Running in Macedonia

So today was supposed to be a momentous day for me- the day I ran my first marathon.  A large group of volunteers raced the 5K and half marathon, and two volunteers raced the full marathon in Skopje.  It was a gorgeous day for a race, and the contestants could not ask for better weather.  However, while I had registered for the marathon at the beginning of the year, I was forced to opt out due to injuries that I incurred at the beginning of April.

Participants in the Skopje Marathon 2014.  Picture compliments of MAK18 Kelly R.

Now it is probably not a surprise that the running culture can be pretty vibrant in the Peace Corps world.  I read through a blog about a volunteer and former classmate from college that ran with a group of volunteers during training in his host country of Guinea (in Africa).  Since many host countries lack gymnasiums or facilities that accommodate leisurely exercising, running is the cheap, old fashion way for many PCVs to stay healthy and fit.  It is also a beautiful way to explore one’s country and enjoy the natural environment surrounding one’s site.

Now there are probably some dangers that other PCVs probably face in other countries that we do not face in Macedonia.  These may include mosquitos that carry malaria or other diseases, wild animals, and maybe even bandits.  Luckily, since Macedonia is a bit more of a developed country, I never have to worry about these possible dangers during my runs, although my host parents during training had warned me about where I ran in the case that I ran into wolves (though I never encountered any).

However, Macedonia has some dangers of its own of which every runner must be aware.  It is important to note that the only city that has allocated special running or biking paths is Skopje, the capital.  Ohrid and Struga come close due to the lakeside path.  Bitola is the only other contender since it has a larger park that somebody can run around to wrack up some distance.  Otherwise, urban running in Macedonia is unheard of, as most streets lack pedestrian walkways, excepting the main throughways.  Therefore, serious, long-distance running is only possible by forging a path through the countryside of one’s village or town.  Since most volunteers must take their running to the countryside, they must be cautious of two major threats to their personal safety.

1. Cars.  Most volunteers (that I know of) avoid running on highways, with traffic speeding by at 70 km/h.  Instead, there are plenty of formal roads that run outside of each town and lead to nearby villages.  Since the only cars traveling on these roads are locals aiming to travel to the smaller villages or to the fields, traffic along these roads is sparse.  However, the occasional cars that pass during a run still drive at 30-50 km/hr, depending on the road.  Therefore, it is important for the runners to run on the periphery of the road and to take extreme caution when passing through the bends.  Also, most of these smaller roads lack street lamps, so it is impossible to run at night. 

When I was living at my training site in Lozovo, I would keep track of when the sun set and rose so that I knew when it was safe to run.  The trail linked Lozovo, a small town, to its smaller, neighboring town of Milino.  The only cars that would pass me would be villagers traveling to their tobacco fields, or kombi transportation that would pick up or drop off villagers (mostly children) early in the morning or right after the end of the working day.

2. Dogs.  So while most PCVs in Macedonia are safe from the danger of wild animals while running, all must be aware of dogs.  Even before arriving in country, I asked our Facebook group if there was anything to be prepared for while running, and the most pressing threat voiced by the volunteers were dogs.  Now the first thought that may come to the minds of Americans reading this post may be, “Oh jeez, how many stray dogs are there in Macedonia?”  Actually, quite a lot.  But surprisingly, stray dogs are actually pretty benign.  Most roam the city streets scavenging for food among the dumpsters, and most avoid human contact.  Rather, the dogs to be afraid of are the tame, shepherd dogs that roam the countryside.  Since their job is to keep the sheep, goats, or other herds safe, they will regard encircling a running human and barking, and maybe even biting, that human as success.  The danger of being cornered by these dogs is probably the threat that agitates paranoia and fear into every PCV runner.

This second danger inadvertently led to the injury that prevented me from running the Skopje marathon that took place today.  As I mentioned in a previous blog post (the one about my hike up to Marko’s Tower), I was able to find the perfect running trails that were both close to home and that seemed safe.  They would split after the nearby village, Varosh, run parallel Northwest from Prilep, and then converge again into a road that led up the mountain to the famous Macedonian monastery called Treskavec.  At first I scouted the lower road, which was due East of the higher road.  This led me past a few farms along a bumpy, dirt trail that would destroy any sedan traveling more than 10 km/hr.  The road was both beautiful and peaceful, and I did not have to worry at all about any car speeding past or toward me.  However, as I was about to hit my turning point, I noticed that two monster dogs were running toward me from a farm along the trail.  As they approached the trail just 10 meters ahead of me, I knew that I could not run any further without being ambushed by these dogs.  Thus, a limit was set for me on this trail.

