Thursday, April 03, 2008
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.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
Rubber
Rubber is the major source of income for most Liberians before during and after the war. Firestone is the largest buyer and has the worlds largest rubber plantation here in Liberia, but still buys half of their rubber from smallholders. During the war trees were tapped illegally by a method known as Haraka or slaughter tapping (see photos below) which extracts the most latex but causes irreparable damage to the trees. As a result up to 80 percent of the national rubber tree population needs to be replaced in the next few years. This is a major undertaking in a country that is barley through a major war that destroyed most basic infrastructure.
I have been talking to rubber farmers and many are already starting to replant, but they have no access to technical information on what tree varieties to plant, how to care for the stumps once they are planted including what crops grow well with rubber saplings while they are young, and no one is discouraging them from clearing new land. As a result indigent farmers are investing their money, time and effort on transplanting seedlings from traditional varieties that are much lower-yielding than the new improved varieties; they are not properly taking care of the seedlings resulting in greater losses; and maybe most concerning, they are clearing new land for new plantations. Many farmers and are only tapping a small portion of their rubber trees where they have cleared the brush while the rest of the farm is completely overgrown. Rather than clearing a new area, they should clear existing plantations (and use the discarded rubber trees for making charcoal – saving other trees from this fate).
The world price of natural rubber is very high at the moment because of the high cost of synthetic rubber which is a petroleum-derived product. The Liberia rubber industry was badly affected by the war, but it is gradually starting to recover, greatly helped by the high price. And the price in Liberia may go up even more. There is a new rubber buyer about to enter the market – a Chinese company which is building a huge processing plant to produce tires for the ever-growing Chinese auto industry. The company has no plantation of their own, so they will be entirely dependent on buying from smallholders. The other big rubber companies are worried that the Chinese firm try and put them out of business.
The long-term potential for rubber in Liberia is undoubted, but there will be a slump for 7 years while the newly planted trees grow large enough to be tapped. Sadly, the next 7 years are when the Liberian economy will need the biggest push to help move people out of poverty and given them an incentive to maintain peace. Right now, the majority of Liberians live on less than $.50 a day.
I have been talking to rubber farmers and many are already starting to replant, but they have no access to technical information on what tree varieties to plant, how to care for the stumps once they are planted including what crops grow well with rubber saplings while they are young, and no one is discouraging them from clearing new land. As a result indigent farmers are investing their money, time and effort on transplanting seedlings from traditional varieties that are much lower-yielding than the new improved varieties; they are not properly taking care of the seedlings resulting in greater losses; and maybe most concerning, they are clearing new land for new plantations. Many farmers and are only tapping a small portion of their rubber trees where they have cleared the brush while the rest of the farm is completely overgrown. Rather than clearing a new area, they should clear existing plantations (and use the discarded rubber trees for making charcoal – saving other trees from this fate).
The world price of natural rubber is very high at the moment because of the high cost of synthetic rubber which is a petroleum-derived product. The Liberia rubber industry was badly affected by the war, but it is gradually starting to recover, greatly helped by the high price. And the price in Liberia may go up even more. There is a new rubber buyer about to enter the market – a Chinese company which is building a huge processing plant to produce tires for the ever-growing Chinese auto industry. The company has no plantation of their own, so they will be entirely dependent on buying from smallholders. The other big rubber companies are worried that the Chinese firm try and put them out of business.
The long-term potential for rubber in Liberia is undoubted, but there will be a slump for 7 years while the newly planted trees grow large enough to be tapped. Sadly, the next 7 years are when the Liberian economy will need the biggest push to help move people out of poverty and given them an incentive to maintain peace. Right now, the majority of Liberians live on less than $.50 a day.
Monday, July 02, 2007
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