I’ve spoken and heard the comments of many a foreigner visiting Tirana or traveling on the roads of Albania about the almost pervasive presence of car wash places, or “Lavazh” as they are called here. Meanwhile, Albanians are certainly used to them, we often do not think of the fact that their presence is an indicator of the level of dust and dirt in our streets and eventually in our homes and lives.

But that is why they are everywhere, because dirt is everywhere too. Our streets continue to remain prisoners of dusts and dirt, and while you can brush off your shoes, you have to wash your car if you want to maintain that necessary level of cleanliness in your vehicle.

Thankfully I have to admit that the level of dust in Tirana (at least) has decreased somewhat due to many streets being paved and the level of constructions in the city decreasing as well. Nevertheless, the presence of car wash places continues to remind me of the ever present reality of dirt in our streets and in our own lives inevitably.

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Please send me your pictures of Albanian car washers if you any. Get them out of your digital dust archives and send them to be added to this gallery.

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Even before we started working on the details, my wife and I wanted to go for a modern (church) wedding ceremony rather than the traditional Albanian version. That meant that we would change the format and focus of our wedding from the main traditional dinner where everyone gathers to gourge themselves on food and drinks till the early hours of the day, to a well organized church ceremony followed by a cocktail at the end. The result was ideal. At least that is what all the comments that we’ve gotten said.

The decision for a more modern ceremony was mostly because it was practical and rather easier to manage. Right off the first day that we told or respective families about wanting to get married, we explained to them that we would be managing the whole thing ourselves. Basically, we would want to spear them the organizational burden but seek their help with inviting the people that they wanted and then show up on the day of the wedding ceremony. This was not our way of getting them out of the way, but rather a more “modern” way of organizing an Albanian wedding, which is quite different from the traditional versions.

And so it happened. Thanks to the wonderful support of our dear friends who assisted us in everything from choosing the bride’s dress to picking up the candles and moving the chairs at the venue, everything was organized and set up for the day of the wedding. Obviously our parents were aware of some of the organizational details but for the most of it, the wedding was organized and managed with our friends and in the end it came out beautiful.

The Traditional Albanian Weddings and Cultural Traditions

The way most weddings go in Albania is through a rather intricate web of traditional procedures and cultural procedures starting with the couple’s engagement and then a host of other things leading to the actual wedding dinner celebration. For historical and practical reasons the way weddings are done in Albania has its roots in the very close way Albanian families are built. This then plays out in the traditions and cultural heritage that is passed on to the new couple where each family tries to establish its own regional and particular set of traditions.

The center of it all is the new couple, whom now has to figure out a way to deal with the new responsibilities of working out how to live with each other and each other’s family obligations.

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For a long time, I and my business partner have been desiring to have a place of our own (a physical bookstore, besides the online store) where we could serve our customers and continue to offer a variety of services which are not possible through the online bookstore. The good news is that since the start of the month of April that dream is becoming a reality. We’ve already signed the lease for a store where our new bookstore will be located.

Despite the fact that we’ve been selling Albanian books online for over two years now, the opening of a physical bookstore is in many ways a new and exciting experience altogether. There are so many different things to think about that it does take time to prepare for all of them.

In the next few days we should be getting the bookshelves started and when they are ready, we’ll be getting the books and other things in. I’ll post some more information and pictures at a later stage, since I want to wait till most everything is ready.

I would love to hear your opinions, questions and comments if this is of interest to you as well.

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However, as I have gladly discovered in these past two years that I’ve been working on ShtepiaeLibrit.com dreams can become a reality. Well, I still cannot say to have achieved all I intend to do for the future, it nevertheless gives me a sense of fulfillment to know that much has been achieved and the feeling is real.

This is not the end of challenges, nor is it going to become easier, I think I’m sufficiently aware of that fact. But the reality of working for something that you can call your own is obviously something that I am finding to be “my cup of tea”. I know that I will not limit myself to just this experience, but this will definitively serve as a strong foundation for other things to come!

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Congratulations, your cell phone has won 500,000 paunds in the onging Nokia UK prom. For claims Email: coordinatior.nokiaprom@live.com or call +447024038551

Well, being acquainted with different scam schemes I went directly online and searched for “Nokia UK Promotion Scam” to immediately find out that this was another old trick which is now expanding in Albania as well.

It’s so sad, but sadder when you think that these schemes go on because innocent or naïve people fall for them all the time.

Some months back a friend of mine almost fell for another major amount of funds that he was supposed to receive from an investor to start businesses in Albania. Another friend got a very similar SMS on his cell that he was decided to ignore thanks to good counsel.

