain for the shower hangs on a makeshift rod that ends up being a floor decoration more often than a wall hanger. The curtain itself  isn't wide enough to reach the edges of the wall, nor is it long enough to reach the sides of the platform, so when the water hits, it runs straight to the tiled floor where it pools quite nicely. To top it all off, you'd better not be planning on shampoo-ing, condition-ing, face washing and body washing because there won't be enough hot water for that. Don't even think about shaving. Choose wisely, because most often you have 7 minutes or less before the water runs cold. But never fear, my hubby's here! One day I kept hearing the water go on and off, on and off. What was he doing in there? Finally I went in to find Mark suds-ing up with the water off. "What're you doing?!", I asked. He explained that if he only ran the water to rinse and then turned it off each time he was soaping up that he was able to make the hot water last throughout his entire shower. Did I mention there's no heater in the bathroom? Yeah so count me out for that one, hubs.
If our bathroom had been the only challenge I probably would've been able to deal (let's be real, probably not) but it wasn't. Our living room was furnished with wicker patio chairs and our balcony door wouldn't lock. To top it all off, there was only one heating/cooling unit in the entire apartment and it definitely wasn't centralized.
Mark didn't have nearly as many annoyances on his list but the one he harbored the most disdain for was absolutely priceless. In our living room we had a chandelier that hung low to the right of the coffee table. I walked under it fine but without fail, every single time Mark walked by he would smack his head on the fixture. He'd curse out loud and swear that the next time it happened he'd throw the damn thing off the porch. FYI, it kept happening, but was never thrown off the porch, so I'd say, Mark 0, chandelier 20.
As luck would have it a colleague of mine was moving out of her apartment right around the time that we were having all of these issues. She spoke to her landlord and was able to change the lease over to Mark and I without much hassle (on her end, anyway) which is how we ended up with two taxis worth of shit piled up on the side of the road on the first Monday in October.

We may be moving for the fourth time this year, but damn is it a good move. Both of our toilets flush, with ease, our shower water is hot and the tub has sides, our living room has a fantastically comfortable wraparound couch and there are heating/cooling units in every room. To top it all off, our chandelier is high hanging so Mark's head is no longer a casualty.
#Winning #FourthTime'sACharm

the sweet life of jaclyn and mark

An Ongoing Process Post

A few people have asked what we've been up to since moving to Tirana and I feel like it's only fair for us to be completely honest. We've taken up eating desserts. That's right. We're dessert eaters. And believe me, it's a full time way of life here. In Tirana they have a lot of coffee shops and a lot of bakeries. We've adopted the whole "coffee is a way of life" (best served four times daily) mantra, so we figured it's only fair to also adopt the sweet teeth (believe me one doesn't cut it) albanish way of life. We're taking our new way of life very seriously and have pledged to try each and every one of those decadent little goodies living behind the bakery glass. Here are some of the treats we've tried so far:

Mark's decided that anything they can do he can do better and has proven time and again that treats from scratch far "out-sweet" the competitors. But did he really have to go and make sweets for breakfast a thing too?

Tidbits of Time in Tirana

Dec 8-9, 2018

We had a staycation this weekend and decided to enjoy the sights and sounds of the local city around us. The weather was gorgeous so we completed the 3 mile loop around the lake near our apartment. There are tons of things to see around the path, such as random albanian men urging passersby to weigh themselves on the bathroom scale that had been brought out onto the path, or the wall of barbed wire barring the property line to the president's mansion (he's far too rich for the "small" castle that's situated on this piece of property though, so it mostly stands empty). There are also tons of vendors set up so that you're never more than a few licks away from roasted corn, cotton candy, or a paper sleeve of nuts.

Next we visited a Christmas Fair at Rogner Hotel. Rogner is one of the nicest hotels in Tirana (it's also the hotel we were told we'd be staying at when we arrived in Tirana, but it's definitely not where we ended up). The Christmas Fair was being held to benefit children from the local orphanage. There was a performance from a youth choir, in addition to booths with handmade goods and sweets. I ran into a few of my students while there.

After, we wandered to the center of town, where we happened upon a street of holiday vendors with traditional albanian hats and homemade honey.

