So this weekend I woke up with a nasty cold. It's been building up to it so I kind of prepared myself not to do anything crazy this weekend.. not like that ever happens anyways. I spent the entirety of the weekend in bed, except today, when I had to go out for eggs. I slept.. a lot and also watched a lot of movies I have on my harddrive from other volunteers. It still freaks me out to see Albania referenced in things by surprise. Like on an episode of Family Guy or today during the movie "Inside Man" an Albanian tape was played of the former president and dictator of Albania, Enver Hoxha.Most portrayals of Albania in American pop culture has a negative undertone, usually relating to mafia activity or trafficking. In the Family Guy Episode, Peter had just created his own country called "Petoria" and was at a U.N. meeting and sat in the back 'where countries no one cared about sat' and he was right beside of Albania. Now, Family Guy is known for its offensive humor but it was quite a surprise to have the country referenced at all. The most famous Albanian reference in American movies is probably the movie Taken where the Albanian mafia (specifically Tropoje) takes two American girls living abroad and sales them into sex trafficking. On that note, last week was International Trafficking Awareness Day and I came along this documentary on sex trafficking in Eastern Europe. It was very enlightening and appalling that this is going on so openly.
A movie I recommend for any of my friends and family to watch what Albania looks like, specifically the town that I live in is "Der Albaner" or "The Albanian." It's a German made film but is shot in Bajram Curri about two years ago and is about a young man who falls in love with a local village girl. He may not marry her though because he father has already promised her to another man who can pay a larger bride dowery for her. The two lovers find out that she is pregnant and her boyfriend travels illegally to Germany to try and make enough money to buy her from her family to wed her.
Click here to watch the movie that was taped in Bajram Curri and Valbona. If you can get past the different language thing and just watch the interactions and locations, it might give you a better idea of where I live. The high school of my town is there, a few bars, the border at Kosovo that I pass through every time I leave my town and some traditional Albanian homes, like the ones that are guesthouse in Valbona. It gives a truer depiction, in my opinion, of Albanian modern day life and the push and pull between the older generation and the current generation. I believe the movie won a few awards in independent film festivals, but for me it's pretty cool to see my town in a movie.
