My Albanian Thanksgiving

To be honest, I forgot that yesterday was Thanksgiving until I logged onto Facebook and saw all the posts.  So to keep with tradition, I will say why I am thankful:

• I am thankful that the DeMaso International Study Fellowship thought that our grant was worthy of funding;
• I am thankful that the family of which we are renting an apartment here in Tirana came to dinner with us;
• I am thankful that I got to not only try traditional Albanian food but also hear stories of life under Communist dictatorship and the civil war that followed;
• I am thankful that Albania has welcomed us with open arms - from the shopkeeper across the street to the waiters at every cafe/restaurant who help us order when we stumble on foreign cuisine to the guy who helps us get a parking space in Tirana (no seriously, the parking in this city is insane).  

Everywhere we have gone, Albanians are pleasantly surprised that we have chosen their country to explore.  According to our host Eslo, most people only stop in Albania as they go somewhere else like Greece or Italy or Macedonia.  He joked that he didn't understand why Hoxha (communist dictator) made all these nuclear fall out shelters because no one - not even America - knows where Albania is.  How could they put in coordinates for a nuke if they don't know where to bomb.

As for the food, there was some good and some things that I don't think I'll ever have again but the thrill is mostly with trying something new and learning:

• We learned that Albanians don't open gifts immediately; instead they wait until they get home.
• That eating dinner or going for a cup of coffee, you better plan on spending 3+ hours there because these are times to talk to friends and family (no one is on their phone).
• That no matter who "conquered" Albania, it never lasts.  The effects? Maybe but the Ottoman's could not remain in control forever and neither could the communists.  In the end, Albania survives and that is something remarkable.