End Of Pre-Service Training Part I

          I apologize for not posting regularly the past few weeks but it was a very busy time as we finished Pre-Service Training, hosted a huge Thanksgiving dinner and then had our swearing-in as Peace Corps Volunteers.  Because there's so much to go over I'll post each even on it's own within a three part series. 

         First, let's go over the completation of Pre-Service Training.  PST is boot camp for Peace Corps.  It's 11 weeks of language classes, TEFL/CD training, cross-cultural classes and administrative seminars known as HUB days.  On those days all 44 of us rode in to Skopje, usually on a Friday, to endure the administrative requirements Peace Corps has for all trainies worldwide.  It was tough sitting through those long days and we were all happy when we finished each one.  

          Part of PST is that you're in a town with other PST's while living with a family.  In some town's it was only teachers, like mine, or Community Developers, CD's.  The other two host cities were a mixed batch.  A typical day had classes starting at 8-12:30 with another class or two of training or tutoring.  After that you were hanging out at home with your host family, watching bad Turkish soaps, the news or football/soccer. It was extremely intensive, overly structured and felt a mix of school, orientation and awful business seminars.  It was difficult going from a bartender's night schedule to all of that.  Essentially, I had my ass handed to me everyday.  I no control over my meals, my schedule and my learning absorption. 

It was exactly what I needed.

          PST forced me to let go of the less intensive lifestyle I'd acquired in Nashville.  It forced me to accept my weaknesses and work on improving them.  For example, it wasn't easy being the slowest learner in my language class then going home and not understanding a word, not a word, of what my host family said.  My previous experience of living in Korea didn't help when it came to the language.  To give you an idea just imagine moving to Long Island but they're speaking another language.  For the first month I was lost.  

          I'm sharing this because I want you to understand that there are plenty of low moments and difficulties no happy picture on FaceStalk or Instagram can convey.  However, that's why I joined the Peace Corps.  To be constantly challenged, to grow as a man and to gain some humility along the way.  

          With that, I will not say another word without thanking the staff of PST.  They were incredible.  They listened, guided and compromised with 44 different opinions without complaint.  There's a reason that they're ranked in the top 5 of all the Peace Corps training programs worldwide.  I'm grateful they were our staff and made sure to let them know.  

Our first day of language classes. 

Between the two language classes I bet 10 cakes were baked.  

Tome, our language teacher, loved his birthday cake.

Here we are getting ready for a day of TEFL training.

My breakfast.  Every day.

Making rakia together. 

Once a week the milkman came by.

          After the first month things started to come together.  I began to understand my family and we had some great conversations about their lives, what was on TV and what we did during the day.  Also, we had our Practicum and went to a local school to observe and teach for a week.  Again, I have to credit the PST staff, especially the TEFL staff, during that week.  They had us prepared for the highly bureaucratic environment in the schools and how the students would react to us.

My Practicum classroom. 

After Practicum we decided to climb the highest mountain in the area:  Bogoslavets.

Mike and Rachel.

Abby and Sarah.

I'm the little dot on the top left of the mountain.

It was pretty cold up there.

More classroom fun!

          My host family and I really got along the entire PST but the last 3-4 weeks we especially enjoyed each other's company.  We talked about my entire Azerbaijan fiasco, our travels and our families.

My host father's best friend photo album.

Pretty cool hu!

Blage.

HUB day madness.

          Of course PST wouldn't have been what it was without the Sveti Nikola crew.   We had a couple of movie nights, exercise nights, lots of baked cakes and some entertaining classes.

Halloween.

Iris making class fun.

Tome the Tiger being a student.

Iris, Tome, Victoria, Crissy and Abby.

A well earned lunch and drink together after finishing PST.

          To close,  I'm grateful that PST and it's difficulties forced me to recognize my own weaknesses.  Again, it was a great opportunity to spend time with my host family, to get to know my fellow trainees and Macedonian Peace Corps staff.  Coming up will be part II and that's Thanksgiving.    

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.  