Thankfully there are recognized websites such as “Complaints Board” which have been operating for years now that help point these scams out to innocent recipients like myself. Scams will always be part of our human interactions, while technologies seem to only make it easier for them to reach a wider audience.

Feel welcome to share your experiences below….

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My Dad and the Turkey

The other day my parents went out to do some New Year’s food shopping, and upon my return to the house I discovered that they had bought a large 7 kg turkey. As I looked at the massive amount of poultry meat that my dad was cleaning, I became even more cognizant of the painful fact that someone would have to consume it all somehow, though not me! So, respectfully, I asked my dad to explain how the turkey would be consumed since I was not planning on eating it, nor where the other members of the family, as far as I knew.

His answer was not what I expected. I was very aware of the fact that the main reason we had gotten a turkey, was because he had wanted it in the first place. I knew he enjoys eating the turkey meat. I had witnessed that fact on many New Year’s dinners, but the short explanation that he gave, shed much light on his persistence.

After I asked him, he immediately went on to tell me the story of how his own father (my grandfather) would buy two turkeys every year for his family. He would go back to his home village and get the live turkeys himself and then help prepare them for his whole family. Though I never got to see what my dad had seen his father do, I have gotten to see my father do the same for our family.

So, upon further reflection, I discovered that I had a distinct desire for turkey meat. That is why, I have decided that this year and in the years to come, I will help prepare the turkey because it’s part of my family’s tradition at New Year’s. Yes, I am crazy for turkey!

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Based on several estimates this is a summary of major annual expenses in USD for a single person living in Tirana.

I need to stress that these are not the most accurate estimates, since I only spend very little time putting them together, so with your input, suggestions and corrections I would like to update them.

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What am I talking about? Well, the friend I’m talking about is a US citizen, whom I’ve met here in Tirana, but is now working and living in the Far East, more precisely, Japan. And as he is learning that language, he very kindly wished me “Happy Birthday” in Japanese. I thought that was so cool that now I have started asked all those who want to wish me Happy Birthday, to try and do that in another language, possibly in one that no one else has done already – Japanese, Albanian and English are already taken (read them at my profile in FB).

You may post your message here, or go directly to my profile at Facebook and post it there. Go ahead and make the world even smaller…

Update 1: Norwegian is also taken

Update 2: Spanish, Arabic, Dutch, Italian, French, Russian, Italian, German…

Update 3: Greek, Rumanian, Portugese, Turkish, Welsh, Finnish, Chinese, Mongolian…

Update 4: Ukranian – which makes it over 20 languages in all. Awesome

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A group of Albanian journalists and civil society activists protested on Wednesday in front of the office of Prime Minister Sali Berisha against the brutal assault of Tirana publisher Mero Baze by oil magnate Rezart Taci.

Following the symbolism of the Iraqi journalist that attacked U.S. President George W. Bush with a shoe, the protesters threw shoes at the office of the prime minister, while accusing him of being responsible for the violence against the journalist.

Baze was beaten late on Monday evening in Tirana, following a series of reports in the publisher’s media accusing the businessman of tax evasion.

According to witnesses present in the Capriccio Bar in the center of Tirana’s upscale Bllok neighborhood, Rezart Taci and his bodyguards attacked the journalist, kicking and beating him for roughly four minutes, leaving him unconscious.

Present during the assault were also two other journalists; political commentator Andi Bushati and the editor-in-chief of Vizion Plus TV Arban Hasani, who later testified on the assault on the journalist.

Baze recovered in Tirana’s military hospital on Monday evening and was released in the early hours of Tuesday. He had ran a series of critical reports on his TV Show, Faktor Plus, on Vizion Plus TV accusing Rezart Taci and his company, the ARMO oil refinery of massive tax evasion.

Apart from the TV show, Baze also publishes the Tirana daily Tema, a publication that is very critical of the government.

Rezart Taci is known as one of the Tirana businessman in Prime Minister Berisha’s inner circle. His other company, Taci Oil International has spent millions of euros organising charity football matches, with the proceeds donated to a children’s charity ran by Berisha’s wife.

The businessman through a statement for the media, admitted he had been present during the assault, but denied he had participated.  Police so far have arrested two of his bodyguards and issued a warrant for Taci’s detention, but have not yet arrested him.

On Tuesday a journalism organisation, offered a 10,000 euro reward for information, leading to Taci’s arrest.

Source: BalkanInsight

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue…

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