New Years Eve with fellow PCV's in Skopje
Goofing around with kids in Shauna's host family.
Eating sausages cooked in the fire with a local friend.
Oro dancing in the neighborhood on Baneek (Jan 5th).
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Holiday Photos
Here are some pics of the recent holidays!
New Years Eve with fellow PCV's in Skopje
Goofing around with kids in Shauna's host family.
Eating sausages cooked in the fire with a local friend.
Oro dancing in the neighborhood on Baneek (Jan 5th).
New Years Eve with fellow PCV's in Skopje
Goofing around with kids in Shauna's host family.
Eating sausages cooked in the fire with a local friend.
Oro dancing in the neighborhood on Baneek (Jan 5th).
May the "Seelah" be with you!
I had a pleasant surprise the other day when I purchased two of the original "Star Wars" movies on DVD. I discovered they have Macedonian subtitles! What a great way to learn the language than by watching some great classic films!
Friday, January 13, 2006
The Holidays
Have I mentioned that there are so many holidays this month that January is almost it's own holiday?
Well, not that I'm complaining. This season I'm getting two Christmases and two New Years. Because the majority of Macedonians are Orthodox, they go by a different calandar, so Christmas is on Jan 7th. And also according to a different calandar (not sure if it's Orthodox or not), New Years was originally on Jan 14th, so they call it "Old New Years".
But backing up...for New Years (Dec 31st), despite having a cold, I went to a fellow PC volunteer's party in the capital city of Skopje. There was a small group of us who got together and then went to the city center where there was music and dancing going on, as well as plenty of crazy teenage kids goofing around and lighting firecrackers, which made me nervous. At midnight there was an excellent fireworks display and our group celebrated with sparklers and dancing. It was loads fun, except that being out in the cold for several hours made my cold worse. I got pretty sick for a few days after that, even met with the PC doctor who gave me some meds.
On Jan 5th, it was the eve of Christmas eve, also called "Badneek", and people in Macedonia celebrate it by having a big party and lighting a tree on fire. My counterpart, Ljubica, invited me to the party in her neighborhood and it was a blast. There was a bonfire of tree branches, constant loud music, food, drink and fun. After the fire burned down they cooked sausages and when it was a pile of ashes the little kids jumped over it for good luck.
Jan 6th was Christmas eve and again Ljubica had me over for dinner with her family. It was very nice. Part of the tradition here is for a loaf of bread to be cooked with a small metal coin inside. At dinner the bread is broken and the pieces divided out. Whoever gets the piece with the coin has good luck for the next year, which was Ljubica this time.
Jan 7th I went to Bashino Selo to visit my host family (despite still having a cough). It was a nice visit, and another one of my PCV friends, Shauna, was visiting there as well, so we hung out for a bit which was fun. She's now near Ohrid, on the other side of the country, a few hours away, so I hadn't seen her since we all moved to site almost 3 weeks prior. I also got to meet my other host brother, Ljubche, for the first time. He is studying at a university in Holland, speaks English and was home visiting his family for the holidays too.
Friday Jan 13th is the Old New Years Eve. This is a big festival in Vevchani, a village near Ohrid, where another one of my PCV friends is. I was planning to go. But unfortunately this week I've been sick again. This time it hit me hard, so all this week I've not gone to work (fortunately there are no classes) and just stayed at home and rested and I'm getting better now.
Tonight there was a celebration in the parking lot of my apartment building, so I went to check it out for just a short time. It was a little like the tree lighting, there was a small bon fire, a few people playing instruments (accordion, drum, tuba), people drinking and eating and a few people dancing oro. It was nice. And I saw my landlord too and spoke with him briefly. So I may finally get my washing machine hooked up this weekend! Yippee!
Well, not that I'm complaining. This season I'm getting two Christmases and two New Years. Because the majority of Macedonians are Orthodox, they go by a different calandar, so Christmas is on Jan 7th. And also according to a different calandar (not sure if it's Orthodox or not), New Years was originally on Jan 14th, so they call it "Old New Years".
But backing up...for New Years (Dec 31st), despite having a cold, I went to a fellow PC volunteer's party in the capital city of Skopje. There was a small group of us who got together and then went to the city center where there was music and dancing going on, as well as plenty of crazy teenage kids goofing around and lighting firecrackers, which made me nervous. At midnight there was an excellent fireworks display and our group celebrated with sparklers and dancing. It was loads fun, except that being out in the cold for several hours made my cold worse. I got pretty sick for a few days after that, even met with the PC doctor who gave me some meds.
On Jan 5th, it was the eve of Christmas eve, also called "Badneek", and people in Macedonia celebrate it by having a big party and lighting a tree on fire. My counterpart, Ljubica, invited me to the party in her neighborhood and it was a blast. There was a bonfire of tree branches, constant loud music, food, drink and fun. After the fire burned down they cooked sausages and when it was a pile of ashes the little kids jumped over it for good luck.
Jan 6th was Christmas eve and again Ljubica had me over for dinner with her family. It was very nice. Part of the tradition here is for a loaf of bread to be cooked with a small metal coin inside. At dinner the bread is broken and the pieces divided out. Whoever gets the piece with the coin has good luck for the next year, which was Ljubica this time.
Jan 7th I went to Bashino Selo to visit my host family (despite still having a cough). It was a nice visit, and another one of my PCV friends, Shauna, was visiting there as well, so we hung out for a bit which was fun. She's now near Ohrid, on the other side of the country, a few hours away, so I hadn't seen her since we all moved to site almost 3 weeks prior. I also got to meet my other host brother, Ljubche, for the first time. He is studying at a university in Holland, speaks English and was home visiting his family for the holidays too.
Friday Jan 13th is the Old New Years Eve. This is a big festival in Vevchani, a village near Ohrid, where another one of my PCV friends is. I was planning to go. But unfortunately this week I've been sick again. This time it hit me hard, so all this week I've not gone to work (fortunately there are no classes) and just stayed at home and rested and I'm getting better now.
Tonight there was a celebration in the parking lot of my apartment building, so I went to check it out for just a short time. It was a little like the tree lighting, there was a small bon fire, a few people playing instruments (accordion, drum, tuba), people drinking and eating and a few people dancing oro. It was nice. And I saw my landlord too and spoke with him briefly. So I may finally get my washing machine hooked up this weekend! Yippee!
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Introducing Stanley
So I realized that I hadn't posted pictures of my new apartment...aptly named "Stanley" because the word for 'Apartment' in Macedonian is "Stan"...
Peace Corps was right...it is small, but it's cute and given some time I'll soon make it mine once I get some posters/shelves up on the wall and add to some of the 80's decor...
The bathroom is so small I can't really get a decent picture of it, but rest assured there's a shower and a western toilet.
Stanley is on the 4th floor (3rd in Europe) and there's no elevator. No matter, I'll get some exercise...
Oh, and since taking these shots I now have a TV (that'll work once I get cable) and a washing machine (that'll work once it gets installed...)
Friday, December 30, 2005
Mail and the Holidays
I'm still working on sorting out my mailing address for those of you who would like to send me something (It's been about 2 months now that my folks have been patiently waiting to send me a package!)
