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.
Monday, April 27, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Six Days in Ohrid
Each spring Peace Corps Macedonia brings together the newest batch of Volunteers (MAC 13’s) for six days of In-Service Training (IST). Also invited this year were our counterparts for technical training for the first three days and MAC 12’s for the last three days for language training.
Training was conducted in Ohrid, a gem of a city and a destination point for thousands of vacationers during the summer months (check it out on the internet). The hotel where we trained, ate and slept was exceptionally nice. Having three meals served daily, and having a variety of food was appreciated by all the Volunteers.
The permanent PC training staff put together a very complete schedule of topics, including a tour of the city one evening, led by a professional tour guide. The Volunteers scheduled a flag football game between the MAC 12’s and Mac 13’s , which, thank goodness, resulted in a 6-6 tie due to the arrival of darkness.
From Monday through Wednesday morning, those Volunteers who work in Community Development (CD’s) and Non-Governmental Agencies and their counterparts had sessions on such relevant topics as Fund Raising, Tourism Development, and Non-Governmental Organization Law.
Those Volunteers who are in the English Language Program, along with their counterparts, sat through sessions such as Team Teaching, An Overview of the American Educational System, Dealing with the Multi-level Classroom, and Teaching with Limited Resources. Everyone had a chance to share ideas and plan for the upcoming months.
On Wednesday afternoon the counterparts left for their communities while the MAC 13’s learned something about grant writing and the NGO’s learned a little about teaching English to adults.
The MAC 12’s began arriving and Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning were devoted to language training. The Peace Corps brought in 12 Language Facilitators who were experts in Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, or Roma. The sessions were for one hour with a six-participant limit. Each volunteer had the opportunity to pick lessons from over 100 topics in the course of the 2 ½ days. For example, I signed up for Possessive Pronominal Adjectives, Perfective and Imperfective Verbs, Useful Phrases, Conditional Sentences 1&2, and Imperatives all in the Macedonian language (not being an English Language Major, I was unaware that when I said “My car” or “Their dog” that I was using a possessive pronominal adjective. But as they say, you’re never too old to learn.) Most of the Volunteers enjoyed the sessions and found them to be quite beneficial. I said “most of the Volunteers” because I did not poll all of them and “most” is a safe word that leaves lots of room for error.
We were also updated on current safety and security issues; learned of initiatives by PCV’s that were open to all; discussed upcoming administrative requirements; and had the opportunity to talk with the medical staff and receive required immunizations.
It was a well-planned and worthwhile week of learning, conducted in a beautiful city on one of the world’s oldest lakes, and surrounded by my fellow PCV’s. But I’m glad to be back home in Probistip.
Training was conducted in Ohrid, a gem of a city and a destination point for thousands of vacationers during the summer months (check it out on the internet). The hotel where we trained, ate and slept was exceptionally nice. Having three meals served daily, and having a variety of food was appreciated by all the Volunteers.
The permanent PC training staff put together a very complete schedule of topics, including a tour of the city one evening, led by a professional tour guide. The Volunteers scheduled a flag football game between the MAC 12’s and Mac 13’s , which, thank goodness, resulted in a 6-6 tie due to the arrival of darkness.
From Monday through Wednesday morning, those Volunteers who work in Community Development (CD’s) and Non-Governmental Agencies and their counterparts had sessions on such relevant topics as Fund Raising, Tourism Development, and Non-Governmental Organization Law.
Those Volunteers who are in the English Language Program, along with their counterparts, sat through sessions such as Team Teaching, An Overview of the American Educational System, Dealing with the Multi-level Classroom, and Teaching with Limited Resources. Everyone had a chance to share ideas and plan for the upcoming months.
On Wednesday afternoon the counterparts left for their communities while the MAC 13’s learned something about grant writing and the NGO’s learned a little about teaching English to adults.
