Life in Albania

It has been so hectic that I have not had the chance to even describe what's happening here in Albania. Before I start, Dave is doing well - he said post-surgery this time is easier than last time. This could be because he is in a London hospital, being fed and looked after properly. Before, he had to rely on his wife for everything (even food, if you can imagine). Anyway, we are hoping he will be in a hotel or flat by Sunday or Monday at the latest. Then, we just have to see how his eye progresses and how long it takes the gas bubble to dissipate. Taylor and I are so ready for him to be home. He's been gone for only a few days, but it feels like months already.

Since our arrival in Albania, we have learned many things. First, the unemployment rate is around 25-30%. So, there is no shortage of people who need jobs and are willing to work for American families. During the first weekend, we met many of our neighbors, American and otherwise. We arrived on Friday - by Sunday, we had an agreement with 2 other families to share their driver, Adnand. He does not have a car, but uses their cars to take their children to school. He is also a full-time driver for one of the families, meaning that he is "on call" essentially to take them or their kids, friends, etc. anywhere. So, Taylor now rides to school with Adnand and 3 other kids.

Adnand's wife is a housekeeper. She works for a family in the afternoons, but was looking for more work in the mornings. So, she is coming to our house on Tuesday and Friday mornings to clean. Her first day was this past Tuesday, so Dave was already gone, she came on her own, without Adnand, and she speaks no English. We did lots of pointing and gesturing and po (yes) and jo(pronounced yo which means no) and she got most of it. I can't say that I did. Today, she called Alba one of our OPDAT Albanian attorneys to say that Zeta was not feeling well. From the conversation as relayed to me, I think Zeta was having a seizure in front of her. Cross your fingers that she doesn't quit out of pure fright. When she arrived this morning, she brought roses from her garden. I don't yet have vases here, but found some jars that worked just fine.

After Dave left at 3:00 am on Monday, I had to locate someone to stay with Taylor in the afternoons. For a couple of days, she stayed with American neighbors down the street - Jenn and Shane. They have 3 kids and a wonderful housekeeper named Teuta (tay-oo-ta) who loves Taylor. Now, I've hired a 28-year-old teacher from Taylor's school - she teaches pre-K, has a college degree in early childhood education, came here from Belgrade with another American family, and was looking for after school work. So, this worked perfectly for both of us, and Taylor just loves her. Also, she cooks, which is wonderful for both of us - now we won't starve waiting on Dave to return. Taylor has made many friends, American, Albanian, Canadian, Spanish, etc. She is having a blast so far - it's like she's lived here for years.

As for me, I hit the ground running. My very first day was the beginning of a Financial Investigative Techniques seminar that Melissa (the other Resident Legal Advisor) had previously scheduled. We had an opening ceremony with the Ambassador and the Albanian Prosecutor General speaking. The Ambassador used this forum to express his support of the PG's investigation into the Gerdec explosion (an ammunition depot which was decommissioning weapons and ammunition exploded just before we arrived here, killing 25 people, wounding over 300 and destroying hundreds of homes in a village just outside Tirana). Because the Ambassador spoke, there was huge press coverage. He also introduced me during his remarks, so all cameras were on me at some point. At the end of the opening ceremony, the cameras kept coming to me and just filming - as I said, quite a first day. Thereafter, for that first week, Melissa and I attended and participated in training prosecutors and police officers in Tirana. The next week, same thing in Durres, a city on the Adriatic about 40 miles from Tirana. We drove there and back every day - and it takes much longer to get anywhere here. So, it was a long week. That weekend on Sunday is when Dave's eye problems began.

In the midst of all of this, Dave worked for 2 days editing a proposal for Terre des Hommes, a nonprofit organization working to stop trafficking of women and children. When documents are translated from Albanian to English, they usually require much editing to make them comprehensible. Dave did a fine job, and got a phone call from UNICEF since he's been in London to perform the same type of work for them.

This week, Dave left on Monday, surgery for him on Tuesday evening, while speaking with his surgeon at 10:00 Tuesday night, lightning struck very near our house and knocked out not only the power but tripped the GFI circuit on our generator. So, no power for the next 12-16 hours after that. Also this week, I've participated in budget meetings, country team meetings, meetings with Albanian officials, meeting with a State department person from DC who is very involved in funding OPDAT in general and my position in particular, and talking to Dave and the very able medical coordinators at the US Embassy in London who are his lifeline to the world at the moment.

