Head, shoulders, knees, & toes

... eyes & ears & mouth & nose. (I can hear you humming that little tune. ;))

I'd like to invite you to hum along with what my body and senses have noticed and learned of the culture both physically and internally since making "the third apartment above the Forma jewelry boutique" my new home.

Head

I've had a blast meeting loads of people each day including the 20 staff members that are a part of the "The Greatest K Team." The majority of which are associated with KLA; the others are ministering in other ways that God has gifted them, like sports medicine and business.

If you were to ask me if I'd ever imagined myself living in a city, I would have raised my eyebrows and shook my head in disinterest. Here I find myself in what doesn't even feel like a city to me... it has sort of a small town feel. The hear-say/he-said-she-said game applies here too, people know people & their business so I've been told to be careful about what names I mention where and to whom. It's a quaint city that's not difficult to navigate. Living within walking distance to pretty much everywhere (grocery, school, bakery, coffee shops, produce stands, Jumbo (Kosovar Target), some team-members' homes, community center) is great!

Continuing to work to memorize names of those I've met and have yet to meet as well as walking patterns throughout the city (thank you, landmarks).

I'm constantly needing to use my head to remind myself to not flush the fluffy white stuff to avoid clogging the underdeveloped "sewage system." (please keep reading, I promise the worst is over)

Shoulders

Contrary to what you may think, with the height that God gave me (5'10"), my shoulders do not seem to stand out too much among the women of Kosovo. :)

Regarding the responsibilities that sit on my shoulders, I will be introducing 4 eighth graders to a traditional classroom setting (they have only learned through an online program: Aleks), instructing them in Algebra II. I will also be remediating a group of 5 sixth grade students, developing their understanding of fundamental math skills.

Knees

Remember how everything is within walking distance? Some pretty cool and steep hikes fit that category as well. Thus, you can imagine how the knees feel after ~2.5 miles of downhill "hiking"/bracing yourself. I look forward to more hikes with team members and the beautiful views of mountain ridges and the valley of Mitrovicë.

Toes

After hiking 4 flights of stairs to reach our apartment door, Olivia and I unlace our shoes (or "uncover our toes" ;)) and leave them either out or in a "shoe closet." I would consider myself a big "shoe-wearer" for some reason - I just like to wear my shoes everywhere: indoors and out! This is a custom in Kosovo and it is considered offensive to wear shoes/bring evil spirits into one's home. I am hoping it will become a habit to take my shoes off. Though, grocery stores, school, restaurants, or other public places welcome shoe-wearing indoors. Maybe it'll become such a habit that when I come to visit you, I'll even take my shoes off before entering your place!

You better believe I brought my indoor gym shoes! Last night I got to attend a workout class with 7 Kosovar women and "the Olivias" (roommate & teacher) in which we jumped on personal trampolines to some hype music! It was quite the experience. Some school staff and guards got to play some celebratory "last day of winter break" games of volleyball this morning!

Eyes

Where to begin with what all my eyes have seen!! I'll let some pictures speak so you can see for yourself!

(We hiked up to the Fortress which waves the Serbian flag in the northern/Serbian part of the city. The bridge that divides the Serbians and the Kosovars is blocked by policeman 24/7 but is safe to cross by foot. I am still learning about the ongoing tensions between the parts of the city, but I do know that a picture of me with the Serbian flag isn't something I will be showing my students.)

If you look closely in the panoramic photo, you may recognize the header of my blog... it appears to be shot from the same angle!

With my eyes being blue in particular, I can be picked out as an American since most Kosovars have brown eyes.

I've seen how classrooms have been set-up and observed posters with procedures, making my eyes jump around as I try to fall asleep thinking of what my classroom will be like, how I will run things, what the smiles on my students' faces will look like, and how their eyes will light up at not only the understanding of math but also at the continuous feeling of being a valued member of our team, our class.

Ears

At times of day and night which seem to make no regular pattern, there are calls to worship that sometimes sound as if they are just outside the windows which sandwich our apartment. That is definitely not something my ears are used to hearing, along with the sound of bustling city streets laced with barks of "dogs you shouldn't go near." Thankfully, God has not given me a deep love for dogs, so I do not have a problem with avoiding them, lets just hope they avoid me. :)

On Sunday nights, our team gathers for fellowship, breaking into small groups or house churches. This past Sunday, my ears were soothed to praise the same God of the US in Kosovo with familiar tunes by the Getty's and CityAlight during our night of prayer and singing. (If you have never heard of CityAlight, click here to listen to one of my favorites, "Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me.")

