Life in the Loz'

My first week in Lozovo was NOT a good week for my intestines.  The food is great and fresh.  The water is potable, but not completely harmless.  I do not mean to gross anybody out, but during my first week in Lozovo, I pooped a lot.  Not as bad as with a Montezuma’s Curse, but enough to make me fear drinking too much water.  Luckily within a week, I have adapted to the water and my system is normal (I may be able to say Имам Затвор). 

While my intestines have acclimated to the life in Lozovo, I can say that I also have settled in pretty well.  I finally feel like part of the family, language classes are going well, and I can paint a mental map of Lozovo and its various points of interest (ok, there are not many points of interest here, but…)

For the past two weeks, the eight volunteers in Lozovo had class each day from 8AM to 12 or 1PM.  Our group of 8 was broken up into two groups- Ted, Emily, Daniel, Sarah, and I are with Ksenija, and Vatche, Karen, and Gary are with Anna.  Anna and Ksenija are our LCFs (Language and Cultural Facilitators) and both come to Lozovo from Skopje.  They both live in Lozovo (like us) until our PST has finished.  Our classroom is a small building on the main road with two separate rooms.

It is with certain confidence and a bit of arrogance when I say that our group (Ksenija’s) is FLYING through the language.  Within only two weeks we were taught how to verbalize basic actions and desires, tell time, talk about our family, and give directions.  Most PC groups do not finish all of the material in the textbook, but it is our group’s unofficial goal to learn all of the concepts by the end of PST.  Each LCF also offers tutorial sessions each week for volunteers that want extra help or that want to learn additional concepts.

This past week, besides language classes, various lessons were also presented to us regarding other parts of the Peace Corps experience, including cultural discussions, technical training for community development, and interviews for site placement.  The days are packed, but they are usually over by 3PM.  That leaves us much time to explore Lozovo, study, or hang out with each other or our families.  For example, on Wednesday the younger volunteers all got together to share a drink at the motel (officially a “motel,” but more like a banquet hall).     Afterwards, we took a walk through the fields and discovered Lozovo on “the other side” of the highway.  Many of us decide to run after school ends or further integrate with our family.  Integrating usually involves arriving at home, drinking coffee, and sitting with our family and their guests for a couple of hours as they speak in quickly spoken (and thus mostly indiscernible) Macedonian.  Even though it may feel that we spend much of our time sitting around and staring at a wall while our families converse in Macedonian, it is pretty evident that they appreciate when the volunteers make an effort to be “present” as a part of the family.

The typical Macedonian family eats after work (around 4PM), but many our families have adapted to our schedule and have lunch prepared for us at about 1PM each day.  Lunch is the main meal and is often the biggest.  Typical lunches (Ручек, or Ruchek) consist of roasted or fried vegetables, lots of bread and cheese, and sometimes meat.  The final meal of the day is called Вечера (Vechera) and it is served later in the day, usually around 9PM.  Most Macedonian families eat lightly for vechera.  Typical meals may include fresh fruit in the summers, salads, popcorn, or bread with more cheese and паштета (Pashteta, sort of like bologna in pate form; another descriptor may be cat food).  But I will provide more information about Macedonian cuisine in a later post, no worries!

Now for the weather- it is quite amazing how much the weather dictates the daily schedule in Lozovo.  Upon our arrival to Lozovo, the weather was pretty warm.  Agrarian life was in full swing, and the PCVs assumed that everybody worked in the fields until snowfall.  Those volunteers with families that owned vineyards joined their families to pick grapes during the evening or on the weekends.  Most of the grapes are then fermented at home for Rakija or wine, or sold for to wine companies or for consumption.  Many other families grow and harvest tobacco, which is eventually sold to an American company that produces cigarettes.  I was almost surprised that few people in Lozovo smoke (we constantly hear that most Macedonians are chain smokers).  Many would assume that the people in Lozovo would want to support the tobacco industry, even through private consumption.  However, my friend put it well when he said, “Macedonians understand how sticky tobacoo makes one’s hands when it is reaped, and they do not want to put that sticky mess in their lungs.”  Picking tobacco, while pretty straightforward, is mildly difficult to reap because the insides of the plant are very sticky and cause one’s hands to be covered in a sticky, black goo that is difficult to wash out.  However, I have also found it soothing to reap tobacco while listening to my iPod.  Farming in the 21^st Century!

This past Monday, Lozovo received its first rain in over 120 days.  While many people are happy that their fields have received a natural source of water (vs. irrigation), Lozovo was not ready for its first rainstorm in over 4 months.  As the rain continued to fall Monday night, Lozovo lost electricity, and many of us spent most of our evening in the dark.  Jagoda and I took a na gosti to her grandmother’s sister’s grandaughter’s house, and we sat in the dark drinking rakija, eating snacks and talking.  One of the kids is only 14 but has three girlfriends!  In a town of 2500, that is impressive, and I think I need to learn some game from this teenager.

Since Monday, Lozovo has been pretty cold.  Lozovo’s wind seems to emanate constantly from the North, winding through mountains until it reaches the plains of Lozovo.  During the past two mornings I went for a run, and the temperatures were just about freezing.  Seriously- Thursday and Friday morning were measured at 33 degrees F, or almost 0 centigrades.  As the day progresses, the temperature becomes only mildly warmer, hitting a “feels like” about 60 degrees F.  Winter has come early to Macedonia…

So as this post suggests, things in the Loz’ are great, and us “Lozers” (as I have termed ourselves) are enjoying our group and environment well. Please keep sending your feedback and reactions to my posts of life in Lozovo!  It is very encouraging to hear from all of you back home.