The Holiday Season Year II

While the hectic holiday season is probably boiling over in America and the non-Orthodox Christian world, here in Probistip the inklings of the holidays are beginning to surface. Since the biggest holiday is New Years Day, I am just now beginning to see the decorations and lights in town and on individual homes and apartments. Fireworks, which are illegal but still tolerated as in my home state Massachusetts (you are only fined for possession of fireworks after you blow your finger(s) off and are leaving the hospital post-surgery), are sporadically being set off by the local youths. The recently elected mayor and town counsel purchased some new decorations for the center (with of course some discontent from some of the older residents but no complaints from the children) which remind anyone walking in the center about the special nature of this time of the year.

Rather than have me explain again in detail the customs and rituals of the holidays in Macedonia, refer to my blogs from last year – Christmas in Macedonia and The Macedonian Holiday Season. Remember, Santa visits the Balkans on New Year’s Eve, having enjoyed a week’s rest after bringing joy to the children in other parts of the world. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are relatively quiet family days in Macedonia.

School continues until the 30th and then the entire country seems to go on a hiatus from working although it is not officially vacation time, similar to the workweek between Christmas and New Years in the USA.

Skopje on the other hand, is magnificently decorated and in full holiday mode as I found out on my trip there last week for a warden’s training meeting with Goce, the Safety and Security Officer for the Peace Corps in Macedonia. The training for selected (from a pool of volunteer Volunteers) wardens insures the execution of the Peace Corps ‘ plans for PCVs in case of a disaster or civil unrest . The Peace Corps puts a great deal of effort into insuring everyone’s safety in emergency situations.

Thanks to the wonderfully generous Macedonian-Americans from the Midwest, we now have a library of English language reading materials for the students at our school. Their organization held a “book raiser”, collected over 500 books and magazines, boxed, shipped, and paid an enormous sum of money to get them to us. When they arrived (after a few misunderstandings at the customs office), the children and teachers were elated to have the riches of so many new reading materials. From having only soft-covered textbooks and workbooks, they now had a library to help them learn a new language.

We are in the process of cataloging the reading materials so the students can sign them out and read them with their families at home. Alexandra has already assigned book reports to some of the advanced students, both to challenge them and get their recommendations. She has used the library to provide supplementary reading to the student s who have completed their work (in the past they would idly sit at their desks waiting for everyone to finish). And we are in the process of designing lesson plans that supplant the rigid structure of the textbooks yet meet the same instructional goals.

The new Student Council is learning its role in the school. We are in the process of developing standardized rules for the entire school to replace the rather hodge-podge set that are in place now. It’s a fact that students like order and well-defined structure and the Student Council members, with input from their classmates, have corroborated that hypothesis. So in the near future, with student ownership of the rules, and consistent enforcement by the teaching staff, the days of Dodge-City-like behaviors should mellow out. We’ll see.

Since my first days at Nikola Karev, I had wanted to get everyone together, as we do in America, and recognize the Macedonian patriots that had come before them. I put together a plan and “sold it” to the principal and then as usual, Alexandra took charge and executed the plan with the help of our new Student Council. Therefore I am extremely pleased to announce that on Monday morning, the 21st of December 2009, the entire school population met prior to heading to their home room classes, and sang their National Hymn (anthem) led by the school chorus. Everyone was talking about how great an idea it was and we will continue this ritual every Monday morning from now on.

If you read this blog before Christmas, then accept my wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year. You can of course post-accept them if you read it any time after then. December 25th is a workday for me but I’m looking forward to New Year’s Day. Hopefully you will not have overburdened Santa (or as we call him “ Father Ice”) with too many presents to deliver on Christmas Eve, so that he will have the energy to bring me mine the following week. Meanwhile I am looking forward to enjoying the gathering at my brother Mark and sister-in-law Joanne’s home on Christmas Day via Skype.

Mov'in Along

Although we’re astronomically into the winter season, the weather has been pretty mild. While we have had a few frosty nights and the mornings are chilly, the afternoon temps get up into the high 60’s. Snow isn’t expected until late December according to the locals. The trees for the most part have shed their leaves and have been swept up and deposited into the dumpsters that are located throughout the neighborhood.

Speaking of leaves, I recently discovered and purchased two grass rakes at a hardware store in Kumanavo when I was strolling around there last month. I believe they were the only two grass rakes in Macedonia (an unverifiable fact). They are sold without the handles, so that I was able to bring them back to Probistip. Having watched my neighbors and the custodians at school sweep leaves with the short handled brooms and pick up trash that didn’t make it into the dumpsters with their hands, I thought I would introduce the concept of a grass rake into my neighborhood. Most of my friends and neighbors had never seen a grass rake (everyone has a garden rake) and they weren’t sure what it was for. So I obviously drew a crowd the first time I used it outside my apartment and was able to Tom Sawyer the local children, convincing them it was fun to rake leaves with this wonderful tool. The men were very curious and several of them asked where they could purchase one. My answer was the same answer I give to the children when they ask where they can purchase a Frisbee, “Not in Macedonia, yet”. I will try to convince one of the local hardware shops to stock them. I donated one of the rakes to the school where I have noticed that it is being put to good use.

School is in full swing now. On Friday, the students finally received their books for geography, math, Macedonian, biology and informatika. Since this is the first year that the government is providing books to all students, there was a delay in shipping them all out to every school in the country. We are four months into the school year and the students now have their books . Since the students must return the books at the end of the school year, late deliveries won’t be a problem next year. The downside of not owning the book, is that the students must spend a lot of time copying grammar rules and vocabulary during class time which puts a strain on the time we have to actually teach.

The Director has been very supportive of our suggestions and she is a pleasure to work with. After a meeting with her last week, we have now started a Student Council, will display the Macedonian flag at the school , sing the National hymn during Monday morning home room time, involve the school in ThinkQuest ( http://www.thinkquest.org/en/ and in the World Map Project (http://multimedia.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/library/R0088_worldmapproject.pdf ). We will also establish and implement an emergency evacuation plan for the school.

This school year I am running an after-school sports program entitled “Games From America”. So in addition to the usual basketball, jump roping and Frisbees, we have already played Kickball, Capture the Flag, Knockout, and Ultimate Frisbee. The students who show up seem to really enjoy the exposure to games other than football, volleyball and handball. The first time we played Kickball, I was very lucky to have Amber, Kate and Dan (the three trainees living in Probistip) participating. It dramatically reduced the time it took me to explain in Macedonian, the intricacies of the game, as they were able to demonstrate and model the somewhat complicated rules. The students loved the game so much, that we wound up playing for two hours and it has become the number one game request.

Thanksgiving Day coincided with Swearing-In Day for the MAK14’s. So we all – trainees, host families, and Volunteers – assembled in Kumanavo for a wonderful time. The American Ambassador to Macedonia sworn in the Trainees (this will the last time I have to use the word “trainee”) after which we enjoyed a somewhat traditional Thanksgiving meal, highlighted by the turkeys flown in from America and prepared by the function hall staff. I actually ate nothing but turkey, consuming at least three pounds of meat, knowing full-well it will be 364 days until my next opportunity to savor my favorite non-flying bird. We all returned home to Probistip around 8PM, time enough for the new Volunteers to spend their last night with their host families and time enough for me to Skype my family in Massachusetts to participate in a family-cyber-Thanksgiving-dinner.

Dave moved in on Friday morning and is currently settling into his apartment. He is looking forward to working in the Municipality, learning how to cook for himself, and utilizing the Macedonian language. Dave is my age, so I now have a playmate and we will have to like one another, otherwise it will be a long 13 months living right next store (no one ever says “nexT (pause) door)” to one another.

A Good Time Together

The month of October was highlighted by a visit by my honey who describes her visit in the previous Blog. We had a great time just hanging out, visiting PCV’s in Skopje and Bitola, attending “na gosti’s with neighbors, exploring the new supermarket, walking around the neighborhood, and editing English translations for the Municipality.

A new supermarket? Yes! Probistip now has a place where I can shop for many items which the small food shops couldn’t stock because of limited shelf space and a lack of refrigeration. My Market (yes, it’s in English) is a small chain of supermarkets in Eastern Macedonia. Opening day at the new My Market was heralded in with folk dancers, traditional Macedonian music, and free food and beverages (I saw a few of my students enjoying a beer) . I can now find a selection of cheeses and breads, diet sodas, frozen foods, a reliable supply of beef, and alcoholic beverages other than beer and wine. Unfortunately, some of the smaller shops (prodavnitzas) will probably lose out to this new competitor, putting more people out of work. I will continue to shop at the ”prodav” and butcher shops for the items I can get there, but the variety at the supermarket is a tantalizing drawing card.

The six trainees that are here in Probistip (we all hate the word “trainee”) are in their final three weeks of preparation. They are a great group and are having a wonderful time together in “The Probe” – as they like to call it. Two weeks ago they found out where they will be assigned for the next two years and last week they visited their new homes, met their new counterpart, and toured their new community. Amber will be going to the city of Strumica; Kate will be going to a village (Gradsko); Dan will be going to the city of Stip; Jennifer will be going to the town of Makadonski Brod; Keri will be going to the capital city; and Laura will be going to the town of Kocani. I realize these locations are meaningless if you don’t have a map, but for those of you who do – Bon Appetite or whatever. They all will all be TEFL’ing in Eastern Macedonia.

On Halloween, the six of them, plus Maja their language instructor, costumed up for their training day in Kumanevo with all the other trainees in MAK14. Their costumes were hilarious (see photo) and they got more than their normal share of stares when they walked to the school in costumes to be picked up for the ride to Kumanevo. They actually went out Trick-or-Treating to each of the host families homes on Halloween night and were a big hit with everyone they encountered.

