The Albanian people are generous and caring, despite a long and, at times, oppressive political history. As we travelled the countryside, they invited us in, both literally and figuratively, fed us delicious Mediterranean food, and chatted with us through interpreters. We learned so much from them, especially from a national conservation organization called PPNEA (Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania) with whom we volunteered. We spent time with Zydjon and Ilir, an ornithologist and a wildlife researcher respectively, as they worked with local shepherds to reduce illegal poisoning. When wolves are poisoned to protect livestock, the critically endangered egyptian vulture sometimes becomes collateral damage, this now being the single biggest threat to their survival. Zydjon and Ilir are dedicated to restoring the egyptian vulture populations, one conversation at a time in the gorgeous Albanian mountainsides.