August 25, 2018 by themeeseletters

Week 1 of School (Kind of)

We’ve survived our first week of training and planning. New teachers are officially integrated and all returning teachers have joined us as well. Next week holds a lot more focus on planning for us, somewhere between all the other activities that have been set up. A shopping trip, a sightseeing trip, a friendly game of volleyball, capped off with a meet-the-teacher night for parents and students.

Oh boy. . .

Both of us have reached a point where we are feeling kind of low as we look forward to the school year. Classroom situations aren’t the most ideal. Coming up with curriculum can easily feel like an overwhelming task.

I think the hardest part right now is that we can’t see results yet. We’ve put in a lot of work, but it doesn’t feel like any progress has been made. No matter how much we accomplish, there is always something else after that. I know I feel pressure to have the entire year planned out to extreme detail (because I like having a plan). But I am trying to remember that, while I shouldn’t be irresponsible, there is an element of flexibility necessary. A teacher must consider and respond to the students as they engage in the process of learning.

We are grateful for the community of other new teachers as we all find our feet in a new culture and career together. Veteran teachers have also gathered around us offering advice and encouragement in whatever ways the can find. Staff at the school are eager to help us every step of the way. The people around us have shown so much love through the smallest actions.

One group of teachers met up to walk down to what is known as the shesh, which is the main walking street in the city center. Once there, we walked into a restaurant which specializes in cake. And it did not disappoint. I have been especially thrilled by the recent introduction of Oreos to the country, which I took full advantage of here. The picture below also features the famous Kosova macchiato.

Surprisingly, some of the most heartfelt gratitude shown to us has come from the local people here. It is not uncommon to receive many thanks from Kosovars upon finding out that we are from the United States. In one extreme case, the proprietor of a small coffee shop we spontaneously walked into gave us our order on-the-house. Simply because of the aid the US gave to Kosova in gaining independence.

I cannot help but feel unworthy of such response. I was 7 when war broke out. Nashana was 3. We had no idea what was happening halfway around the world. But they experienced it and now hold such a strong desire to express their appreciation.

Pristina continues to feel more like home. Our apartment is becoming more our own. We feel confident moving around the city and finding what we need. Communication may not always be the most efficient, but we use what we know of Albanian and there seems to be an appreciation for it. So for now, we keep stepping forward.

August 20, 2018 by themeeseletters

Week 1 – Settling In

I severely underestimated how much we would sleep this past week.

One of the nine or so naps over the last seven days,

Seriously, the amount of rest the human body asks for when undergoing change seems ridiculous. As long as you don’t actually consider the details of the physical/emotional/spiritual transition, that is, and the energy that each requires. Then the copious amounts of sleep make perfect sense. “Sleep is for the weak!”; this used to be my motto. Any of our college friends will confirm that in a heartbeat. However, the silly motto died last week, as we identified in the last post that there can be no shortcuts to transition and that includes sleep. Ultimately we made the better of the two choices, I think.

The walk down the hill toward one of our favorite cafes.

Besides sleeping, this week consisted of the tricky yet somewhat enjoyable process of setting up a home in Kosova. We made multiple trips to phone stores in an effort to figure out why one of our sim cards worked and the other didn’t. We went on several exploratory adventures through different parts of Pristina, led by our kind and generous neighbors. We exchanged the cash we had brought for euros with a friendly fellow on the side of the road who “cut us a deal” after we refused his first offer. We learned the bus routes that are relevant to our lives right now, as well as where to find the 50 cent taxis.

The best 30¢ ice cream in town, according to Grace. And I’m not one to question ice cream!

Some of our kind neighbors drove us to the mall in search of a trash can, hangers, a fan, and a few other immediately necessary household items. Another neighbor showed us her favorite ice cream shop and vegetable stand. Our apartment has gone through three transitions as we set things up, then take them down to set them up somewhere else. We went grocery shopping at approximately three different stores, buying only a few items at a time due to the fact that we had to carry whatever we bought and walk at least four blocks back to our apartment.