Ohrid: Jewel Of The Balkans

          This past week I went out to Dolno Lakocerej, Ohrid to visit my permanent site placement.  Just as a refresher the way that works is you interview with Peace Corps staff here in Macedonia about your preferred living arrangements, the type of counterpart, co-teacher, you'd like to have and they type of place you'd like to live at.  I was candid in my answers and said that I just want a family that respects my space but wants me to be a member of their family for two years.  For my counterpart I just wanted him/her to be open-minded and to want me to be there.  Lastly, I wanted to live in a village.  

          The staff took my answers and found the perfect site for me.  My host family was warm, open and fun.  They're in their 30's with one son who attends my school.  My counterpart was engaging, helpful and passionate about teaching.  Her English is impeccable so we were able to be very candid to one another about our expectations for each other and how we wanted to impact the students. Philosophically we align very well and I'm looking forward to working with her.  I know we'll get on each other's nerves at times but that's to be expected and a hearty glass of humor and humility will sooth those nerves with no problem.  

          Moving on, Ohrid is the total package.  The lake is one of the oldest continuous lakes in the world, is the oldest in Europe and dates back to three-five million years ago.  The town has roots going back thousands of years with the earliest settlements dating from the Bronze Age (12,000-7,000BCE).  My village is near some of the archaeological sites and I'll be visiting them as soon as I can.  Ohrid also has Roman structures including a 2,000 old amphitheater that's used in today's festivals.  If you remember the picture of Tsar Samoil I took in Skopje, he's the man who built Ohrid into a fortress city and the old part has become a UNESCO heritage site. 

         Now, my village is nestled outside of Ohrid and is only 5-7 kilometers, 3-4 miles, from the lake.  Once I got there I couldn't believe that I would be living in a quiet village that's only a 10 minute bus ride from one of Macedonia's liveliest cities.  

Just see for yourself:

The view from my porch.  

Orange cats are good luck in my family.

My school.

The students had a healthy food project and did a little play about it. 

It was a healthy Little Red Riding Hood.  This girl is a fox. 

The waterfront. 

I believe this is Saint Sofia's church. 

Julia, my counterpart, and I "na gostied" at a waterfront restaurant. 

The water here is at least 6-7ft deep. Can you spot all the minnows?

          After our lunch one of the other teachers met up with us and took us on a tour of the Old City.  I was in complete tourist mode but it was such a sensory overload after being in Sveti Nikola for the past two months.  

I was told this was an old house and should have my picture taken. 

This picture is for you Graham. 

One of the original Roman columns.  It was a cool moment getting to touch something I've read about for so long. 

One of the old Roman structures that was built into a church.  

Evidently Macedonian youth leave books at random places.  You pick one up and leave another behind.  

Because the streets are so narrow houses are built wider as they ascend. 

The famous boardwalk. 

A happy history major selfie on some steps we found that were clearly very old. 

Great marketing!

          The top sign says Kaneo Restaurant 10 meters. It's considered the best waterfront restaurant in the city and since Julia's friend, and our fellow teacher, knew the owners we "na gostied" with them.  Their coffee was the best I've had in Macedonia. 

The owner.

Patio living.

This is the owner's son and one of their three cats.  It's very rare that cats are treated here the way they're treated in the States.

Pretty much sums up Ohrid for me. I feel at home.

The famous St. Jovan Bogorodica and St. Jovan Kaneo in the background.

Quite a view.

The view from the side.

Julia and Natasha.  They were happy to show off their great city. 

It was breathtaking.

          Following that we climbed the hill to see Tsar Samoil's fortress.  On the way we passed a new school being built.  Since this is Macedonia they were excavating as well.  Some of the deepest pits went to Roman times and beyond. 

The gate of Tsar Samoil's fortress.

The fortress as a whole. 

This fortress dates to the 10th century but excavations have found other structures dating back thousands of years. 

A panoramic view in front of the fortress.

Even though we were in the Old City people were living there too.  Here a man is chopping wood. 

