A new home, the job...and the Holidays!

I have been a living and working here in Kocani for just over four weeks. My apartment is on what the peace Corp referred to as the "fourth" floor.  However, the first two levels have very high ceilings, the first level is home to a bank but I don’t know what is on the second level.  Based on a comparison to surrounding residential structures, I am at the least five, closer to six flights up.  Eighty six steps by the last count and I seem to count them every time while making the climb.  Feeling good until the last two legs (flights) of the trip usually, and then I wonder... why me?  I guess I will know when I am in shape by that milepost.  The real test is shopping and I am now careful just how much I buy.  Not so much in cash or the number of items, simply in how much will this stuff weigh! 

Fortunately, I am conveniently located just a short walk to my work and right in the center of town.  The apartment, on the other hand has seen better days, as the photos will attest.  Great views though! 

The landlord is the former mayor of the city and is also a dentist.  He is an extremely nice man who has responded immediately both times my heat gave out!   Just last week, he and his handyman were here fixing the big electric unit pictured here. 

They proceeded to make 6 trips up and down the stairs to get various parts for the job.  I was amazed at the stamina of both men as neither seemed a bit winded after all the climbing.  Made me feel kind of guilty complaining, as they are not much younger than I am.

  My “work” is yet to be defined but is beginning to come into view.  I have a spot in an office, go in each day, and I attend several meetings.  My gracious and understanding counterpart, Anika, allows me to accompany her to various appointments.   We have managed to communicate, she with limited English, me with my limited Macedonian, utilizing the sometimes inaccurate Google Translate.  We fortunately sit side by side and can view each other’s computer screens.   I have also met her husband, as he also works in the municipality as an engineer.

Attending presentations of non-profit agencies on topics from women’s rights to environmental concerns have also been part of my introduction to the various functions of my department.  The first four weeks have also included trips to the library to help count votes for a Christmas drawing competition for students, and a trip to the high school where a sex education rally included a local pop singer performing.  All the time pretty much not understanding a spoken word.  I even went to the city council meeting on the budget and watched what I assume was a spirited debate over certain items.  While we were trained for 11 weeks in the basic language, I think very few of us finished training with the ability to understand conversational, and therefore much more complicated Macedonian. 
Additionaly, I have been interviewed by the local Kocani TV station and appeared more than a few times on the local news, usually as an attendee at a civic meeting.   This has contributed to more people in the city at least knowing that the white haired guy they see walking around every day is an American, new to town.

On this past Friday, I headed out to the bus station at 6:00AM and boarded a bus for a 5 and 1/2 hour trip to the city of Ohrid.  Several of us were gathering in there for a Christmas weekend.  The group consisted of most of the people I trained with and several who lived in a nearby village.  It was certainly good to see all of them again.  The ride was not as bad as I anticipated as the bus was fairly new and comfortable.  The city is located on Lake Ohrid which is the largest body of water here in Macedonia and the place to go for vacation here.  As the photos show, it is an impressive location and I am sure that it is even more appealing in the summer time. 

Following a trip to a restaurant on Christmas Eve and a tour of the old city, we headed back to our hosts Nic and Dina’s apartments.  There we drank wine, ate some more and played games until pretty late.  The next day a few of us ventured out on a walk along the lake out to the point where the church in the photo is located.  Of course, when we got there and climbed the hill to the top it started to rain.  That was compounded by following a path that dead ended, but we managed to return in time to meet the others for last minute food shopping.  The pot luck feast that followed was very welcomed after the way I have been eating since moving.  Admittedly I didn’t do much, so I was allowed to purchase the chicken as my token contribution.  boneless breast to feed all for a 350 denar...that is approximately 7 bucks!!!  After eating, we opened gifts from the people whose had be assigned our name, played a few more games, and sat talking till the wee hours.  I think I got 4 hours sleep on Christmas night and looked forward to catching a nap on the return bus ride.  That was not to be.  After our good byes and taxi ride to the station, I boarded my bus at 1:30 for the return trip.  This was not the comfortable ride I had arrived here with and sleep was not going to be part of this trip.  This bus was indeed a Mercedes, but closer to a 1970 version than the newer, smooth riding bus I had hoped for.  Broken seats, shocks, and windshield wipers were the least of my concerns.  The ride from Ohrid to Kocani is up, over, and through several mountains so my main concern was the brakes.  Just hoping that they worked better than the appearances would lead me to believe.  Well, 6 hours later I made it to my home city and was very happy to get off that bus. 