After the director of my school opened my mail (yes, I'm sure it was an accident, as it has happened to other PCV's too), I decided to have personal mail sent to my apartment. So I gave some folks my address and the next day asked my landlord where the mailboxes were. He pointed to a small metal box with several doors, one of which was opened with a broken door. All the mail to the apartment building goes to the one with the broken door.
So, plan B sent me to the post office to find out about renting a PO Box. The good news is that it's only $13 a year. The bad news is that I have to try to track down the person who will register one to me. I went two days in a row and got the run around, finally they told me to come back after New Years. This may take awhile as almost the entire month of January is a holiday...
So I'll keep you informed about the mailing address...
Also, a reminder that if you are sending me a package, make sure that the contents are not valued above $60 US (or at least that you don't claim that it is worthmore than such). Otherwise customs intervenes and charges ridiculous fines. Besides, the shipping costs to Macedonia alone are crazy. In addition to your shipping costs I have to pay postal fees for every package I get (regardless of it's value). Yes, it's bureacracy and red tape at its worst, I know. Thanks for your cooperation, patience and above all else, your generosity!
And, as a further update, Christmas (Dec 25th) was very low key, but still I had a nice time visiting my host family and friends. (Christmas here is on Jan 7th) This weekend I plan to again visit my host family, and then attend a party by a fellow volunteer in the capital of Skopje, a couple hours away by bus. I'm looking forward to it! (And the 3 weeks of vacation after that!)
Thanks for all your love, support, prayers and best wishes. I'm thinking of you all and hope your holiday season is wonderful and warm!
After the director of my school opened my mail (yes, I'm sure it was an accident, as it has happened to other PCV's too), I decided to have personal mail sent to my apartment. So I gave some folks my address and the next day asked my landlord where the mailboxes were. He pointed to a small metal box with several doors, one of which was opened with a broken door. All the mail to the apartment building goes to the one with the broken door.
So, plan B sent me to the post office to find out about renting a PO Box. The good news is that it's only $13 a year. The bad news is that I have to try to track down the person who will register one to me. I went two days in a row and got the run around, finally they told me to come back after New Years. This may take awhile as almost the entire month of January is a holiday...
So I'll keep you informed about the mailing address...
Also, a reminder that if you are sending me a package, make sure that the contents are not valued above $60 US (or at least that you don't claim that it is worthmore than such). Otherwise customs intervenes and charges ridiculous fines. Besides, the shipping costs to Macedonia alone are crazy. In addition to your shipping costs I have to pay postal fees for every package I get (regardless of it's value). Yes, it's bureacracy and red tape at its worst, I know. Thanks for your cooperation, patience and above all else, your generosity!
And, as a further update, Christmas (Dec 25th) was very low key, but still I had a nice time visiting my host family and friends. (Christmas here is on Jan 7th) This weekend I plan to again visit my host family, and then attend a party by a fellow volunteer in the capital of Skopje, a couple hours away by bus. I'm looking forward to it! (And the 3 weeks of vacation after that!)
Thanks for all your love, support, prayers and best wishes. I'm thinking of you all and hope your holiday season is wonderful and warm!
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Why Macedonia?
I've been published! The following is an article that I wrote a few months ago and submitted to the Peace Corps Macedonia magazine, "Pauza". It was published this month...enjoy!
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"Why Macedonia" by Jesse Warner (MAC 10)
“Why did you come to Macedonia?” My host cousin asked me (in English). I hesitated. “That’s a big question.” I said, preparing my standard reply to why I joined the Peace Corps (e.g.; to help people, to teach English and have an adventure abroad). “No, it’s not,” she replied. “Why didn’t you go somewhere like France?” I then explained a bit about the process from applying to getting sent to a PC country.
This question “Why Macedonia?” is one that I believe I’ll be asked many times during my service. In fact, given the time and opportunity, I suspect that many more locals would ask me this question. I feel it burning behind their stares as I walk down the street, as if silently asking me, “Why are you here?”
People are often surprised to learn that I didn’t decide where the Peace Corps would send me. Not only that, I had requested and was nominated for Asia.
Why Asia? I’ve always enjoyed going to new places and it’s a part of the world I haven’t really explored (yet). When given the choice, I’ve always preferred to go to a new place, rather than return to a previous location, despite having friends and fantastic experiences there. I thought I already knew Europe, I’d already “been there”, including Greece. Close enough, I erroneously thought. I’d quickly dismissed the region, as if three days each in Paris, Rome, Athens and Brussels was a sufficient illustration of Europe.
My first impression is that Macedonia is like a weird and wonderful combination of South America and Greece, especially in terms of physical characteristics. The red tile roofs, pockmarked asymmetrical sidewalks, street vendors and ubiquitous taxi cabs zipping around remind me of the place I called home for a year in Ecuador. Some of the food, the village babas, donkey-pulling carts and some traditional dances and music remind me of Greece. But this is not Greece, or Ecuador, or Paris, or some time-warped town in the US either. Three minutes in language class is one potent reminder of this. Or biting into a tasty ajvar sandwich. Or the fact that, at times, I am reminded that this is an “adolescent” nation. I think it’s pretty exciting that this may well be the only time in our lives we’ll be living in a country this young and personally witness its “growing pains” as it matures.
There’s more unique art, music, history, language and culture of Macedonia that I could mention, but much of it I still have yet to discover, having just been here for a month now. I know that during my service I’ll discover even more wonderful, interesting and surprising uniquenesses that Macedonia has to offer. And this will be even more fuel to the fire of how I will answer the inevitable question…
Why Macedonia? Why not?
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"Why Macedonia" by Jesse Warner (MAC 10)
“Why did you come to Macedonia?” My host cousin asked me (in English). I hesitated. “That’s a big question.” I said, preparing my standard reply to why I joined the Peace Corps (e.g.; to help people, to teach English and have an adventure abroad). “No, it’s not,” she replied. “Why didn’t you go somewhere like France?” I then explained a bit about the process from applying to getting sent to a PC country.
This question “Why Macedonia?” is one that I believe I’ll be asked many times during my service. In fact, given the time and opportunity, I suspect that many more locals would ask me this question. I feel it burning behind their stares as I walk down the street, as if silently asking me, “Why are you here?”
People are often surprised to learn that I didn’t decide where the Peace Corps would send me. Not only that, I had requested and was nominated for Asia.
Why Asia? I’ve always enjoyed going to new places and it’s a part of the world I haven’t really explored (yet). When given the choice, I’ve always preferred to go to a new place, rather than return to a previous location, despite having friends and fantastic experiences there. I thought I already knew Europe, I’d already “been there”, including Greece. Close enough, I erroneously thought. I’d quickly dismissed the region, as if three days each in Paris, Rome, Athens and Brussels was a sufficient illustration of Europe.
My first impression is that Macedonia is like a weird and wonderful combination of South America and Greece, especially in terms of physical characteristics. The red tile roofs, pockmarked asymmetrical sidewalks, street vendors and ubiquitous taxi cabs zipping around remind me of the place I called home for a year in Ecuador. Some of the food, the village babas, donkey-pulling carts and some traditional dances and music remind me of Greece. But this is not Greece, or Ecuador, or Paris, or some time-warped town in the US either. Three minutes in language class is one potent reminder of this. Or biting into a tasty ajvar sandwich. Or the fact that, at times, I am reminded that this is an “adolescent” nation. I think it’s pretty exciting that this may well be the only time in our lives we’ll be living in a country this young and personally witness its “growing pains” as it matures.
