After a month of drenching rains and terrible flooding in the north around Shkodra, the weather has turned freezing cold and we've had snow twice this week. Not enough to stay on the ground for long, but as I write at 9:30AM, the snowflakes are large and coming down steadily. We may get enough to build a snowman today! Well, someone else can build the snowman and I'll watch from my window.
Down the street there are some rooftop squatters, who surround their small room with plastic. It's a difficult life for many Albanians. Unemployment is very high and salaries, for those fortunate enough to work, are very low. Apartment leases are beyond the reach of many.
Across the street from the mission home, our friend Hassan stands from 7AM to 9PM in his small, unheated shop, dressed in only a parka with a hood, but no gloves. Perhaps they impede his work. I took him some of my disposable hand warmers this morning and he was happy to get them! He gets a few hours of break at lunch when someone else comes to run the shop.
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