Going By Bike

        This past week was full of the unexpected.  I thought it would be a fairly quiet week as I anticipate more busy times coming when language classes starts in September.  I am hosting a long-term worker from Albanian.  She is doing chiropractor visits every other day in hopes of helping her back heal.   On Monday we walked 30 minutes over to some large stores.  I brought my bike because she wanted to get some large items for her new apartment in Albania.  After piling the bike high with items, we made our way back, dodging cars and people along the way.  It was quite an adventure.  

        While out shopping she got a call from her teammates, a dear family in Albanian.  They wondered if their 3 children could stay with us for a few night while they visited a young sister in JC in Albania.  We decided that we could host them and began to make plans.  After returning with the bike-full of house supplies, I went out to shop for food.  I returned with a sack of potatoes and a pack of TP on the back rack of the bike.  The front basket was full of many things included a watermelon.  I held a shoulder bag gingerly over my should being careful not to crush the eggs that were nestled on top of the fruit.  Wow! . . .just adding a few people to menu planning, involved quite a bit of new bicycle maneuvering as I shopped for food.  It gave me a new respect for Pam, our team leader's wife, who made multiple meals for many people last summer and did most of her shopping by bike.
         Friday brought a few more bike excursions.   While going back to my apartment, I needed to bring 3 pillows and 2 sets of sheets back to my house.  I wheeled down the street with 3 pillows on back rack and sheets in my basket.  Stopping by the bread shop, I adjusted the pillow cases so they would not flap as much in the wind.  I smiled to myself as I wondered what a sight it must have been to see the pillow cases gently flapping in the wind as I rode down the street :-)
          Friday afternoon, I worked on painting two ceilings in my apartment.  This apartment has been used by many short/mid termers for many years.  My team leaders suggested that it would be good to do this painting to keep this apartment looking nice.  So it was really good to get this project done.  Part way through the projected I decided to go get a little more paint.  Unfortunately, after searching far and wide, the only paint I could find came in a very large bucket.  It would have been too heavy to carry back by hand.  Thankfully I could balance it my bike and wheel it back home.
        So, needless to say having a bike here has been such a blessing.  I am thankful my team leaders encouraged me and helped me find a good, sturdy bike.  Where my bike in America was mostly used for recreation, here a bike has been a huge help to transport supplies from place to place.