The Land of Chillaxin' Eagles

Librazhd, Albania - My Home

As a foreigner coming from a metropolitan area of the United States, I am used to a fast-paced, 'productive' life. It has been a challenge for me to adjust to life out here in Eastern Albania. People in my community often remind me "Avash! Avash!" (Turkish for 'slowly, slowly') - an oft-used expression here in Albania. This is not a place where one grabs a Jamba Juice, heads to the gym for a quick circuit routine, does cardio while watching the news, and picks up a Chicken Bowl at Chipotle on their way home to catch up on work on the weekend. No. This is a place where one might go from having coffee with friends for an hour or two, to lunch with family, back out for more coffee with different friends until the early afternoon, back home for a nap, out for an evening stroll, another coffee, and then home late at night for dinner.

As one might suspect, this is a very community-oriented society. It is seen as rather abnormal to stay by one's self all day and to do things alone. Americans call this independence. Albanians call it 'turp' (shame). It appears that if one is not connected with family or friends, it is not seen as bad, but rather sad. In America it does not seen as tragic, as we often stay connected through multiple interactions throughout the day (Facebook, e-mail, phone calls, coffee break at work, drinks at happy hour, and dinner with family/friends at home.)

I joined Peace Corps expecting to get away from the land of multi-tasking. I wanted simplicity in my life. And that's just what I got! But where you go, there you are. I feel like that mentality is starting to grow here in the land where you may not always have running water, but you will most likely always have WiFi.

One can easily sense the speed of things here. For example, when you go to a restaurant or cafe, usually you will be greeted by the waiter who will take your order(s). After the drinks have arrived, you might not see the waiter again for hours upon end. This is completely normal here. They will not pressure you to leave nor harass you into paying promptly after finishing your beverages or meal. They will leave you to your company for an indefinite amount of time. If you'd like to pay fast and leave, you will most likely have to take initiative and call for the waiter to come give the bill. It is not because the waitstaff are slow, it is because they are considerate.

Maybe it's the hundreds of years of isolation. Maybe it's the proud cultural traditions of the Albanian people. In any case, one must take note and adjust accordingly.