Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Albania, Day 15: Tirana, Albania

This is my ninth trip to Albania, and it feels easy because we’re here to visit dear friends we’ve known and loved for years. Being with them is comfortable and familiar—like being with family. Eight of us from my Ventura church are here to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Emanuel Church in Albania: our two pastors, Jeff and Bruce, along with our friends Lisa and Willie Rajala and John and Edie McCormick.

I injured my arm two weeks ago in Uzbekistan, and it’s still really hurting. So today, I asked my friend Edvin, an orthopedic surgeon, if he could take an X-ray just to make sure it wasn’t broken. Well, it turns out it is fractured!

I was actually relieved to finally know what was wrong. I’d been debating whether to go to a hospital in a foreign country, where I didn’t speak the language and wouldn’t know where to go. But it turns out that, at least in my case, going to the hospital might not have changed much. The fracture wasn’t displaced, so surgery wasn’t necessary, and I don’t need a cast. I just need to protect the arm with a sling.

Zef drove me to the hospital, and Dr. Edvin walked me to a pharmacy to get a sling (and even tried to pay for it!). He also arranged a taxi to take me back. I was so grateful to have Albanian friends who made the whole process so easy. ❤️

Later we had raki (a strong Albanian liquor) at Zef’s house, and a beautiful dinner with our team and the church leadership.

In the ten years since we were last here, tourism in Albania has boomed. There are tour buses everywhere, souvenir stands lining the streets, and groups of tourists at every turn.

But the most devastating change has been the traffic. The roads are clogged, and traffic often crawls along at around 10 mph. People have to allow so much more time to get to work, church, or wherever else they need to go. It has significantly affected their quality of life. Tourism brings economic benefits, but it also comes at a cost for the people who live here every day.