On the day after Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving Day also happens to be the day the trainees on this cycle will be sworn in as full-fledged Volunteers and I won’t have to refer to them as Trainees anymore) they will all depart Probistip and for the first time since they’ve been in Macedonia, they will be un-tethered and on their own. It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since I was wearing their shoes.
Their departure from Probistip is offset by the arrival of a new MAK14 Volunteer who will be living here for the next two years – Dave from Michigan. Dave was assigned here (the first time The Probe has had two PCV’s) to work in the Municipality. I’m not sure what exactly that entails, but I’ll soon find out. Dave will be living in the apartment right next to mine (it’s an unusual arrangement to have two volunteers in the same town living so close to one another) because the Peace Corps staff couldn’t find a suitable place anywhere else. At least I know where to go now to borrow a cup of sugar. With Dave’s arrival I will no longer feel the pressure of representing 300 million Americans. I will now have to represent only 150 million, which is a more tolerable number.

There are lots of new activities happening at school which I will address in my next Blog.

Toether in October

Once again, I’m told (by Michael in his Lieutenant Colonel Erhartic incarnation), that I have been given the great honor of being “guest editor” on his blog and get to share some of my experiences in this ever-fascinating new country.

Owing to technical difficulties (meaning I have difficulty with all things technical) the format of this month’s blog will be different from the usual, which separates photos and text. Michael’s pictures tell the story of our adventures much better than my words can, so if you will copy and paste the link below onto your browser, it will (I hope) take you to a series of photos and captions that tell the tale of October in Macedonia from a visitor’s perspective.

http://picasaweb.google.com/barber229/OctoberBlogPhotos#

Guest Blog

I am pleased to have, as a guest contributor to my Blog, my wife Lee, who will share her experiences traveling to and visiting me in Macedonia.

I’ll spare everyone and be brief about the first six days of, my visit this time: the jetlag; the lost luggage/no clothes because carry-on luggage was full of heavy stuff for Michael and the Peace Corps.; and the three-day flu, so vile that if it ever comes back, I will lop off my own head just to get it over with. I stared at ceiling moaning piteously day and night while Michael made excuses to all the people I had met on my last visit, many of whom expected to be first on my rounds of welcome back Na Gosti (barely translatable, means have a visitor as a guest).

Poor, poor me!

But I’m going to consider today, Oct. 11, the start of a three week visit and simply dismiss my first week here as a bad dream. It all would have happened anywhere in the world.

Except maybe the part about how I should spend five hours on various buses and an hour in a taxi to pick up my luggage at a different airport than the one I had arrived at…

Luggage balks at Balkans

I had arrived in Sofia Sunday afternoon excited to see Bulgaria, my husband and the lovely Macedonian town of Probistip, not necessarily in that order. Apparently my luggage did not share my enthusiasm and had decamped somewhere between Boston and the Balkans. Air Bulgaria would fly it to the Macedonian capital of Skopje when they found it, I was told, and I could go pick it up myself. (A clerk was unmoved by my despairing plea about the length of that journey, and the fact that by then I would be in my fifth day without a change of underwear. Apparently a long history of invading their western neighbor made any sort of ground sortie by Bulgarians onto Macedonian soil problematic).

Fortunately Michael is sophisticated in the ways of Eastern Europe by now and with the help of our Bulgarian-speaking driver (Bobbie), found someone who saw the wisdom of keeping foreign visitors happy. They would drive my luggage to the border when they found it and hand it off to Bobbie to drive it back to Probistip.

Faster, better, cheaper—the American way. This approach had apparently never occurred to them, so score another blow for international understanding.

There are grapevines, and then there are grapevines.

I continue to be amazed at how news travels in a town without a daily community newspaper, community center, phone chain or e-mail chain (there is a local TV station with local news and community happenings). Nattily attired in a pair of old slacks I had used to pad a delicate electronic device in my carry-on luggage and the most effeminate tee shirt in my husband’s wardrobe, I ventured out on day two for an espresso in the town square and the makings of dinner.

After 10 months of working and teaching in this small mountain town, Michael seems to have gotten on hailing terms with most of its residents, so just strolling to the center with him could turn into a half-day excursion. Many neighbors now wanted to stop and exchange a few words with the Amerikanski. Today was no exception.

As we made our way the few blocks from Michael’s apartment building to the café we discovered that, to a man--or woman, as the case tended to be at this time of day--each person we encountered already knew I was in town and understood precisely why I was so oddly attired. Our vegetable vendor knew. The butcher knew. The folks relaxing in the café knew.

Had someone posted a notice in the municipal building?

Staggering back home with our cloth shopping bags full we were not , of course, surprised to find that Yelitza, the tiny baba from the next building, knew all about my arrival. We’d spent hours chatting and drinking coffee in her apartment on my last visit, so she would have been considered an interested party—but how did people I’d never met know this detail of my life?

Who cares, already?

And why would anyone who did happen to know it think it was interesting enough to pass on? But Yelitza moved on quickly to news of her own: she had learned some Engliski since I last saw her.As we waited expectantly she drew herself up to her full 4’9”, thrust her thumbs up in the air and pronounced clearly: “aw-w-w-l-l-righty!” Jim Carrey’s mother would be so proud.

Back at apartment building #6 on 11 Oktombre Street, a never-before-met neighbor commiserated over the lost luggage, of course, and then chattered on to Michael for several minutes.

“She’s sorry about your luggage, but she says it will be here tonight,” Michael explained.

“You mean she hopes it comes tonight, right? You said that as if she knew,” I told him.

‘No, I meant she said it would be here tonight at 5. Bobbie left for the border an hour ago.”

And so he had, we discovered from a "missed-call' message on our cell phone a few minutes later. Even Michael doesn’t have enough command of Makadonski to find out how she came to know about my luggage before I did, but lesson learned none-the-less:

Don’t even think about doing anything in a Balkan village that you wouldn’t want every soul in town to know about.

I’m hungry (what else is new?) so I’ll sign off now and wander down to the front stoop. Someone out there is bound to know what Mikey is making for dinner tonight…

A Busy Time

We now have seven Americans living in Probistip, thanks to the arrival of six Peace Corps Trainees who will be undergoing preparations for their future assignments as English Resource Teachers in distant Macedonian communities. They are living with host families in Probistip while they are undergoing training. On their first Saturday here, I accompanied them as they spent about seven hours visiting each host family, with each family providing food and drink with the traditional Macedonian hospitality.

All reports are that they are having a wonderful time, keeping extremely busy, and picking up a little Macedonian language during their 4-hour daily language classes. Laura (Illinois), Keri (Ohio), Amber (Arkansas), Dan (New York), Jen (Oregon), and Kate (Ohio) are training at my school (I’ve become somewhat possessive of Nikola Karev), so I get to see them just about every day. The remainder of their MAK 14 brethren are training at various other sites within the Kumanavo region.

Actually, there are seven Americans in Probistip at the moment, albeit (I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “albeit” ever before!) one of them is only visiting. October 4th marked the arrival of my wife for her second visit to this wonderful place. She had a great time back in April meeting all my Macedonian friends and their families, visiting and participating in English language classes, and learning about the culture of Macedonia, which she enthusiastically talked about upon her return to Massachusetts. I picked her up at the airport in Sophia, which is about a four hour one-way ride (dependent upon the border crossing into Bulgaria) from Probistip by taxi (70 Euro round trip). She arrived on time but unfortunately without her luggage which was sent to some other country via Bulgarian Airlines. Initially the airline insisted that when it was found, Lee could pick up her lost baggage at the airport in Skopje at her expense in time and money. But with my innate diplomatic skills, great sense of humor, convincing arguments and a very nice Belgian Airline supervisor, we made arrangements to have the airline deliver the luggage to the border crossing (they can’t deliver out of country due to customs rules) where our driver Bobby would pick the luggage up, all at the expense of the airline. So Lee survived her first two days in Macedonia with only the clothes on her back and some reinforcements from my wardrobe. She will be writing about her adventures on this Blog as soon as I am finished monopolizing the computer.

School’s in full swing now despite the schedule having to be altered every other day. Final changes have yet to be made due to the haggling of the two primary school Directors who are trying to adjust the times of the elective French and German language classes. We’ve had four National Holidays in the first five weeks of school, which makes it difficult to have any flow in the classroom but it does enable me to display my Macedonian flag on a regular basis.

The Ministry of Education provided books to all the students this year. Although the English language books were ordered in June, they arrived late (four weeks into the school year). This gave us plenty of time to review last year’s lessons. Students must still purchase their workbooks, which complement the textbook, but the price of the workbooks has increased from previous years. The students will be required turn in their not-too-durable-softcover student books at the end of the school year, obliging them to spend a great deal of class time copying vocabulary and grammar rules into their copybooks. I’m curious about the life expectancy of the students’ books and frustrated by the loss of teaching time as the students transfer information from one reliable source (the textbook) to another unreliable source (their copybook).

The school went on a very nice picnic on Friday of last week. Actually the school didn’t go. It remained where it was built. The staff and students went on a hike to the new chapel on the hill where everyone seemed to have a very pleasant morning. The children brought blankets and food while the teachers had the affair “catered”. I made it a point to bring frisbees and jump ropes and they were in constant use by the students. I am not sure what activities the students would have participated in had I not brought them but the children here are resourceful and I’m sure would have found something to keep themselves occupied (checkout the photos). The students were dismissed at 10AM and then the teachers and staff enjoyed a hearty breakfast together.

