LinksAnother example of women in Albanian society is a lunch I had at my driver’s home. My driver, Artan, invited my partner and me to his home in the rural Elbasan area. Artan lives with his wife, two children, and his parents. We were taken to the most formal room in the house and first treated to some snacks. As the meal was put on the table Artan’s wife and mother left the room. My partner suggested that they perhaps join us for lunch. There was silence at this suggestion. It was an amazing treat to be invited into their home and given such a lovely meal. On the other hand, it was uncomfortable knowing the other women could not eat with us, and here I was enjoying this great meal of homemade cheese, grilled peppers, Greek salad, potatoes, and beef (for the meat eaters).
Very few women were on the ballot for mayoral seats, but there was some success in a few getting elected.
Elbasan was quite interesting. In the evenings, everyone leaves their homes to mingle in the main street that is closed down to traffic, sit in the cafes, and get out. It is nice to see people out and about. There were very few restaurants for a decent sized town. The people are so poor they can afford to go out for a coffee but not a meal. We had a really hard time finding somewhere that served food!
While I am not able to share details of the election, overall this was an incredible experience. The people were warm and welcoming, the scenery was amazingly beautiful, and it is quite interesting to experience a country in such a unique way. The touristy stuff is left behind, I was immersed into the Albanian culture through stories of daily struggles, home cooked meals, the observations of a country figuring out democracy, and getting to see a glimpse of daily life.
The website you can go to for more information about becoming an election observer is: www.osce.org. It was an absolutely incredible experience, I highly encourage you to observe a growing democracy.
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( 3.1 / 96 )Greetings,
I made it to Elbasan, and it could have been the worst bus ride of my life! I thought I was going to have to ask them to pull the bus over so I could throw up. It was a crazy road with tons of hairpin turns, and quite scary at times with the lack of guard rails through the mountains. Now that we are here, we had our regional briefing and a lovely meal. There were a lot of grilled vegetables for our starter (eggplant, onions, zucchini, and tomatoes) with olives and bread. Then we had lasagna for our meal. We ate it inside the walls of a former Roman fortress!
This town is quite nice, but it feels like I have gone back in time. There are mainly cars, but a horse and buggy came flying down the street, there are goats and sheep, and they still carry their slaughtered animals around. As a matter of fact, when we were eating lunch I turned around to find some man carrying a goat that had just been killed. It seems like every trip I go on, it is reconfirmed why I don't eat meat!
Anyways, we met our driver and interpreter and both are very nice. They love Americans here. Quite often when there is an Albanian flag flying there will be an American and an EU flag next to it. I have asked several times why, and they respond, "We love America."
Tomorrow we will be introducing ourselves to the counting center election workers as well as identifying some polling places (we already saw one when we were exchanging money). The ballots are starting to be delivered, so the police stay at the polling places with the ballots through Election Day. I am on a B team, meaning I will be working through the night observing counting. They expect the counting to go on until Tuesday (with the election on Sunday). The counting cannot start until all of the polling places (they are called voting centers here) have turned in their ballots. With many rural areas, they are not sure how long it will take to get all the ballots turned it.
I need to get back to the hotel. I am writing this while the Europeans take their siestas. We are going to a Greek restaurant for dinner in a bit.
Best,
Emily
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( 3 / 116 )As most of you know I am in Albania as an Election Observer for the upcoming local elections. I made it to Tirana safe and sound today, and am staying at a Sheraton of all places. It is a very nice hotel (the best for election observations yet). Today we spent some time exploring this amazingly beautiful city. We were able to go into a Mosque, ate a fabulous Albanian meal in a swanky hotel, and spent some time walking through the city. Most menus have lots of fish, so eating should be quite good. There are a ton of parks, to include evergreens and palm trees planted next to each other! Tirana is nestled into mountains and is very green. All of the buildings are vibrant colors. Most people speak a little English (I'm sure that can change outside the capital).
