Pyrana

Oct 1, 2019

So this blog post is a shout out to my hubby. We came to Tirana a little over a year ago and in that time he's been able to rent an office space, hire on 10 employees and work on multiple tech projects. He's also dedicated some time on the side to starting a meet up group for techies. He hosted his first Pyrana (python + tirana) meeting tonight and 65 people showed up! Two technical talks were given, one in Albanian and one in English, and two prizes were auctioned off to attendees. I'm so proud of his success. He's already had multiple programmers contact him regarding hosting the November meetup which means I get a night to myself on the couch :) Love you Markie Mark. 💖

4 flights in 4 days

September 26-30, 2019

We got up in the middle of the night on Wednesday (or really early Thursday morning, depending how you look at it) to make it to the airport. We were scheduled to fly from Tirana to Vienna to Chicago. Fortunately, we had a four hour layover in the Vienna airport which has couches. I took a nice long nap before boarding our flight to Chicago. We were well rested and ready to board when Mark got pulled through an extra security check. I waited at the gate for over half an hour. I wasn't panicking because there were two other people whose SOs had also been pulled for a random check. However, when both of them returned but Mark didn't I started to worry. Would they really hold the flight? Luckily for us, Mark arrived soon after and we were able to board the flight (at the time we were supposed to be taking off!) We got seats in the emergency exit row- WIN! and stretched out for the next 9 plus hours.

 We arrived in Chicago about 2:30 Thursday afternoon (ahh the beauty of time zones). We had amazon primed costumes for Oktoberfest and clothes for Africa to the house so our arrival felt like Christmas morning.

 We ran some errands, spent some time with family, enjoyed Mexican for dinner and Oberweis for dessert. Friday morning we got up early and made the three plus hour drive to Michigan for Mark and Nicole's wedding. Although it rained almost the entire way there we did stop for 5 Guys which was a definite win. Mark and Nicole were getting married in Marshall, MI on a farm. They had arranged for all of the wedding party to stay in the farmhouse on the grounds which was so convenient. We arrived just in time for the outdoor wedding rehearsal (it was cold and wet but that didn't stop us) and then we enjoyed a dinner of burgers and hot dogs at the farmhouse (I went 2 for 2 on hot dogs for the day and Mark went 2 for 2 on burgers 😂) After dinner we played a fun team game that put all the couples' knowledge of one another to the test. On Saturday we were up early. Since all the girls were getting their hair and makeup done I went out and picked up dress tape and Starbucks for everyone. When I got back I got to work at hanging the flower arrangements on the shepherd hooks that would be lining the aisle. It was chilly and damp but I managed to get them all done without getting too wet.

 I
headed inside for a quick lunch (leftover burgers and dogs-- 3 for 3-- score!) and then got ready. Even though the clouds looked ominous the rain stayed away throughout the ceremony and the reception. The bride was absolutely gorgeous and the groom was beaming from ear to ear when she started down the aisle.

 During the reception they had a dollar dance which I'd never heard of. Apparently it's a big thing in Michigan, because the entire bridal party couldn't believe I didn't know what it was. The maid of honor is in charge of collecting money on behalf of the bridge and the best man is in charge of collecting for the groom. Guests pledge "dollars" to dance with the bride or groom but only get to dance until the next person in line makes their pledge. At the end they announce who received more dollars, the bride or groom. Maybe we'll bring this Michigan tradition to Chicago for a try.

We danced away the rest of the night.

Sunday morning we helped clean up the barn and then got back on the road to Chicago (in the pouring rain) We had McDonalds (burgers again!) before heading to the airport. Although we didn't get an emergency exit row on this flight we did get an empty seat between the two of us which I was able to sleep in pretty much the whole way. Unfortunately the time zones are not in our favor on the way back to Tirana, so even though we left Sunday, we didn't arrive until late Monday afternoon. Overall, it was totally worth it and we were so happy to have been able to celebrate Mark and Nicole's special day with them. 💕

crossing off a bucket list item that was never on your bucket list in the first place

