Elbasan and Gramsh

(because of low connection speed, no pictures theese days, will put em up later...)
there they come:

Gramsh party

After passing at the offices, drinking the morning coffee, i walk around Gramsh with my own personal tour guide. Ergina is Jean-Luc’s niece and she takes me trough the old part of Elbasan. The Monastir from the 15^th century where the priest is busy healing a kid with reduced moblity is very well preserved. The paved streets, low white houses of wood and mortar, red roofs and great metal sculpted gates hiding big private green courts create an interesting atmosphere. The city wall are the most impressive remains of the antic times. We pass an impressive gate and enter a huge bar/restaurant/club place located in a well designed mix of antic and modern architecture with green and luxurious gardens. Ergina kindly offers to show me around and walk the hills and olive trees forest surrounding Elbasan in a couple days. But right noe i decide to go see my friends in Gramsh, I might come back later.

Around twelve, it is time for me to take to bus for 2 hours of a rattling roads up and down the hills between Elbasan and Gramsh. As i will get used to in Albanian buses, people are getting on and off the bus along the way, most of them know each other and chat, asking each other, from what i guess, about family and business. I start to discover this very different culture, a couple kilometers away from the very Balkan, touristic Ohrid, the difference is evident. First of all this familiarly with each other, asking how life is and as i understand more and more Albanian, i will notice how common this is. A conversation very often starts with basic, polite inquiries about each other. Very much like a famous French humorous movie pictures it in ancient Egypt:

-“Ca va?”
-”imothep”
-“Et la famille, ca va?”
-”imothep”

Except here they say “Mir”. Also, the head gestures have a very opposite emeaning, no and yes being inverted. Sometimes, they shake their head in a very Greek way, its neither a no or a yes, the head is sort of circling around to communicate that the question raffirmation is being considered, might signify an ok or maybe.

Anyway, back to my bus journey. I am surprised by the mix, from elder men to kids, people in suits to farmers, school girls and gel-haired trendy young men... And the motive of the trip also seems to wary a lot, according to the seriousness of talk and the numerous occurrence of “Leke”, the local money, some are here for business. Some carry around huge barrels of liquid, all sizes of beans, peppers or potatoes bags or big suitcases but most travel light. The neighbor man interrupts his chat with the people sitting behind him to provide his daughter with a plastic bag, she is sick and vomits what must have been her lunch. Poor girl is really suffering, convulsing and expelling every last bit she has in her stomach. We don't have to suffer the smells since he soon trows out the bag on the roadside along all the trash.

This trash everywhere is an other thing i will have to get used to all around Albania. It seems that since they are no longer under the strict repression of the communist regime, people are just dumping their garbage wherever they are. So in a country that was one of the cleanest in the world (under the represion) the roadsides are now full of cans, bottles, plastic bags and other stuff you wouldn't imagine.

As we arrive in Gramsh, i wonder wiych stop i should get of and ask for cafe Melissa, the place i am supposed to meet Tauschia. I am told i should get of now. As i make my way to the door, everyone wants to help and tells me i should get of at the next stop. A young dude speaking fluent English helps me out and gets of the bus with me. Together we get to the cafe and give Tauschia a call. She cant come now, a friend of hers will join mw soon. As nobody shows up, my friend from the bus stays around for hours waiting with me. Despite me telling him he does not have to stay, he keeps checking his watch and sticks with me, not wanting to leave me along for a second. I am discovering Albanians hospitality. This explains last nights gathering around me on the street. This is confirmed later, i am explained an Albanian will hardly ever let a stranger alone. He finally leaves for a meeting after insisting that i call him if nobody shows up.

But 30 mins later, Tauschia arrives with one of her friends. They are late because they had to go to a funeral... They are both peace corps (more about this great US organization later) and the father from her friends host family passed away electrocuted a couple days ago. It seems Tauschias family was not the nicest, very strict and conservative, all the opposite of this men with whom she also was very close. So she is also very touched by this loss.

Tonight the Gramsh peace corps and an extra two on visit from other Albanian cities trow a party for Brandon who is ending his 2 years service and leaving in a couple days. Mexican food, beer and Raki and good mood make it a nice late night of celebration.