Saturday Night

I love what I am doing here.  My students are enthusiastic and appreciate the methods that I am bringing to the classroom.  I have placed the desks into small groups rather than having all students face me and the blackboard.  I have access to the internet and I use my computer and projector for PowerPoint slides, Ted Talks, YouTube Videos and to set up our group Face book page so that I can download documents and communicate messages about assignments and events.  I encourage the students to use their mobile devices to look up words and to translate difficult passages.  From my experiences as a corporate trainer I reduce the amount of time that I speak, change activities every fifteen minutes,  assign small group discussions and problem solving (in English) and encourage full class discussion – also, of course, in English.  We do have a text for learning English, which I use judiciously, however most of my material I create myself.  I am using an approach called Content Based Language Learning, where English is learned through relevant and stimulating content.  Many of you will not be surprised to know that we are concentrating on personal and cultural development – using the Spiral Dynamics model and finding examples relevant to the dramatic changes that are happening in Albania as the people of this country advance into an uncertain future free of the suffocating restrictions of communism.

My students are wonderful.  I was unsure of their English skill and I am very impressed with their capability and knowledge.  They are learning faster than I am developing content, a challenge that I am glad to assume – which is one of the reasons you have not seen me on this blog very often.

For the last four weeks I have been working with second and third year students at University Luigi Gurakuqi in Shkoder, Albania.  I have four groups of students, two groups in the second year and two groups in the third year.  There are approximately 40 students in each group.  With the second year groups I meet four hours a week and with the third year students I meet two hours a week for a total of 12 hours of class time.   The rest of the week I prepare for these classes and I also have two other less demanding projects with other educational institutions.  In addition, on Monday afternoon I teach a yoga and meditation class to teachers and other adults who are looking for a more limber body and relief from mental stress.  On Saturday morning I have a standing meeting with my language tutor – who is kind and patient with me albeit a little disappointed with my progress. ( I explain that I have a Teflon brain.)

As to my daily living, I make most of my own meals – which I enjoy.  On virtually every corner the local farmers bring in the recent harvest from their fields and gardens.  There is always something fresh and in season.  Now it is broccoli and tangerines –there are always carrots, spinach, cauliflower, eggplant, apples, tomatoes, kiwi, onions, and a variety of green leafy plants that I do not know even though I buy them.  The oranges and lemons are becoming ripe and soon they will be in abundance in these farm stands.  Today I made carrot ginger soup, yesterday was roasted cauliflower and before that a broccoli and spinach soup.  I supplement this with protein from homemade humus and occasionally I buy marinated chicken and veal from the butcher down the street.  Most of my meals cost about a dollar, except when I buy meat and then it might be about two dollars.

It is now getting chilly at night, in the forties and the days hover just below sixty.  I am told that we will get more rain in January and there might be a sprinkle of snow that will certainly close the schools so children can play a bit before it melts the next day.

  It is Saturday night at about 7:30.  I will post this now, and yes, get back to work – while I have a cold Albanian beer with a side of beets and goat cheese – yum!

This is an old picture - These oranges in my yard are now ripe

Displays like this are everywhere!