Not far from there is a bunker that has been repurposed into a museum called Bunk Art 2. The museum recounts the history of the political climate in Albania from 1912-1991 and brings to light the workings of the Sigurimi, the political police that Enver Hoxha directed while in power. This museum houses the first major video exhibition dedicated to the victims of communist terror. It's incredibly informative but the tone is somber at best. There are rooms in the bunker that have been repurposed to represent jail cells, torture chambers and memoriams for the thousands that were killed during the communist regime. There were countless stories of the Sigurimi infiltrating people's homes and workplaces as spies. 'Tell or be told on' seemed to be the motto in those days, so thousands of community members were falsely accused of opposing the current regime and therefore identified as a threat. Members who threatened the regime were tried and sent to "re-education camps" where they were forced to work in horrific conditions and on many occasions, tortured. One story tells of the Sigurimi going so far as to plant wires and bugs in easy to find places in the Italian Embassy so that those being spied on could find them and feel a false sense of security and relief that they had "caught" the intruder. The Sigurimi then sent in a maid with a wired broom so that each day she could record valuable intel and bring it out with the "trash" she'd swept up.

Not far from Bunk Art 2 is Skanderbeg Square, the main plaza in Tirana. Each year they hold a large Christmas market with amusement rides, craft vendors and tons of food and drink stalls. We sat and drank hot tea at one of the stalls while watching the hustle and bustle of the square. We waited for the sun to set so that we could experience the twinkling lights of the square at night and it did not disappoint!

Date Night Tirana Style

14 Dec 2018

Disclaimer: I've starting posting things out of order. I haven't been as diligent about my blog as I'd like (I blame Mark for this 😉), but my goal is to catch up before we leave for our two week winter break trip. Starting with our date night in Tirana.

Have you ever had a chocolate massage? You read that correctly, a chocolate massage. Mark has been working a lot of overnights this week to try and get his guys here in sync with his guys in Chicago. I knew he needed a distraction, so when I started doing research and found a spa that offered chocolate massages I had to book them. To start the evening we met at Colonial Cafe Cocktail Academy Tirana, a bar with a speakeasy vibe that was beautifully decorated for Christmas. The temperature wasn't nearly as brisk as earlier in the week so we were able to sit in their outdoor space. You read that correctly. We sat outside to enjoy a drink on the 14th of December. And enjoyed ourselves while doing it! (All restaurants/bars have patios in Tirana because people LOVE to be outside. I know people love to be outside in Chicago too, but the second the weather turns patios close and people head inside. Not here. People bundle up so that they can still enjoy the patios. I thought they were absolutely crazy at first, but it's starting to grow on me. At least when the patio we're sitting on has heaters and is enclosed in a clear plastic casing 😊) Anyway, this place had a HUGE menu of cocktails, so I chose to try a rose infused vodka drink with flower petals and Mark tried a Pisco sour, both of which were delicious. Cheers to finding a yummy drink spot!

 Then we headed to Golden Spa Relax for our chocolate massages. We had a lovely room with warm heated tables and holes for our heads (if you followed my post regarding our first round of massages in Tirana, you'll know that these things were lacking) And then, sure enough, they massaged us for an hour using warm melted chocolate. Apparently, chocolate firms the skin, moisturizes and improves your health, but all I really cared about was that it made me smell DELICIOUS. After our massages we were brought into the relaxation room for tea. Overall it was a super fun experience and I would highly recommend this spa to anyone who wants a chocolate massage (or a regular one!)

After massages we went to Yamato, a local Japanese restaurant. We had spring rolls, sushi and ramen, although not the ramen we ordered (our waiter came to our table and said "this isn't the ramen you ordered but it's ok, yes?" and put it down in front of us. "yep, yep I guess it's ok bro.")

Because we're old our goal for the night was to make it to the bus stop before the buses stopped running for the night at 10pm. We were so proud of ourselves for making it by 9:55pm #lifegoalsat30 but after waiting for the bus for 20 minutes we had to accept defeat and hail a taxi. The little bit of Albanian we've learned got us a taxi for a fair price (we used to pay $5-7 to get home, but tonight we paid $3) however, it also led to the taxi driver assuming we spoke Albanian fluently and attempting to speak to us the whole way home. One would assume he'd realize after multiple questions and flubbed attempts at answering that we were not, in any way, equipped to speak his language, but damn was he persistent. I closed my eyes and left Mark to struggle silently in the front seat. When we arrived, I wow-ed our taxi driver with one of my favorite Friday phrases-fundjavë të këndshme- (have a good weekend) and he gave me a wink as if to say, "I knew you were the albanian speaking one all along." 😀