Something Small

Often when we journey abroad, our visit is sure to be full of any combination of museums, monuments, architecture, history, and nature. These are the grand things we research and prepare ourselves for before we depart, and they certainly impact our trip. But filling in the gaps between these large bullet points on our list of things to do are small experiences which can really define your experience, and often leave a more lasting impression than everything you read on the internet before you landed. What I am writing about today is incredibly small, and maybe insignificant to most people.

Tirana, and Albania in general, has more than the usual amount of stray dogs - at least among the countries I've visited. At first, this concerned me. I adore dogs. When it comes to dogs, my family is not known to behave in an entirely rational manner. We tend to cancel long planned family vacations when our dogs show even an inkling of getting sick. So at first, seeing all of the stray dogs wandering the city broke my heart. A few days later, I noticed that none of the dogs I had seen showed any signs of starvation, which made me feel a bit better. It wasn't until a few weeks into my time here that I began to witness something which not only consoled me, but absolutely warmed my heart. It was something that I have never before seen in all my time living and travelling in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. I saw locals playing with and petting stray dogs. 

The first few times I saw people petting these dogs I was surprised, but I treated them as isolated incidents. However, as this kept happening, I was struck by how different this scene was from anywhere I'd been. I have only witnessed stray animals seen as a nuisance, and I would say the experience is the same for most people. I can't say that this has given me some profound insight into Albanian culture, and as previously stated, this may not even be significant to anyone besides someone who is as obsessed with dogs as I am. I would say however, that this demonstrates what I have already seen. Albanians are a very kindhearted people, and this kindness extends not just to people, but even to stray dogs. 

Our new friend chilling in the Durres Amphitheatre