          Walking down from the fortress we went to the 2,000 yr old Roman amphitheater.  It was rediscovered during a construction project in the 1960's and fully uncovered in the '90s.  It's used during the summer festivals.  Of course two of my fellow site mates were already sitting in the amphitheater.

Who knows what else is buried under Ohrid.

The numbers in front of my feet are the original seating numbers for Roman citizens. 

I wonder how many plays, musical shows and gladiatorial events were held here.  I wonder how many lives were killed for entertainment? 

Alex, Victoria and I.  Alex lives 50 meters, yards, from the amphitheater.  Yes, his view in the morning is the lake, the Old City and a Roman theater. Victoria lives in the town adjacent to mine. "Opaaaaa." 

One last shot before dark.  The fortress is in the background.

       

Of course on the way back to Sveti Nikola all the colors were in their perfect Fall form.

          After meeting up with Alex and Victoria, Julia and Natasha headed home and we went to have dinner.  We found one of the two Irish Pubs in the city and chatted with the currently serving volunteers that are in Ohrid.  It was a long day but it was the best day I've had since I came to Macedonia.  I was engaged with the locals and their venues.   I was constantly educated by the history, the culture and the energy of Ohrid.  Lastly, I was entertained by the people I was with and the sites I took in.  This is why I travel and why I joined the Peace Corps.  To teach, to be taught and to feel, nay, smell what I've read about for so long. I can't wait to call Ohrid home. 

My Pancakes Are Better Than Your Pancakes

      A couple of weeks ago I posted that my host mother, Chezena, and I enjoyed a Sunday breakfast with Macedonian pancakes.  They're called Palachinka  are basically crepes and they're delicious.  Last Wednesday after dinner she brought out some plachinta to enjoy as a dessert.  I saw them and got excited because they were a sweet surprise.  

        However, the following conversation happened after that.  Chezena starts it by saying, "These are palachinka  we've eaten them before."  "Yes." I replied "They're delicious."  

      I thought that'd be the end of it.  Well it wasn't.  Since my Host Father, Vlago, and his best friend were hanging out in the living room too, she was adamant everyone knew that I was wrong about pancakes being for breakfast.  She tried once again to say,  "That pancakes/palachinka are for dessert and it's the proper Macedonian way."   She took a deep breath to continue her point but I adopted the Macedonian conversation style and used my "Teacher voice" to cut her off with authority.  

        Saying, "No, Chezena you listen now."  I then calmly described, in basic Macedonian sentences, that every culture has it's own unique food culture and in my culture I have pancakes on Sunday morning.  I followed that in Asia, China & Korea, (remember I'm still speaking Macedonian) tea is used anytime.  I could see she was blown away that I knew so much geography but Vlago and I have watched NatGeo together whenever she's working the night shift and it's the ONE thing I've quickly picked up since coming here.  I finished with, "It's not wrong I eat pancakes on Sunday morning and you don't it's just our different cultures."  (Again, this was simplified in Macedonian).

        Chezena took a deep breath to argue but was immediately cut off by Vlago's friend who said, "He's right the British have tea everyday at 4pm and it's similar in India!!!!"  I was pumped!! 

      She turned with a fire in her eyes and they had a SUPERRAPIDFIREHOLYS$!^BATMANTHEY'RETALKINGDAMNFASTANDFURIOUS two minute argument about different cultural habits.  I just sat there eating the delicious palachinka when suddenly they both stopped, looked at me and he asked, "Right Logan?"  I had no idea what they had said so I did the only thing I could think of.  I said, in Macedonian that, "I don't know because I don't speak Macedonian."  We all laughed, he high-fived me and laughed some more.  Later on Chezena, Vlago and I talked about the weather in Macedonia and what it's like in different cities throughout the country.  

      The next morning I woke up, went to eat breakfast and noticed an extra plate.  I pulled the top off and was greeted by the delicious smell of palachinka.  I laughed for at least five minutes.

The palachinka are the top left dish.  I took them to my language class and everyone agreed on how delicious they were.