We have experienced some amazing events these last few months and thought we'd share some photos with all of you.

Bajram - This is the Muslim holiday signifying the end of Ramazan. We celebrated by visiting 7 houses, eating tons of sweets at each stop.

Arrival of new Peace Corps Volunteers - We were both selected as trainers for the new group of Volunteers that arrived in September. We joined the local language teachers and Peace Corps staff at the airport in welcoming the PCVs to Macedonia.

Babina (baby shower) - Our friends Hyrije and Amir recently had a little boy. Only women are invited to the baby shower and I was happy to go along! The party is huge with dancing (to super loud music) and eating all night long.

Lake Matka - We finally made it out to this beautiful area where we took a short boat ride and went inside a cave. Lake Matka has a world-class caving system however only certified divers can access most of them as they are underwater.

Bektashi Tekke - I don't think we've ever posted anything about the Tekke here in town, but it is an interesting place to visit and we know the people there well. The Tekke is somewhat akin to a monestary but for the Bektashi sect of Islam.

Treskavec Monastery - We've been meaning to hike up to this monastery for a long time now and we're so happy we finally got the chance. This 12 century monastery in the hills above Prilep is beautiful and sits up in the middle of some amazing rock formations. Only one monk lives there however at one time it was inhabited by hundreds. Visitors are invited to hike up and stay for free. The Monastery can be seen in the movie "Before the Rain" directed by Milčo Mančevski, Macedonian's most famous film director and screenwriter.

Gathering Chestnuts - Fall is the season for chestnuts and one can buy them roasted from street vendors across Macedonia. Our friends Teuta, Rexhep and Genta invited us out to their village to gather some to take home. Unfortunately Conor couldn't come along, but another Volunteer, Kerry, took his place.

Halloween - The Friday before Halloween we worked in Kumanovo with the new Volunteers, where we dressed up as "Tush Bags". (Tus (pronounced "tush") is a supermarket.) We then held two Halloween parties at the American Corner in Tetovo. Because Halloween was on a Sunday this year and I was gone the Friday prior I had planned on not having a party in Tearce at the school. Well, this idea didn't go over so well as all the students were begging me to throw a party. So, this past Friday we held two different parties and the kids were jumping with joy. :)

A little over a month ago we experienced one of our most memorable days in Macedonia. Kavadarci, a town located near the center of the country, holds a yearly wine festival called Grozdeber. This year we decided to partake in the festivities and enjoyed taste-testing wine and cheese throughout the evening Friday. As we were with a group of American Peace Corps Volunteers naturally we stood out and at one stand we began conversing with the manager of one of Macedonia's largest wine producing companies, Tikves. Tikves Winery is located in Kavadarci, so the owner invited us to accompany him to one of the vineyards the following day to pick grapes. Of course we couldn't say no to this incredible opportunity, so Saturday morning Conor, our friend Rene and I met the manager, Gligorco, at the winery. He instructed us to each pick out a bottle of wine to take with us, making sure we chose the finest they had to offer. At this point we all thought to ourselves, "but how will we pay for all of this with only 500 denars ($10)?" It was decided we would have to ask to stop at an ATM on our way back through town.

After stopping by a market to purchase chicken, bread and other lunch items, we drove the 30 kilometers to the vineyard, situated in a remote, beautiful location with rolling hills as far as the eye can see. We were served coffee and given overalls and a jacket (mostly due to the fact that we were cold...imagine that) to wear before heading out to work. Rene and I spent the next hour and a half cutting grapes while Conor helped load cartons onto the trailer and truck. (We didn't quite master the business however as at one point Rene and I cut a whole vine of the wrong grapes...)

Our host summoned us to return after we had finished cutting our row of grapes, giving us a brief tour of the land before showing us the garden. Here we were instructed how to correctly pick a plethora of herbs and vegetables, tasting as we went. We discussed the "slow food" movement while carefully selecting fresh basil, oregano, mint, thyme, chives, radishes, peppers, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. After washing them all in the outside "cheshma" we prepared six different delicious salads. These were accompanied by three different types of rakija - a local type of brandy. Little did we know while we were working the employees at the vineyard had prepared a huge lunch for us with chicken, potatoes and spices, which we ate while thoroughly enjoying our three bottles of wine.

We finished up our amazing meal and thought it was about time to head back into town when we were led behind the house, where our grapes were waiting --- ready to be stomped. The previous night I had mentioned my lasting desire to stomp grapes, which apparently was remembered. After pouring our grapes into a tall, plastic barrel, Rene and I took our turn each climbing in and stomping away. We were each sent home with a large 5 gallon bottle of grape juice, yeast, sugar and instructions on how to make our own wine (which is currently fermenting). We were driven back into town, dropped off in the center, and not asked for a single dime!

Our day continued with a festive parade, at which we met a friend (Boris) of another PCV. We had been invited to attend a wine-tasting at his house that was held earlier in the day -- which we missed due to the aforementioned activities. He understood and graciously invited us to a dinner he was hosting with municipal delegations from Serbia and Poland. We spent the following couple of hours eating delicious food and drinking high-quality, home-made wine, which again was free! This day just gives a glimpse into the hospitality of the Macedonian people. Guests are highly valued and shown amazing respect. Much thanks to Boris, Gligorco and Tikves Winery -- which we will forever praise!

Sometimes as I sit and contemplate my day I realize how adapted I am to the way of life here in that so many things that used to be so "different" and interesting now only seem normal. In realizing this, I thought it might be interesting for all of you at home to read a little about a pretty typical couple of days in my life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in western Macedonia:

Yesterday morning the sun shone brightly as Conor and I headed out the door for a 45 minute walk to a school on the other end of town. We have been working with our Club GLOW girls on an environmental awareness project, Think Green Tetovo, for months and this was finally the day everything would begin. Two teams of four girls each -- mixed ethnic-wise -- were to spend the morning in the elementary school doing presentations for grades 5 - 8 (another two teams were to present in the afternoon to the lower grades). We zig-zagged our way through town, walking on the sidewalk when there was one - and when cars weren't parked on it, obstructing the way. Students were running around the hallways as we entered the school, however no teacher was to be seen. After questioning the students if they knew where the group of high school girls were and receiving many confused looks, we asked them to show us to the teachers' lounge. Three female teachers were inside taking their breaks and one just happened to be a former student from my adult English course! Unfortunately she was unable to attend the course often and therefore has very limited English abilities, so we had to rely on our Albanian skills to explain that we were in search of the group of high school girls who were supposed to be presenting at that moment somewhere in the school. This teacher friend of mine asked us to sit and wait a moment while she summoned the principal. She returned and we chatted a while until finally, after about fifteen minutes, I repeated, "It's really no problem for us go into the classroom and meet the girls ourselves. We just need to know which classroom they are in." She then said, "Well, see Kacey, our school is very large and we have many girls. The director is coming so you can tell him which girls you want for your project and then we can get them all together for you to meet with them." "No, no!" I said. "We already have the girls...and they should be implementing the project as we speak!" At that very moment the principal walked in and after a brief meeting in his office we were informed that our Club GLOW girls were sent home because the school had set up new computers in all the classrooms over the weekend and there was no room to do presentations being that boxes and materials were strewn all over the school. (**The Macedonian Government implemented a new project year called, "One Computer for Every Child"....this is another issue in itself.) The director seemed a little worried and wanted to make sure we weren't too upset, but we assured him everything was okay and that we would come again tomorrow. As we walked back toward the center of town, Conor started chuckling and commented that we had just walked into a random school, were offered any and all of the students we wanted (without ever indicating what for), discovered that our schedule and a project we'd been working on for months was shot on the very first day, and took it all in stride as we headed off for our respective work sites. Just a day in the life . . .

And now we come to today. Again the sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning as Conor and I departed for the same elementary school. (Note that I did call one of the girls before leaving just to make sure they were there.) Forty-five minutes later we reached the school and encountered the principal upon arrival. He quickly led us to the classroom the girls were presenting in and we spent the rest of the morning watching their presentations. I have to say, they were amazing, and the students were so interested!!

The presentations finished mid-morning and once again Conor headed off to the municipality and I walked to the other end of town (about a 50 minute walk) to catch a combi to Tearce. As we drove along, swerving around tractors pulling carts full of hay and vegetables, and often being three abreast on the road, we picked up several people waiting along the side of the road. An elderly Albanian man got on at one point and was very grateful for the empty seat next to me. (*Often the combis fill up quickly and although there are no remaining seats, the driver will continue to pick up passengers who stand, kneel, crouch, or sometimes sit on step-stools placed in the rear, behind the back seat.) As we continued, the man and I conversed a little in Albanian and we both got dropped off at Tearce on the main road at the bottom of the hill. I walked up the only road into the village, greeting adults and children along the way-- and receiving many greetings from students yelling from their homes or gardens. I soon ran into a Macedonian teacher from the school who likes to show off his language abilities to me by changing from Macedonian to Albanian to Turkish. We talked for a bit and I then continued on my way, only to shortly thereafter meet a Turkish teacher walking along the road. My Turkish is very limited and she seemed to be in a hurry, so I simply greeted her and continued to the school. Upon arrival I was bombarded with hugs, hellos and how are yous which always makes one feel liked and wanted.

I spent several hours at the school, however at this point the schedule is still being created so the classes are not run like normal. I left early in hopes of getting back to Tetovo in time to see at least one of the afternoon presentations that the GLOW girls had prepared for the younger students. I followed my same path, quickly walking down the hill to the main road, only to hear, "America!" as I passed by a combi that was parked on the side of the road. The driver was inside just getting ready to leave for town so I hopped in the front seat. After a short conversation in Macedonian he anxiously popped in a CD and happily pronounced, "Amerikanski musik!!" We continued on our way to Tetovo with hip-hop blaring and Mirko, the driver, dancing and hand-jiving to the tunes.

