Albanian Furgon and Bus Trips---Cross-Culture at its Best

I am a HUGE proponent of public transportation, and having never owned a car, I have very much relied on it.[1] Four years of my life I spent traveling on Pittsburgh Port Authority buses. A year and a half was spent surviving MARTA (oh, Atlanta, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I will ever appreciate you as a city). I loved traveling on mini-buses when I lived in South Africa, being squished in a 9-passenger van with 20 other people and being hollered by the money-takers who hung out the open door. I have ridden it in other domestic and worldwide cities. I have seen and heard much using this transportation (one-sided ridiculous phone calls, fights, making out, flirting (both wanted and not), drunkenness, the list goes on). Yet, no other public transportation experience has been more social than an Albanian furgon or bus ride.

Take today for example: I spent 3.5 hours on buses and furgons to see a friend for 5 hours. (Though not related to the social side of things, my concept of what is a “long” trip has completely changed.) The bus ride there, I asked the man sitting next to me if we were near the town in which I wanted to get off the bus. I often am mistaken for an Albanian, that is, until I open my mouth and my Midwestern accent mixes with my Shqip. Well, the girl in the row ahead heard me and figured I spoke English. She offered the seat next to her to me, and we sat for the next 30 minutes speaking in English. On the way home, I sat next to a woman and her two children. I talked to her briefly (hellos, etc.) and then went back to my one-ear-bud strategy I have adopted.[2] A few minutes later, she said she didn’t want to bother me, but she wanted to ask me questions. We then talked on and off for the rest of the 1.5 trip home.

This happens often. And by often, I mean, 90% of the time. Also, 40% of the time I run into someone that I know, whether it be someone I have sat by before or someone from the community I have met.

And do you know what we talk about? Well, the same thing we talk about every time.

• Where am I from?
• Where do I live?
• How long have I lived in Albania?
• With whom do I live? (usually followed by a look of shock that I am a 25-year old woman who lives by herself)
• What do I do?
• Oh, you work at the Bashkia. What do you actually do there?
• What did I study in university?
• How many siblings do I have?
• Where are my mom and dad?
• What do I think about Albanian people?
• What do I think about the Albanian landscape?
• Where is better: America or Albania?
• Where did I learn Shqip?
  

With women I often get these questions, as well:

• Am I married?
• Do I want to marry an Albanian?
• What do I cook?

Sometimes I get more in-depth and/or insightful questions:

• Today I was asked by the woman who was also wearing a head scarf what I thought about Islam.
• If I work for the "Peace Corps", am I doing religious work?
• What would be the one thing I would suggest to make Albania a more developed place?
• What do I usually tell my friends/family at home about Albania?

Sometimes I get asked more random questions:

• Do I want help finding an Albanian husband?
• Do I know his/her cousin in Chicago/Boston/Cleveland/etc.?
  

I enjoy these interactions (usually). My answers to these questions and my follow-up questions back to them showcase my best Shqip. The interactions also help me to also appreciate the immense kindness that I see in and feel from Albanians. People are interested and open.

I will return to the "El" in Chicago in May 2012, attempting to strike up conversations with fellow riders who most likely won't adopt the one-ear-bud strategy. I bet, though, that I could find an Albanian and engage in a conversation. When this happens, I plan to run through the gamut of questions, too!

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[1] I have never owned a car, but boy, do I miss driving! I am not allowed to here which makes me want to do it even more!

[2] I want to be productive as I travel, and as I cannot read and ride in a vehicle, I listen to podcasts (or let’s face it, sometimes the Glee soundtrack). I don’t want to be too closed off (usually), so I put only one ear-bud to still seem approachable.