We were at the restaurant with my parents and my sister in Brest, a big French city. We were there because my dad worked there. At this restaurant, we had eaten lot of Spanish and Mexicans specialties. The meal was going well until my parents decided to tell us some news. The news was really shocking, but at the same time, it was exiting. At first, I couldn’t wait to hear it. My dad was going to work to Albania for three years.

My sister and I did not know anything, and my parents were waiting for the right moment to announce it.

My mom said in a calm tone “your dad will live in Albania for three years.”

We didn't realize what that meant, but after thinking about it, we realized that we wouldn't be able to see him for a long time. At this moment, I felt confused and sad. My sister must have felt the same. She is very close to my dad, maybe more than me.

I was in middle school when I found out the news and I already wanted to study abroad. I was thinking of going to New-Zealand or Australia, but I wasn’t sure about the destination.  In my middle school, there was an association called AFS which proposed to spend one year abroad to learn English. At the beginning, I wanted to do that because it enables me to learn English, to discover a new culture and to meet new people. However, there were problems because of Covid. All the meetings were cancelled, and the association did not give any information. We weren’t sure that the trips would take place, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to go abroad.

On that evening, after thinking, my father said, “If you can’t go abroad with the association, why don’t you come to Albania with me? It could be a good chance for you. You could learn English better and discover a new country.”

My dad had done the research and he discover that there was an international school in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

I didn’t know what to think. I knew that they did not speak English in Albania and I preferred to learn English rather than Albanian.  However, I also think that it would allow me to spend one whole year with my father in a country that I do not know at all. On top of that, I absolutely wanted to study abroad, and I was not guaranteed to go to another country with the association. However, I also knew that I may not be able to do this trip. So, I chose to go with my father to Albania. After taking this decision, I had to tell my friends and the rest of my family. Everyone was sad but happy for me at the same time. Everyone encouraged me to come to Albania. Finally, I left in august after saying goodbye to everyone and I think I made a good choice.