He dropped me off in the center and I once again made my way to the school on the other end of town. I arrived to a yard full of children attentively watching as puppets one-by-one popped up into view. Conor beat me there and had attended their previous performance as well, which he said went very smoothly. I felt so proud at that moment watching these young women stand up and make a difference in their community!

As Conor and I again walked the 45 minutes home we commented on how busy our day seemed, running this way and that, surprises around every corner. I guess that's what makes this job so unique.

As stated in a previous post, this summer has been jam-packed for us, with most of our time spent working various camps. To begin, our good friend Alek has dreamed for many years of organizing an American-style summer camp here in Macedonia and last year he asked Conor for help in making it a reality. After much planning and hard work, his dream came true! At the end of June seven teachers from Wisconsin (where Alek attended one year of university) arrived to implement a three week long English day-camp for students ages 9 to 16. WIESCO, the Wisconsin International Educational Scientific Cultural Organization, was formed in 1994 and holds summer camps like this in Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. This year was their first time in Macedonia however, so we were honored to have them! The seven teachers that taught here are amazing people with such interesting backgrounds. A huge thank you goes out to Don, Martha, Barb, Marian, Marilyn, Fred and Becky on behalf of Tetovo for volunteering their and money to give the students here an experience they won't forget!

We even went wine tasting together!

In the middle of the WIESCO camp, I departed for Mavrovo National Park for Camp GLOW, Girls Leading Our World. As I'm sure you can tell from previous posts and emails, GLOW is one of my favorite activities here and one I find extremely important. It's a life-changing experience for many of the girls that attend Camp, as well as for counselors like myself. After working Camp GLOW last year I helped eight high school girls from the Tetovo area form Club GLOW, which meets every second week. This year three of 'my' girls were asked back to Camp to work as counselors, which is a great honor for them. So, with suitcases full of clothes and snacks, the girls and I headed to Camp. We attended a three-day-long counselor training prior to the arrival of the campers, after which we had hardly a minute of alone time, going non-stop from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm. Eighty girls from across Macedonia attend Camp each year, with the make-up ethnically the same percentage-wise as Macedonia. This year I was assigned to teach four lessons (four times in a row each) to the campers, which were: Team-Building - Corral, Diversity Appreciation, Singing and Forming a Club GLOW in Your Own Community. Two people are assigned to teach each class, one being a Peace Corps Volunteer and the other a Macedonian national. These girls are all counselors and have attended Camp GLOW previous years. As Peace Corps Volunteers, our goal is to provide support by playing a secondary role to the host-country national as she teaches. This is the same for the counselor groups. Each group of girls is assigned two counselors -- one PCV and the other a Macedonian. This year I worked with Jasna, a truly amazing young woman who attended Camp two years ago. I was so impressed with her leadership ability. She is a natural teacher and incredibly responsible; as her co-counselor I rarely played the role of instructor!

Waiting for the campers to arrive

This year Camp GLOW was especially memorable as we were honored by the visit of the Peace Corps worldwide director, Mr. Aaron Williams, along with the deputy director, Carrie Hessler-Radelet, and other Peace Corps Washington staff. They were attending a directors conference for the Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia region that was held in Macedonia, and asked specifically to see Camp GLOW. As you can see from a previous posting, GLOW made such an impression on Mr. Williams that he wrote about it on the White House website! If you haven't seen it yet, click here. You can also click on a link at the bottom of the article to see a video of Camp GLOW, however I'll also give you a link here.

Director Aaron Williams addressing the girls

I left Camp GLOW this year feeling as empowered as ever to make change and have an impact on the world around me. The goal of Camp GLOW is, "to develop the inherent potential found in the young women of Macedonia by providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary to become active leaders in their communities" and I know it did just that for so many girls, as well as for PCVs like myself.

First day of Camp Tetovo girls

Finally, our summer camps concluded with a boys leadership camp at the same site in Mavrovo, beginning only a week after Camp GLOW. This year both Conor and I had the opportunity to work, Conor as a counselor and myself as an instructor for the 'leadership' classes. Roughly 70 boys from around Macedonia attended camp and received instruction in civil society, leadership, teamwork, outdoors, personal development, sports and creative expression. Again, the camp was mixed ethnically, however this camp had an even greater focus on minority groups in the country such as Albanians and Roma. A unique aspect to boys camp was that each night one camper group had the opportunity to camp outdoors with a group from the YMCA from Kent, England. Three employees and four 18 to 24 year-olds that live at the YMCA due to various reasons (homelessness, broken backgrounds, etc.) made the trip to Macedonia to work at boys camp and provide training on camping and the outdoors. They even brought archery equipment with them and trained the boys -- and PCVs! I even hit two bull's-eyes!

Conor and his camper group I represented my team in the duck race

We had some great boys from the Tetovo area come to camp this year, and one is particularly special to us. Florijan was my student in Tearce our first year here, and he showed great leadership potential even in primary school as he was involved in the student council and other after-school activities. This was an opportunity of a lifetime for him and he constantly expressed his gratitude throughout the camp to both Conor and me. I was especially touched when he thanked me and said that without us coming here and working in his village he'd never have this chance to attend camp and grow as a leader. My eyes teared up as he told us he's never had anyone care about him so much. This comment in itself demonstrates to me the value of Peace Corps and our role here. Although we may not be building hospitals or digging wells, we are impacting the lives of others and helping to develop capable, knowledgeable future leaders of Macedonia.Us with Florjian

Last November I posted on our blog about a new found appreciation for and interest in futbol (soccer). Well, two weeks ago, I was formally baptized into that world of European futbol. Submerged in a wave of pure ethnic hatred I witnessed my neighbors scream vitriolic hate-filled slander at one another; I watched riot police storm onto the playing field as fights broke out all around and as rocks, bottles, and whatever else was accessible came hurling from all directions, in all directions; I experienced the stench and burn of tear gas as it consumed the crowd; and perhaps worst of all, or most fittingly, I left a game that was suspended/called mid-way through the second half still tied 0-0. Yes, a 0-0 draw that ended in a riot – I have indeed been baptized into European futbol.

Tetovo’s main Albanian futbol team played Tetovo’s Macedonian futbol team. Including the game two weeks ago, five of the last six times these two teams have played the games have ended in violence. I went to the game with our good friend Ronan and his colleague, both of whom work for the Office for Security and Cooperation in Europe. They were assigned to go the game in order to observe and report. Prior to the game Ronan flat out stated that this was not one for Kacey. Had she gone, and this is not an exaggeration, she would have been the only female in the crowd of 6,000.

Of the 4-5,000 people the police were expecting over 900 were known troublemakers. 6,000 showed up. The key to understanding the chaos that ensued is to realize the fan clubs and men who go to the games go not for the game itself. In fact, they could care less about the game, other than to make sure their team doesn’t lose. They attend in order to out-do the other team’s fans, to participate in the group activity and see how much disruption they can cause, and to partake in the debauchery of hurling ethnic and hate-filled screams in a way they are unable to do in everyday life.

The first aspect of the crowd to stand out was their organization and coordination. The “fan clubs” for each team sat behind the goals. I’ve benefited from (Washington Griz stadium), been hindered by (McNeese St.), partaken in (Carroll), and witnessed huge crowds (Seahawks – 80,0000). Moreover, I’ve watched on TV and seen crowds that pride themselves in their ability. What I’ve never seen is a crowd as organized, disciplined, and coordinated as the Albanian fan club two weeks ago. Two leaders stood atop the fence separating the crowd from the field and goal below. Upon their cue the entire cheering section would break into instantaneous and choreographed cheers. On the drop a hat they would all simultaneously switch. Not only were they loud in their screams, their motions, arm movements, and different claps were choreographed. It was like watching a crowd out of a movie, the entire student section in sync.

During introductions the Albanian crowd counted down from ten. Then with precision any drill sergeant would be proud of the fans un-rolled and presented their team and fan section banner – it covered the entire section – it was huge.

The joy of the crowd and their main purpose and point was to seek pleasure in out-doing the other team’s fans. The crowd breakdown was roughly 80% Albanian, 20% Macedonian, as would be expected as that is the rough proportional breakdown of Tetovo in general. Throughout the first half the opposing goal keepers had the unfortunate position of standing within yards of the hostile fan sections. Each goal keeper had to not only keep a keen eye on the ball and the play, but also had to stay alert for large firecrackers, perhaps better described as small explosives, that were constantly tossed in their direction. Cheers would go back and forth, each section trying, although the Albanians by virtue of their numbers and organization more often succeeding, to drown out other section’s cheers. This continued, although with increased vitriol in the second half.

The cheers escalated throughout the match, but were never the benign “we’ve got spirit yes we do” cheers. In fact, they make signs like “Chaet likes boys” and chants like “eat shit Grizzlies” look soft and cuddly. One of the highlights, if you can it that (that I will/am able to write), includes one half of the Albanian fans yelling “Toshe” and the other half following up with “was gay.” It is hard to put this into perspective, but Toshe was the Macedonian pop star who died tragically in a car accident nearly three years ago – he is revered as a saint and demigod throughout Macedonia. His grave is literally a mini-Graceland and Macedonians make pilgrimages to the site. Taken into perspective with the fact that there are no gays in Macedonia (don’t believe me? Just ask someone), this cut to the quick of the Macedonians. When we related this story to other PCVs they were scandalized and could not fathom that people in this country would yell such a thing. Lots of cheers included profane language and reference to body parts and family members.

