Differences

After a few days of walking in my neighborhood to shop, today I took a bus to go to an appointment in midtown, and for some reason my attention focused on the traveling crowds. I realized having made similar observations months ago, but now after a long stay in Albania, I couldn't help noticing greater contrasts in the population on the move between the two countries.

It was mid morning, thus the younger set supposedly was already at work in NY. These days work places and offices have flexible hours and the old "rush hour traffic" that ruled the streets of NY (in early morning and late afternoon) for decades is a way of the past. The traffic pattern now is more or less the same all day long.

The majority of people I was watching today, lined up at every stop, represented the older set, most of them meticulously well dressed and some accompanied by a care taker. Lots of them carried canes, some took more time to get on and off by themselves, others needed special help by requesting the lowering of the platform that can load and unload wheel chairs. Dealing with the continually increasing number of elderly, in addition to the never ending heavy vehicular traffic, NY buses have slowed down their traveling pace and their waiting time. Thus, if you miss one bus, you patiently have to wait for the next, and by the time it arrives the riding crowd has considerably increased in size.

Except for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, when most citizens are resting or have left the city for the nearby beaches or mountains, Tirana's traffic is also heavy all day long until the wee hours of the night. Fewer are the bus lines, but the service is very frequent. Most people, young and old, walk a lot to their destination because the distances are not as great, and the public transport services only the major boulevards and not the cross streets.

The elder population that walks Tirana in mid morning consist mostly of men, also very neatly dressed, usually wearing business suits and hats. They take care daily of the family food shopping, facilitated by the availability, every couple of blocks, of local farm, extremely fresh, produce, and loads of small and large markets. Their spouses usually remain at home to take care of house chores and cooking. After the main meal of the day has been consumed by the family in mid afternoon, the couples are eventually seen together in late afternoon strolling along the avenues, or visiting friends or relatives.

Personally I know a very spry 90 year old man, who gets up every morning at 4am, prepares breakfast for the entire family, and then goes out to do the shopping. Another 80 year old professor that still teaches law at the University takes a long morning walk around the great park every day, rain or shine. Based on this kind of daily life I can understand why very few people in Albania use canes, or walkers, or wheel chairs to be mobile.

In contrast with NY is that Albania is a country with the youngest population in the world, who, to my great surprise, is extremely respectful of its elderly. Most of them, however, populate the many cafe` at every hour of the day, probably due to high unemployment rate. The seniors instead congregate in the various city parks to play chess or cards, or walk their grandchildren to whom they are very dedicated. They represent the nucleus around which the family spins!