Bringing a grin to my ears is the sweet laugh of my roommate as she watches videos on her computer, witnesses my general craziness, or listens to stories including many of you! We laughed together LOTS when we had some teacher friends over for a game night! Codenames & Sounds make for good laughter. :)

Mouth

I'll try not to reference the taste-bud party happening in my mouth in every post, but no guarantees. So far we're 2/2. Haven't eaten a thing that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed yet! I've been told that it is usually most inexpensive to eat out... so I anticipate to continue being waltzed around to lots of different restaurants. Macchiatos are "their thing" here so naturally I have already had 3 and anticipate having too many to count by the time I leave.

After hearing many beloved remarks among our team about this fine young lady, I decided I wanted to know her too! Besa (KLA graduate) offered to help me to use my mouth in a way it has never been used before: to speak Albanian. After our one hour tutoring lesson, I am now much more confident to greet people at all times of the day, ask how they are doing or if they are tired (not insulting here to ask someone if they are tired, but common!), order macchiatos and bread, and call someone a hillbilly (don't worry, she instructed me to use that term to describe only two teachers: Ethan & Troy. Otherwise, natives may take offense). We both agreed we'd love to hangout again considering the amount of laughter we shared! She gives the best hugs and said the sweetest words I've heard yet as she whisked out the door: "I love you!"

Nose

When I return to the states in May smelling like cigarette smoke, I want to assure you that I have not taken up a new hobby during my 4 months away. Rather, the streets are filled with a smokey-thickness to it (particularly worse in the winter) due to burning pellets to heat buildings and homes, and more full indoor restaurants making non-smoking and smoking sections seemingly indistinct. It is quite an adjustment for the nose to smell cigarette smoke on your hair and clothes upon returning home from a coffee shop for only an hour. BUT it's nose big deal. ;)

Heart

I know I know - it's not part of the song, but its important to consider what my heart is taking in along with these other body parts and senses...

Since being here, I can hear Satan try and satisfy my search for my purpose in being here, saying "You can't make a difference here. You're only here for 4 months and you don't know Albanian. What'd you expect?"

I'd say there's some truth in there -- No, I am not capable of making a difference. But, Christ in me is more than capable. Though others have been here longer and will continue to be here after I return to the states, that does not negate the length of time that God has given me to be here. Things can happen in 4 months. I can encourage those who have committed to seeing the gospel go forth here indefinitely. I can offer support by babysitting their children and seeking to know them and their needs over a macchiato or a meal... (side note - got to babysit once, which was a BLAST [complete with singing and dancing competitions], and have meals with two families on the team already. I feel that heart-warming "home away from home" feel and have been welcomed to join their family whenever!! Thank you, Lord, for Your kind blessing.)

Yup, I definitely don't know Albanian, nor was I expected to. Those who have been serving here for years are still not yet fluent but are carving out time to take lessons from natives and building relationship through their studies.

In my heart, I can also hear Satan saying "You aren't doing enough. You're only teaching 9 kids? Pfft wow. And you're giving one-on-one help to high school students working independently in an online program -- aren't you qualified to do a lot more than that?"

To which I respond: Since when did 9 students become less important than a full class of 25? I have the unique opportunity to know these 9 students in a more personal way, without carrying the responsibility of caring for hundreds of students or being spread to prepare multiple subjects. I am able to alleviate Ben (middle school math teacher, "discipline guy", basketball coach, rally point leader) from catering to the outlying needs of those 9 students and allow him to focus on his remaining students and the responsibilities that demand his time outside of class. I am able to expose these 9 students to what a "traditional classroom" could look like and prepare them to function in different structure, enabling them to eventually adjust to a university setting.

While I may be qualified to do more than "just tutor," this is the current need and I am here to serve in attempts to fill those needs, whether it be what I feel over or under-qualified to do. Also, now these students have twice the help than they have had all year! Two teachers to help them, rather than one running in (not figurative) circles.

Hearing all of this from my heart, I would love if you would please pray with me that I will understand my value in being here at the KLA to serve.

Consider this your briefing for when you come to Kosovo... I have 2 couches.

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I get to meet my students tomorrow!! Woohoo!! #firstdayofschooleve

~ Natën e mirë