Stage Two of Unpacking: Finding a home for everything

But don’t forget, this was all over the period of seven days. And for every hour we spent running errands, I’d bet we spent about three hours sleeping afterward trying to catch up on energy.

One of many lovely sunsets from our balcony.

The whole week wasn’t all work, however. About halfway through the week, we were starting to recognize the need for a break when our friends Heather and Caleb invited us out to visit their new apartment in a village about an hour away. The hour-long bus ride afforded another nice nap, and the rest of the adventure was equally refreshing.

Caleb and Heather graciously treated us to a lovely lakeside lunch and we got to snuggle with their little sweetheart.

Side note, the coolest part of lunch was hands down Bryan’s cook-your-own-meat-on-a-lava-rock order. We had no idea that was what it meant when the menu said the meat was served on a lava rock. But it was pretty awesome and tasted Ama-zing.

We spent the afternoon milking our after-lunch coffees (a cultural habit that we have been enjoying immensely), enjoying the lake breeze, and exploring the lake on a rented paddle boat.

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It was a much-needed reprieve from the city, and we returned home feeling ready to tackle a few more tasks. After another nap, that is.

All in all, the process of settling in has slowly begun to produce fruits. This apartment is beginning to feel like a home, we’re slowly becoming familiar faces at our favorite grocery stores and coffee shops, and we made it to the bus stop on time today.

Even though the week kinda felt like a long nap with lots of little breaks, I’d say we’re doing pretty good.

August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 by themeeseletters

Shortcuts in Kosova Always take longer

Our new friend and coworker repeated this phrase about a half dozen times during our first weekend here. Whether a cultural saying or a personal motto, the phrase stuck in our heads and we’ve repeated it several times this week as we find ourselves considering: why take the normal route when we can try the shortcut instead?

Our mission this week has been settling into our new home. And we’ve faced the temptation to seek out the shortcuts. Adjusting to sleep schedules (or not adjusting and simply sleeping til mid-morning); setting up phone contracts, bank accounts, and internet. Finding grocery stores, coffee shops, butcher stores, and bakeries. Adapting to the set (and yet fluid) schedule of public transportation. Plenty of opportunities to seek out shortcuts.

Spoiler alert: Shortcuts in Kosova always take longer.

Everything is accomplished in its own due time, and seeking a shortcut has often elongated the process. This lesson has been learned with patience this week as we settle emotionally, not just physically, into a new culture. This week was set aside to work through details and to work through emotions. The past few months have been busy: graduation, marriage, moving overseas to establish a home and ministry together. That’s a lot of change on top of the stresses of living in a new culture. All of it good, but all of it hard.

We have both experienced this process of adjusting through previous international internships. But setting up a new home brings its own unique challenges. Annoying cultural practice? We can handle that for a couple of months. Spotty internet connection? Not a problem for a few weeks. Interesting foods? Completely doable when we’re going home soon. But living here? Potentially for years? You better believe we want to make the process of adjusting quicker and easier.

But as they say: Shortcuts are always longer.

We kept falling prey to the lie that shortcuts work. In the end, we cannot shortcut the processing of change, the sorrow of loss, the development of relationships, or the understanding of a new place that we are learning to call home. We cannot shortcut our own emotions or the journey that it takes to learn from them. We cannot shortcut the growing of our faith, our character, our trust, and our purpose

It’s been easy to feel like this week was a waste of time. Easy to believe the lie that we could shortcut jet-lag, learning a new city, or the emotional process of change. But we can’t. In fact, the attempt always ends up taking longer.

Take the time.

Feel the feelings.

Embrace the tension.

That’s what we’re learning this week. Choosing the long, painful route has already begun to produce a refreshing peace and renewed sense of purpose. We still have a way to go. And it may seem like a waste of time, but we’re learning that the end result is worth the effort.

The Meese Letters

A life of journeys in pursuit of Christ.

Month / August 2018

Week 1 of School (Kind of)

Week 1 – Settling In

Shortcuts in Kosova Always take longer