Keys

I have observed that the end of an adventure, and the beginning of a new one, usually begin with keys.  Returning keys or obtaining a new set seem to spark the beginning of a new era.  About a week ago, I made my first trip to Tetovo since I arrived for PST in order to visit my future site.  During this trip, I was twice offered keys- one set for the apartment in which I will live, the other for the office of AIESEC Tetovo.

Even though it has almost been a full two years since I have been in Tetovo, walking around the town evoked memories of my first week in the country.  The main street seemed new to me until I recalled that it was under major construction during our arrival.  I remembered where I ate each of my meals when I was in town, saw the Painted Mosque for the second time, and recalled the Vero where I made my first purchase (caffeine and Haribo gummy bears) and learned that it was the location to jump on kombis heading to the nearby villages.  Moving to a new site can be alienating, but the moment of my first return was one of reminiscence instead.

 I arrived the night before my meeting in order to meet the AIESEC Macedonia President and the former Specialized Unit President on time.  The town was teeming with young people and families walking the main street, drinking coffee and tea in cafes, etc.  I enjoyed my first Turkish tea for quite some time and relished the realization that I will soon be able to drink Turkish tea whenever I liked.  Kelly, a fellow MAK 18, showed me around Tetovo and was a superb host in terms of preparing me for the half year ahead.

In the morning, I made my first commute to work, walking along the main boulevard to the kombis parked near the Painted Mosque.  I panicked when I discovered that the kombi did not take me to the entrance of Southeast European University, only to later discover that it was only a five-minute walk from where I was delivered.  The campus was also very beautiful and looked nothing like the public universities in Macedonia.  Unfortunately, I was unable to meet officially with the administration that works closely with AIESEC Tetovo, but we learned enough from our visit to move forward with the recruitment strategy for AIESEC Tetovo.

While I was offered the two sets of keys, I politely turned them down- at least momentarily.  Logistically, both the former SUP and the PCV living in my future apartment may need those sets of keys during the time of my absence.  But I was also not ready yet to accept that my time in Prilep is ending, and that my adventure in Tetovo is about to begin.  Today is also a major turning point for me and other PCVs in my group.  Tomorrow, September 1, officially marks the first day of school, summoning all TEFL teachers for a more scheduled work week.  This day also marks the last day of my term as a member of the Executive Board of AIESEC Prilep.  Finally, this past weekend many of the MAK18s celebrated the first and early COS of one of the PCVs in our group, portending what all of us will eventually do.

It is not that I am not ready for a change or dread leaving the life I know.  In fact, I am excited to begin my six month extension.  Rather, the moment just did not seem right to make the shift mentally.  Who knows when it will feel right- when the MAK20s arrive, when work picks up with AIESEC Tetovo, tomorrow? I am trying my best to live with one foot in the present and another in the future, cognizant that one day I will have to walk through that door