A review of this place — 1 year ago
I have spent most of the past two years living in Albania working in a home for orphans and street children outside Tirana (the capital). It is an amazing place with definite pros and cons.
Most of the country is drowned in poverty, and still struggling to re-build itself after it’s communist reign. The mafia still controls a lot in Albania and the black market is strong.
When I first arrived two years ago, the culture shock hit me hard. The living conditions were difficult, with usually no running water or electric. The power gets shut off several times a day in Albania, due to the government selling the electric down into Greece.
My experience is probably different than most people who go there for “tourism”. I saw the worst places in Albania, the slums, the gypsy communities. I worked with gypsy children who are literally the outcasts of society there. The orphanage was overcrowded, head lice, scabies, impetigo, and other sicknesses were a constant problem, but it soon didn’t bother me—what mattered was getting the children off the street and into a loving environment, safe and fed.
Honestly, I disliked the country, the way it was run, the way it looked and smelled. But I fell in love with the people (they are very friendly and gracious) and the culture and the language.
I do not recommend a young lady walking alone after 8pm in Albania. We learned this the hard way after I was confronted more than once by men and my friend was even dragged into a car once and fought to escape. It’s not the safest place to be, especially having blonde hair and blue eyes. That was mostly in the big cities though, Tirana, Elbasan, Durres.
The south of Albania is beautiful. I spent some time in the mountains where the air was cleaner, the community was very close-knit, it was lovely.
If you’re looking for vacation, steer clear of the north country and head to the Southern beaches. Still, you won’t find much of a modern world.
Even with its problems (and what country doesn’t have any?) Albania is an incredible country with much history and wonderful people.