I am currently conducting classes after school for some of the teachers and staff at the school who have an interest in learning English. A representative of the Police Department asked me to conduct basic English classes for his officers and that project is in the works.

My after-school sports programs will start once the final class schedule is published. With Lee here, we’re overbooked for visits to the many people that want to see Lee again, so I’ll be drinking a lot of rakija and speaking a lot of Macedonian in the next couple of weeks. I also have to get used to sharing my stuff but that will only be for the next 19-or-so days and nights. No more drinking out of the milk carton, leaving the toilet seat up, and or eating meals without vegetables, among other inconveniences.

Back to School

With two weeks of preparation behind them, on a brilliant September morning the teachers welcomed their students back for another year of learning. Similar to the first day of school in America, everyone was a little anxious, quite excited, and for the most part, glad to be back. Children and teachers were wearing their new back-to-school ensembles and they all (the children) appeared to be a little bigger and taller than when we left them in June. The parents of the first graders, who were escorting their children to their very first day at Nikola Karev, seemed just as apprehensive as their charges as they waited for the welcoming address of the director and the welcoming performance by the fourth graders.

In America, a new school year usually means new teachers, new classmates, new subjects and a chance to get a fresh start. In Macedonia the system is set up so that from the fifth grade through the eighth grade, the students are grouped as a class and stay together for each subject throughout the day. They keep the same home room teacher, who gets to monitor their progress (or lack thereof) over the course of four years. So the first day is somewhat tempered by the reality of the fact that basically, you as a student , just had a two month respite from your four year journey with the same 22 people.

This administrative-system, which takes precedence over an educational system, fosters a sense of boredom and familiarity that challenges the students’ motivation and enthusiasm. They are cheated of the opportunity to observe the learning styles of other students in their grade level as they are lumped into a one-size-fits-all learning group. Students who choose not to learn but to be disruptive; students who want to learn but need more time to grasp a concept; children with learning disabilities who require individual attention; the average students and the students who are high achievers remain classmates until graduation. The primary school teachers –especially teachers who must travel from class to class and school to school because they lack their own classroom – are challenged to teach multi-level classes with no resources. What might the results be?

Scheduling classes is a major undertaking. The teachers, rather than the administrators, work out the schedule amongst themselves. In the past, it has been a paper/pencil/eraser affair but I showed Alexandra a scheduling program I found on the internet. In keeping with her interest in trying new things, she mastered the workings of the program, and became the school's Master-Scheduler. The only downside to this new hi-tech practice, is that every teacher needed to talk to her about making changes here and there. So most of her free time during the first three weeks of school was spent updating the schedule to keep up with the hourly changes.

One of the reasons for the delay in producing a final schedule is that teachers must have 20 classes per week to be considered full-time and earn the maximum salary.This year due to the loss of one full class and the Ministry’s decision to limit students to one elective course, some teachers were unable to find 20 hours at Nikola Karev. The Director and the teachers worked out times with other schools in the region, which took some time and added to the delay in producing a final schedule. Now three weeks into the school year, the schedule is in place and most of the teachers have their 20 hours.

Despite this system imposed upon the teachers, learning does happen. The school is a fun place to be and the children love to be there. Change is coming down the pike. The Ministry of Science and Education is aware of many of the problems and is implementing changes. This year for the first time, the Ministry is providing all required books without cost to every student in the country. This eliminates the problem of the poorer students coming to class without books and just sitting, unable to follow and learn and eventually dropping out of school, believing learning is boring. Hopefully, sometime in the near future, funding will be provided, so the teachers can have paper and copying machines to enhance their teaching material arsenal.

The next group of Peace Corps Volunteers (MAK 14) arrived in Macedonia last Sunday (which means that Mak13’s have been here a year) and I had the opportunity to be on a panel which tasked me with describing my experiences as a senior volunteer in a mostly Macedonian-speaking community. The other panelists described life as a married couple in an ethnically-mixed community (Macedonian-Albanian) and as a Volunteer in a mostly Albanian community. It was great sitting up front, a seasoned veteran and mister-know-it-all. I delivered my spiel, and listened to the presentations of the other Volunteers. I watched the faces of this wonderful group of TRAINEES who had been in-country for two days and had the same questions and concerns as I did, not really sure of what lay ahead.

However, sometime before the end of the presentation, I remembered that one year ago I was sitting where they were, and then I realized that I had only been here a year, and was not yet a qualified veteran, that I was really a long way from knowing it all, and like the newly arrived TRAINEES, not really sure of what lay ahead.

There will be more in my next Blog about the arrival in Probistip of six PC TRAINEES who will be spending three months as my neighbors. They will be learning the ropes before being sent out on their own and perhaps preparing to sit on a panel next year upon the arrival of MAK15.

Be sure to check out the newly added photos.

Flags, Refrigerators, and More

Yesterday, August 28th, was a National Holiday in Macedonia, a new religious one in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At one time in Poibistip, when the mine was functioning at its full capacity, it was an important secular celebration for the mining community. There is an interesting pictorial history at the modest mining museum at the Cultural Center where there are photos of the miners in their miner dress-uniforms, with parades and other events conducted on this day. But sadly, the tradition has passed and it was a pretty quiet and hot summer day. I understand that there was an evening football game and an after-game dance at the football field (AKA soccer field) but I didn’t make it over there this year.

Unlike Americans, Macedonians don’t display their national flag on holidays. It’s a tradition that died out after the breakup of Yugoslavia. All over Probistip you can see the weather-worn flag holders on the light poles lining the main street and if you look closely you can see triple flagpoles hidden amongst the now 30 foot evergreen trees in what were at one time prime locations at the schools and public buildings. The senior citizens I have spoken with would like to rekindle the tradition but I’m not sure they know how to initiate the plan. So I have added it to my list of projects (along side of my original plan to get the Macedonian flag at school) and will seek out a few seniors to lead the way with me in the background.

So I took the first step yesterday and displayed my recently acquired Macedonian flag from my apartment window (see my pictures) and thus became the first and from what I can tell, the only resident in my neighborhood to do so on this holiday. Passers-by made comments upon seeing the dangling flag and maybe on September 8th – the next holiday- they’ll be a few more flags. I did check with my Macedonian friends beforehand, and they assured me it is totally acceptable to display the flag.

Correction: In my last blog I reported on the vendors selling melons and I inaccurately identified the round yellow melons as “boctons” but Alexandra informed me that the “boctons” are really the watermelons. She told me the name of the yellow melons but, surprise, surprise, I can’t remember it at this moment.

The door on my 35 year old refrigerator fell off last week. There were indications that this event might occur because it hasn’t sealed properly for the last few months and it was difficult to close. So my landlord, Dimchay, came over several days after my urgent call to check it out. While waiting an additional several days for the miester (repairman) that Dimchay was searching for to drop by, I propped the door closed using a kitchen chair. One can’t appreciate a functioning refrigerator door until one doesn’t have one. I dreaded having to get something from the fridge and was amazed as to how many times I needed something in the course of the day? And then have to put it back.

I didn’t think it could be repaired. The hinges were bent and worn and rusted out and the door was totally misaligned and it was missing washers and bushings. On Saturday morning Dimchay showed up with the refrigerator miester and after a cursory examination, they emptied it and hauled it away in the back of a Zastrava Coupe. I was left with the contents of the fridge scattered about the kitchen as they headed off to wherever, not really understanding exactly when they would return and wondering how long traditionally refrigerated food would survive on a 90 degree summer day.

They returned within the hour with the fridge with its newly welded hinges and replaced parts, ready for another 35 years of service. I really admire the way Macedonians fix things rather than replace them. They seem to be able to repair things that most of us in the States would discard believing they were not repairable. The newly hand-crafted hinges on my eyeglass frames, the perfect picture on my once useless TV, my now functioning Toshiba computer (without replacing the motherboard) give testament to their skill.

Although many of the public areas in Probistip are well-worn from time and weather, the town is kept meticulously clean by the public officials and private citizens. Every morning the women are outside sweeping up any discarded trash, fallen leaves, or whatever else doesn’t belong on the sidewalk or curb (It’s still quite common to witness people throwing chip bags, soda bottles, candy wrappers, etc. on the ground rather than in trash receptacles). The town street sweepers come by frequently with their wheelbarrows, branch-brooms, and six-inch wide shovels and the garbage trucks come by daily (or so it seems) to empty the dumpsters.

Individuals receiving public assistance are required to work (I believe four hours daily) for the town during the warmer months and can be seen weeding vegetation along the curbs and the sidewalks. Many of the public areas have been resurfaced, repainted, and repaired by various crews and so you can witness the pride that Probistipians have in their community.

Almost every tree in town is a fruit bearing tree. There are few maple, ash, oak or other decorative trees. In most yards now the trees are ripe with pears, various kinds of apples, plums, chestnuts, walnuts, kiwis, figs, pomegranates, and/or apricots. These will all be harvested as “winter food” and some will be turned into compotes and marmalades, while others will be stored in root cellars and barrels. Of course the grapes are almost ready for the mid-September harvest and the peppers for ivar are being harvested as I write.

The children return to school on September 1st but their class schedules are not finalized for several days/weeks. The teachers returned on August 18th and are required to put in two hours daily. During these sessions, the teachers get their rooms ready, attend meetings hosted by the director, get updated on the newest changes from the Ministry of Education, and find out how many classes they will have in the upcoming school year. Teachers need twenty classes a week to be full-time and due to the declining enrollment in Probistip, several teachers now find themselves for the first time, having to hustle for classes at other schools. 140 desktop computers are waiting to be installed in the classrooms but internet connections are not yet available due to its cost to the school.

