My Birthday

My first birthday in Albania just passed. It turned into a two-day event and was a whole lot of fun. On my actual birthday, my friend Alicia came to visit me. We had a laid back day, where we wandered around town and had a couple coffees. That evening, we went to go watch a soccer game at the new caged soccer field in town. It is a beautiful synthetic field. This game was going to be a very special game to see because the girls in town decided that they were going to play. It was a first and I was so excited to see Albanian women breaking the stereotypes and breaking through the invisible glass ceiling, which stipulates that women do not play soccer. When we arrived to watch, however, several of the girls got cold feet and decided they didn’t want to play. So the remaining girls were trying to figure out how to get enough people in order to play the game. They allowed some boys in the game, but they really wanted girls, so they came and asked Alicia and me. I was completely unprepared, but said ok anyway. I was wearing a skirt and flip-flops (not quite the proper attire for playing a game of soccer). They put me in the goal, so I wouldn’t have to worry too much about my skirt flying up. I then kicked off my sandals and entered the game. It was so much fun! My team ended up winning. I saved every goal that was shot at my goal that was airborne. The three shots that remained on the ground, I missed (I need some help with my foot-eye coordination). It was a great game. There was a large crowed watching, who cheered for all of the women playing. I hope that it will be all women in the game next time and that this will become a regular game.

The next day, Fushe-Arrez was flooded with Americans. Two volunteers from Shkoder, three volunteers from Puke, and two volunteers from the south, plus one of Kumar’s friends from Istanbul, came to visit and celebrate. Kumar dug a fire-pit in his front yard and made some make shift benches. We roasted chicken and potatoes in the fire and then had watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, and most importantly brownies for dinner. It was delicious. We passed the American football and had a truly American birthday cookout. It was fantastic.

As I am talking about my American birthday, I feel that it is necessary to explain some differences between how Americans and Albanians celebrate. Unless Albanians throw a surprise party, the person whose birthday it is has to throw the party and pay for everyone who comes. If they invite people to coffee or lunch, they are expected to pay for everyone there. It is basically the complete opposite idea of how Americans celebrate. Some volunteers have had a big surprise when they have invited everyone to lunch because it was their birthday and then they had to pay for everyone’s lunch.

Pets in Albania

After taking Abby, my cat, to the vet yesterday, I thought I would write some about pets in Albania. First, pets are a relatively new phenomena in Albania. Most Albanians so not have pets and if they do it will never be allowed to enter their house. Few pets even have names. Since the fall of communism and the increased presence of western culture, more Albanians are starting to have pets, but many still think it is crazy that I have a cat. Pet stores have been springing up all over Albania in the last few years. One thing though, is that pet stores do not know quite how to sell the pets and how to hand them over to their new owners. Many pet stores will hand you your new pet in a plastic grocery bag. When a volunteer, here asked for a box instead of a bag the owner thought he was crazy and being difficult. He finally found a box and put two holes in it and then handed it to the volunteer with a perplexed look on it.

As pets are new in Albania, so are veterinarians. You can find them throughout Albania, but knowing if they truly know everything about animals is difficult. For more precise treatments, one usually goes to Tirana, where the vets are the best. So, this brings me to my story.

I learned that my kitten Abby worms. I needed to take her to the vet, so she could be looked at and treated. I tried to find a vet in Shkoder, but the only one I heard of almost killed a cat because they gave the wrong dosage to the cat. So, I opted for Tirana. That involved a 4½-hour bus ride there and another one back. Luckily I can do that in one day if I leave on the 5am bus. I, also, needed something to carry Abby in. I couldn’t find anything, but large cases or birdcages, so I put holes in a cardboard box and put Abby in it. I had to text the vet when I arrived and he came and picked me up. We walked to his office. This office consisted of one room, with a curtain that could act as a divider if they chose to close it. I put Abby in her box on the table, which was covered in rubber. All of the pills and utensils were on shelves at the back of the room. The fridge with the temperature specific drugs was an old white dorm room size fridge. The walls of the office were a dirty yellow. There were two pit bulls in the waiting section with their owners. It was a very interesting office. I wanted to get Abby fixed as well, but here in Albania, they go by age and not weight for deciding if a cat can be spayed. So, I have to wait until she is at least 9 months old, before I can do that. The doctor gave her the shot and a deworming pill and gave me some shampoo for her. And that was the end of our visit. It lasted all of 3 minutes.

Afterwards I went to a restaurant (and yes, they allowed me in the restaurant despite having a cat with me) and waited until I could go and catch the 12pm bus back to Fushe-Arrez.

Having a pet in Albania takes a lot of work. I have to go to Shkoder or Tirana to get litter and food. I have learned more about cats in the last three months than I learned in all of my previous life.