Pictures (part 1)!!!

There are more to come, I just wanted to get some up for you to see. Have a wonderful weekend if I don't post again before Monday.



This is my hotel when I first arrived in Skopje






My room in Hotel Bristol in Skopje









My living room in my apartment.












Bratislava!


The pic to the right is my hotel room in Bratislava :)




these are various buildings in Bratislava

My Fellow American

I don't have much time to update so what I will say is that I am quite excited to meet a fellow American Peace Corps volunteer. She is enthusiastic about showing me around Skopje and including me in the Peace Corps family - hooray! I have not met her yet, but tonight, we are going to her NGO, which works with Roma families by helping them keep their children in school. The Roma children are putting on skits and celebrating the launching of a new education initiative. This is also exciting for me because I have only seen Roma in passing - they collect plastic bottles out of the garbage and recycle them. It is estimated that 80% of Roma are unemployed. However, one must keep in mind the vast informal economy in Macedonia so this number might be artificially high. Ok, back to meeting Jessica. Tomorrow, I hope to update you more on what I am doing for my project, once I get my mind around it a bit more. Cheers!

My First Project and If you don't like my driving...

I am reading the Macedonian National Plan for Gender Equality. After I finish that, I will read the Project Description about Strengthening Implementation of Women's Rights at the Workplace FYR Macedonia. I have a paper to write to discuss the Policy Issue so these 2 documents, along with others, are my backdrop. It is quite interesting, actually. Basically, we had this study done and in order to see how we can use it, I need to know the background information. So, here we go!

Some of you may be familiar with the bumper sticker "If you don't like my driving, stay off the sidewalk." Some of you may have received said bumper sticker upon turning sixteen, laughing at the joke. Unfortunately, here in Skopje, driving up on to the sidewalk is actually where you park. So you are not safe on the sidewalk, hence always walking facing traffic, wherever possible. Sidewalks, streets, it is pretty much the same here! Which reminds me about crossing the street. The key is to never show fear or hesitation. It is like what I learned in my security class about being in a hostage situation. They must respect you and have sympathy for you. Pleading, begging, etc will not be tolerated. The same is true for crossing the street. You must walk without fear and very quickly. Once you are committed, you must cross, and you must remember that no one will slow down when approaching you except maybe at the last second. So look both ways and learn to time your entrance into the street. Know your gait. Be cool, calm collected and whatever you do, do not panic.

Back from Bratislava

Hello and many apologies for not updating my blog sooner. I do not have internet access at my home so I must wait until before or after working hours to update you! I am working on home internet access. Keep your fingers crossed!

Our return from Bratislava was uneventful, except that my bag finally decided to join me after its tour of Paris. I was so happy that it was there and, from what I can tell, all items were in the suitcase! Hooray! I finally have perfume, skirts, more knitting supplies, face wash...Friday evening was spent relaxing and knitting. I am so glad I learned to knit because I would seriously go crazy if I didn't have that to occupy me while watching CNN, Animal Planet or the National Geographic channel. I know friends will come in time, but as for right now, it is me in my flat, attempting to cook (spinach with butter, green onions and garlic anyone?) every evening and weekend. My land lady, who I would rather refer to as my host mom, called me on Saturday morning and asked if we could have lunch. I was delighted!! So, we went and figured out my PIN on my cellphone, then had this Skopje bread sandwich. Yes, it is bread in bread. I am not kidding. The bread in the bread is oily and thin - deliciously greasy, and a specialty of Skopje. Then, she took me to the cemetery where the British troops who died during World War I are buried. I got to see the inside of an Eastern Orthodox Church and see my host mom light candles and the like. It was very beautiful and interesting. I always liked smells and bells so Eastern Orthodoxy suits me just fine. Apparently, I cross myself backwards, but I can adjust. My host mom has offered to take me to church and I hope I can one day! You will be sure to know all about it if I get to go! Any how after that (which I will post pictures soon), we went to the old Turkish part of the city. There is an outdoor market as well as the ancient version of our strip malls with shops and eating places. My host mom wanted me to have some barbecue. I know what you are thinking: BBQ chicken, pulled pork (not in the Turkish area!!)...ha, no. It is like gyro meat. Delicious. She took me to the best BBQ place. Mmmmmm. One day, I hope I can go back to the old part of the city.

Sunday was spent knitting, cleaning, grocery shopping, figuring out how to use a washing machine that is in Macedonian (I go by water temperature so my clothes stay the right size). Today was my first day of work and I spent it completing the "basic security" and "advanced security" in the field classes. You can all rest assured that I will not be having my photograph taken with child soldiers or opening mail with white dust coming out of the envelope. All joking aside, taking the course made me realize how lucky I am that my first international development experience is in Skopje, a place where I enjoy the food and has good security.

