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 […]
Continue ReadingOver 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 […]
Continue ReadingOn 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 […]
Continue ReadingSo 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 […]
Continue ReadingOn 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 […]
Continue ReadingDuring 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 […]
Continue ReadingYou 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 […]
Continue ReadingOn 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 […]
Continue ReadingAs 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 […]
Continue ReadingThis 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 […]
Continue Reading