I went to Albania and survived (as Serb)

by Darko Mandić (Serbia)

Making a local connection Albania

You read that right, less than 18 years old man at that time, has decided to go to this "dark" and above all "hostile" country. In a time of political intolerance (which should not concern children born after the war, like myself), full of prejudice and anxiety, I decided to go. As I was quite scared, I decided to visit the city that I thought would be the safest. Was it because of a shared history, which is very important to history geeks like me or simply because of destiny, Shkoder became my choice . I wondered if it was possible that in this country, which is so close and so distanced at the same time, there was no one with whom I could have a normal, youthful conversation, without regard to politics and former wars. It was settled than, I had to go. After all thinking and fear, my foot finally stepped on Albanian soil. At the first moment I did not know what to expect.Only one thought was in my mind; Am I really not welcome here? The first impression of Shkoder was not very promising. A bunch of people running around all over and worst drivers I have ever seen. It is almost impossible to find parking in the downtown, and pedestrian crossings seem to have no purpose in this country. Searching for parking in Shkoder took a very long time. In the absence of options, we decided to ask the locals for advice. How to understand them, will anyone really tell us anything when they see the Serbian plates on the car? A very well dressed young man, short haired with a tattooed cross on his left hand, resolved our agony...in perfect English he told us to park near the stadium.Should we really just park in the place where there is the best chance of someone demolishing our car, the young man just smiled and said, "What do you consider us here for?" We finally got out of the safety of the car and at that moment real fear begins.Few of us, and a few thousands of them, how to speak Serbian at all? Do they recognize our language? Aware that the situation is not the same as in Kosovo, however, the fear is constant. We are strolling through the city. It is surprisingly beautiful and clean.Reminds me of Italy. Small, beautiful and very well preserved buildings do not look like they are from one of the poorest countries in Europe. A bunch of small, not overly reputable shops, merchants offering you their goods. A good part of them are so modest and yet give the impression of a warm and cordial atmosphere, one would simply wish to give them money. The city is very lively and active, people do their jobs without paying attention to other things. After short walk, it was time for a break. As a big caffeine addict I decided to sit in the place that felt most appealing to me. The small, unobtrusive cafe hidden from the eyes of tourists seemed like the right place for us. The young waiters with their behavior gave the impression of very experienced salesmen who are capable of selling anything. I wanted to try the original "Tres leches" cake, already widely known throughout the Croatian and Montenegrin coast. A very nice looking cake, topped with the most famous Albanian product - Caramel, stood in front of me. I heard so many legends about this and finally it was time to try it. Through our tour, we realized that Albania is characterized by quite good taste.The food here is fascinating and very specific, and their sweets are, in my opinion, one of the best in the world. Aware that I just scratched the surface of as they call it; "Eagle's Nest Land" I promised to return, hopefully at some happier times, when it won't matter which nation I belong to. I also learned that young people both here and there do not want to hear about the past that you didn't create. So let's try to look at the world without prejudice and not forget it; We are only separated by one line in the atlas.