My life right now

Please check out this tumblr. It makes me laugh so hard, and it is the best way to describe my experiences so far:
http://whatshouldpcvscallme.tumblr.com/archive

"Can you put extra cocaine in her drink?"

9/23/12 - Today I woke up early to go to church. I wore the suit I would be wearing for my swearing in ceremony with Peace Corps, and my mom dressed up as well. I decided NOT to wear heels because we would be walking uphill on a cobblestone road, but once again my mom showed me that she is a pro at navigating the terrain. She wore heels like it was no big deal as we walked up a hill that was practically at a 90 degree angle (just kidding...obviously I like to over-exaggerate. But my mom did walk up a VERY steep heel that I was struggling with in flats!).

The Eastern Orthodox Church is similar to the Catholic Church in a variety of ways, but I was surprised at how many times we "crossed" ourselves before we even entered the church. We did it outside the church gate, inside the church gate, outside the church, and then as soon as we entered. My mom then bought me candles to light and put near the different paintings/shrines of the saints. Other people in the church were kissing the paintings, bibles, etc, but I declined this tradition for fear of germs....sorry Macedonia. In Kumanovo, the "pope" (priest) of the Macedonian church warned us that the services can last 2 hours. Did I mention that there are NO seats in a Eastern Orthodox Church? No....seats.....whatsoever. I prepared myself, stood with my mother against these "pews" that you can lean against if you get tired and crossed myself as the service began. There were about 5 other people in the church besides my mom and I. After about 15 minutes of chanting from the "pope" and crossing myself about 3 more times, the service was over. I then took communion, which was interesting because I very much felt that it was expected of me to do so, but the "pope" in Kumanovo told us not to do unless we were Eastern Orthodox. Maybe each church is different.

We went home for "ruchek" (lunch) and my mom bought "torta" (cake) to share with the family. While we were eating lunch my mom heard Toshe (Patrick's homestay brother who lives in Skopje) outside our home. I had been told that Toshe is fluent in English, so I ran to the window yelled out to him "Zdravo! Jac cym Jenny! I know Patrick!" Inside I was thinking to myself "OMG SOMEONE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING BESIDES PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS!" He probably thought I was a crazy person, but he responded to me anyways, and invited me for coffee later with him. Coffee is a HUGE part of the culture here in Macedonia, and I've found that more people are likely to be found in a coffee bar late at night rather than a bar like we would have in America. Often, coffee bars will serve liquor as well as coffee. It's nice to go somewhere where I can have wine and a cappuccino. : )

Makedonski Cappuccino

After ruchek, I was SOOOO excited to see that my mom was helping her neighbor Botcia make the traditional Macedonian dish "Ajbap" (eye-var). Here's a recipe on how to make it, but honestly, you have to experience how painstaking this process is: http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Macedonian_Ajvar It takes 2 days to make a large vat of ajbap. I helped with peeling the peppers, but I will have the opportunity to be a part of every step of the ajbap process later in the week. I will post photos of the other steps in future blog messages. Check out these photos from today, though! Peeling the peppers means that after the peppers have been blackened on a metal stove (see the stove on the far left in the photo), and have been left to dry, the blackened skin of the pepper will be peeled away. It smells wonderful, no joke!

Mika (Mom) Sunchi and her coworker. My mom works at a boot factory. (I can't remember my mom's coworker's name, but I know the English translation is "Rose/Rosie". I think it's Rosevah)

Of course,  it's imperative I find a puppy within a 50 foot radius of where I am living, no matter where I am. Meet Pixie. He's 3 months old, precious, and kept me company while making ajbap. He is Botcia's puppy.

After ajbarp, Patrick, Toshe and I went to a coffee bar called "талисман" (Talisman), which is apparently where all the cool kids hang out. Glad I got invited. Toshe introduced Patrick and I to some of his friends, and right away I appreciated how the Macedonian people our age have a sarcastic sense of humor like me. Toshe is an interesting guy. He's a cardiologist in Skopje and teaches medical students at a university there. Never have I met a cardiologist who smokes 2 packs a day, but smoking seems to be another important aspect of this culture. No one in my homestay family smokes, which is not the norm for Peace Corps volunteers. 

Toshe ordered a drink called "salep" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salep. Since I cannot get Diet Coke in Kratovo, my new addictions are Sinalco Fresca (a type of carbonated, lemon water drink) and salep when I got out with friends. I asked the people I was with what was in salep, and they started listing off the ingredients, but they started getting "lost in translation." They started off by saying that salep is popular in Macedonia and was brought over by the Turkish empire ("Salep is popular in Macedonia, cause, ya know, we were being fucked by the Turks for so long." - A Macedonian friend who shall remain anonymous...sorry for the swearing, Mom in America!) Toshe told me that the drink was supposed to relax a person, and that it is made from the root of a plant. His friend Danche (female) was saying "Yeah, it has roots, flour, cocaine, and sugar." I gave her a weird look when she said cocaine...she said it with such a straight face that I thought maybe I misheard her. I kept repeating "Cocaine? Cocaine? Are you sure you are saying the right word?"  They thought this was hilarious as I kept giving her doubtful eyes. "Yes, cocaine! It will help relax you! You'll feel great!" Once again, the people here enjoy sarcasm. I ordered one to try, and Toshe and Danche told the waiter  "Make sure to put extra cocaine in her drink! Can you put extra cocaine in there?" I wouldn't be surprised if there was cocaine in it...the drink is so addictive. 

Ciao for now! Check out the photo below of my other addiction, Sinalco Fresca:

 

"Why you have no mule?"

