Respect
Besides “going with the flow,” our group has also coined the word “respect”. We’ve come to find out that the people of Albania are full of pride and respect, whether that’s referring to the extreme driving, or something as serious as the Albanian symbol of the double-headed eagle. Our group has realized that respect is a global word that can be interchangeable from different places, and different situations. Along with the symbolic meaning behind the picture on the flag we learned even more once we reached the Castle of Kruje, which is the museum about the national hero, Skanderbeg, and where he was born. We not only learned a historical lesson but also a religious lesson dealing with stopping the Ottoman Empire from crossing the Adriatic Sea and taking over the Vatican, or the center of Christianity. On the way back we walked through local markets that were selling products handmade, and traditional. The whole group dove right into shopping because we all knew these were the perfect souvenirs. One thing we weren’t ready for was to bargain with the shop sellers, but luckily we had Estela and Zef to help us out. The varieties of things to buy were so diverse and almost unreal. After we finished our castle tour and shopping experience we headed back down the hill where our driver, Jewel, was waiting for us.
We loaded back into the van and it was only a couple minutes until we pasted a huge George Bush statue outside our windows. Like average American tourists we pulled over for a quick picture… and posed like George himself. George Bush is a big deal in this country because he was the first and only American President to visit Albania.
After we got back on the van we continued our day to a well-known private University in Albania called the Universiteti Kristal. We met with a professor and he talked to us about the international programs they already have and hope to create in the future. We not only discussed our similarities and differences between Shenandoah and their University but found ourselves on the local TV station. They sat in the classroom during the discussion and then, Joey, Kathleen, Liz, Alex, and I were interviewed with a few questions each. Most of which were geared to whether the professors thought Shenandoah would be interested in a connection with them in some way, and if the students would also be willing to look into programs abroad. After we finished the interviews we went down to the school cafeteria to eat some fries, sausage, and of course… bread and cheese. However, before lunch Alex and Liz found their home away from home in the broadcasting and recording rooms. We were surprised to see how high-tech and impressive the work and overall technology being used was.
After we finished up at the University we headed straight back to Tirana to ride up the mountain of Dajti in cable cars. We met Estela’s wonderful parents, Atlije, and Ernesti before heading up. We got there in the late afternoon so it was the perfect time to see an amazing view of the whole city on the way up. When we reached the top of the mountain there was so many trails to walk, and things to do. After we finished taking our pictures, we went to the top of the building where we all ordered coffee, tea, or one of the many other options available. This coffee bar was not a normal sit-down place, because it revolved around in a circle while you were served so you could see every different view. The group hung out on top for a while, and then ended the night with a cable car ride back down the mountain overlooking all the lights of the capital city.
-Heather Shannon
GCP Albania 2014
