Being a DC Tourist

I am making the most of my time off, not just being productive getting things done in my house and garden, but also encouraging friends to play hooky and spend the day with me doing fun things. On Thursday, one good friend did just that and we decided to be home grown tourists for the day in DC.

First stop was the Newseum – a museum of the news. The private museum starts visitors with a short video that establishes the context of the museum – presenting both key events in history covered in the news and the history of newsmaking. The video included this quote from Thomas Jefferson in 1786, "Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." But my suspicions were aroused. The video covered the key themes of news: first time events, life and death, discovery, and of course war and peace. They showed several clips from the current conflict in Iraq during the war segment but they included something that just didn’t quite fit – a photograph of Osama Bin Laden, right in the middle of all the Iraq images (not in the later Afghanistan images). Now our wonderful president GWB would like us to believe that Osama is somehow connected to Iraq, but to date, there has been no evidence unearthed of any connection. Interestingly most Americans believe that there is a connection because GWB is so good at his job. It turns out that the Newsuem’s founder is none other than Rupert Murdoch, media tycoon who brought to us the Fox news network and other mouthpieces for the current administration.

The other missing piece in the museum was information on the current administration’s infringement on freedom of the press. There was an exhibit on the embedded reporters that are on the ground in Iraq, but they did not include a discussion on the fact that the military also controls all footage that is allowed to be released by these reporters. Nor did they cover the fact that stories published by reporters (or footage shown on CNN) that portrays a less-than-flattering image of the US quickly disappear. (See my “Afghan Soldier” entry in June 2006). A disappointment to say the least. That said, I will drop the Newseum a line and make sure they are aware of their Osama mistake, but I will say that the rest of the museum was very interesting and informative. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said in 1938, “A free press is essential to us as a people and to the maintenance of our form of government” (another quote from the video).

After a very sunny lunch sitting at the Naval memorial and watching cadets rehearse for their summer Concerts on the Avenue, we went across the street to the National Gallery of Art to see the special exhibit on Afghanistan. Somehow I had not heard of the exhibit, but everyone should know about it. It is a collection of spectacular ancient artifacts from four sites in Afghanistan. The pieces themselves are breathtaking and include a two thousand year old intact plaster bust of a poet, a plate of silver and gold, and a magnificent collapsible gold crown. The history of the objects is equally as fascinating as many are a unique blend of east and west. Maybe the best example of this is a gold statue representing the Greek Goddess Aphrodite but with a South Asian bindi and the wings of an Indian goddess.

Despite the interest in the objects themselves, the exhibit is most amazing for its more recent history. The only reason these artifacts survived the past 25 years of conflict in Afghanistan is due to the heroism of Omara Khan Massoudi, the Director of the National Museum of Afghanistan. In 1988, when the Russians were preparing to invade Afghanistan, he foresaw the threat to the treasures in the museum and he and some trusted colleagues packed up the greatest treasures and hid them in safes under the Presidential Palace. They never spoke a word about them until 2003. It is difficult to imagine how hard their lives must have been during that time and how much personal gain they could have received from the hidden treasure. The museum was ransacked, artifacts destroyed by the Taleban and even shelled. Much of the Museum’s collection was destroyed, but these pieces remain in tact.

I cannot recommend the exhibition highly enough. The schedule in the US:
- National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)
May 25 to September 7, 2008
- Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
October 24, 2008, to January 25, 2009
- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
February 22 to May 17, 2009
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
June 23 to September 20, 2009

For more information on the exhibit see the current edition of National Geographic or read the article at: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/afghan-treasures/atwood-text

Satchidaranda Ashram

My four days at the Satchidaranda Ashram, otherwise known as Yogaville, were probably worth about a month of downtime at home. I feel like a different relaxed slower version of my former self.

The Ashram is in a spectacular natural setting bordering the James River in rural Virginia. The 1,000 acres is most hilly forests with views of the mountains and the river. Right now the meadows are covered in wildflowers and there is rich birdlife. My days there started before 5 am with meditation and Hatha yoga before breakfast. The rest of the day was a mix of meditation and yoga with plenty of time by myself for reading, hiking in the woods, thinking and of course napping (a daily activity while I was there).

There is an ancient Native American medicine wheel on the grounds of the Ashram. A medicine wheel is a physical representation of a spiritual presence; a circle of stones representing Native American spiritual beliefs. (A description can be found at http://www.wolfcreekarts.com/Medicine_Wheel.htm) Twice I tried to find the medicine wheel, which is tucked away in the woods. Twice I failed. There are those that would say that I was not meant to find it, I chose to believe that I was not meant to find it this week so that I have a reason to come back again.

