Simply Being Loved

Let me tell you about my last 24 hours in Skopje. I had to get dressed in a full suit because we were hosting the discussion on CEDAW. I get to work, then leave for the hotel with Boban where our discussion will take place. We get everything set up and then the participants start to arrive. I am the registration person, which is great, minus my command of Macedonian. At the mid-way point, I ask Asya if I can go since my translation is going in and out and I need to finish packing. No problem, I go home pack and decide to run the dishwasher because I do not have enough time to wash all the dishes. My dishwasher proceeds to CATCH ON FIRE! Scary!!! We couldn't get to the fire to put it out without ripping the entire sink unit away from the wall. There was no fire extinguisher, either in my apartment or in the hallway. Eventually, I get the fire out with the help of Vlatko and Igor. Igor called the fire brigade and they would not come because they needed me to call them. Igor explained that I was fighting the fire and only spoke English, but apparently, they still needed to speak to me. I called the fire brigade myself and they could not understand English. In the end, we did not need the fire brigade, but my goodness, it was so stressful and scary. I had to argue with my landlady and Vlatko a bit about getting some of my rent deposit back and receiving it in Euros as opposed to denars, then off to dinner with my colleagues.

We had a fantastic dinner with my colleagues, although I think Igor and I were still in shock. Igor and I stayed at Dominika and Daniele's flat because I had already moved out of mine. We then woke up at 3 in the morning to take get ready and had the car service pick us up to take us to the airport. The driver was so nice - he dropped Igor off at his place for free on the way back from the airport. The driver even hung out for a long time in the airport so Igor and I could be together while we waited for my flight to board. Eventually, I said a tearful goodbye to Igor and waited for the doors to go through immigration and security to open. Imagine my fantastic panic when the screen said "Final Boarding" for my fight, yet I could not get to the place where my plane was. I was assured my plane would wait for me with the Air Bulgaria guy telling me, "this is the Balkans. Your plane will wait for you." Yeah, but I only have an hour in Sofia and Bulgarians are not known for their customer service skills. In the end, I made all four of my flights and was happy to see Nona in her little red car, picking me up in Philly. I cried a bit on the flight between Paris and Chicago. I really did not get to ease out of Macedonia the way I had hoped. I am doing well here in Philly, but am still feeling overwhelmed. It is a process. The journey continues!