I've been in Albania for about 8 months now and have received more offers to marriage that I ever expected to get in a lifetime. Now this may be because I am American.. or it may be because I just radiate wife material, who knows really? But as I regretfully decline these offers day after day, I come home to my viral American world to realize how many of my friends and people my age, even younger, are actually tying the knot. Maybe I should reconsider my "jo faleminderit, une nuk dua te martohen djalin tuaj" or "jo faleminderit, une kam deshurin ne Amerik" and really think about weighing my options.
Now I know Facebook has opened up an entirely knew window of letting people know exactly where you are, what you're doing, who you're with, what new dress you bought 4 minutes ago, what creepy guy was staring at you in line while you were waiting to be rung up buying the new dress, what the creepy guy was wearing while he was checking you out... do I need to continue?
The other PCV's and I always joke about coming home and everyone being married but us and a lot of people even go home just for weddings while they're here. Maybe that says something about where PCV's have to be in their lives in general, or what they want for their life. Some people called me selfish for wanting to work and live abroad for two years, saying I was only thinking about myself and what I wanted.. well, maybe to an extent that is right. I look at the person I was 8 months ago compared to who I am now, not that I've drastically changed but just how much I've learned and not from books or news articles but by living it. One thing about being here is you do learn a lot about yourself. What you cling to, what you completely accept as reality, what you fight off for a while and then just give in to.. My alone time is something I value more than ever before. I was Skyping with my dad and we were catching up on the latest Facebook gossip together (don't act like you don't do the same thing) and as we were looking and talking about all the new babies, marriages and dogs I joked to him how I might never get married in real life or on Facebook and his response was, "Brenna, whenever I get on Facebook I'm looking at pictures of people getting married, of people with their dogs, of the new mattress for their new triple king bed and then I turn to your page and look at what you're doing, whose lives your affecting and how much you're sacrificing and growing and then I realize that I'm the lucky Dad, even if I don't get to walk you down the aisle yet." I guess Dads always do have a way of putting things back into perspective for you when you're feeling a little lost.. well at least mine does.. most of the time. More or less, I think I'm going to stick to declining the oh so ever flattering marriage proposals.
