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.

Kaleidoscope

The best thing about spring is unplugging my heater but second to that is the explosion of color. It is the perfect time for a project going on at the American Corner, Picturing Macedonia. Those great teens I'm always talking about are at it again, this time using photography, art, and literature to capture images of the country. I was lucky enough to tag along on one of their trips recently. My favorite stop was the Painted Mosque in Tetovo, which inside and out is covered with colorful paintings.



We also stopped at the "World's Smallest Etno Museum" which is literally a closet, spilling out into the curator's yard, and then the modern art museum in Skopje where parts of the collection are hung with duct tape. We ended our tour at a Turkish cafe with tea and a traditional food kind of like pizza, a good end to a good day.


I took this next shot at a rest stop on the way back to Bitola--the beauty here is almost inescapable. More photos from Tetovo and Skopje here.


Before I could blink, I was back in Skopje to run the half marathon. The half was much, MUCH less painful than doing two laps last year. Also, Kerry and I did the whole race together and it was great to have each other's encouragement. Together with Kaylee, running her very first half marathon, we kept each other going with periodic shouts of Beer!, our prize at the finish line. The golden hefeweizen and the dark stout, some of my other favorite colors.

It's Unofficial--Summer is Here

May 1st is Labor Day in Macedonia (and much of the world outside America) and the unofficial start of summer. Picnicking is the most common way here to spend the holiday and I did just that. A gaggle of volunteers (or is it herd?) gathered in the town of Makedonski Brod and then snagged a fabulous picnic spot along a stream outside the nearby Peshna Cave. The cave has an impressively large entrance, big enough to hold the remains of a fortress rumored to be built by King Marko (1335-1395) for his sister, Peshna.

Never before (and likely never again) could you witness a group so excited to eat asparagus. Tracy and Slave found it growing wild and shared it with everyone--you would have thought is was candy, the way we kept asking for more. Asparagus is not sold here and obviously I wasn't the only American missing it--we even took pictures of ourselves with it. Behold Lauren, Marlys, and Kaylee in one such photo:I swear, I wasn't the only one taking asparagus photos. That was really only the tip of the iceberg though when it came to culinary treats. We brought along an amazing potluck spread and even carried in a grill for Happie's special marinated chicken. 3 types of potato salad, 2 types of pasta salad, 7 different desserts--they all had to sampled (and sampled and sampled again).

After the picnic, I traveled further up the road to Manastirec, a village that when it got a Peace Corps volunteer increased its total population by almost 1%. Impressively, Jen knows not only the name of everyone in the village but their dogs too. Unquestionably she is having the experience here most like what is brought to mind by the name Peace Corps and I greatly admire her for embracing it. I doubt that I would have been as uncomplaining about being so isolated, she's a rock star. It is a lovely place and I'm glad that I got to see the opposite extreme of my Peace Corps assignment.

My M&M bars (a big potluck hit, btw) were the perfect choice for a M&M (Mak Brod and Manastirec) weekend. More photos of it all up on Picasa.

Play Ball!!!

Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical. - Yogi Berra

I think Mr. Berra was right--baseball takes 140% effort, particularly when you are teaching the sport to 25 complete novices ranging in age from 8 to 18. Last Saturday, the American Sports Club put on a 4-hour baseball extravaganza, starting with the basics and working our way up to a full-fledged game and man, it was really, really fun.

Pulling off this event could only be done with the help of many parties that I want to give a shout-out to. First, the American kids who donated equipment and the organization Pitch In For Baseball for collecting it and sending it to us (and my wonderful parents for covering the shipping). Second, the American Corner Bitola staff for finding a playing field, buying snacks and T-shirts, and the Corner's interns for covering everything from translating instructions to playing catcher. Third, to the American Sports Club founders who applied for the equipment and helped teach the younger kids on Saturday. And last but far from least, my fantastic regional sitemates from Peace Corps who got up early on their Saturday, who didn't complain when we ran out of snacks, and who know WAY more about baseball than me so the kids actually learned how to play properly.

