Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (American Edition)
I’ve had some trouble getting into the Christmas spirit this year. No matter how many times I’ve been away from … Continue reading Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (American Edition)
Category: Peace Corps
For as long as I serve, and beyond.
This week has been completely insane in the best kinds of ways. We finished our language classes, had a final group field trip to Tikvesh Lake and an epic finishing PST party, spent our last night with our family in Vatasha, officially became Peace Corps Volunteers, and moved to Sveti Nikole where we’ll live with our new family for the next two years.
Денот на Благодарноста
When Thanksgiving rolled around this year, I was both really excited and really ready for it to be over with. It’s been a busy couple of weeks between Peace Corps stuff, our final LPI (Language Proficiency Interview), regular school stuff, and an assortment of other social gatherings and trainings. Peace Corps told us a few weeks ago that each training community would be getting two turkeys (flown in from the US to a military base in Kosovo and driven back to Macedonia) and that we should hold a Thanksgiving dinner for our families here.
In Sickness and In Health (in Macedonia)
I’m currently recovering from my second major cold in Macedonia. The first was right after we got to Vatasha and it wasn’t too terrible, but this one had me home from school and miserable. Being that I’m 28, it’s been a long time since I’ve had someone actively care for me when I’ve got the sniffles.
Enter Baba.
Let me set the record straight first – I love Baba. She cares a lot about me and Kyle, calls us her children, makes sure we are always well fed and looked after, and gives me a hug every morning before sending me off to school (in plenty of jackets). But when you’re not used to being cared for so intensely, it can seem overwhelming. I’ll start with a list of things that, according to Baba, will make you sick: Continue reading “In Sickness and In Health (in Macedonia)”
Site assignments!
We’ve finally gotten the news about where we’ll be living for the next two years! In December, we’ll be moving to Sveti Nikole! It’s a city of about 19,000 people, and according to Baba it’s the cleanest city in Macedonia. I’ll be working with the Organization of Women in Sveti Nikole, which looks like it’s doing a lot of really cool things and I can’t wait to see what I’ll get to do with them. Kyle is going to be working with an organic farmer’s cooperative in Mustafino, about 20 minutes away, doing business development. Our second family is currently hosting a volunteer during training and has had volunteers before, so they know the Peace Corps drill. We’re super excited!! And we’ve already promised Baba that we’ll be back to visit Vatasha. Continue reading “Site assignments!”
Week One
9/27/15
We’re in Vatasha! Last Thursday we found out this is where we would be for two months or so for PST – pre-service training. We’re staying with a pretty big family, three generations all under the same roof: our Baba, Velinka, and our Dedo, Dime; their son Anko and his wife Vesna; and their son little Dime, who’s 9 and making fast friends with Kyle. Continue reading “Week One”
здраво!
My job last night was to sleep. I stayed up till almost ten to avoid the jet lag, and fell asleep almost immediately after going to bed…only to be wide awake at 2:30 am. Stared at the ceiling til almost 4 and drifted off until 7:30, when I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a train. My body was clawing at sleep, and for a minute I was convinced that I was just going to doze through the first day of training and there was nothing to be done about it. Jet lag is the worst. Thankfully, Macedonia is awesome enough to be worth staying awake for! Continue reading “здраво!”
We leave for Peace Corps today!
It’s after midnight, but I’m still wide awake. It’s officially September 19th, 2015 – departure day. Everything is packed. I have my trusty blue suitcase that’s come on every overseas adventure I’ve ever taken, full to its 50 lb limit. My pack frame is stuffed. My sling bag and purse hold all the odds and ends I can survive on in case my luggage falls into the Atlantic on the way. Continue reading “We leave for Peace Corps today!”
The Uprooted Path 