By: Xochytl Nakai
Tirana, Albania. I have only been here for a month, and I am convinced there is something in the water. Before I continue, let me introduce myself.
I am an American expat, an educator to be exact. I have been teaching for a decade and was thrilled when I was offered a position at the World Academy of Tirana. It’s an honor to have the chance to work at a top-notch IB candidate school with some of the most beautiful facilities and professional staff that I have had the pleasure of working with in my career thus far.
Despite the unflattering portrayal of so many people from the US, I am fairly well traveled. Rather, I am well-lived.I have lived in multiple states and have visited half a dozen countries. To my credit, I have been fortunate enough to live in Guam, Dubai, and Japan respectively and have now landed in Europe for the first time ever.
Unlike many others, I have never traversed the Avenue des Champs-ʬys꦳. I have never ventured to Oktoberfest. I have never floated on a gondola in Venice or visited Enya’s castle in Ireland (but it’s on my bucket list). Therefore, I feel I have a fresh perspective on the whole “something in the water theory.”
I have observed many things about Tirana since I have been here. So far, two have had the greatest impact. While my thoughts may change after spending more time here, this is where I stand now.
Firstly, Tirana is hot. Yes, the temperature when I first arrived was a sweltering 100Рfahrenheit (38РC), but that’s not what I’m referring to. My reference is to the people themselves. Okay, maybe it’s just me, but why do so many Albanians look like runway models? I’m serious! Take a trip to the Kristal Center or TEG and do some non-creepy, people watching. The men and women here are gorgeous. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear the whole of the population in Tirana, or most of it anyway, stepped out of Cosmopolitan Magazine. It may sound fickle. It may sound superficial, but the truth is more modeling agencies should come to Tirana. Unfortunately, this prospect may decrease the population to the point of no return for the economy here.
Of course, the clich顩s that true beauty goes beyond the surface. This train of thought leads me to my next observation. Tirana is raw. The beauty of the people sharply contrasts to the unfinished roads, paint chipped structures and bottlenecked streets. There is grit to Tirana that I find refreshing.
Tirana isn’t Nice, or Florence, or Prague. Tirana is Tirana – it’s a work in progress and in many ways serves as a mirror for personal reflection. In so many perfectly picturesque cities the beauty is only on the surface. As soon as the fa袤e of wealth is stripped away, you are left with rude tourists, stressed vendors, lousy traffic and a maxed out credit card.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that there isn’t a place for beautiful tourist bound cities. Now that I am in Europe, I have big plans to travel the whole of this continent. I’m only saying that Tirana has more layers than some places. And, when you can look farther below the surface, you find sincerity and heart.
While there are rude people and bad traffic everywhere; it’s truly refreshing to ride a bus for .30 LEK instead of paying $30 dollars for a tank of gas. It’s awe-inspiring to go to see a movie for 500 LEK instead of paying three times that amount just to get in. It’s rewarding to geta pat on the back for speaking horribly broken Albanian instead of being ignored for trying.
If beauty really is only “skin deep”, then the Albanian residents of Tirana don’t have to worry; they have the whole package. Personally, I blame the water – there’s something in it, and it’s good.