There’s more unique art, music, history, language and culture of Macedonia that I could mention, but much of it I still have yet to discover, having just been here for a month now. I know that during my service I’ll discover even more wonderful, interesting and surprising uniquenesses that Macedonia has to offer. And this will be even more fuel to the fire of how I will answer the inevitable question…
Why Macedonia? Why not?
Monday, December 26, 2005
For Further Reading
If you're interested in reading about another adventure of mine, check out my blog about my adventures teaching English in Ecuador and traveling around South America...(2002-2003)
http://azureus.diaryland.com
Once there, you can click on "Older Entries" and Dive In!
(I must warn you that parts of it are incomplete and unfortunately there are no photos...it's still a work in progress, but then again, many things in life are...)
http://azureus.diaryland.com
Once there, you can click on "Older Entries" and Dive In!
(I must warn you that parts of it are incomplete and unfortunately there are no photos...it's still a work in progress, but then again, many things in life are...)
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Moving In
The day after swearing in it was time to leave. Since my bus left in the afternoon I had time to see my fellow trainees off that morning; Todd, Lindsay and Marita. Then I visited my friend Shauna and her family since she was leaving after me. Back at my house many friends and relatives were invited over to see me off. Before you knew it there were about 20 people there and all of us were in tears. It’s really amazing when I think about it; I lived with these people for 3 months and really became a part of their family. You don’t realize how much of an impact you have on others lives most of the time. I didn’t know until the time came to say goodbye not only how much of an impact I had on them, but the impact that they had on me. I was given several last minute gifts including a jar of ajvar, sweets, and homemade baklava. There were many hugs and kisses goodbye before the taxi shuttled me off to the bus station.
When I arrived in Kochani my counterpart and landlord were there to greet me and help me with my stuff. I had 10 items with me including my PC heater, water distiller, and first aid kit. Not bad for 2 years huh? My apartment is on the 4th floor and is very small. It has the basics (fridge, oven, stove, bed, chairs, table, toilet & shower, etc) but there is no washing machine, closets or place to hang my clothes. My landlord says he’ll get me a TV set and kitchen utensils. I didn’t have any eating or cooking utensils or cleaning supplies. (I noticed later that it needs to be cleaned). Fortunately I am only 10 minutes walk to my school and to the center of town.
Peace Corps gives us a settling in allowance, so I will use that to purchase the things I need for my apartment. Yesterday I bought some cleaning supplies, power strips with extension cords, and a jezbah (a small pot for making Turkish coffee). Needless to say, the first thing I made at my new home was coffee!
When I arrived in Kochani my counterpart and landlord were there to greet me and help me with my stuff. I had 10 items with me including my PC heater, water distiller, and first aid kit. Not bad for 2 years huh? My apartment is on the 4th floor and is very small. It has the basics (fridge, oven, stove, bed, chairs, table, toilet & shower, etc) but there is no washing machine, closets or place to hang my clothes. My landlord says he’ll get me a TV set and kitchen utensils. I didn’t have any eating or cooking utensils or cleaning supplies. (I noticed later that it needs to be cleaned). Fortunately I am only 10 minutes walk to my school and to the center of town.
Peace Corps gives us a settling in allowance, so I will use that to purchase the things I need for my apartment. Yesterday I bought some cleaning supplies, power strips with extension cords, and a jezbah (a small pot for making Turkish coffee). Needless to say, the first thing I made at my new home was coffee!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Swearing In
The Swearing In ceremony is a rites of passage of the Peace Corps experience. It signifies the end of the 3 months of training and the marks the beginning of Peace Corps service as an official volunteer. The ceremony was held at a restaurant next to a lake outside of Veles. Two members of each host family were invited as well as current PC Volunteers, all of PC Staff and some dignitaries, such as the Mayor of Veles, US Ambassador, director of NGO US Aid and the Macedonian president Branko Crvenkovski (he wasn’t able to make it, so a minister came in his place). About 300 people attended and everyone was dressed to the nines. We sang the national anthems of both Macedonia and the US. There were speeches by the Mayor, the PC Country Director, and two of our colleages, Sara and Keith. At one point they asked our host family members to stand. I noticed that more than a couple had tears in their eyes. Then they had the 32 of us stand up one by one as they read our names, home states and Macedonian cities where we are going. Next the US Ambassador gave her address and then had us collectively raise our right hand and give our oath of service, and “swear in” as PC Volunteers. I don’t remember much of what we had to say except to uphold the US constitution. I’m going to try to get my hands on a copy. It was also noted in the speeches about the fact that we are the 10th group of PC Volunteers in Macedonia. That’s pretty cool.
Afterwards there was a little reception of food and music (unfortunately no oro dancing), as well as lots of photo taking. It was then that I discovered that there were more people that I knew who had attended, including the Macedonian grade school teacher that I’d worked with in Veles for my practicum. There were also several Mac 9’s in attendance, including a married couple, Sean and Jennifer, who are in a village about 9 km away from me.
That night my family held a little party for me, since they know how much I enjoy dancing the oro and the traditional Macedonian music. They called up a few of their friends/relatives and soon we were all dancing and singing in my grandma’s living room. One of my host cousins plays the accordion, which is one of the most common musical instruments to play traditional music. One popular song that I like is called “Makadonka Dayvoika”, which means “Young Macedonian Girl”.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Good News
Great News! I passed my language exam! Woo-hoo! And now our training is over. No more language classes. No more practicum student teaching, no more medical or technical sessions...etc. Now I just have to go home and PACK!
Tomorrow's the big day, the Swearing In Ceremony. At 11AM tomorrow (that's 2AM Thurs Seattle time) we have our swearing in ceremony and we'll all become official Peace Corps Volunteers!
Friday is when we all move to sites. We have to put all of our stuff on public buses and go to site. Thank God I don't have to transfer buses! My counterpart will meet me at the bus station and take me to my new home, my own apartment and I will be "settling in" this weekend.
Wish me luck!
Tomorrow's the big day, the Swearing In Ceremony. At 11AM tomorrow (that's 2AM Thurs Seattle time) we have our swearing in ceremony and we'll all become official Peace Corps Volunteers!
Friday is when we all move to sites. We have to put all of our stuff on public buses and go to site. Thank God I don't have to transfer buses! My counterpart will meet me at the bus station and take me to my new home, my own apartment and I will be "settling in" this weekend.
Wish me luck!
Monday, December 12, 2005
Harry Potter, Skopje & the Macedonian Language
This last weekend I got permission from PC to go to the capital city of Skopje to meet up with some other PC Volunteers and to go see the new Harry Potter movie at a real movie theater (the pirated versions are already out). Then I spent the night at an apartment of a married couple that are also PC volunteers living in Skopje. There were about 8 of us PC volunteers that went to the movie (okay, so technically I'm not a volunteer yet, but I will be in 3 days). It was a lot of fun. Oh my gosh, the movie was so good. The special effects are awesome and it was just so cool to see on the big screen. Of course, there were a few things that I didn't like about the movie, being a staunch HP fan, they left out a lot. Well, they had to or else it would've been a 4 hour movie. For someone who hasn't read the books, I don't think they would enjoy it as much cuz it moves so fast...But even so, it's worth seeing. I want to go again and next time invite my fellow trainees who are HP fans as well!
