Well I hope it's here. In the last few days, I've gone from hugging my space heater in my room until I go to sleep to turning it off in the middle of the night and removing layers of clothing so I don't melt. Speaking of melt, the snow is all gone. Sadly, it just reminds me of how ugly things looked before the winter kicked into gear. Just brown and muddy. Not really any trees. The mountains look nice, but mountains always look nice and I don't live in the mountains. I live in the 'rice bowl' of Macedonia. Apparently the rice bowl gets flooded in April or so during planting season. That'll be interesting.

Not much new to report from Obleshevo. I just got my first haircut today in about two months. One of my coworkers remarked that it makes me look younger. But given that most people thought I was like 22 when I got here, does that mean I look 18 now? Although 18-year-olds in this country with full beards must be somewhat rare. I also talked to the barber and he wants to come to my English class. I left out the part about me lacking teaching experience or much of a clue in general about what I'm doing, but that's ok. Thankfully, it seems like most people who come to the class don't care, they just want a break from the normal routine and a reason to get out of the house and maybe learn something. Definitely takes the pressure off me! I played hangman with some vocab the other day- it's called бесилка in Macedonian. Which I'm sure you wanted to know. It makes me feel like I'm using the language and 'immersed' when I include Macedonian words, and isn't so cool with those funny letters?

More about classes. I really need to speak slower. It is hard to remember. Part of me wants to say, "Haha, that's what you get for speaking fast to me all the time in Macedonian" but that wouldn't be very nice or helpful to them. I've found that I also can't expect to run the same lesson the same way for my two village classes. Given the obscene amount of free time I have at work to prepare for classes, I probably shouldn't be so lazy. So for one class I've resigned myself to speaking a little more Macedonian because I noticed a lot fewer blank stares when I tried that.

Host family life has been great after I finally adjusted and got used to it. I rarely cook for myself, and I've accepted that it makes a hell of a lot more sense to that rather than cooking a meal just because I want to assert my independence. My host mom makes good Macedonian food, and it's more important to me to feel like I'm part of their family and eating their food. However, I did get a chance to cook for them fairly recently when a friend and I made homemade pizza for вечера (dinner!). My host mom was a bit terrified of letting me anywhere near the kitchen, but overall I think it was a success, and my host parents at least pretended to like the pizza (since they ate it). My dedo (grandfather) however wasn't a fan and switched to bread and ajvar pretty quick. You can't win them all.

Below, you will find a video that is LONG overdue. I blame the delay on my lack of decent internet, up until today. To preface....Sara and Anna came into town the weekend after my friend at home passed away. Here, we discovered what happens when you want to wash you clothes, as well as an unexpected twist in the end. I hope you'll enjoy. :D

I made a traditional dish, musaka in my wood burning stove. Musaka is made of potatoes, onions, meat, and eggs.This was found on one of my shirts. I did not appreciate it in the least. I threw the shirt out my door, hit the spider off with a chunk of wood, then proceeded to throw chunks of wood at it hoping to crush it. I managed not to scream, but one of my neighbours did get to be fortunate enough to witness this event. Later, I went out to check and see if the body was still there and it wasn't. That means either my neighbour came and removed the body so I didn't have to see it or the spider wasn't dead and will now be coming for his revenge. If anyone knows their spiders, please let me know what kind it is. I have been searching online but no luck yet.

These two pictures show what is left in a pan after I boiled water in it. The white coconut looking stuff and the brown stains is the residue from my not safe to drink water- full of led, zinc and cadmium. Delicious.

I don't have a picture for this event (and you all should be glad), but walking down to my sheet of ice for internet today I just missed stepping on something white and fuzzy. I thought it was a mouse but after further investigation, I discovered it was a dog's paw. This reminded me of the sad story of one pup in Lozovo. RIP Fifi.

As I sat down on my ice slab and pulled out my computer, two police officers walked past, stopped, and approached me. They had seen me sitting out here on several occasions and finally decided to talk to me (meaning they must have decided I was crazy but not dangerous). They asked why I was here (meaning the ice slab on the side of the road), why I was here (as in Kamenica), why I was here alone, if I had registered with the police when I moved here (they asked this one about 10 times), where I lived, and several other questions. As they bid me ado, they told me that they hope I find a nice Macedonian man while I am here (they were dumbfounded by the fact that I came here alone) and made sure I knew the number of the police in case I need anything. Only in Macedonia would the police wish you luck in finding a man!

About 2 minutes later a lady walked by and was confused why I was here. I explained to her that I don't have internet at home so I have to come here for it. She said she was on her way to buy bread but if I was still here when she came back she was taking me back to her house so I could sit there instead.

We were told a million times during PST that everyone's site placement is different. A lot of information was presented to us through panels of current PCVs who shared their experiences in regards to a certain topic, however it was always stressed that these experiences were those of just that PCV, not everyone.

I was talking with a few other PCVs this past week and this was the topic of conversation- the differences between our sites. A few of the most noticeable differences are below.

Some TEFLs teach from day one. They walk into the classroom the first day they are at site and they do an introduction lesson and get started planning with their counterparts for the lessons they will teach. I am not one of those TEFLs. Some of us have to take things at a much slower pace and feel out our counterpart and school before we can do anything. Some TEFLs have only taught one lesson in the three months at site, with no more lessons on the horizon. Neither way is right or wrong and both have their advantages in my opinion. In my case, I know my counterpart is really busy with grad school, teaching, and helping her family at home so I have had to move slowly and suggest ideas at a slower pace. While I have only taught once, I have seen my counterpart taking a few of my ideas and incorporating them into her teaching. I know there are other people here who would be frustrated by this because they came here to teach, but its how my counterpart and I work together and I am becoming more and more patient everyday.Some PCVs feel like they are really living the "posh corps" with very modern apartments with washing machines, heaters/air conditioners, high speed internet, 400 TV channels, shopping centers, etc. Again, I am not one of those. Some of us are just happy we have an indoor toilet! I don't have internet at home, my apartment is only heated with a wood burning stove, I can't drink the water from my sink because it is contaminated, I hand wash all of my clothing, etc. Again, neither is better or worse, just different. At this point, I think I would be frustrated by having all of those things. I like having a daily reminder that I am not in the US (however frustrating it might be at times) but despite that, I am still going to try and continue my pursuit for internet!Some PCVs don't really use their Macedonian because everyone speaks English to them. Yet again, I am not one of those PCVs. I only speak English with my counterpart and only when it is just the two of us talking. I am completely surrounded by Macedonian elsewhere. Macedonia has many different dialects as well, so I am not just learning more literature Macedonian, but also the local dialect, Каменички, which features quite a few Bulgarian words. I am also learning a little Italian from my landlady because if I don't understand what she is saying in Macedonian, she switches to Italian thinking I will of course understand that! However, I like that I am using the Macedonian that I learned and learning more. Yes, it does get tiring sometimes when I don't understand what people are saying, but I would say at this point at least 80% of the time I can figure out what the topic is through picking up words I know and asking questions.Some PCVs get a lot of attention, often unwanted, from their community. I am one of those PCVs. Others blend in and are kind of ignored. While I am still finding people who don't know that I am an American who will be living here for two years, most people know my name even if I haven't met them. I have received some unwanted attention here (from men and not only single men). At first it was very frustrating and I didn't necessarily know how to address it, but after a lot of practice, I know how to handle it tactfully and it makes me laugh now. One of the houses I na gosti often is always bringing over boys for me to meet and while sometimes I don't want to feel like I am on a set up, I just find it funny. I have told everyone here I have a boyfriend, but that doesn't seem to stop them because of course a Macedonian one is always better than an American one (in their minds at least). All in all, my take (6 months in country) is that the way to win at Peace Corps is to always stay positive and find the good in any situation.

Man....I had an awful day yesterday. It all started with the weather.

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE. You might be wondering why that upset me. I guess after living in the coldest winter known to man, waking up to 40 degree weather hit me like a brick. I instantly felt excited about being able to go outside. I thought "What do I want to do with my Sunday?" A list of things I can only do in America came to mind, making me instantly hysterical with homesickness. This is how my list began:

-Go to the dog park with Turtle

-Sit on the porch with my sister and the pups

-Invite friends over for "Sunday dinner" with Lauren

-Go to the farmer's market, and buy fresh veggies

-Get coffee with Aaron at Same and Zoe's

-Drive out and spend the day with my mom

-Play volleyball with Amanda, followed by Mexican food

-Drive somewhere, just to drive somewhere

-Etc, etc, etc...

So I cried. A lot. I havent had internet all week, but my phone occasionally picks up wireless, so I was able to get enough of a connection to call my sister at 6am her time. I told her about my frustrations for about a half an hour. Suddenly, Emilija called. She sounded so happy!! I killed her mood by crying to her as well. Thankfully, her mom instincts kicked in, and she was at my apartment within 10 minutes to rescue me.

It's really difficult for me to put my pride aside and admit when Im having a hard time. I also hesitate on telling people here, because Im afraid people will just think "OH, she's going to go home." The term "ET" here stands for "early termination." It is probably the most talked about subject among Peace Corps volunteers. People make bets on who will be the first or the next to go, and I hate feeling like I'm going to end up on someone's list one day. I don't even know why I care, but it adds to my refusal of wanting to talk to anyone about being homesick.

The thing is, I feel like I'm far more attached to my family back home than some people can understand. Some volunteers here are more independent from their families. Although I view myself as someone who is independent and strong, I have no shame admitting that I am deeply connected to my family and friends in America. Before coming here, I always spoke with my mom AT LEAST once a day. I saw her, my sister, and my grandmother frequently. My aunts and cousins also join in about once or twice a week for family dinners somewhere nice....not to mention, every holiday was another excuse for us to all get together over some good food and wine. I had a solid group of friends whom I saw regularly. My dog is the love of my life, and I planned everything in my life around spending time with her. I can't help but feel like I am missing out on so much by being here....like everything at home is changing drastically, and I'm missing all of it.

The thing is, I know I'm missing out on a lot. I know nothing will be the same when I get back. I also know I'm experiencing a lot by being here. I'm in love with my city, my counterpart, my school, and a select few individuals who have invested time in getting to know and support me. Some days, like yesterday, are far too overwhelming for me though. I often fight the urge to call my family, look at photos, of think about everything I miss. Then, some days, I cave.

When you are going through PC training, the admin people will often ask you how you will deal with being stressed, homesick, or depressed. Naturally, I answered honestly:

-I'll cook.

-I'll paint.

-I'll exercise.

-I'll find a new hobby.

What a volunteer is not aware of is the lack of resources for those activities. For instance, it's taken 5 months for me to find acrylic paint here. I just bought it last week while I was in Skopje. Yesterday, my first thought was to paint, however, I had no surface to paint on. Canvases don't exactly exist here, which leaves me with cardboard boxes or regular paper....not exactly fulfilling. So I decided to cook, which again provides a lack of resources. Although I must give myself credit for finding ways to cook a good meal here, on my bad days, I often want something familiar....like a casserole, yet they do not sell the required ingredients here. I cant even get fresh produce right now, other than apples, because of the winter. Even the cabbage here is turning brown. I then turn to exercising, which by the time I think about it, I cant even motivate myself. In America, I made myself go to the gym, but I dont have that option here. So instead, I find myself turning on a movie, which is exactly what PC told us not to do.

I know that the warmer days will be good for me. I know being outside is what I need. The dance studio should be final this week, which will provide the exercise I need. I also need to really get back into my other projects, like the animal facility. I know I'll have my bad days, and I know I'll have my good days. The purpose of this post is to vent without worrying what people will say, even if I end up on someone's ET list. I think it's important to be honest with yourself, especially through writing. Already, I feel MUCH better today.

So last summer Adam and I rescued a dog. Well actually another volunteer rescued a dog which she found starving on the street and then we ended up taking him from her. At first she had just planned on keeping the dog outside but he started following her home and sitting in front of her [...]

Hi everyone!! Ok, so this week was EVENTFUL. As some of you have seen, I've been dealing with a medical problem lately:

Basically, what you see above was happening to my feet ALL THE TIME. My feet would change, and they would get extremely painful. This transformation was beginning to last longer each time as well, sometimes up to 4 hours. So I finally contacted the PC medical office. They decided to set me up to see a specialist, so on Tuesday, I caught a ride into Skopje.

Well my appointment wasn't until 4, so I spent the first part of my day mingling in the office. I was able to catch up with the PC Director, Stephen, as well as my program manager, the IT guy, and a few others around the office. By 3:30, we were on our way. I was actually excited to meet this specialist. Especially because I just wanted to know what I was dealing with!! Unfortunately for me, they decided further testing needed to be done, which was going to require me to stay in Skopje UNTIL THURSDAY. Goodness, I wasn't planned for that!! From there, I got dropped off the in the center and had to spend the rest of the evening finding things like a toothbrush, toothpaste, new socks, new undies, and a little bit of makeup. I was completely unprepared to stay in Skopje for three days....hell, I didn't bring anything with me!!