Since I wanted to challenge myself with a longer distance for the marathon, I knew that I needed to scout the other trail to the West.  So one day I decided to run it to the point of convergence.  The first leg of the trail was peaceful, as I ran past farms within the same valley.  However, the trail eventually led past a cemetery, and then it turned into a concrete road more suitable for fast driving.  This road was the recently constructed highway that led to Treskavec.  At first I was cautious about running on a highway with turns and dips that could lead to my disaster.  However, while running on this path for the first time, I was somewhat surprised to find that only one car had passed me during the duration of my run on that road.  I was only able to deduce logically from then that this road, though facilitating faster driving, was infrequently used, so I had less to fear from speedy cars.

I ran on that trail a few times during the end of March, enjoying the peaceful scenery and uninterrupted challenge.  The road eventually ascended about 20 kilometers, so at first I needed to stop due to the challenge of the steep ascents.  I named the most challenging ascent that was located near the end of the road “the wall” since the gradient was probably near 40 to 45 degrees.  Yet after a few runs I became confident as I could finish the run without stopping. 

However, one day my lower right leg started hurting, and without heeding the pain, one of my runs ended horribly with me limping back home.  Deep descents on concrete road with minimalist shoes was the perfect formula for a foe that I had not encountered since high school- shin splints.  I fought shin splints twice in high school, on both shins at the front of my legs, so I knew that it is possible to run through them.  Those who have had shin splints on the tibia know that one can run with shin splints without pain, and the agony comes when walking or standing.  However, this was the first time that I ever had shin splints on the Fibula (outer part of the shin, just above my right ankle), so the agony was present whenever I walked or ran.  Thus, I have not run since, and it was not until returning from Bulgaria that I no longer limp and can finally walk pain free.

So, in the end, I hope my experience provides caution to those hoping to run in the Peace Corps.  Although my injury started by the threat of dogs along my running path, I was finally taken down by concrete slopes.  Hopefully I can start running again soon, and maybe I can share the sheer beauty of these running trails through pictures.  Until then, I look forward to the day when I can, as my old track coach used to say, “pick them up and set them down.”

E,T Go Home

Unfortunately for my site, Prilep has lost two wonderful volunteers on the same day!  Terri, MAK16, and Erin, MAK17, recently left Prilep and returned home to the USA (get it, E for Erin, T for Terri.  Sorry, I recently saw part of that movie, hence the cheesy title for this post…)  Anyway, our strong group of five has instantly been reduced to three, and as our ladies from Prilep left us muchachos all alone, it is difficult not to think how different our site will be without them.

Erin (in the middle) and Terri (on the right) making some kebabs during a BBQ in Prilep!

Terri was an all-star volunteer, and she was assigned to an NGO that worked with the Roma community in Prilep.  I think she stood out from all of the other volunteers because she was always approachable, and she developed some creative solutions to the problems she faced at work.  For example, she told us of a time when her organization had trouble immunizing babies in the Roma community.  Many times women would give birth at home, and they would avoid registering the children at the hospital in order to avoid costs and other “hassles.”  Therefore, many children failed to receive immunizations in their community, so Terri was determined to change this.  She rallied the help of some youth from the Roma community, and they knocked door to door in order to convince mothers to come to the center to immunize their children.

Erin was a TEFL volunteer who worked at the Economics high school.  Not only did she work hard at her school to teach the children English, but she also visited schools in nearby villages to provide help with English conversations.  Also, most Saturdays she would travel to Bitola in order to prepare high school students with their applications to competitive American colleges. Since she was the only volunteer in Prilep who was not from the West Coast (other than me), we found a lot in common in terms of mannerisms and our overall idea of ‘Merica.  Finally, she and I had the same host family for PST, so was could always fall back on our conversations about the quirks and good times with the Zarkov family.

