Ergesta Rustaj is a computer engineering student at the university of Tirana. We met her in Fier, her hometown, after she returned from summer holidays in her family’s village. 

This summer, like every other, I went to the village of Krahes, 50 kilometres south of my hometown Fier. Each year I look forward to summer in the village, partly because my grandfather and some of my cousins live there, but also because I really enjoy village life. During the day I help my grandfather with his chores, such as taking care of the big garden, planting vegetables and flowers or picking up fruits. Sometimes I even try to milk his cows, but without much success.

Life in the village is simple, slow and pleasant. I feel relaxed when I’m close to my family and close to nature. My grandfather is very dear to me. He is an honest and hardworking man. During the communist period he worked as a tractor driver, which was a very respectable and well-paid profession at the time. However, communism in Albania wasn’t very fair and people were rewarded according to their family history rather than on their own merit. 

In 1985 my grandfather was nominated for a Hero of Socialist Labour title because of his achievements in agriculture. But he didn't get it because, for three months at the beginning of the 1940s, his father – my great-grandfather – had joined a political party that was against communist rule. So my grandfather was punished for a “mistake” (according to the criteria of the time) his father had made in his youth. 

Although my parents agree that communism was a very harsh dictatorship, they also say that life during that period has its good aspects too. Crime was almost non-existent and people felt safe. No one struggled to find work, my parents point out, because the state secured a steady job for everyone. After the fall of communism in 1991, my father couldn’t find a good job for a long time. He was a forest inspector, but he was forced to immigrate to Greece in 1996 to support our family. 

This summer, I’ve really enjoyed spending my afternoons in the village with my 17-year-old cousin, Esmeralda. We sit on my grandfather’s porch and talk for hours about our dreams and goals. I’ve been telling her what life is like in big cities like Fier and Tirana, where I'm studying computer engineering at university. 

I prefer living in Tirana to Fier. It’s the capital, so it’s bigger and more exciting. It’s a place where you can learn and experience a lot, and there are better opportunities. I have always been a good student. I chose to study technology because it’s the subject of the future and I’m interested in how it can connect people.

Studying hasn’t been easy this year. I put a lot of energy into it and to tell you the truth, I haven't had time to enjoy the city as much as I’d like to. The situation with Covid-19 has has been very difficult for my family. It took a really hard toll on us. My mother lost her job as a garment worker and so did my brother, who’s a car mechanic. My father is also having a hard time. He supplies local markets in Fier with fruit and vegetables, and he had to work even when the full lockdown was imposed in Albania. We were constantly worried about his and our health. 

I didn't leave the house for two months during the pandemic and this affected me so much. One of the things I missed most while in quarantine was riding my bike outside with my friends. After so long in isolation I started feeling lazy and melancholic, which doesn’t reflect my character. I'm really, really looking forward to this tough episode for all our lives, everywhere in the world, to be over. 

I'm also looking forward to travelling.  I've only ever been to Kosovo and North Macedonia, and only on school trips.   I want to travel the world, and especially visit big cities like New York and Tokyo. Life there seems to be buzzing, and technology there seems very advanced. 

I'll turn 20 in November and I hope the world will be a safer place by then. After I finish my studies my parents want me to go back to Fier, find a job and settle down there. It’s unlikely I’ll follow that path. Fier is a small city and has little to offer. 

I’d love to find a job here in Tirana after I graduate. But finding a well paid position won’t be easy. Career opportunities are limited in Albania. It’s a small country. The cost of living in the capital is high, compared to the salaries. I share a rented apartment with friends and it’s still expensive. 

All of this explains why so many young people leave the country. Most go to Germany. The German job market has opened for people from the Balkans, and you can easily make a decent living there.  I don't blame anyone for leaving Albania – everybody deserves a better life. I may also end up needing to immigrate for a job. I’d prefer the US to Germany, but that’s trickier with visas.

I’m not very fond of politics but I like to follow the news at least once a day, so I know what’s happening both in Albania and the rest of the world. Young people have a duty to stay informed, so we can make the right decisions - ones that can lead to having a better country. In these difficult times we don't really have the luxury of ignoring politics.