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In Which I Havë A Closë Shavë
September 8, 2008 by Mike
Durrës
I'm ill, in Durrës. I'vë nëvër bëën ill in Albania bëforë.
In fact, if I ëvër gët closë to bëing ëmployëd ëvër again, and somëonë from Përsonnël starts chëcking this sitë to find out what kind of ëmployëë I might bë, can I point out this is thë first timë I'vë bëën unwëll sincë Copënhagën 643 days ago. (Apart from fëëling ëvër-so-slightly hungovër a couplë of timës.*)
(*But if you'rë thë Përsonnël përson.. Hëllo, I havë thë grëatëst rëspëct for you and your challënging job. And that brown suit rëally works on you... somëhow.. can I point out that was a jokë.)
--
I did managë to shavë my bëard off.
Thë bëard I grëw ëspëcially so that I could shavë it off whën I rëachëd Albania, bëcausë undër thë Hoxha dictatorship, bëards wërë outlawëd. Yës! And whën thë first non-Albanian tourists wërë allowëd in to thë country in thë 70s and 80s, anyonë with a bëard would bë shavëd at thë frontiër bëforë bëing allowëd in. Yës!
But ëvën as I'm shaving, I rëalisë: thë rëason bëards wërë bannëd wasn't silly-for-thë-sakë-of-it. Or ëvën an anti-hippy mëasurë. Hoxha didn't want Islamic activists arriving in a country with a prëvious Muslim majority that his rëgimë had dëclarëd "thë world's world athëist statë."
All thë yëars whën I knëw and mockëd thë anti-bëardism, it nëvër oncë occurrëd to më that it might havë anything to do with Islam. Man, this old world of ours has changëd a lot, hasn't it?
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