Macedonian Xmas

Video!!
Macedonian Christmas

It's been a hot minute since I last updated, because we've been busy!!This past weekend, we traveled down to my original home of Lozovo to celebrate the Macedonian Christmas with my Macedonian family.

Macedonian Christmas is very similar to our Xmas: you visit with friends and family, you drink, and you eat. That's about it. And that's exactly what we did. Friday, we got in early in the day, so we took our first opportunity to visit some people. My "brother" (the volunteer who had my family the year prior to me) also came in for the holiday, so we spent the rest of the evening catching up with him and the family at home. That night, all of Lozovo throws bonfires. I think there were 5 total around the village, but the largest one just so happened to be right by my house. We spent a few hours there drinking and dancing the Oro around the massive bonfire. I was able to see LOUIE (basset hound), who I swear recognized me. We had a moment too, hahaha. Afterwards, we headed over to the fire on Kenzie's side and stayed there until sometime after midnight. Rob and I went back home only to discover we had to sleep in the coldest rooms EVER. I cannot exaggerate how damn cold these rooms were....

Well for starters, I could see my breath in my room. I had my own room with a pullout couch, and Rob and Chris got my old bedroom. Neither bedrooms have heaters....why we didn't is beyond me. It was below 20F outside. So I'm standing there trying to figure out how exactly this was going to work. Rob and I decided to layer. We each had on 3-4 shirts, long johns,  pants, two paris of socks, and a jacket. I'd brought my sleeping bag, so I crawled into the sleeping bag with all my clothes on and could hardly move. To make matters worse, having my face exposed wasn't fun. My lungs felt cold whenever I woke up trying to roll over. And to be completely honest, every single night was like this, and it was unbearable to sleep like that..

For the next two days, we sat around at home eating and drinking. We were woken up with fish and rakija on Friday. It's a day where they dont eat any meat or milk products. We snacked for hours before heading out to visit some people. The weather was heavy wind and rain, which we got soaked in walking through it. Each house had a warm room to retreat to though, so we took advantage of that!! That night, we gathered with the family for the traditional Xmas meal, where the family bakes a loaf of bread with a coin in it. The person who got the coin last year breaks off pieces of the bread for each member of the family (including pets), as well as a piece for the house itself. Once this part is done, the family members see who got the coin. In our case, we all got the coin, because my host dad tore off too small of pieces, so we had this big chunk of bread leftover. Of course, that piece had the coin in it. : ) So from there, whomever gets the coin is supposed to put it in a glass of wine and drink from the glass. Getting the coin is supposed to bring you good luck and health all year. It was a special night to share this with our family.

The next day was pretty relaxing. We were able to eat meat again, so we had some chicken and pork with more bread and some other foods. Milevka's family came over, and we spent the day playing cards, watching TV, and of course eating some more. That night, I intentionally went to bed early so I could wake up early to make it back to Kocani. All in all the weekend was nice and relaxing...if it hadn't been for those cold bedrooms, I know we would have been much more comfortable...looking forward to going back when it's warm again, that's for sure!!

Since we've gotten back to Kocani, we've spent the majority of our time resting in my warm apartment. Sleeping in the cold made my cold from last week linger a little longer, so I needed to rest. As always, things are breaking left and right in the apt, but we are making the best of it, haha!! I successfully made baked apples for the first time, and we've eaten the hell out of some Ranch dip as well. All in all, the last two days have made me feel a lot better. This week, we set out for Vevcani and Ohrid. We ride out on Thursday down to Ohrid with my friend Anna. There, we will stay for two nights enjoying the city. (google it!!) On Saturday, we will ride into Vevcani for the 2nd day of the carnival. That night, I think we are getting together with the other volunteers to celebrate Claire's bday. Should be a great weekend....Im honestly really looking forward to it.

Well that's all I've got for now!! I'll have a ton of photos and videos coming soon!! : )

It's that time of year....AGAIN!!

