Greetings friends!

First, many apologies for the group letter but “wire” time is a precious commodity in Albania. Yes, for those of you who weren’t aware, I am on temporary assignment for CARE in Albania. I arrived on June 6 and will be here until July 1. My primary responsibility is that of staff writer but I will do all sorts of random assignments.

I am working in the CARE Tirana office but will travel to visit refugee camps. Tomorrow, I am off to Camp Hope in Fier Albania. We will be discussing program issues with CARE staff there & visiting with refugees to talk about their hopes & plans for the peace accord. A big concern is the bitter cold winters so if peace is not soon, then the major issue will be winterization of the camps. This will be difficult as most camps are tents. I attending an UNHCR briefing meeting yesterday that addressed many of these concerns.

Albania is hot, humid, dusty & dirty. It is an incredibly poor country, with little hope for an improved economy. Streets are littered with rusted autos, trash, and farming debris. Though Tirana is a city, I am awoken in the AM by roosters, and goats are seen being walked along the roadside. Drivers are maniacs and the roads crumbling — sidewalks, ha! I have learned that you always walk facing traffic so you can see when you are going to be hit. Fans are a precious commodity and AC virtually non-existent. My cotton sweaters will stay packed.

I flew into Albania via Italy. The last leg of my journey was on Air Albania — the fact that we landed safely was a miracle. The plane was an old russian one that had staples holding it together. I was seated at the back of the plane in the smoking, no-teeth, and heavy B.O. section. A full hour and a half of serious prayer — I am a renewed Christian after such a journey.

The CARE staff here is quite international. I will be living with 3 Canadians and a Brit. Other staff include Germans, Dutch, Serbs, and Albanians. I have learned how to say thank-you in Albanian but not much more.

I hope that this finds everyone well. I will write again after my trip to visit a camp. In the meantime, keep thinking peace.

Cheers, Mary