Section first posted on March 20, 2015
As the end of my service looms, I have been trying to be cognizant of all of the great things about this country that I will miss dearly. That gave me an idea to list here all of the things that I will miss and not miss about Macedonia. I will continue to contribute to this page until I COS, so hopefully it will further share the beautiful, hidden secrets about this great country.
Things I will miss
1. Utmost of all are the amazingly friendly and hospitable people in Macedonia. When the HCNs ask me to compare the USA to Macedonia, their question is usually loaded (they expect me to say that it incomparably sucks). However, comparing a country the size of Vermont to the USA is impossible, and I make that fact vocal. However, one of the things I do tell them is that this is the friendly place I have ever been to. People invite you inside for coffee, or greet or engage foreigners in conversation on the street. People in the village hand out free food (once a man gave me a bunch of grapes on my run). Everybody is so welcoming, and I encourage all foreigners to visit this country to experience this hospitality for themselves.
2. A short commute- each day, I walk about ten minutes from my home to work. That beats about a one hour drive through traffic/ walk when I worked in Chicago.
3. Turkish Coffee
4. Tavche Gravche
5. Rakija culture- Even though rakija isn't the best spirit in the world, the culture of drinking it is something to be missed. Rakija is often sipped slowly, accompanied with salad and close friends (in Macedonia, usually dudes).
6. The Tomatoes. Because they. are. so. good!
7. Kafanas- traditional Macedonian restaurants with cheap food, a humble yet comely atmosphere, and rakija.
8. The mountains in Macedonia are gorgeous. Nothing beats those first few days of fall when they are first capped in snow.
9. Pazars- The food may not be exactly organic, but at least it is local and cheap.
10. Call to Prayer- Occurring five times per day, it helps me keep track of time and remind me the magical, foreign land in which I live.
11. Hiking- somewhat related to #8, but the ease and availability of which to join organized hiking groups (usually consisted of very fit people in their 60s and 70s) will deprive me of one of my new favorite past-times.
12. Speaking in a foreign language almost every single day.
Things I will NOT miss
1. 4 weeks less (than the USA) of extra sunlight in the evening. Europe reverts back from Daylight Savings Time one week earlier in October, and jumps ahead three weeks later in March.
2. Lack of an oven- Macedonia has ovens, it's just that mine does not work. (Now I have one in Tetovo, but not a functional shower...)
3. Working primarily with Facebook- Much of my work involves using Facebook, from creating events, to marketing, to communicating among team members and interns, to sending files. I cannot wait to return to a work culture that uses adds meetings to calendars and uses emails.
4. Lack of a pub culture- I cannot wait to be able to go to a pub after work and enjoy a vast selection of beers, especially at dives. Pubs, existent in Macedonia, are like coffee bars during the day and clubs at night.
5. A lack of common knowledge of National holidays. Many well-planned meetings or projects were thwarted by holidays that nobody knew of until the day of. And there are so many of them (a Macedonian one for the guy who invented the Macedonian Cyrillic alphabet, an Albanian one for its own alphabet).
6. Lack of screen windows- As spring approaches again, bugs are starting to fly into our houses and apartments, undeterred because almost nobody has screened windows!!!
7. The local roads- On narrow side roads there are not any sidewalks, so sharing the roads with cars can be hazardous and annoying, especially during rainy days.
8. No easy-to-access healthy food- Like Lean Cuisines. Or Panera. Or salad options at most fast food places. I do like to cook, but laziness gets the best of me as well, and I sometimes forgo eating if all that is available is fried, starchy foods.
As the end of my service looms, I have been trying to be cognizant of all of the great things about this country that I will miss dearly. That gave me an idea to list here all of the things that I will miss and not miss about Macedonia. I will continue to contribute to this page until I COS, so hopefully it will further share the beautiful, hidden secrets about this great country.
Things I will miss
1. Utmost of all are the amazingly friendly and hospitable people in Macedonia. When the HCNs ask me to compare the USA to Macedonia, their question is usually loaded (they expect me to say that it incomparably sucks). However, comparing a country the size of Vermont to the USA is impossible, and I make that fact vocal. However, one of the things I do tell them is that this is the friendly place I have ever been to. People invite you inside for coffee, or greet or engage foreigners in conversation on the street. People in the village hand out free food (once a man gave me a bunch of grapes on my run). Everybody is so welcoming, and I encourage all foreigners to visit this country to experience this hospitality for themselves.
2. A short commute- each day, I walk about ten minutes from my home to work. That beats about a one hour drive through traffic/ walk when I worked in Chicago.
3. Turkish Coffee
4. Tavche Gravche
5. Rakija culture- Even though rakija isn't the best spirit in the world, the culture of drinking it is something to be missed. Rakija is often sipped slowly, accompanied with salad and close friends (in Macedonia, usually dudes).
6. The Tomatoes. Because they. are. so. good!
7. Kafanas- traditional Macedonian restaurants with cheap food, a humble yet comely atmosphere, and rakija.
8. The mountains in Macedonia are gorgeous. Nothing beats those first few days of fall when they are first capped in snow.
9. Pazars- The food may not be exactly organic, but at least it is local and cheap.
10. Call to Prayer- Occurring five times per day, it helps me keep track of time and remind me the magical, foreign land in which I live.
11. Hiking- somewhat related to #8, but the ease and availability of which to join organized hiking groups (usually consisted of very fit people in their 60s and 70s) will deprive me of one of my new favorite past-times.
12. Speaking in a foreign language almost every single day.
Things I will NOT miss
1. 4 weeks less (than the USA) of extra sunlight in the evening. Europe reverts back from Daylight Savings Time one week earlier in October, and jumps ahead three weeks later in March.
2. Lack of an oven- Macedonia has ovens, it's just that mine does not work. (Now I have one in Tetovo, but not a functional shower...)
3. Working primarily with Facebook- Much of my work involves using Facebook, from creating events, to marketing, to communicating among team members and interns, to sending files. I cannot wait to return to a work culture that uses adds meetings to calendars and uses emails.
4. Lack of a pub culture- I cannot wait to be able to go to a pub after work and enjoy a vast selection of beers, especially at dives. Pubs, existent in Macedonia, are like coffee bars during the day and clubs at night.
5. A lack of common knowledge of National holidays. Many well-planned meetings or projects were thwarted by holidays that nobody knew of until the day of. And there are so many of them (a Macedonian one for the guy who invented the Macedonian Cyrillic alphabet, an Albanian one for its own alphabet).
6. Lack of screen windows- As spring approaches again, bugs are starting to fly into our houses and apartments, undeterred because almost nobody has screened windows!!!
7. The local roads- On narrow side roads there are not any sidewalks, so sharing the roads with cars can be hazardous and annoying, especially during rainy days.
8. No easy-to-access healthy food- Like Lean Cuisines. Or Panera. Or salad options at most fast food places. I do like to cook, but laziness gets the best of me as well, and I sometimes forgo eating if all that is available is fried, starchy foods.
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