Sadly for us, Erin and Terri left their service on the same day, but their manner of leaving was a bit different.  Terri had extended her service for a few months.  Like the rest of the MAK 16s, she was scheduled to leave in November 2013.  However, as all volunteers are welcome to do, she extended her service in order to continue on the work she was undertaking through the winter months.  She decided to leave this month mainly because her daughter will give birth to her first born a few months from now! 

Erin, on the other hand, decided to early terminate.  This means that her service was not scheduled to end until this November, but she decided to return home early because she had found the job that was a perfect jumping point for her career.  “Early termination” has a negative connotation in the Peace Corps world, mostly because of the guilt that ensues when one decides to leave his service early.  In some ways we are breaking our commitment to serve the people here for a full two years when we Early Terminate.  And in other ways, Peace Corps invests good time and money into bringing us here, training us, and providing us with benefits upon our return. 

However, while I would find it difficult to ET myself, I have learned that once one looks at the whole picture, the stigma with ETing really should not exist.  While there are many reasons that a person would “ET,” in this case we understood perfectly and were very supportive of Erin’s choice.  Even the Peace Corps office supported her decision to return to the US early.  Never did I think to myself that I needed to convince her to stay.  While we initially think that Peace Corps is some sort of pact that volunteers take to dedicate 27 months of our lives to bettering the world, in the end it is just a job (less than that, a volunteer position) that we can opt out of more easily than we can opt in.

Overall, the point of this post is not only to give tribute to two of the greatest volunteers to ever serve in Macedonia, but also to provide support for other and future volunteers in the Peace Corps world.  27 months is the magical time period that dictates our lives as PCVs.  However, we have the choice to make our service last longer or shorter, and the only ones who can judge us for that is ourselves.  

A Bit Too Integrated?

So about two weeks ago when I was at the AIESEC seminar in Bulgaria (wow, I cannot believe time has flown by so fast since), I was called out on some things that were not quite ‘Merican.  While living in Macedonia for about 8 months I assumed that I had adapted some Macedonian ways of life as habits.  But I never really noticed how I have changed since Macedonians will single out their own habits practiced by me, and the other American PCVs have probably adapted these habits too. 

But after spending a few days eating, talking, and traveling with people from other countries in Europe and the Middle East, my Macedonian practices definitely stood out to them.  My realization of these differences was reinforced by my conversations with other Southeastern Europeans, ie. those from Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia. 

So posted below are the notable examples of how I have adapted to the Macedonian way of life.

1. On the first day of the seminar, the first meal provided to us was dinner.  Since most people did not have the opportunity to enjoy breakfast or lunch, everybody was ravenous so there was a long queue to the dining room.  Since the seminar took place in a luxury resort, the food was served in a buffet style.  After waiting near the end of the long line, I piled my plate high with salad, cheese, eggs, and poached fish (which I had not been able to enjoy in Macedonia since fish is so expensive here).  Content with the diversity of food available to me, I proceeded to my seat to discover that there were OTHER STATIONS from which we can take food.  I instantly returned to the line to warn them that there were more options in other stations.  However, I instantly became embarrassed as they gave me the blank look that basically said, “Duh, this is just the salad bar.” 

Usually we have a lack of options in Macedonia, so I had to remind myself that even in the US I am used to multiple stations during buffets.  I ate as much salad and poached fish as I could before I selected some better-cooked fish.

2. One day during dinner, I took a few slices of pizza and poured ketchup on them.  As soon as I sat to eat my pizza, a delegate from the Netherlands commented, “You can tell he is from across the Atlantic.  Americans put their condiments on everything they eat.”

Now, it is true that we Americans have a maybe-slightly unhealthy obsession with sauces, especially when eating fast food like chicken wings or French fries.  But I had never in the US put ketchup on my pizza.  This is something that I learned while living in Macedonia since pizza here either has no sauce or a thin layer of ketchup between the crust and cheese.  I rebutted that this is actually a Macedonian thing, to put ketchup on pizza, but I do not think that I convinced him.

3. On our return trip from the Black Sea to Sofia, we stopped at a rest stop along the highway to pick up some snacks and to use the restrooms.  After I bought a bag of trail mix, I offered some to all of the delegates surrounding me before eating some myself.  One of the Portuguese delegates asked me why I was being so polite and sharing all of my food, and I had to explain to her (and partly remind myself) that it is good Macedonian custom to offer snacks or candy to your group before eating them yourself. 