The custodial staff ripped out the old laboratory sinks in Alexandra’s classroom (with a great deal of prodding from Alexandra and me), opening up much needed space and giving her many more classroom management options. For their efforts in prioritizing our request, I promised them a peach pie, which they settled for in lieu of their initial request for round trip tickets to visit America.

So I am off to the kitchen to fulfill my pledge, substituting a Lou’s Crumb Cake for the pie because the fruit vendor didn’t have peaches yesterday.

Downtime?

Teacher’s report back to school on Monday the 17th and the students will return in September. So I’ll find out real soon what is expected of a teacher during the pre-season.

The summer progressed exceptionally fast. As I try to figure out what I did for the last five weeks, I am having a difficult time accounting for extended periods of time. I traveled to Kavardaci for two days to assist Maggie with her Wackey Wednesday activity. I spent three days on buses to and from Skopje when I had my dead computer brought back to life. I spent four days in Dojran making sure my colleague Phil survived his last week there before he transfers to Bitola where he will actually have something to do. I spent some days in Skopje, picking up supplies and visiting Najstar (The Oldest) Michael and conducting business at the Peace Corps Headquarters. I’m not sure if my In-Service Training and Habitat For Humanity days in Veles fit into this time period, but let’s just say they do as it will help me account for some of the time I am trying to account for.

The rest of my time has been spent in Probistip. While my days start at 6AM and end between 10 and 11, Probistipians seem to begin their outdoor day at 5PM and end at it at about 1AM. Their need to get a good night’s rest, having gone to bed at 2AM, getting up at 9 or 10, eating breakfast then, with a large lunch at 3 or 4, followed by a nap until 5 or 6 with dinner at 8 or 9, somewhat limits my daily contact with my neighbors. Macedonians are a very industrious people and are always busy. It’s just that I don’t see many of them in my neighborhood during the hot weather because of my North American circadian cycle.

I have spent a great deal of time researching and preparing materials and Power Point Presentations for various officials to be presented when the new school year begins and the summer funk has faded. The internet and my Epson printer/scanner/copier have been indispensable in helping me document the information that I will present.

For the English classes, Alexandra and I have created award certificates which we’ll present to last year’s deserving students to hopefully motivate this year’s students; we’ve established an account with ThinkQuest which will enable students to create websites on the school’s computers while working with students from America and around the world; we’ve planned a seminar for the other English teachers in Probistip, during which we can share some successful methods that we tried last year; and we’ve established a state of the art English classroom with scavenged materials and donations.

I am working on a compilation of games and activities for Physical Education classes and translating them into Macedonian for the teachers in grades 1-4, who must teach PE to their classes, and for the PE staff at the school who must follow a curriculum dating back to the Yugoslavian days (read mostly football). (N. B. Whenever I say I am translating something into Macedonian, I mean I translate it, take it to my tutor Jasmina, and we work on re-translating it into something a Macedonian can understand. After I retype it, she rechecks it once more for spelling and typos. It’s a tedious process but I am seeing improvements each month. Hopefully at the end of two years, I will have a resource that can be distributed to schools throughout Macedonia.)

On the last day of the school year Alexandra and I met with the Director and she was very open to our suggestions regarding establishing a Student Council; an after-school detention procedure to hold students accountable for their in-school behavior; an emergency evacuation procedure that would require more than the one current exit for the entire school; a infusion of "patriotic behaviors" that would entail having at least one Macedonian flag displayed at the school and singing the National Anthem on Monday mornings. I’ve put together all the materials, so implementing these ideas won’t require much work.

Four girls from Probistip were selected to attend a Peace Corps sponsored camp this summer called Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and I promised them I would help them establish a GLOW Club at the High School in the fall. Jasmina has agreed to be a mentor, and I’ve gathered materials for this project.

I put together a Power Point Presentation for parents and teachers (in Macedonian, mind you) which addresses the question of “Are Our Children Eating Well?.” The answer to this question is “NO,NO, NO!” The children’s breakfast diets are atrocious here and the presentation just raises questions and an awareness of the problem.

I am planning on an informal meeting with the new mayor to offer my services to improve the English language versions of the Probistip website and work with any of the businesses in town that produce brochures with English. I would volunteer to work with whoever does their translating to make the material more understandable to any English reader. Many of the travel brochures, websites, and town documents that I have read in Macedonia need a a lot of polishing. I also prepared some materials to share with the mayor and his staff that would educate them about how a small town government works in my home town in Massachusetts. It would open up the opportunity for me to learn about how things are organized here in Probistip.

Other projects that are in the planning stages include a Women’s Health Fair; a unit on Health and Human Reproduction (HIV-Aides Awareness) for the high school students; an Ultimate Frisbee League; an after-school jump rope team; a horse-shoe pitching league for the pensioners; a Knock-Hockey production line; a muffin distributorship; a plant that makes and distributes ice; a pie, cookie, donut and crumb cake addition to the limited selection in at least one of the bakeries in Probistip; an English language conversation group at the Culture Center for residents who want an opportunity to practice their English; a Skype-buddies group between students at my favorite school in America (Blanchard Memorial) and students here in Probistip, so the they can learn about each other and practice their English speaking skills.

Exactly how many of these activities will ever come to fruition remains to be seen. It will be challenging, yet fun trying to implement them. Many of the ideas are new here and require changes in attitude. Education and a solid marketing strategy are essential. So I am always on the lookout for the 20%’s like Alexandra and Jasmina who are open to new ideas, are willing to think outside a somewhat small box , and are willing to take part in implementing some of the changes. Onward!

Mid-Summer, Macedonia

Now that I have my computer back, things have returned to normal. Without my computer I had to actually read a book and watch B-movies from the 70’s and 80’s. I never knew there were so many bad movies out there. I did get a lot of language studying in and I organized some of the stuff I had been putting off. I put everything in the kitchen in alphabetical order. For example, when you open the utensil drawer, you will notice from left to right, forks, knifes, and then spoons. The dishes and glasses are arranged – coffee cups, dinner plates, juice glasses, large bowls, sandwich plates, saucers, soup bowls, tall glasses, and tea cups. I could have arranged them - bowls, large; bowls, soup; cups, coffee; cups, tea; glasses, juice; glasses, tall; plates, dinner; and plates, sandwich – but I think that I made the right decision by employing the former technique. I would love to hear others' feedback on this issue. Anyway having my computer back has rescued me from having to make such frivolous, yet rewarding decisions.

The weather in this part of the country hits the mid-90’s on some days but there is little humidity so I am quite comfortable. Laundry hung on the line will actually dry completely in two hours. There always seems to be a breeze, so my stan (apartment), equipped with a Peace Corps issued fan, remains tolerable for me. The traditional Macedonian, however, believes that a breeze (promaja) will cause one to become sick with a headache, shoulder problem or worse. Accordingly, few families have fans and few of the apartment dwellers open their windows. If you ever come to Probitsip, you can identify my apartment from the street, because it is the only one in the neighborhood with all the windows open. One of my students mentioned that the only time his mother opens the windows is when she is cleaning.

This fear of a breeze (promaja) also makes bus travel somewhat uncomfortable because regardless of the temperature, the windows on the bus that can be opened, will not be opened. In many cases the buses lack air-conditioning. The high outdoor temperatures combined with the body temperatures of the passengers along with the perfumes, deodorants, food smells and body odors make bus travel a truly sensory experience. I have traveled on several buses this summer that were air-conditioned. The driver would have to turn it off when traveling uphill but the ride was pleasantly and unexpectedly comfortable.

During these summer months it’s kind of weird to go outside and not see many people until five or six in the evening. Those residents who don’t work seem to sleep in, especially the teenagers, until after 12PM. Then it’s "too hot" to be outside and lunch is at 3’ish after which a nap is in order because of the big mid-day meal and heat of the afternoon. Around 5’ish the residents are out on the streets and this goes on until after midnight. I have yet to adjust to this schedule and am usually in bed by 11PM.

A couple of weeks ago I was at the Wednesday market walking amongst the crowd and surveying the stalls for my week’s supply of fresh produce. Suddenly a microphone was thrust in front of my face by a reporter for the local TV station. Accompanying her was a cameraman and I then I realized I was a participant in a man-on-the- street interview. The only problem was that I could only understand 7 out of the 10 words of the question I was being asked. So I gave my usual, “I am from America and I am learning Macedonian. I know a little of your language.” This comment always encourages a Macedonian to speak faster and in longer sentences and I find myself guessing about what they are talking about, not understanding 30-50% of the words. So when I was asked the question of the day, I heard the words for weather, sun, rain, hot, and like but really didn’t know what she was asking. So hoping I was in the ballpark, I answered, “I like the weather when it’s sunny and hot but I also like the rain.” She gave me a quizzical look, thanked me and proceeded on to find another interviewee. I figured the reporter could get a better response from any other living person in Probistip. The next day Jasmina, my tutor and friend, casually informed me that, “Oh, we saw you on TV last night. You spoke very well!” Go figure.

Melons are in season right now and almost everywhere I go I will notice “melon vendors” plying their fruits. They have a melon here that looks somewhat like a cantaloupe and it’s called a “bocton”(pronounced boston). So for the last week or so, at the market and on the street corners, I hear the name of the capital city of Massachusetts, my home state, being proclaimed throughout the Republic “bocton, bocton, imam bocton tuka”(get your melons here).