Today, Rob and I got to meet with my Director for some afternoon coffee and chatting time. During the middle of the conversation, my Director offered us some wine. Graciously, we accepted, only to discover the most fantastic looking bottle of wine...

This is called BEAR BLOOD. I mean, look...there's a photo of a growling scary bear on the front. Isn't is fantastic?? Apparently, a close friend of his really likes the wine, so he ordered some from Bulgaria. I just had to share it with ya'll. Oh, and for the record...the wine was FANTASTIC. Seriously delicious. I want to keep the bottles and use them as vases though...seriously.

Oh, and we were able to chat a bit about an idea I have for the Freedom Monument area in Kocani (the place the with graffiti).....kind of like how Nashville does its "movies in the park" during the summers, we were discussing getting the necessary things together to hookup a movie night up there!! It could also be a weekly thing with some vendors. We have access to most of what we'd need, and the advertisement for the event is something that wont be a problem at all!! The idea sounds promising, but right now we really need to concentrate on getting the dance area setup, as well as some of the other after school activities. Point being, I keep getting PUMPED about all the great things I get to do with my school. I love the endless possibilites.

ANYWHO....Tomorrow, Rob and I head out to Lozovo to visit the family for the Macedonia божик (xmas). It's going to be a 3-day celebration; Thursday night beginning with a village-wide bonfire. Friday will probably be an entire day of visiting other families and eating a lot of food. Then Saturday is a "just the family" kind of day with another epic meal. Sunday, we will travel back to Kocani. I'm really excited to see everyone and be back in Lozovo with the family!! I hope my language skills are still solid enough for some catch up convos with the family...otherwise, I'll be getting an ear-full. : )

The following weekend is something to get pumped about as well....today, we just booked a stay down in the beautiful Lake Ohrid area for Thursday and Friday. It's Claire's bday (my best bud from Lozovo), and she lives a stones throw away from Ohrid. So Friday night, a bunch of us will be getting together to celebrate. Then on Saturday, we will travel into Vevcani for the crazy carnival:

Vevcani Carnival info

Just some random photos I found online from the carnival. 

 We were able to book a room at a villa down there too, so we will make a weekend out of it!! Already, I am so excited for the two upcoming weekends. I've been seriously looking forward to the Vevcani bit, and I'm even more pumped that a lot of volunteers will be around to celebrate!! I need to make some masks....

So that's that. I wont have internet again until this Sunday, so if you happen to email me, I wont be able to respond just yet. I'm seriously having a great winter break so far.....having some company surely doesnt hurt!! And I'm looking forward to being able to travel around the country a bit more in the upcoming weeks to help these frigid winter months move a little faster.

Hello, 2012

Well a new year has already begun. It's crazy that I've just survived my first set of holidays over here. Although Xmas was difficult (as expected), New Years was MUCH easier!!

Last Wednesday, I woke up SICK. I was so mad. My throat hurt when I spoke or swallowed, and I had headaches with my congested head. Rob was flying into Macedonia that night, so I spent the rest of the day after school trying to sleep it off. Rob got in safe and sound that night, but I still felt pretty ill. By Friday, we rode into Skopje to see the PC doctors, which is really a pain to go there and back. The trip is like 2.5 hours each way on a bus. Then, once you get to Skopje, you have to get on another bus for another 30 minutes just to get to the PC office. The good news was I was able to get some proper medicine, and the doctor told me I just had an upper respiratory infection. We spent the second half of that day walking around Skopje, enjoying the Xmas lights and eating Arabian food. haha

Saturday, we woke up to snow on the ground!! We decided to make our errands quick so we could literally spend the rest of the day and night inside. And that's exactly what we did!! For our New Years celebration, we made A LOT of Mexican food....I mean, A LOT. We seriously ate the hell out of some tacos and nachos. By midnight, we were able to stand out on my mini balcony and watch the locals shoot off fireworks from house to house. Kids ran in the streets, shooting fireworks at cars passing by. The view was actually spectacular...and not because of the fireworks, but because I was really able to register where I was for the celebration of the New Year. It felt good.

