Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Christmas in Shkoder, Albania



I can't speak for anyone else in Shkoder, but I will give you my perspective of the Christmas season here. 

At the end of November, they began decorating the center of the city for Christmas with lights, and typical Christmas decorations. 







They also set up carnival rides and an ice skating rink in the center. 






Individuals decorated their homes and businesses with lights and the like.

I don't know if it's because we don't have a TV, but I didn't feel advertised to one bit. Most of the stores here carry things for the necessities of life, so I don't know that there's so much shopping going on for an abundance of "perfect" gifts.

There is a type of shop here in Albania called a "Kancelari." These are places that can found throughout the different cities. They carry school, office, and art supplies. They offer copy and printer services, so this is where we go if we want something printed. They also typically sell a small variety of toys, generally cheap in nature.

Upon thinking about it, I don't know that most children in Albania grow up with the typical and standard toys that most American children grow up with: fine dolls, special train sets, bins full of tiny Lego pieces, etc.

The one large store here, called Jumbo, stocks a third of their store with seasonal items. Edward said that they had a lot in there for Christmas. I thought that he meant toys and gift items, but he said that it had a lot of holiday decorations.


The banner in this neighborhood means Merry (Gëzuar- guh zoo ar) Christmas (Krishtlindjen- Kreesht leendyeh, literally meaning Christbirth) and (dhe- they) New (E-eh Ri-ree) Year (veeteen).


I was out on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was in two grocery stores, and they were the busiest that I had ever seen. They had a lot of prepackaged cakes and fruit cakes that they had on display. We had already been given one as a gift from a friend. I saw someone purchasing several at a time. Perhaps this is what they do for each other. Perhaps they get together with their families and enjoy the day and a special meal with each other. 

Prior to Christmas Eve day, I had not noticed any "Christmas rush." It costs so much to ship things to Albania, people aren't ordering things from the internet and having them shipped here. I don't think that the post office experienced an extra busy time during the month of December. I don't think that people are sending Christmas cards around as we do in America. After all, if you saw my last post, our mail carrier didn't look like he had much to deliver to other people on his bike, just one week before Christmas .

We invited a few people over and had some special foods prepared and planned. One friend came. We asked him a lot of questions about the traditions. I had forgotten the fact that Albania had spent decades under communist rule. They weren't able to celebrate publicly, but would privately. However, New Year's would always be celebrated openly.

The weather wasn't too cold, so after our guest left, we cleaned up, bundled up, and headed on a walk to the city center. We wanted the kids to be able to see the city lit up with decorative lights. They, of course, wanted to experience at least one of the rides.





There were a lot of people out in the city that evening, but it was actually quiet in a literal way. The police had the roads closed off to the center. Kids were having fun skating around on the small rink. Many temporary cafe huts were set up for the season, all in a row facing the government building, which is shown in the first photo of this post. In front of the cafes were small cafe tables with people quietly sitting around them with their drinks, talking with one another. I then noticed that in front of them a large mobile stage was set up. It looked like they were waiting for a performance of some sort. 

The kids each chose which ride they wanted to try, and we split up into three groups. That was a cultural experience in itself! After paying for the tickets for the ride, there were no lines. When the ride stopped, the people waiting to get on rushed to try to get a seat. It seemed quite selfish. It was a surprise, but not completely, because sometimes people very boldly cut in line at the stores. It took several rotations before my kids managed to run fast enough to secure a bumper car. I instructed those first two kids sharing a car, "When the car stops and everyone is rushing out of their cars, you stay in until your siblings get to you!" That worked.


I will say that I have appreciated the calmness and quietness of the holiday season here in Shkoder. My eight year old said on Christmas Eve when he was in bed, "I don't really care if I get any presents. I'm content. I like to give gifts." I was amazed, and glad that he said this and feels that way. Some of our kids made gifts for each other and we had some simple gifts for them. 
When it's all said and done, we of course want to be storing up treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-21).


You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!


http://iamonebook.com


https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing


https://www.waredesignworks.com


https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks


To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:


https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09


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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:


https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos


https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La


God bless you!






Thursday, December 21, 2023

We've Got Mail!

I had a couple of friends and relatives ask me about our address so that they could send us Christmas cards. I really appreciate them thinking about us from across the ocean. It sounds like a simple question, right? If you could hear our family, we'd all have a big laugh right now. What's our address? Yes, what is our address????? That is the question!!!!!

When we were purchasing our tickets to move here to Albania, it was going to be very expensive to bring luggage on the airplane. We ended up only bringing "personal bags" on the plane l. They had to be able to fit under the seat in front of us. This posed a HUGE problem for me. I had already narrowed down our belongings and planned on each of us being able to bring a small carry-on suitcase and personal bag. I figured that we would also pay to have three large suitcases checked. 