Another reason for going to Skopje was an NGO fair (Non-governmental Organization) that a bunch of us trainees went to, so I met up with the gang on Saturday morning at the event. It was really interesting and I got a lot of information and talked to a lot of different people. For example, Habitat for Humanity has just started here. I also talked to an amatur astronomy group, found the local United Methodist Church as well as numerous organizations that work with youth and education. In addition, there were several groups working with the Roma, one of the poorer disadvantaged ethnic groups in Macedonia (and I'll be working with them in Kochani too). We had the whole day in Skopje so we broke up into groups to different restaurants, stores and a craft fair as well. Other than the rain, it was a good day.
Today I had the dreaded LPI test (Language Proficiency Interview)...yes, we actually are tested on our language skills at the end of training. Fortunately if we don't pass it, we're not kicked out of PC, but we will be required to get a tutor at site and re-take the test in 3 months. Aaack! Everyone says not to worry, but I was nervous anyway. It is required to get an Intermediate Low score. For the practice test I got a Novice Mid. We'll learn our scores in two days. On the third day we have swearing in. (I plan to get a tutor at my site anyway, but it'll still be nice if it's not required).
The end of training is swiftly near and I feel like I've still got so much to learn. At the same time, I am feeling very ready to move into my new apartment and have a little more independence. Yesterday when chatting with my host grandma she got a little teary-eyed talking about my moving to Kochani. She has already offered to move with me and be my personal cook! I have reassured my family many times that I plan to come visit them often. Ending training is bittersweet. I will miss having my fellow trainees/ friends around to hang out with on a regular basis. At the same time, I'm ready to spread my wings and start this new chapter of my service!
Another reason for going to Skopje was an NGO fair (Non-governmental Organization) that a bunch of us trainees went to, so I met up with the gang on Saturday morning at the event. It was really interesting and I got a lot of information and talked to a lot of different people. For example, Habitat for Humanity has just started here. I also talked to an amatur astronomy group, found the local United Methodist Church as well as numerous organizations that work with youth and education. In addition, there were several groups working with the Roma, one of the poorer disadvantaged ethnic groups in Macedonia (and I'll be working with them in Kochani too). We had the whole day in Skopje so we broke up into groups to different restaurants, stores and a craft fair as well. Other than the rain, it was a good day.
Today I had the dreaded LPI test (Language Proficiency Interview)...yes, we actually are tested on our language skills at the end of training. Fortunately if we don't pass it, we're not kicked out of PC, but we will be required to get a tutor at site and re-take the test in 3 months. Aaack! Everyone says not to worry, but I was nervous anyway. It is required to get an Intermediate Low score. For the practice test I got a Novice Mid. We'll learn our scores in two days. On the third day we have swearing in. (I plan to get a tutor at my site anyway, but it'll still be nice if it's not required).
The end of training is swiftly near and I feel like I've still got so much to learn. At the same time, I am feeling very ready to move into my new apartment and have a little more independence. Yesterday when chatting with my host grandma she got a little teary-eyed talking about my moving to Kochani. She has already offered to move with me and be my personal cook! I have reassured my family many times that I plan to come visit them often. Ending training is bittersweet. I will miss having my fellow trainees/ friends around to hang out with on a regular basis. At the same time, I'm ready to spread my wings and start this new chapter of my service!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
December already!
I can't believe that it is already December. Time has flown by so quickly! There are now only two more weeks left before our group finishes training and becomes official Peace Corps volunteers! There is a big celebration, called "Swearing In" and it will be a big ceremony, including the American ambassador and the Macedonian president. There will be speeches and we will sing both the US National Anthem and the Macedonian one (which we are learning in our language classes, I like the song a lot). Our host families and counterparts are invited as well as current volunteers, so it'll be like Thanksgiving, maybe even bigger. The next day, on the 16th we will move to our sites. I just found out that Peace Corps has secured an apartment for me in Kochani. They said that it's "small, but cute". I'm very close to the city center and about a 10 minute walk from my school.
Winter is cold here. It snowed the week of Thanksgiving and it was beautiful to see it covering the mountains. There is no central heating in the houses here, in fact, the buildings are really like big ice boxes, they retain the cold very well. Often times our rooms are colder than the outside temperature. I have a little pocket thermometer which stays at a steady 40 degrees F (or I think 5 degrees C). We got our Peace Corps issued heaters a couple weeks ago, which is nice, but mine doesn't have a blower, so it takes awhile to heat up my bedroom. They are also going to be a pain to lug to our sites because they are heavy and bulky. People here normally keep the main living room warm by keeping a wood burning stove going, which also lends itself to all congregating in the same room for hours on end. It is nice for company and if you want to watch TV, but it is harder sometimes when I just want a little time to myself.
Last night one of the trainee's (Todd) host brother in our village apparently got engaged to a young woman from Veles. This was announced by a spontaneous celebration at 1 in the morning. Apparently the host brother and his buddies went around to their friend’s houses (including mine), rang the doorbell in the middle of the night and invited them over to his house to celebrate. I had heard people at the door, but ignored the noise and fell back asleep. Unfortunately that wasn’t an option for Todd. Suddenly the house was filled with music, dancing and a lot of strange people drinking alcohol and making merry, including shooting a shotgun off the front porch, just next to Todd’s bedroom. The party lasted until 5am! Todd stayed in his bedroom, trying to ignore the knocks on his door and invitations to join in the celebration. He got about an hour of sleep. I found out about it the next day, including that my host dad was present and was one of the individuals who shot the gun from the front porch! Apparently it is tradition at a wedding or at the reception to shoot a gun three times to signify a man marrying a woman. I find it amusing that in this culture and living in a village, that this kind of custom exists, having a spontaneous celebration in the middle of the night. This would never fly in the states. I can just imagine a friend showing up at the door, being gregarious and slightly tipsy, announcing their engagement at 1am. We would probably grumble a congratulations, remind them what time it was and tell them to come back tomorrow!
Winter is cold here. It snowed the week of Thanksgiving and it was beautiful to see it covering the mountains. There is no central heating in the houses here, in fact, the buildings are really like big ice boxes, they retain the cold very well. Often times our rooms are colder than the outside temperature. I have a little pocket thermometer which stays at a steady 40 degrees F (or I think 5 degrees C). We got our Peace Corps issued heaters a couple weeks ago, which is nice, but mine doesn't have a blower, so it takes awhile to heat up my bedroom. They are also going to be a pain to lug to our sites because they are heavy and bulky. People here normally keep the main living room warm by keeping a wood burning stove going, which also lends itself to all congregating in the same room for hours on end. It is nice for company and if you want to watch TV, but it is harder sometimes when I just want a little time to myself.
