Unlocking the Window

In April 2015 Fulbright announced its first Alumni Service Trip to Albania in September for a maximum of twenty participants. This trip, advertised as "giving back to the international community," would include:

•  an introduction to Albanian heritage;
•  a week of restoration work with Cultural Heritage without Borders in  Gjirokastra, a World Heritage site;
• visits to Ottoman-era castles, a Byzantine church, classical archaeological sites, and a communist prison camp;
• reception with Albanian Fulbright Alumni and alumni of other U.S. exchanges.

The purpose of this trip was to give alumni an opportunity to continue the mission of Fulbright:  to create international partnerships and increase mutual understanding among people of different countries.

After months of planning, the trip began at the Tirana airport on September 7 when Carl and Mary Ellen Schmider (right) --Champion of the Fulbright Service Corp trip were met by and Jonathon Eaton (left)--Program Coordinator of Cultural Heritage without Borders, an award-winning, nonprofit that restores and preserves cultural heritage that has been neglected or destroyed by humans or nature.