Happy Women's Day! March 8th is International Women's Day and was celebrated in Bajram Curri by having numerous parties and celebrations for women of Tropoja. On March 7th, Albania celebrates "Teachers Day." This year we celebrated the 125th anniversary of the first school in Albania, in Korce. On Teachers Day I went to an all-women's party at the hotel. Typically filled with men having coffee, smoking and drinking all day, the hotel closed down and held a party for the working women of Tropoja. We circle danced, ate and enjoyed each others company. Unlike typical Albanian fests however, there was no alcohol at the party, just soda and juice. Women typically do not drink alcohol in public.
After the celebration I went to one of my co-workers and friends home for lunch. Her daughter was leaving for the capital for work the next day so we spent the afternoon watching TV and talking about how things are different here than America. Her daughter cooked a wonderful meal of baked chicken and rice with carrots. There's such a mindset for girls not to eat or get fat and I learned that in order to deter this, meals are skipped, sometimes for days. It reminded me of living of when I lived with a host family but it was nice to have company in a home and just watch TV with them. It was also nice to see the inside of a house in Bajram Curri, since all I've been in is apartments much like my own. We drank the equivalent of vodka and Redbulls (Top Energy) for a few hours, ate lunch about 4pm and then I went home.
Today we celebrated Women's Day but having another women's only party at the new hotel in town. There were over 200 women there, celebrating being a woman and working for the town they've grown up in and now work for. The power went on and off a few times and I realized that this was only the second time I've seen Albanian's even react a little when the power goes out; the first being during a big futbol game. Lesson: don't mess with circle dancing or futbol. Luckily the live band wired in some power from somewhere and continued the music. I went with my coworker and we had a really good time. It was nice to be included in such a party and know that I'm looked at as part of the community here. It was nice to see women who I usually only see working at the bank or walking home and actually talk to them and dance with them. It was so nice for once to have being a woman celebrated in Tropoja, this is still a very conservative and patriarchal society and sometimes is difficult as a female to live here, well for me at least.
Click here to read an article about women in Tirana, the capital of Albania, fighting for gender equality on Women's Day.
Happy Women's Day to all the women in my life that have shaped me into the woman that I am today. I miss my friends and family back home but wouldn't be able to be strong enough to live here as a woman if it weren't for all of the strong women in my life before this experience. Gezuar Diten e Gruas!
