19th of November, 2020.
I wake up super early but still I am late! Yesterday I walked so much, all around, looking for the cheapest but still good earphones. I bought one for 400 Lekes, which originally was 500, but the shop is almost 30 minutes walking from the Hostel. When I tried on my computer I could hear a buzz. And even holding the earphones now, I can tell it is not the same quality as the ones I have now. They look the same, but this one I just bought it is shitty.
So I walk back to the shop first thing in the morning, hoping the guy will give me my money back. I do not want another shit like this, just my money and I will try my luck again somewhere else. His shop is aligned with another 4 cellphone shops, and it is the only one open at this time. It is not the same guy (for me they looked the same) and when he call the boss, the boss tell him to exchange for another. He does not speak English, but I keep repeating to him that I cannot exchange, I need my money back, it is only the 400 and 500… He calls his boss again and finally I get my money back!
I stop in a few different shops but I cannot find something that I think it worth it. I go to the supermarket and buy some biscuits, chocolates, fruits, two Bureks, and a sandwich, all for the travel. But still no earphones. I agreed to meet Ben in front of his hotel at 11 a.m. And it is almost that. But I have not packed my things yet, they are all nicely organized but outside of my backpack, in the bed. So I decide it is better if I walk to the hotel (just 2 blocks) and tell Ben I will be late 10 minutes. He is already in the car, putting his bags, but he says I can take my time.
On my way back, I decide to ask in this cellphone shop just one block from the hostel. The guy, apparently the owner, not only is super nice but also has an earphone which looks a lot like my current one, I do not know how to explain, but when you touch you can feel it, and also the weight. Anyway, it is 500 Lekes and I take it. Note: I tried both earphones on the shop, but I admit that until this day, I have not use / try the last one I bought.
Now do you want to listen something ironic? When I get to the car with all my stuff, I cannot remember where I put the fucking new earphones, and because I am nervous for being late I do not stop to think, for 2 minutes, otherwise I would remember that, to keep them safe, I drop them inside my sunglasses case. Of course I walked back to the hostel but now the problem is: C. is at his German classes; one guest is in the kitchen but with his super good headphones so I know he will not hear the bell; and I do not know where are are the other guests. After ringing the bell for several minutes, the German girl finally heard and decide to check. She saved me!! Well, at least I though…
The airport is just half a hour from Tirana so we get there in no time. But even before we get there, Ben gives me 200 Dollars. I tell him that from January I will start to make some money so I will be fine but he insist that until there I might need, for an emergency, so I better keep. I try to refuse a few more times but he refuses to take the money back. Should I have left in the car? Should I have gave to the first homeless person I saw? You see, I will never know the right answer. There is one? Before I met Ben, I knew I would only have 18 Pound to buy food supply for two weeks (the period of my quarantine). But what if I need to stay longer and need more food? What if I get this fucking Covid-19 anyway? I might not die but I still will need some pills. And if Ben wants to give me his money, why should I not accept? He would not be doing that if he could not. Besides, I only have accept money from people who I know to have plenty. Apart for those two different guys, who throw the money out of the window at me and drove away. Crazy ones… The truth is… I do not think all these people who offered me money they would do that for anyone. Maybe they could see through me and the fact that I am not doing this for pity and want to people to give me money. Maybe they just think that this money they are giving to me will save my ass in a case of an emergency, or it will buy me a plate of food when I am hungry, or a coffee to warm me up, or a beer (as in the Croatian guy case).
At the airport I discover that we can only board up to two hours before our flights. Great! (sarcasm) My flight is at 6.40 p.m. and now it is only 12.30 p.m. Fabulous! But the officer who answer me that, is very kind and polite, and even so he seems like to be prepare for a bad reaction (maybe by experience with the other people), I treat him as like he treated me, very kind and polite, which he receives with a thankful surprise.
Maybe because of that, they make the outside toilets free. Usually they are not. So since that was my only concern, now I am cool. I eat my Bureks (yeah, both of them!) and drink the rest of my yogurt, which I took with me (a box of 1 litre) plus I mix with the rest of the milk, which I also took with me (another box of 1 litre) because the yogurt it is not the type to drink, it is very thick.
Little by little more people start to come. At some point, there are a lot of people around the entrance but I am still sat on my spot, a few metres behind. Because I was the first one to arrive, I decide it is just fair if I am the first one to enter, right? Well… I do not think many people agree with me. Anyway, when I walk a bit closer, I see this stylish girl with her huge bag and I decide to ask her if she is on the flight to London. She confirms that but also says the obvious: probably everybody there is. Apart of the families, of course. Oh yeah, there were many spots where only one person have luggage (meaning just one person was flying) but there were about 3 or 4 people around them. Apparently Albanian families like to say goodbye at the airport.
I do not remember the girl’s name now. Maybe we did not talk about our names. I know she is from New Zealand though. Lucky her! She is very nice and funny, we laugh making fun of some people’s bad behavior and the caution drawings at the bus to the plane (pigeons wearing masks and neckless people). Yeah, we kept bumping in each other all the way to the plane, when we got apart.
Oh! By the way… I was very concern about my backpack, right? The ticket allowed me to bring on 20 Kg maximum check-in luggage. At first, I though about leaving some clothes and food. I even though I would have to get ride of my tent. At the end? I kept everything on, plus my new metal bottle (C. gift) and my knife (which is super heavy) and the total weight was 18 something. Great!