(Above) Two members of the Peace Corps met with GCP Albania on their way up north, and brought them to this museum, a traditional Albanian home, which displayed various artifacts around the house. The group stands on the porch with the Albanian flag blowing in the wind.
Freshman business administration major Heather Shannon reflects on her Global Citizenship Project 2014 trip to Albania
Last year I wouldn’t be able to sit here and tell you what it’s like to experience a new culture first-hand, fly on an airplane, or even be away from my hometown and family. However, because of Shenandoah University and the Global Citizenship Project, I can proudly label myself as a global citizen.
During spring break 2014, my fellow peers, professors, faculty members and myself had the opportunity to travel to Albania for a journey of a lifetime. My group meshed together exceedingly well, which made it easy to get involved in every activity and stretch the global experience to it’s highest potential. In addition, our theme of the trip was, “Go with the flow,” because we were ready for any given situation we were placed in. Even if it was not our typical “norm,” it was completely okay to just go for it because, honestly, that’s the easiest way to soak up a new culture — by learning first hand.
“I think it’s fair to say some strange things happened throughout the week, but this one takes the cake,” said Heather Shannon. “While in the south, our group was sitting together eating ice cream, and we noticed a man was walking past us with a bear on a leash. As our group member, Alex, went over to take a picture, the man handed him the leash while the bear sat down to pose for the camera.”
With that being said, we also quickly coined the word “respect.” Albanian people are full of pride and respect, whether it’s referring to the extreme driving, or something as serious as the Albanian symbol of the double-headed eagle. We began to appreciate the idea that respect is a global word that can be interchangeable from different places and different situations.
My favorite part of the trip was meeting with the locals, because speaking with them really gave me a sense of what it would be like to live there. We met up with two Peace Corps members, who introduced us to some of their students. This was very surreal for me because I was the youngest in our group, and these students were around my age. Some expressed their feelings with me about their deep desire to come to America — “the free land” — while others discussed with me the differences between my land and theirs. My personal favorite? They taught us traditional Albanian dances as well.
Throughout the week we explored all over the country, and we started in the capital city, Tirana. Then, we made our way up north to see the village life, headed down south to see the tourist attractions and beautiful views of the rich blue water, and ended back in Tirana at the restaurant where it all started, Serendipity.
As the trip winded down, GCP Albania managed to slip in a few more sightseeing stops on the way back up to the capital city. Heather Shannon (right) and the group’s tour guide, Zef (left), stand in from of clear, brightly-colored water called the “Blue Eye.” The two pose with symbols of the Albanian double-headed Eagle shown with their hands.
We climbed in, on, and around numerous famous castles, jumped in the freezing cold sea, explored astonishing museums, ran into animals on the street, shared inside jokes with our tour guide and driver, shopped in local markets, played volleyball and soccer with local teams, took really long coffee breaks, and without a doubt tasted some of the most fresh and enjoyable food that seemed completely unreal.
I came to realize through this process how grateful I am to have what I do. People take things for granted all over the world, and if every single person could step outside their everyday box and view the world from a different perspective just once, then the world we live in would vastly enhance.
I met a 64 year-old woman walking up a mountain on her way to take care of her cattle who told me, “A mountain does not meet another mountain, but people meet each other.” She was referencing how her lands and mine will never directly connect, but there we were, walking up this mountain and getting to know each other. She also said, “May God bless you, and you live to be 100 years old.” So, from that moment on I’ve promised myself to live every day to it’s maximum capacity, be open to change, and take something out of every experience. I think it’s fair to say my week abroad changed who I am as a person and pushed me to explore other opportunities in the future.