That night, I indulged on eating McDonalds in the mall. It's the only opportunity I have to eat it, and even though I never ate fast food in America, the thought of eating a double cheeseburger was just what I needed to end my day. Peace Corps did set me up in a hotel that was quite a ways out, so I hoped in a cab and went to bed early. Tuesday, I immediately went into the PC office for my blood work. They diagnosed me with having Raynauds, but they werent sure if it was connected to some underlying condition, hence the blood work. I spent the rest of the day shopping way too much in the center. I even ran into my neighbors from Kocani while shopping!! So funny!!

A couple of great things did come out of my trip in Skopje. After shopping, I met up with a volunteer who recently ended her 2-years here, but has decided to stay in Macedonia. Her name is Tracy, she's an artist, and she's awesome. She was going to a spa, so I figured why the hell not?! I got a massage, and boy it was the best thing ever. Later, I met up with my old Macedonian language teacher for some rakija and beer. We caught up for a couple of hours in this awesome little Macedonian restaurant. I really missed him!! In Lozovo, he acted like my big brother, especially on my bad days where I needed to vent away from the other volunteers. We've definitely kept in touch since I moved to Kocani, but getting to spend time with him one on one was priceless. We had a blast!! That night, I met up with Milevka's (host mom) niece for pizza. Her and her family were so excited I was in town, and they welcomed me into their home like I was part of the family. Suddenly, we all realized it was 11pm, and there was absolutely no way for me to make it back to my hotel without paying A LOT of money. So they offered up a spare bed for me....oh, and their cat slept with me, which seriously made me SOOOOOOO happy to have a pet snuggled up against me. God, I miss Turtle so much at night. Having that cat with me made me feel like I was close to home.

The next day, I had to sit on a bus for over a half an hour in order to make it back to the hotel. It was so damn cold, and we were still getting snow. I decided to rest for a couple of hours before meeting back up with Tracy at her new apartment in Skopje. Tracy seriously knows some kick-ass places in Skopje. For instance, she took me to a place where I could buy PAINT!! Real acrylic paint!!!! Although it was extremely expensive, I indulged yet again and bought 7 tubes. Next door, she took me to this cute little tea place, where I bought some homemade tea with vanilla and strawberries in it. Spending time with Tracy was a real treat. We talked a lot about art and what to do with the limited resources in Macedonia. We also talked a lot about projects she'd done, which really help get my wheels moving for future community projects of my own. Hopefully, I'll be able to collaborate with her more on a creative level when we both get more time and the weather gets better!!

That afternoon, I went back to the specialist for my final tests. Thankfully, my blood work all came back looking good. They did some tests to observe the tiny veins in my fingers under a microscope and some other things. They said they were quite sure it was only Raynauds, and nothing more. I was told I'd need to be on medicine, three times a day to help relax and expand my blood vessels and also to help get more oxygen into them. In the meantime, I was going to have to do everything in my power to stay as warm as possible. They simple dont want my bones and organs getting affected by the Raynauds. So from there, PC had to send off all the results to the office in DC, where they will most likely just agree with the prognosis, and I'll just have to take the medicine until around summertime. It sucks, because I dont take any medication on a regular basis, and now I will have to....however, if it means my condition will lessen in its severity and I wont have to worry about my skin dying, them I guess I'm ok with that.

I got home sometime around 9pm last night. I was absolutely dead. I felt tired, cold, hungry, and just emotionless. To my surprise, my lovely little Lilika was waiting for me at the bus stop. She had come to help me walk home. It's things like this that make me just love my life in Kocani. Not only do I ALWAYS feel good when I finally make it home, but I just cant express my gratitude to the people. Everyone at school today was so excited to see me back, which made me again feel as though I truly am becoming part of the community. It was a great way to end such stressful week.

Well...that's that!! I'll be ok, as long as I can stick out this winter for a few more weeks. I can't wait till we get warmer days again. I'll never forget this winter, that's for sure!!

This photo circulated the Peace Corps Network and was titled: Peace Corps FailSo the Engrish here isn’t quite as prevalent as the Englishfound at Daiso stores (Japanese dollar stores), it still can be found here-mostly on clothing and much of the clothing is imported from Turkey or China.Here are some of my favourite phrases I have observed on children’s clothing.

“Wild Valley Adventure Discovering Challenger” (Why not mix varioustenses of English?)

“Crazy Shoes” (There are a surprisingly high number of shirts that feature pictures of tennis shoes)

"Boys Mans: Hip Hop Music" (Its music only for boys....and mans)

"Extrm Shirt" (Not to be confused with lame pants)

“CHAMPS: Experio Rimano: G. Washington: Coffee Sales” (George Washington, coffee, and a picture of an eagle)

"Frestybe Sk8barding" (I am assuming it was supposed to say: Freestyle Skateboarding)

"WDS: Wild Dolphin Sports: Phlic, Peas, Pective" (Love my dolphin sports to have some Pective)

"Batman: The Man in the Red Hood" (Wait did Batman and Little Red Riding Hood birth a child?)

My All-time Favourite:

“Poker Knight: I Think My Pain WillMake You Flush” (This was on a pink flowery track jacket worn by a 5-year-old. The only way I could interpret this where it could possibly makesense is if the “pain” was food poisoning and putting your children in clothingabout food poisoning is just wrong.)

And for your future reading pleasure, check out Engrish.com for some more of everyone's favourite language!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day Peace Corps posted this on their website.....

12 reasons to date a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer:We can woo you in multiple languages. Who else is going to whisper sweet nothings to you in everything from Albanian to Hausa to Quechua to Xhosa? That’s right. Only a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.We’re pretty good dancers. Yeah, we don’t like to brag, but after 27 months in Latin America or Africa we know how to move it.We’ll eat anything. Seriously. No matter how bad your cooking, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have had worse and will eat it with nary a blink. Sheep’s eyeball? Water buffalo gall bladder? Grasshoppers? Bush rat? Bring it.We know all about safe sex, thanks to our very thorough Peace Corps health training. In fact, there’s a chance that we’ve stood unblushingly in front of hundreds of villagers and demonstrated good condom technique with a large wooden phallus.We’ll kill spiders for you. Well, actually, we’ll nonchalantly scoop them up and put them out of sight. Same goes for mice, geckos, frogs, snakes. Critters don’t faze Returned Volunteers.We have great date ideas: wandering a street market, checking out a foreign film, taking in a world music concert, volunteering…. Romantic getaway? Our passport is updated and our suitcase is packed. With us, life is always an adventure.We like you for “you”… not your paycheck. Especially if we are freshly back from service, a local joint with “character” will win out over a pretentious eatery. Living in a group house? No problem. Does it have running hot water? What luxury!You won’t get lost when you’re with a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Navigating local markets on four continents, we’ve honed an uncanny sense of direction. Or else we’ll ask for directions. We’re not afraid to talk to “strangers.”Waiting for a late train or bus? Don’t worry, we’ve been there, done that. We can share lots of funny stories about “the bus ride from hell” that will make the time go quickly and put it all into perspective.Our low-maintenance fashion style. Returned Peace Corps Volunteer guys are secure in their manhood and don’t mind rocking a sarong. Women often prefer flip flops to high heels. We don’t spend hours in front of a mirror getting ready to go out.Marry us, and you won’t just get one family — you’ll get two! When we refer to our “brother” or “mom,” you’ll want to be certain we’re talking about our American one or our Peace Corps one. You might even get two wedding ceremonies, one in the U.S. and one back in our Peace Corps country.And last but not least, we aren’t afraid to get dirty.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

When there is even the chance of flurries at home (Northern Virginia), there is a run on TP, milk, and bread. Well not in Macedonia!! Since over a week ago, Resen has been covered in snow. When I woke up one morning and found about a foot of snow on the ground, my first reaction was "No School!" but sadly I was wrong. Since everything is so close, nothing shuts down.

My walk on the way to school. After the first big snow fall.

Heading towards the center of town. The shopkeepers were out "sweeping" (yes using brooms -- no Home Depot) the snow away from the front of their stores.

Tractors are not only used in the apple orchards.

The front of my school. By the time I arrived, I was covered from head to toe with snow. The maintenance staff was sitting inside at the front of the school; and as I approached, they all started smiling and waving. I was definitely a funny sight.

Later that week, I had events planned in other towns and was looking forward to heading North where it was a surprising 15 degrees warmer and they did not have any snow. I had to wait over an hour for the bus to come, because it was snowing again. When I arrived in Bitola, only 30 mins away, I could see patches of green and brown. I stayed in Prilep for a night to celebrate a fellow volunteer's birthday. Then the next day headed up to Skopje and Kumanovo. When I left Prilep it was only raining, but by the time I reached Skopje it had started to snow. In the end, all the events that I had planned (aka our Mid-Service Conference) were cancelled. I come up North to escape the snow and cold and sadly ended up bring it with me.

This past weekend, we got the most snow I have ever seen. From Friday to Saturday we got a total of 15 inches. That plus what we already had, leaves us with around 1 meter (3 ft) of snow on the ground. On Saturday, Maria, Irena, and I went out to go play in the snow.

The pazar on Saturday morning. Nothing shuts down. I was able to go out and get all my groceries -- no problems! Take note Northern Virginia!!!

Can you tell what it is?

Me, out playing in the snow. We took pictures next to it so you can see how much snow we actually have.

Making snow angels. Since there were literally "walls" of snow it was easy to fall backwards and make the perfect snow angel. The trouble, since it was so deep, was getting back up.

I lost my feet!!!

Some of the kids made a snowman!!

Outside of my building. This guy drove to the little market below my building, but then could not get his car back out because of all the snow.

Luckily the snow has stopped, for now at least. The mayor finally broke down and cancelled school for the next few days. Hopefully, by then the main road will be clear. But Irena and I are saying that we probably won't see grass until May.

Entering my fourth week back and the main story continues to be the weather. Just a few minutes ago I ventured down a couple of icy hills, on a short trip to the neighborhood store. It served a purpose too as it reaffirmed my decision not to walk to the office this morning. It is COLD and icy out there!!! Today feels colder than ever. Another few inches of snow last night didn't help much either.

Central Heating ICentral Heating unit II



It is amazing what you do see here, even on a cold one like today. As I was bemoaning my short return walk from the store, I noticed a guy up ahead of me pushing what appeared to be a pretty heavy load in a wheelbarrow. He turned up the steepest portion of the hill, the same one I was about to undertake, and off he went with this heavy load. Here I was huffing and puffing, slipping and sliding, and this guy is pushing a load up the very same hill. He did have the advantage of big rubber boots, but he was thin and looked my age. He may have been quite younger though as a hard life has taken its toll on some of the Macedonian men.

Tomorrow I start my English classes again with the employees at the municipality. Hoping for a good turnout but I won't know until class time. Responding to e-mail is a somewhat foreign idea here.

I have also become involved in a photography club a fellow volunteer started at the high school. We are going to try to expand it to the community in general and use the municipality to get the word out. I know nothing about photography but I can help with the organization and maybe learn a little too.

This week I will begin looking for alternative housing arrangements. This apartment is absolutely fine but the location is not. I am just too far from the center of town and from my place of business. Hoping to get more involved in community activities this time, I really need to be closer. Once I make that mile + trek up the hill, I really don't have it in me to head back down. The problem will be finding a suitable place at Peace Corp rates. This place is very reasonable and finding one at the same rent will be a challenge. I have several leads but no quotes on monthly rates just yet. Of course I need a furnished place at minimum and pray I can find one with a washing machine! I already did some laundry in the shower and that was a side show. There is not enough room for me and my dirty clothes in that tiny shower. Several bumps and bruises later, and coming close to knocking the doors off the enclosure, I did have clean underwear, socks and T's for another spell.



Where the magic happens!That is a small fridge!I am hoping the new place will have a larger fridge too. This one is tiny. On the plus side for this apartment is the bed. It is a lot better than that couch I slept on in my old place. Nice comforter too.!

