-
-
• Word Count : 221
My friend, Debora Muka, is a girl from Albania. She once told me, “When I was little, I
played with other kids a lot. They were from a baker family. My grandmother took them in.” To
my surprise, her family didn't even know them at all.
In the 1990s, because of the two-year Kosovo War, more than 500,000 refugees ran away
from Kosovo to look for a safe place in Albania. There were refugee camps all over the country.
Many Albanian families like the Mukas went to a camp to take refugees home and treated them
like part of their family.
Every Albanian follows Besa, a rule in Albania. A long time ago, if any Albanian looked for
a place to live, he could just knock on any door of the houses and asked, “Head of the house, may
I stay?" and the owner would take him in. And in Besa, the owner of the house should always
have a room ready at any time because there might be someone coming for a visit.
“Besides us, many even borrow money in order to help others, but they never turn anyone
away,” she said. Every time I talk with Debora, I feel rich about my life. If a small and poor
country like Albania can make the world better, we can, too.
baker 麵包師傅 refugee 難民 Albanian 阿爾巴尼亞人(的)