Last night one of the trainee's (Todd) host brother in our village apparently got engaged to a young woman from Veles. This was announced by a spontaneous celebration at 1 in the morning. Apparently the host brother and his buddies went around to their friend’s houses (including mine), rang the doorbell in the middle of the night and invited them over to his house to celebrate. I had heard people at the door, but ignored the noise and fell back asleep. Unfortunately that wasn’t an option for Todd. Suddenly the house was filled with music, dancing and a lot of strange people drinking alcohol and making merry, including shooting a shotgun off the front porch, just next to Todd’s bedroom. The party lasted until 5am! Todd stayed in his bedroom, trying to ignore the knocks on his door and invitations to join in the celebration. He got about an hour of sleep. I found out about it the next day, including that my host dad was present and was one of the individuals who shot the gun from the front porch! Apparently it is tradition at a wedding or at the reception to shoot a gun three times to signify a man marrying a woman. I find it amusing that in this culture and living in a village, that this kind of custom exists, having a spontaneous celebration in the middle of the night. This would never fly in the states. I can just imagine a friend showing up at the door, being gregarious and slightly tipsy, announcing their engagement at 1am. We would probably grumble a congratulations, remind them what time it was and tell them to come back tomorrow!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
One of The Best Thanksgivings Ever
Celebrating Thanksgiving has been a beloved tradition for PC in Macedonia, with a big Thanksgiving dinner for all the staff, current volunteers, trainees and their host families. It was a real festive occasion; there were probably about 200 people in attendance (with about 70 volunteers & trainees currently serving in Macedonia). It was held at a nice restaurant in Veles, all the families and volunteers brought food. Peace Corps provided the turkeys (15 total, shipped over from the US). My host mom made mashed potatoes (purée kompiree), baked tikva (pumpkins) and a kind of cornbread. She wouldn’t allow me to help with the cooking. However, I did help with the decorating and setting up at the restaurant. We took pumpkins from my family’s garden for decoration, as well as dry leaves and flowers.
First our country director got up and said a few words. Then my friend Erika and I gave brief speeches about what Thanksgiving is and the history behind it. Erika gave hers in Albanian and mine was in Macedonian. We both read our speeches that were written with the help from our language teachers. It was the first time that I had heard Albanian spoken, Erika did an amazing job, the language is very melodic, it reminded me a little of French! When I gave my speech, I was nervous, but it went well and I was glad I did it. Then Sara W. (another trainee) gave a short, touching and humorous speech about things we are grateful for, including the hospitality of our host families, the assistance from the PC staff, as well as the support and love from our families and friends back in the US…oh yeah, and letters & packages from them too!
Then the dinner began, which was buffet style. One of the restaurant staff carved the turkeys. There was an incredible amount of food there; the table was packed and the dishes were almost overlapping each other, so there was plenty of food for everyone. Both Macedonian and American food were present (some people got creative with making things like stuffing and apple pie with the ingredients that were available). The only common staple missing were cranberries (not available here). There was also raijka (“rock-eeah”), liquor made from grapes, and plenty of “sok” (sodas).
The program continued after dinner with a group of us trainees leading a rendition of “America, the Beautiful”, and trainees from Negotino giving a short skit of a typical Thanksgiving day in the states (including pie-making and football watching). Then the group from Chaska led the traditional Macedonian dance “The Oro” (which is A LOT like Greek dancing; a little like line dancing, but slower, holding hands, stepping and leg swinging in unison). This was one of my favorite moments of the evening. There were perhaps 150 people, Macedonians and Albanians, Volunteers and Staff, young and old, people of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, skin color, languages and gender smiling and laughing over a universal custom: dancing and making merry.
After returning home, I shared the photos and stories with my host grandmother (There was a limited number of people allowed to attend). Then my host brother and two of his friends/cousins arrived. One of them brought out an accordion and the party continued in the small living room with dancing and music! I laughed, danced and, of course, took photographs. Overall, it was a fantastic evening.
This has had to be one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve ever had. The only thing I would’ve changed is to have had my family back home in the US to share it with!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
A little more about Macedonian culture & some other websites...
Macedonian Culture
Promaya: a draft. There is a prevalent belief in this culture that sitting in a draft will get you sick.
Over indulgence of children, yet physical discipline, like slapping is tolerated.
Students are responsible for their education, not parents or the teachers. The teacher’s responsibility is to cover the curriculum (which has been mandated by the government).
Preferring never to be alone
Wearing or using each other’s clothes and possessions (between family members)
Always offering food or drink to everyone present
Freely commenting on each other’s personal appearance
Viewing older people as family leaders
Giving an odd number of flowers except for occasions of mourning
Wearing black clothes for one year after the death of a close family member
Asking pointed questions about how much money someone makes, how much personal property/possessions cost.
Hospitality:
Guests are treated like royalty here. My family treats me like a guest. They insist that I not lift a finger to help around the house (although I try at times), my host mom does my laundry. Food is a big deal here. My host family is constantly shoving food at me, even after I have said several times that I am full. If I am not paying attention, they will give me a larger portion of food than I can physically eat. They are confused by the fact that I don’t eat bread (because apparently everyone in Macedonia eats bread). If I don’t eat enough food to their liking, they think that I didn’t like it, that their must be something wrong with it.
Volunteering:
This concept hasn't really caught on in this culture. People often don't understand why someone would want to volunteer. Sometimes people are suspicious as to why we PC Volunteers come to their country, occasionally they suspect we are spies for the US government. Sometimes I am asked for the real reason why I am in Macedonia. I've written an essay about this and will post it here very soon.
WEBSITES:
Sometime soon I will create links for the following websites, however I don't have much time to figure out how to do so...until that time, here they are:
Other BLOGS from PCV's/PCT's in Macedonia:
http://sararish.blogspot.com
http://lizabbett.blogspot.com/
http://www.adamanddanielle.com/
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/darcieswein/macedonia-pst/1099750560/tpod.html
Info about Macedonia:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe
http://www.macedonia.org/
http://faq.macedonia.org/
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Visiting Kochani
On Tuesday Nov. 15th we met our counterparts in Veles. My counterpart’s name is Ljubica (“Loobeetsa”); she is a teacher with 15 years experience and does not hesitate to speak her mind. The good thing is that she has some previous experience with the “Pees Korpz” and Ljubica seems to be very receptive to working and team teaching with me, for which I’m grateful for. I quickly got on her good side; she was especially pleased to learn that I like coffee with sugar.
I must mention here that smoking cigarettes is extremely prevalent. The entire school staff smoke, including the headmaster and the teachers lounge is like a chimney. Second-hand smoke is an inevitable health hazard in this country (with upper respiratory infections being the most common health issue).
On Wednesday I met Ljubica at the hotel and then we caught a bus to Kochani (for about $4 one-way). Everyone has told me that Kochani is a very pretty city, and they were right. In a little less than 2 hours we arrived. First we went to the school where I’ll be working, and I met most of the staff. It was a whirlwind of names and faces. My three days visiting Kochani were full of meeting people, being stuffed full of more tasty, fattening Macedonian meals, visiting numerous classrooms, introducing myself to students and touring the small city. It was also nice to meet the currently serving volunteers in and near Kochani. Unfortunately one of them is COS'ing (Close of Service) and will have left by the time I move there. However she was a wealth of great info and advice. I now know where to buy tofu and dried fruit, eat great pizza, get cheap CD’s and DVD’s as well as visit the local mosque and buy a guitar!
I am ready for my training to be over, but I still have one more month to go. I will be glad to finally move to my city and have my own apartment. Training is hard for many reasons, but one of them is living with a host family and not having that much privacy or independence. I love my family, I know they mean well, but they treat me like a little kid, they even put (too much) sugar in my coffee for me, as if I was incapable of doing it myself! I know it is just a cultural thing. Learning the language is tough too. I think I'll do better when I work with a private tutor. Talking with the other volunteers after returning to site visit makes me realize we are all kind of burned out from training and language lessons. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one.