The last couple days were a lazy mess. I've slowly gotten over my illness by resting in bed and watching a lot of movies and TV shows on my computer. Rob has so far gotten to meet Emilija and her family, as well as Paul, which is AWESOME!! I was trying to explain how good it feels to have someone come here and see where I live, meet the people I adore, and even do the basics like running errands with me (he got to see the butcher shop!) It's also nice to have someone from another country to talk about the cultural differences with.....overall, it's just nice to have his company here!!

Starting on Thursday, Macedonians will begin to celebrate their Christmas here. It all begins on the 5th and lasts until the 7th. I'll be going into Lozovo for this occasion, and I was just told by Milevka last night that Rob is welcome to join as well. We are going to have a full house!! Thursday night will be a big village-wide bonfire, complete with food and drinks. Friday is a type of fasting day, where families mainly eat lentils and salads and stuff...nothing with meat in it. We will spend a good chunk of that day visiting the other families and volunteers. Then, Saturday is the actual Christmas day. I'm not sure if we are staying that night too, but we will see. I'm already anticipating how cold that house is going to be!!

Anywho....I'm excited to see my family and the volunteers again. It'll be a nice little break. Once I get back, teachers are supposed to go back into work to plan what they are going to do in the coming year. I have a lot to plan with both my director and Emilija, and I'm excited to start talking about the new little projects we want to implement. There is already talk of a photo club, a school newspaper, a radio station, and (my favorite) converting the basement area into a dance studio. The gym teacher wants me to teach the kids some ballroom dancing for their upcoming prom. HOORAH!! I'm also excited about being able to show Rob some more of Macedonia while he is here. There is a festival down south in a couple of weeks we are already planning on hitting up. It's the one carnival that looks kind of like Halloween....people dress up all crazy in the streets and stuff. Seriously looking forward to that one.

I hope everyone had an excellent New Years celebration. I can honestly say I had a great one. Looking forward to hearing from everyone!!

Long overdue

I am officially living in Kocani.

Thursday was my swearing-in ceremony. It was super official...had a bunch of fancy people there, like the ambassador. When it came time to eat, it was absolutely hilarious. All of the Macedonian families treated the food tables like they were the best Black Friday sales in the history of ever. I mean these women would literally take the serving spoon right out of your hand during mid-serve. I'm not even kidding. Apparently, someone filmed this part of the evening, so I'll try and find it. Explaining it in words just doesnt do any justice. After the swearing in, we showed our videos, and of course everyone just loved ours!! Even the woman in charge of our PST came up to me and said they were definitely going to have me film something for their PST next year, haha. After the presentations, we danced around a bit, and then we hoped on a bus back to Lozovo with all of our families.

The last night was kind of sad. We went to Julie's house and hung out in the garage we painted the mural on. We drank wine and danced with the families. It was really starting to hit. Finally, I think Kenzie was the first one to start giving good-bye hugs. One by one, we all began to leave. I actually cried at this point. I walked home with my host family, and we basically sat around the kitchen table for the rest of the night. We had some company...had some snacks...and talked about how I was going to be ok in Kocani.

