The Last

Today is my last day in Bitola, which I cannot believe no matter how empty my apartment gets as I give away anything that will not fit in my travel backpack which, believe me, does not hold nearly enough.  Really this is just one of many "last's" this month, such as my last...

Visit to Gostivar / Running Race in Macedonia
At the Harvest Festival 5K run planned initiated by Peace Corps Volunteer Candy and her counterpart Luli, I defended my title as the fastest lady over 20 years old--wahoo! 

Peace Corps Runners, courtesy of Phil Lampron

Clean sweep by the Americans--me, Kerry, & Joany, courtesy of Phil Lampron

Also I drank my last one of these drinks, salep. 

It's a hot drink from Turkey made from orchid root and I hope someday it finds its way to an American coffee chain near me--we non-coffee drinkers should have some options too.

 "Na Gosti (Visit)" With My Host Family
I made one final visit to Sveti Nikole and bid farewell to my awesome host family.  Now at the end of my service, I can really appreciate how fortunate I was to have them take me in.  They helped me get a solid base in the language and they always welcomed me back with open arms.  My baba (grandma) knit me a pair of slippers practically overnight, worried as she was that I didn't have adequate footwear for the winter.  Finally, now that he's 5 years old, I can talk with my host nephew and we understand each other and his little sis is more darling all the time.  My host dad called the other night just to check in, which seems like no better sign that we're really family.

Baba Genka working on my slippers

My "niece" Kijara wearing my running medal and her big bro, Mario

 American Corner Events
It's sad knowing that soon things like playing kickball, overseeing pin-the-wart-on-the-witch, and teaching line dancing can no longer be considered "work."  Then again, I'm still job hunting, so maybe...

Kickball in the city park

With the boys, awesome fall colors in the backdrop

Pin the Wart on the Witch

The Four Seasons--Michelle, Lauren, Helene, and me

Awesome costumes of kids from my sports club

Lauren teaching the moves, courtesy of American Corner Bitola

Cotton eye joe-ing, courtesy of American Corner Bitola

Ana from the American Corner and me with the poster everybody signed for me

Time Mopping My Bathroom
A common quirk here, my entire bathroom floods after every shower.  I will not miss mopping it up every morning.

Appearance on Live Macedonian Television / YMCA Training
My counterpart at YMCA, Viktor, and I were invited to be an hour-long, live TV program to discuss a training we put together on my favorite subject, projects.  Only unlike last time, on this program I had to speak in Macedonian.  People here are pretty straightforward and the consensus from friends who watched the program is yeah, my Macedonian is still rough but it's understandable.  Even better though was that 28 people came to our training, literally filling every seat available.  Happily YMCA is getting new Peace Corps volunteer from the new group, Karli, and her visit coincided with all this excitement.  During my last weekly YMCA meeting, I brought American treats and the tortilla pinwheels were a surprise hit--my job is clearly done. 

In the TV studio which was freezing!

Viktor & me at the training, courtesy of Karli Reyes

Listening closely at the training, courtesy of Karli Reyes

 Coffees
"Having a coffee" is what it's all about here and in this aspect, to use Peace Corps parlance, I've "fully integrated."  Luckily the weather here has been mostly sunny, allowing me to do most of my coffee dates sitting out on the Shirok Sokak pedestrian street, staring at the passersby just like a real Bitolchaka. 

Introducing Karli to drinking coffee on the Shirok Sokak with Viktor

Strolling the Shirok Sokak with my friend Ivona and her daughter

 In addition to the goodbyes with my local friends, I also have bid adieu (or here, ajde ciao) to my volunteer buddies.  They are, I must say, crazy like me--they will sacrifice two years of income for something they believe in, will crash on the floor just to visit a new place, and laugh when others might cry--and it is hard to have them dispersing near and far.  I know I'll see some folks back in America which will surely be fun but different without Macedonia as our backdrop. 

Macedonian Meals
The Macedonians, they know their roasted peppers and grilled meats, among other deliciousness.  Pretty soon my hamburgers won't look like this, with the fries right on the burger (then again, my burger will also probably be 100% beef and that is something to look forward to).

Yum Yum

Days as a Celebrity
Bitola is not a huge place and when I'm out, especially on my runs, I see people I know who wave, stop to talk, give me a high-five, etc.  One of the YMCA members attended our training not in small part because she loves my accent, which I told her will definitely be under-appreciated back home.  Soon I will not be "the American," just "an American." 

A few more last's are yet to come, including my last visit to Skopje, last language exam, and last Macedonian pizza with the side of ketchup topping.  After that, I'm off to Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, India, Thailand (flooding permitting), and Laos!  My sunscreen is indeed packed, so dispatches on these adventures coming soon. 

