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.