In this interview, you’ll hear from Haley Hunt, a Peace Corps Health volunteer in Albania. Haley shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Health volunteer in Albania?
As a health education volunteer in Albania, I am based in the school and primarily focus on teaching topics around physical, environmental, mental, and social health concepts. Every day changes – working in a 1st – 12th grade school, my classroom lessons may vary from the importance of hand washing all the way to cardiac pathology.
I think being a health education volunteer is unique in terms of flexibility, as we are assigned an original counterpart for initial guidance, but we are able to collaborate with all teachers and staff. In addition to that, we aren’t limited to our extracurricular activities, which is where I find a majority of my enjoyment. From volleyball club to summer camps, making soap, and teaching leadership skills, after-school activities are some of my favorite ways to spend my days.
We also have the opportunity to work in the community with our local health centers. This avenue offers additional resources, and they are a great tool for bigger projects or awareness events. Special days during the year, such as International Mental Health Day, are perfect for holding an event at the school! I think another big element of being a health education volunteer is demonstrating new ways of activity-based, interactive learning. Health isn’t something that can be taught through a book, but lived out in practice!
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in Albania?
To be quite frank, I was very surprised to be joining the Peace Corps in Albania. I initially applied for a general position, excited to fulfill my dream of traveling and helping other people. After graduating from a small high school and university, I was excited to get out into the world. During university, I went on a few service trips that really ignited that passion for service, and after a conversation with a college mentor about his service in Tanzania, I was sold.
My initial placement was in Panama, but I had a date conflict and was given a list of places I could serve. I told the Peace Corps to pick for me because I didn’t want to have a bias towards any of the countries; I just wanted to go where there was a need.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing like in Albania?
I’m in a small town, just before the border of Greece, that sits up on the hill looking over the mountains and into the Ionian Sea. Surrounded by olive, mandarin, and pomegranate trees, with shepherds herding their sheep and dogs leading their packs. This little town in Albania is beautiful not just to the eye but also in the heart. Walking down the streets, people will greet you and welcome you into their house, serving tea, raki, and sweet treats.
Day 1, I was dropped off in the mandarin field and met my host family as they were harvesting for the season. For the next 2 years, I lived with my host mom and dad, and their 2 sons. I was welcomed to my own room in their private house, which had a view of Corfu from the window.
My host mom is the absolute best cook ever, and it feels like I won the host family lottery! She owns a local restaurant in town where I get to meet the locals and enjoy her home cooking. I can’t get enough of Byrek and all the fresh-grown fruits and vegetables. Everything is from someone’s neighbor or friend in town. They just call someone up if they need meat, milk, or eggs, and you will find someone who has it. This small rural town has become a second home for me.
4. What moments or interactions stand out during your service?
I mentioned it before, but when I was dropped off at my permanent site, it was in the middle of mandarin fields. My school director was hanging from one tree, my host mom and dad from another, and to them, it was just another day. However, to me, it was a shock at what the next 2 years were about to hold. After introducing myself with the little Albanian I knew at the time, I jumped right into helping them. They showed me the proper ways to pick the fruit and what to look for; it felt like I was just part of the family from the beginning.
In PST, our housing director told me how good a cook my host mom was, and I couldn’t wait to try her food. I will never forget the first and only cold plate of beans I had on that chilly December day. My host mom and I laugh back at the memory now, but it really set the bar low for her cooking the rest of the 2 years.
Another core memory relating more to events/projects was the first time I was hosting a kids’ class in the afternoon. I remember hyping up the event, telling as many kids as I knew, and when 7:00 pm rolled around…. There wasn’t a student in sight. I remember thinking, What did I do wrong? Maybe this was a bad idea, the parents don’t even know who I am…. and then. A little boy in the 1st grade came running up with a friend in hand, asking if we were playing games tonight. Yes! This led to my late-night activities, coloring, dancing, painting, musical chairs, basketball, etc. I always think back to that day and wonder what would have happened if I had just walked away and given up.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about living or working in Albania?
I feel in America, we are a very ‘job = value in society’ based culture, and here in Albania, it’s more of a ‘you have value because you are human’ way of thinking. Meaning that work can be on the back burner and connections on the front burner. Does someone have a birthday? Let’s take half the day off. In the beginning, this was a very hard concept for me to wrap my head around, and I was frustrated by the lack of follow-through or effort towards school projects. Don’t get me wrong, we have some very passionate teachers, but I found that the weight of work is not on their shoulders. They do their job, but they also make time for life.
Albanians are some of the most welcoming people I have ever met. If you are walking down the sidewalk, it’s very common to be asked to have a coffee or tea with someone you meet on the road. When you plan to go to someone’s house, never come with empty hands, but you will never leave with empty hands. When eating food, if you clear your plate or have just a little bit left, they will take that as you wanting more and will automatically fill up your plate or ask you if you want more food until you feel guilty about saying no. This welcoming culture can be overwhelming at first to some people, but being open to the hospitality allows for some unique connections and stories.