So while I know I’ve pretty much done nothing but complain about Phoenix since I got here, I want to make it known that I am very grateful for what I have experienced here; most of that experience has come in the form of people. Living in the wretchedness of one of the ugliest, dullest, dirtiest desert cities in the nation has enabled us to spend copious amounts of time holed up in our house behaving like the cheesy, giddy newlyweds that we are, which has been fabulously fun. I also have serendipitously been reunited with my close childhood friend Rhiannon for my brief time here, something that I never thought I would be so blessed with. Being able to work at a Jewish synagogue has been a fabulous experience as well. Jewish culture has always interested me, and I have learned an incredible amount and been able to experience the practice and culture first hand. I have met some wonderful people and been inspired by a talented clergy. I am incredibly grateful for my passionate friend Ellen, my first new love moving here, who has been saving me from myself since we met and clearing my path to spiritual evolution with so much love and reason. And most of all, I am grateful for Adam, the Crossfit guru and all-around fantastic human, and Rob, my oh-so-reliable workout partner and provider of hilarious t-shirts. I am in better shape and stronger than I have ever been in my life, I feel amazing, and I would not be there if it weren’t for Adam telling me I was capable of doing so. So it hasn’t been all bad! It was nice going a winter without snow and ice. That’s about all I can think of though. I will cry when I leave the new souls that I have connected with while here, as I always do when I have to say goodbye. I’m a sap, can’t help it. I will miss the people above dearly. But will I be also crying tears of joy when we’re flying out of this dustbowl for the last time? Without a doubt.

Thankful that I grew up having slow relaxing Sundays. Sunday and Monday had long been favorites for me. I had forgotten. Family has reminded me. Enjoy.

What greeted me in Gostivar! Saturday I was in Prilep to do a project design and management workshop for some wonderful teens in Phebe's CLIPS program. Now project management and design is not the most fascinating subject for most people, much less high schoolers, but these kids jumped right in and designed some great projects, and it was truly a delight to get to work with them. The only worry - it was snowing all day and I had to get back to Gostivar. After a marvelous lunch at the only Thai restaurant in Macedonia, I hopped on the 4:30 combi that cut across the middle of Macedonia to Kichevo. Halfway there, we were slipping and sliding all over the road, and the driver shouted out for people to sit in the back. With the weight distributed over the rear axle, we made it safely to Kichevo, a little late but all in one piece.

The ticket master told me the bus to Gostivar was coming at 6:45, so I sat on the bench outside and waited. A man asked me where I was going, and I said Gostivar. He was going to Skopje, so we would be on the same bus. Thank heavens. The bus hadn't arrived by 7, but the ticketmaster stuck her head out the window and shouted something, and the man took off running. Turned out the bus had decided not to come into the station, and we needed to meet it out on the highway. I was very relieved when it arrived and I climbed on.

But that didn't last long. About 20 minutes into the trip we came to a dead stop. Traffic was piled up and not moving. Of course, having been traveling now for several hours, I really needed to use a bathroom. We were in the foothills of the mountains, cars, buses and trucks in front and in back, and no place to go. I was trying to figure out what might be next - sleeping all night on the bus (but with no bathroom in sight), giving up on vanity and relieving myself in front of the world, or waiting for the bus to either turn around or get going. Fortunately, after a half hour we did start moving again, and about 30 minutes later we reached the crest of the pass where the driver pulled over by the restaurant and gas station there and announced: "Pauser. Decet minuta."

The trip over the mountains was magical and felt like a Tim Burton set. Snow was piled high on both sides, but tree branches covered in snow hung over and alongside the bus, like white fingers extending out from a tunnel trying to grab us. There was not much we could ever see but white, white and more white.

Note the snow is piled higher than the car

When we reached Gostivar, the driver pulled over to the side of the road and dumped us Gostivarans out. There was no way he was going to try to navigate the snowy streets of Gostivar. I walked up the exit into Gostivar, wondering what I would do if a car came - the passage was only just wide enough for a car. Fortunately none came, and I reached the surreal streets of Gostivar.

Looking down the narrow walkwaySince there were no taxis, I walked from the edge of town to my apartment. It had snowed enough that the snow covered the ice well and it was not slippery, but the paths were narrow and the snow was piled up was higher than I am tall. Lights were on, and occasionally I'd pass a cajtorija where men were playing cards. It was quite beautiful and dramatic, quiet as only a city covered in deep snow can be.

I was very happy to get back to my apartment and snuggle in, but for the most part, I did enjoy the ride. Each and every day is an adventure!!!

It's official... we can now partially cook like a Macedonian! This dish below is Cody's favorite thing that our host mother made. It's pita with feta or goat cheese, or as it is called here пита со сирење или pita me djath. We decided to make it for the Super Bowl and combined the cultures by having buffalo wings and pita!

Здраво сите!!

Hello Everybody!

I hope this is finding everyone warm and healthy. I can't say that I have always been the latter, but I am on the mend and I think that once the weather improves I will beat this constant state of sickness I have endured over the last few weeks in Macedonia. Life in Berovo has been great. I haven't left my little town since my adventure to Vevchani in mid-January. Since then, I have spent a great deal of time with students, meeting new people, finding a Macedonian language tutor, teaching, and having a previous PCV from Berovo visit for a few days.

School has kept me busy and I have started my after school English club twice a week. We usually spend an hour or so playing games, chatting, or watching videos on the computer. I have also started planning a Spelling Bee for my students so that they can qualifier to go to Skopje (our capitol) to compete at the National Spelling Bee in April. I have a few students interested, so hopefully a couple will be able to go to Skopje and represent Berovo well. My school is also in the midst of planning the junior class trip. I have become quite close with my students and they all want me to go on the trip with them. Although the travelling will not be what I am used to (like sleeping on a bus a majority of the evenings) I feel as though that this is an adventure I cannot pass up. The decision on where we are going is still in debate. I was pushing for the Prague, Budapest, Vienna trip, but I am pretty sure it will lose. Most of the students want to do Italy or France, so who knows? Wherever we go will be extremely exciting for most the students, especially because most have never left the country. I am excited to go, but its not until May, so I have to wait just a little while longer. Also, my students did something very interesting a week ago. To give you the background, the school in which I work is extremely cold. All the students and teachers wear jackets and scarfs to class, and those classrooms who do not have windows facing the sun are practically unbearable, especially on Mondays when the school has not been heated all weekend. So on a monday morning all the students gathered in the main area of the school and refused to go to class until the school was warmer. Well, the school is old and heated on wood, there is only so much one can do, but the students did not care. So, after the first period of the day, all the students at Aco Ruskovski high school walked out of the school and went home. It was very interesting so see students here do something so similar to what my students did for me just a year ago during Walker's Budget Repair Bill was being contested in Madison. Secretly, I was very impressed by what the students had done, and things did change. The Mayor of Berovo ordered that the fire that heats the building stay lite throughout the evenings and the weekend so that the school does not have a chance to ever really cool down. The following week was much warmer and I think that the students walk out was successful. I always like to see young people stand up for what they want, and although I was ready to have class that day, I was proud as a government teacher to see the youth of this country practice their democratic rights. That is enough about school....on to my visitor!

Well, a former volunteer in Berovo named Jerry came to visit a few weekends ago. He was a volunteer in Berovo from 2007-2009 and worked at a Sheephearders Cooperative in town. It was really nice to have a visitor who knows Berovo come and give me all the juicy details about this lovely town. The visit was short, but wonderful. Jerry introduced me to many people in town, including some that will be extremely helpful during my next two years. I also had a chance to try some the local restaurants in Berovo, which I haven't been able to do without visitors. Jerry had so many nice things to say about this community and its people, which only reassures me that these next 20+ months will be life-changing. He loves Macedonia, and its nice to see someone who has left this country for a significant amount of time, still return and feel so comfortable and at home. His visit was encouraging and I know that I am lucky to be living in such a beautiful and wonderful town.

Lastly, the last month has been consumed by drinking a lot of coffee. I have met many new people over the last month and in order to chat, you must be drinking coffee. So the local cafes have definitely seen their fair share of me over the last few weeks. I have also spent a great deal of time with my students, and everyday I am so thankful to have been placed in a high school. The students are wonderful and they make me feel so welcomed. For example, last weekend was one of my students 18th birthdays (like 21st for us). I was invited to join the party, so of course I went, and it was so much fun. I got to see how teenagers act on a saturday night and it brought me back to my good ole high school days. I think that the next few weeks will be pretty slow, but come March and early April I will be tremendously busy. I will be travelling to and from Skopje often, attending a week long conference in Ohrid, and having my lovely cousin Amelia visit for a week. Oh, and I will also be hosting the first ever "american style" dance at Aco Ruskovski high school. So I will be putting on my dancing shoes and showing these Macedonians how we Americans dance it out (yes, I will make sure there is the Electric Slide and maybe even the Hand Jive).

I can't think of anything else that interesting. I am staying busy with school, a group home I volunteer at, drinking coffee, english club, and planning a school dance that I don't always seem to remember what day of the week it is or what month of the year it is. I think that this is a good thing. I hope you have a lovely Valentine's Day (I was saddened to know that people here in Macedonia actually celebrate this day, but its not a day of roses and love but rather a day of drinking! :) ) So, I will let you know how that night works out! Stay warm for me. Keep me updated on your life, I love to get your emails or letters!

Те Сакам Сите!!

I love you all!

Anna

Nadica (old sister of a student/friend) and Me

Birthday Party with my students. (Me, Nikolija, Natalija)

Enjoying the snow!Center of Berovo :) Wintertime!

Her name was Stanitza and to our mutual delight, we got to know each other in the human sense …even without much language.  She was 82 when she died on Wednesday leaving her spouse of 62 years, a daughter, 2 … Continue reading →

Yes it’s COLD here for those of you that are hearing of the Balkan freeze.  When I walk to work in the mornings, it’s frequently -20 c or about 2 F.  I wear smart-wool long underwear (top & bottom), fleece over-shirt, … Continue reading →

It seemed like I would never say those words but I am indeed, "In America." I have been on U.S. soil for just over a month now, the majority of that time spent living at my parents' house in Colorado. My parents were wonderful about making or taking me out for all those foods I spent two years fantasizing about, not to mention holding off on celebrating Christmas until I got home. They also let me borrow their cars--though it took considerable convincing as seemingly they thought I'd forgotten how to drive in that span of time. Rest assured, I am still quite nimble behind the wheel. That said, because my parents live in the mountains at least 15 minutes from civilization, one of my major adjustments was not being able to walk out my front door and run an errand.

Besides the driving, there were many other things that felt strange despite the fact that I was back in my homeland. At the grocery store, I had a flash of indecision about whether I was responsible for bagging my groceries or not. After being in mostly homogenous countries, the blend of races catches my eye constantly and I had forgotten how common it is to hear people here speaking languages other than English. Believe me though, my life is much easier now for the prevalence of English. Being able to turn on the faucet and just drink the water still feels risky but luxurious. Going into box stores like Target feels dreamlike--things that I struggled to get in Macedonia like sporting equipment are right there at my fingertips. Meeting up with other Peace Corps volunteers on U.S. soil was strange but terrific. Seeing my friends' new houses and babies and whatnot was not nearly as terrifying as I had anticipated and in fact it's good to see them doing so well.

A week ago, I flew out to Washington, DC where my job hunt is centered. I must say that being unemployed is fairly stressful. I am not sure how picky to be about the jobs I apply for, whether to look for a temp position or wait it out for something permanent, and I feel unproductive because I'm not "working." Oh yeah, and there's that whole no income part stressing me out too. On the plus side, I found a nice apartment to sublet for a month where I am rooming with a returned Peace Corps volunteer from Cameroon and I have a job interview next week so that's encouraging. And when I venture out, I have fun trips down memory lane by seeing my old haunts and catching up with my DC-based friends.

Macedonia is never far from my mind. It has been an extremely cold winter there--we're talking negative digit temperatures and several feet of snow--so for the sake of all my friends, I hope warmer weather arrives soon because you can only spend so much of the day sitting on your heater. Occasionally I get updates about the latest happenings with the projects I supported and mostly it's good news. It's easy to wish I could jump back in the action but there is something redeeming about knowing things are moving forward without me.

Last but not least, here are a few photos from my first month back, enjoying being in America. More news as it comes...

Ice skating in Evergreen, CO with my sister-in-law and brother

Christmas in January celebrated at my parents' house

One of the deer that like to hang out in my parents' back yard

Bliss--eating a Chipotle burrito

I'm so glad it's Friday...I am looking forward to hibernating and staying warm in my apartment!!

It's snowing...again. It's currently 21F, which isn't that bad. The weather has made me come down with yet another cold. Runny nose, sore throat, cough, and exhaustion is how I'm ending my week. Thankfully, I've got the weekend to rest and catch up on my health. Already this week, I've made A LOT of smoothies, so I plan on continuing that healthy habit. My mom actually sent me a lot of Emergen-C packets, so tossing one into a smoothie is helping me too.

