With my wife Dace we continue traveling through Eastern Europe to share it with you and we arrived in Albania, a surprising Balkan country with coasts, mountains and an intense urban life.
Finding similarities between Albania and Latin America is something that may at first seem capricious. But after wandering these streets for a few days we have come to believe that it is not. Then, the verification of some data will prove us right.
Albania and Latin America, despite being separated by thousands of kilometers, share some surprising similarities. Temperate to warm climate, accumulation of garbage in streets and empty spaces, some disorder and some transportation problems are more similar to Latin America than to its neighbors in Europe.
But it is not only that, we tend to relate countries by ethnic and religious roots when today, with globalization, there are other parameters that make them similar. We will see some economic, social and even cultural characteristics that make us more related than we could imagine. It already happened to us in Romania, now we feel it in Albania.
Both regions, both this sector of the Balkans and the countries on the other side of the Atlantic, have been influenced by the same European culture, especially by Spain and Italy in the case of Latin America, and Italy and Greece in the case of Albania.
For their part, both Albania and Latin America have a rich history of indigenous peoples who have resisted assimilation and maintain their own traditions and cultures.
Family and friends are very important in both cultures, with strong ties between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren. Furthermore, both Albanians and Latin Americans are known for their hospitality and warm treatment among people.
Both Albania and most Latin American countries are developing countries with emerging economies and problems of backwardness in technologies and infrastructure. Furthermore, tourism is an important sector in both regions, with great natural beauty and relevant historical sites.
Love, music and dance are important cultural expressions in both regions. The attentive ear will find similarities between local music and manifestations of the rich Latin American musical panorama.
For its part, economic and social inequality is an important challenge in both regions that can be seen with the naked eye, just by walking through their streets. Corruption is another problem that affects both. In any case, both regions have great potential for economic growth.
The bustling Albanian nights, full of lights and people walking through the streets also remind us of some places in Latin America. Eat with the table outside, have a beer or coffee without any roof over you, see what is happening around us.
There is surely the possibility of greater cooperation between Albania and Latin America in areas such as trade, investment and tourism, as they share a number of similarities that go beyond geography. These similarities can serve as a basis for greater cooperation and understanding between both regions.
But of course not everything is similar. Regarding the important differences between Albania and Latin America, there is the language, since the official language of Albania is Albanian, while in Latin America a wide variety of languages are spoken, including Spanish, Portuguese, French and English, very distant from what is spoken. here.
Another difference is size: Albania is a small country with a population of approximately 3 million people, while Latin America is a vast region with a population of more than 600 million people.
An important point is Religion. The majority of the Albanian population is Muslim, while the majority of the Latin American population is Christian.
Despite these differences, the similarities between Albania and Latin America are significant, they have surprised us since our arrival and can be a bridge for building stronger relationships, but at least for us there is something that is already important, we feel like in home.
#OpenYourWindowToTheWorld #TravelIsHyperLive
🌎 Subtitles in Portuguese, Italian, German, French, Russian, Polish and English.
🔎 I am Gustavo Llusá, Argentine, after traveling for several years through more than 65 countries I settled in Latvia where I married Dace and learned to know another way of life, on the other side of the map.
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12 янв 2024
