Bukë

In Albania, there are words for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but when most Albanians are speaking to each other they usually just say that they will meet for "bukë" or bread.  This is because bread has always been the most common staple of every meal.

My first homemade bread actually turned out as a success!  However, I got a little too cocky when I tried to make my second one just a few days later.  I set the bowl on top of the radiator in our apartment to speed up the process a little bit, only to find out that it had actually cooked on the bottom of the bowl it was in… :)  But for now I'll show you the one that actually looked and tasted good!

There is a saying we were just recently introduced to in Shqip, while at a friends house for breakfast, that said: "Ne kemi ngrënë bukë së bashku" translating into: we have eaten bread together.  This is a beautiful phrase that is only used when speaking of a very close or special friend, and it is used to show just how strong that relationship is.  

Anna and I have told the Koni family that they feel like our adoptive Albanian family.  We have always felt so welcomed and loved by them since the moment we first came to Vlashaj.  They invited us to this beautiful dinner we shared together in their home.

As I approach my final weeks living here, there is no doubt in my mind that I will have to return to Albania to be reunited with my now life-long friends that are here.  They are so close to me, and there have already been tears that have been shed as we've discussed job opportunities that will lead me away from Albania.  In this moment, I thank God for the blessing of incredible friends that have so warmly invited me to eat bread with them.