On the plane ride between Munich and Tirana I sat next to a Swedish Albanian who now lives in Las Vegas who gave me some wonderful insight into his country. He informed me that about 80% of the country does not pay for power. They simply throw a line from their homes onto the power lines above the street. What do you know, everywhere you look there are power lines coming from people’s homes attaching themselves to the main power lines.
Tomorrow it is off to briefings. I have been assigned to the Elbasan region where there is supposed to be lots of Roman and Ottoman remnants! It is about an hour and a half bus ride from Tirana. My partner is from Sweden, but I have not met him yet.
Alright, the jetlag is catching up to me. It is off to bed I go. I hope all is going well for everyone.
All the very best,
Emily
To learn more about the Elbasan region click the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbasan
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( 3 / 99 )Thank you for visiting Emily Rome's Election Observer blog!
Our office is excited about Emily’s journey and we look forward to sharing her knowledge and experience with you!
Emily emailed yesterday morning as she was boarding her flight out of Denver. She had approximately thirteen hours of travel time ahead of her and should have arrived at 8:30 am MDST today (May 4, 2011) in Tirana, Albania. From there Emily will travel to her assigned location with her team member, driver, and translator.
For more information about the OSCE and the elections in the Republic of Albania visit their website. http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/76217
To learn more about the Republic of Albania we suggest the CIA's Fact Book Page.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/al.html
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( 3.2 / 111 )NEWS RELEASE (ELE11-01)
For Immediate Release
Contact: Alissa Vander Veen
Phone: 520-7322 Cell: 351-9626
AlissaVanderVeen@elpasoco.com
LOCAL ELECTION SPECIALIST TO OBSERVE ELECTION IN ALBANIA
May 2, 2011 – Colorado Springs, CO – Election Specialist Emily Rome is taking a leave of absence from her responsibilities in the El Paso County Election Department to serve as an Official Election Observer for the Republic of Albania’s local election. Emily is volunteering with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which is an agency chartered by the United Nations. One of its main functions is to assist with ensuring countries have fair and honest elections. “We are excited to have a member of our staff participating in this type of activity. I am delighted that Emily’s work with the OSCE will help with an emerging democracy’s electoral process. The knowledge, experience, and relationships she will gain from this trip will be invaluable to our office as we prepare for the 2012 Presidential Election,” said Wayne Williams, El Paso County Clerk & Recorder.
Emily will be in the Republic of Albania for 8 days to observe the country’s election process. She will travel to an assigned location within the country and serve as an Election Observer for voting centers within that area. Her responsibilities are simply to observe the processes at voting centers and report her observations back to the OSCE. Emily will be deployed to a location within the country as a member of a multinational team of two to monitor the opening of voting centers, voting, counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results. “I am proud that a member of my Election Department staff is willing to give her time to aid another country in their democratic process. I want to encourage other members of our staff to take advantage of opportunities like this. In this country, I think we often forget how important the power of the ballot box is and the struggles other countries confront in order to be able to participate in democracy,” stated Williams.
This is not Emily’s first trip to observe an election; in 2010 she journeyed to Ukraine to observe their presidential election. She was there for 11 days and then later returned to that country for a week to observe the run-off election. “I am delighted to have this type of opportunity to participate in what could be called the ground floor of democracy. I love working in the Election Department and having such an active role in our democratic process but, to travel to these foreign countries and see people’s struggles and challenges all to be able to cast a ballot in a newly free society is an unbelievable experience,” said Emily Rome.
“When I was in Ukraine I saw elderly women and men climb rickety and steep staircases, stand in line in subzero temperatures all to cast their ballot in an election. It makes me truly appreciate the democratic process in our country, but I think sometimes we forget how easy we have it here. I am excited about this adventure,” said Emily.
In an effort to highlight and provide information about Emily’s trip to the Republic of Albania, the Clerk & Recorder’s Office has set up a blog on the website http://epcclerk.com/blog/ . Emily will be blogging with information and insights about her trip. “We hope the public and media will benefit from her travels and experiences and wanted to provide an avenue for that to occur,” said Williams.
