Avash Avash!

From Elevate (middle school chapel) on Friday afternoons.

Thank you all for your prayers these first 5 weeks of school. I’ve been intentional about easing myself into a teaching groove while readjusting to an Albanian pace of living. As uneasy as it can feel to culturally slow down when first-year teaching requires a little more brainpower than I expected, I gladly embrace the drawn-out coffees where I nurse a small 60 cent macchiato over the course of an hour, quiet evenings spent on my balcony and the social spontaneity I dearly missed living in the US. My Albanian mantra has been ‘avash, avash’- slowly, slowly. No rush.

view from my bedroom window (peak is Mali i Gamititit, 3960ft)

Teaching has greatly increased a natural instinct to develop daily rhythms for wellbeing I think I was lacking without the set structure of a school-day. It seems like now is the right time to give habit the respect it’s due! I have a pretty standard morning routine leaving home at 7am to drive to school, sitting for my quiet time at a local coffee shop before staff prayer at 7:50, 7th grade homeroom at 8:15. I’ve been implementing themed homerooms- mindful Monday, trivia Tuesday, worship Wednesday, thinking Thursday (these kids are ridiculously good at riddles). I’ve appreciated the space to engage the group outside of a structured history class. There’s a lot of good potential steeped in this fairly small class that I’d love to see condensed into some sustainable maturity in the long run.

I teach three periods of World History, three of US History, and K-8 Library classes scattered in between. Juggling two fairly under-planned history courses on top of a library has been stretching mostly from a classroom management standpoint. I could always be a little more prepared, engage the students a little more on the material, invest more time in one-on-one relationship with who I’m teaching… but the words that seem to be echoed by every teacher I’ve talked to are pretty relieving- no lesson you teach is ever going to be the perfect lesson for every student. I could probably also step back and remember I’ve only been teaching for 5 weeks. Avash avash.

K-8 field day last Friday

God has settled many of the initial concerns I had moving back to Albania. As much as my country has transformed in the 5 short years I made the US my home, Albania is very much the same place I left in 2017 besides the large influx of tourists (which I’m having more of a shock with than I thought) and a multitude of new cafes (no complaints here- I think I’ve found my ‘spot’). I’ve had opportunities to meet new people, talk faith with believers and unbelievers alike, the quiet to pray and the daily activity to be stretched and challenged in areas I have plenty of space to grow in.

A couple of prayer requests:

1. For patience when challenged by students in the classroom. Recognizing I have a pretty low tolerance for disruption and I’m praying for wisdom on how to approach it with grace.

2. For my 12 boys in World History, 11 students in US History

3. Spending a lot of time on the influences and spread of religion in globalization- how it builds up empires and can also lead to the clash and death of civilizations. Beginning to discuss Christian missions/conversion from the Old World to the New World in US History, Confucianist philosophy and Buddhism in World History. Pray that the Holy Spirit would put truth in my mouth, that I’d be able to navigate these difficult conversations with confidence and proclaiming the truth of Scripture in a confused world.

4. That I would continue to build life-giving personal rhythms/habits that are based on biblical practices, that it would have a positive impact on how I approach my ministry at GDQ.

I’m planning on writing a more frequently on a variety of more in-depth moments. Stay tuned!