Then, in the middle of play without prior warning, a shower of toilet paper and flares came raining down on the field. The scene was incredible – the entire Albanian fan section on the same cue unleashed their barrage – the rainbows of white and the glare of red torches was impressive! The game had to be stopped for nearly 10 minutes to clean it all up and clear the pitch. The Albanian fans took great delight in having caused this disruption. It also ratcheted up the intensity of the cheers and raised the ante for the Macedonians.

A few minutes after the resumption of play the Macedonian section burst into action – it was obvious they were trying to do something. It appeared they were going to try and unfurl banners of their own. However, they botched it, much to the delight of the other 80% of fans who started chanting: “That was ridiculous, that was . . . “ (remember the military precision with which the Albanians had unfurled their banners and with which they executed cheers throughout the game). Hahaha, that was indeed pretty funny. With their pride hurt but steadfast in their goal, the Macedonians made a second attempt, but again, they screwed up and the banners remained twisted jumbles. This time the Albanian crowd responded with: “Learn from us you f#@!ing peasants! Learn from . . . “ Calling a person a peasant is an insult sure to elicit a quick response.

At this point the Macedonians succeeded on their third attempt and presented their banners to the crowd along with every middle finger in their section. One banner, several meters long, read “Death to Albanians” – but Albanians in an extremely derogatory way, much like using the “n” word. The insult was returned in-kind. A few seconds later the Macedonian crowd began scrambling up the stands and lining up along the top of the stands with their heads in their shirts leaning out over the back side of the stadium. Two plumes of smoke were rising from the first row of their section and blowing back into the Macedonians. Pretty soon it became apparent that the smoke was not from the torches or flares periodically set-off during the match, but tear gas.

At the unfurling of the “Death to Albanians” banner a few hooligans hell-bent on avenging the insult leapt on the field and ran toward the Macedonian section. A few Macedonians returned the invitation and small skirmishes broke out on the playing field. Another tear gas canister was posited smack dab in the middle of the playing field. A small minority of attendees began throwing rocks at this point. Police were escorting some of the Macedonians out of the stands. Then, with attention distracted, a lone Albanian youth began tearing down the Macedonian fans club banner (Blue and white “BOJ. . .” sign in the picture) and running away. A large cheer went up among the crowd. The Macedonian fan club realized what was going on and some thug looking guys, clubs and sticks in hand and shirts around their faces, jumped onto the pitch and went after the Albanian. All hell broke loose. People jumped from the stands in all directions and for a moment it looked like it was going to escalate to a point beyond seriousness. To the rescue the riot police in full riot gear stormed in from their previously hidden spot below the stadium and were actually pretty good at preventing pure mayhem and blood spilling on the field. Yet, with the lid blown off, rocks, bottles, and every other type of garbage and loose debris available was put to use as a projectile. A deafening cheer of “OO – CHH – KK” (UCK) enveloped the entire area. The UCK was/is the “National Liberation Army” of Albanians that fought in Kosovo in 1998 and in Macedonia in 2001. Concurrently, the winds shifted and the tear gas that had been affecting mainly the Macedonian fan section engulfed the rest of the crowd. It was not pleasant.

Small skirmishes continued as fighters played cat and mouse games with the police. Everyone was on edge and the situation was pretty dicey, although it appeared that the worst of it had passed. The game was called at this point, still tied 0-0. The danger then became riots, mobs, fights, and fans outside of the stadium. Because Ronan and his colleague were working, we stayed for a while while they “monitored” the situation. The police kept the Macedonians inside the stadium while they cleared all of the Albanians. Police and soldiers were everywhere. Once most of the Albanians had been sent away the police escorted the Macedonians out of the stadium. The threat of a riot and looting was still high, but none came to pass.

Quite simply, the game was the single greatest sporting event I have ever been to. It was not exciting in the way the NCAA basketball tournaments are and it was not as much fun as watching Caitlin run. Nor was it as important as watching Seamus in Tennessee – what it was was a window into something that can only be experienced to be understood. The game allowed me to come to a fuller understanding of futbol and European futbol in particular, the historic role futbol fan clubs have played, the Balkans in general and this country and specifically this community of Tetovo that Kacey and I call home.

Futbol hooliganism has a long history, and here in the Balkans an important history. It was from the fan clubs of futbol teams that paramilitary groups were organized during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Arkan’s Tigers, the most notorious paramilitaries and the true scum of the earth were the men and boys from Red Star Belgrade’s fan club. Likewise, Croatian Ushtashe paramilitary groups formed from the fan clubs in their country. One of the initial sparks to the powder keg was a riot between Red Star Belgrade fans and fans from a club in Zagreb, Croatia. To witness, albeit on a much smaller scale, this type of debauchery was phenomenal. To watch my neighbors drunk on pure ethnic hatred was fascinating. The manifestation of ethnic hatred was ugly – no redeeming qualities of the human species were on display that day. And with that 0-0 game called due to an ethnic riot, I was baptized into the world of futbol.

Click Here For Youtube Slideshow

Our summer has been completely full and just now are we finally getting a chance to relax a little and update our blog. To begin, we left Macedonia just after the school year finished and had an amazing 16 day vacation, beginning in Thessaloniki, Greece for a day and then heading to Cairo, Egypt where we met Conor's mom before venturing to Jordan and Israel as well. Our good friend and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer also joined us. We saw so many amazing sites and have too many great stories to include in one small post, so I'll try give a brief overview of each day:

*Saturday, June 12: Thessaloniki; stayed with our new good friend from Couchsurfing, Maria!!

*Sunday, June 13: Flew to Cairo; explored a bit before meeting Casey at the airport at 3:00 am.

*Monday, June 14: Egyptian Museum & downtown Cairo at night; watched a soccer match from the middle of a street that was projected on the wall of a cafe.

*Tuesday, June 15: Pyramids -- visited on camels and were able to go inside a small pyramid -- & papyrus 'museum' (unfortunately Casey had a little accident at the pyramids with her "B"ucking camel named Moses. She was such a trooper and we're so happy to hear everything's feeling well again.)

*Wednesday, June 16: Coptic Cairo -- saw where Moses was said to have been found in the basket, the cave where the Holy Family hid from Harod, St. Stephen's chains; toured a beautiful mosque that is the second oldest university/learning center in the world; walked through the maze of streets in the bazaar; almost died from heat exhaustion.

*Thursday, June 17: Took a train to Alexandria where we visited the Library of Alexandria.

*Friday, June 18: Watched a hotel burn; toured the Qaitbey Fortress that stands on the site of, and contains marble used to build, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, an original Wonder of the World; saw the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa; returned to Cairo by train.

*Saturday, June 19: Left at 5:30 am on a bus traveling to Taba; entered into Israel and took a 10 minute taxi ride to the Jordan border crossing. After almost getting shot by a soldier on a watchtower while walking down a road trying to find the "appropriate" taxi, and after getting two cab drivers arrested, we traveled 2 hours to Wadi Musa and our beautiful hotel. (Wadi Musa is the site of Moses' spring.)

*Sunday June 20: Spent the entire day exploring Petra -- a must see!! (We met a Peace Corps Volunteer serving just outside Petra on our van-ride!)

*Monday, June 21: Met another PCV on our bus-ride to Amman; hopped in a taxi that took us to the Israel border crossing at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge. Conor and I were targeted as terrorists and were searched (I barely got out of a full-body search!) before crossing into Israel and taking a van to Jerusalem. Once in Jerusalem we went downtown and enjoyed a great meal to celebrate Conor's birthday!

*Tuesday, June 22: Walked along top of the old city walls of Jerusalem; saw the cave where Mary was born; visited the place where Jesus healed the blind man; walked the Via Dolorosa -- the actual stations of the cross; ended at the holiest place in Christianity: The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the site where Jesus is said to have been crucified and containing the site of the tomb where he was buried and rose.

*Wednesday, June 23: Back in old city Jerusalem; visited the Wailing Wall followed by the Dome of the Rock -- a place holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews as the site of Abraham's sacrifice and God's intervention -- also where Muslims believe Mohamed made his journey to Heaven to meet with the prophets and God; saw the site of the Last Supper and King David's tomb; went to a beautiful church built on the site where Mary died.

*Thursday, June 24: Spent the morning trying to get our rental-car figured out; visited Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity -- the oldest continually operating church in the world which is said to have been built on the site of Jesus' birth; drove along the Dead Sea to Masada; enjoyed a great anniversary dinner in the cafeteria.

*Friday, June 25: Got up at 3:30 and hiked up the Masada to watch the sun rise over the Dead Sea -- the Masada was a fortress built by Herod that a group of Jews occupied and where they all subsequently committed suicide rather than succumb to the fate of the Romans who built an incredible siege ramp -- the site is central to Israeli myth and identity; swam/floated in the Dead Sea; drove to Nazareth and on to the Sea of Galilee.

*Saturday, June 26: Drove to the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee; visited Mount Tabor; drove back to Jerusalem, stopping along the way to see Jesus' baptismal site which is in the middle of nowhere, only to be stopped by the Israeli military on a desolate road in the middle of a mine field; saw the Garden of Gethsemane, Mary's tomb, Mount of Olives.

*Sunday, June 27: Drove to Tel Aviv and on to Haifa; returned to Tel Aviv and spent our last day in Israel eating dinner overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

*Monday, June 28: Casey flew out at 12:30 am; Benson, Conor and I flew out at 5:30 for Riga, Latvia and on to Belgrade, Serbia (this time Benson was targeted as the terrorist and had to go through 3 additional screenings before finally making it to the terminal); bused from Belgrade to Skopje, Macedonia.

Last Saturday Gezim, who works at the American Corner, and his wife Hanife, a student of mine, invited us to join them on a picnic at their new house which is currently being built on a hill overlooking Tetovo. Gezim's parents and relatives also joined us and made some amazing salads and grilled meat!

