Archive / Peter Arbnori: When I first visited America; what the communists were telling us and how it was

-Travel impressions

Treading for the first time on the New World continent reminded me of a desolate old man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the "grave" guilt of calling the United States of America the Blessed States of America.

When I first saw America I tried to notice what they had lied to us about and what they had told us the truth. We were taught e.g. that New York is a city of concrete, steel, and glass, noise and clutter, a city of gangsters and thieves, murderers and immorality. In fact, the first thing that caught my eye was the gorgeous greenery that was noticeable from the plane. With the exception of Manhattan, where due to the narrowness of the country many magnificent skyscrapers were erected, around New York, there were hundreds of thousands of villas (not millionaires, but ordinary workers) drowned in a sea of ​​leaves, which brought freshness everywhere. For sixty miles I traveled the shores of the Hudson, much more along national highways, and everywhere I saw only shopping. Every cottage had shade, fences were rare, gardens and yards instead of borders had flowers or shrubs and each family planted four or five tomatoes, pepper or cucumber roots. Well, the market was full of all kinds of fruits and vegetables selected in every season of the year.

At a picnic held by thousands of Albanians on July 4 in a park outside New York on the occasion of the 215th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I noticed something else. Although everyone ate and drank as much as they could, (both speeches and songs were heard with glasses and plates in front) I did not even see a drunk man. The vast majority drank iced soft drinks (orange juice, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, which the communist press called American degenerate alcoholic beverages, even though they contained no grams of alcohol). Some drank beer and only a few people drank whiskey with ice.

But I did not go to America to observe how the people ate and drank and how big the beef steak was; neither to visit the magnificent sculpture of Verrazano with the space between two legs over 3 kilometers nor to be photographed near the two twin skyscrapers that have passed all their "subways" for height. I went invited by the Democratic League to the US in order to participate in the celebration of the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Kosovo and the 215th anniversary of the proclamation of the US Declaration of Independence. At the Kennedy Airport, I met and talked cordially for four hours with Professor Ali Ali of the LDK and Ivzi Islam of the Peasant Party. In addition, Anton Kola, vice-president of LDK, a lively and discreet boy, had come to take part in these celebrations. Mehdi Rrahmani of the Democratic Prosperity Party of Macedonia and Tahir Perezic of the LD of Montenegro. I had the honor to represent the Democratic Party.

The Democratic League of Kosovo in the US was very well organized. In its branches, in various neighborhoods of New York, they developed a lively and fruitful activity. Everywhere the issue of Kosovo was propagated in words, in the press, and on the radio (TV shows had not yet been organized), financial aid was collected for needy Kosovar families who had lost their jobs and bread due to Serbian persecution. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were shared with regular documents and anyone could view and check the account. The leader of the LDK for the three states, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, was Mr. Dean Derti, a smiling man, sincere and very devoted to the issue of Kosovo and Albania.

Husbands Safet and Shqipe Biba, two young people who sometimes forgot their three children about the Kosovo issue, in addition to the organizational activity in a sub-branch, also directed the Albanian language radio show in New York. At first, to honor me, the hosts wanted to keep me in good hotels, but I, who wanted to know how Albanians lived, wanted to live in their homes. And I was very pleased. They lived very well, but also worked hard. The only thing I did not get used to was sleep. They always sat for an hour or two after midnight talking, drinking, and watching TV. "Sleep as much as you want," they told me, but I woke up every morning according to the prison schedule at 4.30. During the night I noticed something else: Television was much more moral than that of some European countries. I did not see any pornographic scenes. Of course, there were special cinemas, or private subscription channels, where the curious could watch such shows, but in public everything was in order. The most commonly used words in the US were "Please", and "I am sorry" both by police and by passers-by. As for the thieves, I often said to the owners of the villa when they went out by car for work or for a walk: "You forgot to close the door", or "You left the window open" and they answered me "No problem, we have a good neighborhood". And the neighborhood was bigger than Tirana! "I am sorry" both by the police and by unknown passers-by. As for the thieves, I often said to the owners of the villa when they went out by car for work or for a walk: "You forgot to close the door", or "You left the window open" and they answered me "No problem, we have a good neighborhood". And the neighborhood was bigger than Tirana! "I am sorry" both by the police and by unknown passers-by. As for the thieves, I often said to the owners of the villa when they went out by car for work or for a walk: "You forgot to close the door", or "You left the window open" and they answered me "No problem, we have a good neighborhood". And the neighborhood was bigger than Tirana!

I have no place to describe all the visits, meetings, and conversations that took place. I was particularly impressed by the Albanian school of Paterson, New Jersey, held by the Albanian Common Fund where on Saturdays and Sundays the children of Albanians (especially Struga) taught, sang, and danced. If it were not for the modern buildings and equipment, the impression would be created that you are in Albania. Among many activists, I was impressed by Vice President Mentor Hajdari and his wife, conference speaker Jeta Hajdari, people who are passionate about the Albanian cause.

Communist propaganda has penetrated with its metastases even in the bosom of emigration causing disruption and disunity. Albanians in America have been given epithets such as enemy, agent, traitor, etc., just because they did not agree with the dictatorship. During the meetings, I spoke to everyone and explained that this period in Albania is over, that the Parliament, in general, is passing good laws and that the PD deputies were the first to propose allowing the return to the homeland of all political emigrants, regardless from their beliefs.

