Welcome Home Lina

I haven’t seen my friend for 2 years 🧘🏽‍♀️super summer surprise. Welcome home 🇦🇱 Lina. 11:11. What can I say it remains the time of the day no matter what. I’m at the river, late morning hours, the sun strong out again as every day now. Finding my friend down the shore as expected. I dive into my sweet little water cave. The perfect cooling spot in the shade, sitting in the smooth sand that will serve me as a mud peeling later on, meditating, refreshing, view on the rock and the green mountains. I could go into this routine every morning. Covering myself in the mud, my skin becoming soft, cooling down to a point that I start to feel a bit cold. Says the person sleeping with two blankets in 35 degrees. He’s laughing. 

But this won’t be the only activity for today. When I return, eating, drinking, refreshed to the bones, the whole group is getting ready to search for the magical black eye that had appeared in front of me the first day from the top when I was missing it two years ago. First of all my friend Jimmy taking us, our tour guide and my loyal friend, stopping by the gas station bringing us coffee, stopping at the next small shop as I’m craving ice cream. As we crawl out the big van I see the face of the owner. The same woman from two years ago. I smile. As we look each other in the eyes she starts smiling a large smile all across her face. She recognizes me. I cannot believe it. We’re hugging, I almost cry in awe. Looking at the variety of ice creams, gets me even more excited as Jimmy orders us to pick one. We’re like little girls so happy to have found the best one, giggling away in the steaming hot car on the way to the coldest and most unknown pool outside town. The black eye. Missed two years ago, finally discovered now. A breath taking place, more beautiful than I had imagined overly rewarding after an almost 30 minute walk under sun, totally exposed to the afternoon heat. The water freezing cold and Crystal clear, green and blue, surrounded by the rocks of the Vjosë. A natural swimming pool, nourished by the underlying spring pumping fresh icy cold water into the hole each and every day. The guys jumping off the cliffs like little boys, again and again, for us jumping into the pool is enough excitement. 

Slowly I feel how I’m getting hungry and exhausted as we all do. Sitting for a beer at the beautiful waterfall restaurant time has come to return to the camp. Everyone grabbing the first best thing to eat, sitting down drained from the heat and the icy water but deeply happy and excited from the excursion. I cook Dona her dinner on the gas outside so she won’t have to sleep in a sauna, glad to finally seeing her eat. A rakije and only an hour later, everyone is going to sleep before 10pm. What a day. 

The Blue Black Eye. 

The next morning the neighbor’s lawnmower wakes me up at 7am. What to do. 

I’m unstoppable, I’m a Porsche with no breaks I’m invincible and I win every single game… there it is my song. The storm comes, brushing over the camp out of nowhere. Just when I tell her the story from the mountains, the guys not wanting to listen, doing their own bbq. Needing the thunderstorm to bring what we need. She’s shaking. It scares her. I crawl on the bench behind her, hugging her tightly. 

Chill day after a long beautiful day yesterday. Packing for going to town to buy groceries, she’s persisting on giving me money. “It’s your home love. Next time you can pay.”  I take it. My home. Like he said when he sends the pictures into the world, smilingly peaking his head through the door later. “Hey sweetheart. How are you?”. Yes home. 

A familiar atmosphere. The kind Albanians selling me Burek, veggies and fresh bread. Going back I keep thinking that today I could actually walk since I have no other plans for the day. The same minute no surprise a car stops, picking me up, dropping me off. Smiling, she knows. The boys are leaving to the beautiful world heritage. Exchanging contacts before we will join them tomorrow. I’ve wanted to go there before. This time it’s time. 

Whilst the wind is trying to blow the camp away, the sand storm bringing the rain with the thunder a dislikeable  and disrespectful Albanian, having too much rakije is pulling my triggers. “I don’t like them”. I say to my friend. “I know sweetheart, he’s a really famous actor and used to that attention and treatment”. I take over the phone call managing the work awayers and two camper’s payment as everyone is using the rainy weather for day drinking. They’re finally leaving after more disrespectful interaction, toxic masculinity at its best. Still it’s Albania. She’s coming back. “They want to build big hotels here. I don’t want them around this area. People with money.” […] there goes our ever lasting topic. The rich with their bad manners and the simple people working hard with their kind hearts struggling to live and take care of the land hardly managing to survive. Happy I can at least take a little weight off her shoulders. 

I need your shoulders to lean on with all my bad memories and experiences. I assure her that I have strong shoulders for her to lean on. I’m so happy you came back home and I hope you will always come back. You’re always in my heart. You can never change that. I also assure that I will. How could I not?!