This coffee house is a dance club?

9/21/12 – Today is my last day in Kumanovo, but guess what? I FIND OUT WHERE I WILL BE PLACED FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS, AND I MEET MY HOST FAMILY! Because I will not be in Romanovce, I will either be placed in Probishtip (a mountain town of about 12,000 with a well-known monastery), Kratovo (a historical, “picturesque” town of about 6,000, noted for its Turkish bridges and towers), or Losovo (a town of about 2,500 located that Peace Corps has only recently started using). And my city is…..KRATOVO! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kratovo,_Macedonia. The other volunteers I have been placed with I do not know very well, but I am very excited for the adventure.

After we cleaned our hotel rooms and packed, we prepared ourselves to meet our host family. Each volunteer was given a puzzle piece that would match a home-stay counterpart’s. After a little bit of searching, I was able to meet my home-stay mom for the next 2-3 months, Cynchayza (not how it is spelled in Macedonian, but how it is pronounced) Naunov. She is 48 years old, married to a man named Zoran, and has two sons, Goran (21 years old) and “Mickey” (nickname for Dimeter. He is 28). Goran lives at home in Kratovo, but Mickey lives in Skopje, the country’s capital. Right away, I felt welcomed by “Soonchi” (nickname...again, how it is pronounced, not how it is written). I am the first Peace Corps volunteer that they have hosted, which is a bit rare when it comes to home-stay families, but Soonchi made me feel at home and said in English, “I had two sons, now I FINALLY have a daughter.” She also likes to call me “Beautiful Girl” and other nicknames that are giving me a big head : ) We ended the event by dancing the traditional Macedonian “oro”, which turned out to be much easier than I thought it was going to be. Check out the link below to hear the music. This was the best example of the song we danced to that I could find. The song is about how Macedonian girls are the most beautiful in the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTbsama-qs0

"Mika" (Mom) Soonchi

We then piled into a small bus and had volunteers Patrick and Harry load our luggage in. I think the people were surprised at how much luggage the Americans brought.

Those crazy Americans with all their luggage! These photos are from when we arrived in Kratovo.

Once we arrived in Kratovo, I thanked sweet, merciful Jesus that I had decided to get luggage with wheels. The entire town is beautiful, but it is all cobblestones and hills. I had to walk uphill a good ½ mile with my luggage. Soonchi helped with one of the bags like it was nothing at all, like she does this type of thing all the time. I guess navigating the terrain is something I will have to get used to. I arrived home, dropped my stuff off, met Zoran (I call her “Mika Soonchi” (Mama Soonchi) and my homestay dad “Tatko Zoran” (Father/Dad Zoran)), and was shown that I can see the home of Peace Corps volunteer Patrick from my balcony. It’s nice to know that a familiar face is nearby. Soonchi and I then went out to the bazaar. SO MUCH FRESH, DELICIOUS FRUIT! My mom launched into my first Macedonian lesson in Kratovo, and I began learning the names of all the produce.

These photos were taken as the bazaar was closing up.

On our way home after picking up some “grazeje” (grapes), we stopped at the café/disco that my homestay brother works at. That’s right, ladies and gentleman, my “brat” (brother) works at a coffee shop during the day, dance club at night.

Mom outside my "brat's" bar.

Inside the bar

Luckily, there was no one in there when we arrived, so we sat down, ordered a coffee, and my brother got me a notebook to start working on my Macedonian. My “mika” is a beautiful artist, and was able to make great pictures with the Macedonian words to help me learn. We worked on my Cyrillic alphabet (azbookah in Macedonian), and one of Goran’s friends named “Lucky” (nickname for Dimeter) arrived. After I went through the alphabet, I turned to him and said “Now you!” and began pointing to letters. Everyone laughed, so I hope that I am as witty in this country as I was in America (hahaha).

The last name is mine in Makedonski! They also taught me how to write "beautiful family."

My mika keeps trying to feed me a lot, and whenever I say no, I get her telling me “Why?” in a very strong, scary Balkan mother voice. I think I need to learn the words for “I am full” or “I will explode.”

Until next time!

Kako cte vickay "Rejection" in Macedonian?

09/20/12
I faced one of my fears today! No, not jellyfish or bears (bear is "meitchka" in Macedonian)....I received three shots in one day. And one of them was for typhoid. Typhoid, Peace Corps? Really? Is this a problem in Macedonia? My arms hurt SO BAD afterwards, but surprisingly it didn't hurt at all while I received them. Yay, Macedonian doctors!