Today I received an e-invite to an event in Bitola for New Years.    Bitola is close to 5 hours away… I think I will be spending New Years right here!

Swearing In and Moving Out

November 25th, was a big day for those of us referred to as MAK 15’s.  (Simply the 15^th class of trainees to serve here.)  On that day we all became "official" volunteers in the Peace Corp.  Our days as trainees were over and we would be moving to our sites the next day to begin our service.
It was a different day than any other since I have been here in many respects.  First of all, knowing that it was Thanksgiving back home lent a strange feel to it.  In addition, there was no "class" this day as there had been on every other weekday since my arrival.  
So, dressed in a suit and a tie for the event, along with my host family who were also dressed in their finest, we were ready to go.  A bus arrived as scheduled at 11 AM to take all we Romonovste trainees and families to “The Palace”…a very nice restaurant in Kumonovo.

Surprisingly, at least to anyone who knows me, I found the event more emotional than expected.  We sang the Macedonian and American anthems and were then given the oath as a group by the American Ambassador.  Of course, the obligatory speeches by the several participants followed.  In attendance were mayors from the local communities, the Macedonian Minister of Education, and as mentioned the American Ambassador.  Of course the entire Peace Corp staff was there, from the Country Director to the drivers who brought them.   While most of the speakers used interpreters, the Ambassador impressed all by speaking in both languages.  Two volunteers from our class were selected by the group to speak in the local language.  (One in Macedonian and one in Albanian.)  They each did an amazing job and received a well deserved and enthusiastic round of applause. 

With the ceremony completed and certificates handed out, our group dispersed and joined our host families at community tables.  The food was then brought to several locations by the restaurant staff and the chaos began!

We had been informed (warned) by the Macedonian Peace Corp staffers that the concept of buffet serving was quite foreign and we got to witness it firsthand.  Fortunately, there was plenty of food and in spite of the difficulty getting to it, we all managed to eat plenty.  Mysteriously, most of the desserts quickly disappeared from each table.  I later learned that piling many on a plate and returning them to your table right away is not uncommon.  Next time I will know…dessert first!   Each family was asked to bring a dish to go along with the 20 turkeys provided by the Peace Corp.  As we were told to expect, most brought more than one as well as bags containing homemade “beverages”. After all, what is a celebration without a traditional toast?

A few hours and many pictures later, the goodbyes to our fellow trainees and staff began.   I don’t know how to describe the feeling exactly.  While in one sense I am so happy to be moving on to the beginning of service, the fact that I just spent 11 weeks with six of these folks and our language teachers makes the moment a little sad also.  Oh well, we didn’t sign up for this to hang out with new friends and hopefully we will visit each other occasionally during service.

Back “home” by 6 PM, I finished packing for the following day’s trip.  I was one of the lucky ones.  The municipality where I will be working informed me that they would send someone to my village and drive me to my new apartment. Most of the volunteers were using taxis and buses early the next day. 

That same evening, a young man who is a friend of my host families son Goce, came to the house to give me a bottle of his home made wine.  I had commented that I liked it, just in passing, and sure enough, there it was.  I had shared a couple of meals and many conversations with both Goce and Yugoslav as they both spoke English quite well.  While they are young, 30 and 28, I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and I think I can call these young men friends of mine now. 

As expected, the car from the municipality arrived the next morning at just around 10 AM.  The driver called from the city for directions and fortunately, Sveto was right there to provide them.  There are no street names or house numbers in the villages.

I had a lot of help with the two very heavy suitcases and an unbelievably heavier “carry on” type bag.  This was now stuffed with manuals and papers acquired during my first 12 weeks.  Also new on this trip was the bag of laundry, the bag of homemade cookies, and of course, the bottles of wine and Rakia I received as gifts.

I would never have believed how close you can feel to people from an entirely different culture after such a short time.  People who speak a different language and do not understand most of what you say.   Now, I Believe it.  I had been told over and over how they would welcome me into their home and family and they indeed did just that.  Leaving their home was bittersweet.  I was happy to be getting out and on my own, but quite sad to be leaving the three of them behind.  These are truly memorable people, living a simple life.   I will go back, hopefully many times, to visit them during my service here. 

A couple of hours after we left Romanovste, we arrived in Kocani at my new “home”.  My landlord and two other people from the municipality were there to greet me as well as assist me in hauling my possessions up to, and I mean up, to my place.  Eighty six steps I think….but that is a story for another time.