Edward said that we could ship some boxes over. I had it in my head that we could ship them a week or so before moving to a friend's apartment and hoped that they would be there when we arrived. 

Edward spoke to his friend who said that packages aren't delivered to their home. They pick them up at the post office. 

What???? What did he mean???? After all, we were living in the USA, where almost everything could be delivered...to the front door...any day of the week...sometimes.for free! 

During our first week here, really wanting to have our things shipped over and get them off of our dear friend's hands that we had left them with in America, I asked a real estate agent who was showing us a couple of houses, how we get things shipped over. His reply shocked me. He said that it would just need to say "Shkoder" on the package, with the postal code- 4001, and our phone number. He said that someone would call us when it arrived. What???? 

We have tried to figure out our address. There are sufficient street signs up, so that's not a problem. However, for the house number, I checked our rental agreement, figuring that it would be on there. It was a legal document that we had signed with the owner at a lawyer's office. No, it wasn't on that! Our oldest son was at the post office one day and was excited to see a map on the wall with house numbers on it. Much to his disappointment, our house number was so small, he couldn't read it. 

My sister-in-law told me that she had mailed many cards overseas and said that she would mail a Christmas card to us. I had told her that we hadn't received any letters here yet. I wasn't quite sure what would happen with a letter. Some of us had seen men delivering letters from time to time around the city on bicycles. I gave her a house number that my son believes is the right one.

We've had several packages successfully shipped over here. Edward will receive a call from someone at the post office notifying him that we have a package. He then makes sure that we pick it up.

I realized that I had given my sister-in-law my phone number, forgetting that I really am not prepared to speak Albanian with someone over the phone.

A few days ago, I was sitting around and my phone rang. The number was an unsaved Albanian number. I wondered if it was the post office. I answered the phone with an Albanian greeting. The man on the other line responded with a greeting as well, followed by a lot of words that I couldn't make out. I did hear something about "posta." I figured that we probably had to go pick up whatever it was at the post office. I decided to tell him that my husband speaks Albanian better than I do. I was about to give him Edward's number, but the call ended.

Within minutes, I received a text with this photo. 


Yay! It was a Christmas card with the familiar handwriting of my sister-in-law. There it was!! However, it looked like it was in his hand over the road. What did that mean? He then sent an image with a pin dropped with his location. I called him back and sent one of my sons to go meet him. He wasn't far, so I decided to go as well. 

I went around the corner, looked down our road, and there he was, on his bike, talking to my husband who was also on bike, returning home from an appointment. How did the carrier know that Edward was my husband? I waved to them. They talked for a little while and eventually headed towards us. He shook hands with us and my husband brought him to our house. He was very friendly. He told Edward that he was the only carrier for this area. We asked him what our house number was. He didn't know. 


We went inside, opened the card and enjoyed reading the note from my sister-in-law. My husband and I exchanged stories of our interactions with the mail carrier. My sister-in-law had put both of our numbers on the card, so after the carrier had talked to me, he had called Edward. He had also dropped him a pin, and that's how they met up.

It's rather funny to us. Nobody knows our address, not even our mail carrier. It's obviously not that important here. To pay our bills, we go to the phone and electric companies. Things like this help to keep life a little simpler, and I have no complaints about that!!!!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!
































































Friday, December 1, 2023

The End of an Era


As I mentioned in my post, "Our First Week Away from the US," our rental house in Tirana had an issue with mold. We found that it didn't seem to be affecting us if the windows were open. Obviously that is fine in warm weather, but when we visited there in September, I knew that when we would visit a month or so later, it would probably be too cold to leave the windows open.

We headed to Tirana on the first Saturday of November. It was sprinkling as we made the twenty minute walk to the city center. There they have one bus going to Tirana every hour. It costs about $4 per person for the two hour bus ride. 

When we make these trips, we are quite a site. People look at us as we walk by the shops and cafes. We are loaded down with luggage for our family of twelve to spend a week away. We have an older child pushing a stroller loaded down with as much as it will hold. Another grown child pushes our three-year-old in a different stroller. The other four youngest children are each holding the hand of a mature (or somewhat mature😉) family member.

It started pouring rain moments after we arrived at the outdoor bus station in Tirana. As we made the fairly short walk to another bus that would take us to the city's center, we did our best to avoid walking in the flowing water and deep puddles on the edge of the road. The day before, it had rained so much that the drain canal, or river, which runs through the city overflowed, flooding the streets pretty badly.

After the 10-15 minute ride to the center, we got off of that bus and walked through the pouring rain to the bus stop, which was missing its roof, to wait for the bus that would drop us off near our house. There were many other people, young and old, out in this rain. Our two umbrellas did very little to keep us dry. By the time we got on the bus, we were pretty wet and cold.

