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I'm not at the moment in Ioannina, Greece, but before writing about returning to the European Union I wish to write a few thoughts down about Albania.<br />I already told about Shkoder fastly, but now after having completed my Albanian experience for this time, I wish to tell what I discovered about the culture. Since I'm only a backpacker going fastly through I offcourse haven't dicked down into the Albanian lifestyle and do not know much more than others about Albania.

A backpackers view on Albanian culture

Anna Sofie Andersen
2006-03-16 19:52:12

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I'm not at the moment in Ioannina, Greece, but before writing about returning to the European Union I wish to write a few thoughts down about Albania.
I already told about Shkoder fastly, but now after having completed my Albanian experience for this time, I wish to tell what I discovered about the culture. Since I'm only a backpacker going fastly through I offcourse haven't dicked down into the Albanian lifestyle and do not know much more than others about Albania.

But here is what I found out.

Firstly I noticed the language and was pretty fast trying to figure out what it came closest to. But earnestly Albanian is a little bit of everything and still nothing like any other language I've heard. They speak as if they are mumbling, using sounds from the upper mouth. I was surprised when listening to it and being reminded of everything from Spanish to Swedish to Serbian. And still having absolute no idea what was said. Albanians also have the tendency, maybe because they don't see many tourists, to think that if they just speak slow I would understand. This has given me many both funny and confusing incidents. One time at a hotel in Gjirokaster, when the woman in the reception continued speaking in a half laughing, half threatening tone about something according to the bill I got so scared that I had done something to make her mad that I mostly wished to run away immidiately. After half an hour she dragged me down to an office where a man behind the desk could speak english. I was so scared untill I noticed that she had simply made a joke and tried to explain it. They also sometimes try to speak english but often mix up words. When I at some point had to take a taxi which I from a Lonely Planet guide knew to cost around 200 leke I got stunned that the taxidriver asked me 3000 leke. I was laughing believing that he thought me to be some stupid tourist to rip off. This was untill I understood that thousand meant hundred and ...