So I thought my exciting week was over, but I was wrong!! I've had quite the busy week. Last night, I had Lilika over. We spent the evening getting her registered to take the ACT test in April. Her and another student, Martin, will be taking the test together there. CJ and I will be accompanying them. Unfortunately for us, the closest center for testing is in Bulgaria....and not only that....it's on the coast of the Black Sea, which is about 11 hours driving distance from us!! леле....That being said, we will look into travel arrangements soon. For now, Im trying to concentrate on helping them both study. I am more than confident for both of them. I have no doubt they can and will both get into a good college in America. Im so excited to help them in this exciting step...I feel like a proud momma!!

Now onto today's news!! Today, I went to classes with another teacher, Lidija. I'm quite fond of her, because we seem very similar. She's my age, and her teaching style is similar to mine too!! Her classes were a kick. I loved them!! The kids asked me lots of fun questions, and we are now setting up a pen-pal system, so the can write back and forth with students at my old school. By the end of the day, I was ready to go home and eat, when suddenly I was summoned to the Vice Principal's office. I thought, maybe it had something to do with the dance studio (which should be done by Tuesday!!)

WELL....I get in there, and to my surprise the news crew was there. The woman standing there explained they wanted to interview me. They wanted to ask about the projects I was involved in and how I was liking the school and city. Delightfully surprised, I agreed to do an interview. Suddenly, I realized I was going to have to do it in Macedonian.

во македонски? (In Macedonian?)

да... (Yes..)

еее....јас зборувам лош македонски. (Umm...I speak bad Macedonian)

но ти разбираш многу. нема проблем!! (But you understand a lot. No problem!!)

I just sighed....got really nervous...starting pacing. The Vice Principal kept telling me I spoke fine and that I'd do well. Suddenly, Emilija opened the office door. WHAT A RELIEF!! Seriously, thank goodness for her showing up. From there, I attempted to do the interview in my poor Macedonian, but it was too bad. Instead, the woman interviewing me had Emilija sit to the side and translate, which allowed me to answer her questions in English. They asked about the projects I was involved in, how I liked my students, what I wanted to accomplish in my two years here, and then they told me it was impressive that I used to dance ballet. I don't know what I would have done without my lovely counterpart, because she definitely translated my responses so well.

Unfortunately, I don't have a television. I told the reporter that, and she was shocked!! Hahaha They agreed to put the segment on a CD and bring it to the school for me. I told them "мајка ми ќе сака да гледа." (My mother will want to see!) They laughed. Later, I went and chatted with some of the admin staff. The secretary brought up AGAIN how interesting it was for me to have a conversation with the Minister of Education. hahahaha, he kept wanting to know what on earth we'd said to each other. It was a great note to end my week on.

Next week should be BUSY. I'm hoping it wont be busier....I've got to be in Skopje on for the first of the week. Then, the school will be getting evaluated. Beginning Thursday, the dance classes are supposed to begin. Im honestly very nervous about beginning classes. What if no one shows up?? What if they show up once, but not again?? What if they dont like the classes?? What if I get a mental block during class?? And most of all, how on earth am I going to choreograph and teach a dance by March 22nd?? It's quite the task to take one, especially with all the other projects at hand, but I am SO excited to have such a unique opportunity. I am constantly thankful for the PC placing me in what is clearly the perfect city for me.

One of G’s favorite things to do is to play with monies. She has a little jar of them. Yesterday A asks me if I have seen her 2 Euro coin. There goes her college fund.

Hey. Nothing too exciting to report on the Macedonia front right now. So, I thought I'd take the time to talk about routines. When I got to college my freshman year, I thought I would be so busy, between going to parties and writing those 20 page papers that always seem to be due the next day. One thing I didn't realize is how much down time I would have. Classes were only 15 hrs a week and I didn't have a job my freshman year. But, there is this expectation that college life would be mad busy. (College life really did get busier, just not at first). Peace Corps is the same. When I applied for the position, I thought I would be spending all day every day building huts or hugging trees or whatever. Instead, I am at work 8-4 every Monday through Friday. On top of that, when I go home, it's not like I watch tv, because there is nothing on that I understand. So, I decided to pick up some hobbies, just to keep myself from going crazy.

First, I've continued my trek through SNES and Playstation RPG emulators. I beat Chrono Trigger and then its sequel, Chrono Cross (It was the second time I beat Cross - and thanks to finally playing Trigger, I think I understand it this time). I'm working on Final Fantasy VI right now, but I don't care for it as much as the Chrono series. The villains aren't particularly interesting and VI has a habit of not letting me pick who I want to be in my party which is just frustrating more than anything. Locke can't fight for shit, yet he always insists on coming along. Fuck him. After VI, I think its Xenogears then Wild Arms 2. That's some cool stuff right there.

Next, I joined the gym here in Resen. Actually, Resen has two gyms (ostensibly so people can say, let's not go to that gym, let's go to the good one). I go prolly like 4 times a week. A gym membership is very cheap. It's 500 denari/month, or a little less that $10/month. I've been going for like 2 months, and I'm prolly in the best shape I've been in since college. Add to that joining a gym pressures you to eat healthier (why waste the time at the gym if you're just going to pig out on junk food). I even quit drinking, or at least, drinking by myself - which is no small feat. Alcohol is widely available in Macedonia. I can walk 2 minutes to the nearest corner store and it sells wine and beer. Because of that and the inherent loneliness of being like the only American (or one of a few) in a small town, the Peace Corps Macedonia has had problems with alcohol usage by volunteers in the past. I think I'm one of the few over here who, when presented with alcohol that was more accessible than in America, actually drinks less. Take that, liquor control board of Pennsylvania!

I even read a book. Cover to cover. Already. It was Speaker of the Dead, which is the sequel to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It wasn't very good. I wouldn't recommend it. Ender's Game is a sci-fi book filled with action. Speaker is set 3,000 years later and is all about how characters in some faraway planet colonized by Portuguese Catholics all have like 4 names and why I'm supposed to care about how they got each one. I really didn't. But, man I was ruling in Cross with Norris and Karsh. I think that is worth mentioning.

Lastly, it has snowed over here tremendously. Like, every day. There's probably around a foot and a half of snow on the ground right now and today and yesterday were like the first two consecutive days it did not snow since mid-January or something like that. Here is the view outside of headquarters:

Unlike America, there are no snow plows here, so the roads are never clean. People just drive slower and don't freak the hell out. It is a little easier to drive here because there is less traffic and people don't drive an hour or so to work every day. They are in town, so it's like a 10 minute drive at the very most. I hear it's been unusually warm in the winter in the Philly area. Winter here sucks. That's all. I originally promised when I started this blog I wouldn't post about boring shit. Sorry. I think I broke the promise here.

Back in PST, when we had an English compound word that we didn't know in Macedonian, we would make up our own using the two parts (e.g. Snowman- Снегмаж snow- снег man- маж). One of our favourites was мажwich (more a hybrid of English and Macedonia meaning man-wich). On Friday, my 4th graders were learning some more food words and they had the word- hotdog, which is хајт дог in Macedonian, but they called it жешко куче (жешко- hot куче- dog) and I just had to laugh because they were doing the same thing we did. I guess it sometimes doesn't matter if you are 10 or 24, you learn the same way!

Along the hot dog note, I like that the plural for hot dogs in Macedonian is хајт дога (hot doga).

The low today is 5 F. IT'S COLD!!

I have been seriously busy this week. It feels good to be so busy, but I can feel the physical exhaustion kicking in already...Yesterday, I went to my first 4 classes with Emilija. For the rest of my day, I joined Vesna, another English teacher at the school, for her classes. It was interesting to see the different teaching styles, and it was good to meet even more of the students at my school. By the time classes were done, I was really tired...I hadnt had a break or anything to eat, but before running home I figured I'd stop by the Director's office to check on the dance studio stuff.

Before I knew it, I was downstairs with the men who will be installing the mirrors and the ballet bars. It was around 3 or so before I was able to make it home. From there, I was so excited about the progression of the dance space, I ended up going through all my iTunes music for good dance songs. My kids are interested in ballet, Zumba, and hiphop. So excited!!

Last night was a Name Day celebration at Emilija's house. I showed up sometime before 8pm, because I really wanted to help her set up. People didn't start to show up until sometime after 9pm, and only two of them spoke English. There was such a nice couple!! Not many people spoke to me, and I tried my hardest to follow along with them as they all spoke with each other, but it's just overwhelming at times. I dont expect for most people to know how it feels, but it's difficult when you're in a room of people you can't understand. Personally, I'm a VERY outgoing person....if you put me in a room with people, I want to talk to all of them. This personal trait makes things even more frustrating for me, because I WANT to have the luxury of being able to talk to everyone about everything, but I simply cant. It can make a person feel lonely and isolated at times. That being said, can I just say the food I had was simply amazing. The table fit around 15 or so people. We had a variety of meats, salads, cheeses, sweets, fish, and even fried frog legs. The frog legs were by far my favorite!! I went home well fed and sleepy. : )

Today was another early morning for me. Waking up at 6am when your room is cold is quite a task, but I managed just fine with some warm tea. At school, Emilija and I had another long day of 6 classes with no break. I had some fun teaching the classes today, but by the last class I was asked to join the Director in his office, because the Minister of Education was coming. I thought "Isn't this a big deal?" Well it most certainly is.

Macedonia has a newly elected Minister of Education. I guess he is just making his way to some schools across the country, but I felt extremely privileged to have the opportunity to meet him. His entrance was impressive...he showed up with a posse of people. I was asked to sit in on their fancy meeting, where I proceeded to not understand the majority of what was said. Instead, I spent the first half of the meeting trying to find a sophisticated position to sit in. I kept readjusting, knowing how silly each position made me look. Eventually, I gave up and just crossed my legs. Suddenly, I was able to tell they were discussing me and my position at the school. They said they loved having me, and they said I was ambitious with a lot of excellent ideas. The Minister turned around to look at me, and I exchanged a smile showing all of my teeth and a simple wave of a hello. They amused me by laughing and then carried on with business.

At one point, one of the people in the posse had to leave. I noticed everyone getting up, so I thought we were all leaving. I gathered my bag and got ready to go. All of a sudden, everyone sat back down, and I instantly realized how silly I'd made myself just look. HAHAHAHA I'd thought we were leaving, so I packed up to leave....in reality, we were standing as a sign of respect when someone else was leaving the room. So I instantly sat back down and put my bag beside me. I turned to the guy next to me and chuckled "I thought we were leaving!" He didnt understand a word of English, which made it more hilarious.

The rest of the Minister's visit was spent showing him around the school. He went into a classroom, and he managed to chat with teacher in the teachers' lounge for a bit. Later, I followed them back down into the Director's office, where I noticed everyone grabbing their coats. I didnt know what was going on, so I waiting in the entryway. All of a sudden, the Minister appeared before me, and the next thing I know we were chatting up a storm, just the two of us!! He was such a nice man, really....he asked how I liked Kocani, how I liked the school, if I enjoyed the faculty, if I was helping in the classroom, and what other activities/clubs/projects I was involved in. I felt proud talking about my work, and then he said "You know, they love you here. They had excellent things to say about you." I said, "I know...I dont understand much Macedonian, but I can tell when someone is talking about me." He laughed.

The last thing the Minister asked me was how long I was going to be living in Kocani. Suddenly, I felt my inner southern side come out of me, and I busted out with "Well I'll be here for two years, so you just let me know if you happen to make it back for a visit!" (all said in a southern twang) After laughing, he said he'd be back. Upon him exiting the school, I noticed the amount of people looking at me. The secretary gave me a whole "what was that about?!" exchange. People seemed pleased/impressed I was able to have just a one-on-one chat with the Minister...and in English!! I realized I hadn't quite processed what a privilege it all was....I mean, I got to chat with the Minister of Education today. : )

So yea....another accomplishment I can check off my list of things I did that were SUPER AWESOME while living in Macedonia. Not sure how many people can call bragging rights on talking to the Minister in a southern twang, but I sure as hell can.

There have been quite a few things that we have had to adjust to in the past few months.  Some of them have taken longer than others, and some of them we still have to get down.  In order to give you an idea of these, I have created a list of a few of [...]

mixing, Macedonian pancakes, which is what the French call crepes

My mom has encouraged me to write here more frequently without feeling I have to write a whole lot. I think I will attempt to intersperse longer thought-out stories and shorter drops-ins, where I just mention what I am doing at the moment - to mix things up. Right now it's late morning and there is yet another dusting of snow, making it almost two weeks of constant snow cover and temperatures in the negative Celsius here, while all you Staters that I know are running around with limited clothing.

