So we take about a 20 minute drive from Elbasan to my host family site today in Bishqem, For some reason (I didn’t hate it) me and one other girl got to skip our first “furgon” experience (basically like an old church bus, we’re going to be traveling on them a lot) and got to ride first class in a SUV with the Director of Home-stay Placement in Albania for the Peace Corps. She took me straight to my house. It’s in a gated lot and has two stories. When I get out of the car I am greeted by the mother, father, two daughters, three cousins and a grandmother. After the director has a short conversation with the family (she said she told them how tired I would probably be and to show me where the bathroom was) I was dropped off in a house in the middle of Bishqem in a home where no one spoke English.
This all in consideration… I have never and I’m not exaggerating when I say this, but I have never felt so welcome before in my life. The oldest daughter can speak a little English that she has been learning in school and the rest of the five members of the family can speak no English at all. I was treated like royalty from the moment I walked through the door. I didn’t have slippers to wear around the home (it is an Albanian tradition to take your shoes off in the house) so I was given some. My things were carried into my room and unpacked for me as they wouldn’t let me lift a finger while they put my things on the shelves provided.
The room is huge. I have a bed, a couch, a three-part wardrobe that’s about 6-feet tall and a desk for when I need to study my language. Their house is immaculate. Everything is spotless. The youngest daughter (she’s 12) has already started calling me her sister. Both daughters are very eager to learn from me which makes me feel like I’m actually contributing something to this situation. I think it’s going to be good because they can teach me Shqipe (Albanian) while I help them with their English.
Now onto dinner... I was served some sort of beef soup and when I say beef soup I know it doesn’t sound that impressive but I’m talking homemade broth, beef that had been cooking since long before I got there, homemade vegetables from their garden, it was incredible. Along with a Greek salad, the dressing was vinegar, salt and lemon (or limon) and it was also to die for. Pilaf or rice was also served on the table as well as Greek yogurt. I was served first and had to taste it before everyone else was served to make sure it was good enough. Now in Albania they don’t use utensils for the rice and the salad and provide another bowl for them (it’s actually really logical). The soup was obviously in individual bowls but everything else was communal and everyone just nibbled what they wanted. I really enjoy this style of meals and it’s so much less clean up for everyone after as well.
Now, before dinner, I’m not kidding you (I counted) 19 people (including the 6 that lived here) came by to see me. All extended family of my host family. They spent hours flipping through my picture books I brought from friends and family back home and laughing and telling me how beautiful I was. The youngest daughter started calling me ‘her beautiful sister.’ Now you would think that sitting in a room filled with people who don’t speak your language would be daunting but it was actually somewhat refreshing. I actually, well some part, could follow the conversation just by hand gestures, tone of voice and facial expressions. And if that failed, my 6-year-old host brother would do something entertaining to get everyone laughing.
Tomorrow is my first full day here and we’re supposed to meet up with our site mates to do a walk around of the town and sketch a map for our hub day on Monday. It’s been raining a lot today and I believe it’s supposed to be tomorrow as well so this should get interesting.
Oh, incase you were wondering, no Turkish toilets in this house. I don’t have to squat quite yet. I’ve spent my down time after dinner texting my fellow PCV’s and uploading videos. But seriously… who ever coined the phrase “Southern hospitality” had never been to Albania. Just sayin.