So now that school is out until September (teachers report back on the 18th of August), what goes on in the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer in Macedonia? Tune in next time and I’ll fill you in. I’ve got a lot to do right now. (FYI: those of you who get this posting directly as e-mail may be missing my wonderful captioned photos that you can access at Picasa from my blog)

Toshiba Satellite, Toshiba Satellite, Oh Toshiba Satellite!

You have betrayed me. You have proven yourself to be unreliable. My trust in you no longer exists. You have absconded with a portion of my meager wealth. You have forced me to undertake tedious journeys under adverse conditions. You have mocked my decision to purchase you in America. I can no longer sing praises of your glory for your glory has vanished from my world. I look at you with contempt.

What came upon you when you decided not to power up only 12 days after your one-year warranty expired? I treated you like a brother (my real-life brothers might think that that might be a problem) affording you with a place of prominence in my castle (you know the saying – “my home is my castle”). I protected you from electrical surges. Neither food nor drink could approach you. You never lost a challenge to gravity. You were my most prized possession, more so than my wife and sons (who probably don’t consider themselves possessions anyway).

Your Maker - the Toshiba Corporation- refused me the opportunity to bring you back to life under their Goodwill Program that would have enabled you to have been repaired at no cost, reasoning it was so close to the expiration of the one-year American warranty. I came to learn that laptops purchased in Europe have a two- year warranty and three years if purchased in Japan (or is it Germany?). You have rubbed salt in my wound and mocked my fellow consumers in the “home of the free and land of the brave” (or is it “the home of the brave and the land of the free?”). Why only one-half of a European warranty for Americans?

Your doctor gave me a choice to get you back to where you once were. I could pay 300 Euros for a new motherboard or 140 Euros to get the burned out components replaced (how did you manage to “burn out?”). I chose the latter since that was only ½ of my monthly subsistence allowance and I would be able to eat at least every other day. A somewhat easy decision.

You forced me to undertake a six-hour perilous round trip on a bus with neither air-conditioning nor operational windows in 90 degree heat to the only repair facility in the entire country. Three times! You subjected me to waiting hours in a darkened bus station for the next bus departure to my hometown in Probistip. Three times!

So now that you have robbed me of both my treasure and my trust, and have stolen three days of my life, I find myself sitting once again before you, composing this dispatch. I do this not knowing when you will choose to betray me again.

Maybe someday I will no longer point to the heavens – as does an enthused baseball player after hitting a home run– when you respond to my request to power up. Maybe someday! Till then: Toshiba – Caveat Emptor!

(N.B. Knowing that I would be in Macedonia for 27 months, I purchased a Toshiba Satellite laptop computer, considerably more expensive than other comparable laptops, relying on what I was told regarding its reliability. My experience has proven to me that “It” is not reliable (13 months before a major problem). I also raise the question as to why the Toshiba Corporation has different warranty standards. Are they enabled by weak consumer protection laws in the USA to offer a minimal one-year warranty. Based on my experiences and if I were to be so asked, I would not recommend this brand of laptop to anyone considering purchasing a Toshiba brand laptop in the USA.)

"You're Under Arrest!"

It’s July 4th and Phil and I are in Skopje visiting “Naistar” (the Oldest) Michael. There are six Michaels in Peace Corps Macedonia – I am Postar (the Older) Michael. We are there to attend an afternoon picnic organized and sponsored by the American embassy and open to any American citizen that happens to be in Macedonia.

We had spent the morning shopping for stuff that we can’t find in our communities. I purchased a muffin tin and a Bundt pan so that I can continue my quest to introduce “new” foods to my Macedonian friends and neighbors. We had taken many photos of a musical group that was performing in the center and of other interesting things that caught our interest. We had taken off on our 20 minute trek back to Michael’s apartment (79 year old Michael wasn’t with us because he didn’t want miss his workout at the gym) and had three hours to get ready for the 4 o’clock picnic. It was a quiet Saturday and there were few pedestrians or shoppers about at this time on a summer day.

We were walking down the main boulevard and as has happened on numerous occasions before, noticed ahead that the traffic lights weren’t working at a major intersection and that a police officer was directing the flow. Nothing we haven’t experienced before. We got to the intersection, started to cross and stopped on the middle island, checking for oncoming traffic.

It is then that we saw in the distance, a motorcade approaching . Great timing we thought and got our cameras ready for when it passed by. Who was it – the mayor, a foreign dignitary, a rock star? We had no idea but got are cameras ready and took a few pictures in the less than 5 seconds it took for the motorcade to pass. We put away our cameras wondering who it was that was totally obscured from our view behind the blacked-out windows on the vehicles. We proceeded on our way.

Our way was less than ten steps before we heard a whistle and the police officer who was directing traffic and next to whom we were standing when the motorcade passed, heading towards us. He motioned for us to stop and asked us in broken, yet understandable English, of what we were taking pictures (a rhetorical question perhaps because he already knew the answer). “The motorcade”, we answered. He asked us for identification (we gave him our Peace Corp ID’s) and he called for backup. Within minutes there were eight more police officers on the scene – four plain clothes and four uniformed in four separate squad cars. They asked for our passports which Michael brought, after our call, from his apartment. They confiscated our cameras and refused to talk on the phone to our Peace Corps Security Officer who speaks perfect Macedonian considering that he is a Macedonian.

So Phil and I were standing around, trying to guess what we did that merited such an overwhelming response from these law enforcement officials. We ruled out jaywalking. Then the Paddy Wagon (politically incorrect term nowadays but I don’t know what else to call it) arrived and Phil and I were ushered into it. We were told we were “under arrest for photographing the President’s motorcade" a seemingly serious offense in this developing nation. (The Paddy Wagon appeared to be brand new, so Phil and I believe that we were the first prisoners to utilize it, somewhat of an accomplishment in and of itself).

Earlier on I had called the Peace Corps Duty Officer and told her of our predicament. She in turn called our Safety and Security Officer, and he in turn called his contacts at the American Embassy. Within the hour a Peace Corp staff member and a representative from the Embassy arrived and sat with us in the waiting room while the police inspectors examined our photos and did whatever it took them two hours to do.

By four o’clock (the picnic starting time), after signing statements that we didn’t need a lawyer now, that we wouldn’t need a lawyer later, that we needed no medical care, and that we were treated well, and after signing a couple of other innocuous papers, we were given back our cameras and credentials and on our way back to the apartment, already late for our sole reason for being in Skopje. All this was accomplished with the Embassy representative translating and guiding us through the process.

In the end, the police inspectors and the police commander apologized for what had happened and for the use of the term “arrest” when it should have been “detained”. His officers speak very little English. He had to follow pre-established procedures and we got the impression that he felt it was foolish to forbid taking pictures of a motorcade, regardless of who is in it.

At no time during this adventure were Phil nor I concerned about what was happening. We knew the Peace Corps and the Embassy had our back and they kept in constant contact with us during the whole time. The “arresting” officers were low key, yet professional. They didn’t take our phones; they didn’t search our bags, and they didn’t handcuff us on the trip to the stationhouse. In the end, they asked us to please erase the pictures of the motorcade, trusting us without supervising us, to do so.

One of the main requests of the Macedonian Minister of Education is that we assist teachers in improving the critical thinking skills of today’s students. After witnessing us openly take photos of the motorcade and realizing that we were Americans ignorant of the law, the traffic officer had two choices. He could have informed that one can’t photograph the President’s motorcade, asked us to comply with the law in the future, and asked us to delete the photos. Or he could have called in reinforcements “according to procedure.” Option 1 would have been the proper call in this situation if the officer had the option. But“according to procedure” is how many things are governed here in Macedonia, often in cases where common sense would dictate a more sensible approach.

So Phil and I, serving together in Macedonia, have now broken the law, been detained by a squad of police officers and have ridden together in a Paddy Wagon - boasts few if any Peace Corps Volunteers can make. The brotherhood has been strengthened and a solid reminiscence has been engraved in our story telling repertoire.

I am unable to support this episode with any photographs, for aforementioned reasons.

School's Out!

I learned a lot about the educational system here in Macedonia over the last seven months and I still have a great deal to learn. But I am not sure I will ever understand it. The students who went to “summer school” last week finished up and so it won’t be until September that we’ll have students to work with. That doesn’t mean the teachers won’t be seeing each other. Their attendance is required for a few hours each day until the 5th of July. I’m still not sure what is expected of the teachers during this time, now that the cumbersome grade reporting system has been completed. I understand they report back to school in August, weeks before the students return.

Most students in the fifth through eighth grades take 14 or 15 subjects each year, so documenting and accurately recording each student’s progress is a monumental task. But the teachers know the routine and get the job done in a timely manner. The students pick up their promotion certificates and final grades about two weeks after the last classes and exams. During this two week period while they are completing all the paperwork, the teachers receive calls from concerned parents asking the teacher to please consider giving their child a higher grade. There is also a formal appeals process that enables parents to actually challenge a teacher’s final grade. So grade inflation is a chronic problem.

Directors at the high school and primary schools dictate that every child will be promoted much to the dissatisfaction of the teachers. I’ve been told that not one student has had to repeat a grade in at least the last eleven years at the Nikola Karev Primary School. Classes are filled with students who are years behind their peers, somewhat neglected and lost and who present a great challenge to the teacher who must teach in a de facto multi-level classroom with no resources. Using a 7th grade English textbook with a student who has the knowledge base of a 3rd grader is the only course of action that the teacher has.

