Albanian Youth: Life After High School

Me and my friend/barber Lidio

From what I gather of life here in Albania, youth have a different path upon graduation. Living at home after one turns 18 is not uncommon by any means. The young adult son or daughter stays with the parents in the home until married. Even then, sometimes there is a space (another separate floor or apartment) in the family home already set aside for the newly-married couple to start their family. I can see how this would have its advantages!

In America, we are, well, let's say "encouraged" to move out when we graduate from high school, and are expected to start living our lives more independently from our parents and siblings. We are told to get a job, go to school, find a place to live, and learn about the world. Of course, some American youth choose to go to college while others go right to work - some do both. Some get an apartment with friends while others live in college dormitories at the university of their choosing. In my case, I moved out of the house after I turned 18 and graduated from high school. I got an apartment, attended college, and worked part-time. I was living about an hour away from my parents (not too far I'd say), but I had begun my journey into independence. 

College now seems to be the goal of many graduated Albanian youth. Those who can, attend college. For those who live relatively close to school, commuting to school by public transit seems fairly common. If they live far away, they might find an apartment with friends or stay in a dorm room (Note: I have heard that dorm rooms are considered quite undesirable living quarters for the aspiring Albanian youth.)

The notorious "Cune" (pronounced "Chune") haircut, a popular style for boys in Albania

Jobs are said to be fairly hard to come by in Albania, thus living independently while attending school can be too expensive for many folks. Living at home means the student saves money on rent and food. Not a bad gig!

These are merely observations from where I live (central/east Albania). Obviously things may be different in other areas of the country.

When I told an Albanian friend about being "encouraged" to leave the house after graduation from high school, they looked at me shocked and said "They kick you out!?" to which I cheerfully replied, "Yes, I suppose so.. but its not so bad!" LOL

That's the Pope! --> VIDEO LINK

Probably the closest I will ever be to any Pope.

Sisters of Charity (Mother Teresa's order)

TIRANA, ALBANIA - September 21, 2014 saw a rare glimpse of Pope Francis in the heart of Albania, at Mother Teresa Square. The first time His Holiness has visited Albania since 1993. Thousands showed up from across Albania, Italy and Kosovo. Although I am not the most religious person in the world, this was the Pope! How often do you get this chance, right?

We (my buddy Jefferson and I) initially had no idea if we could even see the Pope. We were going to sit on the sidelines with all the other folks, craning our necks, and wishing for the best, and reaching our iPhones out hoping to get at least one clear photo. Well, what we got was more than we expected.

His sign says it all!

Some other Peace Corps friends of mine had made some friends with some German nuns, and through meetings these kind women, we were invited to join their congregation at the ceremony! How cool, right? We were not sure exactly what that meant, but this is the Peace Corps, and you learn to go with it. lol...

Okay, so waking up at the crack of dawn and trekking down to the plaza, we passed security, joined the sisters. There was already a large crowd and even though we were close to the front, we couldn't really see anything... We decided to trek back a bit and wait on the sidelines of the main road, where the Popemobile would be going. After getting a nice spot right on the road, we were told to move back by the local police officials, who were trying to sort out all the people craziness. Although we lost our great spots, we were ushered through shortly thereafter - why, I don't know... lol... Down the main drag we went, to join the church and invited guests near the front! So there we are walking down the road, escorted by police, and not having any idea what we were in for. We were so excited. HERE'S A VIDEO I MADE OF WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. Enjoy!

GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Albania - First National Conference

#LetItGLOW !

Minister Gjermeni giving her inspiring Keynote

DURRES, ALBANIA - This last month has been a great success, particularly with the GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) initiative here in Albania. The first national conference was held on September 11th-14th 2014 with Minister Eglantina Gjermeni as the inspiring keynote speaker in attendance, as well as US Ambassador to Albania, Alexander Arvizu and Peace Corps Albania Director, Earl Wall.

Ambassador Arvizu celebrating with the girls

GLOW is a Peace Corps initiative to teach girls about leadership, women's empowerment, and self-awareness/health through collaboration and peer-based learning. Although already well underway in other Peace Corps countries, GLOW Albania is celebrating its first full year of GLOW activities - Local GLOW Camps and the recent National GLOW Conference. 

ACT Award from the US Embassy to GLOW Albania!

Also a treat was the award surprise from the US Embassy to GLOW Albania. The ACT award came as quite a surprise to GLOW participants, who each received a certificate for their work in developing as future leaders of Albania. Needless to say, this was quite an honor, and the girls were so very happy.

As a member of Barazia Gjinore (translated from Albanian to "Gender Equity"), the committee overseeing the GLOW initiative for Peace Corps here in Albania, I was there in an administrative capacity (read "professional helper") as an official GLOW photographer. I got the opportunity to see the magic of the groups and workshops in action.

Me as a GLOW cheerleader

Although the girls individually already represent a driven, and motivated subset of the Albanian population, there is something wonderful that happens when they all converge and share that energy. They get to see that they are not alone, and that it is okay to dream big. In fact they should dream big! Although in many respects, Albania is still rather traditional with regards to the expectations of women in society, these girls are ready to break through any unspoken limitation and reach for the stars. They can see others who have done so, including Minister Gjermeni. I suppose another real treat from this experience has been that they can see that change can start with them - They need not wait for others to lead the way, because they are each, individually and collectively, changing the landscape of their society already.

To find out more about GLOW Albania and Barazia Gjinore, check us out on Facebook. And don't forget... #LetItGLOW !