Mace, mace...

No, not mace...mace (pronounced sort of like matzia). Which means "cat" in Albanian. And is the first line of a little Albanian children's rhyme that I memorized a while back and my mommies FINALLY captured on video. And there's a guest appearance by my favorite fox stuffed animal (thanks Jai!).

Enjoy!



oh...and an update from the mommies....all is still well in Albania. Regional disturbances and embassy protests are only happening in areas where there are significant Serb populations. Nothing nearby, and no sense that anything would happen here. Everyone here is happy about Kosovo.

Gëzuar Pavarësinë Kosovë! Happy Independence Kosovo!

So, as I'm sure you've all heard, as of Sunday, Kosovo is a brand new country! As a little sort-of Albanian boy, I'm pretty happy for our next door neighbor. I hear my mommies talking about it all, and it sounds like Kosovo, Serbia, and the Balkans in general are pretty complicated. And, of course, it's really complicated right now. As far as I can tell from everything they're saying (they don't think I understand, but I do!), they don't seem worried about the situation in Albania. No one is protesting here (only celebrating!) and there is really no Serbian population here--but I'm pretty sure my mommies and everyone else at the embassy are keeping a close eye on everything that has been going on nearby.

But as for me, I wore my Albania pants on Sunday when we went out in the freezing cold to see the scene around town. Lots and lots of Albanian and American flags everywhere. And a giant sign put up by the Albanian government in front of the American embassy. ('Kosova e lire' means 'Free Kosovo').

Helicopter ride with Oscar and his sister Lucy!!

I promise that I didn't want to wait SOOOO long to post these photos...but my mommies kept telling me that the internet was broken. How does the internet break, do you think?

Oscar

Me and Lucy

Boats and Chickens and Horses, Oh My!

I really like the days when my mommies take me for special things that you can only do in Tirana. And last weekend they took me down a random road on the edge of Tirana that ended at the top of a dirt road. Some people drove down the very steep dirt road, but my mommies seemed worried and made us walk. And when we got to the bottom we were at the edge of a lake!

A couple of tires marked the edge of the water and after we stood there for a few minutes I saw a boat coming from across the lake. Imagine...they saw me all the way from across the lake and came to pick me up! And after we got in the boat, it took us across the lake to a restaurant that you can't easily get to any other way. They have tables with a fireplace inside, but we ate at the outside tables where you can eat and run around and play with rocks and run after chickens and dogs. My mommies didn't run around...I think they were just enjoying the view. Boring! All around are dogs and cats and chickens and turkeys and other birds that you can chase and that will come to hang out with you while you eat... I didn't mind them when I was chasing them, but when they came up to me at the table I was a little worried that the chickens might eat me. My mommies promised that they wouldn't, but I wasn't convinced.

The day my mommies took me there were also horses (owned by a couple of guys who were eating at the restaurant) that you could ride for the equivalent of about $1.00 US. So, I also got to go for my first horse ride!

Only in Albania!!