I am not at the "office" because I am working on a fact sheet for the Federation of Russia for a project here called Model UN that I am helping to facilitate here in Kumanovo and eventually this Spring throughout the whole of Macedonia. I'll head into work later where we are beginning to work on our own little grant.

my street with snow

my host brother's five year old birthday party

Feel free to give Sharon Van Etten a listen...I just did

Me, Kerry and Marlys jumping for joy!As I think I mentioned in my last blog, I received an extra 30 days of leave for extending a year in the Peace Corps. The days are added on to the end of my service, so now my completion date is the end of December instead of the end of November, but it's nice to have those days in the middle of service and Peace Corps gave me a free flight home! I took 3 weeks of those days for my trip home, and took the rest for my trip to Egypt with 5 friends. I won't say much here about the trip except it exceeded any and all expectations I had. It was fabulous. I've posted my pictures with some commentary on Facebook, so if you want to see more you can see it there.

I do want to comment on Egypt, however. I feel like we were there at a very privileged time. Their new parliament met for the first time and elected its president, and they celebrated the first year anniversary of the revolution. There is much happening, and which way it will go is as yet uncertain. For the friends and wonderful people I met while I was there, my fingers are crossed for a better life. Here are some random observations:

1. You've heard tourism is down - one tour guide said it was down 80%. To put that in perspective, Kacy told me that when friends of hers went there two years ago, they had to get up at 5 in the morning to get to the pyramids early enough to avoid the crowds and get to climb up to the burial chamber in the great pyramid. In contrast, we went in the middle of the day during high season, went right in, and had only 3 other people in the chamber when we were there. While it was wonderful for us and we were treated so well, it has to be so difficult on a country whose GDP relies to a large extent on tourism.

2. Speaking of that, everywhere we went, we saw huge projects that had been put on hold. Some were government projects waiting for revenues to improve and the new government to be established, and some were by major corporations holding back on their money until they could see what way the wind was going to blow. So economically, Egypt is experiencing at least a double whammy. And given that we saw a number of people living on the edge, it does not auger well for their future.

3. Despite that, people were cautiously optimistic. They love their country and are hoping that the new democratically elected government will return Egypt to glory. They are a bit nervous and impatient and suffer terribly when there is an abuse of power, but they maintain hope for a brighter future.

4. Alexander the Great became the ruler of Egypt because he respected their religion while the (at that time) ruling Persians did not. There is a lesson there that we need to learn. Religion was very important to almost everyone we met and they were all well-educated, liberal Egyptians.

5. Side note, if you travel, I would encourage you to be adventurous. While it was cold at night when we slept in the desert, that was an especially magical day, and off the beaten track for most tourists!

Abul Simbel6. The people are exceptionally gracious. It was wonderful to get a chance to talk for hours to our friends who were our guides and drivers, and they will forever be in my heart!

One more picture and comment: that's me in front of Abul Simbel. Since I was young and National Geographic magazine featured the danger of Abul Simbel being covered by the rising waters of Lake Nasser and the Aswan Dam, I have dreamed about being there. I actually got tears in my eyes when I rounded the corner and there it was! I still can hardly believe I was able to live my childhood dream.

Gostivar buried in snowNow we're back in Macedonia, and just in time for a record snow and cold spell! It's a hardship in a country which such a large percentage of people living below poverty. We had one day where the temperature actually got above freezing for a few hours, and the ceiling in my apartment started to drip. I called the landlord, who gave a Slavic shrug and said, "oh, well, it's an old building." We've had a pile of snow, and I'm not looking forward to the thaw. Besides the reappearance of the leak, it will be icy and there will be water everywhere. On the bright side, the garbage may once again be picked up!

Downtown Gostivar shiveringStay warm - I hear Spring is just around the corner!

January 2012 Pauza The editors wanted a first month perspective from the smallest village! (I guess that’s me…) The article will run beside a perspective of a volunteer living in a big city. By Julie Tumasz, TEFL PCV, Zhvan, Macedonia I’m a Zhvanka. Zhvan, Macedonia, located between Kicevo and Bitola, has a population of two hundred and fifty (plus one American). The village has two prodanitsi and a post office. No cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, bars, bus stations, Veros, Tinexs, boutiques or Bazaars. For me, it’s the most beautiful place in Macedonia. There is not much going on here, but it’s the little things that make my life fulfilled day after day. When I arrived in Zhvan, I was an alien. I smiled and waved at every single person walking on the path. Most called greetings, some started conversations and others starred. Within a month, everyone is stopping to talk. Everyone knows my name. It’s easy when you’re the only new neighbor in 30 years. I’ve never been good at names and sometimes I forget who I’ve met and who I haven’t! It’s lucky the Macedonian greeting is to shake hands every time you meet! During placement, I was surprised and slightly disappointed that I was not going to live with a host family. Now, I can’t imagine it any other way. I live the best of both worlds. I enjoy the privilege of solitude every volunteer understands AND I’ve been adopted into numerous host families. My next-door neighbor has taken the role of the over-caring aunt. My counterpart’s grandparents have told me to call them Baba and Dedo. My Macedonian teacher’s family has become my own. (While I’ve referred to her as my Majka, we joke that her husband is actually my older brother.) My village family tree may be confusing but it’s full of love. Living alone, I’m able to cross age and gender borders where I might have been restricted with a host family. As an American, I consider myself part of my own stereotype. I hang out with every group without limitations. I sled with the kids, I go to Downtown Demir Hisar with my generation, I discuss recipes with the Doma Kinkas, I play pool with the men of the prodanitsa and I drink Rakia with the dedos. My protective aunt tries to shame me from going to the prodanista because I’m a young woman. But I know, I am unique in Zhvan and through that, I’m able to experience every perspective, woman, man, young, old. To get the most out of the next two years, I want to understand every Zhvance! Understanding the national traditions of Macedonia and the local traditions of Zhvan is like unraveling a mystery for me. What is a Zhvan tradition and what is Macedonian? For example, during Zhvan’s Voditici, a traditional Macedonian cross was thrown plus a 100-year-old traditional village song was sung. Five dancing girls repeated a verse 66 times for every young man to find their love in the coming year. Only after the event did I realize that was a unique Zhvan tradition. I’ve found that a large cultural event is the fastest way that these strangers can become my friends through just a single experience. There, I’m the student and my neighbors revel in the opportunity to become my teacher. I know I must have been taught to dance Oro at least 30 times! Nagosti is the Zhvan’s Nightlife and Entertainment. When I visit my friends and neighbors, I feel totally fulfilled, socially and professionally. Since integration is part of our job, simply sitting and chatting is work time! I’ve experienced many kinds of Nagosties. I’ve seen the formalities of the Slava Celebrations, the kid’s birthday parties, the Macedonian handball games, the imen-dens, and of course, the never ending Christmas holidays. One Nagosti even led to a three-day sleepover at the house of my adopted family. I’ve also experienced the excitement of having my own Nagostis, including hosting my own Slava for American Christmas. Others may think that the absence of formal nightlife is negative. But through the lack of bars and restaurants, I’ve been forced to experience a new type of social community that for me is alive and happening! My goal is to Nagosti all 250 Zhvance within two years. My advice to all volunteers living in a small village: Get out there and live your unique life. Girls, don’t be afraid to play poker in the prodanitsa. Guys, go cook Rochek with your nearby Baba.  Try to experience something new everyday!

This winter is SO LONG. I can't stand the single digit temperatures anymore. I must admit, if it wasn't for my wool socks, some warm meals, my working boiler, and my expensive monthly electric bills from running my heater only at night....well I dont know how I'd survive. : )

Last week was really good and productive. Things are picking up slowly with my photography club. I dont have that many kids coming, although I have a lot that are interested. The kids that do want to participate seem committed and excited!! They told me things they want to learn, and I assigned their first theme last week. The dance space should be finished this week, which means I get to start using the space the following week. I am SO EXCITED for this!! I hope I can manage to get kids to actually come take classes. Fingers crossed!! Emilija also wants to kick-start a radio station for the school. Right now, I cant even begin to think or work on that idea, because it just seems like too much to take on, but I figure it's something I can do when the weather gets better.

We also have a few other projects in the works....for instance, we are in the midst of planning our epic Patron's Day event. We got A LOT to do for that. We also have a big project going on with the Freedom Monument space in our city. We are planning a clean-up project in conjunction with the Municipality. That will begin in the Spring. Finally, we may or may not have a qualifying event for the National Spelling Bee. I was elected on the National Spelling Bee Committee for this year, so I'll be doing the tech stuff, but I'd also like to see some of my kids up there competing!! I'm also working with two other teachers this week, which will make me busier than ever, but Im looking forward to staying busy. Being busy when the weather is so miserable makes the days go much quicker, and who can complain with that?!

This summer, I found out I'll be working as the videographer for the all girls camp, Camp GLOW. I'm hoping they will let me teach a photography workshop, or maybe some kind of volleyball class. All I know is I'm in charge of videoing, photographing, and blogging the entire week...I feel privileged that they asked me!! I'm also participating in the PC Magazine, Pauza. I wrote an article about my shitty toaster oven/hot plate combo, complete with recipes. Not sure when the next issue comes out, but I'll link you all the PDF version of it. : )

On a side note, I had an AWESOME day today. I started the day off with school stuff. My Model UN kids got together, and I spoke with two of my kids about getting them into college in America. I am going to assist them in applying, and it looks like I might even be going to Bulgaria with one of them, just so they can take the ACT test. Not one place in Macedonia offers that test, so our next option is Bulgaria. Anywho, after being at school for a while, I set out with Sara (who's in town for our meeting tonight) for a short shopping spree. I've been aching to buy some hair accessories, so I went and found a place that sells fun bobby pins and hair clips. I ended up with a few fun things, and only spent the equivalent of $4. Later we went to my favorite store to buy kitchen things. I LOVE this place...and not just because I've gotten all my best kitchenware there, but because the man and woman who run the place are awesome. For instance, when Sara and I got in, and I immediately went to look at the blenders, toasters, and coffee machines. The man pulled out a bottle of homemade cherry rakija and offered us all a glass. We enjoyed an afternoon rakija in order to "cure the cold" going on outside. (It's been 18F and snowing all day) From there, he helped me test the blenders.....see, I'd decided I was going to buy one nice thing for my kitchen, and I narrowed my best option down to buying a blender, solely for the fact I can make smoothies.

What I ended up with is the BEST PURCHASE EVER in this country:

I MEAN, HOT DAMN!! How awesome is that?! It comes with PARTY MUGS!! I was so elated, you just have no idea. I can do so much with it. That being said, after looking at the recipe book it comes with, we discovered it might be a knockoff version....the writing in the book is not exactly written in English....or maybe it was translated poorly. Who cares though...I have a blender!! So Sara and I bought kiwis and oranges, the only fruit you can get right now, and we poured in some juice as well. Voila!! We had some fantastic little smoothies, and I could not have been more pleased. This day was a major success!! Maybe next month I'll see if I can buy a grill or a coffee maker, but I dont want to get too ahead of myself :D

Ok, this blog post has been long and random, I apologize....no real organization going on in my mind right now. Let's hope this snow/cold spell, which by the way is on NATIONAL NEWS in America, goes away soon. Till next time...miss and love ya'll.

Oh, man. I am really bad at writing blogs now. About a month ago I promised my mother that I would write something here, and there are things to write about (mostly about rain, and what Albanian gyms are like, and spending two weeks hunting Tirana for basmati rice [I am spoiled, but also the [...]

Last week at Kids Club (which is at the American Corner in Bitola) we played with Science. Normally, I try to do an activity with the closest holiday in mind, but I wanted to do something different this time. We made volcanoes out of plastic cups and plates. I had not heard of the kids doing this activity at my school, so I thought Kids Club would be a good place for it. But some of the students said that they had done this activity in Science class, but were excited to do it again.

Me showing the kids how to cut off the tops of their volcanoes so the "lava" can come out of the top.

The kids decorated the tops of their volcanoes and then after they were assembled, we erupted them!!!!

Waiting for the ERUPTION!!!! We combined baking soda and vinegar together; and if you get the right amount, the liquid will bubble over the top of your volcano. The boys had a good time seeing whose volcano would erupt the most.

The after effect. You can see some of the "lava" at the bottom of the plate. I also had made a tornado in a bottle. I just took a soda bottle and filled it 3/4 with water and then a few drops of dish soap. When you turn it over and shake it, you can see a mini tornado inside. The kids had fun taking turns making the tornado. Even though it was a little messy and the Corner smelt like vinegar afterwards, we still had a good time playing with Science.

