Visions of Albania

Copyright Maria Vella-Galea 2004

This picture was taken in a remote village, in the Southern part of Albania, during a weekend trip I managed to take with some colleagues back in June 2004.

The village, of which I cannot remember the name, consisted of a few dilapidated buildings which seems to reflect the state of the people living there.

This woman, did not react to four young people travelling in a jeep, but continued to walk steadfastly towards her chosen destination, wherever that was......

Visions of Albania (2)

Copyright Maria Vella-Galea, June 2004


Sunset over Porto Palermo

Porto Palermo, in Southern Albania, is by no means a bustling port.

During the harsh Communist rule, this place was out of bounds for non-military personnel since it used to be the site of a military installation complete with submarine tunnels - now this place is completely abandoned and left in ruins.

The abandoning of this area by the military enables free access to a gorgeous castle built by Ali Pasha (1741 - 1822) a semi-independent despot who allied himself with whoever offered the most advantage at the time.

Opportunities at Vodafone – Rotation Programme 2004

One of the great things about working for the world’s largest mobile telecoms provider is the international scene.

Participation in the Vodafone Rotation Programme is coveted by many, but experienced by few. Each year, a participant from Vodafone Malta is selected to spend three months working abroad with another Vodafone operating company around the world.

The chosen candidate has to choose three projects that fall within their job responsibilities – for example I had to choose from a selection of Marketing related programmes. Naturally when selecting a project, the candidate does not know where this project will take him, otherwise I am very sure candidates would choose the project based on the operating company location rather than for the nature of the project.

One of the projects I had chosen was Market Segmentation, which was being implemented in a number of companies around the world. When, eventually I was told that the project would take me to Albania my excitement slowly turned into apprehension.

Simply stated Albania is Europe’s best kept secret, in the sense that not much is known about this fascinating country. Guidebooks are practically non existent, and little information could be found on the internet, however the little information that I could find gradually started turning my apprehension into excitement!

The first couple of weeks were tough! Lets face it Albania was not a tourist friendly city, did not understand the concept of credit cards, electricity failed almost every evening, nightlife was limited, cinemas only showed a new film once every ten days, and even worse I did not have a car which meant that I was pretty much cooped up in Tirana, something which left me a bit disappointed.

Having said that I had the opportunity to visit places like Durres and Kruja outside of Tirana, and was lucky enough to go on a weekend trip to the south of Albania which is virgin territory and therefore unspoilt by modern development.

There is a lot to be said about my adventure in Albania so watch this space…….

Albanian Chronicles - Part 1

The adventure or shall I call it challenge starts today!

Fortunately for me I was not to travel alone to Tirana since the Human Resources Manager Alma Varfi was travelling on the same flight.

Our journey started off well since we were both upgraded to Business Class. Over a good lunch we had a talk about our families, life in our respective countries, studies etc. As we approached Albania I fell silent as I watched from thousands of miles above, the country which was to be my home for the next couple of months. Apprehension filled me – would I settle down, would I be successful in the project I was assigned to, would I get on with people? Would I feel lonely and miserable? I was determined to be successful and prove to all (including myself) that I would make it!

Nene (Mother) Teresa Airport or Rinas Airport as it is commonly referred took me back to Malta in the mid-eighties - very small with dilapidated surroundings – I couldn’t wait to see inside! ……there was hope though – one of the first things I saw Vodafone billboard! YEAY!!!

An entry visa, valid for 30 days is required, and since credit cards are still relatively unknown in Albania, I decided to exchange some Euros at the Exchange counter. Following, what seemed a very long wait, and €30 later, I was granted a 30 day visa.

With a large sigh of relief I found my luggage (imagine not finding your luggage!) and headed off to the exit. In Albania, luggage is scanned even when entering the country and during this process the scan revealed that I had something suspicious in my luggage – when they opened it they found a box of Tampax!!!! They had never seen this product before! Thank God Alma was with me and I could explain what they were for!! How embarrassing, what a good way to start the visit!

The drive from Rinas to central Tirana is a depressing journey – dusty and dirty roads lead to the highway. The roads are dotted with semi constructed buildings or what could be possibly bombed buildings. During the trip one can see old shepherds with one or two dirty sheep or goats walking at the side of the road, their weather beaten faces giving away the hard times most Albanians suffered in the past.

The Hotel which was chosen to be my home for the next three months is found in what is called the Bloc Area. Until a few years this area was not accessible to the public because it housed the parliament buildings and ministries as well as Enver Hoxha’s house. Hoxha was the dictator that led the country with an iron fist, commanding the worst possible form of Communism thus throwing Albania into oblivion as well as declaring it the world’s only atheist state. The Bloc area is now the main area of central Tirana with a large number of coffee shops, internet cafes, high rise apartment buildings and one of Tirana’s few nightlife spots – Buda Bar (no this isn’t a spelling mistake)

Continued in Albanian Chronicles Part 2