On our 5-10 minute walk to the house, my shoes and socks got completely soaked. My thick winter coat that I've been wearing for the past twenty, yes twenty, years became so saturated that I felt the cold water running down my sleeve. Somewhat "soaking" in the adventure of it all, I laughingly shouted above the noise of the pounding rain and the city streets, asking my family if anyone had shampoo. The rain had soaked the scarf that I had on my head and began to drench my relatively thick hair. 

Being from suburban America where nearly everyone gets around by personal vehicles, I don't remember ever being in such a situation. There's almost never a reason that one would have to stay out in the rain for so long without a shelter to escape to. 

When we arrived at the house, there was water streaming down the walls in four different places. 
The real straw that broke the camel's back was a fifth leak. Water was streaming out of a light fixture above our bed. Our blanket, sheets and mattress were soaked. 

Looking at the forecast for the upcoming week, it had mostly a 90° chance of rain, rain and more rain. The reason that we had chosen to go to Tirana that particular week is because Edward and our oldest two sons had tickets to fly to Bucharest, Romania to visit a man that they had recently met at a conference. They would be there for a few days with his family. 

Knowing ahead of time that it was supposed to be a rainy week, I had prepared to mostly stay in the house with the kids. We had bought a 1,000 piece puzzle and several young children and I each had crocheting projects that we intended to work on. I figured that we could find a place to buy firewood for the wood stove and enjoy a quiet and cozy week. 

With the present condition of the house, the very rainy forecast, along with Edward's upcoming absence, we debated what to do. Should we risk staying, or should those of us who wouldn't be going to Romania, head back to the bus for Shkoder, where the house would truly be dry and cozy? 

I hated to miss the few opportunities that we might have to go to church as well as to get together with friends. However, I couldn't see going out and getting completely soaked every time. Clothes dryers aren't standard here, as they are in America. They are nearly unheard of. It's hard to dry wet clothes out, especially when it's wet indoors and outdoors! We had only brought a limited amount of clothing for the week.

We were very cold and wet. Our younger kids were shaking from the cold. Many of the clothes in the luggage had also gotten wet. Those who needed to change did so. We had a light lunch as we decided what to do. The rain had stopped not long after we got to the house. The sun even came out. According to the forecast, we had a very short window of time before the rain would begin again. We had to make a decision quickly.

We decided to pack up and return to Shkoder. We also knew that we needed to get out of our rental agreement. Edward decided to come back with a friend who has a taxi service who could help us move our Tirana belongings back to Shkoder.

Twelve people, many of them being children, can make a big mess in a short amount of time. There were wet shoes, socks, and clothes strewn about. Amongst the frazzled chaos, I had our oldest two sons going around the house gathering any wet clothes or shoes and putting them in bags for us to take back with us on the bus. While they did that, I gave them instructions on gathering all of our Tirana belongings (dishes, pillows, and linens) to one spot to make it easier for Edward to grab and go once he returned with the taxi in a week or so. 

It was such a blessing that many in the family had left their warmest coats in Tirana throughout the summer, as we hadn't needed them, and tried to limit how much we traveled with on each trip. Several kids whose coats were soaked, had nice, warm, dry coats to wear on the way home. I was thankful to God for His providence in this.

As we were about to head out, it began to rain. We prayed, and thankfully we were able to make it to the bus and then finally back to our house in Shkoder without getting wet. 

It was so nice to feel the warmth of the house when we entered. It took several days to wash and dry everything out and get the house in order. Without a dryer and without sunshine, we hung clothes on drying racks and anywhere that we could. 

In the meantime, Edward and the boys stayed in the Tirana house for a few nights before heading to Romania. Thankfully the kitchen and largest bedroom were dry and comfortable, although somewhat musty.

By the time Edward and the boys returned from their trip to Romania, the Shkoder house was back in order. Not wanting to stay another night in the Tirana house, they had taken a taxi from the Tirana airport straight to the Shkoder house. They arrived just in time for us all to enjoy a special meal that we had cooked for them.

When Edward returned last week to get our belongings, he said that the house was much worse. The ceiling was hanging down and the mold was growing. 

As Edward has said about many things in our lives this past year, "It's the end of an era." We will miss our monthly or bi-monthly trips to Tirana. We enjoyed meeting with churches there and getting together with our friends. There were places that we looked forward to going to that we will miss. There are things that we can buy in Tirana that we can't get in Shkoder. We will save money without the extra monthly rental expense, so that is a bonus. I look forward to seeing what God's good plans are! 


You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!


http://iamonebook.com


https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing


https://www.waredesignworks.com


https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks


To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:


https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09


https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09


https://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/


To listen to different thoughts from Edward:


https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos


https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La


God bless you!


Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Trip to Rozafa Castle

 When we first arrived in Shkoder and were doing our explorations in the spring, we talked about going to the castle. However, it would be a rather long walk. The weather was starting to heat up, so I decided that we would hold off on going to the castle until the fall. 


Well, autumn is here. On the day that we ended up going, the weather couldn't have been better for the one hour walk there and then exploring the castle grounds. It was a gift from God.


TO SEE THE FULL PICTURE ON THE MOBILE VERSION YOU HAVE TO SLIDE YOUR FINGER TO THE LEFT ON ALL THE PHOTOS.




It is set way up high, 430 ft. above sea level, at the top of a very steep and rocky hill. The next picture is not mine, but one that I found online.



The oldest detected castle wall was built around 300 or 400 B.C.!!! So, the castle had its beginnings at least 2,300 years ago!! 



My favorite part of going to the castle was the opportunity to experience some incredible views with my family. Although we live pretty close to it, most of my days are spent in the house doing typical tasks, or on the flat city roads. It was amazing to get a different perspective of our surroundings. 


Thinking about that makes me think about Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." 


Let me preface this with saying that the pictures truly don't do it justice.



Off in the distance, you can see mountains and the south end of Shkodra Lake, the largest lake in eastern Europe. 




The castle is at the southern entrance to Shkoder. This emerald green river is one of two that runs around the city.



The view of the patchwork countryside was so picturesque. 



Even though my two oldest sons had just been there a few weeks earlier, my husband wisely thought that it would be best if they went with us to help with the younger children. It was a very good idea. There were many parts that had openings and then great drop offs. The windows in the wall shown below, were perhaps some of the most dangerous. 


The openings were on ground level and about 5 or 6 feet high. 



We spent hours there, looking out the many different windows, small openings, and look-outs all around the different areas of the castle. 




There were a couple of different tunnels and many beautiful archways.




This one below was my favorite, partly because of the two purple flowers growing out of the entrance, on the right. 




Inside this building, there is a museum as well as a restaurant. 












Taking in the countryside before we headed out. 


After being there for a few hours, we headed home. I had the new experience to have to pay (about $.50 per person) to use toilets just outside the castle grounds.



Along with a typical toilet, they had this "squatter!" That is something that I hadn't seen before, but my husband had told me is common for Albanian public restrooms. It flushes! 



We took a scenic and hilly route where we were able to see more views of the countryside a little closer.


As I said, it's definitely far better in person! You'll have to come see it for yourself! Tickets to Albania are pretty cheap during the fall and winter through http://kiwi.com/!;)



You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!


http://iamonebook.com


https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing


https://www.waredesignworks.com


https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks


To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:


https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09


https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09


https://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/


To listen to different thoughts from Edward:


https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos


https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La


God bless you!


Saturday, September 30, 2023

Our Works

We are thankful that Edward has been able to continue his business over here in Albania. Getting tools and the specific types of wood that he uses was a bit of a challenge. Most things aren't listed online. You can't just Google what you're looking for. There are no Home Depots, Lowe's, Walmarts, etc., but he's got it figured out now.


The house that we are renting has an outbuilding in the front yard that is about 20 feet from the house. It already had shelves that were perfect for workbenches (along with some funky paintings on the outside). We love having him nearby.



He makes and sells his own hardware online. A lot of people find him via etsy. com, but he also has his own website, http://waredesignworks.com.

His Instagram page is http://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/



This is where it all gets made. It's about 7'x10'.







If you looked at the links, you may have noticed our book, I Am One listed. We're doing what we can to get exposure for it. It's a children's book that Edward Jr. and I wrote. Edward Sr. illustrated it and got everything ready for production. We have several more books planned, but unless this one takes off, those will not happen.


I would love to have I Am One translated into many different languages. It's a book that fits the universal characteristics of one-year-olds. Board books (essential for toddler books), are expensive to produce and we are required to buy in bulk, so one order for us is quite an investment. If you know of anyone with a one-year-old in their family, day care, waiting room or library, maybe you could consider sharing our book with them. It can be purchased and viewed at 


https://iamonebook.com/


We have hard copies and a Kindle version on Amazon.


https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Joy-Carlton-ebook/dp/B079QKQLXJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=599Y4IO7OC24&keywords=i+am+one+Amy+and+Edward+Carlton&qid=1696061671&sprefix=i+am+one+amy+and+edward+carlton+%2Caps%2C281&sr=8-1


If it does well, it will free Edward up for the work of the gospel more, as it would be more of a passive income.


God has always provided, so we don't know what His plan for our future is but we have no need to worry. "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33



You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!


https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing


https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks


To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:


https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09


https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09



To listen to different thoughts from Edward:


https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos


https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La


God bless you!