4. Now, most of these customs that I had adapted relate to food, but the singular Macedonian custom pertained to our breaks.  As soon as a session ended, I would immediately go outside to hang out with all of the smokers.  I still do not smoke myself, and I did my best to avoid the second-hand smoke.  But from my experience at MILDS, I was used to relaxing and chatting with delegates outside while they smoked. Most delegates from other countries did not smoke, so I am not sure what they did on their breaks.  But I partly worry that many of the other delegates will associate AIESEC Macedonia with chain smoking.  However, even if they mentally establish that connection, they would not be far from the truth.

When Two Become One

No, this post is not about a Spice Girls song.  Instead, it is about the convergence of the two organizations that I work for- Peace Corps and AIESEC.  For the longest time, I had always thought to myself that foremost I was a Peace Corps volunteer.   Overall, I would be a consultant or assistant within my organization, helping to monitor its structure and fill in the pieces where lack of knowledge or skills was evident.  However, after attending the AIESEC Euro LDS conference in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, my whole mindset on my participation in AIESEC had changed.  After five days of sessions and by meeting young leaders from all around the world, I understand now the importance of AIESEC.  And now my Peace Corps path and participation in AIESEC have become one.  I can no longer maximize LC Prilep’s impact on society without fully adapting the values and practices of AIESEC.  No longer am I simply a Peace Corps volunteer who works with AIESEC Prilep.  I am an AIESECer and a Peace Corps volunteer.

Our physical journey to the conference started on Tuesday morning.  One of my counterparts, Angela, and I left Prilep at 5:30AM on a bus to Skopje.  There we met with two delegates from Skopje, and we boarded a different bus that headed toward Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.  Luckily for me, I did not need to use vacation days for this excursion because I was traveling out of country with my counterpart.  However, I needed to pay for the transportation and fees for the conference with my own money, but as you will discover later, the costs were worth it.

After an 8-hour bus ride to Sofia, we left our baggage in the bus station and went to the center.  One of my colleagues from Skopje was determined that we first stopped at McDonalds to eat.  It had been months since she had McDonalds because the McDonalds that used to exist in Macedonia were closed about a year ago.  Luckily we were able to find a branch on our way to the center, and I accidentally ordered 9 chicken nuggets and a Big n’ Tasty meal.  Now to be fair, I did not finish ALL of the meal, but I did come close.  However, I did not eat again for another 15 hours, so it was a feast and famine tactic.

After, we walked around the capital with our eyes open for other AIESECers.  Sofia was the largest city that I had walked through since I arrived in Macedonia, so I was awed by the historical buildings, subway system, and the crowds of people systematically walking to and fro as they did during rush hours in Chicago.  At one point we thought we saw a group of AIESECers in the central park of Sofia, so I asked them if they were a certain group without explicitly asking them if they were AIESECers.  They were confused, I was embarrassed, so I walked away apologetically only to discover later in the conference that they were the Dutch delegation.

Taking a photo just over the border into Bulgaria

In Sofia!

McDonalds!!!

We relaxed over coffee at the only coffee shop we could find with outdoor seating (a different McDonalds), and after a couple hours, made our way back to the train station so that we could meet the other delegates and the organized transport in front of the Alexandar Nevski church.  When we arrived at the bus station, we met other delegates for the first time, two AIESECers from Poland. Together, we took a cab to the church where we relaxed at a pub, meeting delegates from the Netherlands and Lithuania.  At about midnight we climbed the organized transport and started our 5-hour journey to the sea.

Aleksandar Nevski Church

Poland and Macedonia

When we arrived at our hotel at Sunny Beach on Wednesday morning, I was blown away.  Our hotel, Helena Resort, was gorgeous!  It sat right on the sea and had more than three swimming pools, a spa center, a delicious buffet, etc.  I knew that we would not have the opportunity to explore the area, include nearby historic Nessebar, because our days would be packed with sessions for AIESEC.  However, I was excited that we could enjoy our conference in the comfort of a resort.  Unfortunately, as we arrived, we were unable to check into our rooms or eat, so many of us took an hour journey to hike to the nearest mini market to purchase some food for lunch and breakfast.  By 12:30PM, the conference started, and most delegates were showered, fed, and ready for the sessions.