Afterwards, I then received the bad news that I was NOT accepted into the dual-language program. I was told that they have already picked out a specific spot for me to go to once my training is over. I tried to get them to tell me where it was, but all they would say is, "Well.....it's fun." (C'mon, OHRID! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohrid). As I mentioned earlier, I am a bit different from the other Community Development volunteers here because I am NGO Development-Environmental, which seems to be a bit more specific than other CD volunteers. I was told that the people they accepted for the CD positions were youth development (*sigh*). At first I wasn't too upset...until I found out that the majority of my friends from pre-service orientation in Kumanovo DID get excepted into the program (Beverly, Sam, Alex, Casey, Kelsey, Kevin, etc). So basically, all my friends will be having fun with one another in Romanovce (where the dual-language training program is at) and I will be somewhere else, like this: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jUSw0BO8un8/T6QENBpE_sI/AAAAAAAABF8/UPD1pXzebwU/s1600/dr-who-rain.gif

The rest of the day went okay, but the highlight was visiting the mosque and Eastern Orthodox Church of Kumanovo as a "cultural field trip." Kumanovo has a substantial population of Albanian Muslims in their community, and the Eastern Orthodox Church is also well-known. Check out some of the great photos below (don't worry, I asked before I took pictures). The trip was very informative, and I ended the night at the Irish pub called "The Harp" located in the center of town. The Irish pub was actually one of the places I was told to visit in my Macedonia travel book, and it did not disappoint. I will definitely be heading back there next time I am in Kumanovo. : )

Outside of the Mosque

 

Writing at the entrance gate

 

Fountain to wash at before entering mosque.

 

Inside the mosque. Look at all the eager PC volunteers!

 

Front of Mosque

Look at all the sad PC volunteers stuck in the rain!

 

Entrance to Eastern Orthodox Church

 

Peace Corps Volunteer Group Photo! (Minus a few people) Can you spot me? (I'm near the priest, or "pope" as they say in Macedonian) Check out the great artwork behind us!

Until next time, folks! My next post will update you on where I am going for the next 2-3 months, as well as who my home-stay family will be.

Nay Rakija (Rock-Kia)

Zdravo! Kako cte? (Hello! How are you?) My goal for this post is to finish talking about my pre-service week in Kumanovo. My next post will be about my life with my home-stay family in Kratovo.

9/18/12
Today we were trained in health and safety in Macedonia, as well as technical training for what we will be doing once our pre-service training ends (notice how many times the word "training" or "trained" was used in that sentence...this seems to be a favorite phrase in Peace Corps). Health and safety covered a variety of aspects, but I think the most interesting topic was the dangerous "promaja" of Macedonia. For those of you who do not know what promaja is, it is the dangerous condition of when 2 (dva) drafts enter one room and hit a person. If a door AND a window are open, and BOTH drafts are hitting you at the same time, you will get every disease know to man (cold, flu, cancer, STD...just kidding). Here is some more information, if interested: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_promaja.

During our technical training, we were given insight on what our work would entail during our two years in the country. For the record, I will be doing Community Development- NGO Development - Environmental during my time in Macedonia. From what I understand from discussions from other volunteers, I have one of the most specific jobs. Other volunteers were told that they were doing Community Development - Municipality, Community Development - Youth Development, Community Development - Business, etc. The session on technical training also involved a game where we learned what many of the other Community Development volunteers have done in the past. We were given interesting facts about members of the group and then had to find out which person matched them. My interesting "facts" were that I knew about hen-keeping through Permaculture, and that I knew Italian and some Lakota words. My fellow volunteers have done things like run for public office in Atlanta, GA (70+ Volunteer named Joe), start a school for immigrant children where lessons are taught through photography (Lakesh from NYC), and lived in a homeless shelter for 6 weeks as a counselor (Jessica). Other fun facts included that one of the volunteers is a swing dancer (Patrick), one of the volunteers speaks English and Spanish as 2nd and 3rd languages (her first language is an indigenous Mexican language and her name is Lurdes). I'm very thankful for the talented group of people I get to work with.

Later that evening we went to the center of Kumanovo (again). On the way there, I was once again reminded of the mix of rural and urban as cows and a donkey blocked our walking path. It's not often that I have to walk around cattle to go into the city. Check out the photos below:

Me: "Sam! Get a picture of me with the cow!"

Sam: "Jenny, this is how people get killed."