Gezim's mother and aunt also spent nearly 3 hours preparing a traditional Albanian dish called "fli". Gezim and Hanife's daughter, Besa, and I helped as well!

The final product:

Gezim asked Besa how much she likes "teacher Kacey" and she responded with, "Shume!! -- A lot!!" Then she was asked how much she likes Conor and again she replied, "Shume!!"

(Sorry -- I'm having trouble getting the video to stay upright so I guess you'll just have to tilt your heads! ;)

Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams recently posted a blurb to the White House Website about his time in Macedonia and his visit to Camp GLOW in particular. You can see it by clicking the link below. The girl in the first picture with her arms raised is from Tetovo. You will also be able to see Kacey with Director Williams.

*Click Here*

Kacey put together "Tearce's Got Talent," a talent show for students from her school. They had auditions (although everyone "made it") the week prior to the final. It was modeled on Britain's Got Talent. I was a judge along with another PCV and a Fulbright scholar. Links to the news story are below. On the first link drag the button over until it is above the second "и" in the second word below the video -- Доколку користите -- It was pretty funny. There were 17 entries and we selected 3 finalists who then performed again. It just worked out that the three finalists were a group of older Albanian girls, a group of three younger Turkish girls, and a Roma Macedonian boy. The boy won with a great rendition of Celion Dion. It was great, the whole school was cheering and they hoisted him up and were carrying him around chanting his name.

http://www.kiss.com.mk/snimka/

http://www.kiss.com.mk/mak/novosti1.asp?id=9990

Also check out this link for pictures of the final

***Videos will be posted soon, so check back!!***

I decided it's about time for an update of my school activities. I apologize that this is such a long time coming. Things are continuing to go well and I love the kids I work with. I teach all grades - 1st through 8th - with all six English teachers, to all four ethnicities. For the younger grades (1-4) I accompany the English teachers to their normal classes and team teach, however this year we decided to try something new for the older grades, which we have found to be really effective. Fifth through eighth graders attend optional classes after school to improve their English and the teachers stay after to assist with the classes and learn new ideas and teaching methods. We play a lot of games and do interactive activities to get the students to talk in English and communicate with one another. These classes are also mixed ethnically and for most of them provide the only opportunity to interact with a peer of a different ethnicity than their own. The students love coming and often arrive over an hour early in anticipation of that day's class. I am asked daily, "Kacey, do we have the course today?", even though they know the schedule by heart. Their English has improved dramatically and their creativity is has blossomed. Although the year has been filled with all sorts of projects and activities, I will highlight a few major, successful ones.

One of the biggest projects the teachers and I took on was the designing and writing of a Small Project Assistance grant sponsored by the Peace Corps and USAID. These grants can be written for up to $3000 and must involve capacity building and sustainability. The English teachers and I saw a need for the enhancement the students' overall English skills, in reading, writing, listening and speaking and we identified the need for a school library and the attainment of English language books as the students only had access to English print from their text books. We developed the idea of books on CD to provide students the opportunity to hear native English speakers read books and give the students pictures to support the text as they listened. Our application was a success and we were awarded the full amount asked. Through this we were able to purchase bookshelves, CD players, CDs, a digital recording device, books, library software, and much more. The school also provided to the project through the creation of a new room (by dividing a room formerly used as a cafeteria), paint, brand new chairs and tables. Almost all the books have been read by myself, Conor and other Peace Corps Volunteers and have been burnt to CDs that were placed in the back of the books. Students now daily have the opportunity to improve their English through the "English Language Resource Center". We hope to continue building upon this project by attaining more books and other English language teaching and learning materials such as music, computer programs and classroom visuals.

Fourth graders listening to books on tape

After school classes with 6th graders

Another activity we are just finishing up is the "World Map Project". This was a project first started by Barbara Jo White, a PCV in the Dominican Republic, '87 - '89. Peace Corps Volunteers work with students or other host country nationals to paint maps on the walls of schools, culture centers or other public buildings. The World Map Project encourages students to expand their world view, to become aware of and learn about geography, and to foster curiosity of other places, countries, peoples and cultures. The art teachers in our school have been a huge help in this project and I'm very grateful for them! Our map with hopefully soon be surrounded by flags from different countries across the globe. I'll post a picture of the final product.

Our 'almost' finished project

Another PCV here in Macedonia had the great idea of organizing a national spelling bee, which will take place next Saturday. Prior to this however communities had to have 'regional qualifiers'. I organized one in Tearce as well as Tetovo and nine students in each bee passed and will compete next week. They studied words for almost a month in preparation and it was almost possible to touch the anxiety and tension in the room as the students waited for their names to be called. The best moment of the day came when a fifth grader (the youngest age) spelled her last word correctly and hugged me without letting go for several minutes, repeating "thank you" over and over. She's the smallest girl in her class and I smile now every time I see her, thinking of her reaction to "Congratulations...you spelled all your words correct!"

I have many more activities to report on but will save that for another day. To end, I will leave you with a few more pictures of just a fun day...

Conor joined us one day for basketball after school. The kids were pretty impressed with his skills!!

I woke up a couple Fridays ago to Conor saying, "Wow, the volcano in Iceland is causing major problems in flight travel! Almost every European airport has canceled its flights until further notice." Normally this wouldn't have affected us much personally, so my initial reaction was not much more than "bummer for vacationers"....until a second later when I realized on that particular Friday my brother and his wife -- Keagan and Miranda -- were supposed to depart the US to visit us. We haven't had too many visitors from home, so the possibility of them not making it was quite disappointing.

After being flown to Washington D.C. only to hear they couldn't board their next flight, Keagan and Miranda just barely managed to get on a flight back home to Vermont. (Apparently Keagan charmed the woman at the Vermont counter until she got them on a plane that was supposedly "full".) We waited the next five days with our fingers crossed in hopes that their rescheduled flight would take off and make it safely across the Atlantic. Conor and I tracked their flight online and were relieved and excited to read that it had left D.C. The rest of their travel went fairly smoothly and we met them in Skopje the following day.

Although their time here was shorter than originally planned, we were happy they made it at all and enjoyed showing them our "home". After seeing Conor's work and eating some delicious Bosnian burek Friday morning, we hopped on a bus headed to Ohrid. We spent Saturday morning and afternoon exploring the sites in town and then flagged down a 'wild taxi' to follow the lake's edge down to a monastery. Peacocks call these grounds their home and they proudly showed off for us:

We followed this up with a boat ride through a small "pond" with water supplied by underground springs -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Sunday we returned to Tetovo and explored a bit, visiting the Painted Mosque and Arabati Baba Teke (equivalent to a monastery for Sufi Islam). The next day I had a meeting in Skopje so Conor showed them around the capital and I met back up with them in the afternoon. We returned to Tetovo that evening and hiked up to the 'kale' (fortress) on the hill above town. The weather was beautiful and we took a lot of great photos before heading back down for 'skara' (BBQ -- traditional Macedonian food) with our friend Alek.

The following morning we took a 'kombi' (van) out to Tearce so Keagan and Miranda could see where I work. My good friend Vjosa and her family invited us over for coffee and showed their great Albanian hospitality. Then Vjosa accompanied us to the school. The children surrounded Keagan and Miranda, curious to see my family and ask questions. (They still all love to comment on how much Keagan and I look alike.) As you can see, they got along well:

We were sad to say goodbye late that night, but have some great memories of their visit. We're lucky to have such wonderful, supportive families and are looking forward to seeing all of you again when we return to the US. Thanks for visiting, Keagan and Miranda!!

One of many pictures of Keagan doing something crazy...

The primary school I teach in has formed a sister-school relationship with an elementary school in Turkey. On Thursday a group from that school came to visit Tearce and sign the official papers. Our students and teachers gave them a warm welcome and showed them a bit of the culture in Macedonia through traditional dress and dance. The school I teach in is unique in that it teaches and operates in three languages: Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish. Each of these ethnicities comprises at least 20% of the population. Additionally the school has a significant Roma ("gypsy" - although this is a very derogatory term) minority. The picture below shows three of my students dressed in traditional clothes. From left to right they are: Turkish, Macedonian and Albanian:

The students below performed an Albanian "wedding" dance for the guests:

The Turkish guests thanked the teachers as well by presenting each one with a gift of a Turkish shoe magnet.

We followed this up by a cocktail and slideshow presentation of our school, then with a formal dinner in a restaurant up on the mountain above the village. The view was great, although the clouds rolled in as we ate and it even hailed for a short time -- the one day of the week without constant sunshine. The guests have returned to Turkey now but seemed to enjoy their visit. This is a great opportunity for the school to connect with students outside Macedonia, so I hope it will be active in creating projects to further expand its horizon!

Watch my first graders in action! (And isn't that a nice looking room? It's the only one in the school with such color and storage, but hopefully more will look like this one day!!)

**Click here to see my students sing about likes and dislikes**

Despite waking up with an awful cold, I had a great birthday here in Macedonia. Conor and my friends went out of their way to make it a special weekend, full of surprises. The morning of my birthday I had a meeting at the PC office and Conor was also in Skopje as he had been invited to be a guest lecturer on Lewis and Clark at a university there. After work we went to eat with some other Volunteers and then enjoyed the beautiful weather by listening to a Mariachi band that the US Embassy brought to Macedonia. Our good friend Benson surprised me by asking them to sing me happy birthday:

The next day I led a Kids' Club session focused on St. Patrick's Day (as you can see by the leprechaun hats) where I was surprised by a cake, juice and presents. I had a little trouble keeping a few little "leprechaun" fingers from digging into the frosting every time I turned around.

