December 2018 - Page 2 of 2

Things no one tells you about early pregnancy

December 18, 2018December 18, 2018 The Balkanista

So despite taking precautions and having around a 50% chance of conceiving due to botched surgery several years ago, I seem to have found myself well and truly up-the-duff. For those that don’t speak English slang, that is a colloquialism for pregnant, or as I have been referring to it; ‘preggers AF’. To say this […]

Quality picks

Fact not Fiction- The December Student Protests

December 14, 2018December 14, 2018 The Balkanista

Over the last 10 days, Albanian students have taken to the streets to demand improvements in education, their rights, and the conditions that they are forced to accept. If you live in Tirana, the chances are that you have seen them marching, heard them chanting, or seen pictures of them on your social media news […]

Albanian NGOs call for 5% of GDP to be spent on Children and Young People

December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 The Balkanista

On December 12th2018, 24 NGOs in Albania released a statement to express their support for the ongoing student protests in the country. Supporting the student’s requests, the Civil Society organisations demanded that 5% of the GDP of the country be spent on Education. At the moment, Albania only spends 3.3%of the GDP on education, a […]

Christmas in Tirana

December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 The Balkanista

So it is the most wonderful time of the year once again, but if you are in Tirana, Albania this year, you may be a bit unsure of what goes down in terms of festive frivolities over the next few weeks. As a predominantly secular country, religious festivals aren’t highest on the list of Albanian […]

Christmas market raises EUR 465 for local charities

December 10, 2018December 10, 2018 The Balkanista

On Saturday 8th December, an Artisan Christmas Market was held at ‘Urban Roots’ in Tirana. Organised by myself in conjunction with ‘Urban Roots’, the idea behind the event was to give a platform to local artisans to sell their products, but also to raise money for two local charities. A total of EUR 465 was […]

Secret Albania- The threat of looters on Albania’s underwater treasures

December 7, 2018December 7, 2018 The Balkanista

During the rule of Enver Hoxha, Albania’s brutal communist dictator, the oceans of Albania were strictly off-limits, with strict orders to shoot anyone who was caught diving without the proper authorisation. Fast forward 28 years and the waters of Albania are open to all; tourists, divers, thrill seekers, explorers, archaeologists, but also looters who are […]

The Student Protests- what it is all about.

December 6, 2018December 7, 2018 The Balkanista

You may have noticed photos of protests circulating on your news feed today and yesterday, you may have even had your travel disrupted due to roads being closed and more traffic than usual, but there is actually a very good reason for this. Students in Tirana have been protesting proposed governmental changes to the way […]

Raising awareness of domestic violence in Albania

December 5, 2018December 5, 2018 The Balkanista

On the 25thof November 2018, started the annual ’16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’ an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. It’s starting day is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 days’ end on the 10th December, international Human Rights Day. The initiative started […]

Kala Festival Back for 2019 Edition!

December 5, 2018 The Balkanista

As the long, cold nights draw in and the twinkling Christmas lights of Tirana keep us feeling festive, thoughts of summer and beaches might seem like a whole other world away. But whilst you may not be quite ready to start making your summer holiday plans, the wheels are already in motion for Kala Festival […]

World AIDS Day in Tirana

December 2, 2018 The Balkanista

This post was originally written by me, for Exit.al Saturday, December 1stwas World AIDS Day, an event that did not go unmarked in Tirana. As a part of the annual Christmas market held at Skanderbeg Square, a local NGO called Alga set up stands giving out free booklets, condoms, information, whilst helping to raise awareness […]

Month: December 2018

Things no one tells you about early pregnancy

Quality picks

Fact not Fiction- The December Student Protests

Albanian NGOs call for 5% of GDP to be spent on Children and Young People

Christmas in Tirana

Christmas market raises EUR 465 for local charities

Secret Albania- The threat of looters on Albania’s underwater treasures

The Student Protests- what it is all about.

Raising awareness of domestic violence in Albania

Kala Festival Back for 2019 Edition!

World AIDS Day in Tirana

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