So this was an interesting week- my first week as an English teacher. Right. You might be wondering:

'Do you have any teaching experience?' (Nope)

'Aren't you supposed to be doing Community Development and not TEFL?' (Yes)

'Who would be crazy enough to sign up for a class that you're teaching?' (No idea, but too many)

To give a little background, during my PST site visit back in November, it was pretty clear that the mayor and citizens in the municipality had a strong interest in holding adult English classes once I got settled in here. It didn't matter whether I had teaching experience or not, they just wanted English. So with that noted, we eventually started advertising (flyers around the villages) my existence and the fact that I was going to teach free English classes. I even got a реклама at a recent community forum. But despite that, I had no idea how many people were going to show up. In the week before starting classes, we had two meetings in Obleshevo and Cheshinovo (a nearby village, 5km away) to meet with those interested. We had around 12 show up in Obleshevo and roughly 16 in Cheshinovo. I was happy with that. I might even avoid having to break up people into groups and make my job more complicated, since I had already agreed to hold classes Monday-Thursday from 6-7pm.

So this past Monday, we started class in Obleshevo. 16 people showed up, and the majority knew at least a bit of English, so I felt like communicating wasn't super difficult. My host parents Silvana and Venco even made it, so that was pretty cool. I suppose I can practice English with them at home too, assuming they continue to feed me and let me drink their rakija. As far as my teaching, well, it's going to take a few tries before I get the hang of it. I started really basic, going over the alphabet and introductions, but I got the sense the material was way too easy for most people. As I spend more time with them I should be able to adjust more to their abilities. At the same time, there are a few people who did not know any English. I might have to work two different lessons each class period, and it could be feasible with the small numbers. Needs more thinking.

The following day, I started classes in Cheshinovo. I was told that there might be more people at this class than in Obleshevo. Well, yeah. 45 people wrote their name on the sign-up sheet. Including like 8-10 kids. Not adults. Not part of the plan. Despite cramming all those people into one classroom, it wasn't a total катастрофа, but it was not what I expected either. While it's hard to tell kids they can't come to class because it is for adults, it needs to be done for several reasons. One, they're already getting English classes at school. Two, I don't know what they're being taught in their English classes at school, and what I'm teaching could be at odds with that, and Three, I can't have 45 people come to every class.

For Wednesday, I was back in Obleshevo and it was probably my best class day of the week. Partly because I had the students слушатели (thanks dedo) play a matching memorization game (thanks PST) for about 25-30 min and I just walked around the room making sure they weren't cheating. But better than that, I ran out of material with about 15 min left, and decided to wing it and it worked. I closed the class by giving them an opportunity to use the question words I introduced and ask me anything they wanted. Big surprise, they wanted to know if I was married, how old I was, how many girlfriends I've had, etc. Very Macedonian questions. But overall it was decent. I think I do much better with the smaller group (about 16 again) than 45. Then again, who doesn't. 45 practically requires a lecture hall, stadium seating, and a really awful Powerpoint presentation.

Finally, I wrapped up class on Thursday in Cheshinovo and it was literally the same number of people, only this time I think half the audience members were kids. Not high school kids but 8-year-olds. Went about the same as Tuesday, though I had some help from a really nice guy named Goce who speaks nearly fluent English, and was home temporarily in the village while waiting for a visa to go back to Iraq. Works for DynCorp as a security contractor. So anyway, I managed to get through material I planned to cover (Where are you from? I'm from...) but my desire to get creative with such a big group was pretty low. Just getting everyone to do something simple like practice a phrase with their neighbor was a struggle. I'll just have to see how things go. If the kids are banned from attending (so mean, i know), the numbers should be more manageable and then I can focus on figuring out what the adults know and design the classes better.

Overall, it was an interesting week and probably the most 'stuff' I've had a chance to do since I've been at site. I also gave a presentation to the mayor and some school directors about our small grant program. So it was a busy week. And busy is almost always better than being bored.

After two weeks, I guess I am settled. Well... close anyway. The many trips to the local shops (for a lot of things I had purchased the last time here)have me feeling far more at home than I did a week ago. I now have pans, a coffee makers, glasses, bedding etc. And food, of course, food. Now it is time to fill in the gaps. Gaps that are very apparent when I try to cook or to clean. No change here from the last time.

My living arrangements are much different this time, yet in one aspect, the same. Instead of 86 stairs up to an apartment I simply go down one flight to a lower level in a private home. That is after walking a mile or so uphill to the home's location. When getting my supplies, I need to decide carefully just how much to purchase before making the "climb" home. After one particularly exhausting haul, I decided to take a taxi when really loaded up.

With my shopping nearly completed, I now can sleep soundly under two comforters. I also was provided with a second electric heater by my landlord, a blessing and a curse. It is surely warmer but we are now given an allowance and pay our own electric bills. Previously the Peace Corps payed them for all volunteers and cranking the heat was the norm. this new arrangement makes sense and makes it necessary to be prudent with the heat. I have a feeling my first bill is going to be a shocker. I have a private entrance and my own bath that is in the hall only a few icy steps away. I take one of the electric heater when showering as I figure it is better to be electrocuted than it is to freeze to death.

Being settled means being back to eating grilled cheese, soup, and potato chips, lots of potato chips. That for sure is the same. Oddly enough, while here previously for seven months I managed to lose 17 lbs. ( I found every one of them while home). I don't think there will be this magical weight loss this time around. One big difference is lunch! Something I avoided last time was Byrek (burek).

It is baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough and it can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or minced meat. It is usually served with plain yogurt and is becoming addictive. I have a feeling, thanks in part to the byrek, and in part to the tightening of my jeans already, that I will not be losing anything this time. That is surely a difference.



I have met with a few of the new volunteers as well as several of my old colleagues. I will see them all at what is termed a mid service conference next week in Skopje. I will surely hear it about being at this event as it is no where near the mid point of my service. I am glad I was invited though as I will get to see everyone from my initial group.A new young lady has been assigned to the schools here in Kocani . Morgan lives in my old place and being quite young does not complain about all the stairs! I hope to work with her on a couple of her initiatives with her students. It will be a nice diversion from the municipality.

Last weekend I had a visit from the son of the family I lived with during pre-service training. Goce now has a car and an American girlfriend. She is a volunteer from the new class assigned to Kumonovo. He arrived with gifts of course... wine and homemade bread from his parents. I had brought his father, Sveto, a pair of glasses from the US that I hope are the right strength. I will soon plan a trip to visit the family and reconnect.

I am not sure if this winter or last are the "real" Macedonian winter. I recall last year only a bit of snow and just a few days of frigid weather. I think I hauled out the long underwear for only five or six days a year ago. Well, this year, it has been out and on every day since arriving. It has been C-O-L-D. We have not had a big snowstorm but we have had several dustings of three to four inches. Just enough to keep the walk to and from home treacherous. Each morning means three layers of shirts and a sweater before reaching for the coat to leave.

Sunday is the party for our fantasy league. We will all be bringing a bottle of Rakia for the champ, Blake the owner of the Stip Stallions!. After running off to a 10-0 start, I collapsed , losing three of the last four and of course my one and only playoff game. I will simply blame it on injuries!

The big decision Sunday will be whether or not to remain in Stip and watch the Super Bowl or return home to the wide screen 14 inch Levono. It comes on at 12 midnight our time so I probably should return for a pre game nap! Go Pats!

With all this whining one might think I am having an awful time of it here. However I am very happy to be here! Now that is different!

There are usually a lot of “Why?” questions that many applicants, and a lot of Invitees get  before actually departing for service in the Peace Corps. There are also  many well-intentioned questions from family and friends alike about whether it … Continue reading →

This is the third snow we have gotten in Struga. It is beautiful as it is snowing, especially when looking up at the mountains. The next day usually isn't as fun as everything typically turns to ice that we have to fight for another week. But for now, we're enjoying it! Forecast says it is supposed to snow for the next three days :)

Views from our balcony below:

Stay tuned for more pictures of Struga in the snow!

this is a fish, not chocolate cake

I know, this is a picture of a fish, but before I get to him I want to tell a short story about chocolate cake and Macedonian hospitality.

In this country, treating your guest with the utmost care is priority number one and I was reminded of this fact over the weekend. I was a guest in someones home, actually for two days, and was treated like royalty. Macedonians will continually offer you food and what ever you may desire to drink, coffee being it's own event and separate from other forms of refreshment. The first night of my stay I was hit with an extreme desire for chocolate cake at about 11:45 at night and after interrogating my host I was devastated to find out that there were no cake facilities open at that hour. As the evening past the thought of cake left my mind and was no where to been seen the next morning. Continuing with Macedonian customs, I was required to stay until I ate with my hosts since they woke early to prepare a meal for their visitors. After lunching on пастрмајлија, for the first time, the hostess brought out none other but large pieces of chocolate cake, made just for me because of a craving that I had at midnight! I am pretty sure that most homes in America would not go this far, would not offer whatever whim their guest may entertain, even when the guest was not completely serious. I am still learning to watch what I say around Macedonians because ultimately I'll get what I ask for, though I am told this is what makes Macedonian females happy, to please their guests, it still makes me feel some what guilty the length that a hostess will go to for their guests.

Fish Heads

Last week was a cooking adventure for me. Not only was I cooking something new, but I also had to purchase my unusual, to me, food item in Macedonian. The trick is to make sure you get what you want and get good quality. I cooked fish, whole fish - guts, heads, scales and tails. I had already been directed to a quality place to purchase said fish, but when Thursday came around I was worried that I would not achieve my goal due to language barriers. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Of course the lady behind the counter asked what she could help me with and I began to stumble through telling her I need fish, that I could cook in a pan. I think she started to move to the live ones and I shook my head no and pointed to the counter, to the pile that had already passed on to the other side. I knew I needed to be friendly, so I began to engage in small talk, I was an American, volunteering here and living nearby for the next two years. That seemed to impress her and she smiled as we exchanged names. She pointed to the fish she thought would be the best and I told her to give me a kilo. As she was weighing them out she asked if I wanted her to cook them. I told her no proudly that I was going to cook them. She eyed me with slight concern but I ignored her. Then she asked if I knew how to clean them, and I faltered for a second before I said yes. I mean I wanted to do all parts on my own, even if I've never cleaned a fish before. She eyed me again, skeptical that I could perform such a task, and she asked if she could show me how to do it, just in case, so I obliged. I am so thankful that I agreed to such a thing because as I watched I realized she was a professional and I was not. After the first one I asked her if she could clean all the others for me and she smiled as she got to work.

The rest of the adventure went without a hitch. I cooked all four fish in my pan after coating them with flour and salting and peppering the inside cavity and stuff it with lemons. They cooked perfectly and quickly and tasted wonderful. Here in Macedonia if you want fish you'll be eating a whole fish with a little face that will watch you the whole time and a skeleton of bones to maneuver around. When I tell people that in America fish is served without bones they look at me like I am crazy, which they should, right? Fish has bones, who on earth would do the work to take the bones out ahead of time?

the aftermath

If you ever loose your faith in humanity, come to Macedoniaand I can guarantee it will be restored. I don’t think I have ever met such awelcoming and hospitable group of people as I have met here. They truly opennot just their homes, but also their entire lives to you. I had the fortunetoday of two such instances.

Example 1: I was walkinghome from school and there was a baba (grandma) sitting outside her housegetting wood for her fire. I had seen her before, usually on my way to schooland she always said hi. Immediately, she said hi once again and then made me gointo her house for coffee. She made me coffee, poured me a glass of the femalefruity rakija, and placed a plate of sweets in front of me. We talked for thenext hour or so while drinking and eating. She kept telling me how beautifuland nice and sweet I am and that she is going to cook me a special Macedonianspecialty just because she likes me. She has a daughter who lives in Germanybut is coming home in two weeks and said I have to come visit then (this iswhat I mean about their lives- she doesn’t just want me to meet her, but herdaughter as well). As I was leaving, she packaged up some cookies for me tobring home.

Example 2:Setting: Sara has been running low on wood. Her landladysaid they would bring her more wood, over two weeks ago. Despite Sara remindingthem, there has always been an excuse as to why it can’t happen that day (“It’stoo cold today”, “Looks like snow”, “Its 5 degrees Celsius, not 6 degrees”,“It’s Thursday”, etc.). Sara has just gotten home from school and is gatheringwood to start her fire for the day.

Enter Neighbour lady (NL)NL: Здраво Сара. Како си? (Hello Sara. How are you?)Sara: Добро. А вие?(Good. And you?)NL: Супер. Што правиш? (Great. What are you doing?)Sara: Јас треба да правам оген сега. (I need to build a firenow.)NL: Ладно ли? (It’s cold, isn’t it?)Sara: Да, Денис емногу ладно. (Yes. Today is very cold). NL: Има тенки дрво? (Do you have starter firewood?)Sara: Малку. (A little. Real translation: I haven’t had anyfor days but I am not going to just come knock on your door and say make mesome wood despite you telling me to do so, so I have been digging aroundfinding stuff that just barely gets my fire started)NL: Сакаш уште сега? (Would you like more now? Or this iswhat I think she says.)Sara: Да (Yes)NL: Добро (Good)

Neighbour lady disappears. Sara starts collecting wood fromher sad, sad woodpile and hauls one load around the house and up the stairs tooutside her front door. When Sara turns around (literally a minute and a halflater) two boys are standing in the yard next door looking at her.

