Wine Making

I went up the hill to see how my neighrbor is making wine. I am clueless on the process she uses. She is sitting and sorting the grapes. Some of the grapes will be used for wine and some will make Raki. Raki is a pure alchohol. It is clear, like vodka. A common product in Albania. The first time I had a little, I wasn't feeling so good the next day! Now, occasionally, just a little.....

In the front, is the blue machine. It has a crank that will press the grapes in the first process. It will then be placed in large jars. After a week or so, there will be grape juice. But beware. I was given some juice and wasn't careful. It exploded ALL over my kitchen. I guess it was fermenting. I sent time getting rid of my 'red' kitchen.....
Note that there is also a pile of discards that will return to the yard. Always recycling and reusing.

Here is a picture of my co-worker in front of the jar about to become wine. On the ground you can also see corn that is being dried to become cornmeal. This is be bread during the winter.

I am sitting with Tomi. So much work, and she does not drink wine.

Fall in Fushe-Arrez

During the last weeks we celebrated Bajrmit - the end of Ramadan. They celebrate for 3 days, but offices, schools and businesses were closed the first day of the celebration. It was the first time that I realized which shops are owned by Muslims and which are Catholic. I went over to Puke which has a mosque and even more places were closed for the celebration.

And this is a long weekend in Albania. Monday is Mother Teresa Day. Her feast on the Church calendar is in early September when she died. The Albanians are celebrating when she was beatified. I am sure that she is also the only Nobel Laureate. And I find it even more interesting that they are honoring a woman. The culture is very male dominated. Yesterday I went over to the school library where a number of children - mostly girls - gave presentations on Mother Teresa. They had written poems, and gave dramatizations about her life. They also quoted from here words. VERY NICE

All of this religious celebration in the only country that was declared atheist!