Futbol In Macedonia

          This past weekend I went to Skopje for my first European Qualifying match that showcased Macedonia vs Slovakia.  I certainly wasn't alone and we had enough people to rent out the entire hostel for ourselves.  It was a fun night and was pretty low key.  A couple of observations though and they include my surprise at the atmosphere of the game.  I was shocked at the near empty stadium, the lack of organized cheering by the home crowd and the fact zero concessions were sold inside the stadium.  That's right, you couldn't buy a Sprite much less a Skopsko.
          Later, I found out concessions weren't sold because of fears people would throw the items onto the field, not to mention getting drunk and causing a riot.  After the game Slovakian fans were instructed to not leave the stadium until 15 minutes after the game was over so, again, there was a lesser chance of fights breaking out.  Lastly, I noticed that it wasn't a family event.  There were women there but they were outnumbered 10 to 1.  There was no tailgating and the kids that were there were boys not girls.  It was a strange environment but culturally illuminating.  

The four mazi's. (Amigos).

Waiting with the crowd. 

Check out that team spirit!

Team PC Gryffindor. 

Again, this is European soccer match and the stadium was 1/4 full.  

Vesna, one of the TEFL instructors, didn't approve. 

Alex, Bonnie and Victoria. 

Slovakia won 2-0 but it was still fun.

Those aren't regular police behind Paige they're full SWAT.  

          With less than two weeks left before we swear in as PC Volunteers we've got a full plate of assessments, language proficiency exams, grant training and more language classes.  Training is coming to a close and we're all ready to finish strong.