Saturday, April 20, 2019, 4:07pm
What a lovely, warm, sunny morning! And what better way to spend it than with my favorite students? To celebrate the end of my service with my Model United Nations and Youth Council groups, my host sister Serena and I organized a low-key hike out to the village of Leshice for volleyball, a small bonfire, and relaxation!
Serena and I left together from the house with a huge volleyball net in tow around 10:15am, and when we arrived at our meeting place in the neighborhood, nearly a dozen students had already arrived. Not everyone was there just to say goodbye to me, but my most active students all showed up, and some of their friends came along for the ride, as well.
So it was a loud, excited group that took off from Permet! Volunteers Brianne and Paloma had arrived from Kelcyre, and I chatted with Bri the entire way to the church. The sun was almost uncomfortably warm as we walked the long, unshaded road to Leshice, and even though I run on the village path almost every other day, I still found the scenery beautiful and the experience wonderfully relaxing.
Arriving at the hidden church, we walked through a bright green canopy into a field strewn with wildflowers. It was so picturesque and secluded, and I felt like I could stay there literally all day. The students wasted no time digging into their prepared snacks. My Model UN students Kleiton and Gezim prepared a fire while Marjan led the other boys in setting up the volleyball net. And the girls took lots of pictures. Pretty typical for Albania.
With everyone relaxed in the shade, Paloma pulled out her ukulele, which she’d brought from home. She definitely impressed all the students, who tried out the instrument for themselves and took pictures with it.
When the food had been eaten and everyone had settled in for the afternoon, the students started up a round of volleyball. I played for awhile, standing in the back and hoping not to be noticed, but after a bit, I tapped out to take pictures and make flower crowns.
The fun continued on for hours with students breaking off to do mini-photoshoots, play cards, relax, or grill qofte. It was a super laid back atmosphere, and everyone kind of just did as they pleased, laughing together and singing songs at the top of their lungs. By about 2:30pm, everyone was wiped and ready to return home. Before wrapping up, I stood up on a rock and thanked the students for two beautiful years, we took a group picture, and that was that!
I walked back part of the way with Marjan and Gezim, who told me about their plans to run a Model UN team with or without a volunteer, which made my heart truly happy since it means at least one of my activities is actually sustainable. Wishing them the best of luck, I told them to reach out to me for letters of recommendation any time.
Then I sort of ended up walking alone at my own pace, reflecting on the past two years. As I looked at the backs of my star students walking away into the great unknown, I felt a burst of pride. They’ve all accomplished amazing things, and I know their futures are bright. I’m sad I won’t be able to help them achieve their goals every step of the way, but I’ll be cheering them all on from across the world or wherever it is I end up.
BONUS: Check out my other photos from the event!
Uprooted Abroad 