All week I had been dreading that the forecasts for rain would be true and cause the game to be canceled but miraculously, we got an ideal sunny spring day. We played on a field outside the soccer stadium and I guess the magnetism of baseball is undeniable--several kids defected from soccer practice and joined us instead. I must say, the youth impressed me with their ability to pick up the game even if it took us awhile to get everyone to understand that if you don't run over the base, it doesn't count. I think when we have real bases instead of egg cartons this will be clearer because, after all, why would you stomp egg cartons? Also memorable was when one kid hit a homer and proceeded to run the bases carrying his batting helmet tucked under his arm.

One of my favorite parts was Kaylee and Lauren's solution for putting the kids in a memorable batting order--they just lined them up in height order, shortest to tallest. I'm sure the major leagues will be switching to this approach soon, it's so logical. And the night before the game, we had a baseball talk at the American Corner where I gave them cracker jacks made by yours truly and we sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," a requirement for earning a taste of said cracker jacks.

There are photos and even some video of all the baseball revelry up on Picasa. Some of the pictures are taken by me, but most are from Helene, my sitemate, and Stefan, an American Sports Club founder who is an amazing photographer. To close, I'd like to use another Yogi-ism:
I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary.

Spring Bouquet

Ok, I'm calling this the spring bouquet entry because it is a wild collection of random happenings from this spring.

Ashley and I visited our friend Ivona who had her first child, a baby girl. By tradition here, there is a mandatory lock down for about 6 weeks after a baby is born where mom and child do not venture out and nobody visits. Then, after that period, there is sort of an "open house" where people are encouraged to come by and meet the baby. Here we are holding baby Ilina.


I went hiking yet again, this time a group hike to an area about 30 minutes outside of town called Mariovo. Jane and David joined me and about 150 locals participated. The low point of the hike was when we saw a guy chuck his granola bar wrapper down the hillside. I told him (in Macedonian), "Don't throw your trash on the ground," to which he responded, "There's no trash can." Well duh, there's also not a prodav (store) selling granola bars but somehow he had one. Anyway, I actually responded, "You have a backpack," and when he just kind of shrugged and I called him a budala (fool). Luckily the hike ended on a higher note with a local specialty, tavche gravche (baked beans), served at a monastery and a nap in the sun before we hiked back to the buses. David and Jane dining at the monastery pictured below; more Mariovo photos here.

That Macedonians are perhaps the kindest people on the planet was proven yet again for me on Friday. I needed to get my stitches removed and rather than trek to the capital, Peace Corps found a doctor in my city to do the procedure. Well, as is typical here where it's all about who you know, Dr. Alekandar is actually a classmate of a doctor that worked temporarily at the Peace Corps office. He lives just down the street from me and he drove me to the hospital, took out my stitches for free, and drove me home--all that for a complete stranger and on a holiday, no less. I didn't think getting stitches removed could be enjoyable but when Dr. Aleksandar told me his first stop when he visits family in Ohio is Papa Johns pizza, we got into a great conversation about America's best fast food. Maybe I should open a Papa Johns in Bitola, since pizza restaurants are very popular already. The hard part would be deciding whether to serve the tomato sauce on the side (as is done here) or serve it American style, right on the crust.

And finally, here are some pretty pics from around town. I am obsessed with the hand door knockers like the one pictured, they are all over town. I have one that I bought in Syria, so I'll always have a reminder of calling this area home.

The Big One

The big one--a major, bold, and innovative project. Most Peace Corps volunteers, at least in my estimation, want a Big One that they can point to as their success story, their volunteer legacy. I do not seem to be immune to this desire and I have to say, it's looking like the Big One will elude me. When I leave Macedonia, there will be no new building or annual event which I can say I created. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations for myself but lately I feel like my efforts have fallen short.

Tomorrow is Earth Day and as the lone environmental volunteer in my group, I feel as though I should have done a huge activity. Instead, I taught two classes with environmental lessons, one to kids and another to an adult English class. With the kids, it was organized chaos as I tried to be heard over about 16 rambunctious children in a small area. If I'm lucky, a few of them got the green messages above the din. Counting the 30 or so people in the adult class along with the kiddos, I reached about 0.05% of the city's population so, go me.

