Mid-Service Conference

As MAK18s, we recently attended our last major conference of our service (we still have COS Conference in August, but that is more of a wrap-up of service than a training).  The Mid-Service Conference took place from February 10-13, and as the agenda below shows, much of the time was spent with language classes, policy refreshers, and sessions with our counterparts.  Similar to the IST (that took place last April), this conference implemented training to further aid us in our PC service.

However, the difference between MSC and IST is that, during IST, we were all recovering from our first four months at site.  At that time, we had a very vague idea of what our worth was, and IST was sort of an escape in order to discuss with each other and the PC staff on how to ameliorate our situation and make the best of our PC experience.  MSC, on the other hand, occurred as we were 2/3 of the way through our service.  Overall, the general mood of the conference was overwhelmingly more stable.  Even if some PCVs were never able to find a clear purpose within their organization, almost all volunteers found or created their own project with which to be occupied at their site.

In my opinion, this conference was very poorly timed.  With the close of January, work picked up very quickly, and four days away from site made me fall behind on my duties.  During my time at MSC, I missed a member recruitment, had delayed contact with the many students who were applying for internships abroad, and the Organizational Committee President for the seminar that we are organizing in April (LIS) quit her duties.  I spent most of my time this past Sunday and Monday fighting the fires that had developed during my absence.

The MSC sessions were also pretty dull.  It was nice to have formal language lessons again, but by this point our language abilities had diverged significantly, so it was difficult for a class to cater to all of our skillsets.  Most of the other sessions presented nothing new, either refreshing our knowledge on PC policies and the procedure for reporting sexual assault, or reflecting with our counterparts.  In a way, I did not expect much from this conference, because by this point we pretty much figured everything out at our sites (how to work with our organization, how to make inroads into our community, etc.), so it was very difficult for them to teach us something new.  Nonetheless, we did all enjoy the less formal aspect of the conference, and for that reason I would not write it off as a failure.

First, these trainings are the only opportunity (besides Field Day) when all volunteers of a group are gathered in one place.  This provided a great foundation for all of us to discuss and strategize the various secondary projects.  Throughout MSC, the coordinators for YMLP and GLOW met multiple times to discuss the selection of the new staff and possible funding opportunities for these camps.  The frequency of our meetings finally put my duties as the Finance Coordinator for YMLP into action.  Over the next few weeks, I am tasked to work closely with the Finance Coordinator of GLOW to plug the funds for the camps that will not be covered by our corporate sponsorship.

Second, the site of the MSC was the gorgeous TCC Grand Plaza Hotel in Skopje.  I had stayed in a few 5-star hotels during my travels for work before PC, but this hotel may have taken the cake for the most luxurious, all-inclusive hotel.  The rooms were gigantic!  It seemed that every room had a living room area for guests to relax and keep company.  We reserved a 2-bedroom suite, and a few of the nights were spent lounging on the couches of our living room (which, altogether is probably larger than the entirety of the floor in which I live).  This lent to a shortage of hours each night (I averaged 5 hours per night for all four nights).  But we had a lot to discuss, and by no means did we drown our frustrations and anxieties of Peace Corps in an alcohol binge, the way we did one night during IST.  Additionally, the hotel also included a well-equipped weight room, an indoor pool, and THREE saunas (one wet, two dry).  Most of us did not leave the hotel at the conclusion of the sessions.  Everything we needed was within reach by an elevator.

Breakfast before the sessions

Counterpart Love

My counterpart and me

Discussing in the spacious hotel rooms

So what did I take away from this conference?  First, it was difficult to believe that I am 2/3 complete with my service here.  Everybody says time flies, which is partially true.  The first year can go at a snail’s pace at times.  But since September, once my duties became clear and I became much busier, time seemed to have shifted into 5^th gear.  Second, although I technically have 9 months left, the weeks between now and September are quickly being filled.  Compared to many other PCVs, I have vacationed less frequently to foreign countries, so there is a limited amount of time to take the three trips I am determine to do before we are limited from traveling (all PCVs are restricted from traveling outside of their country for the final three months of their service, in order for them to properly execute their farewells to the community).  Additionally, most of February and March will be spent planning my grant project LIS, and before September there are two AIESEC conferences, the Model UN Conference, a marathon, two weddings, the YMLP camp, Pivo Fest, and of course the COS conference.  Winter is leaving, and summer will be over before I know it.