Oh, and I just bought a copy of the first Harry Potter book in Macedonian! I’m going to try to read it too, but it’ll be slow going for now. Hopefully it will be a good motivator to keep at my language learning!
P.S. Some people have asked about Thanksgiving...obviously it is not celebrated here, but the Peace Corps is going to have a HUGE Thanksgiving dinner for us (15 turkeys have been shipped over from the states) and we will also have entertainment. All of the PC staff and volunteers will be there, including our host families. They project 200 people will attend.
I must mention here that smoking cigarettes is extremely prevalent. The entire school staff smoke, including the headmaster and the teachers lounge is like a chimney. Second-hand smoke is an inevitable health hazard in this country (with upper respiratory infections being the most common health issue).
On Wednesday I met Ljubica at the hotel and then we caught a bus to Kochani (for about $4 one-way). Everyone has told me that Kochani is a very pretty city, and they were right. In a little less than 2 hours we arrived. First we went to the school where I’ll be working, and I met most of the staff. It was a whirlwind of names and faces. My three days visiting Kochani were full of meeting people, being stuffed full of more tasty, fattening Macedonian meals, visiting numerous classrooms, introducing myself to students and touring the small city. It was also nice to meet the currently serving volunteers in and near Kochani. Unfortunately one of them is COS'ing (Close of Service) and will have left by the time I move there. However she was a wealth of great info and advice. I now know where to buy tofu and dried fruit, eat great pizza, get cheap CD’s and DVD’s as well as visit the local mosque and buy a guitar!
I am ready for my training to be over, but I still have one more month to go. I will be glad to finally move to my city and have my own apartment. Training is hard for many reasons, but one of them is living with a host family and not having that much privacy or independence. I love my family, I know they mean well, but they treat me like a little kid, they even put (too much) sugar in my coffee for me, as if I was incapable of doing it myself! I know it is just a cultural thing. Learning the language is tough too. I think I'll do better when I work with a private tutor. Talking with the other volunteers after returning to site visit makes me realize we are all kind of burned out from training and language lessons. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one.
Oh, and I just bought a copy of the first Harry Potter book in Macedonian! I’m going to try to read it too, but it’ll be slow going for now. Hopefully it will be a good motivator to keep at my language learning!
P.S. Some people have asked about Thanksgiving...obviously it is not celebrated here, but the Peace Corps is going to have a HUGE Thanksgiving dinner for us (15 turkeys have been shipped over from the states) and we will also have entertainment. All of the PC staff and volunteers will be there, including our host families. They project 200 people will attend.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Before the Rain
I just watched the movie “Before the Rain” directed by Milcho Manchevski, a Macedonian film, 1994, which won tons of awards including a Academy Award nomination in ‘95 for Best Foreign Language Film.
I was really impressed. This is a movie more Americans need to see. Keeping in mind that it has an "R" rating, and is pretty graphic at times, it is thought provoking and very well done. It may be hard to find, but I encourage you to see it if you can. “Scarecrow video” in Seattle specializes in movies like this.
Of course I am feeling pretty naïve at this point about all of the politics and history involved in this region of former Yugoslavia. Pretty naïve indeed. We are encouraged not to talk about politics, at least until we have been here longer, have a better grasp of the language and are more familiar with the situation.
The tension between Albanians and Macedonians is omnipresent. There is a monument in the middle of my village to a single Macedonian soldier that was killed by an Albanian in the recent (2001) conflict. When I learned that, I got a little more insight into why there is a lot of anger and tension against Albanians.
There are no easy answers, there are no winners. Healing and closure feel like a long ways away.
Like right now, the fact that Macedonia is struggling with the current situation in Kosovo, which I don’t even really know much about other than the fact that Americans are strongly encouraged not to go there right now, and this country is also still bickering with Greece over their official name…Greece has issues with them using the name of Macedonia so, to placate their NATO neighbor, the country name is currently “Former Yugoslavic Republic of Macedonia”.
Of course I am forming my own opinions…however, I will not try to sway you, the reader, at this time. With the Peace Corps encouragement…I am still very much an observer, quietly listening and learning more about the history and politics before I tiptoe into politically heated debates and discussion.
In the meantime, go check out the movie “Before the Rain”…
P.S. There is a sequel as well, “Dust” (2001)
I was really impressed. This is a movie more Americans need to see. Keeping in mind that it has an "R" rating, and is pretty graphic at times, it is thought provoking and very well done. It may be hard to find, but I encourage you to see it if you can. “Scarecrow video” in Seattle specializes in movies like this.
Of course I am feeling pretty naïve at this point about all of the politics and history involved in this region of former Yugoslavia. Pretty naïve indeed. We are encouraged not to talk about politics, at least until we have been here longer, have a better grasp of the language and are more familiar with the situation.
The tension between Albanians and Macedonians is omnipresent. There is a monument in the middle of my village to a single Macedonian soldier that was killed by an Albanian in the recent (2001) conflict. When I learned that, I got a little more insight into why there is a lot of anger and tension against Albanians.
There are no easy answers, there are no winners. Healing and closure feel like a long ways away.
Like right now, the fact that Macedonia is struggling with the current situation in Kosovo, which I don’t even really know much about other than the fact that Americans are strongly encouraged not to go there right now, and this country is also still bickering with Greece over their official name…Greece has issues with them using the name of Macedonia so, to placate their NATO neighbor, the country name is currently “Former Yugoslavic Republic of Macedonia”.
Of course I am forming my own opinions…however, I will not try to sway you, the reader, at this time. With the Peace Corps encouragement…I am still very much an observer, quietly listening and learning more about the history and politics before I tiptoe into politically heated debates and discussion.
In the meantime, go check out the movie “Before the Rain”…
P.S. There is a sequel as well, “Dust” (2001)
Saturday, November 12, 2005
My future home in Macedonia...
Thursday I got out of the house for the first time so that I could go to the meeting to learn about site announcements. They took us trainees in one at a time. Todd got Negotino, Marita and Shauna are both near Lake Ohrid, probably the most beautiful region of the country, Lindsay is in the large city of Kumanovo and I am in the city of Kochani.
Overall, I am happy with my site, although I think I would’ve liked a larger city. Kochani is approx 33,000 and the school I’ll be working at also has some Roma kids, so I’m glad about that. There is also another current PCV in this town, Marilyn, who is working with an NGO to help the Roma population, which I’m excited about. I’m also not that far from Stip, which is where Rachel, a Mac 8 who’s extended for a third year, lives and teaches at a high school.
My guide book says there’s not much about the town of Kochani, but a couple things of interest to me is that there are some hot springs nearby, as well as some ancient roman ruins and is near to the ancient Roman Road “Diagonal way” which connected Stobi to Bulgaria.
Also I've been told that this is a beautiful part of the country and that there are some nice hikes in the area. It is roughly 2 hours away from the capital of Skopje.
Next week we will all be meet our counterparts and visit our future sites for 3 days.
“There is not much in the town itself as, until communist industrialization, it had mostly been a farming settlement since the time of Aleksander III of Macedon. Around 330 BC, Aleksandar brought back rice from India, which was planted in these fertile fields. The ancient paddy fields are still worked today, many by hand, and they provide most of Macedonia’s rice.”