Since we arrived here, the Albanian people have been fabulous. They absolutely love Americans, love that we are here trying to help them make their country a better place to live, and they love children. I mentioned that I had just read a fiction book about a school shooting, and was told that nothing like that would ever happen here. The reason - whomever did the shooting would be killed, as would a relevant number of his relatives - there are actually criminal laws regarding blood feuds - which still happen here a lot. One of the markers for getting to our neighborhood is to take a left past the blood feud house - it's now abandoned, but that is what it's called. Apparently, in a blood feud, you can't actually go in someone's house to kill them. You have to wait for them to come out. So, people were holed up in this house for years just to stay alive.

That's all for now - thanks to everyone who has sent e-mails. I have not responded to them all because I simply have not had the time. If I ever get internet at home, then I will have a Vonage phone with a Maryland phone number (301-560-4540) and will have internet access. I truly appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers - I've tried to keep Dave informed of all the people asking about him.

Love to everyone,
Cindy

Update on Dave

Dave was examined by the surgeon last night and passed the first test - that is, he could see the hand waving in front of his eye. Luckily, he is very familiar with this process, having gone through it in December. He is also following doctor's orders on staying in position (on his stomach, head turned to the right) - maybe a little too well. The doc told him to get up and move around some more today. Although the orders say to remain in that position for 50 minutes of every hour, the reason they give such orders is that most people fail to follow them and only stay in position maybe 15 minutes an hour. So, he gets to walk around some today.

I'm going to talk with the London embassy health officer this afternoon to determine what we may be able to do to get him out of the hospital. They have a flat close to the embassy for medevac folks which is within walking distance. So, as soon as the whole positioning thing is over, he may be able to go there.

Taylor's new babysitter, Violeta, is great. Yesterday was her first day, and she made orange muffins (wanted to make a cake, but we don't yet have a cake pan here). She's 28 and Taylor really likes her as do I. Taylor has been working with her new friend Eliza on a joint science project - something about using different liquids on seeds to determine what makes them grow best - so far, I think they've used water, orange juice, diet coke, and maybe something else. They also have to taste them, which she did last night.

I have not said much about my job, but it has been one big whirlwind so far. I just returned from a meeting with Prosecutor General Ina Rama, who is heading up the investigation into the Gerdec explosion. My fellow Resident Legal Advisor, Melissa Schraibman, and her family are leaving tomorrow for a much needed, 10-day vacation to Florence and Rome. So, I'll be here holding down the fort while she's gone. Luckily, our OPDAT staff are two very well-trained Albanian attorneys - Alba and Bruna - so, I'm fortunate to have their help.

Will post more later,
Cindy

Surgery Went Well

I spoke to Dave and his surgeon last night - they did not use any anesthesia, only local, so he was very coherent. Surgery went very well. They did not remove the cataract, and were able to use a gas bubble, rather than the more complicated silicon method, to stabilize the retina post-surgery. Like his last surgery, this one requires him to be in a certain position for the next 5-10 days. He is on his stomach with his head turned to the right - this will keep the bubble pushing against the place where the retina was reattached and hopefully hold everything in place. I also spoke with him this morning, and he is in good spirits and doing well.

Taylor and I are hanging in there. We had a terrible thunderstorm here last night, and our power went out. Usually, the generator kicks right in and there is no problem - last night, of course, that did not happen, and as of this moment, still no power. Taylor, Zeta and I all piled in the bed together and the storm continued for quite some time. I'm sporting a new hairdo today, which thankfully, no one has commented on. We forget how much we rely on hairdryers, etc. Keep all of us in your prayers.

I will post more later,
Cindy

Update on Dave

I spoke with Dave last night around 10:30 Tirana time (9:30 London time). He had just been seen by the surgeon, Dr. Zambarakji. If you click on the link below, you can read a little bit about the surgeon. http://www.arnotteye.com/people/zambarakji.htm. His eye surgery on December 21 was to repair about 5 tears in his retina. Dr. Zambarakji told him that in about 10-15% of cases such as his, there will be a subsequent detachment in a different place. This detachment is in an entirely different area and is a complete detachment, which apparently was not the case last time. Surgery is scheduled for 6:00 pm London time (7:00 pm Tirana) today (April 22).

There are several possibilities with the surgery. To keep the repair in place in his previous surgery, the surgeon put a gas bubble in his eye to put pressure on the repair sites. Because he has a complete detachment, this may not be possible, and the surgeon will not know until he is operating. If he cannot use a gas bubble, he has to put some sort of silicon gel or cream in the eye, which must then be removed (I think several weeks later), and the removal is another surgical procedure. Another issue is Dave has a cataract on that eye - having surgery aggravates a cataract, so even though it was very small and did not interfere with his vision before his last surgery, it has now grown since then. So, if the surgeon cannot get a good view, he will also have to remove the cataract and replace the lens, which prolongs and complicates the surgery.

