I moved to Dublin exactly 1 year ago, and this has been the most rewarding adventure so far. But, there are a lot of things I’ve missed during this year, one of those is my language, my dear Albanian language.
The Albanian community is getting bigger and luckily my better half is here with me, so I get to talk Albanian a lot, but not all the time. I feel some of my feelings & thoughts get lost in translation from time to time and this hurts a little.
Through this year, I’ve put together a short list of Albanian figures of speech, or expressions that I miss the most, since I’ve not been able to find the equivalent in English. They tell a lot about my culture, my language & my people.
Albanians in Dublin
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Let’s start with “Ta gëzosh”. How do I translate this, “may you enjoy it” or “may you only have joyful moments with it” maybe. Albanians love to celebrate when they get or buy new things, doesn’t matter if this is just a new t-shirt, a new book, or a lifetime dream like a new house. We use this expression to wish someone has only joyful moments with their new possession. How sweet is that? ?
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“Të lumshin duart” is something between “blessed be your hands” and “well done to your hands”, used to show gratitude and love to someone that has prepared our food. This is the one I miss the most. I used to hear it all the time from my family, friends and colleagues ❤️ but I still keep saying it all the time and share the story with whoever has cooked something I’m eating. It’s so beautiful.
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New haircut, no “me shëndet” ? yesss, I missed that. “Me shëndet” means literally “with good health” and it’s used to wish someone good health and somehow good luck with their new look. It’s a way to recognize change and celebrate it.
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The following one is a bit messy and somehow strong and apocalyptic, pure Albanian, so much energy, empathy, and compassion in a single expression. “Më raftë pika” which means “I wish something bad happens to me” is a way to say “I’m sorry”, show empathy about a minor unfortunate event that has happened to someone else. When my partner got sunburnt “më raftë pika” poured from my heart so spontaneously. I lost my book in the bus, and his “më raftë pika” made everything better.
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The Albanian equivalent of “may you live happily ever after” is a bit more complex and has family & children incorporated in the wish. When a couple gets married we always wish “u trashëgofshi” meaning literally “may you have children”, or “all the best and healthy kids”, if I would try to adapt it a little bit. Although I strongly believe that everyone may have a beautiful and fulfilling life without the need to give life to children, I particularly like this expression since it puts family at the core of our lives and celebrates the beauty of life and its continuity.
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After one year, all I can say is that I’m so grateful and proud of my culture & language and happy that I can share it with people from all over the world. I miss my people, my language and my country everyday, and I hope I’m doing enough to make their best sides known to the world.
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