Finally, it is difficult not to start thinking about life after PC.  After failing the second part of the Foreign Service application last year, I conceded that I needed an advanced degree to be competitive for many of the careers that interested me.  Much of this year will be spent preparing for the GRE and applying to graduate schools, in order to start my studies again in autumn 2016.  However, upon further reflection, I realized that I have more clarity of the type of career and life I want to lead, something that rankled me before I started PC. 

Moreover, I can already list a number of skills and experiences gained through PC that support my career choice.  PC develops in its volunteers innovation, problem solving, and cultural flexibility that otherwise is not available in most other professional settings.  Even though my first job out of college instilled in me a professionalism that I am grateful to have developed, the experiences in PC already seem more profound than anything I accomplished otherwise.  In a way, this is due to the fact that PC volunteers answer to problems, not bosses, and there is not a right answer, only a best one.  We initially become frustrated here because our organization or community wants help solving a problem, but their request is lost in translation.  We spend months figuring out what is wrong before we decide to dive head first into the rush of issues.  Early on, we fail, and instead of being scolded or fired, we are faced with the reality of sulking in our failure and remaining idle until the end of our service, or trying again.  Eventually we become accustomed to the lifestyle in our country of service, which allows us to develop creative solutions based on those circumstances.  We get in the groove, and then suddenly, when we finally feel that we are making a difference, 27 months come to a close, and we realize we need to use this experience to advance in our own lives.

This reflection is probably what I gained most at MSC.  As an RPCV told me before starting my service, a PC experience is what one makes of it.  Sure, some volunteers go through their service binge-watching American television and crossing the days off the calendar.  But as that RPCV told me, actively searching for the next opportunity provides a satisfactory reminiscence in the future.  Looking back on these 18 months, I am already happy with what I have accomplished, and I am excited to accomplish more in the remaining.  Peace Corps calls itself the “toughest job you’ll ever love.”  And I’d wish this experience on many more people who are willing to take the challenge.

**One more thing!  It seems that I have garnered 1000+ likes on my first Instagram picture, and I don’t even have an Instagram!  Check out PC Macedonia’s Instagram page at #365MAK, and check out my popular photo here: http://iconosquare.com/p/923268855496723291_469461041

A Land of Towers and Bridges

There are a lot of invisible lines that bifurcate Macedonia.  Albanian-settled versus mostly ethnic Macedonian.  Rural versus urban.  One political party versus another.  However, for most PCVs, the most prominent line seems to be the Vardar River.  Stretching primarily from Skopje to Gevgelija in the South (and continuing to flow into the Aegean sea through Thessaloniki), the Vardar is obviously an important part of the culture and history of Macedonia.  Even part of the economy relies on this torrent of water, as both a rail line and the major expressway are built parallel to it. 

As PCVs are announced their sites, they are divided by program manager to the east or west side of Macedonia.  Over time, PCVs generally stay in their half, either because direct bus lines only serve that part of the country, or it is easier for volunteers to converge on the capital during major events.  The major towns in the West include Tetovo, Gostivar, Sturga, Ohrid, Recen, Kicevo, Bitola, and Prilep, while the major towns in the East include Kumanovo, Strumica, Kriva Palanka, Stip, Kavadarci, Negotino, Gevgelija, and Kochani.

In my opinion, volunteers in the West are a bit more privileged, inheriting some of the important cultural towns in Macedonia.  I recall from a guidebook to Macedonia that the author “was not really sure what were the major attractions in the East, as that part is a bit more rural, etc. etc.” (quote paraphrased by me, obviously).  Even though I had never visited any of the towns in the East (outside of PST), I had been determined since the summer to visit one of these cities.  So at the end of January, I decided to visit Kratovo.