I got turned down to be a trainer for the next group of incoming volunteers, mainly because Peace Corps wants me to spend more time with my new work site after leaving the national park. I feel like I am being punished for being given a bad assignment in the first place and if the intent is to help me land the Big One, I think it will be for naught. Maybe I'm just grumpy because I have stitches on my back (minor thing, don't worry) and I haven't been able to exercise all week.

With the recent coverage of how Greg Mortenson allegedly exaggerated his accomplishments in his bestseller "Three Cups of Tea," maybe it is a good thing that I am keeping it real and saying yeah, I've only done a little bit. Thinking about writing this entry, I came across this Chinese proverb that gives me some reassurance:
It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.

I think it's the small stuff for me and I'm trying to be okay with that, embracing the forward momentum. Small but significant, for instance, is that I got two guys from my new boys club to volunteer in helping me teach the kids for Earth Day and they did a super job. And hey, if there was any doubt that I'm still a top notch volunteer, I suggest you read this great writeup by my friend Patrice, formerly a volunteer here and now a life coach. It's part of a series she is doing in honor of the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps, so I encourage you to scroll through her blog and read about other volunteers' contributions, big and small.

Go hiking like it's your birthday

Churches and monasteries, hiking and friends--you know, just another birthday celebration in Macedonia. Like last year, I spent my birthday weekend outside enjoying nature and happily the weather was cooperative (mostly--more on that shortly). First, I finally crossed off my to-do list a hike to a monastery called Treskavec with my volunteer friends Jane and David. There is a monk who lives at the monastery and we saw him driving up in his jeep. For the common man though, it's about a 3 hour hike so the monastery has plenty of solitude. We nearly had the monastery to ourselves and it is quite picturesque, so I encourage checking out these pics. The monastery dates back to the 14th century and they just don't build 'em like they used to. On the way back into town, we made a new friend Spiro who gave us his phone number, his wife's phone number, and encouraged us to call him anytime we were back in the area. It just gives me a warm feeling when people here are so welcoming, I will really miss these types of encounters after I leave Macedonia and that time is not so far away anymore, just 7 months from now.

Maybe the monastery visit helped my prayers for good weather and on Sunday morning, I happily met up with about 10 volunteer friends and 6 locals for another hike. My colleagues at YMCA helped organize a hike going between 3 villages bordering the national park. Following a rather un-detailed map provided by the park, we visited churches and monasteries located in the villages (photos up on Picasa).

We began in the village of Trnovo, which had a church with some images that I had never seen in an Orthodox church before like Adam and Eve and Noah's ark. About 20 minutes later, we arrived in the village of Magarevo. This time, we had to ask around the village for the key to the church and monastery. Usually whoever lives closest to the church keeps the key. Up until this point, everything was sunny and easy but...

Despite asking in Trnovo for directions to the next village, Rotino, and asking a cow herder along the way to confirm our path, we got lost. This might not have been so bad had it not led us to be on the side of a mountain hacking our way through scratchy, dense underbrush. To my friends' credit, they maintained good spirits and we distracted ourselves playing a guessing game. Of course, then it started to hail a little. This was more of less the point where I became frustrated with thrashing through the brush and started emphatically calling in English and Macedonian for us to go, "Down! Долу! Down! Долу, долу, долу!" Then I set off and indeed got us off the mountain. The sun came out again and everyone was happier. We decided to press on to Rotino...

Then the dark clouds rolled in and it hailed again, this time pea-sized pieces for about 5 minutes. Also, we still didn't really know where we were going. Some farmers rolled by in the their tractors and we got more directions. Eventually we got to Rotino and a really sweet baba loaned us the monastery key, even giving me a kiss when I asked to take her picture. Luckily Peace Corps volunteers are almost happier when things go awry because they can flex their survival skills and have another good story to tell, so my pals had a great time. I'm less certain about the YMCA members' enjoyment level but they claimed to have fun, although they did say they'd take a path they knew on the next group hike. After hiking, the volunteers came back to my place for a pasta feast and Jane demonstrated making Amaretto sours completely from scratch, assembly-line style, a very nice birthday treat. I'm not sure how my 30s became the decade for pushing myself with demanding hikes on my birthdays but I'm kind of liking it.