So much has happened since Thursday. Friday morning was an ADVENTURE getting all of my luggage not only to the bus stop, but all the way to Kocani and up all 6 flights of stairs!! It's amazing that is has even been that long already. Friday, I spent unpacking. I was so ready get my new apt set up, so I worked my butt off for a few hours before I realized I probably needed to go buy some things, like groceries. So I took a break and walked around Kocani for a couple hours. I was so NERVOUS buying things!! They speak a totally different dialect here....so when I speak in Macedonian, they sometimes dont understand me, or they think Im speaking incorrectly, even though I'm using literature Macedonian. It is really interesting, because a lot of volunteers are experiencing this problem right now. It's just something I'll adjust to. Anywho, so yea...buying things was difficult. My confidence was pretty low, so I tried to not speak a lot and just find what I needed to get out. I managed to buy the basics for my fridge, as well as a blanket for my bed!! (yes, my landlord gave me a kickass bed) The next feat was getting everything back up those 6 flights of stairs. After two trips, I decided to spent the rest of the night hibernating in my apartment. Saturday was another day of shopping and trying to learn how to cook on the damn hot plates and toaster oven. There are 6 settings, which are all the same and burn the hell out of the food, no matter what you cook it in. My pots and pans are pathetic, and my 3 forks and spoons actually bend when you add too much pressure. So Saturday was all about discovering the joys of cooking.

I must say...I am already experiencing a new culture shock. Sunday was hard for me. I was actually really sad. I woke up feeling funky. I made my Christmas Blend coffee in my French press, and I decided to make hashbrowns, because they are a type of comfort food for me. Well of course, the hashbrowns turned out like shit, because I still have no idea how to properly use anything in my kitchen, but I ate them anyways. Afterwards, I sat out on my little mini balcony and thought about why I was not feeling well. I realized that it was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and that is when my mom always puts the Xmas tree up. All the cities start to decorate for the holidays, I spend a lot of time with my mom and sis watching old home movies, eat Chinese food, and listening to Xmas music in the car....I set up my house for the holidays, and I bust out my winter skirts. There's a lot that happens beginning now, in America...and instead, I was sitting all alone on a balcony in the middle of Macedonia in a city where no one really knows me.

So I made cookies.

That's right....I made the most amazing sugar cookies. I actually found the ingredients here AND I managed to make it work in the toaster oven, no less. My counterpart, Emilija,  also swung by my place with her husband and one of her kids. I shared my American coffee with them and we laughed about how pathetic I was feeling earlier. I am SO LUCKY to have her...you all just have no idea. We hardly know each other, but we just click. Anyway, she agreed to let me settle some more and said she'd come pick me up to have dinner at their place later. So I decided to take that time to just relax. I was able to talk to my mom, Mimi, and Jessica online, and just talking/seeing them made me feel better. Later, I did go over to Emilija's place for dinner, and we sat around just enjoying the food, a glass of wine, and sharing photos and videos online about our lives. I even managed to buy some trout from her family's fish store!!

I got home last night sometime after 10, and walking up those dark stairs at night is CREEPY. Even being alone in my apartment creeped me out last night. I thought about a lot while laying in bed, and I realized this was probably the first time I've actually slept in a place where I literally have no one around me that I know. I mean, even in my travels, I always had people I shared rooms with...in Lozovo, I had my family in the next room and all the other volunteers within 5 minutes of my house. In America, I either had a roommate, my sister across the street, or someone that was always close. But here in Kocani, on the 6th floor in the middle of the city, I dont have that. It was a weird epiphany!! haha

Anywho...I'm sorry for making such a long post. I knew some of you were anxious for an update. I realize some of this stuff sounds a little sad, but I really am OK. I just need about a week or so to adjust...just like in Lozovo. Not to mention, going from living in a village to living in a city is a shock all on its own, so dont worry about me!! This is normal : ) Send me some emails, ya'll!! I'm picking up free internet from the hotel across the street :D

Two new videos : )

I made it to Kocani, and am currently setting up my new home. I'll give a proper update in a day or two, because I simply am too tired to do so right now. To hold you over, here is the epic movie we debuted last night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV9PILQGDTo


And if you want to see the outtakes video, you get a little bonus!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKmzn2mn83M

ENJOY!!!!

Last two days in Lozovo...

Tonight is the kind of night that makes me miss home. I’m going through a strange rush of emotions.

In just two days, I’ll be moving to my new home of Kocani. It’s crazy to think that I’ve already been here for 2 ½ months. When I think back to all the things that have happened since I got here, I’m simply amazed.