To learn more about the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s role in the Republic of Albania’s elections visit their website at: http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/76217
For additional comments or to schedule an interview contact: Alissa Vander Veen, Special Projects Manager,
719-520-7322, 719-351-9626, AlissaVanderVeen@elpasoco.com
In the news:
CS Indy Blog:
MONDAY, MAY 2, 2011
COUNTY GOVElection worker is Albania-bound
POSTED BY PAM ZUBECK ON MON, MAY 2, 2011 AT 2:28 PM
El Paso County election worker Emily Rome will serve as an official election observer for the May 8 Republic of Albania’s local election.
Rome is taking leave from the Clerk and Recorder's Office to volunteer with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is chartered by the United Nations, the clerk's office said in a release.
“We are excited to have a member of our staff participating in this type of activity. I am delighted that Emily’s work with the OSCE will help with an emerging democracy’s electoral process. The knowledge, experience, and relationships she will gain from this trip will be invaluable to our office as we prepare for the 2012 Presidential Election,” said Wayne Williams, El Paso County Clerk & Recorder.
Emily will be in the Republic of Albania for 8 days to observe the country’s election process. She will travel to an assigned location within the country and serve as an Election Observer for voting centers within that area. Her responsibilities are simply to observe the processes at voting centers and report her observations back to the OSCE. Emily will be deployed to a location within the country as a member of a multinational team of two to monitor the opening of voting centers, voting, counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results. “I am proud that a member of my Election Department staff is willing to give her time to aid another country in their democratic process. I want to encourage other members of our staff to take advantage of opportunities like this. In this country, I think we often forget how important the power of the ballot box is and the struggles other countries confront in order to be able to participate in democracy,” stated Williams.
This is not Emily’s first trip to observe an election; in 2010 she journeyed toUkraine to observe their presidential election. She was there for 11 days and then later returned to that country for a week to observe the run-off election. “I am delighted to have this type of opportunity to participate in what could be called the ground floor of democracy. I love working in the Election Department and having such an active role in our democratic process but, to travel to these foreign countries and see people’s struggles and challenges all to be able to cast a ballot in a newly free society is an unbelievable experience,” said Emily Rome.
“When I was in Ukraine I saw elderly women and men climb rickety and steep staircases, stand in line in subzero temperatures all to cast their ballot in an election. It makes me truly appreciate the democratic process in our country, but I think sometimes we forget how easy we have it here. I am excited about this adventure,” said Emily.
In an effort to highlight and provide information about Emily’s trip to the Republic of Albania, the Clerk & Recorder’s Office has set up a blog on the website http://epcclerk.com/blog/. Emily will be blogging with information and insights about her trip. “We hope the public and media will benefit from her travels and experiences and wanted to provide an avenue for that to occur,” said Williams.
The Gazette:
The County Seat…
Local election specialist to study Albanian election http://thecountyseat.freedomblogging.co ... tion/1349/
posted by Debbie Kelley
http://thecountyseat.freedomblogging.co ... r/dkelley/
Emily Rome, who works as an election specialist in the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, left for the Republic of Albania Tuesday, May 3, and will spend eight days there, studying the election process in the city of Tirana.
Rome took a temporary leave of absence from her job to volunteer with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a United Nations-chartered agency. Rome and another observer will monitor the city’s entire election, from the opening of the voting centers to ballot counting and tabulating the results.
Clerk and Recorder Wayne Williams said he hopes Rome brings back insights from the emerging democracy’s electoral process that can be applied in next year’s presidential election here.
Last year, Rome observed the presidential election in Ukraine, then later returned to watch the run-off election.
“Traveling to these foreign countries and seeing people’s struggles and challenges all to be able to cast a ballot in a newly free society is an unbelievable experience,” she said. In Ukraine, she saw elderly women and men climb steep staircases and stand in line in subzero temperatures to cast their ballots.
Rome will blog about her trip at the Clerk and Recorder Office’s website: http://epcclerk.com/blog/
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