I stop in one of the shops and buy some plants for my coworkers. As I thank the lady working, I say "Cреќен празник," (Happy holiday) and walk into school looking like my students, bright eyed with flowers in my hands.
This year 8th of March fell on a Tuesday, which happens to be the day I work only with second grade, 3 classes in total. At the beginning of every class, my co teacher and I were swarmed with tiny hands shoving flowers, real and fake, in front of us. They would tell us, "Teacher! Среќен осми март" telling us happy 8th of March. We hugged each and every one of them and thanked them. Throughout the afternoon, other students of mine who I didn't teach that day brought me flowers. It's also common for students to buy chocolate, vases, jewelry, stuffed animals, and in some cases underwear. This has happened and isn't too out of the ordinary.
I'm part of a peace corps committee called Gender and Development. One of our focuses is providing volunteers with gender equality resources to share with and spark conversations in their communities. This year we put together a 10 minute video consisting of interviews help by volunteers with local women in their lives. You can see the video here. There are some responses in English so please watch! Here are the 5 questions we asked translated in English:
1. What does women's day mean to you?
2. When are you most happy?
3. What is a goal or dream you have for yourself?
4. When do you feel valued?
5. Finish this sentence in one word, "Women are ______"
"I think that not only women, men and women, should respect and help and love each other every day of the year, not just one."
Sorry it's been so long, again. Life happens (:
XOXO
Rachel