My first two weeks were quite a struggle. I knew very little of the language. I could hardly communicate with my family. I spent the majority of my time sitting in the living room, reading or trying to read the Macedonian subtitles on the Turkish soap operas. I ate more than I wanted, and I drank more Turkish coffee than I think was safe to consume

.

A couple weeks in, I had begun to really dive into some friendships here. I was going on little day adventures to the abandoned train station, but I was still spending the majority of time at home…just hanging out and trying my hardest to communicate. I was so worried about possibly offending my family, so I didn’t really do too much with my days, other than school. This was the time where I felt REALLY home sick.

The second half of the adjustment was much better. I slowly began to understand more and more of the language. I forced myself to leave the house more. I told myself it was OK if I didn’t Facetime my mom every day. And it was around this time that PC events and training really began to pick up. I was gone more and more from my home. Often times, I wouldn’t get back until after dark, and I think this made me want more and more of my own space. Naturally, after getting home from work, all you want to do is what YOU want to do, which, for me, is relaxing. So I began to spend more time in my room. I told myself it was OK, and my family seemed to appreciate and respect my need for personal space. It was around this time that I began to really feel comfortable.

During this time, I received lots of packages. I taped photos all over my room. I began to again spend more time at home. With the colder months, came colder homes. Unfortunately, these training months fall on 3 whole seasons. Already, I’ve experienced summer, fall, and winter. Winter is by far BRUTAL. In America, everywhere you go is warm inside. Here…not even being inside of a school, a restaurant, or a home will make you warm. It’s probably what I miss most about America.

The last few weeks have just seemed so final. My home life is still very comfortable. I spend more one on one time with each volunteer and their families. I've gone on day trips with my own family. I've already had one person come visit!! I've adjusted to the Macedonian time schedule of everything. I'm able to walk down the street and speak with a stranger the entire way to school. I'm able to understand those silly soap operas. I'm able to sit at the table with my family and actually hold a real conversation. And I landed an "Intermediate Medium" on my language proficiency test. : ) 

That being said, I feel really good about the time I spent in Lozovo. I have a fantastic relationship with my host family and the other volunteers here. Undoubtedly, we will only continue to grow closer. I am now more and more anxious though about the big move. I feel READY.

Tomorrow, I will go to my swearing in ceremony. It is a HUGE deal. There will be around 200 or so people there, and yours truly will be wearing a suit. Tomorrow night, I will finish my packing, which I still have no idea how to accomplish. I literally have too much stuff now…I cant fit it all, and I’m not sure how I’ll manage it, but we shall see. : ) And then Friday morning….I’m off!!

I’m going to go ahead and say this….I don’t know when I’ll have internet again. I will not have access tomorrow or Friday, and I don’t know how long it will take to get internet set up in my new home. So if you need me, CALL ME. If you write me, don’t expect a response for about a week, I’m sorry.

I hope you all have a festive Thanksgiving!! I sure do wish I was home, esp for some good ‘ol potato casserole. I miss you all so much!! Take photos of Thanksgiving and send them my way. : )

xoxo

Hot hands

Everyone in Lozovo has discovered the phenomenon of “hot hands.” It all began a couple nights ago when I finally busted out some of the Hot Hands that my sister brought me. For those of you who don’t know, they are these little packets that, when exposed to air, create heat for up to 10 hours. Most people put them in their shoes and/or gloves. Personally, dealing with poor circulation is a struggle in the wintertime, so having them to put in my shoes is a godsend!!

So the other night, I decided it was time to bust out the Hot Hands. Our language teachers had planned a dinner for us that night, so I decided to swing by Anna’s house beforehand. (no pun intended) While there, I took the Hot Hands out of my shoes and just held them. We were having a legit convo with Anna’s host father, when he discovered the Hot Hands. It blew his mind!! We actually had to look up how they work, scientifically, and then attempt to translate it into Macedonian. He LOVED them!!