Once we were in the city, we were able to witness a protest going on in the town square. We learned later that the people were protesting the cost of electricity going up, and that the protest occurred every Tuesday. The statue in the photo is referred to as "Drunken Georgey" or "Brother George." The statue is a tribute to Kumanovo biggest drunk/ladies man. This is not a joke. Check out what is written under "Central Square." http://wikitravel.org/en/Kumanovo

Protest

On our return to the hotel, my fellow volunteers and I enjoyed some great Macedonian drinks. When I first arrived in Macedonia, I decided to have some of their famous wine (vino) and let me tell you, IT IS AMAZING! I small bottle is about $2 and tastes delicious. This evening I had what they refer to as "Black Wine" (red wine) as well as "rakija." Ladies and gentleman, I have been remiss in not mentioning the great balkan drink of "rakija." I can't really describe how it tastes, except for the fact that I don't think I will be drinking much of it during my time here. Check out the alcohol content of the drink: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakia. Many people make it in their own homes as well. Now, I have had absinthe before while I studied abroad in Europe, but I swear this stuff is much stronger than anything I have ever tasted. Perhaps it was the batch we received. The funniest part of this evening was when one of the 40+ volunteers decided to try some and was not feeling "dobro" (good) the next day. She said it was the first time she had had too much in over 20 years. One of my friends responded "And on a Tuesday! Bold choice....." I guess many of the volunteers are learning how to handle the Rakija here, but for me, I believe I will be saying "Nay Rakija" (No Rakija) in the future.

9/19/12

The majority of today was spent training and filling out paperwork. I have decided to apply for the dual-language program, where I will learn both Albanian and Macedonian. I had my interview today. I worry that I may not get a spot because the Community Development volunteers they are looking for the dual-language program would be focusing on Youth Development. We will see what happens. The classes I have had so far for Macedonian have been going great, and the language is coming slowly (emphasis on SLOWLY), but it is getting easier. 

One of the interesting cultural things that I learned today is that a woman (especially a young, single woman) should NEVER ride in the front of a car with a man because that is a signal that she is "easy" and available. We were warned that "hands will slide across the seat" if we ride in the front seat with a man. After being told this, I have definitely noticed how Macedonian women are always in the back of the car. We also had a panel on home-stay culture, and of course I was the one who asked about hugging. Everyone laughed when I said "Is it okay to hug your home-stay dad....or an older man you know....or a younger boy......or someone my age?" (all in the same breath). Everyone laughed and said "Of course that would be your question." A few other hilarious questions were "How would a Macedonian feel if I was running without a shirt on?" and "What is the beard culture here in Macedonia? I haven't seen a lot...."  

Ciao (bye in Italian AND Macedonian)! I still haven't finished writing about my stay in Kumanovo, but I am SUPER busy. It WILL get completed. As they say in Macedonia, "There is time..." Wish me luck for the dual-language acceptance!

Applause for Saying "Hello"

Zdravo Everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since I have posted, but I am trying to take advantage of all the great things that Macedonia has to offer. Here's a quick update of what has been going on with training in Kumanovo:

9/17/18
Today we had the US Ambassador for Macedonia come and visit our group. It was interesting to hear about his experiences with the country, although his experiences have been slightly different than Peace Corps volunteers based on his relationship and role with the US and Macedonian governments. To reiterate, Peace Corps is funded by the US government, but our affiliation (from what I understand) ends there. It was an honor to have him visit our group.

Look at how professional I look to meet the ambassador!

Our Country Director, Stephen Kutzy then had all the Peace Corps Pre-Service Training staff members introduce themselves. The new Peace Corps volunteers were than asked to introduce ourselves and say where we were from in front of everyone. When it got to me, I stood up and said "Zdravo" before I said my name, which resulted in all the Macedonian staff members GIVING ME A ROUND OF APPLAUSE! SERIOUSLY! A ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND CHEERS FOR SAYING "HELLO!" I think this probably one of the nicest countries that I've ever been to. I've been told that  Macedonians like Americans, and I have yet to meet anyone who has been hostile to our loud, obnoxious group : ) . Later that day, we went into the center of Kumanovo. Kumanovo is a fairly good-sized city in Macedonia (I think it might be the 3rd largest in the country). Our first stop was to the money exchange, and as you can see below, many of us were excited to get our Macedonian "denar."

Sam is considering robbing Alex of his denar : )

We had a group of Roma children lead us to the money exchange, which then resulted in Alex and a few other people giving them money for helping us (maybe Alex shouldn't have been waving his money around, as you can see in the picture above). This THEN resulted in the children following us around for two hours asking us for money. One reason why Peace Corps tells us not to give money to local children....

Beverly and I (Beverly was from the plane ride in the previous post) walked around Kumanovo, taking in the sites and doing a little shopping. I got a nice leather (possibly fake leather) purse at a boutique for about $13(!!!!) We then went to find food with the limited Macedonian words we knew. Fast food was the best option, and we found a small location where we could point at pictures of food. Turns out "Hamburger" is the same word in English and Macedonian. THE SANDWICH WAS AS BIG AS MY FACE! Sandwich and fries = $1.75, and I couldn't even eat the whole thing.

