Exactly 80% of those here in Ulcinj, Montenegro are Albanian, according to the many loud and proud who tell us this. In Podgorica, Serbian-Montenegrin culture and language dominates, but here, not so much.
Ahh, hearing the call to prayer today in the city center. Many a minaret atop the mosques reminded me of Morocco. The shape of the minarets here however, are more narrow, like a fairytale castle tower while in Morocco I first thought some I saw were bell towers.
Am I in Greece? Am I in Morocco? Am I in Poland? No, I am in Montenegro! It is European. It is Muslim. It is Christian. It is Slavic. It is rural, it is city, it is mountains, it is beaches…
Marko, our only male student, tells me everyone has a car. They prefer VW, Renault, or Citroen. This is true— I have not seen buses here in Ulcinj, but many cheap taxis. Just 12 euro between 4 people in a taxi to take us to the city center from our beach resort apartment area. Yes, hop right in!
How do you pronounce Ulcinj? Ool-chin? Ool-sing? Or the word for thank you, hvala? At first we thought it was like koala but with an h, at least this is what we heard in Podgorica, but now we think we hear the v more distinctly than the h. I guess it is like an international traveler who comes to Michigan, then Virginia, then Florida...Hearing so many different ways, which makes me unsure each time I try to say each. It certainly helps me conned to my students when they struggle to pronounce something in English.
Please, no more bread. Please no more bread. No pizza, no pastries. I need vegetables and meat please. Yay, we found kebab today. If only I could find avocados at the market. Lots of cucumbers though...mmm!
Humbled I am when Alfred the engineer who teaches math at the school and helps us with our technology explains they don’t have the USB cord for the MacBook because Macs are too expensive. What about my iPhone? My iPod? My Bose noise-canceling headphones?
Surprised I am that the movie theater is a few hours away in Podgorica. How many theaters can I drive to within 10-15 minutes at home?
Thankful I am for this experience— cultural connections, new friendships, lifelong learning— it has it all :)
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