by Tammy on February 11, 2010
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and similar to other countries throughout the world, in Albania it is a thriving holiday! In fact, next to New Year’s it is the most celebrated holiday of the year for the population at large. Coffee shops and restaurants are filled to the brim throughout the whole day with starry-eyed couples savoring their love.
With the economic crisis tightening many wallets this year, I thought I’d share a few simple, frugal, yet meaningful Valentine’s gift ideas that I gave my TCLH Valentine last year which he really enjoyed.
1. Create a Wordle and frame it.
Words are a powerful source of encouragement. And we all like to be creative. Wordle.net provides a way to put your words in a colorful arrangement. This is a meaningful gift not just for Valentine’s but I’ve often used a Wordle for a friend’s birthday or just to brighten someone’s day. You can choose different colors, fonts and arrangements to make your Wordle to your liking. 
You can save the Wordle, print it out and frame it for your special Valentine. (Just a warning here– it can be addictive trying to get the perfect design.)
2. Create an Animoto Video Valentine.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s your chance to communicate several thousand words with some of your favorite pictures to surprise your Valentine. I used Animoto’s free service last year and posted it on my Facebook page to surprise TCLH. It was a fun way to send a special “I love You” message to start the day.
3. Bake Something Special.
Chocolate is always a favorite on Valentine’s– and since my Valentine loves strawberries, I made chocolate-covered strawberries and orange slices last year for our candlelight dessert.
So easy to make– and inexpensive– simply melt baking chocolate or even a dark chocolate bar, being careful to stir continually, dip the strawberries (or whatever your passion is) in the chocolate and place on a plate covered with tin foil. Give it time to cool and then enjoy a scrumptious dessert to top off the evening.
Okay, so mine didn’t quite turn out like this one pictured, but you get the idea.
What Valetine’s gift ideas do you have that are simple, inexpensive, loving, meaningful and fun?
P.S. Happy Valentine’s TCLH… TDF!
by Tammy on February 4, 2010
One of the most distinguishing and charming characteristics of the Albanian people is their wonderful hospitality.
Albanians treat their guests like royalty. When visiting an Albanian home, even just for a coffee, they will bring out a smorgasbord of goodies- chocolates, candies and caramels, something cold to drink like juice or soda, Turkish coffee to follow, a sweet liquor for the women and of course, Albanian “raki” for the men. 
As your visit lasts a couple hours, the hostess will keep bouncing back into the kitchen to get fruit and salty snacks like pretzels and peanuts.
If you are visiting an Albanian family for dinner, don’t be surprised if they give you the best part of the meat, like the lamb’s head (with eyeballs still attached). This is the considered the choicest part and goes to the most important person at the table, which is YOU, their guest.
In the villages, you may find the hostess bringing in a basin to wash your feet and/or hands before you sit down for a meal.
The way Albanians kick off a visit when you sit down in their homes is by toasting to your health and happiness, saying “Gezuar” (guzz- u’- are) which you repeat after them and then clink your raki glasses together. They don’t expect you to necessarily drink their throat-burning specialty drink, but in order for the host to feel like he can drink freely, you at least need to bring the glass to your lips. If you don’t touch your drink or your food, then neither will the host/hostess feel the freedom to do so.
Albanians are very generous, not only in the abundant snacks or meal they set before you, but also in wanting to give you something to remember them by. I remember many years ago when I was living in Korca, a southeastern city, when my mom came to visit me in Albania. We went to my next door neighbor’s for a visit and had a very memorable evening. As we were getting ready to go, Frida, our hostess, left the room for a moment and then came back with a beautiful silver spoon that she wanted my mom to have. It was an antique heirloom from Frida’s family. Even as my mom tried to refuse this generous and touching gift, they emphatically insisted that she keep it.
A word of advice here: be careful about complimenting too many things (like ornaments, decorations, etc.) in an Albanian home. Their hospitality, generosity and desire to please you as their guest may compel them to give you the very thing you are complimenting. For example, let’s say you like a painting on their wall and praise them for how beautiful it is– don’t be surprised if they actually give it to you as you are leaving.
Can you imagine if this endearing aspect of Albanian hospitality played out in a similar fashion in American homes?? “Wow, I really like your Plasma 54″ Flat Screen Television” you comment during a visit to a new friend’s home…(hint hint). Nope, no bite.
Well, this is a very unique characteristic to the Albanian culture and one that makes indelible impressions upon all those who visit this lovely country! I often tell people that Albania is a like a magnet– once you visit this country and spend time with Albanians in their homes, you’ll be drawn back to visit again and again.
