This marks the end of my first week in Tirana! What a wonderful week it’s been. I was born in Pogradec, Albania and lived there until my family moved to the United States when I was eight years old. Although I’ve visited Albania almost every summer since then, I’ve spent little time in Tirana (sticking more to my hometown), so visiting and living in the capital of my home country has been amazing! This is the view from our apartment, and I love it.
My internship at the National Coastal Agency has been great so far. Our director, Auron Tare, is working to improve the tourism in Albania by managing the coastlines, as well as the island of Sazani, which he plans on turning into a sustainable tourist attraction and a research hub. The other interns I’m working with have been very helpful, especially given the fact that I was the last arrive in Albania this month and had to learn the ropes! Everyone has been very welcoming. My projects have included some translation work from Albanian to English, but I’ve been mostly helping to create a framework for reaching out to people and institutions that may be interested in conducting research on Sazani Island. My goal over the next week will be to reach out to various university programs that perform research and ask about their framework (such as the Bio Station and Camp Davis) in the hopes of creating these similar opportunities for students and universities in Sazani! Below is a photo of the boulevard we walk on to get to the office (which is just outside of the picture)!
The first weekend in Albania, I decided to go home and spend time with family. It’s been great seeing them. However, over the next few weeks, I’m hoping to join Auron and the other interns in exploring the coastlines and Sazani itself! This has been a great week, and I get the feeling that the rest of the summer will only top it! To say goodbye, I will leave you with my favorite food in Albania (and the reason that I keep coming back, my friends joke): it is called sufllaqe!