The surgeon is supposed to call me post-surgery, which will probably be around 10:00 pm Tirana time, at the earliest. If any of the above described issues come to pass, the surgery will take longer. So, it looks like I will be having a late night.

Dave is in the hospital, and they will keep him there post-surgery (unlike the US, the Europeans appear to be more civilized about hospital stays). He was pretty much incapacitated after the last surgery, so we are hoping they keep him there as long as possible. I will post an update tomorrow after the surgery.

Send good thoughts and prayers towards London.

Cindy

Here we go again

We now know what the term medevac means. Dave woke up on Sunday morning and his vision was closing in on his right eye. He said it was like someone was pulling a shade from the top down and another one from the bottom up. He waited until my first cup of coffee before he broke the news to me, and then said "I've got some bad news." Well, given that water and electricity are sporadic in Albania, the medical situation is not good. So, the medical officer here decided to medevac him to London. Dave took a commercial flight this morning around 5:00 am (left home at 3:30 am) to London, and is now safely ensconced at the Wellington Hospital (minus his luggage). So, he has no clean underwear with him, but hopefully since he's in the hospital, he won't need it for awhile. I'm still waiting to hear from him later today after he is seen by the surgeon, Dr. Zambarakji. If you click on the link below, you can read a little bit about the surgeon. http://www.arnotteye.com/people/zambarakji.htm

I will post more on here as soon as I know more. Taylor, Zeta and I remain in Albania. I could not go with him because of Taylor, dog, work, etc. Dave is much calmer about this than I am, which is true about most things. I'm not sure who all may be reading this, but if you know someone who would like to know this information, please feel free to forward it on. Send good thoughts our way. More later.

Cindy

Welcome to Albania

We made it to Albania, and the only one who slept on the plane was Zeta. Taylor watched movies the whole time, and Dave and I took turns holding the dog. It has been a whirlwind since we arrived on Friday. We went immediately to our new home, and it was almost finished (no yard yet, but it's coming). Someone from the welcoming committee had a lasagna in the fridge, so we cooked that for dinner. Taylor loves her room, the house and Albania. We went to bed early, but Taylor and Dave got up again at 2:30 a.m. and had more pizza - Taylor reported that this was breakfast, and Dave had wine for breakfast. They stayed up a couple of hours, then went back to bed around 4:30. Zeta and I did NOT join them.

On Saturday, Dave and Taylor went to the grocery with Jen, another American mom down the street. That night, we went to dinner with my DOJ colleague, Melissa, at a really great place called Sofra Et Arint (or something like that). On Sunday, Dave and Taylor went to the Ambassador's residence for a cookout and easter egg hunt, while Melissa and I met with some U.S. agents who are here to do training of Albanian prosecutors this week. Then, we joined everyone at the Easter Egg hunt. In true Taylor fashion, she met a little girl named Liza, and went home with her that afternoon for a few hours to play. She came home and saw Albanian kids playing soccer in front of our house, so she joined them. She learned the Albanian words for ball, play and a couple of other things (I have no clue what they are). Then, we all went to a cocktail party at the home of a woman from Switzerland down the street - she was welcoming her German husband back after his having been working in another country for the past year.

Today, I went to work, and Dave went with Taylor to school. He said that his presence was not necessary since she immediately ditched him and went off to class. Dave and I had a security briefing this afternoon, and now have our new badges. Oh, and this morning at the training class of the new unit I'll be working with, the ambassador spoke, introduced me as the new Anti-Corruption Advisor, and shortly thereafter, I had a number of cameras in my face. Many of you know that I always refused TV interviews in Mississippi - although I wasn't interviewed, getting away from the cameras is not an option.

I'm writing this on a computer at the embassy - we don't have Internet access at home yet, but we will soon. Write to us at our gmail accounts - we'd love to hear from everyone.

We're Off to Albania

It's April 3 and the day is finally here.  We all passed our medical exams, we've gotten a number of vaccinations (resulting in sore arms for Taylor and me), and we're finally off to Albania.  I've been involved in "briefings" for the past week and a half, and Dave has been working on getting us packed out a ready to go.

We've been staying with our neighbors for about a week now, so I'm sure they're glad this day is here.  We leave for the airport at 2:30 EST, and our plane leaves around 6:00.  We'll post as soon as we can in Albania to let folks know we made it.

Taylor just reminded me that we have not said anything about her  on this blog.  So, Taylor says hello to all her buddies who might be reading this - she is very excited, all packed up and ready to be on the plane.  She will soon be posting on here also to let everyone know what's going on.

We hope to hear from some of you soon,

Cindy