First things first, I know I’ve been away for a bit and I apologize. Some unexpected things came up, but hey, that’s life! In Macedonia we say “toa e toa” all the time (it is what it is). I can say that things are good and I’m excited to finally be writing!
I think most teachers can agree that summer is a much needed time to relax and recharge from the long school year. I can honestly say this past week has been the definition of relaxation. Macedonia is incredibly green in the summer, as many places are. But, here everyone has beautiful gardens, flowers blooming of all kinds, and terraces covered in grape or kiwi vines. It seemed like just a few weeks ago, I was still wearing my winter coat and waiting for the day when I could walk outside without it. Well, that day has come-it seems that now I can’t walk outside without breaking a sweat, similar to the humidity in Ohio but not as bad.
Here, you can see some beautiful houses and flowers on my every day walk to the center.
I think most teachers can agree that summer is a much needed time to relax and recharge from the long school year. I can honestly say this past week has been the definition of relaxation. Macedonia is incredibly green in the summer, as many places are. But, here everyone has beautiful gardens, flowers blooming of all kinds, and terraces covered in grape or kiwi vines. It seemed like just a few weeks ago, I was still wearing my winter coat and waiting for the day when I could walk outside without it. Well, that day has come-it seems that now I can’t walk outside without breaking a sweat, similar to the humidity in Ohio but not as bad.
Here, you can see some beautiful houses and flowers on my every day walk to the center.
One of my good friends and fellow volunteers in a nearby town, Iris started a GLOW Club at for the junior high and high school age girls in her town. GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World and it’s a fantastic club to promote leadership and involvement of young girls. There are GLOW clubs in many Peace Corps countries and it’s a great opportunity for girls to participate in various activities that they may not get to in their day to day lives. Here in Macedonia, high school aged girls just finished applying for the GLOW Camp that will be held in a city named Tetovo. Hundreds of girls apply from around the country, but the camp can only accept around 100 campers. The applicants must be able to speak intermediate-proficient English, so the year round clubs help with this. Although I’ll be attending a boys’ camp this summer, I hope to apply to be a counselor for the girl’s camp next year. Anyway, Iris planned a hiking day for her students and about 20 of her girls showed up! We had 5 Peace Corps Volunteers as well as some other young adults from her town. It was great getting to know the girls and spending the day outdoors with them. Hiking is not popular here in Macedonia, let alone women hikers, so it was a great experience to be a part of.
Then, this past weekend, Beka and I visited some of our other volunteer friends in a nearby village of about 2,000+ residents. Beka and I decided to ride our bikes there and the sunny day could not have been more perfect. I was a little nervous because I hadn’t ridden a bike in years! When we are about 10 minutes into our trip to the village, I looked down and noticed my front tire was flat. We began walking and within a few minutes a local pulled over with his motor bike and asked us what the problem was. We told him about my tire but that it was fine because our friend was coming to help. He insisted on speaking German to us even though we told him neither of us spoke German. Fnally, he told us to take our bikes into a yard nearby in front of a house. Luckily he knew the people that lived there and after realizing the house was of one of Beka’s 6th grade students, we felt more at ease. The man had my tire off in no time and soon after he was on his way to buying me a new inner tube. I swear, the hospitality here in Macedonia is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve had many experiences where people will drop what they are doing to help me, even if it’s an inconvenience for them. Shortly after, the man returns and my tire is ready to go! Our payment for the tire was a kiss on mine and Beka’s cheek. We finally made it to our destination with only one more incident of having a flat tire, but luckily we were a short distance away from the village. Gary, who we were visiting, knows how to fix anything, so my bike is good to go.
Now the excitement begins! After a beginning a few hours later than expected, Gary and Karen took us on a short hike to a cave that they have been working on for the past six months. It was incredible! They have brought cement, wood, and stones from town, little at a time to create a bed and bench. Also, Gary is currently working on a fireplace as well as a toilet. They have a perfect swimming hole right by the cave. It was too late in the day and too cold to swim then, but we will definitely be returning! I was in disbelief and amazed how much work they have done. It made me reflect on what I’ve done in my service-certainly nothing like that! But I don’t have those expectations of myself anyway
Now the excitement begins! After a beginning a few hours later than expected, Gary and Karen took us on a short hike to a cave that they have been working on for the past six months. It was incredible! They have brought cement, wood, and stones from town, little at a time to create a bed and bench. Also, Gary is currently working on a fireplace as well as a toilet. They have a perfect swimming hole right by the cave. It was too late in the day and too cold to swim then, but we will definitely be returning! I was in disbelief and amazed how much work they have done. It made me reflect on what I’ve done in my service-certainly nothing like that! But I don’t have those expectations of myself anyway
I noticed that during the winter months I struggled finding true “me” time. Sure, I would catch up with friends on Facebook, write on my blog, occasionally watch my TV shows, but I craved doing things that deep down took me to my happy place. And since summer and the warm weather have been around, there are more opportunities to be outside in good company. These past two weekends have shown me how important it is to do what you love-I know what I need to do to recharge and walk away happier than I was earlier in the day. These things are so important to know about yourself and as many of you know, I’m a people pleaser. But once I stopped giving up my own happiness to make others happy, I have learned so much. I’m still working on this because at times I feel very selfish. But I know I’m not selfish, this is just what needs to happen to live as happiest a life as you can!
Here’s what’s going on in the next few weeks:
-I’ll be hiking Matka, a beautiful canyon in Skopje, this week. You can read more about it and see pictures here:
http://www.exploringmacedonia.com/matka-canyon.nspx
-I’m meeting my brother in Serbia in July to begin our two-week trip to Slovenia and Croatia!
-The following week after my brother leaves, I’ll be headed to a high school boys camp where I’ll spend a week teaching about Civic Responsibility and camping with them.
XOXO, much love
-R
Here’s what’s going on in the next few weeks:
-I’ll be hiking Matka, a beautiful canyon in Skopje, this week. You can read more about it and see pictures here:
http://www.exploringmacedonia.com/matka-canyon.nspx
-I’m meeting my brother in Serbia in July to begin our two-week trip to Slovenia and Croatia!
-The following week after my brother leaves, I’ll be headed to a high school boys camp where I’ll spend a week teaching about Civic Responsibility and camping with them.
XOXO, much love
-R