First week under the belt. One casual observation: it really helps to know Macedonian in Macedonia. If I had a nickel every time I found myself stuck because I couldn’t express myself well, I would already have a lot of nickels. But, Macedonians use denar, not nickels, so forget it.
Kumanovo itself is a neat looking town with a couple good bars. The city has a defined center that is wide open and only pedestrians. Everything is located there. We really don’t have anything comparable in American cities.
Statue of 'Drunken Georgi'. Legend has it he was the town drunk years ago and to shame him, they erected a statue. Either that or our guide is a liar. Don't quite know what I believe.
During orientation, our days were busy. We had a language class that lasted about an hour and a half everyday and we also had classes regarding Peace Corps rules and regulations, safety and security, medical issues, Macedonian culture, and a Q&A with current volunteers regarding what to expect for the 3 month home stay leg of the race. We also had a chance to try a lot of the Macedonian cuisine. Of all things, eating Macedonian food was the thing I was most apprehensive about. I am a crazy picky eater (no cheese, no mayo, no salad dressing, and I’m sure there’s a lot of other things I am forgetting), but Macedonian food seems edible, even to my high standards. There was nothing too strange. Of course, I’m sure they’re saving the Lamb Brain Stew for later.
Things are in like a totally different universe over here. I’ve been gone a week, which means everybody in America has already forgotten me. Which is cool. I’m cool with that. But, for example, today is the first time I’ve thought about how the Phillies are doing. Roy Halladay could have had a stroke and I wouldn’t have known. I’m sure the Phillies are doing alright. It’s the Teal Sox who I am really worried about.
During the week, I got to know the rest of the Macedonian Peace Corps team. There are 36 of us, altogether. Most of them are kids my age or thereabouts, but we also have some older volunteers who are now retired. We went out drinking every night and negotiating the bars in Macedonia only being able to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ is a real trip, let me tell you that. If you ever are looking for a good time, consider going to a part of the world that does not speak English and try to order something at a bar or restaurant. ‘Pivo’ is beer and ‘Vino’ is wine. Skopsko is the beer of choice in Macedonia. It’s a light beer, similar to any cheap domestic light you would get in America. But, at 100 denar for 1.5 liter (approx $2.30 for a little over 40 oz.) you can’t go wrong. And every store sells beer too. It’s certainly not like PA. where this store can only sell beer and this one only spirits and six packs and cases can’t be sold together and people wearing blue shirts can’t buy wine on Wednesdays. Lots of drinking during orientation week. That is for sure. I’m not a good sleeper to begin with and when I drink it’s ten times worse and so, no joking, I think I slept a total of 20 hours during the 5 day stay at Hotel Satelit. But did that stop me from drinking? No. That’s a true gamer.
Bottle of Skopsko. What all the kids drink.
The entire week had been leading up to an ominous climax. Friday, we were assigned host families throughout Macedonia where we would live for the next three months. The 36 of us were split into 4 groups and each group was sent to a different city. The volunteers waited on the third floor of the hotel while the host families all made their way in. The wait upstairs was easily one of the worst waits in my life. We didn’t know anything about the people we were going to live with for the next three months. If they had kids, how large was the house, if they had working utilities. Nothing. And we just waited there for about a half hour. Each of us was given a sentence written in Macedonian and each family was given the same sentence. When we found a family with the same sentence, we would find our host family.
We got down into the dining room of the restaurant and after maybe 5 minutes of awkward looking, I found my family. The father, Risto (REE-sto) greeted me and he was joined by his two friends, Jorgen and Peter. Peter speaks English as well, so communication was not too awkward. After a short ceremony, we hit the road to Probistip (Pro-bi-SHTIP).
Probistip is a small city, with approx. 15,000 people and is an hour drive southeast of Kumanovo. (For comparison’s sake, Kumanovo had approx. 50,000 people or so). Living with Risto are his wife, Venka and son, Zlatko. They also have a daughter, Elena, who works and lives in Skopje. Zlatko is 25 years old and I am very happy to live with someone my own age who has the same interests. He also speaks some English, which is a big help. Their apartment has fully functioning utilities and even wireless internet. I am not sure if they have monthly broadband limits, so until I find that out, I’m still gonna take it easy with the internet. Probistip is a beautiful community situated near mountains. It too has a defined center with bars and restaurants. Zlatko was nice enough to show me around and invite me out with his friends. He is a trip to be around. I only wish I didn’t just sit there with a blank expression on my face because I have no idea what anyone is talking about. This post is damn long, but it covered everything. I’ll post smaller entries in the future. I also have pictures of Probistip and my host family, but they are not uploaded to my computer and I am too lazy to do it now. I promise to upload them this week.
Glad everything is going well! Lozovo says hello!
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