Forumi Horizont (http://www.forumihorizont.com/index.php3)
- Gjuha Angleze (http://www.forumihorizont.com/forumdisplay.php3?forumid=165)
-- I tell you about Albania (http://www.forumihorizont.com/showthread.php3?threadid=17563)

I remember the AA Gill article very well. It made a "boom" online in 2006 and frankly, only a person who has an agenda writes something like that. The article had a lot of emotions, which tampers with objectivity and gives the opposite result of what respectable journalists try to achieve. Belittling a poor peasant family's attempt to welcome him with the grilled lamb? He looked down upon that person because he was poor, didn't he? Well, excuse my french but f*** him! How can ridicule someone based on how much they have? I would rather be Albanian and know this right from the wrong.
Nevertheless, here is a response of an Albanian girl named Juliana whom I don't know, in an open letter to him:

Dear Mr. AA GILL,

I wish I could write this letter and say all I have in Albanian, but unfortunately all you understand from my language is “shitet” and “crap” so maybe that’s also the reason why it sounds harsh and pathetic to you. It would sound English language the same to me if all I knew was “car” or “curve” (I still remember the laughing in the classroom while the teacher was trying to explain their meaning in English).

The reason I’m writing this open letter is not trying to convince you that Mother Theresa is not the only famous Albanian, and it seems really infantile to measure the personality of a country by the number of its famous people (nonetheless you should have heard of course about Karl Gega – the great Architect, Pope Clement XI, Belushi brothers –the famous actors, Ismail Kadare – The Nobel Prize candidate writer, Inva Mula – the famous soprano singing in many international stages, Ibrahim Kodra –the famous painter who has joint expositions with Picasso in his carrier, Ana Oxa – one of the best singers in Italy etc. all originally Albanians); nor it’s my intention to convince you that the Albanian teenagers are not the worst dressed in Europe (I’ve seen in Europe, as you have of course, much worse and unfortunately for them with a lot more problems); it is not at all my intention to persuade you that most of the 1 million (a figure which I’m sure is much more) of Albanians living abroad do not make their earnings through illegal affairs (Of course you know there are hundreds of thousands Albanians living honestly abroad paying taxes and giving their contribution to the society as many other European citizens); I’ll not try to convince you that Albanian people invest a lot in education and there are many Albanian students excelling not only in Albania but also in many well recognized European and US universities; it would be silly to try convincing you that being poor or living like in the 16th century is not an option Mr. AA GILL, but a fact of life (even though you should know that the grilled lamb that the poor peasant offered you might have been the 1 week food for his large number family, but one of the most respected Albanian traditions is to honour you guest and give him all you have, but of course this was not the focus of your article). I have to stop here though and recall an Albanian expression so appropriate for this case saying “never split over the bread you just ate” and maybe that’s why the two-headed eagle in our honourable flag looks both ways, to watch behind for people like you hitting on our back;

I’ll not try to convince you that you cannot blame Albania for each enemy that invaded it and each injustice it suffered (ironically the most regrettable one happening in London); nor to convince you that the religious harmony existing in Albania is one of the things we go proud for, even though I don’t know for what reason you want to make it look foolish; don’t want to convince you that Albanians do have watches (even though not all of them Rolexes) and do appreciate time and it is really disappointing that it took you one hour to reach to such a conclusion.

No Mr. AA GILL I won’t try to convince you about any of the above. It would be silly, childish and useless, because I’m sure that you already know most of it. It is so obvious that you are serving to somebody/something else, have sold yourself to fit to somebody’s else agenda (and I want to believe that is only a coincidence that this attempt for degradation of Alban