Other little quirky things (from my perspective) that I’ve observed include the fact that, by law, teachers are not allowed to collect money from the students. So when her class went on a field trip, Alexandra had to watch over the shoulder of a student who actually touched the money and counted it. Students must pay for the paper upon which the teachers prints their exams. The money collected, of course, by one of the students. Students who get a One (a Five is the highest grade) as their final grade must attend “summer school” which entails a five day/ten hour opportunity to make up for a school year’s worth of non-learning . A student who receives three Ones must repeat the school year (there are plenty of candidates who have these credentials) but as I mentioned above, no student maybe left back. So one of the student’s teachers is “asked” to inflate the One to a Two. To compound the issue, teachers receive no stipend for teaching “summer school” so any borderline students who could possibly benefit from an extra week of class, are upgraded to a Two, limiting the “remedial “class size.

The upbeat news is that today’s leadership in Macedonia is aware of many of the issues that I mentioned. Efforts are being made to change those aspects of an educational system that has been in place for decades. It will take some time to accomplish but the 20%’ers will see it through.

I did get to employ some of my wrestling skills that I used to use on my brothers when we were growing up on Long Island. I had to break up two different classroom fights during the last weeks of school. In both cases two boys were going at pretty well. They watch a lot of WWF wrestling here and the boys were head-butting, choke holding and attempting to throw chairs, ignoring the potential consequences of their actions. They wouldn’t comply with the Alexandra’s demand to stop. I reluctantly stepped in and employed my infamous Half-Nelson (that used to bring my brothers to tears) on one of the boys so that I could immobilize him momentarily and position myself between the combatants, thereby preventing any serious injuries. My technique worked and there were no tears or cries of pain or running to mommy like my three brothers did.

My standings as a martial arts expert rose considerably in the eyes of the students who witnessed the events. I received kudos and high fives and word of “Michael’s moves” spread amongst the school population. Ironically, Alexandra has a martial arts Black Belt but she let me handle the situation. As is the case in Probistip, the boys who were fighting were seen later in the day, once again good friends, hanging out together. Perhaps they were relieved that their altercation was broken up by the referee and there wasn’t a winner or a loser.

Some Things I’ve Come to Know

Not a day goes by here in this wonderful place where I don’t learn something new or get a different perspective on living in this world. I always thought that roosters crowed only at sunrise, because in the stories I read as a child, that’s what they did. But the fact is they crow all day. And so the crowing roosters, baying donkeys, squealing pigs, singing birds, barking dogs, and yowling cats create an auditory environment that at times is enchanting and at times annoying.

Now as you know, if you’ve read my previous blogs, I live near the center of the town in the apartment complex built for the miners’ families. So on warm days, the women (and some men) on my street sit outside at hastily built tables of scrap wood and talk about whatever women talk about. I am now a familiar face with a wife, and so upon my return from school, I walk a gauntlet of smiles and “Dobar Dens” (Good Day) from the groups sitting in front of each apartment. It’s nice to know I’ve been accepted into the neighborhood.

The men in my neighborhood have been busy the last few weekends cutting, splitting, and stacking recently delivered wood for next winter’s heating and cooking. I still marvel at the fact that, for the most part, each apartment in each building has its own woodpile. But wood is less expensive than electricity, so I can understand the rationale behind it. Luckily my apartment has been retrofitted with an electric heater and the Peace Corps picks up the tab for electricity.

The bread here is crusty and chewy on the day you buy it. But the next day it is somewhat dried out and tasteless (the result of having no preservatives). So after six months of enduring day old bread, I figured out that maybe if I toasted it, it would be more enjoyable. Not having the luxury of a toaster or an oven broiler, I discovered that I could put a slice of day old bread on a stovetop-heated pan without oil and it would manufacture a pretty good piece of hot toast, so good in fact that I plan on throwing away our toaster when I return to the States.

I take lots of pictures. Occasionally I will get a good picture of a student and have it developed at the local photo shop for equivalent of about twenty cents. When I present it to the student, they are so excited and so appreciative. The smiles are immeasurable and the rest of the class seems to share in the joy of the recipient. Twenty cents can buy much, much more than a pack of gum here in Macedonia.

Soda is the drink of choice among the children. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta and many locally produced sugar laden beverages take up more shelf space in the shops than any other product. Sadly, many of them advertise themselves as “energy drinks”. Diet sodas are almost non-existent in Probistip. Needless to say the prevalence of sugar drinks has contributed to the need for more dental care than is available to many of the students. I recently read or viewed somewhere, that one measure to help reduce the enamel eating effect of soft drinks is to sip the beverage through a straw. This, as I understood it, would help eliminate the “bathing effect” on the teeth that drinking from a glass or bottle creates. Mad sense to me. So yesterday for the first time in the 8 months I’ve been in-country, I thought I’d try a locally produced cold soft drink. I purchased a “Cola”, bottled in Macedonia. Much to my surprise, when I opened the bottle, there was a straw in the bottle from which to dentally-healthfully (you know what I mean)enjoy the “energy drink”. Cutting edge – straw IN the bottle!

Cabbage is a staple, much like bread. I will see people purchase 10 cabbages and twenty onions at the Wednesday market (pazaar). All sorts of fabulous salads and dishes can be made with cabbage and onions but I always wondered how a person could use so many cabbages and onions in a week. One cabbage and one onion will last me a week. As it turns out, a person buying that many cabbages and onions is probably picking up them up for family, friends and neighbors. Question answered. Next question: How much do 10 Macedonian cabbages(not those whimpy cabbages they sell in American supermarkets) weigh? Answer: Too much.

Strawberries and cherries are in the market now. They are picked when they are ripe and at the market the same, or no later than, the next day. Deeelicious! Tragically, In their 3000+ years of existence, Macedonians have never tasted a strawberry or a cherry pie (USA style). Strawberries with rhubarb – nope!

I tried to find a pair of sport sandals herein Probistip but the only ones I could find were either “not my style” or were the flip-flop kind that I always struggle to keep on. Leather shoes are very expensive in Macedonia, so most available footwear is made of synthetic materials. So through the convenience of on-line shopping I ordered a pair of Made-in-China sport sandals from the All-American company in Freeport, Maine – LL Bean. As usual, they were great and despite the $35 shipping fee and the $4 pickup fee at the post office (Powsta), which were fees beyond the control of the Bean Corporation, I am very pleased with my purchase. Besides owning one of the most expensive bathrobes in Macedonia, I now own the nicest pair of leather sport sandals in Probistip.

The new U.S. Embassy is now open in Skopje. It’s a fortress-looking structure, located in a prime location in the capital. It’s quite ostentatious (my personal opinion). Previously , the various Embassy offices were scattered about the city. Now everyone on the staff is located in one place which improves the security for everyone involved. Sadly, with the world situation the way it is, you can’t just drop into the Embassy. You need to make an appointment at least three days in advance to gain entrance.

The Embassy staff is very supportive of PCV’s. They invite us to many of the holiday events that happen at the Embassy, let us have access to the swimming pool , and provide us with access to the Skopje Scoop- a newsletter that keeps the Embassy community attuned to what’s happening in town. The only catch is that unless you’re a PCV serving in the capital or in a nearby municipality, you really can’t take advantage of their hospitality.

I remember when Yugo’s came to America when Yugoslavia introduced them to the American car market. They weren’t a big hit and became somewhat of a joke because of their poor quality construction. Well here in Probistip those babies are still on the road. Those four cylinder, diesel engined marvels , along with their sister Zastava’s, are workhorses. They all have tow bars to which are attached trailers that transport everything from mattresses and household goods to cement and fieldstones. These vehicles have been on the road for over forty years. So much for poor quality, America!

An Excursion

On Friday the 22nd I had the opportunity to Skype the sixth graders from the Blanchard Memorial School in Boxborough, Massachusetts. I had taught there for 33 years and retired two years ago so it was great to see the faces of so many students that I last knew as fourth graders. They grow so fast. My former colleague, Rob, set up the meeting with the help of the Blanchard staff. Although there were audio problems, I was able to answer their very-well thought out questions. Next school year, when the computers are finally installed at the Nikola Karev school, we’ll have some great opportunities to have the students from both countries interact and work together on some fun projects.

On Saturday the sixth and seventh graders from the Nicola Karev Primary School went on their end-of-the-school-year class trip and I went along with them. At 7AM five home room teachers and about 80 students on two busses, took off for a day of travel to five different points of interest in the surrounding towns and villages.

The first stop was in Radovis, an agrarian town where we stopped to view a new church that was recently built by a Macedonian gentleman who had made a fortune in the U.S. Upon his return, he built this beautiful church for his community in thanksgiving for his blessings (This is my understanding of the story. If anyone reading this blog has more knowledge on this topic, please feel free to post your comments at the end of this blog.) The church is exquisite and will be around for many centuries.

We then boarded the busses for Smolari, where there is a waterfall that is well worth seeing, hidden in the mountainous forest or forested mountain. We had to pass through a small village, and hike up a steep trail to get to the waterfall. It was well worth the challenging effort to spend a few Kodak moments on site. On the way down, we bought freshly picked cherries from some of the local youths who had set up a lemonade-for-sale style stand in the forest. Needless to say, they were delicious although I question whether they had been washed. The students found a vendor that sold ice cream and so as to blend in and since it wasn’t winter and I wouldn’t catch a cold from eating one, I contributed to the local economy and bought a bar- an ice cream bar that is.

Our next destination was Bansko, another agricultural town where the plan was to have lunch. Bansko is also known for its hot springs and there used to be numerous places to use the water to treat various health issues. It was about lunchtime and the day was heating up and the farmers were coming into the village on their tractors to grab some refreshment at one of the cafés. The students wanted to wait until the next stop before eating lunch and so they refreshed themselves with ice cream and soft drinks from the local prodavnitza (convenience store).

