July 3

Hello All,
A lot has happened since my last blog. We are quite busy and getting to the internet cafe has been a little more difficult than I had planned. Also, when I get to the cafe it is usually after 10:00 p.m and quite crowded; thus, the speed of the computers is very slow.
The good news is most of our bags have arrived. We are still missing Jill's (our) cosmetic bag! So, our hair is not as bouncy nor conditioned as it should be. One of the OC student's bags was supposedly delived to Alfred Zike's house yesterday; however, when we finally were able to acquire the bag we discovered it was not the correct bag. Lord willing, the student's bag will arrive today -- it is supposed to. We are cautiously optimistic.
We just had a visit from Jonida's aunt -- the pediatrician. Hallie had a fever a couple of days before our departure from the U.S. We thought she was all better but her fever had returned last night. So, Jonida and Jonida's sister helped us get in contact with the aunt who made a house visit to us. She too thinks Hallie just has a virus that needs to run its course. The doctor also noticed some redness in Hallie's right ear. So, she traveled to the pharmacy with Alfred and me to make sure Hallie got the right medication. (Hallie is really not feeling that bad but she and Jill are ready for her to be 100%). When we tried to pay Jonida's aunt for her services, she said, "We are family", and wouldn't accept any payment. Helen did give a nice Keepsake Candle however! Papa (big Quinton) said, "It is nice to have family in Albania."
Back to Sunday when I left off from earlier, we rested some after our early morning activities. Church services began at 6:30 p.m. with fellowship. Alfred's wife brought a cake and cold drinks -- even ice. We met several Albanian members and joined the in an Albanian worship service at 7:00. I would estimate there were about 25 in attendance. Alfred led singing and brought the lesson. We then took a break between services. Dad was whisked away for a spot of coffee with one of the members but made it back before the English service started. The AIM team from the other Durres church came for this service. Our family knows Sarah Everett -- the AIMer from Bartlesville. I led some songs and Alfred presented his lesson in English this time -- he's a busy man. (Alfred is also immune to the heat we are experiencing. We spoiled Americans are in a half-meltdown mode but he never breaks a sweat!) After the services our OC students and the AIM team went to eat supper together and our family found a fastfood restaurant serving hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries! (You can take the family out of America but you can't take the American out of the family!)
On Monday Alfred took our group (minus Quin, Hallie, and Jill) to Durres for a good part of the day. We rented a van for the bulk of the group and Quinton rode with Alfred in his Jeep Cherokee. Our first stop was the Roman ampitheater. This apitheater is dates back to 200 A.D. and is quite impressive. We walked through the underground passageways and climbed on the seating areas. There is no fee to enter and tour the amp. There are tall Roman walls near to the amp. The ampitheater is still under excavation. A team of Albanian and Italian university students were working in an area just to the south of the theater. We then walked down to the Durres history museum which was supposed to be open on Mondays (Alfred had confirmed this earlier) but was closed today. From the museum we walked down by the Adriatic shore and found a sea side restaurant for lunch -- more pizza! While waiting for our pizza to arrive Alfred shared with us about the history of Albania. After lunch we exchanged dollars for Euros (to pay for our rent) and then stopped by an Albanian supermarket. Helen bravely bought her first portion of ground beef (which we ate today in Hamburger Helper). We returned back to Durres Beach area for a short rest before our evening activities.
On Monday evening a van took our group to Tirana (the capital of Albania and Alfred's city of residence) for supper at the Zike's home. Adriana, Alfred's wife, had a feast prepared for us -- stuffed egg plant (which Darin, not a huge eggplant fan, found quite good), stuffed peppers, roast beef, meat balls, broccoli, Greek salad, fruit salad, potatoes, watermelon, cake, and ice cream. We dined outside under the shade of grape vines and branches of fruit trees. We all ate until we were quite full and there were still platefulls of leftovers. Adriana is a great cook and hostess. After chatting with the family we drove back to Durres Beach around 9:00. All of the Martins, except for Jill, fell asleep on the van ride home.
Sleep update -- We are still way off schedule! On Monday Quin was up at 3:00 a.m. -- along with Darin -- and then took a "nap" from 5:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. when Jill woke him up! On Tuesday morning all the Martins were up at 3:30 a.m.! We are trying to limit the slumber time today in efforts to get back on a normal sleep schedule...we'll see.
I ventured out on my first run today (being that I was up early enough to avoid the heat). On the Martin's previous early morning walk we discovered the beach is a popular spot even at dawn. So, I decided to join my Albanian friends on the beach this morning. I headed out about 6:00 and found the beach already crowded. Albanians love to walk and they love their beach. Young, old, families, singles, dogs, workers are all out very early. I saw fellow runners in flip-flops! The beach sand is almost like fine powder and packed down; so the running is not as difficulty as one might think running on sand might be. I was encouraged to see an effort being put forth to clean up the beach area. (Apparently the Adriatic Sea is used as a dumping ground for solid and liquid waste. We have been advised not to swim in the Sea...we may do some wading.) Workers were raking debris and waste into piles and workers on trash trucks were scooping the piles onto the trucks. I don't know if this trash gets taken back out to sea or not.
At 10:00 a.m. today our group met with Alfred. He explained to us about the English/Bible lessons we would soon be leading. The OC students begin their lessons tonight at 5:00. The Martins are scheduled to go back to Tirana for supper at Jondia's family's home.
One final note. It appears that our apartments are at the epicenter of Durres Beach night-life. While being in a great location -- close to church, internet, shops, and beach -- we are also sandwiched between the 2-3 loudest outdoor night clubs/restaurants you can imagine. They rock hard from 9:00 p.m. to .... There are also 1000's of vacationers -- mostly Albanian -- walking the streets in the evening and nite time. All the shops are busy and the traffic is steady. Lots of excitement!
Final, final note. We have been pleased that our children have not caused any time of coup or anti-American revolt here in Albania. Even though they are sleep deprived they have behaved quite well...let's hope this continues! Quin loves playing with the OC boys!
Take care and please remember us in your prayers...
Darin