The other thing I did today was go to a press conference about ending Proxy and Family Voting in Macedonia. Proxy voting is voting on someone else's behalf (dead or alive) and Family voting is when a husband goes into the polling station with his wife to "advise" and "help her understand" what is going on. Both are a violation the human right to a secret ballot and effect women. Obviously, their voice cannot be heard if someone is voting on their behalf or coercing them to vote a certain way. This occurs in the rural regions and is a cultural, patriarchal norm, which is why it still goes on today. The Election Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) sponsored the publishing of this booklet and are working to eradicate this practice. Unfortunately, it is not in time for the elections on Sunday, but It is good to know this is on their radar.

And with that, I am going home! TTFN!

The Evenings in Bratislava

During the retreat, for the most part, we are responsible for figuring out dinner. The first night here, we took a cab to the center of the city, which is also the old, beautiful part of the city. The group I was with went to a Mexican restaurant called "Diablo". I was excited to experience Mexican food in Slovakia. I have to upload the picture of my mini burritos. Let's just say this food was an interpretation of Mexican food - it was not familiar. I had Mexican inspired goulash in one of my burritos! Then, last night, after going to a bar called Slovak (creative name, eh?) and having traditional Slovakian food and delicious Slovakian beer, we went to a Cuban place. In the Cuban bar, you can write on the wall with permanent markers so we all made our mark. I wrote PENN & UNIFEM 2008 and will post the picture as soon as I can. It was fun, especially since I was able to spend time with my colleagues who are around my age. I am not going to lie - I still feel awkward being American because I do not speak a language from the Balkan region, but I know that is an internal insecurity, not due to how I am being treated by my coworkers. Ta ta for now (TTFN)!!

The Great Learning Curve and Privilege

I have been in the planning meetings for 1.5 days and I realize that I have a big learning curve. I knew that coming into this but it is still a tough realization. I know the UN is a huge bureaucracy and learning how UNIFEM works, even though it is a small UN program, there is lots to learn about how it functions. I am sure soon enough, it will not be so overwhelming. I will be very busy and, from what it sounds like, overwhelmed with work!

I am learning so much, especially surrounding Kosovo. There are many Kosovar Albanians here and their perspective is interesting. I spoke with one woman about what happened in 1999 with the bombings of Serbia and the war. She is a Kosovar Albanian and during that time, she worked in the refugee camps. When we were talking, she teared up, especially when talking about realizing that she couldn't protect her children. What was really hard for her was her children realizing that their parents could not protect them. Thankfully, her family members survived. It is one thing to read about this, but another thing to work with people who survived it and now face the current political situation in Serbia. I realize that my knowledge is very censured and limited. I just listen and ask questions. Everyone is really open and welcoming. One thing that gives me hope is that all the people I have spoke with do not see Serbia becoming militant about Kosovo's independence. The other interesting perspective I heard was that Serbia is Russia's door/access to Europe/the E.U. It will be interesting to see how the politics of this situation play out over time. In the mean time, the women of UNIFEM and NGOs continue to struggle to keep women's issues and gender perspective part of the debates and conversations.

I always knew that being an American was privileged, especially because I come from a middle class background with a stable, wonderful family. But that is coming sharply into perspective when I look at what my colleagues, including one of my co-workers, have to go through to come to Bratislava. They need to get visas. I just show my passport at customs. When I arrived in Skopje, customs did not ask me a single question. And I was so worried about my visa - ha! The only time I have ever needed a visa to travel (in my adult life) was when I went to China in 1999 and in that case, everyone needs a visa to travel to China. In Skopje, I did have to register with the police because I rented an apartment and am a foreigner, but that is only necessary in case I get stopped on the street. Then, I just show this piece of paper and my passport and that should be enough. Hopefully, it is a moot point.

On another note, I realized that I have used four different currencies in a span of 5 days Thursday-Monday). And with that, my friends, I must head off to bed.

Bratislava...but I just got to Skopje!

Hi! I am going to write as much as I can before dinner. I am in Bratislava, Slovakia, attending a workshop on UNIFEM's strategic plan for the next 2 years. It is great to be here, but I am so tired. The car, or should I say, black Mercedes, picked me up at 5 AM to go to the airport. Yup, 5. I went early because I was told that I had to fill out paperwork to get my bag back as it was lost in Paris. I envision my big suitcase looking at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, sipping coffee in a sidewalk cafe and donning a beret...so I get the airport early to fill out said paperwork (they will not process my missing bag request until I do so) and I find out that my bag will arrive at the Skopje airport at 8 tonight. What?! So I will pick it up on Friday when I get back in town.