--The Bradt Guide to Macedonia by Thammy Evans.
Overall, I am happy with my site, although I think I would’ve liked a larger city. Kochani is approx 33,000 and the school I’ll be working at also has some Roma kids, so I’m glad about that. There is also another current PCV in this town, Marilyn, who is working with an NGO to help the Roma population, which I’m excited about. I’m also not that far from Stip, which is where Rachel, a Mac 8 who’s extended for a third year, lives and teaches at a high school.
My guide book says there’s not much about the town of Kochani, but a couple things of interest to me is that there are some hot springs nearby, as well as some ancient roman ruins and is near to the ancient Roman Road “Diagonal way” which connected Stobi to Bulgaria.
Also I've been told that this is a beautiful part of the country and that there are some nice hikes in the area. It is roughly 2 hours away from the capital of Skopje.
Next week we will all be meet our counterparts and visit our future sites for 3 days.
“There is not much in the town itself as, until communist industrialization, it had mostly been a farming settlement since the time of Aleksander III of Macedon. Around 330 BC, Aleksandar brought back rice from India, which was planted in these fertile fields. The ancient paddy fields are still worked today, many by hand, and they provide most of Macedonia’s rice.”
--The Bradt Guide to Macedonia by Thammy Evans.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Sick and Smothered
Let me first preface this by saying that I love my host family and they are sweet people with good intentions.
So I’ve been sick for almost a week. I started feeling crummy last weekend when our group visited the trainees staying in the nearby community of Sveti Nickole (Saint Nickolas). That morning I had woken up to a sore throat. By that evening it turned into a headache as well. I ended up spending the entire day on Sunday in bed.
Superstitions are common in some cultures. In Macedonia, there is a common opinion that sitting in a draft, called “promaya”, will cause you to get sick. My family has a couple of ideas about what caused my illness. Mostly they blame the fact that I’ve been washing my hair in the AM and going out without drying it (an advantage to having short hair). They also blame Sveti Nickole and the fact that I drank cold soda when I was there. (I, of course, believe I got a virus because my immune system was down due to stress and not enough sleep).
By Monday I knew that I had a bad cold. I stayed in bed all day. My family became very concerned and tried to persuade me to call the doctor. I tried to explain (in my broken Macedonian) that I didn’t think it was necessary. I knew that the doctor would tell me to do all the things that I was doing already; resting, drinking liquids, taking aspirin, cough suppressants, etc (which fortunately are supplied in my medical kit). By Monday evening I gave into their insistence and called the Peace Corps medical doctor. I explained my symptoms and what I was doing to get better. She agreed with me and then spoke to my family to calm their nerves. Monday after lunch my family wanted me to stay downstairs with my baba (grandma) because it is warmer down in her room (thanks to a wood-burning stove) and it’s next to the outdoor bathroom. Of course, it’s also where everyone eats their meals, watches TV is and where all the guests “negosti” (visit). I ended up in the bed of my baba’s living room for the next two days. Although I could lie down and rest and I was being pampered like a small child, my family also kept waking me up every couple of hours to see how I was doing. They were frequently offering me coffee, tea, bread, vegetables, meat, and chocolates. I soon developed a runny noise and a bad cough.
Monday night I vomited so on Tuesday I stopped eating all foods and only drank water and tea. At this point my family acted as though I had something life-threatening. I tried to rest while my host dad watched football on TV. I declined all offers of food from them. I told them I just wanted to sleep. But I couldn’t sleep very well with my nose all stopped up and coughing all night. My baba was sick as well, and my host mom had three teeth pulled! (I suspect that once you have a bad tooth in this country, they just yank it out, which would explain why most of the old people don’t have many teeth left!). So here we were all feeling ill.
It was very interesting to me how there seemed to be no concept of what foods are best to feed a person who is sick. I was offered all kinds of foods that I know are not easy to digest. I did request eggs a couple of times, but that was about the only kind of “easily digestable” food I got. My sore throat longed for something cold to help the swelling; a cold drink, an ice cube or ice cream. But I knew I would get none of it. After three days one of my fellow trainees smuggled me a soda when she came to visit me, from my request, it was awesome.
At one point this week I vaguely remember six women entering the room, all sitting down to “negosti” and have tea. I could hear them clucking their tongues as they talked about me, how I was sick and not eating. They again offered me food and tea. I mumbled in Macedonian that I was tired and wanted to sleep. Then I remember one of the women standing over me, saying my name, practically wagging her finger at me, lecturing me in jumbled bunch of words about my being sick, that I should eat. I barely opened my eyes to look at her, I was so tired. Next thing you know my language teacher was above me calling my name. The women were gone. I learned later that she had driven them out. She stayed for a short while, talking with family and with me and I was so happy when she suggested I move back upstairs to my room. On Wednesday I had a house call from a Peace Corps doctor and nurse, which was nice. They were able to confirm that I didn’t have anything more serious than a viral infection, so no antibiotics were necessary. It was then that I learned that there were single-use strip thermometers in the medical kit, as well as some nasal decongestants. I was given some more cough drops and ibuprofen. They also gave my host family some peace of mind as well. I started to feel better mid-week, but it’s been a slow recovery.
So I’ve been sick for almost a week. I started feeling crummy last weekend when our group visited the trainees staying in the nearby community of Sveti Nickole (Saint Nickolas). That morning I had woken up to a sore throat. By that evening it turned into a headache as well. I ended up spending the entire day on Sunday in bed.
Superstitions are common in some cultures. In Macedonia, there is a common opinion that sitting in a draft, called “promaya”, will cause you to get sick. My family has a couple of ideas about what caused my illness. Mostly they blame the fact that I’ve been washing my hair in the AM and going out without drying it (an advantage to having short hair). They also blame Sveti Nickole and the fact that I drank cold soda when I was there. (I, of course, believe I got a virus because my immune system was down due to stress and not enough sleep).
By Monday I knew that I had a bad cold. I stayed in bed all day. My family became very concerned and tried to persuade me to call the doctor. I tried to explain (in my broken Macedonian) that I didn’t think it was necessary. I knew that the doctor would tell me to do all the things that I was doing already; resting, drinking liquids, taking aspirin, cough suppressants, etc (which fortunately are supplied in my medical kit). By Monday evening I gave into their insistence and called the Peace Corps medical doctor. I explained my symptoms and what I was doing to get better. She agreed with me and then spoke to my family to calm their nerves. Monday after lunch my family wanted me to stay downstairs with my baba (grandma) because it is warmer down in her room (thanks to a wood-burning stove) and it’s next to the outdoor bathroom. Of course, it’s also where everyone eats their meals, watches TV is and where all the guests “negosti” (visit). I ended up in the bed of my baba’s living room for the next two days. Although I could lie down and rest and I was being pampered like a small child, my family also kept waking me up every couple of hours to see how I was doing. They were frequently offering me coffee, tea, bread, vegetables, meat, and chocolates. I soon developed a runny noise and a bad cough.
