Bush në Shqipëri! as the headlines say. Several have asked about the reception he received here in Albania. Without getting into political positions, we will try to provide some insight to his reception. All will agree that President Bush is a controversial figure at this moment and excluding Albania, he has not been warmly received in most European countries. So, do Albanians think he is a rock star?

Before answering that, let me talk about the watch. Are you aware that while mingling with the crowd he lost his watch? Well, everyone here noticed. The TV cameras focused on showing his wrist with and without the watch. Did the people of Fushe-Kruja steal his watch? Now we cannot explain why this topic got so much airplay, but it did. In jest, several people came up to Criss on Monday, showed him their watch and said it was President Bush’s watch. We did not know the President wore a plastic Timex with a lap counter! And if you did not follow the watch watch, it fell off and a security guard picked it up and gave it to Laura.

Ok, what was all the celebration about? There is some background that is important in understanding Albania’s view toward the United States. Back at the end of WWI, the Albanians struggled to gain recognition as an independent country. By the end of the war, Albania’s neighbors had already annexed much of their country and there was a strong push to refuse to recognize Albania as a separate nation and instead, merge it with one of its neighbors. The U.S. was one of the few countries that supported establishing Albania as an independent nation. Then in the 1990s, it was the U.S. that insisted on bombing the Serbs to stop the ethnic cleansing of Albanians living in Kosovo.

One thing that is not easily understood is the key connection to ethnicity. Most of us Americans see ourselves as Americans, regardless of our ethnic background. But that is not the view here. When you meet someone, there are lots of questions about family in order to establish your ethnic origin. Your accent tells people where you are from. And that is still important here and Kosovars are Albanians and treated like pseudo-residents. (It is very confusing to Albanians when individuals of Asian or African descent say they are Americans.)

Another factor in the warm reception is that this is the first time a U.S. President has visited Albania, making this a historic event. Other high-level dignitaries have come, but never the President. His presence is perceived as a validation of all the progress that has been made in the country. While many might have reservations about President Bush, they have no reservations about the President of the U.S. visiting. They very easily make the distinction between the person and the office.

As we finish our first year here, we are just now beginning to grasp the power of a symbol. The strong desire for this country to be recognized as a legitimate nation and to be treated respectfully in the world community is prevalent everywhere. The fact that Americans are living in an Albanian community does more as a symbol than any work we could actually do. In fact, much of our initial work was being token foreigners at meetings where we understood nothing and contributed less. But just our presence brought validity to the process. The visit of a sitting President is a powerful symbol of the validity of the nation and encourages them to continue on this difficult transition from communism and dictatorship to capitalism and democracy. There is hope that this will begin to open trade and travel possibilities to the country and its citizens.

The President’s visit was a great opportunity for Albania to get positive worldwide coverage and that was not lost on the general public. The entire city of Tirana was under siege for the day before and day of the visit and the only complaints we heard were from tourist who were trying to get across town. A 30-minute trip to Durrës took 2 ½ hours as the main streets were blocked and all traffic was forced to secondary streets. But this was an inconvenience the public gladly endured.

Probably the most powerful image of the trip was Bush mingling with the crowd. As we have visited countries and spoken to visitors here, the question is always asked, “How safe is it in Albania?” Our standard response is, “As safe as back home, if not safer”. Name just one city (outside his hometown in Texas) where the President can walk among the crowds and be so well received. If nothing else, we hope that image conveys the image of stability and security. As for us, while foreigners are stared at unabashedly, more than once, the kindness of strangers has helped us out and you can rest assured that with all eyes upon you, you are not in danger. All you need to do is ask for help and it is gladly given.

So why the warm reception? Partly, it is self-serving as Albania wants to be accepted in the world community. Partly, it is appreciation for a long history of support of their country by the U.S. Mostly, it is just in the nature of Albanians to be hospitable to foreigners. They may not block the streets for you, but they will open their doors to you and make your visit here memorable.