The next, and as it turned out to be our last, stop on our excursion was the town of Strumica – established in the 2nd century B.C. There were parks , and amusements, and shops and malls and cafes and fast food. The students from Probistip were set free and told to report back to the busses in three hours. The teachers found a nice outdoor restaurant where we rested and leisurely dined, and when the bill came, I was told that I had been treated to lunch. Macedonian hospitality again.
After a brief stroll through the center and a few minutes of throwing in the park, the frisbees that I had brought, we departed for home.

I learned a lot more about Macedonia on our trip. I witnessed how well the students got along with each other and how supportive they were of each other and how they are so much like the students in the USA. I got to practice my Macedonian and they were able to practice English in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. I was able to drive Alexandra crazy with questions about agriculture, business, education and law in Macedonia. I discovered they grow rice and mine gold here.

One of the neatest things while traveling on the bus through the” food belt” of Macedonia was witnessing areas where ancient farming techniques are still being practiced. I saw hectare upon hectare of tobacco fields where each tiny plant was tenderly hand placed in the ground. I saw a farmer scything a field while another worker was pitch forking the dried hay onto a horse-drawn cart. I saw more horses and donkeys than tractors and cars. I saw a fish farm. I saw shepherds and goat herders. With the exception of a passing motorized vehicle every now and then disturbing the setting , one would come to believe that he had been transported back to the 16th century.

I also learned that farmers can grow poppies that are used in the production of morphine. I saw many blossoming poppy fields while busing through this area. The growers must sell the whole plant, not just the pods, to licensed pharmaceutical companies.

Luckily, Monday was a National Holiday – Saints Cyril and Methodius – a relatively new holiday (you couldn’t celebrate saint’s days during the former communist days) which also recognizes the country’s teachers. The long weekend was needed to rejuvenate body and mind in preparation for the final weeks of this school year.

While I was writing this blog, my apartment building shook a few times. The area experienced some earthquake tremors from a seismic occurrence whose epicenter was in a town some distance from here. Not to worry I’m told, it happens all the time. So the next time my walls sway and the sofa vibrates, I’ll be sure not to be concerned.

Wherefore Art Thou ?

When I awoke on Wednesday morning, I immediately realized that I was once again living in MY OWN domain. “Wherefore art thou my sweet Lee B.?” There are no longer half-full coffee cups abandoned in each of the three rooms. I find a horizontal surface, no longer cluttered with the concoctions fabricated to hide, suppress, inflate, deflate , accentuate, diminish, cover, uncover, remove, straighten, curl, color, highlight or otherwise improve what God gave a woman when she was born. I proceeded to check my e-mail without waiting for my turn to use my computer. It was back to normal – normal being a relative term.

But then I realized that my best friend (and wife to boot) had departed Macedonia for the warmer climes of Egypt to meet up with her best friend since high school, where they will see for themselves if there really are camels, pyramids and sand in Northern Africa.

(An aside: When my Macedonian acquaintances and the students were asking me where Lee was going, I would respond in Macedonian that “she was going on a vacation with a friend. I was unknowingly using the word “priatel” which is the masculine form for “friend”. Many a Macedonian and quite a few students initially looked a little confused at such an American tradition of letting one’s wife go on vacation with another man, but they accepted it as the way we do things in our country. Once I realized that I should be using the word “priatelka”, (meaning a female friend) people seemed to respond without the quizzical look on their face.

While Lee B. was here, we had a wonderful time. We were wined and dined by the families of my counterpart (Alexandra), my tutor (Jasmina) and my colleague (Dobchay). We visited my wonderful host family in Negotino and got a tour of Kocho’s vineyard. We were given a personal tour of the ancient city of Kratevo by Trichay, a news journalist who lives in Probistip. We picnicked in the beautiful mountain village of Lesnevo. We quickly toured the cosmopolitan capital city of Skopje (the weather was too warm) and stayed with Michael F.(PCV). We visited the lakeside town of Dojran and stayed with Phil (PCV). We were invited into a neighbor's apartment to spend an hour conversing in languages that none of us understood but with each of us comprehending what the other was talking about. We drank home-brewed rakija and wine. We spent hours together at outdoor cafes (not during school hours) drinking expresso and beer (not together) and talking with Maceonians who wanted to practice their English. We sampled Macedonian cooking at local restaurants where you could order an appetizer, a salad, a bountiful entrée, drinks, coffee and dessert for less than $8. We rode on buses, in taxis, and in privately owned vehicles. (How come you ride ON a bus but IN a taxi or IN a car?)

We accomplished all of this in addition to spending hours at the school with the students who seemed to be infatuated with Lee, especially the girls who had many questions to ask an American woman. They were somewhat disappointed when they learned that she had to go back to America so soon but relieved to know that she would be returning again in the autumn.



The three goals of the Peace Corps are: (1) To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and woman. (2) To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served and (3) To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Goals two and three were positively and unquestionably addressed with Lee’s visit to this land of beauty, hospitality and friendship.

A Wife's Impressions II

As a guest writer on my blog, Lee Barber writes:

“Aj Dobra” (roll the ‘r’) I said aloud as I touched the sheets hanging on the sunny balcony off Majkl’s stan (apartment). It was indeed very good that the laundry had dried in record time and I would have a dry pillow case to use tonight.

Then I realized with a start that I was literally talking to myself in Macedonian. The village of Probistip is tucked deep in a mountain valley in northeastern Macedonia where there is little need to learn English. Michael has made three good friends, all under thirty-something, who speak it well and generously share their time as translators for him, but for the rest we rely on his entry-level command of Macedonian. After 3 ½ weeks of hand gestures, charades and simply talking until I stumble on a word or two that are similar in both languages, I’m starting to get the hang of it. Not so much to speak it, but I’m continually surprised to find myself catching the general drift of a conversation in a language I don’t speak.

For the most part this is because the Macedonian people love to socialize and aren’t about to let a little thing like lack of a common language stop them from inviting a stranger in for coffee and a visit. As they bustle about making Turkish coffee and setting out platters of home-baked goodies and meats and cheeses , they talk a blue streak and don’t seem to mind if your responses are either unintelligible or consist exclusively of “Nay rahz bay rum” (meaning “I don’t understand”). They seem to take the attitude that we’re talking, therefore we’re sharing, a lovely approach to the world, eh?

The talk is not always of good news, though, as there is great unemployment in the village since the mines started closing and the textile factories have slowed to a crawl. Many of the women have so much time to bake, can vegetable and preserves, and tend their gardens because they have lost their jobs.

A mining engineer who is worried that his job too may be cancelled at any time explains that his wife, whose degree qualifies her to teach high school physics, has not been able to find a job in the eleven years since they graduated from college.They are glad she can be home with their two young children for now, but she would like a life outside the family, too.

A young woman with a degree in food chemistry considers herself fortunate to land a job as a nanny and housekeeper in Italy because she does not have the political clout required to get one of the scarce professional positions available.
They speak of these problems with disappointment, but not despair. In some ways they were better off under Communism because the government provided jobs and social welfare, but many of them see these times as a passage to better ones they hope will come when Macedonia is accepted into the European Union.

Americans are such a rarity in the villages that we are picked out instantly, if only for the aggressive way we walk. After five months working in the schools, Majkl is treated like a celebrity by the children of Probistip, who all seem to know everything about him even if they have not had him in class. Any reservations the women of the town may have had about him seem to have vanished with my appearance: the fact that he has a wife seems to make him a safe bet, so even the baba’s who peered suspiciously at him in the past are inviting us in at every chance.

Next time: there are a few things I’m looking forward to back in the States…

A Wife's Impressions

Warning: While I am is constantly cleaning up Lee’s mess, rearranging everything to accommodate her every desire, and having to share all my stuff with her in my “bachelor” apartment, I have assigned her the task of writing this newest posting. Please forgive the lower quality writing style that follows.

It has been two weeks since I (Lee) woke up in Probistip and I’m amazed at how quickly one can get accustomed to conditions that seem unthinkable to an American from New England at first blush.

Like needing to plan at least two hours ahead before taking a shower—that’s how long it takes for the tank hanging over the bathtub to heat enough water for a quick wash-up. It takes about a half hour to heat water to wash dishes, so we tend to save them up for the end of the day.

And discovering why the village has no recycling program: materials we take for granted are scarce and expensive, so very little gets thrown out. Soda bottles become wine decanters; jelly jars make fine sugar canisters; butcher paper can be used to grease a baking sheet.(No such thing as Pam)

It’s an excellent day when a merchant gives you a plastic bag because your cloth bags wouldn’t hold all your purchases--it means you can keep your bread fresh an extra day or you can cut it open to use as a pastry cloth.

And learning to watch out for oneself. Apparently Macedonians still believe people should have a certain degree of common sense and see no need to post signs indicating that hot products will be hot, that a road obviously under construction could hold unexpected hazards, or to warn people to watch their step around gaping holes in the pavement.

The posted photos tell most of the story: Probistip, where Michael is assigned, is truly a different world from ours--sort of post WWII era Eastern Bloc with cell phones and grocery scanners. It strikes me as strange that they would spend money on such technology when they lack so many conveniences Americans take for granted. But here my own cultural assumptions have skewed my perceptions: this is not a choice for them; technology is relatively inexpensive whereas, for example, it would cost a fortune they don’t have to replace all the Turkish toilets with ones that flush.

I am reminded that choices come only with affluence.

