These are the things we are fighting

I just learned that the deep Albanian affection for the United States began under President Woodrow Wilson, when he wrote an impassioned letter supporting the creation of the Albanian state as it was gaining independence from the Ottoman Empire.

I also learned that the Albanian Embassy in Tirana was the first one constructed by the State Department.

I made it out for a quick walk this morning. A couple of thoughts...

The traffic here is bananas. The best NYC cabbie would go home weeping with despair!

The National pride is palpable. Flags are everywhere. In conversations with our hosts and colleagues, the has been a real sense of optimism about the future of the country.

The musicians are remarkable. We raced through our first orchestra rehearsal last night and found our way through the music very well. It is nice to start off with a bang like that and then have two more rehearsals to truly polish the show.

I am going to have to do some extra workouts. The food here is delicious and because of our schedule we are eating dinner at 9 pm. Not my usual schedule!

Well, off to e embassy for our second Albanian lesson!