Just a couple of hours later, we headed over to our teachers’ house. There, both of our teachers were ALSO blown away by the Hot Hands, and even requested I bring them some the following day. So, sure enough, I bring them some, and they are just so curious about them. So I start thinking about how funny it is, and decide I must hand (pun) one to Milevka and see her reaction. As night fell, I sat down at the kitchen table with Milevka. She was going on about how she wasn’t feeling well and how it is all blamed on the ridiculously cold weather. I pulled out the Hot Hands from my coat pocket (yes, I still have to wear a coat inside), and handed it to her. She took it from me, cautiously, and immediately fell in love!! Of course, I had to attempt to explain how they worked, but Milevka didn’t even care anymore, because now she had one Hat Hand on her forehead and one on her neck. At one point, she even tucked one into her turtleneck. So I was like ok ok …you have these, and she was just SO excited about them!!

It’s a good thing my mother sent me a blue million of them with Jessica. Perfect timing too!! They sure have been getting used here…no complaints there!!

нема мировен во лозово...The trailer....

Soooo, during our swearing in ceremony, all of the training sites are asked to make a 5 minute presentation. Of course, Lozovo decided to be a little different, and we went with making an EPIC drama. Here is the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5XGEkqdn8w&feature=share

We will show our film to ALL of Peace Corps, families, and the Macedonian government officials on November 24, our swear-in date. Seriously. We are doing this. I'll upload the movie sometime after its release, as to not ruin the opening night. We can leak it to the press too early. Anywho...enjoy!!

Another video

Here's a video my good friend, Andres made:

http://www.youtube.com/user/dredae#p/a/u/0/YWFPdA7kv8s

I think it is the PERFECT summary of our two months in Lozovo. If you like my videos, you'll LOVE this one!! Enjoy!!

Birthday weekend

My birthday weekend was spent with my sister and friends in Skopje. What better way to celebrate?!

Friday afternoon was spent waiting over an hour for a bus to pass through Lozovo. Lozovo doesn’t have a train or bus station, so you just have to stand in the road and flag one down when it passes by. It was funny for the first 45 minutes, but then the sun went down, and it got a lil cold!! Once we got on the bus, there was nowhere to sit, but after passing through Velec, everyone had a seat. Upon arrival in Skopje, we immediately hopped in a cab and went to our hostel. The hostel was ADORABLE!! It was in a random part of the city, about a 20-minute walk from the center. The rooms were all painted artistically, and there were private rooms, as well as rooms with bunk beds. There was an open lounging area and kitchen, as well as two bathrooms. What I like most was the fact that it was indeed a hostel, but it did not feel like your typical ‘hippies passing through’ type of place. The people we met there were all older and all had very interesting stories about where they were from and where they were going.

Friday night started off with an Italian dinner at Ginos. Jess and I decided to split a pizza and salad, and everyone else indulged as well. We listened to someone play the cello for us, and even ran into a few people from the PC staff!! It’s funny…Macedonia truly is such a small country, it is impossible not to run into someone you know!!

After dinner, we all headed out to a trendy bar in the older part of town. This area of Skopje is my favorite….it’s just cute and not touristy. There, we drank mulled wine and cognacs while a Serbian band played downstairs. A few of the people from the hostel came to meet us for a drink as well!! It was around this time that I began developing quite a nasty cough though, so I decided to take it a little easy. Instead of going out and partying it up, we all lounged around there. I felt kind of bad, because I wanted to show Jessica more of the city, but with such limited time it is just impossible to see everything I wanted to show her.

Everyone went to bed extremely late that night, even though we got home at a somewhat reasonable hour. I was really beginning to feel sick, coughing-wise. Saturday morning, I woke up with an even worse cough. Here, we all get sick in cycles. I knew I’d be getting ‘the cough’ sooner or later…and it just sucked that it happened this weekend. That being said, I didn’t want to waste any time, so we all walked into town for one last meal with Jessica before sending her off to Istanbul.

