Thank you for mentioning our little corner of the world! You can include Kosovo in that as well, as the majority of people here are ethnic Albanians and follow the same culture.

It is wonderful and hard to move from an individualistic country (I am from the US) to a more community based one (Kosovo for me). People here are so kind and do create real community. To an American, even though I have longed for that all my life, it can feel overwhelming and even intrusive (not much is off limits for conversation here). But those are MY issues resulting from where I came from. I have found it difficult to integrate as I wish to, but again, it is all on me. Mostly due to a difficulty learning the language. Communication is so important for making friendships. But even though I am the outsider in a small town where everyone is related (I guess I am now too since my husband is from here), I am always welcomed. No matter what town we have traveled to within Albanian culture (ethnic Albanians span Albania, Kosovo, as well as parts of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Greece, and Italy) I find that the idea of Besa is alive and well. Which is really wonderful in these modern times.