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Albanian Youth: Thoughts from Brian Gega

I realize that everything I experience in Albania is through my own lens and my own lived experience. In this blog, I want to share an essay written by my new Albanian friend Brian. I asked him to talk about young people in Albania and this is his truly insightful response.

Something is not rotten in the state of Albania and that is the youth of this country. I consider myself very fortunate to remain in contact with students even after finishing my university studies. In my first year as an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages University of Tirana and the Faculty of Dentistry in University of Medicine Tirana I have had the luck to teach some 200 students, chiefly freshmen. What really impressed in my first year of work is how incredible students are.

What I believe makes Albanian students incredible is their will and power to study hard and succeed despite disappointments and obstacles they face daily. I will start with politics, the number one cause of demotivation among young people and not only. According to a recent study by Civic Resistance NGO, the vast majority of young people see themselves distanced from political parties, where 80% of them are neither members nor activists of a political party. The same study also revealed that only 17% of young people trust in political parties. I consider this to be one of the greatest blessings with today’s young people: they are (almost) totally free from political affiliations and they know that it is hard work which will make them go places.

Another issue they face is the uncertainty over their future. Imagine entering a new chapter of your life, being full of hopes and positive energy about a bright future and then you get told by the older people that there is no hope, degrees are useless, when you finish your studies you will end up either unemployed or employed with a minimal wage? It is like people are trying to shatter your dreams before you even fall asleep. Yet, Albanian students keep a stiff upper lip. Disappointments and society’s negative energy are the CO2 that they turn into oxygen, the driving force to push for change. Albanian youth consider themselves as the ones who will shape Albanian of tomorrow. And they are right.

What else makes Albanian youth incredible? Despite their difficulties and misfortunes, they prevail. There are thousands of Albanian students studying abroad, chiefly through scholarships they have earned thanks to their intelligence and commitment. Others who conclude their academic studies in Albania are hired in European countries, chiefly Germany, and US. What’s most amazing is not the fact that they succeed in the country they emigrate but the fact that despite the high brain drain Albania has suffered in the recent years, it still manages to meet demand of specialist of the country. I believe that if there is one thing that Albania exports that is human resources. And we are very good at it.

All in all, I consider Albanian youth able to make outstanding things. They are intelligent, committed and disappointed enough to induce a real change to Albania and bring it closer to where it belongs: Europe and the West.

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Slowing Down

From what I have experienced so far, the pace of life in Albania is slower than I am used to. The one exception to this is when in a car, and then it seems very fast & furious. Other than that, people do things like sit in cafés for long periods of time having one coffee and casually chatting with friends. Many people seem to like just watching the world go by.

Seeing everyone taking their time at life inspired me, and I set out to get my head and face shaved. I have always wanted to get my face shaved with a straight edge razor by a barber but had never made time to do it. I found a small barber shop called The Gentlemen’s Den. The name freaked me out a bit, but things looked all right. The barber did not speak English though luckily someone there did. I scheduled a shave for the next day at 11:30.

I was not sure about the name of the place but I am so glad I took a chance.

The next morning, I was very excited to go in for the shave. I was a little late, but the barber was very understanding. We navigated our language barrier and I was confident he understood I wanted my head and face shaved.

After getting settled in the barber’s chair, he first covered my head with a generous amount of blue gel. He used a lot of it. However much you are thinking, it was even more than that. The cool gel felt cool which was so nice because it was a very hot day outside and immediately got me relaxed.

After that sat for a few moments, he wrapped my head with a hot towel. The contrast of brisk gel and hot steam was incredible. I could feel my hair follicles opening right up, and in a few minutes, they were ready for a serious shave. The barber loaded a new razor in his straight blade and started shaving away. I was loving it!

This is where things took a wonderful turn from great to amazing. After he was done with the blade, he then smoothed shaving cream all over my head which started a little tingle and mild but invigorating burning. This move wasn’t just refreshing, it was genius. After a couple minutes of this shaving cream treatment, he shaved my whole damn head again. He was meticulous.

At this point we had been there for quite some time and I thought maybe I had not been successful as I thought communicating that I wanted my faced shaved, too. Of course, seconds later, I saw I had no reason to worry. He grabbed a head rest, attached it to the chair, tipped me back, and gave my face the same outstanding double shave treatment. All I could think was, “What is happening here? How can I ever just have a normal shave again?”

After nearly 45 minutes, my first Albanian barbershop shaving experience was done. Now, those of you who know me will find this particularly funny because you know I don’t have a whole lot of hair. I gave him 1200 lek, plus what I hope was a generous tip, and went on my way, feeling brand new. I am not sure I have ever spent 45 minutes in a barber’s chair. In case you are keeping track, 1200 lek is about $12. Not bad for the best shave of my life!

My mirror selfie game is weak but I think you can tell I am happy.

I regularly move through life quickly. I often get told, “Wow, you look like you are in a hurry!” This happens even when I’m not particularly in any rush. Satisfying a lifelong wish for a barbershop straight edge razor shave was great on its own, but it also showed me that part of my journey is going to be learning how to slow down and pay more attention to the world.

After reclining back and giving my full attention to all those different sensations, I want all my stops in a barber’s chair to be 45 minutes of shaving bliss! I think, just maybe, if I slow down some in everyday life and look more closely at what’s around me, I can have some of that bliss outside the barbershop, too.

Clean and Fresh!
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Albania: My First Thoughts



I have finished my first week of travel and thought it would be a good idea to get some reflections down. I’m just getting used to being out on the road and finding my rhythm between exploring, reflecting, and blogging.

I will start with two things. The first is to come visit Albania. It is beautiful and there is a lot to see. My second thought is that I haven’t yet formed thoughts on Albania as a whole. I really only have thoughts on Tirana.

To me—and to be clear, this is through my lens and all that comes with that—Tirana feels like a young, vibrant, up-and-coming city. It is hectic and chaotic. When you walk around outside much of the city seems to be in disrepair. But when you go inside the buildings, many places are brand new with a fresh look. There are young people everywhere.

It feels like a big city with a lot of people living here, because it is. The population of Albania is 3 million, and a third of them live in Tirana and the surrounding metropolitan area. The traffic is wild, and you have to be extra cautious while crossing the street. Car horns are ever present. Later this month I am scheduled to rent a car. I am thinking of moving my pickup location to the airport to avoid driving in the city center because I don’t understand the local rules of the road.

I took the Tirana Free Walking Tour and the guide was so full of hope and energy. He studied history in college and shared a great understanding of where Albania has come from and a bright outlook on where it can go. While acknowledging their struggles he was optimistic about the future of the country. He was hopeful about becoming a member of the European Union and what that would mean for Albania. If you are in Tirana do this tour, you will love it.

Of course, there are lessons here of the things I take for granted. So far, I am reflecting on the advantages I have just by being born and living in the U.S. The main one that comes to mind is access to clean running water, yet I also fully recognize that not everyone in the U.S. has this. I have read mixed things about drinking the tap water here so as a precaution I am drinking bottled water. It is easy enough, but it does show me how I have always taken for granted that in my house I could turn on the water and presume it was safe. I want to do a better job of not taking these sorts of things for granted when I come home.

Another observation I have made is that I am more introverted than I usually am. One of my goals for travel is to meet and connect with people along the way, yet that has been harder than I thought. This has been a surprise and I will have to keep reflecting on why this is. Despite this, so far in my first week I did meet a traveler who has does the Something of Freedom blog and an Instagram page with 34 thousand followers that I found impressive. So far, I feel this first week of travel is off to a good start.

Enjoying a beer at Duff Sports Bar