Our original plan was to find this Arabic restaurant, but we couldn’t find it and were getting short on time, so we hit up a local pub instead. I began to get really sad, because I was realizing the reality of my sister leaving. Having her here this weekend was fantastic, because she got to see everything and nearly everyone. But having her leave, was really really difficult for me. I was going through everything we’d done in my head, because I wanted her to have a fantastic time, and I hope she did….She says she is coming back in the Spring for at least a couple of weeks, and I feel like having more time would be best. You simply cant accomplish much in just a 3 day trip. That being said, having her here was the best birthday present there was…I cant tell you how good it made me feel to have my sister here.

Ok, so enough of me being sad about her leaving!! Jessica set off for her epic trip to Istanbul, and we all headed back into the city for some light shopping and lounging. This was probably the most normal thing I’ve done since I moved here!! We sat around drinking coffee and watching TV. We shopped in the mall a bit, and I even made a few purchases myself with the wonderful birthday money everyone sent me (thank you everyone!!) We then FINALLY found the Arabic restaurant, and had one of the best meals here, complete with a legit hookah!! We even ended up making friends with our waiter, who invited us to join him and his friends for a later meal. Yay for new local friends!!

The rest of the night was great, but my energy really died. I felt really guilty, because I was feeling really sick, and I felt like I was being boring for everyone who was there to celebrate with me. I stuck to tea that night and we joined our new friend for dinner. We got to see some belly dancing, which was fantastic, and we also got our second helping of Arabic food!! I was a happy girl when finally was able to hit the hay.

The birthday weekend ended on a beautiful note. It was a slow morning…the kind where you sit around in your pajamas, drinking coffee with your friends. The hostel felt like a home to me this morning, and I was sad we had to leave. We joined our new friends for a delicious breakfast in the square before heading back to Lozovo. Undoubtedly, it was a successful weekend.

Monday, my actual bday, was spent running around Skopje for a “resource day.” The day was pretty uneventful, until we made it to the PC office, where I found two bday packages waiting for me!! I had one box of goodies from the wonderful people of Willowbrook (thank you!!), as well as a fantastic bag of coffee from someone else very close to me (thanks, love!!). It was amazing to have gifts to open on my actual bday!! Anywo…we got on the bus back to Lozovo, where we then celebrated with TWO cakes (one American and one Macedonia), and all the volunteers came over to help me celebrate. I just want to tell you how extremely loved I felt when all of my Lozovo friends showed up. It was like family…us all sitting around eating popcorn and cake and drinking wine. Even Milevka had a glass, and I’ve NEVER seen her drink a drop of alcohol!! I got some fantastic gifts from the fellow volunteers, and didn’t even make it to bed until sometime after 11, which is late for me here!! All in all, Monday night was the PERFECT way to celebrate. I’m a very lucky girl to have such an experience on my bday.

I’ll be sad to leave my home here in two weeks, but I am anxious to get settled somewhere I can call my home. Making the new friends this weekend also made me eager to find friends in Kocani, as well as all the good places to eat!! J And lastly, I’m eager to get through this winter, so I can have my sister (and hopefully my mother!!) come back to see me in the spring. Thanks to everyone for helping make my birthday beautiful. It isn’t easy being away from my family and home, but it’s times like these when I’m reminded of how fortunate I am to have such opportunities. Love you all!!

My sister is in Macedonia!!

My sister is in town!! IT IS FANTASTIC!!

Jessica arrived about midday on Wednesday. Unfortunately for me, I still had a little over 3 hours left with PC things, so my language teacher agreed to walk her back to Milevka's house for me. By the time I got done with my PC stuff, I ran home and greeted my sister, who was sitting in the kitchen with my host father. He was showing her all of his "homework," which is basically all the stuff I wrote out for him to pronounce different simple English words. He was showing off!! Jessica and I sat around and caught up a bit. We drank a lot of coffee and relaxed a bit with the folks. Andres swang by for a hot minute and joined us for dinner, before the three of us headed out for a short walk around the village.

