Below are some videos to recap our first Christmas in Albania. Watch and enjoy.
Video Update 17 - This is a recap video of all the other recap videos below. It shows videos of some of the Christmas programs around the community that Katie and I were a part of.
Video Update 14 - Making Christmas cookies with two very special guests.
Video Update 15- A fun little Christmas game Katie and I created to keep ourselves entertained.
Video Update 16 - How we spent Christmas Eve.
Video Update 16.5 - How we spent Christmas day.
27 December 2011
26 December 2011
Christmas in Albania PHOTO Recap
It's hard to believe that another Christmas has come and gone. Though this year Christmas was nothing like the traditional North American Christmas I am used to. Knowing that this year would be different Katie and I kept ourselves busy and engaged in different Christmas activities throughout the week(s) to prepare our hearts for Christmas- in hopes that Christmas wouldn't blend in like another day, or week in Albania, and we could enjoy this very special holiday. Our attempts were a success and it ended up being a Christmas for the books.
Check out the pictures below for a recap of our first Christmas in Albania:
Check back soon for the Christmas in Albania VIDEO Recap update.
Check out the pictures below for a recap of our first Christmas in Albania:
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| Gram sent me a recipe for cut-outs - I could find all the ingredients in Albania! |
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| Katie and I by the New Year's tree in Tirana, Albania |
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| Our house decorated for Christmas. |
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| Mmm. Christmas cookies. |
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| Happy Birthday Jesus! |
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| We had a birthday party for Jesus. |
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| Dance broke out after our Christmas Eve service. |
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| Chinese food for Christmas Eve dinner |
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| 6:00am Christmas morning |
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| Anisa and I at church - Christmas morning. |
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| Christmas morning service in Durres. |
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| Katie and I - Christmas day being spoiled by Allan and Sheri. |
Check back soon for the Christmas in Albania VIDEO Recap update.
22 December 2011
Nicole & Katie in Albania: Video Update 13
What do we when we're without power? make a video. Watch Katie and I shed some light onto the predicament we find ourselves in.
10 December 2011
Nicole & Katie in Albania: Video Update 12
We're back!
It's been a while since our last video update so we decided to razzle-dazzle your socks off with a special musical performance. Catch up on what we've been up to, hear about our Albanian-American Thanksgiving and learn our new favorite Albanian word.
Don't forget to tune in later this month for our Christmas Edition Update, and then on or shortly after Jan. 1, 2012 for a special New Years Update from Albania... [spoiler alert: fireworks]
It's been a while since our last video update so we decided to razzle-dazzle your socks off with a special musical performance. Catch up on what we've been up to, hear about our Albanian-American Thanksgiving and learn our new favorite Albanian word.
Don't forget to tune in later this month for our Christmas Edition Update, and then on or shortly after Jan. 1, 2012 for a special New Years Update from Albania... [spoiler alert: fireworks]
03 December 2011
Home Is Where The Heart Is
My parents were in Barcelona last weekend, so as an early Christmas present,
Katie and I took a few days off and met up with them there.
Spain was wonderful. I won't even mention the fact that I got to see my parents, because that card trumps everything else. I'm not quite sure it was like America, but it was 100 times closer to America than Albania is. Running water with pressure. Parks. Trash and recycling programs. Paved roads. Street lights. Reliable public transportation. A buzz of liveliness flowing throughout the city both during the day and after the sun set. Things to do. Familiar foods to eat. McDonald's. Starbucks. Wi-fi hotspots all over the city. A Christian nation with Christmas music and decorations everywhere you turn. Domestic animals. Rolls of toilet paper that last longer than a day. Variety. Choices. The list could go on and on.
It had all the familiarities I was raised with, mixed in with a new, exciting, adventure. Things to do, and places explore. All of these elements add up to a pretty great time. It was definitely refreshing and a good break.
Vacations are not reality though. That's why they are so much fun.
So the question we keep getting asked is: "was it hard to come back [to Albania]?" The obvious answer would be yes. But it's always hard to come back from vacation. It's a tease going away for a week and how quickly we could adapt to the things we were missing, (you would be disgusted to know how many times we visited McDonald's while we were there.) It was comfortable. We were like little kids on Christmas morning, all day, everyday, as we re-discovered things we left in America only 4 months ago.
Then we came back, and everything was gone again. And we were thrown back into life in Albania.
So this is my response: Albania might not have a lot of things, but it has Jesus. You might not see priests walking down the street, or churches on every corner, but if you look closely you can see that Jesus is in Albania as much as He is in Spain, or America, or any other developed nation for that matter. And because He is here, coming home, to Albania, really wasn't that hard.
Jesus is here and so is my heart, so it really doesn't matter what isn't.
--
Spain was wonderful. I won't even mention the fact that I got to see my parents, because that card trumps everything else. I'm not quite sure it was like America, but it was 100 times closer to America than Albania is. Running water with pressure. Parks. Trash and recycling programs. Paved roads. Street lights. Reliable public transportation. A buzz of liveliness flowing throughout the city both during the day and after the sun set. Things to do. Familiar foods to eat. McDonald's. Starbucks. Wi-fi hotspots all over the city. A Christian nation with Christmas music and decorations everywhere you turn. Domestic animals. Rolls of toilet paper that last longer than a day. Variety. Choices. The list could go on and on.
It had all the familiarities I was raised with, mixed in with a new, exciting, adventure. Things to do, and places explore. All of these elements add up to a pretty great time. It was definitely refreshing and a good break.
Vacations are not reality though. That's why they are so much fun.
So the question we keep getting asked is: "was it hard to come back [to Albania]?" The obvious answer would be yes. But it's always hard to come back from vacation. It's a tease going away for a week and how quickly we could adapt to the things we were missing, (you would be disgusted to know how many times we visited McDonald's while we were there.) It was comfortable. We were like little kids on Christmas morning, all day, everyday, as we re-discovered things we left in America only 4 months ago.
Then we came back, and everything was gone again. And we were thrown back into life in Albania.
So this is my response: Albania might not have a lot of things, but it has Jesus. You might not see priests walking down the street, or churches on every corner, but if you look closely you can see that Jesus is in Albania as much as He is in Spain, or America, or any other developed nation for that matter. And because He is here, coming home, to Albania, really wasn't that hard.
Jesus is here and so is my heart, so it really doesn't matter what isn't.
--
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| My first Starbucks since July. |
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| With Mom and Pops. |
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| Katie, I don't think we're in Albania anymore... |
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| ...caught red-handed. |
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| Plaza Espanya |
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| At Olympic Park |
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| Barcelona, Spain. |
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