The town we're in is tightly packed into a small valley, with houses stopping abruptly on the edge of town to give way to fields and vineyards and lambs and goats. This is the kind of ‘cluster zoning’ small town America has been resisting since it was first proposed in the 1970’s, preferring instead to control growth by demanding one or two acre minimums for each new house built. End result? Suburban sprawl that means no one can get anywhere without a car.

Though each home here sits on only a tiny patch of land, every square foot is put to use. Give a Macedonian a two by five-foot patch, and he’ll grow strawberries, leeks, lettuce, tulips, roses—you name it. Those who have cars pave only the two strips needed for tires and plant the middle strip with onions and root vegetables. Poles with a few wires strung between them support grape vines, which leaf out in the spring to form cool shady patios by the time the summer sun heats up with Mediterranean ferocity.

Without massive expanses of lawn to fertilize, water, weed, and mow, their energies go in to creating tiny Edens—virtual outdoor rooms, glimpsed through garden gates but otherwise totally private, overflowing with immaculately maintained roses, lilacs, lemon trees and tiny evergreens growing in patches of ivy.

To compensate for small house lots, many families also have plots of land outside the village where they grow grapes to make their own wine and rakia--a deadly cousin to brandy which is tossed back at the slightest provocation. Michael's host family, seen in the pictures posted in May, took us up to their plot, which we reached by hiking up a hill past a shepherd (a full timer whose job description hasn't changed in thousands of years)and his flock and fields of wildflowers.

Kocho is one of the lucky ones whose plot is relatively flat, but from his hilltop vantage point you see plots of grapevines clinging to the hillsides at angles only a billy goat could love. Undeterred, small growers like Kocho turn the soil between rows each year one shovelful at a time and trek out regularly to tie the vines meticulously to succeedingly higher layers of wire as the spring and summer progress.

On May 1--celebrated fervently here to honor the working man and woman--people go out into the woods and fields and up mountain tops to have skara--roughly comparable to what we call a barbecue. Since rain threatened this year, our hosts hauled tables out on the patio and cooked up the unbelievable assortment of meats pictured in the May photos. Not only is the food fantastically tasty but even the simplest snack is presented in a way that puts Martha Stewart to shame.

You rarely see a chubby Macedonian though, at least in the villages, because whatever you want or need you must walk to acquire--and have I mentioned that it's hilly here? You get interval training whether you want it or not. Which is good, because along with the very healthy cucumber, garden tomato, cabbage and leek salads and chorba (a thick Macedonian soup) I have acquired a taste for burak (pronounced boo-rahch). The closest thing I can compare it to is a huge croissant pastry filled with meat or cheese and spinach and baked in a sea of oil. Macedonians eat them for breakfast along with drinkable yoghurt.The light variety is about as tasty as fat free cream cheese, but the high test is ambrosia.

I'll have the rest of my life to eat egg white omelets and lowfat cottage cheese, I reason, so on the mornings that I don't go into school with Majkl I walk a few blocks down to one of the little shops that seem to occupy every third building and pick one up fresh for 30 cents.

Michael is badgering me for another post, so more later. The buzz is that strawberries are coming in today and to the quick go the spoils, so
I’m going to hoof it down to the town square where the stalls are set up and see what I can score.

Boston to Probistip

Yes I am here, as if you hadn’t noticed, Mikey…to hear you tell it, so far I have 1. eaten you out of house and home 2. used up a day’s worth of hot water in a single morning 3. given you ulcers by insisting on drinking coffee near your precious computer 4. scattered crumbs on your previously tidy floor and 5. generally disrupted your swe-e-e-e-t bachelor existence.

Okay, so I’m pretty bad with crumbs, but I’m used to having a Dust Buster, now aren’t I? Give me a few days to adjust.

Michael tells me everyone wants to share travel experiences, so here’s the bottom line: Boston to Athens via London on British Airways is a pleasantly uneventful journey. Athens to Probistip—not so much. But it was much better than it would have been without the advice of other PCV’s, who responded generously to our pleas for guidance on making the trip and spared me a dozen additional hours on local milk runs.

Alexandra, Michael's counterpart, put us in touch with a nice young taxi driver who drove him all the way to Thessaloniki and back to pick me up in the middle of the night, cutting another 6 or 8 hours off my trip. At least I think he was young—it was pitch dark and I had already spent 29 hours on trains, planes and automobiles (not to mention a couple of buses) by the time Michael wrestled my luggage to the parking lot from the train station.

“Wrestled” is no exaggeration, in this case. Advice to anyone trying to carry six weeks’ worth of clothing plus two bags full of items their PCV needs from home between Athens and Macedonia: DON’T. Pop for the cost of shipping or hire a taxi to get you out of Athens before the local transportation authorities get a crack at you.
The Greek citizens I spoke to were lovely and helpful, but transportation employees seemed to take sadistic pleasure in throwing as many roadblocks as they could in my way. They suddenly didn’t seem to know which bus went to the train station, where I could find a telephone or cash machine, or even if there WAS a train to Thessaloniki that night.

When a kind passer-by actually reversed direction to lead me to the correct bus, the driver tapped his foot impatiently as I stumbled toward the door, considering it beyond his purview to help me haul my large wheeled bag out of the street, to which it had escaped after hitting a crack in the sidewalk. It also did not occur to him that I might get to the door sooner if he picked up my smaller suitcase, which had cast off the bungee cord binding it to its big brother and escaped in the opposite direction during the melee.

I did finally make it to the train station, only to discover that for reasons known only to train employees, they refuse to accept your baggage until one-half hour before your train departs. Having four bags and five hours to wait for the train to Thessaloniki, I tried to ask the five men idling and smoking behind the luggage counter if they would make an exception. With a grin of great self-satisfaction one of them said clearly, “None of us speak English” and shared a guffaw with his coworkers.That’s when, to my delight, I discovered that there are certain universal hand gestures which they DID understand. I know it was beneath me, Mother, but it felt wonderful.

So enough with the complaining. As anyone who has been to this mountain valley knows—the trip was well worth it. When I finally ‘came to’ from my jetlag, we walked down cobbled streets to the town center to cries of “Hello, Michael” and “What’s shaking, Michael” from just about every passing child. They all seem to be getting a great kick out of learning American slang. Their eIders stopped us at least every block to engage us in enthusiastic conversation, even though I couldn’t understand a word and Michael caught only a few here and there. It didn’t matter if we didn’t speak the language, they let us know: we must come in for coffee.

I can’t begin to do justice to the natural beauty of this place and the friendliness of the people in a short blog, so I’ll break it into small pieces in future entries. For now there are boxer shorts and lace panties to hang out to dry on our balcony and garden tomatoes, local cheese and crusty bread to collect from little shops down the street.
Swe-e-e-t.

Spring, Easter and Dumpsters

Spring has arrived in Macedonia with its warm days and but still cool nights. I am told that this spring has been rainier than those of the last few years, so that maybe there won’t be too many waterless days this summer. Most Probistpians are outside now, tending their flower gardens and getting the soil ready for planting vegetables. The trimmed grape vines and fruit trees are budding. Lettuce is already available. Macedonians love the land and make use of every square meter to grow something, whether it be something to eat or something to beautify their surroundings.

Orthodox Easter was celebrated last weekend here in the Balkans. It is perhaps the most important holiday of the year. On Great Thursday (Holy Thursday), before the sun rises, families will dye three eggs the color red. This I was told, represents the Holy Trinity and the color red represents the blood of Christ. Later in the day, the eggs are gently rubbed across the heads of the children (I am not sure of the significance of this ritual). Nobody went to work on Great Friday (Good Friday). On Great Saturday (Holy Saturday), many families decorated eggs. Unlike those colored pills that you added to vinegar water that I used as a child, the dyes used here in Macedonia produced dark reds and blues and greens that gave the eggs deep rich colors.

At 11:00 PM on the eve of The Great Day (Easter) I went with Jasmina (my Macedonian tutor and friend) to the local church and attended a ceremony in which all of the parishioners with lighted candles, a ringing church bell, and led by chanting priests, walked around the church three times before the midnight hour. There was a great turnout of attendees and I saw many of the students from the Nicola Karev School. Most people lit candles for their family members and friends, and with the weather being temperate, it was a nice ceremony.

On The Great Day (Easter Sunday), children receive the decorated eggs and go about playing a game whereby two of them would lightly smack two eggs together. The one whose egg cracked would have to give it to the one whose egg remained uncracked. Using a decorated wooden egg to enhance one’s collection is not an uncommon practice and individuals with many eggs are always under suspicion for having employed such a tactic. Alexandra, Jasmina, and children from school gave me beautifully decorated eggs that I had to reluctantly destroy and turn into egg salad (a classic riches to rags story). As with the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny doesn’t work in Macedonia. There are no candy-filled Easter baskets hiding somewhere to be found. Peeps, jelly beans, and chocolate bunnies have not yet challenged the ordinary plain white egg for dominance in the Easter Sunday diet of Macedonia’s children.

One other very significant event took place in Probistip last week. One of the first things that a visitor to most municipalities throughout the country notices is the poor condition of the trash dumpsters which residents use to get rid of their household garbage. Invariably they are missing the top enclosure which enables the local homeless cat and dog population to feast on discarded foodstuffs (and in the process litter the surrounding grounds). They are wheel-less, rusted and an eyesore in the otherwise meticulously clean communities. Well now Probistip can lay claim to the title of “A Town That Has Only New Dumpsters”. Every old and somewhat useless dumpster was replaced with a brand new fully operable state of the art trash depository. While I do wonder where the homeless animals are dining, I have noticed the litterlessness of the areas where the dumpsters are located.

Oh, and by the way, my wife arrived from Massachusetts for a four-week visit.