"Furgon Flip Flop" Revisited
When I posted the story about the furgon, I never really expected all the comments. I guess, in response to the comments, I would say two things. First, I did understand what the driver and passengers were saying. I have been living here for over a year, and I understand the language well enough. Secondly, some comments took the line of reasoning that if it had not happened to them in Albania, then it probably could not happen to me. I do not think I need to clarify the flaw in this train of thought.
I traveled downt to Vlore this weekend for Memorial Day. There were quite a few volunteers there and even some from Macedonia. We had a great time, and the beaches in Vlore definitely outdo the ones here in Durres. This week I have been back here in Durres working on preparations for an Environmental Day activity we are having in Keneta on Monday.
Here are two interesting photos from this weekend.
The first is a Vancouver Grizzlies Bryant 'Big Country' Reeves jersey. For all of you OSU fans. The second is some beach towels the sell here. The first lady has an interesting anatomy.
posted by David Sheern @ 6:40 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Any pictures from vlore.
Did you happen to go further down the coast into the llogara national park, there are some really nice places with GREAT food(just a suggestion for next time.)
The "furgon flip flop" was interesting. I've been involved with a project near Shkoder and special arrangements have to be made so that unmarried females attending are not on the premises at the same time as the (unmarried?) males. All very complicated. The same seems to apply in the home environment with members of the same family e.g. cousins - personally, I find it very hard to understand this!
Not that I won't to arguee (we Albanians are absolutely not argumentative :) ) but doesn't the fact that the towels are in the open air (Durres or Vlore btw?) for thousands to see while the furgon incident was isolated prove that it was an anomaly?
Ll.T.
Ok, I am going the shed some light too, into the whole "furgon controversy". Whether it happened how it happened, I think I might now the reason why David was bothered so much as to write about it.
Traveling through North America for years, sometimes the situation arised where somebody would ask me whether I could switch places with them, because they needed to sit next to their dearly beloved, blah blah blah. I was always accomodating, and the last time this happened in flight from NYC to Vegas, I even scored a drink from the switcharoo.
Now, in Albania we don't things differently. We don't ask you to switch places, we tell you to do it. It's probably one of the remainders of the communist era mentality. David beeing a free American spirit and all, couldn't just let this slide. I totally undestand, bro!
In Albania there are no special unwritten rules about women traveling alone, married or unmarried. Of course there are picky people all over the world, and God knows there are tons of them in the US of A also.
/the towels, are definitely cheap
//did you notice whether the tag said "made in China"
///proud of the fact that the Albanians are not terrified of boobs, as they have to pass legislation to prevent them from accidentally seeing them in TV during superbowl
////Yay for Janet Jackson
Third paragrah should start with "In Albania we DO things differently!"
/blah, can't type...
I think "its" is so used to living in Canada / North America, he/she needs a reality check - take a trip home and visit the less developed areas. Ask many young Albanians, e.g. in the North of country, and they will confirm the "furgon flip" as described by David and similar situations. - It all seems very dated, but I think it's all about upholding moral values. Obviously things are changing rapidly in the more developed areas like Tirana.
Hey! Didn't know that people that aren't from Albania actually went there!! WOW! I'm an Albanian girl and I can tell you that Albania rocks. But then again you already know that. (New York rocks too)By the way why are you there? Have a good time!!
:-)
send me a picture- havent been there in like 2 years or so.
xhuliawithanx@hotmail.com
thanks
bye
Oh for the love of Jebus!!!
Men and women in Albania are traditionally supposed to keep a distance. Traditionally. We still have separate rooms for men and women in funerals, and I can still remember when in weddings and parties guys and girls sat on opposite ends of the room. It is not backward (what the hell does that mean anyway, backward to whom? to what culture?)-it's just a reflection of our strange relationship with sex. (More on that later.)
Yes, urban areas are different, but when have these areas been a direct representation for any culture?
What surprised me about the furgon story was that Albanians are supposed to always go out of their way to accommodate guests, and since David is not Albanian, I would assume that they would not just tell him to move. Also, that is not a part of the country where they would be that extreme about the unmarried sitting together.
And get over yourselves, no one is questioning your reality! Not a single comment on the furgon post followed the line of reasoning that because it had not happened to them it could not happen to you. We are learning about Albania through your experiences as well, just because we are part of a culture does not mean that we understand it perfectly.
Unless Its said something along those lines, I don't have the patience to read his tripe.
ah, and yes Xhuli, Albania does rock…like totally, oh my God!
Sorry about the rant. Have a nice day.
put a sock in it
Wow D, People are getting pretty intense about your discussion on seating rearrangement on a bus!! :) Do you know all the people posting comments or are most random strangers? I haven’t read your blog in a few months and thought I’d catch up, this is kinda crazy. –KWeaver PS – Did I send you the link to my Turkey photos? The trip was amazing, sorry you missed it, though I’m sure seeing your folks and western Europe was great.
wow nice article
Bathmate
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