Immediately following Kids' Club I joined the high school girls for another Club GLOW session focused on the environment. There was a great turn-out and we hiked to the old fortress above the city to have a picnic. Little did I know that the girls had another idea in mind as well! Some of the girls had gone up earlier to prepare things and as the larger group reached the top they started singing to me and again surprised me with a delicious cake and gifts! I was given a cute stuffed bear and a great t-shirt that you can see below.

I'm so grateful to have such great friends - and of course Conor! - to celebrate with me. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so special!

An essay written by a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, partly in response to Nicholas Kristof's New York Times Article. Click here

Finally, here's part 2 of our period of holidays and celebrations (in reverse chronological order):

Vodici (Epiphany) - Macedonian Orthodox

Each year throughout Macedonia, Orthodox people gather to celebrate Epiphany. The tradition is a priest blesses the water and throws a cross into it. Men swim out in hopes of being the first to retrieve the cross. Whomever gets the cross is said to be lucky all year and goes around from house to house blessing people and receiving money. This year we traveled down to Ohrid to partake in the biggest festivities in Macedonia and we both swam in the frigid waters!

Old New Year's - Macedonian Orthodox

Our favorite celebration of the year is the Vevchani Carnival, celebrated for Old New Year's. The Vevchani Carnival has been celebrated for over 1400 years and takes place over the course of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day on the old Julian calendar. This holiday is full of debauchery as the people of the village celebrate with a parade in which they dress up as their greatest fears. The next day they gather again and burn their costumes in a big bonfire. Macedonians spend months creating their costumes and because fake animals parts, and Walmarts, are hard - or impossible - to come by here, it is not uncommon to see real animal organs, heads and teeth as part of the costumes.

Christmas - Macedonian Orthodox

Macedonian Orthodox celebrate Christmas on January 7th (Julian calendar). Families gather to share a meal, however Christmas Eve is the bigger celebration. No gifts are exchanged.

Badnik (Christmas Eve) - Macedonian Orthodox

This holiday is celebrated much like Halloween in the U.S. In the early morning children go door to door with oak branches, the symbol of Christmas here, asking for candy. Then, in the evening and on through midnight neighborhoods gather outside and enjoy food and rakija and oro (dance) around a bonfire. In Tetovo, young adults dress up in costume and go out. This year we partook in the festivities as fork and spoon!

New Year's Eve - All

New Year's Eve is celebrated much like in the U.S. We ate sushi at home and then decided to head to the center square in Skopje and enjoy the concert there before taking the 2:50 am train home. The Croatian singer has a few moves Bono and/or Lady Gaga might benefit from learning.

A short holiday video while you wait for our next update on our continuing period of holidays and celebrations:

And another song (not related to holidays or celebrations) with the first graders :

This past month we have enjoyed learned about and celebrating a multitude of holidays:

Day of the Albanian Alphabet - Albanian:

The Albanian alphabet was formalized on 27 November 1908 in what is now Bitola, Macedonia. Language is integral to their cultural and ethnic identity so this is more than a celebration of the alphabet. For more information and to see the Albanian alphabet, click here.

Thanksgiving - American:

Every year Peace Corps Macedonia organizes a Thanksgiving celebration. This year 26 turkeys were shipped in from the U.S. and all the Volunteers brought food to share...ours being mashed potatoes and party potatoes. Because the new group of Volunteers came about two weeks earlier this year, their swearing-in ceremony happened to coincide with Thanksgiving. We celebrated in a restaurant in Kumanovo with our fellow Volunteers, the host families of the new Volunteers, as well as the US Ambassador to Macedonia and the Macedonian Minister of Education.

Eid al-Adha, called Small Bajram here- Muslim (primarily Albanian & Turkish in MK):

This is a "Festival of Sacrifice" celebrated my Muslims in remembrance of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. In thanksgiving for having food and shelter, families sacrifice sheep and cows and give them to the poor. This is a major holiday for Muslims and we were invited to our good friend Vjosa's house where we enjoyed wonderful food and sweets -- primarily baklava, which is made in every home. We then visited our other friends, Hyrije and Amir, for many more sweets. The hospitality of the people here is incredible and you are sure never to leave a house hungry!

* Every day around Bajram I came home with a plate -- or four -- filled with treats (mostly baklava) from friends, students and women from my English course. Being the huge baklava fan that Conor is, he loved seeing another plate in my hands.

* On our way through the village to Vjosa's house we were greeted by several of my 8th grade students who were excited for a picture.

Saint Clement of Ohrid Day - Macedonian Orthodox:

Saint Clement is a Macedonian saint and national hero. It is akin to St. Patrick's Day in Ireland (without the huge celebrations). For more information on Saint Celement, click here.

Slavas - Macedonian Orthodox:

Each Macedonian Orthodox family selects a saint to watch over and protect its house. Each year the household celebrates the day of its chosen saint. These are the most important celebrations of the year for Macedonian families, even bigger than Christmas and Easter. Families spend days preparing vegan foods and desserts and on the day or night of their celebration friends and family stop by.

We have attended four Slavas the past few weeks:

* Our good friend and language tutor Alek and his family

* Marija, Club GLOW leader, serves Conor a sweet wheat dish. It is a tradition to eat one bite of this upon arrival. And look at that bread! Marija's mom made it herself!

Day of the Turkish Alphabet - Turkish:

The Turkish also recently celebrated the standardization of their alphabet on 21 December. To see the Turkish alphabet, click here.

Albanian Wedding - Albanian:

Traditionally Albanian weddings here in Macedonia are a week long with specific celebrations each night. On the night before the final day women gather and spend the night dancing and eating together. Halfway through the celebration the bride and groom enter and join the party, however no other men are allowed. Often the close family members put a spot of henna on the bride's hand with a gold coin to symbolize a prosperous marriage. I was invited to attend this night with some women from my English course. The dresses were amazing and many of the women at the party changed up to three times throughout the night. It is also common to see several young women in bridal gowns. I have to admit I was very confused the first time I saw this, however I learned that it is custom here for women to continue wearing their gowns to other celebrations up to one year after their marriage -- at least they get a lot more use out of them than we do!

Christmas - American:

This year we celebrated Christmas with several other Peace Corps Volunteers by renting a house on a local ski hill near Tetovo. We had a great couple days and feasted on chili Christmas Eve and enchiladas Christmas Day. Unfortunately we weren't able to ski because the snow all melted due to the warm weather we've been experiencing lately, but we still enjoyed our holiday and the company of the other Volunteers.

** Stay tuned for an update of our coming festivities: **

December 31: New YearsJanuary 6: Orthodox Christmas Eve (costume party like Halloween)January 7: Orthodox ChristmasJanuary 13 & 14: Old New Years - Vevchani CarnivalJanuary 18: Martin Luther King DayJanuary 19: Vodici (Epiphany)

Have I gone to the dark side? Forsaken all that is holy in American life and traded in an allegience to football for futbol? No. However, it has been fun to gain an appreciation for futbol while at the same time defending, arguing, and teaching about American Football (e.g. despite notions to the contrary, the punt returner is not the best, but, is in fact, the worst position in all of sports -- those with doubts need only watch this). I have come to appreciate the fluidity of soccer, although games can at times be mind numbing. It also takes a lot of persuasion to convince people that a game that stops every 3 to 6 seconds is physically straining. As Dan Carr noted, the best analogy to help futbol fans understand football is to think of it as a giant chess match, as a thinking man's game. Whereas futbolers run around constantly, hoping to get lucky, football teams work together to execute meticulously orchestrated plays, often working to set up plays two, three, four plays, or even quarters, in advance. Defenses try to out-smart the offense. I concede futbol has the fluidity and improvisation of a John Coltrane jam session, but football has the complexity and depth of a Beethoven symphony.

Futbol does, however, have a much richer history than American football and has occupied a role in society that American football could never dream of emulating (despite Raiders and Eagles fans half-hearted attempts). Clubs have historically been just that -- clubs -- and not until recently, huge entrepreneurial enterprises. A rich and sometimes violent past is put into perspective with the realization that clubs were formed, made up of, and took on the persona of their supporters. Thus, Glasgow's Celtic became the champions and social outlet for Glasgow's Irish Catholic working class immigrants while Rangers became the bastion for the nationalist anti-Catholic Anti-Irish population in Glasgow. Certain clubs have despicable histories, having been the place for people to voice opinions few can praise. A club like Chelsea has a right-wing Antisemitic past, and to an extent, present, which includes fans making "Shhh" sounds, imitating the the sound of gas at Nazi concentration camps. Other clubs have laudable histories they can be proud to stand on. And standing and shoulders above the rest, is FC Barcelona.

Futbol Club Barcelona embodies what professional sports franchises should be. FC Barcelona was the only futbol club in the entire world not to display corporate sponsorship on their shirts. They would not even entertain an offer until 2003. This changed in 2006. Remarkably, the club turned down lucrative offers that could have brought in tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars to instead display UNICEF on their jerseys. Moreover rather than receive payment for this endorsement, they DONATE nearly $2,000,000 a year to UNICEF! FC Barcelona was the only place during Franco's reign that Anti-Franco, anti-fascist, and pro-Catalan sentiments could be voiced. They also had to fight the fact that Franco's Real Madrid was financed by the state. The club has been a refuge for Catalan culture and leftist belief in Spain. This leftist sentiment transcends mere nostalgia and is manifest in the fact that the club is a true collective -- season ticket holders vote on the club's administration; nationally televised presidential debates decide who will run the club, and the club must answer to its fans (ticket holders, for a rough comparison, think the Green Bay Packers, although this does no justice to FC Barcelona). Historically they have had no problem getting rid of players that fans feel are not giving 100%, even when those players are their stars. And get this, the most visited art museum in Barcelona is not, as one might expect, the Picasso gallery, or any number of other impressive institutions, it is the museum at the football club which houses, maintains, and displays an impressive art collection. Finally, despite the Spain's violent history, Barcelona fans have never exhibited the vitriol or violence of other European futbol fans. Thus, Barcelona's motto, más que un club, "more than a club," makes perfect sense.