The walk was really nice!! Jessica was able to see what Lozovo looks like at night, and we were able to do some much needed chatting about what's been going on at home and such. The entire time it felt so surreal....just the fact that my sister was in Lozovo!! Later that night, Jessica and I organized all the fantastic items my mother sent my way. Later, we laid in bed until around midnight just chatting up a storm...again, MUCH needed!! It felt so good to have my sister.

Yesterday, Jessica came to school with me for the day. She mainly sat in the back and did some stuff on the internet and read a bit, but it was nice to have her see what class is like for me. Luckily for us, it was an early day, and we were out of school by noon. After school, Jess and I caught a bus into Velec. We walked around the city, ate at a local restaurant, visited my old counterpart, and shopped a bit. We arrived back in Lozovo after the sun went down and decided to visit Andres's house for a quick visit! I wanted Jess to see what another village household was like, and Vera is by far one of my favorite women in Lozovo.

There, we were offered MANY drinks (surprise, surprise) and food. We sat around just chatting a bit with everyone, and around 7, we went back home for dinner. It's really quite entertaining to be in the middle of my sister and Milevka communicating. There's a lot of "What did she say?" going on, and me doing my best to translate on both sides. Sometimes, I caught myself speaking poor English even, because Im so used to thinking in the Macedonian sentence structure. My host father walked around all night showing off his knowledge of the phrase "oh my god," which we all found to be hilarious. After a while of relaxing with the host parents, Jess and I retreated back into my room where we spent another night just laying in bed and talking.

By the time I decided to actually go to sleep, I felt an enormous weight of sadness run over me. I realized Jessica had not much time left with me, and that I was beginning to miss her again already. I now see why PC suggests we do not have company from back home for the first few months, because seeing and speaking with her has just made me feel homesick. She has promised to come back for a couple week in the spring though, so I'm going to convince her to bring momma with her so we can all be together!! Dont get me wrong....it's really difficult to not have my family here, but you know I am doing just fine. : )

Today, we are going to Skopje after school!! We will be having dinner at an Italian place, relaxing at a bar later, and enjoying a nice breakfast together tomorrow morning, before Jessica hope on a plane for Istanbul. I'll still get to spend the rest of the day and night in Skopje on Saturday, followed by coming back to Lozovo Sunday night for a party at Kenzie's house. Monday, we are in Skopje again for PC stuff, and Milevka has said she'll make the Funfetti cake mix my mother sent me in the mail for that evening. YAY FOR FUNFETTI!! More of an update on Tuesday, seeing as how I'll be out of town until then. Miss and love you all!!

About to be the best week ever!!

I made this video a while ago, although for some reason it never fully uploaded onto youtube...so here it is now:
http://www.youtube.com/user/morganpaige01?feature=mhee#p/u/0/txQNbidqcPk

All is well here!! Im feeling extra exhausted lately, only because we've been so busy lately. My sister comes in town on Wednesday. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!

That is all for now. Expect a good video or two next week : )

My new home!!

My kitchen!! Notice there is no oven or stove. I have two hot plates and a toaster oven though.

The view from my apartment!! BEAUTIFUL!! I am on the 6th floor....the highest up you can go.

Another view of Kocani.

My den/bedroom. That couch will be moved into the kitchen and hopefully a bed will be there when I move in on the 25th. There is also a small balcony attached in the front and back.

The bathroom. It is typical, although Im lucky that I have a washing machine!! Ill be hanging my clothes to dry.

That's that!! I loved every minute of Kocani, and I am SO EXCITED for the 25th!! I wont be around much until next week, but Im sending all of you my love!!

Ciao-