Overall this trip was pretty random, but I had told Jake (our MAK18 in Kratovo) that I would visit him at his site at some point, and when I found out that my PST family twin, Allison (she lived with my host family this year for PST AND we have the same birthday) was living in this town, I was determined to make this site my number one stop in the East.   I decided to visit during a weekend in January, anticipating that an avalanche of work was ahead of me through February and March.

Kratovo was a training site for PST for the MAK18s (this is no longer the case for future groups).  Therefore the town is accustomed to Americans, as a group of 8 or so was thrown into the town each September for the past few years.  According to my Macedonian guidebook, Kratovo is located in an ancient volcanic crater (Kratovo derives its name from the word “crater”), and during the Roman times it was known as an important mining town as Kratiskara.  According to the tour guide during my visit (Jake), the town was once inhabited by about 70,000 people (it’s estimated that the town is now a tenth of its peak population), and important metals like iron, gold, and silver were extracted from the hills.  Supposedly, the Roman and Byzantine empires partly depended on this ore for the circulation of their currency. (All photos below compliments of Allison!)

One of the Kratovo bridges

Kratovo's river

Turkish Prison

Inside the Turkish prison

If I had to navigate the town on my own, I would have no idea how to get from one place to the next.  The river splits the town at the bottom, and at times in order to reach a house ahead, one needs to cross the river on one of many of the town’s bridges to snake through the path ahead.  During the weekend of my visit, all of the January snow had finished melting, and Macedonia had been experiencing heavy rains, so the river flowed like a torrent.   These conditions provided beautiful views, especially from one of the higher bridges, and this particular bridge inherits a special myth within the town. 

A long time ago, a group of brothers had decided to do service to the town by building a bridge.  However, each after each night when they returned to the construction site, they learned that the previous day’s work had been demolished.  After several failed attempts, the brothers visited a soothsayer (or whatever), and he provided them with this omen: The bridge will be complete, only when you through one of your wives from its steep, steep cliffs.  When you return home, the first wife that enters your abode must be tossed from the heights into the rushing river below. 

The brothers were obviously torn about killing one of their wives, so they agreed: We shall not tell our youngest brother, and then we’ll throw that breezy from the cliff. 

Thus, all of the wives except for that of the youngest avoided the brothers’ home, and when she returned from work (as a blackjack dealer or something), they tied her up, walked to the chasm, and threw her into the abyss below. Not only was the youngest brother distraught because he lost his only (I assume) wife, but he cursed to his brothers: You idiots, she had just given birth to my first-born son!  Now how will I feed him, my nipples do not secrete milk like hers did!

So the brothers, ever the clever group, decided to bury her into one of the foundations of the bridge, with one of her breasts protruding, so that the baby may continue to feed from her.   

Making dinner at Jake's homestay

Killing time with chess

English Pub with the counterparts 

Twins!

Otherwise, Kratovo is one of the most medieval looking cities in all of Macedonia, especially since it has preserved half of the twelve original towers built during the Ottoman times.  These towers were defensive in purpose, and there are underground tunnels that connect all of these 17^th century structures.  Most of the remaining towers are in good condition, especially since France and Germany funded the preservation of two towers (and Uncle Sam recently “bought” one for $100,000 or so.  If the French and Germans are going to buy a tower, then we gotta buy the biggest one, right?) 

Today, Kratovo is most known for the home of a Macedonia’s media tycoon.  He owns the most popular television channel for dubbed Turkish soap operas (yes, the same channel that I watch with my host mother).  This has accumulated for him many riches, political clout in the country, and basic control over the whole town.  Supposedly, Kratovo is the only town in Macedonia that charges citizens to pay for their tap water.  Otherwise, my fellow PCV tour guides showed me the abandoned Turkish prison, fed me Pastrmajka (similar to pastermalija, you will need to refer to Veles if you are too lazy to Google what this cuisine looks like), and showed me their fancy English pub. 

Overall, this was a good weekend to get away and see an important part of Macedonia’s history.  I realized that those who had experienced PST in Kratovo had a vastly different experience than my group in Lozovo.  While we had a more bucolic experience of a Macedonian lifestyle, I can only imagine that those starting their service in Kratovo must have felt like they were serving as PCVs in a medieval world.