My family, live and in person!

It was pretty trippy to open my front door and see my mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law all standing outside. But there they were, come to see me in Macedonia! We started the visit as one must, toasting with rakija and eating ajvar. My family was a greater fan of the latter than the former--rakija takes some getting used to. Those who know me well will not be surprised that this sitting around business was short lived and soon we were literally running around so I could show off my home away from home.

The running began with a rousing game of Ultimate Frisbee with the American Sports Club. My family was rightly impressed with how well spoken and polite the kids are, while my dad got a kick out of being told that no Macedonian man his age would play sports like he was. And I forgive my dad for hip-checking me to the ground--I'm pretty sure I know where my competitive streak comes from.


The favorite site we visited, by my family's account, was either ever-lovely Ohrid where we got a great tour from David or the scenic vineyards near Demir Kapija where we drank wine with Zach. In addition to David and Zach, my family got to meet several other volunteers that I was happy to introduce as good friends that I've made here.

Not surprisingly, it was the people part of Macedonia that seemed to most impress my family. They got to visit my host family in Sveti Nikole, who really rolled out the welcome mat with a lunch feast prepared by my host mom. Going there I was nervous that relying primarily on me as a translator might make for a long, quiet visit but it wasn't a problem at all, particularly since my host dad just cracks joke after joke, language barrier be damned, putting everyone at ease.

My landlords also had us over, giving us a homemade walnut liqueur at 9 AM and of course feeding us despite my protestations that we would have eaten before our visit. In my brother's words, on comparing his week in Greece and then in Macedonia, "I especially enjoyed seeing Macedonia, the people there are really nice." A special shout-out to my brother, Teddy, for getting his private pilots license last month. Even though I told him it worries me to have him up there flying, I'm glad he's pursuing his dream.

And lest you think that's all we did, you underestimate my ability to cram vast quantities of sightseeing into a single week. We also saw two archaeological sites, went to a lovely village in Pelister National Park called Malovishte, shopped at the open-air market where I get my produce. visited a monastery and 3 cave churches, and toured the capital, Skopje. Kudos also go to my sister-in-law, Jenny, for presenting at the American Corner about how to become a U.S. university student.

Tired yet? I was, but still I am so happy that my family came to visit me. For one, Macedonia is a wonderful country that deserves more visitors. Secondly, it will be nice to have people at home who really have a sense of what it is like to live here for two years and serve as a Peace Corps volunteer. And finally, they are the only guests from home that have made it all the way to my doorstep--it was far, I know, but I hope it was worth it. For those who haven't made it all this way, feel free to check out the photos and you can virtually tour with us.

Digging Sveti Nikole

Sandwiched between trips to Albania, I returned to my training community - Sveti Nikole - for a little Indiana Jones action. Well, not the tomb robbing or pit of snakes parts, just some excavating. Except real excavation is not like the movies--in reality it involved mostly pick-axing dirt, shoveling dirt, and wheelbarrowing dirt. I primarily shoveled because I failed at mastering the pick-ax. When I lived in Sveti Nikole, I actually ran by the excavation site all the time but never saw it over the hillside. The place is called Bylazora and the objects found there date between the 6th and 3rd centuries B.C. The site has stone walls and what the experts think might be an acropolis and a temple. The project website has more details for anybody who's into that kind of thing because I'm no history expert. My back and arms were pretty sore afterwards, so I was somewhat relieved when the next day got rained out. Excavation started at 5 AM and there are some nice sunrise photos on Picasa.

While back in Sveti Nikole, I stayed with my host family. I spent one afternoon pitting cherries with my host mom Viki, who seemed amused that I'd never done any pitting before. My technique was a disappointment but she let me keep doing it anyway. Kate, my host sister, was in her final month of pregnancy but in good spirits. I have to share about my post-excavation meal with my host family. Keeping in mind that I'd worked up quite an appetite, I was pretty excited when Viki brought in a casserole dish for lunch. Then she sat it down in front of me--a skull, complete with eye sockets and little teeth, swimming in a bed of rice. Kate told me to have some rice and meat and for a few minutes, I convinced myself that the head was just for flavoring. Then, of course, the head was transferred to a plate and Kate began hacking at it with a knife. I inquired if it was lamb but actually the animal in question was a goat. Kate offered me some tongue or brain but I passed, having explained after the pig livers during training that I'm not a big fan of organs. However, I think maybe goat brain induces labor because 3 days later, Kate gave birth to a healthy baby girl!