Sep 21, 2019

Mark and I were hanging out on the couch. Our agenda for the day was trip planning. We had successfully booked flights to Munich for Oktoberfest and we had also managed to book our flights for Christmas: Tirana to Amsterdam for Christmas, then to Nairobi for a safari through the Kenyan jungle and onto Mombasa for the beach, finally to Frankfurt for a few days before heading back to Tirana just in time for the start of school. We were feeling pretty accomplished roundabout 3:30 when all of a sudden there was this noise and then shaking. Lots and lots of shaking. Initially I didn't know what was happening. Then I felt the couch moving under me and noticed the walls swaying. I knew something was happening, but I wasn't quite sure what. I hopped up off the couch. Mark said "come stand in the doorway, come stand in the doorway." We were there for 10 or so seconds before it stopped. Mark immediately started moving around the apartment saying "aftershock. we need to leave now in case of an aftershock." I didn't understand why we had to leave. Wasn't it over? I threw on jeans and a t-shirt with flip flops before Mark dragged me outside. We made it quickly down the four flights of stairs and when we got outside it felt surreal. The street was filled with people. It seemed like everyone had come out of their apartments. Mark didn't stop to stare and was ten paces in front of me before I caught up with him. Why did we have to leave our apartment? What was an aftershock? Where were we going? Mark finally slowed his pace near the bottom of our hill and as we walked toward the park, he began to answer some of my questions. We had to leave our apartment in case of an aftershock. An after shock is another earthquake that has the potential to be of a greater magnitude than the first. It may do damage to our building so we don't want to be inside. We stood in the doorway because usually doorways are doubly reinforced and therefore stand a greater chance of keeping us safe. (I have since looked this up and it is false-- do not stand in a doorway, rather get on the ground and take cover under a sturdy table). It was my first ever earthquake and there was a lot I didn't know. One thing I do know- I'm really glad Mark was there with me. We kept walking and finally stopped at an outdoor cafe for donuts and coffees (we deserved them after all!)

While there we found out  that the epicenter of the quake was in Durres, a beach town about 32 kilometers from Tirana. The quaking lasted for about 30 seconds and was registered as a 5.6 on the richter scale. We stayed outside for three and a half or four hours, around which time I started to get cold and wanted to head back. If Mark had gotten his way he would've kept us out for the duration of the night, but I wanted to be home. Upon inspection of our apartment there were only two casualties- the pictures sitting on the wall shelving had all fallen and a glass shelf above our bathroom sink had tipped, causing all of the items on it to fall and shatter in our porcelain sink.

 Our building did not seem to have any damage, however friends' buildings sustained damage to the outer concrete layers.

 Overall I felt really lucky, but conflicted at the same time. I couldn't possibly know when another earthquake would happen, or what the magnitude would be, so I had to stop thinking about it. Yet, there was this looming feeling. Would there be another one? Where would we be? What if it were bigger? That evening I fell asleep on the couch. There was one more smaller quake that we could feel that Mark woke me up for.  It didn't last nearly as long and the shaking was much, much less severe. Sunday came and went. Around 11:30 Sunday night I received a message stating we would not return to school until Wednesday as per the ministry of education. Score! I'd take two earthquake days. I was a little hesitant being in the apartment by myself when Mark left for work, but I decided to make the most of my day and went for a walk around the lake

(before it started pouring rain!) then I met Mark and friends for lunch at Duff in the afternoon. Once we found out we had the two days off I invited the staff to our apartment for a games night, however, midday on Monday we found out that we would be heading back to school Tuesday. Lame. So we rainchecked game night. I'm not hopeful for any more earthquake days, but I'll still cross my fingers so maybe this winter we'll have a snow day!

and we're back...

Sep 6 & 7 2019

We arrived back in Albania on Sep 1 to an apartment with no electricity or water. Woof. It was a hot one. I had a new teacher social event for school so I left Mark in charge of figuring everything out. Thankfully, by the time I got home everything was in order. Our first week flew by and on Friday we were off to the lovely Shengjin, a beach town about an hour and a half from Tirana. It was an event organized through my school, and 19 of us ended up attending. The bus arrived in Shengjin a little after 6pm and everyone got checked into their accommodations (most of the staff stayed in shared apartments through Paul and Nadia's landlord, however there wasn't enough space for everyone so Erin, Mark and I shared a room at Twin Towers hotel). We all met at Ara, a restaurant on the beach, for a late dinner. The food just kept coming and coming and coming. I was stuffed, and yet, there was more. It was all really delicious. They made especially good fried cheese and seafood with pasta. We also got to try a beer called puka, which I'd never had before.

