Brajčino

Note- After reading this post, if you are interested in visiting this charming village, I provide at the end some tips on how to best and cheaply travel to Brajčino.

Sometimes I do not believe my own luck while I am traveling.  First of all, for the longest time I have wanted to visit a small village named Brajčino, located on up the mountainside near Prespa and on the other side of Pelister from Bitola.  If you do a quick Google search about Brajčino, you will find that it is famous for its eco-tourism.  However, my first encounter with Brajčino came when I was studying for Macedonian through the Professor Kramer's textbook, which is basically the only book available (or at least most thorough) online for purchase in preparing for the Macedonian language. 

At first I assumed that maybe the professor had studied there or randomly decided the village to be the backdrop of her stories, but when I randomly encountered her about 2 years ago at Struga during our Language and Cultural IST, she divulged her connection with a writer who was living in the village, and she insisted that I visit it at least once before returning to the States.  Thus, as a previous post mentions, visiting Brajčino has always been at the back of my mind, and I was even contemplating until just before this weekend whether or not to take the long bus ride south to visit the village. 

In the end, I decided to use my last free weekend in Macedonia to travel to Brajčino on my own because it would possibly provide me with the most opportune in-country vacation I could hope for.  While until recently Chicago has been wavering with winter-like conditions (through at least the early part of April), Macedonia has been warm and beautiful, and I want to take advantage of as many hiking or outdoor activities here before I depart.  Thus, Brajčino's infamous forests and mountains would offer me my own existentialist escape within Macedonia.  Accompanying my individual saga into the wild would be the Macedonian hospitality that I did not doubt Brajčino would offer.  City-living often deprives us of the Macedonian hospitality so common in villages, and so I took a risk that, even if I would spend the weekend in Brajčino alone, people across the village would take me in and offer me coffee, rakija, and hours of conversation.

Not only were my presumptions founded, but I stumbled across the luckiest thing I could of asked for (and hinted at in the beginning of this post).  As soon as I arrived at the guest house at which I was staying the weekend, I was informed that Brajčino's only serving Peace Corps volunteer (who had been in Brajčino from 2007-2008) was making her first visit this weekend!  The owner of the villa called to send the volunteer our way, and that is how I was able to meet Debbie.

Debbie was a middle-aged volunteer who was first assigned to Resen, a town just north of Brajčino.  However, work for her was slow at the first site, so someone in Peace Corps recommended that she check out Brajčino and try to make a switch there.  After her visit, she was determined to make Brajčino her site, and she found a counterpart in the village who would take her own to help with business development in tourism and English education.  By observing her interactions with the villagers, it was clear that Brajčino quickly became her home within Macedonia, and she had made lifelong connections with the villagers there.  When Debbie and I were introducing each other, an elderly woman named Minka, who was formerly her neighbor, immediately embraced Debbie and broke into tears.  Debbie had not visited her Peace Corps site for 8 years, and yet she returned to Brajčino as if nothing had changed between her and the villagers.

Debbie helped me to make connections with the villagers in Brajčino, and she insisted that, even if I had just arrived, that I spend the evening drinking beers and eating dinner at her friend's (Milka) place at her restaurant, Raskrsnica.  Debbie and the owner of the restaurant were supposedly very good friends during her service, and they would spend many winter evenings hanging out and watching television.  We drank a beer as we watched the sun set, and then we entered the house to eat Milka's tavče gravče and homemade sausage.  Well, everything was homemade (the rakija, wine, pickled salad, ajvar) and was GLORIOUSLY delicious.  Supposedly, people come far and wide from Macedonia to try her unique sausage.  Only hours after arriving in Brajčino, I was already welcomed with hearty food and the best of company.  I made the right decision to visit Brajčino that weekend.

Arriving in Brajčino

My accommodations

The delicious homemade food at Raskrsnica!

Milka and her visitors

Debbie and me, MAK11 and MAK18

I awoke the morning at around 5.30, just as the sun was rising, to hike the circuit that connected the 4-5 churches surrounding Brajčino.  I first visited the Sveta Petka monastery, which also hosts groups of campers who wish to lodge for cheap in Brajčino.  As the sun was rising over the nearby mountains, the scenery stunningly transformed with the changing light.  April was the best time to visit this region since the area is famous for its apple orchards, and many of these were in bloom.  I was even able to catch a glimpse of a wild deer run off as I was exiting the monastery!  Words will not do justice to the hike I enjoyed, so I will let the pictures I took at least try to portray how stunning the nature was.