The MAC 12’s began arriving and Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning were devoted to language training. The Peace Corps brought in 12 Language Facilitators who were experts in Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, or Roma. The sessions were for one hour with a six-participant limit. Each volunteer had the opportunity to pick lessons from over 100 topics in the course of the 2 ½ days. For example, I signed up for Possessive Pronominal Adjectives, Perfective and Imperfective Verbs, Useful Phrases, Conditional Sentences 1&2, and Imperatives all in the Macedonian language (not being an English Language Major, I was unaware that when I said “My car” or “Their dog” that I was using a possessive pronominal adjective. But as they say, you’re never too old to learn.) Most of the Volunteers enjoyed the sessions and found them to be quite beneficial. I said “most of the Volunteers” because I did not poll all of them and “most” is a safe word that leaves lots of room for error.
We were also updated on current safety and security issues; learned of initiatives by PCV’s that were open to all; discussed upcoming administrative requirements; and had the opportunity to talk with the medical staff and receive required immunizations.
It was a well-planned and worthwhile week of learning, conducted in a beautiful city on one of the world’s oldest lakes, and surrounded by my fellow PCV’s. But I’m glad to be back home in Probistip.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Planting Seeds
Sadly, because of the lack of jobs in the town, there appears to be much idleness amongst the unemployed and underemployed men. I’m not too sure yet, but the lack of resources in the homes also contributes to the lack of recreational activities for the children. When asked, the children reply that their favorite activities are playing computer games and watching TV. Some children belong to sports clubs (football, handball, basketball, volleyball, karate, folk dance) all of which charge a fee and are for only a few hours a week.
So I am trying to introduce some inexpensive activities that potentially could provide hours of recreational fun. I have introduced a few already and they have been well received by the participants. But it’s only the start. The seeds are being planted but they’ll have to be watered and fertilized, and cultivated before they fully ripen.
DISCRAFT makes and distributes the Ultra-Star Professional Sport disc for Ultimate teams and players throughout the USA and the world. They also offer Peace Corps Volunteers ten free misprinted discs and the opportuntity to purchase up to 50 more misprints for $3 each. The Volunteer must pay the cost of shipping and handling. The discs retail for more than $15 a piece. I purchased 10 discs and so for $91 which is more than 1/3 of my monthly subsistence allowance($61 shipping to Macedonia), I now possess the only 175 gram Sport discs in Probistip and maybe in all of Macedonia. My ultimate plan (get it?) is to have a boys and a girls Ultimate team that can travel to other villages and towns to introduce the sport and have some fun meeting kids from other communities. The seed has been planted.
Last week after school there were some eighth graders hanging out on the school steps, so I took out a Sport disc from my backpack and for the next hour we had a great time tossing it around? For the first time in the 3000+ year history of Macedonia, you could witness teenagers tossing a disc on a warm and sunny spring afternoon, mimicking a scene on thousands of college and high school campuses and city parks in the USA. The seed has been planted.
I found a long piece of rope at school and wondered if the students had ever jumped rope. The teachers said that when they were schoolgirls, they jumped rope but that today’s children weren’t too familiar with it. So I brought out the rope one day during my after-school basketball and showed them some techniques of long and short jump ropes (one of the PE teachers showed me where there were some unused short ropes from years before). The students loved the activity and now all they want to do is jump rope. I am hoping to see groups of children jumping rope when I travel through their neighborhoods. I’m trying to convince the Director to purchase some ropes for PE classes and for the students to use during the breakfast break but he hasn’t agreed to YET. I’ll get Alexandra to work on him. The seed has been planted.
Many people throughout the USA love the activity of pitching horseshoes. It’s a great social activity for everyone and it provides some excellent recreational time for the participants. You can also drink beer while you play. So my long range plan is to have a horseshoe pitching league in Probistip which would help fill idle hours and provide recreational and social opportunities for anyone interested. My biggest problem, as it was with the discs and jump ropes, is finding horseshoes. The horseshoes in Macedonia (and maybe in all of Europe) are about 1/3 the size of a regulation horseshoe used in pitching. My friend Kolae introduced me to a blacksmith in the next town over who said he would try to fabricate a suitable horseshoe but I have yet been unable to get back there with the exact measurements. So until I can get my hands on the necessary equipment, I’ll have to wait to plant the seed on this activity.
Luckily I have Alexandra, my counterpart and friend and Jasmina, my Macedonian tutor and friend, who fully support me and pave the way in helping me resolve any problems I encounter along the way.
