Thankful For Families [part 1]

For me, Thanksgiving is all about families. So to celebrate Thanksgiving, I am doing a week of posts about my thankfulness for my different families. So today, let me tell you about why I am thankful for my Albanian family!

Their Patience. Seriously. They have so much of it and that’s what my Albanian family is. Patient. Nicole and I couldn’t communicate with them when we first got here except for smiles and head nods. But really we couldn’t even do that because head nods are opposite here. So for a while, all we could do was smile. That had to be just as frustrating for them as it was for us.

Our family was patient and helped us to learn not just Albanian but how to become more Albanian. Now, I am so thankful that they took me under their wing and have let me become a part of their family.

Their Sacrifice. From day 1, they told us that Nicole and I would be like their daughters. So the family of four moved out of their 2 bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room house into a one-room room the size of our living room (which isn’t that big).

They don’t even have beds. They have pull out sofas that aren’t nearly as comfortable as ones I’m used to sleeping on which aren’t that comfortable after a few nights. So I’m thankful for the sacrifices that my Albanian family has made for me.

Their Acceptance. I’m thankful for their acceptance of us and our permanently Americanized ways. I’m sorry but I will never be as clean or clean as often as Albanians. I just can’t. I will never be able to cook or consume as much oil as they do on a regular basis. I will never be able to be around people or tvs 24/7 as they prefer. I have to have some quiet alone time.

I will still sit on the ground without thinking. I will wear sandals when they say it’s far too cold for sandals. I will always eat dinner too early for them. I will sleep with a fan on during hot summer nights. There are some things about me that may never be totally Albanianized. But they still accept me.

I am just so thankful for my family who always look out for me, always teach me, always love me and always make sure I’m taken care of.

My Albanian Family