A Post of Deja Vus

I have certainly been preoccupied this past month, but every time I decide to post something, I always think to myself, “Didn’t I already write that?”  Although October has been a busy month, most of the exciting events that took place over the past few weeks are not in any way momentous.  In fact, many events are repeats of things I did last year.  However, I am providing a quick synopsis of the major events below.

Macedonian Open Seminar for Education and Motivation

MOSEM 2014

Also know as MOSEM, this seminar is hosted by AIESEC Macedonia every autumn to prepare all of the members (but especially the new) for the year’s work ahead.  It was hosted on October 9-12 in a Yugoslav-style hotel/ resort in Ohrid.  This was the first time that I had attended one of these conferences as a part of the Executive Board, so it was great to discuss strategies for our LCs while the other members learned the basics of AIESEC.

This conference was so monumental since all of the executive boards across Macedonia were able to bond over this weekend.  We also developed some plans for our educations and Functional Area processes, which will help us kickstart our work for the next year.  Since I am managing both the Outgoing Exchange and Human Resources processes for our local committee this year, it was nice to have subsequent sets of meetings to focus on these topics and clarify the processes that were confusing to me.

Divulging about the sessions would certainly bore most readers, but I did receive a pleasant surprise during the end of the seminar.   On the last night of the conference, the organizing team nominated the “most active” members of each track.  They nominated me for the “most active” member of the EB track.  Even though I was flattered to receive this recognition, I also worried that maybe I participated too much and should have let the other EB members contribute more during the conference.  In other words, I was neglecting my “sustainability” pledge as a PCV.  Nevertheless, I received as a part of the nomination a “Tip of the Day” book that is written in Macedonian, which should simultaneously motivate me and improve my Macedonian as I read through it.

 

Sunset by the resort

Field Day 2014

On October 18, all of the Macedonian Peace Corps volunteers gathered at the City Park in Skopje to celebrate Field Day.  Just like last year, this is the first time we all are able to meet each other.  The MAK 18s were in charge of organizing this event, and I spent most of the morning sautéing some spicy pork with soy sauce and vegetables.  My dish was definitely a hit among the new volunteers, as 2 kilograms of meat were devoured way before any of the non-trainees were able to reach the dish.

At field day, I met my other site mates for the first time.  Two are currently training in Lozovo, and one hails from Alabama, so we quickly found some common ground.  The rest of the night was spent traversing around our most visited pubs in Skopje (namely the Irish Pub and Pivnica).  Exhaustion from my endless pile of work cut the night short, as it has throughout most of these past months.

YMLP and GLOW Reuinion

The day after Field Day, a reunion was hosted at the NOVA High School in Skopje for alumni of the YMLP and GLOW camps.  The coordinators for both programs organized and/or managed this event.  This event was overwhelmingly attended by the GLOW alumni, but it was nice to see a few of the YMLP guys from the past camp.  The highlight for me was learning how to swing dance with the Director of the Peace Corps in Macedonia.  She is the epitome of professionalism and epic-ness in PC Macedonia, so I was definitely flattered that she chose me as her dance partner, even if just for a few minutes.

Community Development Panel

As if I already did not have enough on my plate and enough to fuel my ego, I was invited by Peace Corps to present on a panel for the Community Development Trainees during their Hub Day in Skopje last Friday.  As participants of the panel, we were expected to share our workplace culture and experience with Project Design and Management.  The other panelists that joined me were Spencer, who has experience working in a municipality, and Christy, who works with an NGO that focuses on the needs of its Roma community.

As we described our organizations and workplace culture, we highlighted many of the points that we learned last year before entering our organization.  The major theme was the universal informality of the workplace in Macedonia, whether we work with youths, government officials, or underrepresented groups.   We also agreed out loud about the pace of Peace Corps work- the first year is dull, as the learning/ integration curve is steep, but the second year quickly becomes fast-paced and busy.

A few of the new volunteers will take the place of an older volunteer at an organization or municipality, which may be good in some cases (the organization is accustomed to working with an American volunteer) and worrying in others (the new replacement may be expected to have the same skills, interests, and work style as the previous volunteer).  Based on the questions and responses of the new trainees during the panel, they all seem excited yet confused about their involvement in their organizations, so I hope that we were able to explain to them well that it may take them a while before they feel completely comfortable within their new organization- in other words feel like they are contributing to their full capacity.  

Sveta Petka in Lozovo

This past weekend, I returned to my training site to visit my old host family and to celebrate the town slava. This was my first time returning since March, and I happily anticipated hanging out with my old host family again.  This year, October is definitely much colder than the last, so it was a bit strange to be in Lozovo while the temperatures were so low.  Unfortunately, I started to develop a cold as soon as I embarked on my bus, and my health only deteriorated throughout my stay.

My old host family prepared for me a slew of delicious meals throughout the weekend.  I enjoyed Jagoda’s classic chicken with rice on the first night, and she made pork with leeks on the second.  I also had the opportunity to run the old trail to Milino, drink some beers with the trainees at the motel, spend some na gostis at a few of the other host families, and take a walk through the serene atmosphere of Lozovo.

Sunday night, the whole town prepared to celebrate the Slava.  I joined Blagoj and Emilija at their place for their Slava at home, where I continued to binge on some good ol’ country food.  After spending a couple of hours by them, my new host sister Allison (a MAK19) and I joined the others near the church to dance the oro.  Despite being so busy and contracting a cold, I do not regret taking time out of the weekend to experience this opportunity again.  The Slava in Lozovo is the most traditional event in which I have been able to participate during my time in Macedonia, and it is great to see so many familiar souls enlivened and gathered for this festive event.

Celebrating the Slava in Lozovo with new and old faces

Sick Again
So the bad news is that I caught another cold on Saturday on my way to the Slava.  But the good news is that this is the first cold I have contracted in about 5 months.  Luckily I was able to stock up on some cough drops while in Skopje for the Hub Day (and for my flu shot).  Also, a BIG thanks to all of those back home who shipped to me NyQuil.  This has been one of the shortest colds I have ever had (Saturday until today, if my white blood cells and antibodies achieve unconditional surrender by tomorrow morning).  Overall, this was a great warm-up for my immune system for what I predict (based on current trends) will be a cold winter in the Balkans.