Monday night I vomited so on Tuesday I stopped eating all foods and only drank water and tea. At this point my family acted as though I had something life-threatening. I tried to rest while my host dad watched football on TV. I declined all offers of food from them. I told them I just wanted to sleep. But I couldn’t sleep very well with my nose all stopped up and coughing all night. My baba was sick as well, and my host mom had three teeth pulled! (I suspect that once you have a bad tooth in this country, they just yank it out, which would explain why most of the old people don’t have many teeth left!). So here we were all feeling ill.
It was very interesting to me how there seemed to be no concept of what foods are best to feed a person who is sick. I was offered all kinds of foods that I know are not easy to digest. I did request eggs a couple of times, but that was about the only kind of “easily digestable” food I got. My sore throat longed for something cold to help the swelling; a cold drink, an ice cube or ice cream. But I knew I would get none of it. After three days one of my fellow trainees smuggled me a soda when she came to visit me, from my request, it was awesome.
At one point this week I vaguely remember six women entering the room, all sitting down to “negosti” and have tea. I could hear them clucking their tongues as they talked about me, how I was sick and not eating. They again offered me food and tea. I mumbled in Macedonian that I was tired and wanted to sleep. Then I remember one of the women standing over me, saying my name, practically wagging her finger at me, lecturing me in jumbled bunch of words about my being sick, that I should eat. I barely opened my eyes to look at her, I was so tired. Next thing you know my language teacher was above me calling my name. The women were gone. I learned later that she had driven them out. She stayed for a short while, talking with family and with me and I was so happy when she suggested I move back upstairs to my room. On Wednesday I had a house call from a Peace Corps doctor and nurse, which was nice. They were able to confirm that I didn’t have anything more serious than a viral infection, so no antibiotics were necessary. It was then that I learned that there were single-use strip thermometers in the medical kit, as well as some nasal decongestants. I was given some more cough drops and ibuprofen. They also gave my host family some peace of mind as well. I started to feel better mid-week, but it’s been a slow recovery.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
A lot happens during PST
A lot happens during PST (Pre-Service Training) that it is difficult to write about a “typical day”. However, during the week there is almost always language class for 3 to 4 hours a day and twice a week I have my student teaching in Veles (now always at 8am). At the end of training we will be tested on our Macedonian and are supposed to achieve an intermediate level. If we don’t pass the test then we will have a tutor once we go to our sites and have to re-take the test again later. They say that PST is the most stressful time of the PC experience, which I agree with, but I am also a little concerned about when we get plopped down at our sites and we won’t other trainees around to talk to, hang out or get support from. PST is for preparing us for that time. Fortunately we all will have a counterpart, which is a HCN (Host-country National) that will help us and work with us during our assignments at site. "Swearing in" is a big deal. For us, it is on December 16th. There will be a big ceremony and all the important people of Macedonia will be there, including the country president, the US ambassador (who will swear us in) and the mayor of Veles. All of our host families and counterparts will be there, as well as all of the PC staff. At that point we are official Peace Corps Volunteers. Immediately after Swearing in we will go to our sites. I forgot to mention that unfortunately one in our group has left us. Mike, from San Francisco, had to ET (Early Terminate) a couple weeks ago. He had to go back due to family obligations at home. While we are sad that Mike had to go (and most of us didn’t get a chance to say goodbye) it is a general consensus that it is better that he left now than later, after getting to site and being more invested in the community and work. Now our MAC 10 group has 32 trainees. Also, I must say that Macedonian kitchens are ‘magical’ places. The food here is very greasy and starchy, almost always cooked in vegetable oil. A big part of the diet is meat and vegetables. There is some fish, a lot of peppers, salt and sugar. I love the mountain tea here as well as the Mousaka, which I’ve had back home at the Greek restaurant I used to work at, although it is a bit different (cooked vegetables and meat). Also, something unique to this country is ajvar, which is like pureed peppers with tasty spices and then often laden on the plain bread and cheese that is like feta sprinkled on top. It is not too difficult to find a village baba (grandma) or mom stirring up a big vat of ajvar, or carefully peeling each individual pepper, a mound of discarded peels next to them. The other thing that makes them magical is that they frequently do not refridgerate their cooked food. They will store the dishes inside the oven (that is turned off) or in the cupboard and the food will not spoil. My personal theory is that there is too much sugar/oil/fat for it to go bad within a couple of days (because it usually gets eaten up within 2 or 3 days at most). The other volunteers prior to us told us this would happen and no one has gotten sick from the food yet due to this strange habit (it’s not that they don’t HAVE refridgerators, although they are considerably smaller than what we have in the states. Things like yogurt, wine, and milk are usually stored there). Also I should add that a lot of the women here, at least in the villages, make a lot of their own juices, jam and can a lot of fruit. Paulina, my host mom makes a mean apricot juice that is very sweet. Last weekend I went with my fellow village volunteers to another town, Sveti Nikole (Saint Nickolas). We saw a beautiful orthodox church and for the first time, I got to go inside a Macedonian church. It was fantastic, between 500-700 years old. It reminded me a lot of churches in South America, as well as in Greece; lots of frescos, paintings and icons of the saints. This town of approx 10 to 15,000 wasn’t even mentioned in my guide book. Our group from our village hung out with the five other volunteers in Sveti Nikole, they showed us around. There was a little park and plaza, a hill with a large cross on top and a nice view of the town. The previous Saturday the Sveti Nickole group had visited us in our village. We took them on a little hike up the side of the mountain where there’s a great view of Veles, then we went to each of our homes and “negosti’d”, getting stuffed on coffee, “sok” (juice or soda) chocolate sticks, slices of cheese and meat, as well as “slatko” or sickly sweet homemade deserts.
We had just had our site assessment interviews where we met with the program managers and gave some input into what we wanted in terms of our future site and program for the next 2 years. I inquired about the position working with Roma kids near Skopje, but they disappointed me by really talking it down. I let it be known that I was most interested in being in a city the size of Veles (30,000) or bigger and that I wanted to work with Roma kids, either as a primary or secondary assignment. Having previously only been to Veles and my little nearby village I worried about what kind of town I was going to end up in. Rumor had it that our group (Mac 10) was going to be primarily placed in small villages. Once seeing Sveti Nickole, a community smaller than what I would prefer, I realized that even if I got a town this small, I could probably handle it. It didn’t even feel that small. There were the standard things, a post office, market, plaza, coffee shops and restaurants as well as a movie theater (that functions once a week). So it gave me peace of mind about my placement.
We had just had our site assessment interviews where we met with the program managers and gave some input into what we wanted in terms of our future site and program for the next 2 years. I inquired about the position working with Roma kids near Skopje, but they disappointed me by really talking it down. I let it be known that I was most interested in being in a city the size of Veles (30,000) or bigger and that I wanted to work with Roma kids, either as a primary or secondary assignment. Having previously only been to Veles and my little nearby village I worried about what kind of town I was going to end up in. Rumor had it that our group (Mac 10) was going to be primarily placed in small villages. Once seeing Sveti Nickole, a community smaller than what I would prefer, I realized that even if I got a town this small, I could probably handle it. It didn’t even feel that small. There were the standard things, a post office, market, plaza, coffee shops and restaurants as well as a movie theater (that functions once a week). So it gave me peace of mind about my placement.
Friday, November 04, 2005
More photos!
Photos of my host family (mom, dad & grandma), my language class (fellow Peace Corps Trainees in my village and Language Teacher) and a bunch of us in front of the local church.
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