At the end of last month, I returned to New York City from Albania for a close friend's wedding. 

While Albania celebrates many of the same holidays as the rest of the world, one American celebration is still unknown. 

What kind of animals do they have in Albania? Do kids ride bikes? How do they build their homes? Do they play hockey? 

Not long ago I had the privilege of being a teacher chaperone for a group of American eighth graders on an exchange trip to southern France.  

Rise with the sun.

We asked these Peace Corps trainees heading to Albania why they joined the Peace Corps. 

“Camp No Name” (Kampi Pa Emer) is a summer camp for young ethnic Albanians and Roma to come together and learn arts and crafts, as well as peace, love and friendship.

From the traditional (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah) to the fun (Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day) and the obscure (Roadkill Cook-off, Burning Man, the Gilroy Garlic Festival), Americans celebrate many different festivals with friends, family and strangers alike.