9/22/12 – So last night, I was prepared for “negosti” (visits to friends) and having my Macedonian family try to set me up with family members/local boys, I HAVE RECEIVED NOTHING! Hopefully, I will get to meet more people in the city soon, and I will be forced to go on awkward dates with some nice Kratovians : )

Today my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I will be touring Kratovo. As my mom was leading me to the town center to drop me off with the group, we passed a donkey/mule on the street. She taught me the word for it and then asked if I had one back at home. I answered no, and she asked me “Why?” Honestly, I couldn’t think of an answer for it. I tried to explain that I didn’t need one, and she asked me again “Why?” I said it was rare in America to have a donkey/mule for transportation, and what did she ask me…. “Why?” I tried to say that they weren’t common in America, but I think it roughly translated to “There are no donkeys or mules in America.” This, I’m sure, is just going to be one of many cultural fails I have in Macedonia. 

 "Okay Mom, I'll get a donkey when I go back to America!" (Donkey on our street)

Once my group started walking around town, we got to see some of the famous old bridges and towers of Kratovo. We also saw the homes of where other Peace Corps volunteers are staying, an Eastern Orthodox Church, and we hiked up one of the mountainous hills probably because we didn’t know where we were going. On the way up, we got to see where some of the Roma community of Kratovo lived, which was interesting.

 One of the famous Turkish towers that is 600+ years old.

 Traditional Macedonian outfits representing Kratovo. Every region in Macedonia has a different outfit to represent their location. 

 This is an old building from the time when Macedonia was a part of Yugoslavia and under Communist rule. I guess people would receive their rations/food/etc from here. It's used for storage/abandoned now. 

 Cool Graffiti!

 This is basically a roof for a terrace. It's grapes! Gotta love a country that makes amazing wine!

 Many of the homes have peppers hanging from outside their terraces. Maybe these will be used for the traditional dish of ajbap (pronounced Eye-var)

Daren found wild "hops" (sp?) growing! (sorry, I don't drink beer). My favorite part of this photo is how I took a picture of someone taking a picture of Daren : )

 Daren and I at one of the famous bridges! Daren has my notebook my mika made and is clearly making a "derp" face. 

 Eastern Orthodox Church

 "This car has character!" - Daren

 Cookie! (Macedonian for Houses!)

 Check out the solar panels on the houses! My guides told me that they are becoming extremely popular in Macedonia because people can save to much money on energy. C'mon America! Get on board!

 Halfway up the hill on our hike.That's Lakesh in the photo.

 So this sign basically says "Park Here and I Will Slit Your Tires."

Dab is a beer here. This is basically the Macedonian version of "It's Miller Time."

After our tour was over, I headed home, but first decided to stop at Patrick's house. We decided to find out if we can really see my house from his terrace. Turns out we can! It was also funny to hear his mom talk to us as well...apparently there are plans a foot to have Patrick and I married.

 "Can you see it?"

 *Peace Corps has advised me not to take photos of the outside of my home, since anyone on the internet can see it and then come rob me, harm me, etc. My house is one of these houses in the distance : )*

 ....Another donkey making his way through my neighborhood.

I headed home for dinner after my "negosti" at Patrick's house. In Macedonia, the main meal is served around 4-5 pm. My mom had made a DELICIOUS stuffed pepper meal, and then proceeded to give me a gift. My mika LOVES to give me gifts, especially after I gave her a bunch upon arriving in Kratovo. I have received items to send to my parents back home, jewelry, and a wonderful place to live, and much more, but this gift definitely took the cake. As I opened the small wrapped package, I realized that my mom had bought me….panties. Panties. I tried really hard not to laugh, but all I could think about was how my mom in America gives this to me as a gift when she wants to embarrass me. I tried really hard not to laugh, which meant that I was smiling really big, which probably means that my mom thinks that I really liked the gift. I had to hide them right away (on the kitchen table!) because my tatko (dad) came in for dinner. So embarrassing! 

I spent the rest of the evening working on my Macedonian and talking with my parents. If I haven't mentioned it before, my parents speak very little English. My mother is pretty good at getting across what she wants to say, and we do a lot of pantomiming. Another great, embarrassing moment of the evening was when she taught me the word for breasts. I was warned during my training week in Kumanovo that there are a lot of subjects that are not "off-limits" in Macedonia. Luckily, my tatko was not in the room while we were having this discussion. Another hilarious moment of the evening was when my parents started using the word "negosti" a lot. I asked if we were going to have one now, but I asked in English. They said "Da" (yes), so in my excitement I rushed upstairs, put on make-up, and gussied myself up to visit neighbors. When I came back downstairs, my parents looked at me and said "no negosti, it's 9:00." Oops, I guess it was too late to make house calls. A little miscommunication with the two languages. As I sat dejectedly in my chair, my host parents laughed at my eagerness to get out of the house. I REALLY hope I get to negosti soon! 

Tomorrow I am going to an Eastern Orthodox Church service. I'll let you know how it goes! чао! (Ciao!)

Worth Mentioning

9/21/12 continued...

I wanted to mention a hilarious moment at my homestay from today. My mom and I were eating dinner and my "tatko" had come in and left the door open. The window was open as well, so I jumped up right away and closed the door, looked at my mom, and said "Promaya." She looked at me, and shook her head "yes" with a look of pure adoration, as if to say "Yes, this is my daughter, and she understand the evils of promaya. She understands me." I had to try very hard not to laugh.... : )

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: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigX3fPMibrP3h8BUoScu3-qFWZ6nc9dLZZt3RaPeMHQeOW2Od1VeWAFyNW0tHKbsY1JVengidnrc0irA6ZGt5KB6oeanJRGV5PTsaV55txzzhjDq5xFk42ufg1LQ5VtUT0mmks2yf4Spwp/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!