Hung Up

My internship is off to a fast start. Thankfully, I really enjoy my projects and the people I work with. I just wish I could get a decent night's sleep so I was more rested. I am so busy and I feel like I am constantly reading something. This has to do with the Stimulus package and all the amendments and how this will affect the States. I really feel like I have a tremendous opportunity here and I have already learned so much. One of my projects is calling the Senators and Representative's offices to confirm or find out who the staff members are that work on the issues we deal with. These poor offices are getting so many calls about the Stimulus. I get busy signals a lot and leave voice mails. The staffers answering the phones have been great.

I am also working on getting info together about each individual state and how the contracting economy influences their budgets and human service programs. Additionally, I am working on updating and getting information for one of our websites. I get to do a lot of writing and researching so it is fun!

My commute is about an hour each way and by the time I get home, I am pretty tired. I was hoping to run on the treadmill more but so far, it looks like the weekends are the only time I have to do this. I am going out with a friend from high school on Friday night. She is an attorney in the area. Saturday, some friends from Penn are coming down and we are all going out to lunch/sightseeing so it should be fun! I know a lot of people in the area and hope that I can connect with them soon. I am still getting my bearings so that will happen in all due time!

Finally, I am freezing today because I decided I needed to wear a skirt. While I look great, the wind has not been kind to me. Fashion hurts, or in this case, stings. My coat is great, but it is not quite long enough. Oh well, I am not outside that much anyways! Take care!

Smile Like You Mean It

I have become something I never thought I would be: listening to "soft" rock at work. I know, what you are thinking: Where's the Ems that listens to the Misfits, the Killers and Led Zeppelin? Well, let me explain. Dominika and I share an office. Today is a perfect day to listen to the Killers, but whenever I have put on rock like that, sometimes, she politely asks if we can listen to something else. I don't mind one bit that she is not into rock music, at least at work. So we listen to old swing/jazz standards, soft "office" rock (which right now is a mixed up version of "the Safety Dance"), oldies, classical and sometimes, that dreadful smooth jazz music. Some days, I go out on a limb and put on Bob Dylan (received 2 thumbs up) or mixes on my iPod. I know if I want to listen to my own music, I can just put on my iPod, but that cuts me off from the rest of the office and I like being an active participant. Thankfully, the recent soft rock station I found is not excessive Hall and Oates or Lionel Ritchie. These artists are played sparingly and this station keeps the "rock" in its title. The station even plays things like Dirty Vegas' "Without You". Imagine. Groovy.

In internship related news, today, I am working on updating our website - the text that is. I am completely html deficient. I just write blurbs, get them approved and send them off to HQ. Once my handicraft is posted, I'll include the link here. The website I am updating is not our official UNIFEM website; it is the UN in FYR Macedonia website. Ahhhhh, the bureaucracy. I wrote a fact sheet that needs just some finishing touches and have edited other fact sheets composed by Dominika.

Here are some random pictures for your viewing pleasure from my recent jaunt to Belgrade:

Republic Square

Skadarska Street, home to many cafes

Sculpture on Skadarska Street

One of the cafes on Skadarska Street

Stayin' Alive

My parents arrive on Sunday. I want to warn you that I will try to update my blog regularly during their two week visit here, however, please forgive me if it is not updated as regularly :) I can't remember what I told you about their visit, so here goes. They arrive at 15:00 Skopje time and will no doubt be tired. They are actually leaving Colorado tonight, flying and having a ridiculously long lay over in Toronto. This is actually good because they are going to visit my great-Aunt and Uncle, sleeping at their place and enjoying the city before heading off to some place in Germany, I think. Then they fly to Slovenia, then to Skopje. So, while they will be traveling for over 48 hours, the rest in Toronto will be excellent and a good time to catch up with loved ones.

Meanwhile, my paper on social inclusion is still not done and I am worried that it is total garbage. What if it isn't what my supervisor is looking for? There is a lot of information in the paper but it may not be the right information. Also, I feel like it is disorganized. My goal is to just get everything out on paper, worry about editing it later. Before I faint over editing it and flow, I want to make sure it is what is being asked. Tell me literature review, no problem...but desk research is not exactly a literature review as has been explained to me. Oh and I have to come up with suggestions for UNIFEM. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh I don't know!!! But I am sure I will come up with something and thankfully, we are a team here so my colleagues might read the paper and see an excellent suggestion that because I am so buried in the information, I don't see.

Ok, enough whining. There is a jazz festival and a wine tasting festival in Skopje this weekend. I am not sure what Igor and I are going to do in terms of going out. We've been together a month and he gave me a small gift. So endearing! I need to figure out how to show my appreciation and am at a loss. You don't buy boys flowers or write notes...do you? I am so rusty on this whole relationship thing...and my parents are bringing him Clif bars and a calendar of Colorado wilderness...

Back to the paper. Still open to suggestions of bringing the women's movement public.

I Will Survive

This is the outside wall of Stari Grad (Old City) Kotor, Montenegro. This is in the evening and I thought it was very cool. There is this stone wall that goes up the mountain and I am not sure exactly why it was built due to the grade of the mountain. I remember telling Dao that if she wanted to hike up to the look out, she was on her own. It was unbelievably hot - the warmest place on our travels. I would guess it was in the 90s or low 100s outside. Dao laughed when I told her she was on her own because she had no intention of getting heat stroke :0)