Sara: Здраво(Hello)Boys: Здраво (Hello)Sara: Како си? (Howare you?)Boys: Добро (Good)

Sara continues back down her stairs and around the corner.Suddenly she hears neighbour lady order the boys to go to my yard from out awindow.

NL: Сара, мојотсин ќе сече дрво за тебе. (Sara, my son will cut you wood.)Sara: Фала (Thankyou)

Clearly Neighbour lady went into the house and told her sonsomething along the lines of, “The poor helpless British girl (everyone alwaysthinks I am from England) next door doesn’t have any more wood. You are goingto go cut her some now.”

Boys, with axe in hand walk around and into Sara’s yard andstart chopping wood. They chop a few pieces and then realize the wood left inSara’s woodpile is junk. The boy who lives next door walks home and comes backwith a few pieces of wood that is поубав (more beautiful). In the process,Neighbour lady’s son alerts his father, Neighbour man, about the state of mywoodpile. Neighbour man appears and shakes his head. He starts barking ordersat the two boys. An hour later, I had a box full of starter wood, a woodshelter filled with wood that was dug out from under the junk my landlord haddumped on top of usable wood, a sore back from all the work, and the mission tobake the best chocolate chip cookies ever just to start to thank you to theneighbours for saving me from becoming a popsicle.

Things are really shaping up at school!! I so excited about all the little projects I've got going on already.

The entire space in the basement of the school is all cleared out now. It already looks so different!! I have a big room all for dancing. This week and next, they are installing full-length mirrors and ballet bars. We are also putting a rug in one corner, along with some tables and chairs. I'll hook my computer up to some speakers, and off we go!! I'll be teaching beginners ballet at first. Later, I will begin teaching waltz for a dance we have near the end of the year. I'm also trying to figure out if I can do some kind of "zumba" class down there....I figure, worst case scenario is I'll be down there zumba-ing it up, and if kids feel inclined to learn and join, then the more the merrier!! I'll convince Lilika and Emilija to at least join me : )

I also had my first photography club meeting this week!! Only a few kids showed up, but I blame that on the fact the posters didn't get up until Friday, so a lot of kids weren't even aware of it. I have another meeting this Thursday....I have to have everything twice a week, because the school has two shifts....it's difficult having an activity that all kids can attend, so my only bet it to hold each activity twice. The shifts overlap, so I really have no other option, but that's fine. I've already had a few of my kids approach me today about the club, and I even have some kids coming from another school to join us. I'm so excited!! We will be having themes each week. Kids will have to shoot according to the theme, and then the following week we will observe and critique the work. I'll also give some techniques lessons, and I'm trying to plan monthly excursions for photo opportunities.

We also have this huge event coming up on March 22nd. It will by our school's Patron's Day, and it is being held in Kocani's Cultural Center. I designed and printed some invites this week to be sent out to the US Embassy. We are expecting an elaborate turnout!! I need to choreograph at least once dance for the event, as well as prepare the other acts that will be shown on stage. I also plan on exhibiting a lot of the kids' work from the photo club at the event. Actually, I plan on exhibiting their work all over town!! Anywho...point is, I've got a lot on my plate and a lot to look forward to. I simply prefer being busy...who doesnt?? And I NEED this right now....the winter here is just killing me, mentally.

Off topic, my friend Mary came in town last weekend for a night. We had a blast!! For lunch, we went out to the nice restaurant that overlooks the dam, just outside of Kocani. Afterwards, I was able to have some one-on-one time with Mary over some mulled wine in the center. LAter that evening, a group of us went to the Irish pub. I have to admit, the first and only other time I've been there made me unimpressed. HOWEVER, this time I simply fell in love with the place. It felt like a typically nice bar we have in the states. Mary and I got cocktails (which I NEVER get to do), and we sang along with Blink182 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was 2am by the time we made our way home, and I could not have been more satisfied. I have missed her more than I realized. I'm glad to have a piece of home here with me.

I've been talking to my mom and sister about their inevitable visit over here!! Looks like they will be coming sometime in May, which works out really well for me. The weather will be SO MUCH better, and school will be winding down a bit. They should be coming in for a week or so, which won't give us a whole lot of time, but it's something I cannot look forward to enough!! Not seeing my family for so long is harder than I'd imagined it would be...thank goodness for Skype. On the same topic of travel, I've got my old roomie from New Orleans, Chad, coming into town in June. We will be island hoping in the Greek Isles for about a week or so, and then hopefully hitting up Italy for a hot minute as well. I'm excited to finally use my location to its advantage.

That's all I've got....I'm not getting as many emails from everyone though...gotta say, I little disappointed and missing my family. Send me an email just saying hello...nothing fancy. : ) Miss ya'll

Things are really shaping up at school!! I so excited about all the little projects I've got going on already.

The entire space in the basement of the school is all cleared out now. It already looks so different!! I have a big room all for dancing. This week and next, they are installing full-length mirrors and ballet bars. We are also putting a rug in one corner, along with some tables and chairs. I'll hook my computer up to some speakers, and off we go!! I'll be teaching beginners ballet at first. Later, I will begin teaching waltz for a dance we have near the end of the year. I'm also trying to figure out if I can do some kind of "zumba" class down there....I figure, worst case scenario is I'll be down there zumba-ing it up, and if kids feel inclined to learn and join, then the more the merrier!! I'll convince Lilika and Emilija to at least join me : )

I also had my first photography club meeting this week!! Only a few kids showed up, but I blame that on the fact the posters didn't get up until Friday, so a lot of kids weren't even aware of it. I have another meeting this Thursday....I have to have everything twice a week, because the school has two shifts....it's difficult having an activity that all kids can attend, so my only bet it to hold each activity twice. The shifts overlap, so I really have no other option, but that's fine. I've already had a few of my kids approach me today about the club, and I even have some kids coming from another school to join us. I'm so excited!! We will be having themes each week. Kids will have to shoot according to the theme, and then the following week we will observe and critique the work. I'll also give some techniques lessons, and I'm trying to plan monthly excursions for photo opportunities.

We also have this huge event coming up on March 22nd. It will by our school's Patron's Day, and it is being held in Kocani's Cultural Center. I designed and printed some invites this week to be sent out to the US Embassy. We are expecting an elaborate turnout!! I need to choreograph at least once dance for the event, as well as prepare the other acts that will be shown on stage. I also plan on exhibiting a lot of the kids' work from the photo club at the event. Actually, I plan on exhibiting their work all over town!! Anywho...point is, I've got a lot on my plate and a lot to look forward to. I simply prefer being busy...who doesnt?? And I NEED this right now....the winter here is just killing me, mentally.

Off topic, my friend Mary came in town last weekend for a night. We had a blast!! For lunch, we went out to the nice restaurant that overlooks the dam, just outside of Kocani. Afterwards, I was able to have some one-on-one time with Mary over some mulled wine in the center. LAter that evening, a group of us went to the Irish pub. I have to admit, the first and only other time I've been there made me unimpressed. HOWEVER, this time I simply fell in love with the place. It felt like a typically nice bar we have in the states. Mary and I got cocktails (which I NEVER get to do), and we sang along with Blink182 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was 2am by the time we made our way home, and I could not have been more satisfied. I have missed her more than I realized. I'm glad to have a piece of home here with me.

I've been talking to my mom and sister about their inevitable visit over here!! Looks like they will be coming sometime in May, which works out really well for me. The weather will be SO MUCH better, and school will be winding down a bit. They should be coming in for a week or so, which won't give us a whole lot of time, but it's something I cannot look forward to enough!! Not seeing my family for so long is harder than I'd imagined it would be...thank goodness for Skype. On the same topic of travel, I've got my old roomie from New Orleans, Chad, coming into town in June. We will be island hoping in the Greek Isles for about a week or so, and then hopefully hitting up Italy for a hot minute as well. I'm excited to finally use my location to its advantage.

That's all I've got....I'm not getting as many emails from everyone though...gotta say, I little disappointed and missing my family. Send me an email just saying hello...nothing fancy. : ) Miss ya'll

Reading or watching television or sewing or surfing the internet. Sleep is coming later and later. Coffee during the day is more regular. Tired. Mind constantly turning or twisting. House and food and stores and toys and life. Information. Relationships. … Continue reading →

For nearly four months I have been living with two different host families, first in Kratovo                 and, then Negotino. Living out of my bags while having a room of my own in … Continue reading →

Care package from my St. Peter family!

I have been fortunate enough to have amazing parents who are willing to send me care packages, despite the kind of ridiculous cost. However, yesterday, I received what may have been the best care package yet (sorry Mom and Dad) from some amazing friends of mine. I decided as a small thank you, to film the opening of said package and the result is below. I can't say it enough, thank you, thank you, thank you to my St. Peter family! If you want to come visit, you know you're always welcome!

Amazing art project made for me by the coolest 2nd grader I know!

It's been about a week since I last updated. Things were getting to be so busy there at the end of my winter break!! Alas, it was time to go back into work this week.

My first week back at work was a good one. Monday, I went and worked with people at the school about the dance studio space. They have been working hard to get it all cleaned out since then. Hopefully, this coming week will finalize what needs to be done: install mirrors, bars, and a new floor. If the pace continues, we'll be starting dance classes the following week!! I was also able to meet up with CJ and Bill (new volunteer who just moved back to Kocani...long story) to discuss the animal facility. I think we covered a lot in regards to what we could successfully accomplish. We have a basic structure to follow, so we will be taking baby steps with this project. With the help from CJ and Bill, Im feeling optimistic.

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent teaching with Emilija. Those are her longest days where we have all first year students. Although those days are really long, I really enjoy myself in the classroom with Emilija. Her and I simply have way too much fun together. All in all, the weekend was a great way to break back into the swing of things. Hopefully, once we get the dance space rolling, I'll spend more time back in the classroom. I'll also have my photo club on Mondays and Thursdays, which Im really excited to meet the kids who want to join.

Wednesday night was a big handball match (google it) between Macedonia and Serbia. Rob and I met up with my French friend, Arnaud, one of his friends, and a new Macedonian friend of ours who is actually from Kocani, but lives in Skopje. We all went out to this nice little restaurant I hadn't been to before to watch the match. I had a lot of fun that night!! We snacked on kebabs and shopska salads while drinking some good 'ol Macedonian beer. It felt normal, which made me feel really good....often times, it's still hard to feel normal here. Afterwards, I went home and Rob stayed out to watch some soccer with the guys. I'd felt guilty with him being cooped up all week, so Im glad he was able to get out that night too!!

Let's see....other things that happened this week.....

OH, I finally got my light fixture in the kitchen fixed. We havent had light in their for a couple of weeks now, and I was able to finally get the landlord to send someone over. Lilika was over for an afternoon visit, and then she got suckered into running errands for the man. I felt so bad for her!! We also installed a hanging orange lantern. I bought it in orange, b/c the carpets are all orange, but now the lantern makes the whole room shine with an orange light, it's so funny!!

I also learned how to make the most amazing pizzas EVER. I found some pre-made pizza crust, that looked iffy, but I decided to give them a try. I put on some tomato sauce, sliced up some salami and peppers, shredded some cheese, and sprinkled some oregano on top. The toaster oven did a surprisingly good job of cooking it perfectly. We loved the pizzas so much, we made them twice more by the end of the week. NEW COMFORT FOOD FOR ME!!

All in all, the week was a good one. We've had snow non-stop for a couple days....I've never lived with so much snow and ice. We've also just hibernated with watching movies on my computer, b/c there's really nothing else to do when it's so cold outside. Highs are in the 20s, and lows are around 10. This weekend, I've got my Mary coming in town to visit from Kumanavo!! Im so excited to see her!! We havent really since each other since our swearing in ceremony in November. It should be a great weekend.

Till next time!!

Ok, you might not appreciate this much if you haven't been learning Albanian, but this is so funny and true. Mire (pronounced meer) seems to be able to control a whole conversation. This song makes me happy... hope it makes you happy, too :).

Today, nine months since returning home and ten since I last posted here, I am back in Kocani with a second chance. It is hard to believe I have been gone so long. It is even more difficult to believe that I was given this chance to complete my service. Only the good graces (and I hope the good judgement) of the country director and the staff here in Macedonia allowed this return.

I didn't write about my reasons for leaving and will not do that now. Whatever they were they are in the past and I look ahead to a bright future for the next year and eight months.

