C Reading 1

Hi Charlie,

Thanks for your message! I’m happy to hear that you made it safe and sound to Albania. I really enjoyed the pictures you sent. Tirana looks like an awesome city! To be honest, when you first told me you were considering Albania, I thought you were joking. I didn’t even know where Albania was. I had to ask my trusty friend Google for help. J After doing some research, I realized that you made the perfect decision! You’ve always loved being close to mountains and the beach. I guess now you’re a short drive from both! I saw some pictures of the mountains there, and it looks like there are lots of small cement bunkers all over the place. Do you know why that is? I guess I should learn more about Albanian history!

Have you made any local friends to show you around yet? I’m sure staying in the dorm will give you a good opportunity to make lots of friends! I lived in the dorm during my first two years of college, and I have so many great memories of those days. Do you eat at the canteen every day, or are there kitchens in the dorm? I read online that there is a fast food called “suflage” which is similar to a doner or a souvlaki. Apparently, they only cost about a dollar! If I were you, I’d be eating those 24/7.

Speaking of food, I’ve recently taken a job as a pizza delivery guy. I gave my notice at the bank two weeks ago and delivered my first pizzas last night. Talk about a drastic change in lifestyle! I’ve been wearing a tie to work for the past three years, and now I’ll be wearing a Domino Pizza shirt. I don’t think it’ll take me very long to make the transition though because this lifestyle is what I’ve been wanting for a long time. I’ll have a lot more time to myself from now on. Even though the pay is a lot lower, I’ll be much happier because I won’t have to deal with stressful situations in the bank, and I’ll be able to take up some new hobbies. I’m thinking of getting into snowboarding this winter. Skiing would be good too, but I did a lot of skateboarding when I was a kid, so I think snowboarding might be easier for me.

Anyway, I should sign off here. Hope you have a great time getting set up there!

Take care