A Pause

For a while now I have been wanting to make a change. I have been struggling with figuring out my next adventure, how to get there, and even just figuring out how to find the time to figure it all out. As an anonymous poster recently commented on this blog, “I looked at [the Home Sweet Home] post from 2005 and your still complaining about the same things! So why don't you stop?!” And stop I have.

As of last Friday, I am officially on a three-month sabbatical from work. No work at all. And no travel, unless I want to, and the only for fun.

I cannot remember the last time that I had three whole months at home without work or school. Mostly I can’t remember because it was so long ago – like when I was ten. Before my working days started as a papergirl delivering the newspaper every day through rain and snow and sleet and ice; then as a checkout chick; then a janitor, telemarketer, administrative assistant, receptionist, communications officer, research assistant and finally an economic development consultant. Whew, I think it is time for a break.

My first week off I have focused on recovering from the to-be-expected cold (which always seems to arrive once the stress is off) and grasping the enormity of this opportunity. My natural tendency is to fill this time with as many non work-related activities as possible, trying to do everything I’ve ever wanted to do if only I had the time in three months. I want to waterproof my basement, re-do my backyard, learn to do an Eskimo roll (in a kyack), hike the Appalachian trail, spent time with friends and family, send out a Christmas letter (in July), and write a book. But just for a change, I am fighting the tendency to replace one hectic lifestyle with another.

My only objective for this time is to recover from a difficult work environment, hectic travel schedule and a secondary personal life squeezed in between. For me this translates into staying in one place and maximizing fun with friends and family. Not to say that I won't do some of the things on the list above, but I'm just not going to try and do it all. In fact, I am starting with a week of nothing - a four-day yoga and meditation retreat in rural Virginia. I can’t think of a better way to reprogram my over stimulated mind for more rest and relaxation than most of us will ever know.

Home or Away

Day 2 in Albania and it already feels like I never left. It's strange to arrive in a place and have your boyfriend to greet you, your favorite restaurants and to just feel at home. In some ways. In other ways it still feels like I am living a double life and staying in hotels doesn't help. Speaking of being at home - I am going back to the hotel to go the gym. More tomorrow.

Long Time

It has been too long since my last blog and I've decided it's time to start again. I have been traveling non-stop, but constantly to Albania. In fact, I have been spending so much time in Albania that it has started to feel more like home and my work here has been quite boring over the past few months, so I had no desire to write about it and bore you all.

I'm now back in Albania for the 6th trip in one year. I've spent a total of 6 months here, which is about three times the amount of time that I have spent at home in DC. And of course, this was in between other trips (to Belize and Guatemala on vacation, and Liberia and the Dominican Republic for work). I never thought that I would say these words, but I am seriously sick of traveling!

So I am back in Albania for two weeks, and am sort of hoping that this is my last trip for a little while. I am also very tired of my job and working for a difficult boss, so I am currently "exploring my options". With the potential for change in Zimbabwe, I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that some interesting work might come there once a new government is in place. I know I am getting ahead of myself, but my dream would be to do this work in Zimbabwe - and to stop traveling when I get there.

Stranger than Fiction

Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. It was a rather eventful trip out here to Albania. My flights all left on time and my luggage was there on the carousel when I got to Tirana, which already makes it a rather unusual journey, but it was far more strange than that.

On the longest leg from Atlanta to Milan I was seated in the back of the plane because as usual I had to buy my ticket at the last minute. There was an empty seat next to me, and a nice woman from Surrey on the other side. We chatted a bit about her passion for hunting dogs, which is what brought her to Madison, Wisconsin where she had been at a dog event. I went about my usual cross-Atlantic routine of dinner with a movie and then sleep. At some point while I was watching Georgia Rules, I glanced over at her because she seemed to be staring at me. I then thought she was staring at the TV screen in the empty middle seat, so I went back to ignoring her. I didn’t realize that anything was wrong until I noticed that she had been gone for a while and then a flight attendant came and covered her empty seat with a blanket. My curiosity was peaked, but I had no idea what was going on so I tried to sleep, but flight attendants kept coming back and waking me up as they bumped me reaching across for her blankets and pillows. Finally one of them told me that the woman had passed out, vomited, and they thought she had a seizure! At that moment there was an announcement on the PA asking whether there was a doctor on board. I guess she was really in bad shape. I felt sorry for her, but there was really nothing for me to do, so I laid down across the three seats to finally go to sleep, only to be woken up 10 minutes later to moved to Business Class so my sick fellow traveler could have the three seats to herself. Of course I didn’t complain but I am sorry that I only had 3 hours in business class before I was woken up for breakfast!

