Erin and Cristina's narrative essay...
Dear Journal,
This is Erin and Bobo. We have just arrived in Albania. We still can’t believe that we won this trip for knowing the top ten songs on the radio. We never expected Albania to be this cool. As we were flying we realized that just to the east is the Adriatic Sea and to the west is Greece. We also noticed that there is many beautiful physical features. We realized that in the north it is seventy percent mountains, the North Albanian Alps make up much the area. There are also many rivers here. Today as we were flying we flew over the largest river which is the Shkumbi River. We also flew over two large lakes, which was Lake Scutari and Lake Orchid. As we were leaving the airport on our way to our hotel we past a sign which read, “Welcome to Albania. Population 3,400,000.” We also noticed that we were lucky that we came during summer because it was nice and warm outside compared to their cold winters.
As soon as we checked into our hotel, we went to go get something to eat. There was a little café, we stopped and had some cornbread, veggies and cheese. The waiter informed us that these things were the typical diet. He also informed us that these things were the typical diet of Albanian people. He also informed us that meat was only eaten for special occasions. It only cost us 5 leks to eat a whole meal.
After we were finished eating we went back to the hotel to rest, since out flight was so long. Bobo decided to turn on the TV. And the only thing on was the news. We decided to put the subtitles on since we couldn't understand Albanian. While we were watching it we caught something about the Prime Minister and President were discussing ways to improve their Republican government. We also caught something about the Gegs and Tosks arguing over issues. The Gegs were the people that live north of the Shkumbi River and the Tosks were the people that live south of the Shkumbi River.
After we had rested for a couple of hours we decided to go driving around. It is strange because all of the roads are either dirt or gravel. While we were driving around we got lost. Everything looked the same. So we decided to stop and ask for instructions. We couldn't understand what the people were trying to tell us because they could only speak Albanian. We got headed in the right directions by the way the pointed. On our way home we noticed that about 60% of the people lived in rural areas, and the other 40% lived in urban areas.
On our way back to our hotel we passed many Muslim churches. Outside of one of these churches there was a wedding going on. We decided to stop and watch the ceremony. A lady who happened to speak English started talking to us. She began telling us about their customs of marriage. She informed us that many girls were married by arranged marriages much like her niece, the girl being married. She explained that in the North if the girl refused to marry then she had to pledge perpetual chastity, whereas in the south you weren't allowed to marry anyone from your town. Bobo and I both agreed that it would be better to live in the south. When we were five minutes away from our hotel Bobo pointed out another sign. This sign read, “Welcome to Tirana, Albania’s largest city. Population 240,000 and growing.”
When we got back to our hotel we decided to go swimming. While we were down at the pool we overheard people talking about the New Year’s Eve party’s they had gone to recently. Although they were comparing the parties we noticed a few similarities. They all said how the parties lasted to days. On the first they all enjoyed feasts, dancing and singing and on the second they went and visited family and friends while sharing treats. We thought this was interesting compared to our traditions back in the U.S. One of the ladies noticed that we were listening to their conversation and so she asked if we were interested in anything else about their culture. We said yes and she went on to explain that the way people use gestures in Albania are different for the ways we do. In Albania when you want to say yes you nod your head left to right, unlike the U.S. when you nod up and down. She also told us to say no you nod your head down once and click your tongue. Were are excited to go back home and share these gestures with our friends. She also explained that when they go to greet friends they always hug, but when they are meeting people for the first time they shake their hands. We also asked her if she could teach us a few sayings and so she did. Her are some we learned: Njatjeta means hello, C’ Kemi means what’s up, Si jeni means how are you and when they are ending a conversation they usually say Shendet means stay healthy.
Once we ended our conversation with the lady it was almost eight o’clock and since in Albania people eat dinner between 7:30 and 9:30 we decided to go eat. We walked to a near by restaurant where we were given a typical dinner. It consisted of a light pasta, plain yogurt, bread and dessert. It was cheap and delicious!
After dinner Bobo and I walked back to the hotel. On our way we started talking about how all day we had only seen a few cars. We then realized that most people got around by motorcycles or bikes. Which we had been seeing a ton of all day. Bobo also commented on how people had been looking at us strangely all day. She said she thought that it was because of the way we looked or what we were wearing, we both decided that it also probably had part to do with the fact that we were driving a car.
As we were almost to our hotel we noticed a huge statue. We thought it was interesting so we stopped and looked at it. We read the plaque about it and it said that it was George Kastrioti. It also said that he was the man that united Albania against the Ottoman Turks in 1400. He is now a hero to the Albanian people.
Once we got back to our hotel it was about 10 o’clock. Bobo wasn’t quite ready for bed so she picked up the newspaper in our hotel room and started reading it. In the newspaper was an article about Albania’s natural resources. Bobo finds interest in weird things like that so she sat down and read it. She also had the sincerity to share what she learned with me. She told me how their major resources were chromite, petroleum, copper, nickel, coal and asphalt. She also explained to me that they used these resources in their manufacturing fields to produce their major products, like textiles, machinery, building materials and fertilizer. She also told me about how 1/3 of the population engaged in manufacturing, while 1⁄2 are engaged in agriculture. She also went on to tell me that very little people owned major businesses a lot of people just ran little stands at markets. I thought this was strange since it is the total opposite in the United States.
Well Bobo is already in bed so I think that I should be headed there too. Today was the greatest day of my life. I have learned so much about Albania in one day. The amazing thing is we still have five days here. Can you imagine how much I am going to learn about this place? Albania is an interesting place there is always something exciting going on and I can’t wait until tomorrow when we get to go sight seeing again.
-Erin
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