And finally a memorable moment for me. In the classrooms, the students sit at double-desks so that they are seated side by side with a classmate. I was helping a student who was having a problem understanding the proper use of in/on/under/and next to (I have the same problem learning when to use za, vo, da, na, po and doe). As I was engaged in explaining and demonstrating the differences, the other student at the desk said in his Macedonian-accented English, “Michael, you are a very good teacher”. “Well thank you Petar”, was all I could come up with to such a spontaneous and flattering compliment. He didn’t realize it but he had made my day.
I’m off to Ohrid for a week of technical and language training and a chance to see my fellow MAC13’s.
So I am trying to introduce some inexpensive activities that potentially could provide hours of recreational fun. I have introduced a few already and they have been well received by the participants. But it’s only the start. The seeds are being planted but they’ll have to be watered and fertilized, and cultivated before they fully ripen.
DISCRAFT makes and distributes the Ultra-Star Professional Sport disc for Ultimate teams and players throughout the USA and the world. They also offer Peace Corps Volunteers ten free misprinted discs and the opportuntity to purchase up to 50 more misprints for $3 each. The Volunteer must pay the cost of shipping and handling. The discs retail for more than $15 a piece. I purchased 10 discs and so for $91 which is more than 1/3 of my monthly subsistence allowance($61 shipping to Macedonia), I now possess the only 175 gram Sport discs in Probistip and maybe in all of Macedonia. My ultimate plan (get it?) is to have a boys and a girls Ultimate team that can travel to other villages and towns to introduce the sport and have some fun meeting kids from other communities. The seed has been planted.
Last week after school there were some eighth graders hanging out on the school steps, so I took out a Sport disc from my backpack and for the next hour we had a great time tossing it around? For the first time in the 3000+ year history of Macedonia, you could witness teenagers tossing a disc on a warm and sunny spring afternoon, mimicking a scene on thousands of college and high school campuses and city parks in the USA. The seed has been planted.
I found a long piece of rope at school and wondered if the students had ever jumped rope. The teachers said that when they were schoolgirls, they jumped rope but that today’s children weren’t too familiar with it. So I brought out the rope one day during my after-school basketball and showed them some techniques of long and short jump ropes (one of the PE teachers showed me where there were some unused short ropes from years before). The students loved the activity and now all they want to do is jump rope. I am hoping to see groups of children jumping rope when I travel through their neighborhoods. I’m trying to convince the Director to purchase some ropes for PE classes and for the students to use during the breakfast break but he hasn’t agreed to YET. I’ll get Alexandra to work on him. The seed has been planted.
Many people throughout the USA love the activity of pitching horseshoes. It’s a great social activity for everyone and it provides some excellent recreational time for the participants. You can also drink beer while you play. So my long range plan is to have a horseshoe pitching league in Probistip which would help fill idle hours and provide recreational and social opportunities for anyone interested. My biggest problem, as it was with the discs and jump ropes, is finding horseshoes. The horseshoes in Macedonia (and maybe in all of Europe) are about 1/3 the size of a regulation horseshoe used in pitching. My friend Kolae introduced me to a blacksmith in the next town over who said he would try to fabricate a suitable horseshoe but I have yet been unable to get back there with the exact measurements. So until I can get my hands on the necessary equipment, I’ll have to wait to plant the seed on this activity.
Luckily I have Alexandra, my counterpart and friend and Jasmina, my Macedonian tutor and friend, who fully support me and pave the way in helping me resolve any problems I encounter along the way.
And finally a memorable moment for me. In the classrooms, the students sit at double-desks so that they are seated side by side with a classmate. I was helping a student who was having a problem understanding the proper use of in/on/under/and next to (I have the same problem learning when to use za, vo, da, na, po and doe). As I was engaged in explaining and demonstrating the differences, the other student at the desk said in his Macedonian-accented English, “Michael, you are a very good teacher”. “Well thank you Petar”, was all I could come up with to such a spontaneous and flattering compliment. He didn’t realize it but he had made my day.
I’m off to Ohrid for a week of technical and language training and a chance to see my fellow MAC13’s.
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