In Milan I had to run to catch my connecting flight, which was boarding by the time I got there. As I stood in my sleep deprived daze watching the people in the waiting lounge, I noticed an adorable little girl skipping towards me. Suddenly she stopped mid hop and stared mouth open looking completely amazed. A black woman had just crossed her path, and as she stared I realized that it was probably the first time the child had seen a black person. I tried to imagine how strange that would be for her and all the questions that must be running through her head.

When I finally got on the plane to Tirana I just wanted to sleep, but the boisterous conversation from the row behind me got my attention. The conversation was shifting between Albanian and English. Two men were asking the third about his experiences in prison and pushing him for details of the strangest thing he saw in his time on the inside. I thought it was a joke, but when he proceed to say that he had been beaten up twice I realized he wasn’t kidding. That story wasn’t juicy enough for his companions so they pushed him for something more interesting. He then told them about being in the shower with the only other white guy in the jail in the next shower stall. He was going about his business when he suddenly became aware that there were four legs under the shower wall next door – two white, two black. It was definitely not your average airplane eavesdropping about holidays or business trips. Ironically when I arrived to check in at the Sheraton, the men that were behind me on the plane were there checking in. They told me they were deporting an ex-con back to Albania. The guy then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to grab a drink later – ummm…I don’t think so.

Albanian sunset

Kruja, Albania

I Really Need to Write a Will

I just had a little incident that made me realize that I really need to write a will. I was driving on the mountainous coastal road on the Albanian coast near Saranda. Well, to be honest, the driver was doing the driving and me and my Albanian colleague were riding along in the big white SUV enjoying the spectacular coastline. My attention was drawn back to the road to see a Minibus driving towards us seemingly in the middle of the narrow road. We were on the outer edge of the cliff so didn’t have a lot of leeway. Just before the two vehicles met, my driver braked suddenly, but there was nowhere he could go. The other car continued straight and the two vehicles collided, but thank goodness only the side mirrors touched with a loud crunch. A miss that was a little too close for comfort.

Greece

I am spending a week in the field trying to get a better understanding of melon sector in Albania, what the opportunities are and where our project should target our activities to have the greatest impact. This is my third trip to Albania in five months, and I thought I was getting to know the country fairly well, but I have been shocked.

For a change, my shock is in response to the incredible potential in this country, both in the agricultural sector and in the tourism sector. These farmers are incredibly advanced. I use Croatia as a comparison as it is considered the most advanced of the Balkan countries not yet in the EU, and I spent a few weeks working there this year. In Croatia my company introduced new greenhouse technologies over the past couple of years, including fertigation – a highly efficient method for fertilizing using crystallized fertilizers distributed directly to the plants through drip irrigation. Only a few farmers in Croatia have started adopting this method. Here it seems that the majority of farmers are using fertigation, and good greenhouses, trellising, etc. [If this is incredibly boring skip to the next paragraph.] It turns out that Albania has at least one advantage that has not been considered. Given the hardship here over the past half century or so, many, many Albanians have gone to other countries to find work. Many of them work seasonally on farms in Greece. As a result, they have brought back with them the latest European agricultural technology which has already been adopted here. For me, it is very exciting to see. Of course, just because the farmers know how to grow, does not mean that we do not have a job to do. Every farmer I have spoken to has said that they need better markets. I also know that they need to be better organized (to consolidate production and save costs). We still have our work cut out for us.

The other shock on this trip has been the spectacular scenery, idyllic beaches, lush mountains for hiking, and the incredible array of historical sites. (Pictures will be added when I get home). In the past few days I have gone hiking and watched the sunset from the top of a mountain; visited a thousand year old church in the middle of a “castle” – an ancient hilltop city that is still inhabited today; visited a 19th century castle on an island; and been awed by the crystal clarity of the turquoise sea on private beaches as I drive by.

More and more I am amazed at the speed of change in this country. I take photos knowing that in just a few years time, things will be very different as development takes hold.

I have also heard rumors that during the economically challenging period following the change in government, Greeks would cross the border and offer Albanians a small sum to cut down their olive trees so that the Greeks would be able to take over the Albanian market share. Others have told me that this is not true, but at the very least, this story demonstrates the lack of trust of the Greeks next door.

