Happy Anniversary!

It was a year ago and a day that I arrived in Macedonia for the first time to begin my Peace Corps adventure. Hard to believe it's been a year now that I've been here! (And subsequently, a new group of Mac 11's just arrived on Monday, they're a big group, 49 of them! They are now starting their 3 months of training in Veles, just like my group did last year).

Now, before you think that this means that I will be back in Seattle 12 months from now, I must remind you that PC service is a total of 27 months (2 years and 3 months of training). So, technically my COS (Close of Service) date is Dec 15th, 2007. However, since I plan to start graduate school (I'm deferring my acceptance to the University of Washington Master in Teaching program) in January 2008, I hope to leave a little earlier, so it will be sometime in the fall of next year that I'm thinking of finishing my PC service. Ke vidame! (We'll see).

"Happy One Year Anniversary to MAC 10!"

A Turn of Events

I can't believe this happened today...I had just stepped outside on my way to school, wasn't looking where I was walking and managed to stumble over the curb and turn my ankle! Arrrgh!

Not only did I sprain my ankle (same one as last February) but I ripped my last pair of jeans in the knees.

Up til now, school has been going OK, but I really want to start my other projects, English club, Drama club and teaching the teachers English. I was planning to start my English club this week, but now I'll have to wait since I must stay home for a few days. Don't worry, I'm using the RICE method religiously (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).

At least I've got some good movies to watch and books to read!

Are you Hungary?

I’m excited about my upcoming travel plans for a much-needed vacation outside of Macedonia.

October 1st is the 21st annual Marathon in Budapest, Hungary and my friend and fellow PCV Sara is going to be running in the 42 km event. Stuart, another PCV and I are going along to be her personal cheering squad (as well as be tourists).

We will depart from Skopje on Sept 29th, fly to Budapest, have a day of sightseeing and then it’ll be the day of the race. The next day, Oct 2nd, Sara and I will fly back to Macedonia. Stuart is going to continue traveling for a little bit before his return. (I wanted to spend another day sightseeing, as I've heard lots of good things about Budapest from those who have been there, but it didn't work out this time. Ce la vie!)

I can’t wait! Here is what they say at the official Budapest Marathon website:



Budapest, the 'daughter of the Danube' makes you think of the quays of Paris, of Prague's old cobble stone streets, and multi-coloured houses, of Vienna's imperial and art nouveau architecture, of Barcelone's alleys, of London's Parliament and of Lissabon's hills, small winding roads and yellow tramways.
Budapest, the seven bridges and three hills have already won the hearts of the foreign runners. In 2002 more than 2000 foreigners of 41 countries came to discover this charming and mysterious capital.
The contest starts at the imposing Hõsök tere (Heros' Square), which is usually the main meeting-place for skaters and skateboarders, but for a few days in the end of summer thousands of two-legged reconquer the square and admire the 24 sculptures representing important actors of Hungarian history. It's not a coincidence that also Fred Lebow - a Hungarian by origin - wanted the Budapest-Marathon to start here.
The competition is specially attractive because of the city's fascinating beauty - e.g. the Andrássy avenue (part of the Unesco World Heritage), the art-nouveau-style Gresham Hotel, the good old Chainbridge, the Buda Castle (also part of the Unesco World Heritage), the idyllic Margareth Island, the monumental Parlament - all these can be admired by the runners, which really eases the pain on this long distance.
After the contest, the competing can relax their numbed feet in one of the 22 pools of the Széchenyi thermal bath, the most famous spa in Budapest.
The companions can visit the whirling fair next to the start, where they will find a 'sports- and lifestyle' information, showmen, concerts and other various programs. In the evening, a fascinating firework closes the running-festival.



http://www.budapestmarathon.com/eng/marathon/info

Look Ma! No Pesticides!

Earwig in my peach 


It's great to eat fresh fruits and veggies that are organic and don't need a lot of chemicals and stuff to grow. However, there are drawbacks. One time this summer I bought peaches at the market. Upon cutting one open I discovered this earwig inside *alive*. Yuck!