Peace Corps in Macedonia: Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu

If a random American had to name a person who was born in Macedonia, maybe a few would be able to mention the debatably-born-in-the-Republic-of-Macedonia Alexander the Great; otherwise international celebrities from the Republic of Macedonia compromises a short list. Yet, most people know Mother Teresa, and most people would not associate Mother Teresa with the city in which she was born, Skopje.

The disassociation is understandable, especially since Mother Teresa dedicated most of her life and built her image while working in Calcutta, India. Yet it is surprising that she is not particularly heralded even here in Macedonia. In the end, she is not very representative of the country- she is ethnically Albanian, and religiously Catholic in a primarily Macedonian, Orthodox nation. And to underline what I mentioned before, especially when compared to her work in Calcutta her being born here did little to contribute to Macedonia itself, while her inspirational piety and selflessness helped inspire millions around the world.

Instead of providing a paraphrased version of an article I found about her life, I have decided to share an article that describes how she decided to become a nun, her work in India, and the world acclaim and recognition (including the Nobel Peace Prize) that she received for her work.

Part of the reason why I am writing this post is to share my experience visiting the memorial to Mother Teresa in Skopje at the Mother Teresa House. I had walked by the memorial many times while staying the weekend in Skopje, but since the House is closed on Sundays (except for masses, which I was surprised to find were hosted each Sunday), I never had the chance to walk inside until now. Overall, the displays were underwhelming- since she built much of her life abroad, I am sure that there is a better dedication to her in Calcutta. However, it was nice to visit a Catholic enclave right in the center of Macedonia (the memorial is built over the site where Mother Teresa was baptized). Also, many people claim that the architecture of the memorial is very ugly. The architect defends it, claiming that since Mother Theresa drew from an eclectic background, the house's Frankenstein-like structure and facade is intended to reflect her background. It's not pretty, but there are worse-looking buildings in Macedonia.

The other reason is that I finally bought a new digital camera (thanks, mom, for the gift!), so I wanted it to try it out on a bit of landscape-like shots. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture the Dojran (Gevgelija) trip that my sitemates and I took this weekend, but unless something happens to this digital camera, expect a few more visual treats from this blog for the otherwise short existence of this blog.