People broke up about 11, but Mark, Erin, Kristin and I stayed for another beer that our server treated us to (he was a super nice guy and did a great job serving our big group) Then we wandered along the beach in hopes of making it back in time for the carnival that was going on outside of our hotel. Unfortunately we were too late, so we settled for a beer and some snacks from one of the beach pop up kiosks. There were smirnoff ices in the kiosk fridge so obviously we had to put one to good use. Mark distracted Kristin while I put the bottle on the ground between her legs. Ice, ice baby. Chug. Chug. Chug. She laughed and vowed to get us back but since it was 3 vs. 1 we bet her that we'd get her three more times before she got us. Wish us luck :) 

ice, ice, baby

The next morning we had breakfast at our hotel and then climbed to the roof where we got a great view of Shengjin.

We walked along the beach, had some beach donuts (yum!) and sat with Marty and his wife for awhile. We continued along the beach to an area that was much less congested and settled for some chairs in the shade near the water. Not before hunting high and low for one more smirnoff. After, swimming, napping and relaxing, we all grabbed lunch at a bar along the beach. It was good but definitely not as good as Ara. After lunch we went to the carnival (since we were too late the night before) and rode bumper cars. 

bumper cars

Our bus to Tirana was leaving at 6 so we hopped on board but not before putting the smirnoff in Kristin's bag, located in the back of the van. When Mark and I got home we put a pizza in the oven and some netflix on the tv. It was really nice to have Saturday night at our place and even nicer waking up well rested in our own beds on Sunday. Did I mention Kristin found her smirnoff ice? We got a lovely picture once she opened her bag to unpack 😂

Iwork with a lot of great people and I'm so excited for more adventures with them throughout the year. Cheers to a great first weekend in Albania 🍻and hopefully many more to come!

The McCutcheon's Take Italy: Part 11 of 11

July 11, 2019: Rome

Candace, Jimmy and I went to Castel de Santangelo in the morning. We got really lucky because there was no line to get in. Over the years it's been a fortress, prison, castle and is now a museum. There was a special exhibit by BVLGARI showcasing "jewelry throughout the years". I preferred the cannons and lookouts as opposed to the jewelry but to each their own.

After exiting the castle we grabbed a sandwich on the go and continued walking to Vatican City to meet mom and dad. We had scheduled a 12:00pm entry time for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. We made it through everything in about 2 hours but it was PACKED.

After, we grabbed a cold drink and soaked in some A/C in a small cafe before heading to St. Peter's Basilica. Candace, Jimmy and I climbed the steps to the dome where we had a 360 view of Rome. The stairs leading up were really tiny and the wall started to slope downward following the shape of the dome which was a bit unnerving. The top was incredibly crowded. While the view was really pretty, I'm not sure if it's a must do activity. We walked back down and explored the main level of the basilica which is for sure a must do activity. It's by far my favorite. It's large, ornate and absolutely stunning.

After our reverent afternoon we headed back to the airbnb so that we could all get packed. Even though tomorrow we'd be leaving this beautiful country we still had one more night and we weren't going to let it slip away. First on the agenda was drinks at a small wine bar. I should clarify, the building itself was small but the drink menu was huge. There were over 100 bottles to choose from and we were completely lost. Our waiter offered to help and chose a subtle red for us. He then asked if we wanted any olives or cheese to go with it. We had already told him we weren't eating, just drinking, so we assumed these treats were free, just like at some of the cafes before. However, once the cheese arrived we knew it wasn't complimentary. In fact, it was almost as expensive as our bottle of wine. That was the first time we had experienced something like this. After finishing our wine and unnecessary,  uncomplimentary cheese plate, we walked to dinner.

We sat outside at a beautiful local spot with live music across the way. Dad, Candace and I shared carbonara (dad's favorite) and amatriciana, while Jimmy had pizza with ham and mom had gluten free cracked black pepper pasta with grilled veggies. So Italian of us! Not to mention our house liter of red wine, obviously. After dinner we went for gelato at our favorite place in Rome, Gelato de Teatro (the place we had been introduced to during our food tour) It was a great end to a great trip in a great country.