This is part of an email from Dawn, one of the missionaries in Albania. It paints a clearer picture of Albania and gives some insight into what it will be like to live there.
People: Albanians are very hospitable, if you walk down the road they
will invite you into their home for coffee. The personal space here is
much smaller than Americans, people touch you (after they know you) and
walking arm in arm with two women is common and with men too.
Relationship is many orders of magnitude more important than time in
Albania. (This is not true in America, we as a people are very time
oriented) Women gather with Women, Girls with Girls, Boys with Boys and
Men with Men. This is a male dominated culture, one example, while in
the store and they are adding up what I am buying, if a man comes in,
the clerk will stop and take the man's order, then once he leaves
continue with your order. Most of the time wives walk a step behind
their husbands. In general, when a couple come to our house for a
visit, the woman will speak very little while the men will talk most of
the time. People do not walk down the street and look at others in the
eye and never smile (as a women this send the message that you are
available). If you know someone, no matter how late you are, you must
stop in the street and greet them, usually with a kiss on each cheek
while shaking hands and ask about them and their health and their
family...Things take more time here.
History: The Ottoman Turks conquered and ruled this area for 500
years, then there were a few years of independence, Italians tried to
take over and then the Communist moved in for 50 years and declared
Albania an atheist nation and one of the cruelest oppressions ever. In
1990-91, Communism fell and "Democracy" arrived. The history of Albania
has profoundly impacted the people, but the new generation (post
communism) are very different.
Home: The food here is amazing, if you like Mediterranean food.
There is very little fast food here, so you will doing most of your
cooking. We do not have dishwashers or clothes dryers. Nearly all
Albanians have TV's. There are many internet cafe's in just about all
areas. Many of the stores out where we live and you will be living have
a counter at the door and you must ask for what you want. This is a
built in language lesson! Fruit and vegetables are available in season,
not all year around. Veal and Chicken and Mutton are the main meats,
while pork is available but a little harder to find. It does not snow
here, but it does get cold enough a couple of days in the winter to
cause the mud and the canals to freeze, which we are thankful to reduce
the mosquito population. When it is cold outside, it is cold inside
because the homes are all block and concrete. Gas heaters are
available, but they vent in the room and over time cause headaches.
Electric heaters are available and great when we have reliable
electricity. Wood stoves are available, but are expensive and require
lots of work.
Spiritual: 70% are nominally Muslim, 20% are Orthodox, 10%
Catholic. Our family has worked mostly with nominally Muslim folks and
some Catholic. Our Muslim friends are Muslim in name only. Most have
never been in a mosque, never read the Koran, but own one and have it in
a place of honor in their home. Most are very superstitious and
mystical and believe very much in the Evil Eye and fear it. Most all
building have things hanging from them to ward off the Evil Eye, dolls,
garlic, horseshoe, animal horns, charsms... Some children wear amulets
around their necks with verses from the Koran in them. Many of these
things have found their way into the believes of the Catholic people
here too. Unfortunately, since we are Free to be here so are the
Jehovah Witness and the Morman's. People here believe very strange
things about Jesus and need people to share the TRUTH about who He is
and why He came to earth. Albanians do not mind talking about religious
beliefs and discussing them, there is not a 'politically incorrect'
feeling about this kind of talk.
