I just got back from my site visit with my future sitemates. It’s crazy to think that exactly one year ago from this weekend I was graduating from college and now I’m visiting the my first apartment by myself…in Albania. My first apartment I’m living in by myself is in Albania… I thought I would reiterate that just incase you thought it was a type-o or something.
We traveled from Elbasan as a group to Tirana for tours given by current PCV’s and then went to Durres for our Counterpart Conference. We were spilt up into region that we would be living/working in for the next 2 years for our tours which was nice because we got to spend some time with our future sitemates and get to walk around the capital for a while. Tirana is unlike anywhere else in Albania. A few highlights, well restaurants, of the tour: a place called “Albanian Fried Chicken” or AFC, the Mexican restaurant and a Chinese restaurant (if you want sushi you have to order it two days in advance). We chose the Mexican place and it tasted exactly like what you would think Mexican food would taste like in Albania.
After Tirana we went to Durres to meet our counterparts who traveled from all different parts of Albania to meet us for the first time. My counterpart was unable to make it (every Bashkia across Albania is going crazy right now because elections are May 8th) but a guy named Endrit, who I had met before when I went to Bajram Curri and also works in the Bashkia, stepped in and it was an easy night because we had previously met. We had a huge seafood dinner with our future counterparts and sitemates and then left for our sites the next morning after some meetings.
My counterpart, myself, Eric, his counter part, Gerti's counterpart/my neighbor, Gerti at the seafood dinner in Durres
