We are in our tenth month of living in Albania. Our 1,000 lek ($11.50) per-hour-three-hours-once-a-week-cleaning lady, Flora Hyseni has been with us from our first week. She came to us via referral from Sonila, our go-to guide from the ExPatsInAlbania.com business.
Flora’s English is on par with our Albanian.
We’ve helped each other learn some useful phrases.
Still, for communicating complex topics we use
Google Translate on our phones.
The translations are sometimes for some laughs but the generally they are understandable.
There is no Goodwill or Salvation Army Here
A few weeks ago, we upgraded the rolling cart we use to haul groceries home with a sturdier one. I suggested to Barry that Flora might know someone who would want the cart we were replacing.
Along with the cart we added an electric hot plate we don’t use, and two new $8.00 Casio watches Barry had ordered from Amazon USA to keep in reserve. (They generally last about three years each.) Barry didn’t need them anymore because he bought a new $140.00 Casio watch from a shop at the European Trade Center mall. It will probably last him a lifetime.
Flora was ecstatic about the “gifts” and declared “you are family!” The following week she arrived on cleaning day with Sameda, her teenage, high school-English-proficient-daughter. Sameda relayed an invitation to dinner on Sunday . . . adding that we could spend the night. I had to decline staying overnight because I’m certain Flora had no idea we are frequent night time bathroom users.
Flora said she’d pick us up at 6:00 pm on Sunday.
Sunday Night Arrives. The Adventure Begins
Flora called to let us know she’d arrived. She sent Sameda to meet us at the apartment to guide us to a nearby bus stop where Flora was parked. OK. Got to hurry! (Parking is scarce in Tirana.)
We hopped into Flora’s white electric VW and were on our way. Sameda, acting as translator, asked us what foods we like, if we’d been to Kosovo, etc. About ten minutes into the ride, it became clear to me that Flora was leaving Tirana proper. That’s when we learned they live in Kamёz, a small town about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) outside Tirana. OK! That’s the suburbs (“the burbs”).
We also learned that Flora takes a one-hour bus ride from her home to Tirana for our Tuesday house cleaning because the parking is so impossible!
We arrived at Flora’s home and were introduced to two other kids: eighth grader Kadesa (a girl) and third grader Ahnee (a boy). We settled in the living room/kitchen where Sameda assembled cans of soft drinks on a tray and graciously offered us our choice. Then she delivered another surprise. “My dad will come home from work in about an hour. Our dinner reservations are for 8:00 pm.”
Okay. Flora’s not cooking. I was surprised but not bothered by the news. We chatted for about a half hour . . . we learned Sameda wants to be a corporate lawyer; her dad’s job is to ride an assigned bus and sell the 40 lek ($0.44) bus fare tickets to onboarding passengers.
Urim, Flora’s husband, arrived. He was super friendly, clearly delighted we were there. He took a minute to change his clothes. When it was time to leave for dinner, Sameda asked if we wanted to use the bathroom. I accepted.
Albanian bathrooms
When I got in the bathroom there was no toilet paper in the holder so I went back and asked. I was given a few paper towels. It turned out I didn’t have to pee much, which was good because that meant I didn’t need much paper. And, when I pushed the flush button it didn’t activate. I told Sameda it wouldn’t flush. Flora said don’t worry about it. Sameda said she always “used the water,” which I realized meant she used the bidet.
That was that and we were off to the restaurant. I admit at this point I was getting “just a bit” stressed by a serious “fish out of water” feeling.
We drove to Taverna Restaurant Murati, about two kilometers away. Barry and I sat next to Sameda so she could translate. She told us to order anything we wanted from the menu and her parents would order more food that we could share.
I ordered vegetarian spaghetti, thinking it would be spaghetti in a red sauce. It was more like linguini in a white sauce. Though not what I expected it was more than great.
The food kept coming . . . appetizers, a big platter of grilled chicken breasts, a piled-high platter of beef ribs, a plate of cornbread squares covered in gravy, a pile of green beans, a big bowl of Caesar salad, several bowls of I-don’t-know-what that Barry dug into and clearly enjoyed. It was probably a meatball stew. Then there were still more dishes than I can remember.
OMG this is going to cost a fortune! What a dent this will make in their budget that’s funded by their hard work. Should we offer to pay part of the tab? No, we are clearly guests. I just hope they know what they’re doing.
What an extravagant feast! To top it off Urim insisted that we take the leftover chicken and beef. We tried to refuse, thinking their family could eat for a couple of days with that much food. Urim made it clear we were to take the bounty. So we did. That meat fed us for a week!
When we left the restaurant Urim said he and Ahnee would take a taxi home. Flora, Sameda, Kadesa, Barry, and I hopped into Flora’s VW and headed for home.
It was about 10 o’clock when we were nearly home and Flora flipped a U turn where she could have turned left to go up our street. She pulled into the bus zone to let us out. Smart move! If she had taken us to our apartment she would have had to keep going in that direction and make a couple of right turns to get back on the main street headed in the right direction.
As luck would have it, we were steps away from Laguna’s a sit-down, desserts-only place. They have gelato, of course along with dessert waffles, dessert crepes, coffees and soft drinks. We staked out a table and went to the counter to order . . . a double scoop of chocolate gelato in a cone for me and a pistachio gelato in a cup for Barry. It was a super way to end the evening.
Reciprocate? Certainly! But How?
When Flora comes next Tuesday for house cleaning, we’ll invite her and her family to be our guest at Floga, an upscale restaurant around the corner from our apartment. https://restorantfloga.com/ (“Floga” is Greek for “flame.”)
Artie, the chef, always comes out to greet diners, answer questions about the various dishes, make suggestions, and then take the order (without writing it down!) We never have to make our best guess about what we are ordering and chance getting something we don’t like.
Artie also loves serving big groups. We’ve seen many a wedding supper at Floga. So imagine how good it will be when our Albanian-speaking party sits down. (There will be seven of us, five native speakers and two not-so-literate American retirees.)
Oh my goodness!!! I seriously have a lump in my throat from reading about your evening out, the kindness and joy shared between you, Flora and her family, simply remarkable! Your detailed account of the evening is exactly what I have valued most during my travels with friends, who became family, from other cultures. One look at Flora says it all, what a beautiful soul. And, and whatever that bowl of goodness is, I would have been in that knee deep. I have a wonderful mental image of Barry, knowing how much he enjoys a good meal and great company.
So, when it sounded like the evening was pretty much wound down, you go for gelato at 10:00 PM, what!? I would say it certainly sounds like you are living your best life! Good on both of you!!
Keep the news coming!
Oh, Patty! Great perceptions. Yes, this family is the real deal. BTW, Flora’s schedule is all over the map. She is supposed to come at 10:00 on Tuesdays, but that time will often shift to 9:00, 8:30, 8:00, or 4:00. Do we care? NO! That’s because I just learned that Flora is on the bus at 5:00 am every morning to get into to down to handle clients. Let’s cut Flora some slack. When she arrives, I have a phone charger and Albanian coffee set up for her. I tell her “Ti punon shumë!” “You work hard!”
What a fun experience!
Always enjoy your updates. What an experience!
Harlan
I am glad you have found this new home!