In conclusion, there is no need to fear Europe has brainwashed a love of football from my brain, or that I am now in jeopardy of joining the legions of hooligan fans. I still deplore the "everyone wins" attitude of American soccer that disregards the game's score and refuses to teach heading. Upon return to the US I won't be rushing out watch DC United or the Galaxy but will savor having regular access to football and basketball (college and high school). I have though, come to appreciate futbol more than I ever thought I would and I enjoy sitting in giant socialist-era hotel restaurants or small Yugoslav corner places and watching futbol with legions of Macedonian fans. And now, when I'm invariably asked who my club is, I can proudly respond: Barcelona!

(Thanks to Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World, Alek, and Ronan)

Kacey worked hard to put together this slideshow of pictures we've taken over the last year. The pictures are set to a song by Toshe -- who was a national hero and pop star who was killed in a car accident two years ago. Enjoy!

**CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW**

This weekend Tearce celebrated Halloween for the first time. As I approached the school on Friday I could hear the excitement coming through every open -- and closed -- window. The students had been waiting all week, and finally the day arrived. The door to the gym was opened about 97 times and curious eyes, outlined in black and white face paint, peaked in as the English teachers and I prepared for the party. The Macedonian students have their own holidays in which they dress in costume, however for most of the Albanian and Turkish students this was the first time in their lives they've had a reason to "dress up". Much explanation was required throughout the week to ensure the students understood the concept of a "costume" as many of them simply thought it meant they needed to wear their nicest clothes, however it was evident they finally caught on to the idea as princesses, zombies and monsters poured in as the clock clicked over to 1:00.

Bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins and "mummy wrap" were just three of the many games students could choose from throughout the party. School parties such as this are extremely rare, if present at all, throughout Macedonia. Every element was planned in advance, even down to lines taped on the floor to designate where students needed to stand to wait for each game. However even with this, much explanation was needed as students have absolutely no concept of a "line" and seemed to not understand how to stand on the tape. The festivities finally commenced though and it was apparent through shining eyes and wide smiles that the day would never be forgotten.

On Saturday, another party was offered at the American Corner for kids from Tetovo. Again, the children could barely contain their excitement and showed up in costume anywhere from 45 to 30 minutes early. First 7 to 11 year olds came, followed by 3 to 6 year olds. Conor and two other Volunteers came to help with this party which again turned out to be a success. I am also very grateful to the English teachers, our friend and tutor Alek, as well as two high school girls from Club GLOW that volunteered their time to help with the parties.

Yesterday my school organized an "excursion" on the mountain just behind the village. We spent several hours there picnicking and playing games, and at one point I was approached by a crowd of students wanting an "interview". Unfortunately in this video you can't see the large group that surrounded me, but I smile when I think of how creative they were! Several children were holding imaginary cameras and big microphones like the paparazzi. What a great way to practice English!

interview

brothers

roasting chestnuts

Looks like these guys had a little time on their hands --

Click Here for Beach Boys Kosovo

A while back Kacey wrote about her experience at the Girls Leading Our World summer camp. Building off the momentum they generated at camp Kacey and the eleven girls from Tetovo who attended the camp have started a Club Glow here in Tetovo. The girls went to every high school in town to recruit other girls before their first meeting last week. At their first meeting over 60 girls showed up! I'm posting a link to an article a local newspaper ran about club (translation below).

Club Glow Newspaper Article

American Corner Tetovo in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia and students of all secondary schools founded Tetovo girls club "Glow Glub. The purpose and mission of this club is to work and develop activities to make women a key factor in society. With the motto "Girls lead our world" they intend to work in various activities planned throughout the next year. "American Experience, in English and led by an American appropriation will enable the language and skills relevant to women was a relevant factor in society", said the coordinator of American Corner, Gim Solomon, adding that the club is led by Kacey Molloy, Peace Corps representative to the U.S. in Macedonia. He explained that girls have now formed the different departments that will enable the functioning of the "Club Glow", while the day of establishment have taken part about 70 girls. Participants of the club say they will be in trend with the world and will work with commitment, to become the online voice of civil society. "Experience we received during the multi-ethnic summer camp, in Pelister, want to share with other girls in Tetovo. Based on our other motto 'Be a woman, be yourself' hope to achieve our mission to deliver awareness and breaking of more than stereotypes already known about the female world, "said Vlora Memedi, one of the founders of this club. Meanwhile, spokesperson of the "Club Glow" says Tetovo is now connected with other clubs in Macedonia and throughout the world. "All girls together aim to develop the natural potential that lies in Tetovo young women by providing them with necessary knowledge to become active leadership in society. All this being carried out through training, construction of personality, leadership profile, the cultivation of team work, problem-solving current and cultivation of creative skills, "said Rexhepi Arjeta, the department responsible for public relations in "Club Glow" Tetovo.

We thought we'd share some short videos of where we live. The following three are of the green market (pazar in Macedonian/treg in Albanian) here in Tetovo. (I must apologize in advance for the shaky camera; I tried to keep it steady while walking but obviously I need more practice.)

A short clip of one of the busy intersections in town:

The following two videos are of our apartment. We have a great place with basically all the amenities we had at home -- nothing like what we pictured when joining the Peace Corps, but we can't complain!

You can see inside our apartment by clicking the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1u-YzSy_28

*Stay tuned for more videos of the village Kacey works in and the municipality and NGO where Conor works!

I must admit that it is often hard to see the impact my work as a Volunteer has here in Macedonia. Because Macedonia is a developing country, Conor and I do not share in the well-digging or school-building type projects in which many other Peace Corps Volunteers partake. In many ways this is more difficult and provides separate challenges from infrastructure building and program building from the ground up. We are here to help change or alter mindsets, and being that our influence is not as physically evident, it is easy to become discouraged and feel as if we aren't making a difference. It really makes me value times that I see changes in behaviors of those I've worked with. I recently had one of those experiences, an experience unlike any I've had before, that made me see the true impact we are having on this little country and it gives me so much hope for the future of Macedonia.

This summer I was selected to be a counselor at a summer camp focusing on girls' leadership and empowerment. Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is designed by Peace Corps Volunteers and its mission is "to develop the inherent potential found in the young women of Macedonia by providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary to become active leaders in their communities". High-school aged girls from all over Macedonia are invited to apply and 80 are selected to attend each year. The Camp is also representative of the ethnic make-up of Macedonia in that 70% of the girls selected are Macedonian, 25% are ethnically Albanian and 5% Rroma, Vlach, Serbian and Macedonian-Muslims. This in itself is a unique opportunity for students here because in their home communities people of different ethnicities rarely interact. In fact almost every school, primary and secondary, is divided by shifts or classes based on ethnicity. The Camp is conducted entirely in English for several reasons, a large one being to create commonality. In addition, Macedonia is a very patriarchal society in which women have very little voice. A program designed specifically for women's leadership here is unheard of.

The first night of Camp

Although Camp GLOW was designed by Peace Corps Volunteers our goal is to make it as sustainable as possible. Therefore, each year components are added that give more responsibility to Macedonians. Jillian, this year's program coordinator, did an outstanding job and further ensured this piece by adding a counselor training. Each PCV counselor was paired with a Senior Counselor (a girl who has previously attended Camp). The PCV and Senior Counselor worked together to lead a small group throughout the week. Four Junior Counselors were also very active in the successfullness of Camp GLOW.

Counselor dance to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"

Throughout the week young women attended classes focused on various issues such as: Democracy in Action, Self-esteem & Body Image, Peace Education, Effective Communication, and Diversity Appreciation. (You can find a complete list of classes on the link below.) Each session was taught by a Senior or Junior Counselor with the assistance of a Peace Corps Volunteer. During each of the classes I sat in awe watching the young women teach their peers. I was completely blown away by their poise, knowledge and passion.

Girls maneuver through an obstacle course as a group

during a team-building session

Throughout the week I was honored to be witness to remarkable growth from the girls attending. They came to Camp already outstanding young women, but left with the skills necessary to be active leaders in their communities and in our world. It was inspiring to see Macedonians and Albanians embrace, Rroma and Macedonians stay up into the wee-hours talking, and Vlachs and Albanians laugh and sing together. Tears were shed all around as the girls shared what Camp meant to them on the last night during a candle-lighting ceremony, and I left Camp GLOW knowing that these girls will make a difference in Macedonia.

One girl's dream

Nine girls from our home-town of Tetovo attended Camp this year and one additional girl returned as a Junior Counselor. Immediately following Camp they expressed their sincere interest in starting a Club GLOW here to teach and inspire other young women in our area. We had our initial meeting last week and will have another in just 3 days. In this one week they have been active in designing ways to spread the word about the Club to all eligible girls. Their desire to "be the change they wish to see in the world" is evident on their faces and in their voices as they discuss what it means to lead.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such exceptional young women...get ready Macedonia!!

*Please view the following link for more info. (and check out the video from last year!):

http://sites.google.com/site/campglowmacedonia/Home

We've just finished 5 incredible weeks! Jim and Casey arrived at the end of June and we explored Macedonia. Kacey left us for 11 days to work the Girls Leading Our World summer camp. The four of us then visited Istanbul for 5 days before heading to Athens and the surrounding area for another 5 days. Jim and Casey flew home and we flew on to meet Harry and Jeanne in Rome. We spent three great days in Rome before heading south for two days in Naples and Pompeii. A train took us across Italy to Bari, where, despite a few setbacks -- they canceled our ferry -- we made our way to Durres, Albania. One wild taxi ride later we were back in Macedonia for another fun week of exploration with Harry and Jeanne!

