First Highs in Macedonia

No, don’t worry.  I have not turned to narcotics or hallucinogens in Macedonia.  The highs I have experienced over the past weekend were both metaphorical and literal.

Friday was the Mak18s first Hub Day.  Hub Days occur once a week during Pre-Service Training where all of the volunteers congregate so that the Peace Corps staff may present various sessions to all of the volunteers at once.  The Hub Days take place in Kumanovo, which is one of the largest cities in Macedonia.  Early Friday morning, all of the volunteers met in a hotel banquet hall and participated in various sessions, including “Peace Corps’ Approach to Development” and “Strategic Planning for Community Development.”  It was a long day, but we were all gracious that we were able to see the volunteers from other towns for the first time since we left Tetovo.

During the first Hub Day 

Delicious hamburger.  Yes, those are french fries lodged in the sandwich...

After the Hub Day concluded, we all walked to the center of Kumanovo to enjoy the nightlife of a bigger city.  I had a humongous craving for beer and hamburgers, so I bought two of each and gorged myself until I was completely stuffed.  At about 7:30, we all boarded the transportation that returned us to our PST villages/ cities.

Saturday was Macedonia’s National Clean-Up Day.  Each group of trainees was provided with garbage bags to pick up trash in our various towns.  Those from Lozovo met at the school and picked up trash in the nearby park.  The task took us just under an hour, and the park looked remarkably cleaner after the job was done.  Our Lozovo group achieved two successes that day- we achieved a 100% participation rate among volunteers, and Stoiche (Dan’s host father) joined us for the clean-up!  Afterwards, Stoiche was so thrilled about our success that he ran home and fetched a bottle of rakija and wine for us to drink.  So yes- by 10AM we were all getting drunk on the playground in the middle of our village.  Some of the older volunteers must have felt invigorated as a few of them rushed to the playground equipment to play on the teeter-totter and swings.

Clean-Up Day Macedonia

Later in the evening, most of the town shuffled into the community theater to watch the children perform traditional dances.  The children from Lozovo represented the town, but other groups traveled from nearby towns, including Veles and Bitola, and even a town from Serbia!  The national dance of most Balkan countries is the oro, and it can be performed in a variety of ways.  At most ceremonies, the oro is more traditional as family members join hands and dance in a circle.  If the oro is professionally presented, it is often more stylistic and can be slow or fast.  Typically, the music is performed live for the dancers, and the instruments usually consist of a drum, an accordion, a bass guitar, and a clarinet. 

My host mother and her niece

The performers in Lozovo were amazing, and it was impressive to see what children and teenagers can put together.  I may be biased, but Lozovo had the best performance of the groups!  The Serbian group was also remarkable.  It is difficult to fully describe an oro via blog, so I have posted a Youtube link to a professional oro performance.  I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh659vJ0i0c

Not only was the oro entertaining, but the whole experience felt very nationalistic.  During the first few performances, I could feel the whole theater pause and the audience turn silent.  The beating of the drum, frantic measures of the clarinet, and shrill screams of the young girls as they danced resonated within the whole audience as a part of their history.  All at once, I felt centuries of history brought to life before our eyes.  These children were recreating a part of Macedonia and carrying on the traditions of the Balkan Peninsula.  For the first time in Macedonia, I felt like I was breathing the same air and experiencing the same story as the rest of the host country nationals.  To put it briefly, it felt invigorating.

This energy was much needed, since all of the volunteers in Lozovo decided to climb one of the nearest mountains to our village on Sunday.  The mountain does not have a name, but the city associated with the mountain is called Blogoslovec..  I awoke early on Sunday to run to the base of the mountain, which is about 8 miles from Lozovo.  Another volunteer (Emily) and I blindly ran our course to the mountain, which was pretty foolish since we ended up running through brush and farmland for about a third of the journey.  In the end, we rendezvoused with the other volunteers near the base and began our ascent.  Sande, Vatche’s host father, volunteered to guide us up and down the mountain.  We were able to refuel along the way by eating wild fruit along the path.  Such fruit included blueberry-like berries, which were bitter and supposedly good for a prostate, and rose buds, which tasted horrible.

After passing obselete asbestos mines, we reached the final and steep ascent to the peak, which was a grueling journey.  Sande, our 69-year old guide, blazed the path ahead as we all huffed and puffed behind him.  Once at the top, we had a festive experience.  Various volunteers offered various foods and fruits that they brought along on their journey.  Gary and Karen presented Emily and me a bottle of beer which they brought along the hike.  Honestly, that was one of the best beers I had ever drunk in my life.  After about an hour of rest at the top, we decided that it was time to descend and return along the path back home.

Near the top of the mountain.  Sande is the gentleman with the walking stick. 

Our volunteer group at the ascent

The view toward Lozovo from the top of Blogoslovec

On our way down

Well, here was surprise #1 of the day.  Sande decided to take us along a different path.  Err, he decided to take us down another way- there was no path.  We all skidded down the mountain through brush and loose rocks and soil.  As soon as we passed the steepest part of the descent, alternate obstacles presented themselves to us.  Loose soil turned to a rocky slope with rough brush and weeds.  That turned to uneven, rocky ground, trees, and more weeds.  Once on the path, we were immediately diverted to another, which required us to ford a river.  We were all relieved to finally walk along a noticeable path and were ready to take a taxi home.

And there was surprise #2.  Sande had no intention of taking a taxi or car home.  We were going to walk all the way back.  Additionally, Sande was late for lunch, so he kept us at a taxing pace so that we arrived home while the food was still warm.  Overall, I must have traveled 20 miles that day, a third of the time running, and a third of the time walking up and down the mountain.  Although tiring, it was definitely a rewarding experience! 

After this weekend, I definitely feel more connected to Macedonia- more connected to the land, more connected to its music, its history, and most importantly, to its people.