Walking to school I see flashes of bright colors. The sun is out and so are the flowers that have been trying to bloom for a few weeks now. Spring is just around the corner and It cannot come soon enough. But on this particular day, I see flower shops, doors wide open with small potted plants lining the walls outside. People are bustling in and out buying either one flower, a bouquet, or a small potted flower waiting to be planted. But also in most shops whether it's selling jewelry, clothes, or food, I can see fake roses at the entrance. Yep, it's definitely 8th of March, International Women's Day.
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 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 ______"
We were so happy with the turnout of the video, especially since this is the first time this Peace Corps committee has done something like this. And this video has been used to spark conversation about women's day and gender equality. For example, Beka and I just led a conversation in a town nearby about this subject. After teaching everyone how to make a pudding and fruit parfait, something easy they can make for a women in their life, we watched the video and discussed the current situation of how women are treated around the world and how it can be improved. It was a wonderful conversation full of hope and empowerment. We were especially proud of one high school boy saying how he has conversations with his male friend about why he's a feminist and why they should be too. From the food to the discussion, it was all around wonderful. These are some of my most memorable moments of my service-being able to have an open and free conversation with people (young and older) who want to do all they can to make their communities better places for everyone to live in.
Unfortunately in Macedonia, women's day is easily confused with Mother's Day. These aren't the same day and should be celebrated differently. You don't have to be married or have children to be a women, but people tend to put more emphasis on this. I could go on and on about this topic but instead I'll lead you with a quote from one of the Macedonian women in the video:
"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
"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