Highlights included: Jim drinking, with much struggle, his second cup of coffee EVER; A Muslim "monk" lecturing on the intricacies of American Democracy; plenty of Rakija -- for details ask Jim or Jeanne; A 4'5" 9 year old girl pitching a baseball to a 6'10" 19 year old who was swinging for the fences -- from 8 feet away; An interesting bonding experience for Kacey and Casey at a traditional Turkish bath; Three straight nights at an Irish Pub in Athens; Harry and Conor screaming at Roman waiters nearly to the point of blows ("Boy, you sure screwed up this time" -- HH); Hours of ear pounding music at an Albanian wedding; Harry and his sheep (no details); Jim learning how to taste wine -- feel free to ask for a demonstration; And one "successful" encounter with Rroma kids in Skopje!

We've created an online photo album at snapfish. Unfortunately you need an account, although the account is free. If you want to check out the pictures email one of us and we can send you an invitation and link.

Two weekends ago we joined another Peace Corps couple, Dan and Jillian, on a 27 mile hike from one town in eastern Macedonia to another. The day began with a 4:00 am taxi ride from their town of Kriva Palanka to the town of Probishtip. After a tour of 800 year old Lesnovo Monastery where both Jillian and I had to put on skirts and Conor pants due to the presence of a monk, we set out. This 3rd annual marathon hike is organized by the Kriva Palanka hiking club and we accompanied 30 members ranging in age from 17 to mid-60s.

The views were amazing and as Dan puts it, "We passed through no less than half a dozen terrains and I think several microclimates on our journey, including a boggy marsh, a beautiful meadow, some loose boulders and for about 500 meters, a desert." During the first third of our trek we had to cross a river - not particularly deep, but with a rocky, uneven bottom. Up to this point two small dogs from Lesnovo Monastery had joined us and wanted to continue, and as we reached the other side of the river we heard much whining and splashing as the littlest jumped in. He got swept downstream and over a small waterfall, and instead of swimming to the side he relentlessly tried climbing back up the falls. He was pulled out by a fellow hiker and sat there drying off and resting from his laborious swim. We continued on our way, assuming the two pups had gone home until the other one showed up as we were eating lunch. After ten more kilometers it was obvious he intended to complete the hike with us. Near the end as we commented on his determination, the leader of the hiking club answered back, "Oh him? He comes along every year and then he walks home."

At the peak of our hike

We arrived at Osogovski Monastery in Kriva Palanka around 8:00 pm just as the sun was fading, and finished off our day with dinner and beer. It felt nice to finally put up our feet. While resting though we couldn't help but think of Jim (Conor's dad) who's on his own journey on the Santiago de Compostela trail in Spain, hiking nearly 500 miles in four weeks.

Osogovski Monastery in Kriva Palanka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdHjOnh636c

Kacey has started a Student Council for seventh and eighth graders at her school in Tearce, Macedonia. Working with one of the English teachers (there are five at her school) they brought together a multi-ethnic group of Albanian, Macedonian, and Turkish students. At the first meeting they explained to the students the point of the club was to have the student leaders identify areas or aspects of their own school that they wanted to see improved or changed, that it was up to the students to figure out what to do, and it was up to them to figure out how to involve the other students in the school.

Walking them through this process, the students immediately identified trash (an endemic problem throughout Macedonia) as the biggest problem at their school. The school grounds, both inside and outside the school, are covered in trash (as is the entire village). The students decided they wanted to cleanup the mess. Importantly, they also came to the decision on their own that they needed to educate all the students at the school why they should not litter and instead use garbage bins in order to address the root cause of the problem.

The students decided they needed to meet with the school Director (principal) and solicit her help. Kacey and the other teacher arranged a meeting between the students and the director. The director was very receptive and listened as the students asked for garbage bags, trash cans for inside and outside the school, gloves, and the opportunity to teach all the classes. The director agreed and asked how the students would feel about collecting 20 denars from each student (40-50 cents). The students thought it was a great idea and a way to show the other kids that they were the cause of the problem and they had an invested stake, both in the problem, and the solution.

Next, a meeting with an NGO was set-up and the students presented their proposal and plan to address the trash problem. They are still waiting to see if the NGO will help fund their project. Currently they are working to organize a school-wide cleanup and education.

Kacey put together this video and it was presented at a town clean-up day organized by the municipality. The municipality was inspired by the students effort, and the video was screened to a packed gym of a few hundred people.

As a little background, Tearce is halfway between Tetovo and the Kosovo border - 7 miles each direction. During the conflict in 2001 it was a center of violence and all the Macedonians fled to Skopje. The group Kacey has brought together is made of up kids from three ethnic backgrounds. Although most of these kids have attended the same school their entire lives they have had little or no interaction; for some kids it is their first real interaction with peers the same age, from the same school. The school is run with ethnic classes, meaning Albanian kids have class with only Albanian kids, Macedonian with only Macedonian, and Turkish with only Turkish. Not wanting language to be a barrier to any student, Kacey and the other teacher decided the Student Council would operate in any language. They manage meetings with a lot of translation and patience, but the students have been incredibly receptive, many attempting to speak a language other than their own in order to help make their peers feel welcome. In the video the kids are each speaking their own language, Macedonian, Albanian, and Turkish, and two speak in English. Thus, the video has four languages.

enjoy!

Day of the International Solidarity of Workers, or Labour Day, is still celebrated May 1st here in Macedonia. It remains a national holiday and people flock to the hills and mountains for "picnics." A teacher Kacey works with invited us to join him and a group of friends for a picnic in a tiny village on the side of a mountain. What he didn't tell us was that we would be leaving Tetovo at 8:30 am. With little time wasted we began drinking Rakija (Kacey's favorite) promptly at 9:00. It rained all day, but the picnic area, which is at a centuries old church, was covered. The view was spectacular (when it was clear); we could see much of the Polog valley with the views stretching far south of Tetovo and North into Kosovo. The day was filled with eating (five different salads, pork, chicken), drinking (Rakija, Skopsko beer), and lots of singing (1991 soft rock classics intermixed with Macedonian folk songs) accompanied by the guitar.

At the green, or open air market Saturday we bought 25 pounds of Potatoes, 2.2 pounds of tomatoes, 2.2. pounds of cucumbers, one cabbage, one head of lettuce, 1 pound of onions, half a pound of peppers (and one complimentary lemon because we spoke Albanian) -- all for about the equivalent of $4.50.

Along with Macedonian and Albanian languages, Kacey and I have started Turkish language lessons. The Peace Corps has funds available to pay a tutor for two hours of language class a week. Because we are in the dual language program they approved 4 hours of tutoring for us - 2 in Macedonian, and 2 in Albanian. At our recent In-Service Conference, which included three days of language training, we asked about the possibility of also learning Turkish. Some volunteers opt not to have a language tutor, resulting in extra money in the pot. Thus, we now have Turkish language lessons on top of our Macedonian and Albanian lessons.

So how are our language skills? Well, we just had to take our language tests, which are oral interviews, tape-recorded and scored against a world-wide standard rubric, and we both passed higher than was required. I passed both tests at a level expected for someone only learning one language. Kacey on the other hand blew the testers away. Having only been in country for six months, Kacey nearly scored in the "advanced," or highest range in Albanian language, a score nearly unheard of for a first exam. Many volunteers who learn only one language leave the Peace Corps never having reached the level she is at already. She also scored quite high in Macedonian.

In our daily lives we can function fully in our community and are no longer nervous to go shopping, ask about prices or directions, direct cab drivers, order at restaurants, or enter into conversations. Learning two (and now three) languages simultaneously has been easier, in many respects, than we thought it would be. Most of the time we don't get them too confused and we mix them far less frequently than we did at first. The hardest part is when we need to make sudden transitions from talking in one language and switch instantly to another. It's incredibly fun however, and it's hard to describe the respect and reaction people have when we are able to talk to them in their native language. It was definitely the best decision we've made in the Peace Corps, and the decision that has had the biggest influence on our service.

Of everything we've learned since arriving in Macedonia, the most evident is this: We are horrible at this whole blogging thing. Since our last post - about Thanksgiving - we have much to report. We can confirm that Borat was not entirely made-up. We can tell stories about cleaning 66,000 pounds of trash from a river. And we can talk about this amazing town we now call home - Tetovo. But, you'll just have to wait, or write us an email if you want the details.

Instead, we'll just start by describing last Saturday.

Saturday we finished a week-long conference (three days of technical, work-related info, and three days of language training on the shores of beautiful lake Ohrid). Lake Ohrid itself is pretty similar to Flathead Lake; Lake Ohrid is a bit smaller, but they are roughly the same size, both enclosed by mountains. The difference - The town of Ohrid has been continuously inhabited for 8,000 years. After the conference 6 of us stayed in town with another PC Volunteer who lives in Ohrid. After exploring the city, the seven of us spent the afternoon and evening drinking wine on a cliff over the lake, directly below a 13th century church. The weather was beautiful, and we were able to spend our first visit to Ohrid with a great group of close friends, one of whom is coincidentally from Missoula.

After our evening at the church, we enjoyed a traditional Macedonian meal in a restaurant over-looking an ancient Greek and Roman amphitheater and returned to our friend's apartment for more fun and laughter.

On Sunday morning we attending a Catholic church for Easter mass (one of only three in the country) and then headed back home to Tetovo. We are back in our routines and promise not to wait another four months before posting another update!!

With Thanksgiving only a few days past I think it's an opportune time to reflect on our experience celebrating this year. The Peace Corps organized a Thanksgiving party and dinner for all current volunteers, all PC staff, and all of us trainees, who were each allowed to invite two people. Thus the dinner was huge. The Peace Corps flew in $500 worth of turkeys from America, but the rest of the food was provided by those attending the dinner.