It must be said that there was a category of immigrants, mostly Kosovars, who were badly lied to by communism. Now the black clouds in their minds are finally fading. Many people aside, a few even in the eyes of others, said to me: “How deceived you have been! "They presented Enver Hoxha as a saint and he turned out to be a devil." These people have also been influenced by the blind idealization of everything in the motherland. The problem of the flag has also greatly influenced the hostility of the groups. There has been a great struggle for the flag to be with or without a star. I was asked about this and I was told that with the repeal of the 1976 Constitution the issue of the flag remained open. We, the PD deputies, of course, are for the national flag without ideological party signs.

On July 12, at the invitation of the Albanian patriot, millionaire Antoni Athanas, we went to Boston. To talk about the famous restaurant "Pier 4" that America knows and maybe the world is useless. Everything has been said about Anton's photos with US presidents from Kennedy to Bush. I will say something else about this 80-year-old man walking straight and leading us up the stairs. He had become a multimillionaire starting his 11th year as a street vendor. For forty years our representatives did not give him a visa to visit his beloved Albania, despite Noli's student and his patrons. One of our diplomats even told him: "If you come to Albania, we will hang you, because you gave jobs to enemies and traitors." Only in recent years did the attitude towards him change and he was allowed to visit his country which he loved so much. How many such good Albanians have we kept away because they have made the "great shame" that they have gained wealth with sweat and wisdom! Anthony, when told that I had been in political prison for a year more than Mandela, wiped away a tear and invited me to his birthday party, which he would celebrate with great pomp on July 28, and I was sorry I could not stay. He laid out dinner and a lunch for us. The lunch was attended by some well-known businessmen, bankers, such as Father Arthur Liolin, Bill John Kameniev, President of the Organization "Free Albania", Thoma Vangjel, Deputy Director of the Federal Bank, Mr. and Mrs. $ William Bois, Ben Pano, Filip Dionis, Vasil Tamburi, all cultured Albanians, interested in investing in Albania. They told me that they wanted to know about the tourism opportunities of our homeland, about the hotels, the roads, the coast, and the highlands. I was asked to talk about the situation in Albania and investment insurance. I spoke as straight as I could, without hiding anything. I told them that we were not asking for dollars to throw them back into the endless well of Enver Hoxha and his clique. We need the American mind, experience, and practice. We need the US school system. We had two schools 60 years ago, the Fultz Technique and the Kavaja Agricultural, and both have left their mark unpaid. The technicians who graduated from these schools were the best and most skilled in Albania, although most of them were imprisoned and shot as "American spies". And now communism has made us so bad that it has forced us to go out and beg around the world ... When I spoke like this, my voice was cut off, I was arrested and I could not control myself ... without hiding anything. I told them that we were not asking for dollars to throw them back into the endless well of Enver Hoxha and his clique. We need the American mind, experience, and practice. We need the US school system. We had two schools 60 years ago, the Fultz Technique and the Kavaja Agricultural, and both have left their mark unpaid. The technicians who graduated from these schools were the best and most skilled in Albania, although most of them were imprisoned and shot as "American spies". And now communism has made us so bad that it has forced us to go out and beg around the world ... When I spoke like this, my voice was cut off, I was arrested and I could not control myself ... without hiding anything. I told them that we were not asking for dollars to throw them back into the endless well of Enver Hoxha and his clique. We need the American mind, experience, and practice. We need the US school system. We had two schools 60 years ago, the Fultz Technique and the Kavaja Agricultural, and both have left their mark unpaid. The technicians who graduated from these schools were the best and most skilled in Albania, although most of them were imprisoned and shot as "American spies". And now communism has made us so bad that it has forced us to go out and beg around the world ... When I spoke like this, my voice was cut off, I was arrested and I could not control myself ... American experience and practice. We need the US school system. We had two schools 60 years ago, the Fultz Technique and the Kavaja Agricultural, and both have left their mark unpaid. The technicians who graduated from these schools were the best and most skilled in Albania, although most of them were imprisoned and shot as "American spies". And now communism has made us so bad that it has forced us to go out and beg around the world ... When I spoke like this, my voice was cut off, I was arrested and I could not control myself ... American experience and practice. We need the US school system. We had two schools 60 years ago, the Fultz Technique and the Kavaja Agricultural, and both have left their mark unpaid. The technicians who graduated from these schools were the best and most skilled in Albania, although most of them were imprisoned and shot as "American spies". And now communism has made us so bad that it has forced us to go out and beg around the world ... When I spoke like this, my voice was cut off, I was arrested and I could not control myself ... although most were imprisoned and shot as "American spies." And now communism has made us so bad that it has forced us to go out and beg around the world ... When I spoke like this, my voice was cut off, I was arrested and I could not control myself ... although most were imprisoned and shot as "American spies." And now communism has made us so bad that it has forced us to go out and beg around the world ... When I spoke like this, my voice was cut off, I was arrested and I could not control myself ...

On the way back I stopped in Hartford, where I had a warm meeting with the good Albanian, the millionaire Thanas Laska.

I cut the beautiful visit in half so that I could come in time to close the eyes of the long-suffering mother. In America, in front of Anthony Athanasius, I cried, and in front of my mother, I cried.

* Gazeta “RD”, dt. August 10, 1991, no. 60, p. 6.

The title is Politiko.al. Title in original: Among our patriots in the US.