My Macedonian colleagues in the municipality gave me a warm welcome and are very happy that I decided to return. They look forward to starting our suspended English classes right away. My Peace Corp friends and the staff in Skopje have been very generous in their welcome also. Of course there are some who wonder why I was allowed to return and question the decision, but frankly I am not at all concerned with those few. No matter what organization, there are always those that think they know better than those making the decisions.

My outlook this time has changed . I see my assignment differently, the local people differently and I my understanding of what defines successful service has also evolved.

So, this re-entry into the blogging world is short and sweet but I look forward to chronicling many good and hopefully interesting events in the weeks and months to come.

If I had internet, this would have been my blog post foryesterday (Wednesday).

It snowed. A lot. It is supposed tocontinue snowing. A lot.

I went to the gradinka(Preschool/Kindergarten) for the first time today. Kids were full of energy anddidn’t listen very well.

Hung out at coffee bar withMacedonian males for first time. Talked a lot of economics and politics.

Got puked on by a kid. Landladywashed clothes.

Discovered my Discovery Channel isback. All is good again.

However, lucky for you I didn’t have internet because thatwould have been kind of a downer of a post. Instead, I will say the same thingonly I will stretch my thoughts/sentences, which will make it, in the words of Andres,“podobro”.

Everything I said about no snow,forget it. I have snow, lots of snow. It started Tuesday night and is stillgoing strong now. It is supposed to continue snowing with big, heavy, flakesuntil Friday morning. The total for today was about a foot and it made walkingup and down my hill to my house a little tricky. This morning I wasn’t sure ifit would be icy so I pulled out the lovely Yak-Traks Peace Corps gave me afterthey saw my walk. I was laughed at my one lady because I looked funny wearingsnow boots with Yak-Traks, my coat, hat, scarf, and gloves (I should point outthat if I had been in Minnesota, I would have fit right in, no one would havenoticed me wearing anything out of the ordinary. The Macedonians here don’tprepare for the outdoors quite the same).

Today was my first day at theGradinka (Preschool/Kindergarten). I will be there once a week working with thelady who teaches English to some of the children there. It was fun to see thekids because they remind me of my preschoolers back in St. Peter. Most of thekids didn’t really listen today and just sort of ran about not paying attentionto anything. My counterpart was flustered by their squirreliness. I told herkids are the same everywhere and I have had many days where my little ones justwouldn’t listen, especially when you factor in today was their third day backsince the holidays and it was snowing like crazy. Those two factors, plus thefact there was a visitor are a recipe for disaster.

After our classes at the Gradinka,my counterpart asked me if I would like to go to one of the coffee bars withher, her boyfriend, and one of his friends. I said sure as I had nothing goingon and here was a chance to hang out with people my own age. On the way westopped to pick up a little girl who has private English lessons with mycounterpart. She is 6 and is really shy, but she was pretty cute. We get to thecoffee bar, sit down, order drinks and about two minutes after our drinks come,the little girl gets sick. She starts coughing and then puking and I quickscoot my chair out of the way so the teacher can get her to the bathroom. Nope,the teacher asks for napkins and the kid keeps puking. Sweet. After getting hersomewhat cleaned up, they leave (thank goodness). I am left with the boyfriendand his friend. Luckily the boyfriend speaks pretty good English (despitesaying he doesn’t) and the friend understands everything I say even if he can’tspeak much back. This was the first time since Lozovo I have actually hung outwith Macedonian males and I didn’t have to worry about them thinking it wasanything more than just having coffee (or actually tea and juice as no coffeewas ordered). We talked a lot about politics (kind of a taboo subject for PCVsto get involved in, however I did very little of the talking and made it clearI can not express my opinion on anything related to Macedonian politics- PeaceCorps rules). Hopefully I will be able to hang out more with them and theirfriends because it was nice being around people my own age.

I noticed a little kid puke on my pantsand boots and wasn’t sure if she had gotten any on my coat or anywhere else. Itwas only a little, but those of you who know me, know I don’t do puke in anyshape, form, etc. However, since I was with new people I had to keep my freakout on the inside. *Side note, as soon as I got home I ripped off my clothes inmy doorway, threw them in a bag, and brought them down to my landlady to washin her machine. There was no way I was hand washing those puppies. Oh andbecause I feel like someone (i.e. my father) would make a joke here if I don’tspecify, I did put on other clothing before going down to my landlady’s, noworries there.

At least the night ended on a goodnote. When I came home from Vevchani/Veles, I noticed I had lost my DiscoveryChannel on TV. I don’t watch a lot of TV here, in fact, you might be thinking,wait you’re a PCV and you have a TV? I have two actually and my landlord paysfor the TV service, and was so confused when I hadn’t used the TVs within thefirst month, so I tried it out one night and discovered I had DiscoveryChannel- Its good background noise when I am cooking or just need an Englishbreak. However, without Discovery Channel, I have had to resort to old fishingshows or shows about WWII (while WWII is interesting, you can only watch somuch about Hitler and Mengele before getting kind of depressed). I also feelthe need to mention that I have maybe 20 channels and within those, I havechannels in Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbian, German, Italian, and English, so ifI get sick of one language, I can switch to another. Best part is DiscoveryChannel came back today and Wednesday nights are when my current favouriteshow, Border Security, is on. There are two versions, Australia and USA and itfeatures the many different agencies that control the borders of the twocountries. Yes, it is kinda trashy TV and there definitely are some ratherracist moments in each episode, but its still better than the soap operas thatare popular here, right? Debatable I know. However, the episode tonightfeatured Roseau, Minnesota (pronounced on the show as Row-so) and the peoplewho sneak between the U.S./ Canada border during the winter when the lakes arefrozen. Ah, the accents- it makesme feel at home! Clearly that is a sign I was meant to watch this show insteadof na gosti-ing the neighbours tonight.

Did You Know…. About 400semi-trucks full of garbage come in from Canada to Michigan every day and someborder control agents have the job of searching through the garbage.

One of my sophomore Macedonian high school students at the music school I teach at... Why am I teaching English!! Not that we haven't have some huge challenges here, but this might be part of the reason some call Eastern Europe Peace Corps "Posh Corps" :) Check it out.

The end of the holiday season is finally upon us. The best holiday is Orthodox New Year, which occurs on January 14th. Every year, on the 13th and 14th, Vevcani (Vevchani), a smallish village in western Macedonia, hosts a celebration where participants dress in costume and parade around town. These participants go to various people's houses. The people invite them in and everybody has a drink. The costumes are insanely involved too. One person dressed as Gaddafi, while his friends dressed as soldiers, one group of men who we followed around for a while dressed as trees, and there were other costumes as well. As you can see here, the group is a colorful lot. In this vain, it's like the Mummers in Philly, but with less drinking.

Some more people in costume.

To add to the ambiance, the day before, it snowed in Vevcani and it was like the snowball-type snow, too. So, while we were following the parade around, a snowball fight broke out, first between the other volunteers, but then, some Macedonian youths jumped in and for a while it was Americans vs. Macedonians.

Every ten minutes or so, we went into another house and got a drink. I think I had somewhere between 8-10 shots of rakija on the day. The other trick about Vevcani is its in the mountains and there is no flat land. Wherever you walk, you're either going up a hill or down one. From the snow and the cold, the streets all iced over (and in Macedonia, they don't salt the roads - people are just careful). I think everybody slipped and fell at least a half-dozen times on the day. It truly was dangerous going (and a volunteer broke his arm, too).

This is a view of a mountain from the base of Vevcani.

That's pretty much all there is to report. I still don't do much at work and am just getting over a cold.

Twas the weekend of Old New Year and allthrough the country, PCVs headed to Vevchani to see all the fun-try.

Some wore masks, the others noses, we tookmany pictures with hundreds of poses. Anna and LyncAmy, Lync, Misi, Jorgi, Claire, and AndresThousands were there to see such a sight,the US Ambassador even came in for the night.

The parade began with quite a big bang,there would be plenty of time to see the whole gang.Cody and StephenCameras came out and snapped a few shots, wemanaged to capture quite a lot. Austin was brave enough to let Slave up onto his shoulders.The costumes were wild and some a littlecrude, one might even say some were a bit lewd. Cody made a new friend

We saw cacti and walruses, Hitler and HonestAbe, there were men dressed as women and one special babe.

Dead animals were flung along with somepoop, despite the chaos the PCVs stayed a group.

Obama appeared and let out a yell, to Phebehe called, “my wife Michelle”!

Thomas Jefferson strolled around and appleswaddled by, there were warriors and fake blood and I can’t forget the eye.

The parade may have ended, but the night wasstill young, there was oro to dance and songs to be sung.

Julie was lost, but only for a bit, she hadwandered off to find somewhere to sit.

We danced and we laughed, we had Chris's game to play, the night ended with cupcakes and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Claire, Andres, Shannon, and AnnaCupcakes for Claire's BirthdayKapa and KlepWe awoke in the morning to much snow andice, another day in Vevchani surewould be nice. While wandering the village a snowball fightwas had, against the local children the PCVs beat them bad.

Our fingers and toes were growing cold, butalong came a table and sat down in the road.

A topla rakija to drink then off we go, wefollow the locals to where we don’t know.

The trees beckoned to us to follow themquick, we didn’t fall down despite the ground being slick. Rob and MorganThe Trees had to help push a car up the road when it got stuck.

We were invited in by the local residents,we sat down and ate with our former presidents.

We posed for a picture with a double, of ourCountry Director let’s hope we don’t get in trouble. This man shared some similarities to our Country Director here, so we had to take a picture!After much food and drink we headed uphill,to the center we went to see the new thrill. Not sure what these men were dressed up as, but Amy and I got a picture with them.My new friendThe costumes were burning but the fire waslow, people were focused on dancing the Oro. Dancing the Oro with our friends, the trees.

Team Lozovo escaped for an afternoon walk,we went up the hill to have a family talk. Amy, Anders, Sara, ClaireWe took family photos and watched childrensled, we grew hungry and tired and wanted a bed. Claire, Sara, Andres, Amy, Anna, ShannonAs typical, we had to take a few entertaining photos too.

Who wouldn't want to go sledding when they have bright pink hair!

With our stomachs grumbling with hunger thatnight, we set out to find a food delight.

Everything was closed all around town, mysmile quickly turned into a frown.

A nice man emerged from a slava party, heopened his shop to cook us something hearty.

Full and happy we went to the hotel to bed,with visions of Vevchani stuck in our head.

In the morning we woke to hear some news, atale of a victim now with Vevchani blues.

There were devils and skulls, burningcaskets and trees, but one mighty man was brought to his knees.

With one wrong step on the ice it was easyto slip, down Lync went, it was more than a rip.

A ride to Skopje, a prognosis made, toAmerica Lync went with Boris to aid.

So ends our tale of Vevchani dear, next yearwe shall go back with only ice to fear.

Some of my fellow volunteers came up with the idea of going to Belgrade to celebrate the New Years. Celebrating New Years in Belgrade is like celebrating in New York, the biggest there is over here. Since we only get two vacation days a month, and most of us want to spend the majority of our days on bigger trips, we decided to do Belgrade in a day. We left Macedonia on the morning of the 31st and arrived in Belgrade around 2pm. As it gets dark here around four, we wanted to see some of the sites of the city.

The group, minus the one behind the camera, just off the bus and ready to explore the city.

We walked up to the old fortress and explored around there until it started to get dark.

This was the first sign that we were all getting hungry. So we decided that the next stop had to be Pizza Hut!!! We had to ask the workers at KFC for directions, but we finally found it. There are no pictures since we were all too busy enjoying the familiarity of good pizza. With our bellies full it was off to the center. They had a huge stage set-up and a concert going with popular Balkan artists. As you can see, there were tons of people, but the area was big enough that we were not all pushed up against each other, there was still room to breath.

Excited to ring in the New Year in Belgrade.

Let the countdown begin!!!!

Happy New Year!!!! We bought a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate.

After we explored the city, we looked for a night club that was not going to charge us poor volunteers an expensive cover charge to come in for a few hours. We ended up finding this small bar where a private party was being held; and when they heard we were volunteers from America, they invited us in to celebrate with them. We stayed until 4am and then went looking for some food. We ended up finding a pizza place that was still open and then it was off to the bus station.There was barely a place to sit, so we all made ourselves comfortable on the floor. A few of us, mainly the boys, fell asleep as we waited for our bus to come at 7am. We then slept on the bus; and when we woke up, we were back in Macedonia. The first thing we all did was contact our Safety Officer because we knew he was worried since we were planning on staying out all night. Before we left, he send us emails and a text message tell us to be careful and have fun. After fully recovering and catching up on sleep, I can now honestly say that it was the most memorable New Years I have ever had.