By request we brought "Flee," a traditional Albanian dish made of flour, water, and salt. A fire is started and a cement-type-lid is placed on the fire. Strips of the batter are poured into a large dish - perhaps 2 feet in diameter and 4 to 5 inches deep. The lid is then transferred from the fire to the top of the dish where it cooks the batter from the top. Once the strips are cooked the lid is returned to the fire and another round of strips are poured. The whole process takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours with the end result being somewhat similar to a stack of very thin pancakes -- everyone here loves the dish.

The celebration began with a speech by the Country Director and was followed by a speech and Thank You written by a fellow volunteer. The speech was translated into both Macedonian and Albanian and was delivered in sections. The first section was read in English, then in Macedonian, and then in Albanian. Kacey was selected to read the Albanian. The girl reading the Macedonian did a pretty good job. However, when Kacey read the first Albanian section she flew through it stunning the audience. Once she was finished the crowed burst into cheers in recognition of what she'd done!

After dinner each training group presented skits or a slide show. Our group presented a slide show set to music. Highlights included a group dressed as Turkeys who would each dance onto stage one turkey at a time to choreographed music and proclaim "I am a Turkey." The first turkey spoke in English, the second in Macedonian, followed by Albanian, and finally the fourth turkey in Turkish, proclaiming "I'm a turkey from Turkey, beat that!" Another group had an elaborate Thanksgiving skit performed in Macedonian complete with Trainees in their underwear. We have been left to ponder what our families now think of Americans. After the skits everyone danced - first traditional Macedonian dances, and then modern pop culture dances, e.g. the electric slide.

All details aside, it was an incredible experience that brought home the meaning of Thanksgiving as we'd never experienced before. Traditionally the holiday is celebrated as the occasion the Pilgrims, foreigners newly arrived in a strange land, took time to celebrate what they had to be thankful for. They survived and prospered because of the generosity of those already living in that new land. The willingness of those people to help the Pilgrims was integral and essential to their survival. In theory we've always known this story. Yet we've never really felt, as in felt deep down in our bones, that same level of thankfulness or the same level of meaning that the dinner must have had for those first pilgrims. Until this year. Here we are, strangers in a new and different land far from all we've known, incapable of prospering on our own, lacking the skills and knowledge we need. We've been taken in by complete strangers, and have survived, grown, and learned because of these strangers' generosity and willingness to help. Without the help and support of so many people here in Macedonia we would be like those first Pilgrims had they lacked the help of the Native Americans. Instead, we are like those first Pilgrims, and in the same tradition, offered a dinner and celebration to thank those who have helped us, to celebrate with our friends, and reflect on all we have to be thankful for.

The physical distance of our separation from America has also provided an opportunity to reflect on all we have to be thankful for, and has provided a lens through which to see America in a different and fuller light. It brings home just how lucky we are to have the families and friends we do. It also provides an opportunity to realize, truly, that despite whatever failings and flaws America has, it is an incredible place and is uniquely set apart from other countries, representing hope and the possibility of something better.

Well, enough sentimental rambling. We just want to let you all know how thankful we are for you. We love getting your emails, so please keep writing! (we apologize if we can't always find the time to respond to everyone as in depth as we should -- hopefully that will change if we get Internet at our own place -- less than two weeks!) Happy Thanksgiving, Conor and Kacey

Every other Friday all 34 trainees gather in Kumanavo for day-long, whole-group Hub Day training. This year one of the Hub day trainings happened to fall on Halloween. So Thursday Kacey and I found material at a shop in Kumanavo. We brought it home and Hava (our host mother) was going to help us sew our costumes. It also happened to be Agim’s (our host father) birthday. While we were eating desert to celebrate, the power went out. We waited and waited to be able to use the sewing machine. The power didn’t come back on however, so we colored my outfit by candlelight. We went to bed with the understanding Hava would wake Kacey up if the Power came back on or would wake-up early to sew.

Well, at a quarter to six Hava was knocking on our door to show Kacey that the power was still out. She then pantomimed that she was going to sew by hand. Kacey went up stairs with her and a minute later an aunt who lives next door walked in just out of bed; Hava had gone and woken the aunt to help her sew. Thus Hava and her sister-in-law sewed our costumes at six in the morning by hand! When all was said and done, an hour and half later, Kacey and I had incredible Flintstone costumes! Our family got the biggest kick out of the fact I was wearing a dress.

Along with Anna, who made a mask, and Amanda who made bat wings, we visited the local elementary school where Amanda’s host father works. The kids all sat staring, jaws dropped – they don’t celebrate Halloween here, and few, if any, kids or adults for that matter, know what Halloween, or the Flintstones are.

Most trainees, and a number of PC staff were in costume for Hub day. The other dual language group went as the breakfast club. One group all had Devo hats and performed a song and dance number. Two groups made matching tee-shirts. Jordan, the only African-American in our group went as Mike Tyson. The other married couple came in matching Macedonian jogging outfits they bought. The title of the scariest costume was easily awarded to the current volunteer and trainer who came dressed as Sarah Palin.

After training almost everyone went to the Irish Pub in Kumanavo. Most of the training groups had to leave at 8:00 to return to their sights, but since we are so close we were able to stay. A ton of current Volunteers from around the country also congregated at the Irish Pub in costume. At midnight the pub had a costume contest. We were called downstairs through the packed house to calls from the band, “Fred eend Vilma!” Voting was done by cheering, and in the end we elicited the loudest cheer, along with chants of Fleanstones, Fleanstones, Fleanstones – and we won the prize for best costumes! The prize money covered the cost of our costumes, dinner at the pub, all of our drinks for the night, plus a little extra – so it was a great night, and probably the greatest costumes we’ll ever have.

During orientation week we were presented with the opportunity to apply for the dual language program here in Macedonia. Whereas most volunteers in MK learn Macedonian, some volunteers learn both Macedonian and Albanian and subsequently live in mixed or predominately Albanian communities within Macedonia. Kacey was chomping at the bit to apply while I was a bit more hesitant. After talking to Colin and Jackie (current volunteers) I was convinced, we applied, and we were accepted. As a result Kacey and I are two of nine trainees learning both Macedonian and Albanian. For these 11 weeks of training we are living with a Muslim family in a small Albanian village, Cherkeze, outside of Kumanavo. There are seven communities around Macedonia hosting groups for training. Five groups are learning strictly Macedonian while two groups are learning both. We are lucky that every group but ours has five people while we only have four. We are here in Cherkeze with two other Trainees, Amanda and Anna. Mondays and Tuesdays we attend Macedonian class and Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday we learn Albanian. Classes are four to four and half hours long and always seem to fly by. It’s a little bit insane trying to learn two completely different languages simultaneously. Complicating things further is the fact that languages are highly localized in Macedonia. Therefore the Albanian we learn in class is different from the dialect we speak with our homestay family, and both are different from the dialect we’ll speak in Tetovo. The same pattern holds true for Macedonian. In Kumanavo the Macedonian is mixed with Serbian and is a different dialect than Macedonian spoken elsewhere. Macedonian is a Slavic language and it uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which was actually developed here in Macedonia. It is similar to Serbian, Serbo-Croatian, and Bulgarian and is highly phonetic. Albanian is also pretty phonetic, but has more sounds we don’t have in English. Albanian uses a derivative of the Latin alphabet but has 36 characters. Albanian is far more grammatical than Macedonian and is much harder. There are almost no similarities between the two languages and every town and village is called one thing in Macedonian and another in Albanian. Most Albanians can speak at least some Macedonian, but very few Macedonians speak any Albanian. The most difficult part of the dual language program is trying to compartmentalize the two and keep them straight. Switching back and forth, especially for class is difficult. Our teachers are incredible, especially for not being full-time PC employees. The are only hired on four and a half month contracts. Lidija is our Macedonian teacher and she is the head teacher; she helps coordinate and instruct the other teachers. This is her sixth year working with the Peace Corps and she just celebrated her 36th birthday. Vahide is 25 and is our Albanian teacher. This is her 3rd year working for the Peace Corps. She is the only Albanian teacher, so she works with the other dual language group Monday and Tuesday and with us the rest of the week. Regardless of the challenge and the insanity it is still a blast and a ton of fun!

So we arrived in Macedonia over a month ago! It has been a whirlwind and we have much to share. Our hope is to be able to post a series of shorter entries on more specific topics, rather than one extremely long and rambling post in order to bring everything up to date. Briefly however, we are two of 34 trainees in MAK 13 -- the 13th group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in Macedonia. We have an extremely diverse group in a number of regards, including age; our oldest volunteer is 78 and our youngest is 21. We spent the first five days together in a hotel in Kumanavo for orientation. At the end of that first week we were whisked away to homestay communities with our homestay family.

For these 10 weeks of training we are living with an Albanian family in an Albanian village, Cherkeze, outside of Kumanavo. They have two girls, 12 and 10, a boy 7, and many, many extended family members living close (some next door). There are two other volunteers in our village and we have four to four and half hours of language class together each day. Mondays and Tuesdays we learn Macedonian and Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays we learn Albanian. We'll post more on language shortly, but needless to say, its somewhat insane trying to learn two languages simultaneously!

We will swear in as actual PC Volunteers on 12 December at which time Kacey and I are off to Tetovo in the Northwest corner of Macedonia. Kacey will be working as an english teacher in a small village, Teartse, outside Tetovo and I will be working for and NGO stationed in Tetovo.

It's great to finally have the adventure underway and we have so much to share. Hopefully we'll get that info posted shortly, but please don't hesitate to email us!

Conor and Kacey