Starting over

Starting over works very well as a strategy to get over an ex or even maybe to reinvigorate your life with a career change, but as an economic strategy for a country, it is questionable, particularly when taken literally. After the fall of communism in Albania in 1990 (after the death of the evil dictator Hoxha a couple of years earlier), the government of the time decided to start over – literally. They told the people that they should destroy all that which was created by the previous regime, and they meant it quite literally. For some reason, the government had somehow been given the impression that they had a blank check from the United States for reconstruction, so they told the people to cut down the orange groves, ruin irrigation systems and destroy factories, taking them apart piece by piece for scrap metal. The people obeyed, but they are still waiting for the blank check. Today as I drove to southern Albania I saw an incredible system of hill terracing with irrigation, but the hills were bare. My colleagues told me that the entire valley used to be green with fruit trees, but the trees were cut down in the early 90’s and the people are still waiting for the US to help them replant.

Is it any wander then that these desperate and unpracticed new capitalists invested so heavily in pyramid investment schemes that appeared in the mid 90’s, especially when initially people did earn a hefty profit, sometimes doubling their investment within 6 months. They didn’t understand that the only way for everyone to make money in these schemes was for people to keep investing more and more. Not surprisingly, cracks started to appear in 1996 and by 1997 they had all collapsed, putting desperate people in an even more desperate situation. The desperation became anger and violence broke out across the country. Thousands died.

It had taken me a while to understand, but expectations were so high when the evil communist government fell, and the promises made were not met. Those include promises made (or implied) by the US government, and yet, when Bushy (brain) was here earlier this year, he was treated like the long lost son with people ruffling his hair as he walked through the crowd. Maybe this naiveté is also a root cause.

Home Away from Home?

This is my third trip to Albania in 5 months, for a total of 7 weeks and I think that by the end of this trip, I will have spent more time in Albania so far this year, than I have at home! It is starting to feel like home, and it’s not just because of the amount of time I’ve spent here. I really like some of my Albanian colleagues and I feel like I have an instant social life when I arrive with people I really enjoy spending time with, which is a pleasant change from usual work travel.

Today I had my first day in the field in Northern Albania – one hour North of Tirana, which is in the center of the country. I forget sometimes how small this place is. It’s been a while since I was out in the field interviewing farmers and trying to figure out what the key issues are that the project can address to help them boost their incomes. I’m doing an analysis of the melon sector here. It’s such a feel-good assignment; thinking about watermelon just makes me smile. Today I was given 5 of them freshly picked from the field.

On the way home, we stopped off in the town of Kruya visiting Skanderberg’s castle. He’s the Albanian hero that defeated the Turks and (temporarily) prevented Turkish occupation. We ended the day with a meal of delicious Albanian cheeses, olives and pizza (veggie options are somewhat limited) watching the colors of the tangerine sunset reflected in the stone of the mountain face in front of us.

Tomorrow there is more to look forward to. I am going hiking in the mountains with one of my favorite Albanians. I’m looking forward to spending a day out of civilization in this spectacular scenery. And it doesn’t end there. On Monday I leave for a week-long tour of southern Albania, hitting all the melon producing areas, which happen to be some of the most beautiful spots in Albania, including the coast across the straight from Corfu. More photos and postings to follow.

Bad start

I've never had such a difficult time getting out of the US. I showed up at the airport at my scheduled time on Monday and breezed through the check in. I'd opted to fly out of Reagan and have an extra hop through New York to avoid the nightmarish check in at Dulles. As I arrived at my gate I was feeling quite cocky about being so clever, maybe that was my undoing.

What they had neglected to tell me at the check-in counter is that there were major delays. I ended up spending 4 hours in the airport waiting for a flight and then trying to reschedule when I realized that I would miss my connections. Then giving up and trying to get my luggage back. I ended up going home without my luggage, extremely frustrated, with a crazy taxi driver who had a fan blowing in my face, was whistling, constantly tapping the breaks, and who didn't know where my neighborhood was.

Round two. On Tuesday, September 11th, I went back to Reagan and basically had a repeate experience, minus checking-in any bags. Even though the woman at the check-in counter remembered me from the day before, she told me the flights were on time when they were already running late. After waiting until after my flight was supposed to have left, and seeing the hoard of New Yorkers becoming increasingly ticked off, I decided to explore other options. I finally found a very helpful Delta employee who completely re-routed my trip through Atlanta. The only consolation was that I did get to fly business class across the Atlantic to try and make up for my inconvenience.

Needless to say, I had to do without my luggage for my first couple of days in Albania (yes, that is where I now am), but I was very impressed that it actually arrived at the end of day 2.

Cheers hint at my most recent destination

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F_tT-q8EF0