After returning from my hike and taking a brief nap, I had the whole afternoon to kill, so I decided to descend to the town below.  There I could bide my time reading a book while drinking a beer at one of their kafanas (Brajčino lacks a kafana).  However, I did not walk even 50 meters before one of the neighbors, Ile (the son of Minka), called me over from the road and invited me for a rakija.  Thus I spent a couple of hours sitting in front of his house, drinking rakija, then coffee, then joining them for some lunch.  After, I offered to give back somehow for their hospitality, yet Minka insisted that they would not accept anything.  Even though Ile often complained how difficult it was to stay afloat while living and farming in Brajčino, these lovely people offered me food and drink without any compensation in mind.

I spent the rest of the weekend either hiking or hanging out with Debbie and some of the villagers in the local cafe.  On Sunday, we departed early from the village for the long trek back to Skopje.

Starting my morning hike

At the local monastery

Sun finally beginning to peek over the mountains

Lake Prespa

Old wood bridge

Apple orchards

Brajčino from a distance

Ultimately, I could not be happier to have traveled to Brajčino on one of the remaining weekends of my Peace Corps service.  I was able to enjoy two of my favorite facets of Macedonia in such a short time (Macedonian nature/ hiking and Macedonian hospitality). 

Also, I feel that because I was able to observe much about Debbie's return to her former site, I gained somewhat of a portend into any future visit I hope to take to Macedonia.  It was comforting to see that she was able to connect with former neighbors and slip into the Macedonia lifestyle so easily after 8 years of separation.  Visiting Brajčino provided me a sense of serenity as well as a rush of awe towards all that I was able to experience through my Peace Corps experience.  In many ways, I feel more ready to leave Macedonia than maybe I otherwise would have if I had not visited Brajčino.

Visiting Brajčino

The easiest way to reach Brajčino is by catching a bus to Resen (direct buses are available from Skopje, and more frequently, from Bitola.  The village's official website is also located here.

Kombis seem to leave every weekday for Brajčino at 14:30 and 16:30.  The trip costs 110MKD, and the travel lasts about 40 minutes, with Brajčino as the last stop.  One can pick up the kombi (which is typically a minivan) from in front of the restaurant "Vita", which is located around the corner from the bus station (when facing the bus station, follow the street that is to the right of it, and one should reach the restaurant in 5-10 minutes).

Kombis on Sundays return from Brajčino at 6:40 or 15:10 from the center of the town (near the fountain).  I am not sure when they return on weekdays.  A one-way ticket costs 110MKD.  One can also call the kombi driver at 070 237 525.

There are plenty of places to stay in Brajčino.  I stayed at the Kostovski's place, which has 4 doubles, and Divna can be reached at 070 507 367.  It cost me 600MKD per night without breakfast, or 800MKD with breakfast.

The other option is to stay by Milka at Raskrsnica, and it can be booked through Booking.com here.

One can also find more from a blog post of another visitor, focusing on cuisine and cooking, here.

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.

Mother Teresa Memorial House in Skopje

The "Cathedral"

Juxtaposed to a newly constructed Orthodox church

Kokino

For those who love aliens and ancient mysteries, Kokino is one of the few Macedonian attractions that may beckon.  Located northeast of Kumanovo near a village with the same name, Kokino is an ancient observatory that helped people during ancient times understand and mark calendars through lunar and solar movements.  Artifacts were recently found in the area, and many of them date back to almost 4000 years ago.  Thus there is evidence to suggest that people settled in the region since the Bronze Age.

Reaching the mountaintop, it is not evident that this mountain stands out as being an observatory.  Yet the stone tops were cut in a way to mark the moon and sun in their most extreme positions in relation to earth, marking the yearly equinoxes, as well as some of the year's full moons.  One can sit on a "throne" carved from the mountain in order to observe the celestial objects measured through the stone markers.  Furthermore, NASA has named this observatory one of the most impressive ancient observatories in the world (joining others like Stonehenge).   One can learn more about Kokino through the movie link below (subtitles are provided):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEIF6KHSLVc

We were about a week off of the Spring Equinox, but we did manage to travel to Kokino on the day Europe reset its clocks forward by one hour.  Therefore, waking up at 4:30AM to catch the ride to Kokino really felt like a 3:30AM wakeup call.  We eventually caught a bumpy kombi ride from Kumanovo to the isolated spot near Kokino.  All of the morning dew and rain had frozen, so we were welcome to Kokino surrounded by the beautifully frosted surroundings.  At the top of Kokino, we braced the frigid winds and imbibed the breathtaking views of the surrounding area.  For me, this was the coldest calendar that I had ever visited.

