There are a lot of expats in Albania from all over the world. During my ten months here, I have managed to group them together into the following categories:
WAGs
The wives and girlfriend’s of Albania are the spouses and partners of businessmen who work and live in the country. Whilst I hate to make gender stereotypes, this is a prevalent demographic in many expat communities. The WAGs have previously lived in Saudi, Qatar, Johannesburg, and Aberdeen, and love living here, yet never really integrate too much, preferring to spend time with other expats. They like to make friends with each other and undertake philanthropic work whenever possible. Also included under this heading is their partners- they pay 4 x the market value for their accomodation, eat in all the best restaurants, and fly “home” every other weekend. They can be found at TEG, and Coin and sometimes Ring Centre and they live in gated communities or apartment blocks with more security than the Amerian Embassy. Groceries are bought in Baronesha and Conad, and would not be caught dead buying from a street vendor.
The Diplomats
The Diplomats work for embassies, the EU, USA ID, the UN, or various other international agencies. They move in packs through the streets of Blloku in a uniform of shift dresses (for women) or suit trousers and shirt (top two buttons undone) and they eat well, drink a lot, and discuss in detail changes in policy, politics, or their last/future postings. They will usually find any excuse to drop into conversation that they have a diplomatic passport and they are often unfoundedly concerned about levels of crime or perceived threats, due in part to the numerous bulletins they get sent at work. They complain about everything, yet secretly love it here. They can usually be found in Salt and fancy fish restaurants and would never be spotted in a sports bar or lotto shop.
Accidental Residents
These are the people that came on holiday and never really left. They either fell in love with a local, stumbled across a good job, or already have a job that allows them to work wherever they are. They are here because the cost of living is cheap, the bars are cool, and they sort of enjoy the randomness of their life choice of living in Albania. They tend to be artists, writers, remote workers, IT consultants, or some other profession that means they can work from their laptop. These people know all the coolest restaurants and boutiques, observe politics from afar, and have made some attempt to learn the language. Can usually be found in some trendy coffee shop working on their Macs, but would never set foot in Billionaire.
English Teachers
There are two types of English teacher in Albania- those that do it because they love it, and those that do it to pay for their alcohol. Type one is usually American and have previously taught in places like Singapore, Cambodia, and Kentucky. They are experts on IB and international schools and love Albania but don’t get too attached. They are the types that want the comforts of home whilst they are here and never really settle beause they know that in a year or two, they will be off to Argentina or some other far-flung place. The second type of teacher never had any ambitions to teach and only do so because it is super easy to get a job. They stumble into school every morning, reeking of Raki, in the previous day’s clothes and are unleashed on unsuspecting seven-year-olds. They are only doing this until they save enough money to go to India, or they find another job with significantly less early mornings and toddlers. Both types can be found at karaoke nights and quiz nights and both would rather die than be seen at any school-related event.
The Digital Nomads
They arrived during the pandemic to avoid mandatory vaccinations/mask wearing/hand washing, and never left. They work online in customer service or some kind of teaching, and live in Tirana, Durres, or Vlora. They like Albania but spend most of their time trying to source Ranch dressing, ingredients to make Mexican food or some obscure South Korean spice that can only be found growing up a mountain at dawn twice a year. They attend all the expat meetups, don’t speak a word of Albanian and are secretly scared of Albanians because they think they are all “Islamics”.
Peace Corps Past and Present
The Peace Corps volunteers arrive in Albania with bright eyes and bushy tails before they are shipped off to some remote mountain village where they are made to integrate with everyday, rural, Albanian life. They are fluent in Shqip after 2 months, suffer from slight malnutrition, and have high-functioning alcoholism. After their service is over, half stay and marry a local, and the others are on the first plane back to California, swearing never to set foot in the Balkans again. They can be observed in random villages and towns throughout Albania, but are rarely sighted in Tirana unless they have snuck there to get drunk/see a doctor/go shopping without the permission of their superior.
The Wanderers
Homeschooling vegans, The Wanderers are usually families that sold everything to travel the world, brood in tow. They are in search of tofu, quinoa, and people they can discuss Montessori homeschooling with. They are friendly and throw themselves into the local community and yoga classes, but they make sure it is known that they will be on their way again in a year or two. They can be seen at open-air markets and would never be seen dead in Rossmans.
The Honrary Albanians
These folks have been here so long that they don’t even remember how long it has been. They speak Albanian better than the Albanians do and may or may not have some form of eagle tattoo. They hold an Albanian passport (or are dying to get one), are married (or engaged) to an Albanian and tend to avoid ever leaving the country if at all possible. They are coffee drinking, raki quaffing, Shqip speaking, people who know literally everything there is to know about the country, and have earned their right to criticise where criticism is due. Can be found in their partners uncles restaurant/coffee shop/ bar, and would never be seen dead at the airport or the immigration office.
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