By Moria Yishay, Israel Tour Guide

I like to travel, like most people. Up until last year, I used to go to a new country for a long weekend and come back to Israel. Last year I’ve decided to travel across few Balkan countries for a month. Three of the countries I’ve to were countries I’ve travelled before so I stayed there only for a few days. The new countries I wanted to see were Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Unlike my previous trips, I didn’t plan anything and just kept moving- which wasn’t a smart idea in Albania, but luckily, I met very nice people.

The first Albanian I met was Ervin (who is like a brother to me now) who advised me where to go and what to see. He also offered to do my laundry- which I really needed after two weeks of traveling with a backpack. He also convinced me to travel to Kosovo for a longer period that I’ve planned, which was a great advice.

The second Albanian I knew is from Kosovo, Blerat. We met in a hostel in Tirana. We had the most amazing conversation about the main believes in the Albanian culture. He also made sure I will have someone to help me when I get to Prishtina. Blerat’s kindness was so moving which made me shad tears of joy. It wasn’t the only time I cried because of Albanian kindness…

I’ve reached Kosovo and I was scared to say I was from Israel- which was very silly of course. Every person who heard I’m an Israeli was amazed and thanked me for coming to his country. Even today, when I’m in Kosovo, I’m hoping Kosovars will ask me where I’m from… All the time I spent in Kosovo Ervin and Blerat stayed in touch to make sure I’m ok- which I was, thanks to Blerat’s friend, Jimmy. Even though he was very busy, he showed me around Prishtina, helped me to get from Prishtina to Peja and made me cry- but for a good reason of course.

My next destination was Skopje. I was on a van with who is now a good friend of mine, Erzen. We both went to Skopje and spent the day in that unattractive city. We stayed in touch and managed to meet again in Prishtina. Just like the other people I’ve talked about, Erzen was nice and sweet to me and made sure I will try flija- which was ok…

After returning to Israel, Ervin offered me to work in Albania in tourism. It was a scary decision- to leave my home, family and friends to a different country. at first I thought I would struggle here when it comes to certain food and everyday life. When it comes to food- definitely there is no problem. Everyday life- it is different than Israel, but manageable.

Albania is beautiful, with great food (and beer), religion free and so much more. The biggest asset of Albania is the people. The kindness and warmth of Albanians is not something you encounter everywhere. It is the one thing all tourists say – Albanians are so nice! My mother came to visit on May and after meeting my friends (and my Albanian family), she stopped worrying about me and was hoping I would marry a nice Albanian man.

Albania is now my home away from home, and working in tourism, I enjoy both worlds: meeting Israelis and show them Albania.

Faleminderit and todaJ