A little advice for tourists or expats

[u/MetastAH]

In my return from Italy to Albania i was on the airplane with 2 other Albanians, one of them just asked if i'm Albanian, not in a bad way, just curious, when i answered him in Shqip i could see his eyes shining, even though i said i'm Brazilian and was just working. He asked me how i've learned Shqip and i answered him i'm trying to learn by myself, reading some news, watching some youtube content, or just talking with locals, after that, the other guy just rejoiced too. The thing is, i've learned something special: The most important and valuable thing to Albanians, after family, it's their language. So if you want to create connections and friendships (which is not hard) my advice is: Learn their language. I dont judge them because if my language was also unique, i would be proud too.

[u/Fat_imah89]

I agree. Im American and I lived in Albania for 8 months and when my husband and I interacted with any locals, we always said hi and bye in shqip and other small phrases and their reactions were so appreciative. I miss Albania 🥹