One of the real joys of working in Albania is the time we spend with the Albanian staff. Other than the country director and the country program manager, the rest of the staff at Peace Corps are locals. The other day the English program manger was in town to talk with the new volunteer and Criss met up with them for coffee as they were near the museum. From the conversation with Diana (pronounced Dee-ana), there were some great quips and stories we would like to pass along – in no particular order.

At one point, Diana said, “Being in Albania is like being in hell”. “No”, we replied, “Albania has some problems, but it is developing quickly, things are improving and we really do like it here”. Then Diana goes on to tell us, we misunderstand because she sees hell as being a very pretty place, but you are trapped in a room with windows in all directions, but you can’t open the windows. Oh, we agreed.

As we talked about the different people that we encounter and the differences of the volunteers, Diana observed, “People are gifts and you just need to know how to open them.”

Diana met with the head of the English program and being female and being invited by the Rector and not the program director, she was not being well received. Everything had to be asked for and most requests refused. Nothing was going smoothly to get Matt, the new volunteer, placed. This disrespectful behavior continued and final Diana asked for a phone number or something like that it it was refused. She stopped and looked at the director and said “Your name is Eddie ….., right.” “Yes”, replied Eddie. “Do you know who you are talking to?” “No”, replied Eddie. “I am Diana Keqi, (pause) Keqi”. At this Eddie look flustered and the whole course of the interview changed. Everything she asked for was granted and Eddie even volunteered information and assistance. At this point in telling the story Diana sat back and smiled, but we sat looking confused. It did not make sense, we were missing something.

Finally, after a few puzzled looks, we asked, “Why is your family name so important?” And she told us that under communism people were monitored and biographies were kept. If you became unpopular with the political system, you were given a bad biography and that would exclude you from most jobs. After communism fell, Diana’s father or grandfather (not sure which it was) ignored biographies and just hired people based on merit. Eddie’s family was had a bad biography and it was Diana’s father or grandfather that gave them a chance. Even now, that is respected and this also explains why Diana is so well received throughout Albania, once they know her name.

Diana is always quick to laugh and just full of life. This final story gives you a better insight to her. In Albania, the custom is for widowed women to put on black and wear that for the rest of their life and not to remarry. Diana lost her husband at the age of 40. After a mourning period of several months, Diana decided that she could not live the rest of her life dressed in black. It was too depressing. So, before the first year was up, she decided to wear a black dress with white polk-a-dots. Her mother did not speak to her for a week. Finally Diana called her and said “Mom, I am coming over and I do not have on the traditional black.” She said it was a difficult discussion, but in the end her mother understood and even agreed with her. Now, you would never know Diana marital status unless she told you.