Cynical

This is a picture of the Tarator, the cucumber yogurt salad I made with my landlady a couple months ago. It is deliciously refreshing in the hot summer months

Happy Monday! This is the day that I find out if I still have my health insurance. Boo-yah! If it turns out my health insurance company does not accept my father's power of attorney privileges, please pray that I am not seriously injured while walking down the sidewalks of Skopje. Recently, I have become more annoyed with the fact that cars park on the sidewalk and/or feel that they have the right of way on the sidewalks. It has been raining for 2 days. Why should I risk bodily harm in walking in the street or getting dirty walking in the mud so you can be 5 feet closer to the bodega? It's raining on me too.

But, I digress. I am actually writing to see if you think I am too cynical. Here's what prompted this entry. I had a recent exchange with a young, Macedonian man who said that he thinks women should be equal with men and that, as it stands now, women's position, in society, is lower and needs to be elevated to where men are. This is after I told him what I am doing here in Macedonia (studying women's economic rights). I am in disbelief. I am so used to people giving me a blank stare (men and women alike) when I tell them what I do because there are either much more important problems facing Macedonia or Macedonia has already achieved gender equality. I happen to disagree with both of those premises. So you can imagine my shock when this young man supported what I said by making his statement about gender equality. But then, there is this part in my brain that says, "he is just saying that because he wants you to like him". We did meet in a bar while I was waiting in line for the restroom, after all. So am I too cynical? Is it possible that he was speaking his genuine opinion? I am so used to justifying what I do that this exchange just threw me off. Also, I think I am leery because my last encounter with a man who told me he was a feminist of sorts ended with him propositioning me. I realize this is anecdote. I know we just recently hired a man in our office in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a gender advisor so it is not impossible for men to be on the gender equality wagon. I guess I should do what I always advise my Mother and what my Mother always advises me: listen to your tummy.