Coffee culture is HUGE in Albania; there is 1 coffee shop for every 152 residents. In my town alone, I know there are 8 within the town center. However, the coffee world is male-dominated here and consists mostly of coffee and cigarettes, unless you are in a bigger touristic city. I was very surprised, going from Starbucks and Dunkin to espresso and Turkish coffee.
6. What challenges have you faced in your Health work, and how did you respond?
Albania is rooted in its traditional values, and with that come “taboo” topics, which revolve directly around the health education sector. Topics such as sexual education and puberty are pretty much avoided, from my understanding. Especially before high school. Within the 2 years that I have been there, though, I have been able to collaborate with the school psychologist and the local health center. With this team, we were able to talk about appropriate ways to address these topics and common beliefs/misconceptions. This allowed us to present on sexual health topics and puberty in an appropriate manner.
I think when running into topics that aren’t commonly talked about, or may have strong misconceptions. It’s important to get a local’s point of view and understand where they are coming from. Then, working together to find a solution from there.
7. What secondary projects have you worked on during your service?
One of my secondary projects was a soap creation project that was supported by an FOA (Friends of Albania) grant. The students and I were able to make soap that addressed hygiene concerns at school. There was a lack of soap in the school bathrooms, and while teaching about hand hygiene is helpful… not having soap in the bathrooms kind of defeated the purpose. Together with the students, we created olive oil soap that was supported by the local farmers’ oil production. Using olive oil, coconut oil, sodium hydroxide, and water, we worked together to make a simple but useful soap to tackle the hygiene issues at school!
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to future Health volunteers in Albania?
If I could give any piece of advice, it would be ‘go with the flow’! I know that probably sounds easier said than done. However, each day brings something new, and just being someone that the teachers know will say yes is a huge accomplishment. When a teacher is motivated about something, support them, even if it’s not on par with “health”. When an event doesn’t go your way, don’t give up; just try a different way.
Nevertheless, when there is an event or project that you want to happen, you have to come in with a plan and find the right support system. It may not always be your counterpart or director; it could be the health center, NGO, or other local staff. Be willing to support anything and be flexible on the go, but firm in projects you want to happen, and somehow, someway, it will happen.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
9. What would you tell future volunteers to pack—or leave behind?
Packing for the Peace Corps can seem like an impossible task, especially with the different climates in Albania. It may seem simple, but pack the things you love, don’t bring clothes you won’t wear, even if they look like they could be useful. You can find almost anything you would ever need in Albania, especially in Tirana. I will admit that I don’t wear half the clothes I originally packed. The clothes I do wear? My comfy at-home sweatpants and sweatshirts. Albanians have a very put-together look, but as soon as they get home, it is back to the pajamas. However, quality SHOES can be hard to find, so I would recommend a good pair of tennis shoes, loafers for work, a pair of dress shoes or heels, and boots that could work for school or out and about.
A25 & M4 has put together a list of questions and helpful packing advice HERE!
10. How has language learning been for you in Albania?
Before I got to service, I started listening to the alphabet and simple phrases on Spotify, but honestly, I didn’t learn much before PST. During training, my host family helped by quizzing me with lists of vocabulary words, flashcards, and I labeled everything in my room with post-it notes to remember what things were. I also listened to American music that had been dubbed in Albanian or kids’ cartoons.
However, it wasn’t until I got to my site that things started clicking. I started just listening to people instead of studying grammatical rules and conjugations. The younger students were the best way to practice, because they were learning the language too. Trying to speak and be around the language as much as possible really helped, even if I didn’t understand it.
I went from Intermediate Low to Advanced High in my language exams, from mental breakdown to knowing that trying is enough. I believe you just have to throw yourself into the culture and the language and truly embrace it, and slowly it will sink in with time.
Social Identity
11. How has your personal identity shaped your service experience?
My faith in Jesus is a big part of my personal identity, and something so beautiful about Albania is how much it embraces every religion. Mosques are next to Catholic churches, religious leaders go to each other’s events, and the country celebrates every holiday regardless of religion. There is no political tie to religion like there is in the States. You have your own personal faith, and that’s great! People don’t really care what you are or what you worship.
I have really enjoyed learning about Islam and celebrating with them during Ramadan. Even though I am not Muslim, I was welcomed to their events and was able to learn more about their faith. I was able to attend a church in my banking site and even celebrate Easter at another church! These experiences helped me grow in my personal faith, while also learning about the culture in Albania.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
12. If you share content online, how has that shaped your service?
When I started to have events at the school, I made an Instagram called HaleyinAlbania. I wish I had done this from the very beginning of service, so I didn’t have to deal with people finding my personal account! This account really helped me advertise events to the community and students, as well as share helpful tips and a little piece of my personal life. It also allowed me to share my service back home with friends and family! I would highly recommend making a separate account for service!
13. What final advice would you share with future volunteers?
My mom always tells me, “Do your best, and forget the rest,” and that really embodies what service is. We aren’t going to change the whole world, but we can add a little extra joy and a helping hand to the lives around us. When you are in service, just remember to live your life and don’t be consumed by the job, even though we are “on 24/7,” that doesn’t mean you have to be doing activities 24/7. Be flexible, willing to learn, and embrace the culture, and it will carry you through service.
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Haley, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect. Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Albania Government.
