Albania - Day 6 & 7

Our oldest daughter, Kaleo, is currently in the country of Albania with one of our pastors and his family.  She is serving the family as a volunteer mother’s helper.  The M family has traveled with their three young girls to adopt a special needs baby from Albania.  Albania is unique in that the family must be in country for all of the court dates, etc.  This is approximately two – three months.

Elbasan, Albania

Albania – Day 6 & 7

Wow, sounds like you guys had an exciting day!!  I enjoyed seeing the pictures from Science class that Mrs. Smith sent out!  It is Saturday here so, ‘Happy Birthday’ Kainoa! :)   It rained hard the first part of the day here, but after lunch the sun came out and it was a pretty day:)

Mr. M took Hannah out for a daddy-daughter date, and Mrs. M and I took the little girls shopping.  We finally got some meat to cook up for dinners!  I am learning more Albanian every day.  I know how to say eggs, bread, excuse me, sister, daddy, mommy, how are you, very good!


Yesterday morning while Mr and Mrs. M were at the orphanage, Hannah helped me experiment and we made French toast for breakfast. We both decided it would taste better with cinnamon, but they were surprisingly good!  After we cleaned up, we had a tea party. Then we had a little Tae Kwon Do class and Hannah loved it!


When Mr. And Mrs. M got home, we all had lunch and then went out.  Mrs. M and I went out separately from Mr. M.  On our way home, we decided to try a short cut, but ended up getting very turned around.  We did get to see a lot of the town.  After a while, though, it got hot and our feet started hurting!  

Elbasan neighborhood

Eventually, Mr. M called Mrs. M - he and Hannah had gotten lost as well!   Mrs. M and I were both praying that God would lead us to our apartment, or some way to get there.  

On the other side of the street, Mrs. M spotted a large taxi that could hold all of us, the stroller, and all the groceries.  The only problem was that the driver spoke no English.  Mrs. M had Mr. M text her the Albanian word for ‘mosque’ (we stay near a Muslim church) and ‘castle.’  The driver didn't understand and pretty soon we had about 10 people surrounding us – everyone trying to help.

The driver finally told us to get in the car. He called someone on the phone and handed it to Mrs. M. She knew enough Albanain to get us to where we needed to go.  We ended up back at our apartment safe and sound, just tired.

Once on the elevator, we both laughed. So much for a short cut!  But we did have an Albanian adventure! 

We got to the orphanage a  bit late.  In addition to baby M, the care takers brought in the same two babies from yesterday, plus one more. The other little girl was three and also has Down Syndrome.  We had SOO much fun with the kids!

Orphanage: Hannah M playing with some little ones. We can't show their faces.

When we were getting ready to go, one of the caretakers said it was raining too hard and they were getting someone to drive us back.  We tried to tell her that we would be fine, but she insisted we wait for the sake of the children!  So, back up stairs we went, and spent the next 10 minutes playing in the room full of babies!  We had so much fun!

Dinner was ground beef, bread, beans, tomatoes, and carrots.  It was really good!  We bought some fruits and veggies at a stand on our way home earlier. It was $2.30 total to buy kiwis, tangerines, tomatoes, carrots and onions!  

After dinner we prayed and got the girls to bed.  Now we are starting a new day and I will hopefully talk to you all tomorrow!


Love you,

Kaleo:)

                         -----------------------------

Excerpt from Mrs. M:

Today, was our seventh day of bonding. Sadly, our little one had a fever today and was not feeling well. We thought something was off because we were not receiving as many smiles and as much eye contact. The caregivers are aware and providing quality care.

Bonding with our pumpkin has been a true treasure. We get to see how our little one interacts with caregivers and their interaction in turn. We have seen more and more smiles, arms being raised up to be held, great eye contact and recognition of us when we arrive at the orphanage. It has been such a blessing!

We are enjoying our time in Albania. The girls are enjoying learning Albanian and taking lots of opportunities to practice the language. (Mr. M) has gone and bought many items on his own practicing the language. Purchasing items at the little shops here is not like in the US, you have to ask for the shopkeeper to give you the item. Knowing the name goes a long way.

The little shop in our apartment building is set up this way and we have started building a relationship with the shopkeeper. She asks about our girls if we do not have them with us. It is very sweet! Everyone is being very accepting and kind with all our girls, Elle and her facial nevus included. They receive constant kisses from strangers and tolerate it well. Essie is even smiling when she receives a kiss. This is a testimony to God’s healing in her heart.