Dropped off at the base of Kokino

The view of the surrounding area from the top of the observatory

The solar and lunar markers from the POV of the "throne"

Part of our group

After, we headed north from Kokino to continue along the same path which a few hiking groups were spearheading.  We unfortunately took a wrong turn and were forced to scale down a forested hill covered in slippery, soggy leaves.  Eventually we scaled to the top of the mountain facing Kokino only to discover that we still had a few more ascents and descents to undergo before the end of our hike.  The latter part of our hike hugged the Serbian-Macedonian border (where I illegally traveled out of country for sporadic, multi-second bursts of rebelliousness).  Finally, a few of us accidentally became separated from the group and wandered off trail, adding many more kilometers to our hike before we found our path again.

We ended the 6.5-hour hike at the Memorial Center near Pelince, where we enjoyed a few beers before our ride back to Kumanovo.  In my opinion, Kokino was not the most impressive visit that I made during my Peace Corps service, but I was elated to enjoy another gorgeous hike so early in the year.  I only wish the photos that I took with my crummy smart phone could do the hike more justice.

Much warmer temperatures upon our descent from Kokino

The Countdown

A few weekends ago, I realized that I had ten weekends left during my Peace Corps service.  Given that we rely on a number system based on ten (thanks to anatomy, but unfortunate towards mathematical practicality), this would have been the best time to start my countdown for my remaining time in Macedonia.  However, I forewent writing this post for a couple of weeks, and hence now I have EIGHT remaining weekends left in Macedonia.   Oh well.

Recently, as I wrap up my work with my organization and prepare to close my service, I have shifted my focus from one Peace Corps goal to another.  Those who have served in Peace Corps or are contemplating service should know that Peace Corps has three main goals, listed below verbatim:

1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served

3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

As soon as I felt integrated enough into the country and with my organization, I quickly shifted the focus of my service to Goal #1.  Frankly, Goal #1 is often the driving force that appeals to and attracts Americans to joining the Peace Corps.  The benchmark I set for myself has been measured by this goal alone. 

Now as I prepare to leave a country that I have grown accustomed to, I feel like it is time to don my figurative boots one more time before I hang them up.  Throughout the early part of my service, Macedonia continued to fascinate and enchant me, so I tried to experience as many customs and locales as time and resources allowed me.  However, as soon as my focus shifted primarily to work, and as my digital cameras unexpectedly turned to junk, traveling and photographing my adventures (mostly through this blog) became much more difficult. 

As for Goal #2, I never intended to overtly pursue this goal while I was here, possibly due to my personal understandings of the meaning of integration.  Some Americans do a great job of sharing the diverse experiences of being American to their communities by presenting traditions and American history through presentations (many times at the American Corners scattered around the country).  Instead, I hoped that my community would evaluate their experience of Americans through their day-to-day interactions with me.

Now I am taking this brief period to indulge in what I enjoy most about Macedonia and to try new things, and sharing my experiences here on behalf of Goal #3.  For the former, much of this includes hanging out with close friends and host family, hiking through the picturesque mountains, and enjoying the delicious cuisine.  As for the latter, there are some things that only Peace Corps volunteers can get away with (one of my sitemates dyed her hair pink).  Thus, I am pursuing life choices that I otherwise would not make while back in the USA.  For example, in February one of my sitemates and I agreed to a pact where I would grow out my facial hair (I never let it go unshaven past 3-4 days) and he would shave his (he has not been clean-shaven since he was 23).  The results of our pact are shared in the picture below.

Finally, I have a fairly modest, but personally exciting bucket list that I hope to accomplish before my time in Macedonia ends.  Luckily for those who read this blog regularly, this should entail some more interesting stories (and maybe some photographic records) of the interesting attractions Macedonia has to offer.  And, coincidentally enough, this list contains EIGHT items!

1. Cook 3 Macedonian Dishes

2. Eat Albanian Cuisine at an Albanian Restaurant

3. Visit the Mother Theresa House in Skopje

4. See a puppet show at the Children's Theater in Skopje

5. Visit a winery in Negotino

6. Visit the casinos in Gevgelija

7. Visit Dojran Lake

8. Visit Brajčino

So, with my eyes on the horizon, I am poised to enjoy these last weeks of Peace Corps with a new sense of discovery.  This past weekend, I visited my training site of Lozovo, and while walking through the woods, I discovered a fruit tree in bloom hidden among the endless rows of coniferous pines.  It reminded me how unexpectedly a place so familiar can continue to take my breath away, and I hope for many more similar experiences.

Pleasant Discovery in Forest near Lozovo