This photo does not do the "хамбургер" justice. It was as big as my face.

Walking to and from town felt very safe, and it was interesting to see how one could walk 15 minutes outside of the center of town and be in an area that looked like South Dakota. Seriously, there was a goat outside of my hotel room. (See photo below)

Can you spot it? It's in the center and is a brown dot : )

Thanks for reading! I will have another post tomorrow!

Toilet Paper and My Liver

Hello (Zdravo!) everyone and welcome to my excellent Macedonian blog for my excellent Peace Corps Macedonian adventure! This is my first of what I hope will be many posts for the next two years. I am amazed at how little sleep I have been going on since last Thursday (9/13/12), so I will let you know what is going on and then enjoy the comforts of "Hotel Satelit" http://www.satelit.com.mk/en/.

(9/14/12) I flew into DC from O'Hare airport in Chicago with two other volunteers from Illinois (LeDora - Quad Cities, Kaitlin - Naperville), and proceeded to our hotel for one day of training before leaving the country. That's right. One. Day. This "Meet-and-Greet" felt as if it was designed more so for us to get to know each other than for actual relaying of information...most of the information could be found in the handbook that I have kept near and dear to my heart since April. So far, my fellow volunteers seem wonderful and in the program for all the right reasons. We have people from age 22-60+ (I believe our oldest volunteers are a retired, married couple. So cute!) I then enjoyed my last evening in the United States with my good friend Tim enjoying the great American cuisine of....Chili's. Okay, maybe not the best choice for a last meal in the states, but I was going on zero sleep at this moment and it seemed like a good idea at the time. After many hugs and tears, I went to back to my hotel to awaken the next day for my adventure.

(9/15/12) For whatever reason, I had decided the previous day that it would be a good idea for me to be a group leader while traveling to Macedonia. This meant that not only was I in charge of getting myself to Macedonia, I was also in charge of 4 other souls. Luckily, I didn't screw up and I am happy to announce that they are all here with me. One of the guys in my group (Sean) has been a Peace Corps Volunteer before in Kazakhstan and had many interesting stories to share. One of the most surprising stories was that one girl in his Kazakhstan group decided to quit Peace Corps as soon as she got off the the plane in the capital! Turns out that the Peace Corps has a drop-out rate of 25% once volunteers are overseas. Yikes!

I sat next to my fellow volunteer Beverly during the flight from DC to Vienna. Beverly is in her 50s and had never been out of the country before. I find that to be so amazing and inspiring. I love all the different stories I've heard from other volunteers on why they are doing Peace Corps. No answer is the same. Some are like me and feel as if they've always wanted to do Peace Corps, while others made the decision less than a year ago.

(9/16/12) After a quick flight from Vienna to Skopje (the capital of Macedonia), our group took a bus to the town/city called Kumanovo (near the Serbian border) https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Kumanovo&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x13544fcc1ff6258d:0x91a2643775422ed7,Kumanovo,+Macedonia+%28FYROM%29&ei=mJJXUM86kPbhBK7AgOAH&sqi=2&ved=0CIgBELYD

We were greeted by current Peace Corps volunteers and enjoyed a traditional "bread greeting." Honestly, I never found out who these two people in the photo were, or why bread and salt is a traditional greeting, or any significant information associated with this tradition. I was that tired. I just went to my buffet lunch, ate some great Macedonian food (Volunteer Nick - "I'm glad fried food can be found in Macedonia" : )   ), enjoyed very cheap wine (I don't know if my liver will be able to take the copious amounts of liquor being thrown my way) and then proceeded to take a nap. It was right before my nap that I learned another great, useful piece of information for my transition into Macedonia...you can't flush the toilet paper. That's right ladies and gentleman, used toilet paper goes into the wastebasket next to your toilet. Honestly, if this is the worst hardship I have to face in Macedonia, I'll take it! Everything else in this country has been wonderful, and I am so comfortable and happy (despite the lack of sleep).

After my nap we had a tea with the Volunteer Support Network. I spoke with current volunteer Marlys about the dual-language program, where I would learn both Macedonian and Albanian during my training. I would most likely be living with an Albanian Muslim family if I decide to do this. Not sure what I am going to do yet, but I will keep you posted.

Dinner consisted of an interesting blend of penne noodles and an eggy-cheese additive. I think my rule for eating will be "eat anything unless it makes you sick." I'll keep you posted on the progress of me and this motto as well. : )

Thanks for reading and I will let you know later this week how pre-service training is going. збогум! (goodbye!)