How to Recover from Voluntary Separation: Cats in Albania and Greece by Rob Carr

After 32 years with UNICEF (and a total of 41 in the "development game"), I retired this past December. The Division of People and Culture (formerly DHR, and Personnel before that) dubbed this type of departure a "voluntary separation"—an option to leave ahead of first retirement age (62) during these times of upheaval.

I feel grateful for this incentive that allowed me to free up my post and make room for mid-career staff who had their posts abolished -  and to exit with my head held high.   It is a shame more staff didn't take the opportunity to leave so close to retiring; perhaps we were just lucky with the timing.  My heart goes out to the thousands of staff currently facing immense stress; for those in the early and middle stages of their careers, this period is a brutal hardship. There are many lessons to be learned from how the herd was culled this time.  More on that later...now to the cats....

As part of my "post-UNICEF therapy," I’ve been seeking out new hobbies to fill the time. Our first mission was to travel at our own pace and establish a base that makes exploration easy. We chose to return to Albania, where I served as Deputy Representative from 2006 to 2011. We fell in love with the country then and vowed to return—and here we are.

Of course, moving is only the first step; one needs meaningful engagement. Sundus and I have been busy reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, and embracing the Balkan pace of life: slow walks and frequent coffee stops (there’s a café every few meters in Tirana!). I even joined a gym for the first time. It felt strange at first, but waking up old muscles, swimming laps, and hitting the steam room has been wonderful for both body and soul.  Oddly, I have not thought about UNICEF once since I left - the newness of retirement has filled my life, for now. 

The best part of life in Tirana, however, is the travel. With frequent low-cost flights, improved roads, and ferries, the options to access Europe are limitless. However, as new expats seem to arrive each day in Tirana - it seems the secret is out.   Our first excursion took us to the southern coastal city of Saranda, followed by a short ferry to Corfu and onward to Athens.

We are currently on the final leg of that trip. If you haven't visited southern Albania or Greece, I highly recommend a "shoulder season" journey. Spring is the sweet spot—nestled perfectly between the winter lull and the summer beach season (June to August) crowds. The weather is flawless right now.

I’ll admit, I’ve struggled a bit with dodgy internet connections while travelling and getting used to the Blogger tools while transitioning into my new role as XUNICEF editor, but I’m learning as I go.  Please forgive any mistakes - let us not allow the aim for perfection to spoil the soup.  Our goal is to make this a less arduous task for everyone; we want to move away from editors needing to hold hands and more toward a platform where contributors submit ready-to-post material. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and the photos don’t need to win a Pulitzer. Just write from the heart and share your world.  It is far easier then a donor report, an annual report or a results based submission to the RAM or  UNINFO (the dreaded UNRC version of RAM).

To kick things off, my first post features the wonderful cats of Greece and Albania. The Greek and Albanian people look after their street cats with such communal care; they seem to belong to everyone. I think you can tell alot about a nation by how they treat their animals.

Enjoy - and share your stories and pics!

Athens - by a church

No cats here - but Sundus and I with Acropolis behind us.

Catropolis.

Award for most gorgeous.   In Corfu, Greece.

Corfu cat - well fed and self groomed.  Olive tree for good measure.

Hard to reach places.

We both have pink noses and white hair.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as

Sisi (or "Ceci"), famously built the

Achilleion Palace in 1890. Located near the village of Gastouri, about 10 km from

Corfu Town, this neoclassical villa was designed as a summer retreat dedicated to the Greek hero Achilles.

 This ginger enjoyed the Palace views.

Look very close.

Not a cat - but segway to Saranda, Albania - magnificant macchiato on the water front.  Corfu looming on the horizon.

Not a cat - but honourable mention dog.   Albania has made huge strides in spaying/neutering street dogs and making sure they are cared for. Well done!

Fish mongers and their overlord..

The wonderfully looked after ruins on Butrint in Albania.  With cats.

Skenderbeg would be proud of this cast - keeping a sharp eye for encroaching enemies.  Butrint is an amazing archeological site in southern Albania.  A must see.