Feeling like the Christmas Goose

Well, time is trodding along and overall things are going well. Everyday I have 4 hours of language lessons. Then sometimes we have Peace Corps meetings in Veles in the afternoon. Like today, we came into town for medical meeting where we got the rest of our vaccinations. I thought I wouldn't have to get any, but as a precaution the PC gave me a tetnus booster and Polio (which I got once as a little kid, now I should be good for life). Two shots, one in each arm. Now both my arms are sore. Oh well.

The language lessons are with the other PC volunteers in my village (there are 5 of us). My school is just next to my house, since I live off of the village square. I like my teacher a lot. The problem with my class is that as a class we are really advanced. But I'm not advanced. I'm just normal. So compared to my classmates I'm the slowest one. Well, I'm tired of being in an advanced class, I want to be in a normal class now. But that's not an option. I will probably opt to have some private tutorage with my teacher once or twice a week. At least it's free.

As for my host family, they are very sweet, but they overfeed me. I've been joking with the other PC volunteers that I think my family is trying to fatten me up for Christmas. I feel like the Christmas Goose! And then yesterday they actually weighed me! They brought me back to a storeroom where there was an old scale and they had me stand on one side while they added metal gram boxes. I know it is true that they want to fatten me up. They think that I'm just being polite when I tell them I'm full. I know that this is a common issue and it is one of the cultural differences between the US and Eastern Europe.

But I'm not having as many issues with my host families as some of the others. Some of the other host families don't give the volunteers any privacy or free time. Some of the volunteers in the Albanian community aren't getting fed very much. One gal in our village had her host grandfather pass away yesterday! The family is now all in mourning, it is really tough.

Tomorrow we start our student teaching, we are all at schools in Veles. We'll all be paired up with a local elementary teacher. I'm a little nervous, but with the way things have been going, it will probably be fine.

Last weekend one of the relatives visited and she is about my age and speaks very good English. Her name is Vane (prounounced "Van-aye"). We spent some time hanging out, she did a lot of translating. We went to the family's garden and then to their summer house on the lake. We got along really well. She is a student in Skopje. She has invited me to visit her. I am so glad to have made my first Macedonian friend!

Now I'm off to go find a CD store nearby so that I can discover the best of local Macedonian music!