18 Oct 2010 / 08:35
While Tirana embraces the modern sexual revolution, traditional moral codes still hold sway in remote northern Albania. But even there, things are gradually changing.
By Ervin Qafmolla
Altin has come home to find a virgin. Tall, good-looking and in his thirties, he is back from Britain where he has worked for more than a decade, seeking an appropriate girl to marry.
Altin has come home to find a virgin. Tall, good-looking and in his thirties, he is back from Britain where he has worked for more than a decade, seeking an appropriate girl to marry.
But three weeks into his stay at his hometown of Korce in southern Albania, the hunt is proving frustrating. “It’s been weeks since I came here and in four more days I have to go back,” he complains.
Altin says his relatives and friends promised to find a good selection of virgins that he could meet during his visit.
Despite high expectations, the search for his virgin bride has so far been fruitless. The virgins were just not what he expected.
“They’re either too young or just inappropriate,” he declares with a shrug, smoking the Gauloises cigarettes he brought with him from Britain.
Gazing into the sunset, he does not try to conceal a general sense of discomfort. “What if I just picked one of them and then found out that she’d been touched?” he asks. “What should I do then, send her back?”
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