The first day, which was titled “Youth to Business” was not very interesting, so overall the first day was a bit disappointing.  However, the first day was also our opportunity to start meeting the delegates from other countries.  The largest delegations (including over 70 from the Netherlands, over 50 from Germany, and over 25 from France) were difficult to crack since it would be easier for them to stay together with those they knew and spoke the same language.  For me, I easily connected with the smaller delegations from Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and the LC from Munich.  At the end of the first night, we had a Global Village where we showcased our national foods and performed our entities’ “Roll Calls”, which are organized dances that each entity developed for seminars like these.

The second day started all of the practical and emotional sessions that would help us shape our Local Committees for the better.  The theme for the sessions were, we are Generation 2015, and the success of AIESEC relied on goals set in an international conference to realize about 135,000 exchanges in the 2014-2015 period.  This meant that we were expected to bring drastic improvements to all of our LCs in order to accomplish these lofty goals.

Arriving at the Black Sea at 5AM

Our hotel!!!

Representing at Global Village

It is impossible (and probably very dull) to give a play-by-play account of all of the sessions and days that we attended throughout the seminar.  But I do want to describe the overall format of the seminar.  Basically, the way that AIESEC seminars are organized is (and I use this adverb intentionally) fucking genius.  First, the participants are deprived of sleep because of travel, jet lag, and sessions that last until about 8PM at night, with each day followed by a party.  So on average, each participant accomplishes only 3-4 hours of sleep each day.  Informational sessions that create the benchmark for the goals of the organization are mixed with emotional sessions, so periods of crying are often entailed by sessions of motivation to accomplish universal tasks.  Before most sessions, students are encouraged to energize themselves by participating in the roll calls, which requires them to dance in sync with strangers from other countries.  Finally, each night is concluded with a party, where students can drown themselves in alcohol and drunkenly share their motivational ideas with others.

So yes, in a way the seminar is like a sect meeting.  However, nothing of what is mentioned here is mandatory.  People are not forced to cry or dance.  One is not required to drink or attend a party, and one can enjoy 8 hours of sleep each night if one tries.  Overall, people are not touched by some higher force or Jedi mind tricks, but are instead inspired by the stories and dreams of other individual members.  We took out of this meeting so much because we believe in the central goal of AIESEC organization and what each individual member can accomplish- to make the world a more peaceful place and to develop young leaders.

I finally understand why AIESEC is important to the world.  Even though it has lofty goals for peace and leadership, it pursues these goals in a practical way (the organization was created by economists, so of course it is practical).  In order for the world to change, people need to change.  So AIESEC focuses on giving young people the opportunity to gain skills and experiences by going abroad on exchanges provided by AIESEC.  Through these exchanges they meet new cultures and enjoy life-changing experiences so that they can change the way they impact their society or lead their life.

Even if the seminar is “sect-like”, at least it tries to change young people’s mind with good attitudes and ideas about society.  In a way, AIESEC is the entity that fights the cult of everyday life.  Everyday, people are bombarded with ideas that money is all powerful, poverty will always exist, wars will continue, certain people are a certain way so racism is fine, and that somebody should not try to change the world because the power of one is nothing on a planet of over 7 billion people.  We are grinded down by the consensual belief that we should only care for ourselves, because it would be impossible to change the world.  But AIESEC shows that when the power of one spreads across members in an LC, LCs in a country, and countries across the world, real change can be accomplished. 

This seminar was truly inspirational for me, and in many ways changed my outlook on life.  I am motivated to make a change in my organization.  Even though Peace Corps had cautioned us volunteers to water down our expectations for our organization due to cultural reasons, I feel that I can finally implement drastic changes to AIESEC Prilep because our organizations primary culture is that of AIESEC.  And even if I fail to make a change, even on such a microscopic level as Prilep, at least I made friendships with people from all over the world.

Americans at the Conference

For some of you it may be sickening to hear so me gush about how inspired I feel after a mere 5 days of conference.  For some you may doubt the resiliency of my passion.  But I feel like I learned enough practical ideas to make some real changes for my organization, and I have been motivated enough to keep pushing forward when the forces of change no longer persist.  This seminar was the best experience I could undertake at this point in my service, and I really hope that I can transfer what I learned from this conference to my organization and all of the members.

If you want to see a movie that I created for my local committee, feel free to watch it on Youtube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9JnjVgZWvE&feature=em-upload_owner