Albania the Beautiful

Albania the beautiful. Did you think I was joking when I said I was on my way to Albania? I wouldn't blame you if you did; I can be quite the jokester. But it's real life! Here's a little update on what I've learned here:

Most people don't visit Albania as tourists. This means there's less Americanization here than most other places I've been. There isn't a single American chain restaurant here, but they do have AFC - "Albanian Fried Chicken", and "Coffee Bucks," which has a logo with bold, green letters. Remind you of anything?? It gave me a little chuckle. 

People of Albania

The Albanians I have met are very, very friendly. Hospitality is deeply rooted in Albanian culture, so the natives are typically helpful and kind. In fact, it is said that if you are lost, Albanians will often literally get inside your car, and direct you to your destination--even if that means they're riding with a stranger out of their way for 15-20 minutes.

Currency of Albania

Albanian currency is the leke, and if something costs 500 leke, that means it is about 5 US dollars. What a relief to know the exchange rate when the dinner bill arrives! 

Cuisine of Albania

Speaking of dinner... Albanian food is great. Albania is right next to Greece and just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy, so most of their food is Mediterranean. My favorite thing I ate is called souflaqe (soo-FLAH-chee), and it is basically like a Greek gyro. In Albania, they add fries on top (awesome), and it is considered fast food. (My favorite restaurant would be the Chick-fil-A of Albania.)

The cost of a nice meal in Albania is about half of what it would cost in America.

And olives. I ate so many olives. Olives for breakfast, olives for lunch, olives for dinner. (This is not a joke.)

Landscape of Albania

Albania has about 3 million people living here, with 1 million of them living in the capital city, Tirana. The country is small enough that one can see a good majority of the sites in just 4 days! Albania has city, country, mountains, and ocean all within about 5 minutes of each other. It's ahhhh-mazing. 

That's it for my Albanian update! I'm leaving in the morning. This country has been good to me! Next up: India!

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Tips for Travels

Over the past few years, I've been blessed to have had several travel opportunities. Through a good combination of research and experience, here are some of the things I've learned:

Whether you're packing for a long trip or a short one, you want to make sure you can get the most "bang for your buck" in terms of what you're bringing. That being said, bring stuff you can both layer and mix and match. You don't want to be the girl who brings 2 suitcases for a weekend trip. Trust me.

I consider packing a suitcase one of my top 5 strengths. Honestly, I attribute the skill to the amount of Tetris I played as a kid, but I'm thankful for it today. My family and friends have both asked me to help them pack, 'cause they know I'll be able to cram the most stuff into a bag. I always, always, always roll my clothes. It takes up very little space, and it keeps 'em wrinkle-free (for the most part).

Staying hydrated is a big part of staying healthy on a long trip. For plane rides, it is often recommended to drink 8 oz. of water per hour you are on the plane. So, if you're flying to Albania, and you have an 11-hour overseas flight, you should drink 88 oz. of water on the plane ride.

…And hopefully you have a seat near the restroom.

Whether you're going on a work trip, humanitarian trip, vacation, or on some other type of adventure, you'll want a little spending money! Personally, if I am going overseas, I like to collect some foreign currency to take home with me. It's an easy, fun way to remember all the places you've been! Obviously, don't bring home, like, a million Euros because you won't be able to spend them in the States. 

If I had a dime for every trip I wish I would have journaled on, I could probably fill up that jar in the photo. I start off with great intentions to write down every single detail of what I'm seeing, where I'm eating, who I'm meeting, etc. And then I usually come home with an empty journal. Focusing on the highlights of each day instead of "woke up at 8:06 a.m., went downstairs for breakfast, drank a cup of coffee, ate 2 orange slices…" should make it easier to keep a record of the trip. 

Bonus tip: Don't be the girl who wears heels on the plane. Not even wedges.

Alright, well I'm off to Albania, so I'll catch you guys on the flip-side of the Atlantic!

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The Happiest Time of Day

The happiest time of day. Well, what is it?? You may be thinking it's 5:00 p.m. because that's when the typical work day ends. You may be thinking it's 11:11 because people make wishes at 11:11! You may be thinking it's any time that you're drinking coffee. But you're wrong. (Sorry.)

I'm here to tell you the happiest time of day is 10:10.

Well, that's what watch retailers seem to think. It's an old advertising tactic they've been using since practically the beginning of time (hahahah, get it, time??) Before digital watches, the photographer had to set the watch hands to the same position for each ad. They placed the hands at 10 and 2 for a couple reasons, one being to properly display the brand name. Often, the watchmaker's name appeared right below the 12 and parallel to the 10 and 2, which meant the clock set at 10:10 would perfectly frame the maker's logo. Drawing attention to the brand name is just plain smart. In fact, the advertisers got even smarter than that. 

Back in the day, some watch companies had their logo on the bottom half of the watch, right above the 6. Instead of photographing their watches set at 10:10, they would set them at 8:20--using the same logic. However, instead of the watch hands pointing up at the brand name, they would be pointing down to highlight it. Over time, many watchmakers and advertisers decided the watch looked better with the hands facing up because it resembled a smiley face. Thus, 10:10 is the happiest time of the day because the clock is smiling at you.

To this day, Rolex's watches are always photographed at 10:10:31. Timex's official time for all marketing purposes is 10:09:36. I guess Timex is technically 24 seconds away from the happiest time of day, but we'll give 'em a break. 

Happy 10:10! Happy Thursday!

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