Friday morning, I found my apartment. I have a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom flat with an outside patio. I know it sounds excessive, but it was the same price as the studio with a Murphy bed and the two 1-bedrooms I looked at. I figured if everyone visits who says they would like to, it will be nice to have the extra bedroom! It has been an adventure figuring out how to turn the hot water on, what to eat (so far, it consists of bread, muesli, fruit and an occasional beer). Since I cannot read the labels, except for mayonnaise and ketchup, I will be subsisting on said diet for a bit. My landlady is unbelievably nice. She says I could be her daughter and she took me to the grocery store and to get a cell phone -the old one does NOT work so if you want my new cell number, email me! She tells me wonderful stories and treats me well. Oh, I forgot to tell you, my place is completely furnished, including dishes, silverware, towels, etc. It feels like a home - a place an adult would live.

I am now in Bratislava, hearing all about where UNIFEM has been and where we are hoping to go. It is interesting and I can tell my program evaluation course will come in handy!!! I also can tell that my policy courses will be useful - as it turns out, countries that have recently ascended to the EU have great gender policies, on paper. However, there is a "crisis in implementation" of these policies. This is not specific to Eastern Europe, but it raises the question of how you actually get people to do what they say they will. The law says one thing, the practice is another. We are very familiar with this in America. All you have to do is look at Brown v. Board and that is the most obvious example.

My room in the hotel is totally amazing - the best room I have ever stayed in! It has a plasma, people!!! It has leather chairs, dark cherry wood furniture and bed...it rocks. And, I don't even have to share it. I am the lone American and native English speaker. I have learned 4 words in Macedonian and the first 5 letters of the alphabet (not by sight, mind you, just sound). Now you see why my diet is so sparse. The other languages spoken at my workshop are: Albanian, Serbo-Croat, and Slovakian. Um, yeah, I just smile a lot and try to be polite as possible. I have met Kosevar Albanian women and it is very interesting to discuss the recent Serbian elections and the June 15th implementation of the Kosovo Constitution. Ok, I must get ready for dinner. Despite my love of the plasma screen TV, I am going to the old part of the city - who knows the next time I will be in Bratislava. Oh, and I need to install my camera software on my work laptop so I can upload pictures. Be patient :)

The Flights over, part I

Let the adventure begin! Where to start...hmmm...ok, so during my 5 hour layover in DC, I met a woman from Brussels. She is a doctor of some kind and was quite fun to talk to. I got on the plane to Paris, finally, and realized my seat was in the middle of a row of 5. Awesome. It was not dead-center, but still. The middle. The women on either side of me ordered special meals. The woman sitting to my right had a vegan meal. I didn't think anything of it until I realized she was French. A French vegan?! How does one live in France as a vegan? How CAN someone live in France as a vegan? A large portion of their cuisine is dependent on cheese, cream and butter. I was in complete disbelief. I was so shocked, I figured out a way to discuss her airplane meal. As it turns out, she is not a vegan, just a vegetarian, which is difficult, but not impossible. So my hypothesis cannot be rejected: there is no such thing as a French vegan.

Charles de Gaulle airport is the WORST airport I have ever experienced. Keep in mind I am comparing it to Johannesburg, Atlanta (chaos), Beijing, Zomba...you get the point. Because I was issued paper tickets, I had to wait to check in until 1-2 hours before my flight so they could issue me a boarding pass. Now, you would think there would be somewhere to sit between the area they check to see if you have a ticket and where they issue a boarding pass. They had a cafe, duty-free shopping, Amex currency exchange and not a single bench. I met a Bulgarian man who was in the same boat as me. He was funny. I can tell he is a bargain shopper and did not think highly of the Macedonian language. I was practicing my Cyrillic alphabet and showed him my Macedonian text book. He found it very interesting, described Macedonian as a dialect of Bulgarian and told me he had never seen 2 of the letters I was learning. Interestingly, he never told me his name and when I asked why he was going to Bulgaria (besides the obvious fact that he was Bulgarian), he would not answer the question. He works in Atlanta now and his mother is no longer with us so I figure there is something shady going on. Maybe he was part of the Bulgarian version of the KGB...

I must run but I will let you know about my first impression of Skopje, my amazing apartment and the security test. Oh and I will put some pictures up. Talk to you soon!

In the sun

Welcome to the first post in my new blog to chronicle my adventure in Macedonia and beyond! This blog will feature pictures, anecdotes and maybe even some personal thoughts. Please feel free to comment on my blog, but keep it appropriate for some of our younger readers.

Presently, I am sitting in the Philadelphia airport waiting for my flight to Washington DC. I am hopeful that I will have internet in Dulles, but since there is no guarantee of this, I figured I would start blogging now.

According to a former Peace Corps volunteer, landing in Skopje feels like you are entering a Rambo movie. Although I have not seen Rambo, I can imagine what he is referring to. I will tell you if it is anything like expected. I remembered when I landed in Honolulu a couple years ago and expected to smell amazing tropical flowers. Instead, I smelled the exhaust from the airplane I flew in on. Oh well, it was memorable!

And they have now changed my gate. I must pack up and go down the terminal now, but I will post again as soon as possible. TTFN! (ta ta for now)