Hello! I'm back! What a week! Maria came on Wednesday and Manuel arrive late Thursday evening. We had a fantastic time. On Wednesday, Igor, Maria and I walked around downtown Skopje. We introduced her to Macedonian fast food - Igor and I had hamburgers (the beef is more like spiced mincemeat, I think) and Maria had toct (pronounced toast). Toct in Macedonia is pressed bread with ham, mushrooms and cheese in the middle. It is very thin and makes a good, quick, cheap small meal or snack. Maria also had her first Skopsko (Macedonian beer) and then we walked around, went to have delicious pizza, then home. I also have a wonderful boyfriend because you will never guess what he got me for a gift...an espresso cup with Tito on it!!! Now, the Tito series is not just photos :) Thursday, we went to the Old Bazaar and walked around, went to the Museum of Contemporary Art then to Shankley's, then to pick up Manuel. I actually took pictures of Skopje and will upload them as soon as I can. Friday, we had lunch with Dao, went up to Kale (pronounce Kal-lay) then met up with Igor and his friends to go to a cafe. It was awesome then on Saturday, we rented a car and went down to Ohrid :) I finally made it to Ohrid, where everyone says you have to go when you come to Macedonia. On our way down there, we stopped in a predominantly Albanian city, Tetevo, and saw the Painted Mosque. It was the first time in my life I have ever entered a mosque. I am glad we stopped there - it was beautiful and Manuel and Maria got a glimpse of a city that is not Skopje or a tourist resort, like Ohrid. After coming back on Saturday, Manuel had to leave so Maria and I took him to the bus station. We then walked around and ended up at Shankley's. I met up with Igor and then all of us headed to a bar called The Saloon. For those of you who know Boulder, CO, it loosely reminded me of the Dark Horse. Then, at 11:30 Sunday morning, Maria's car came to pick her up and I spent the afternoon cleaning up, grocery shopping and meeting up with Igor.

So now I have to figure out how I will get my work done by tomorrow. I have that desk research...and I haven't begun writing...and I will be out all afternoon at 2 different meetings. The first is conference on social inclusion (perfect since that is what my desk research is about) and the second is on the Human Rights Based Approach to development work. Maybe I will come back to work after the last meeting and stay late. I could turn it in tomorrow afternoon...I am so tired. Entertaining is fun, but hard work and I haven't caught up on my rest. Oh well. My parents come on Sunday and I will be able to rest before their arrival!

I have no real fashionista updates other than I do not anticipate seeing men in capris any time soon. The weather is cool and those are decidedly summer wear...

I Try

This is a random pic from when I went to Sofia, Bulgaria. These were my hosts, Kyle and Petya. They have since returned to the States.

Recently, I was applying for a job with the US Dept of Labor researching human trafficking, forced labor and child labor with an international perspective. I had to answer all these questions surrounding my professional experience with research and how I dealt with the aforementioned exploitation in the labor market. Being the spin doctor that I am, I discuss my research on social exclusion and women's economic rights here in Macedonia and how social exclusion and poverty increase the likelihood of being trafficked, exploited, etc. I suddenly realized that I don't know exactly what social exclusion is. I hear the term and intuitively know what it means (it is fairly obvious), but upon realizing that it will be incredibly difficult to reach the rural socially excluded women from various ethnic communities, I decided it was time I discover what the EU and UN says being socially excluded means. I found this great website on social exclusion in the Netherlands that contrasts social exclusion with poverty. I learned that poverty is measured solely on the basis of income, or lack thereof. Social exclusion incorporates not just income, but housing, education, access to the labor market and social services...social inclusion is a much more holistic indicator of 'poverty' because it incorporates what poverty reduction advocates are trying to say by using their poverty indicators/statistics. It isn't just about being hungry. It's about quality of life. This makes the challenges seem that much more insurmountable; however, social inclusion also enables much more creativity in addressing the challenges. I still have no clue how to reach the socially excluded women in rural Macedonia who are members of traditional, conservative communities. I'm at the point where I am overwhelmed by the information on how many challenges there are and must digest for a moment so I can make some recommendations.

In other job news, I am sending my CV off to a research center in Greece that studies women in the Balkans. I sent them an email of inquiry months ago and they requested my CV late last week. :) Additionally, I am going to apply to be an UNESCO Young Professional, a long shot for sure. For the UNESCO YP program, the US forwards its 10 nominees off to see if any one of them is selected for the program. Same with who knows how many other countries. So yeah, slim slim slim chance at that one. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

Time for a flash fashionista update. I saw a man with long hair in a pony tail and a tan fanny pack, on the side (I guess it is better than worn on the front) in a cafe. First of all, in a dimly lit cafe, tan stands out, especially when wearing blue jeans and a black shirt. If one must wear a fanny pack, do us all a favor and not draw our eyes to it. Second of all, I do not have a feeling this fanny pack is for the purposes of toting a gun around due to being "undercover," not that I support toting around firearms. Remember the guy from the summer who was wearing leather pants, biker boots, a sleeveless shirt and fanny pack - that would be firearms in my humble opinion...I told my boyfriend that while I understand there are differences in what is considered fashionably acceptable, especially in eastern Europe, I told him that fanny packs are unacceptable under any circumstances. I received a blank stare. I am hoping it is because he never once considered donning a fanny pack. And yes, he knows what I am talking about. I made sure that.

Carnival

This is the view from my first hostel in Sarajevo. To the left was a police station, which made my mother happy. I remember getting to my room and collapsing after my 16 hour overnight bus ride. The calls to prayer could be heard from my room and throughout the old part of the city where Dao and I stayed. I hope I can get back to Sarajevo soon.

I went on a run today and it was the best of all my runs. I had another "duh" realization. If they made the sidewalks narrower, cars couldn't park on them and there would be additional street parking available. Since it is clear there is minimal enforcement of parking policies, this seems like a decent potential approach to dealing with sidewalk parking...sidewalk too narrow to park on, sidewalk is free for pedestrian usage...

I am doing my reading for the desk research surrounding social inclusion, economics and women and am lost in a sea of studies. It seems like everyone knows what to do but lacks the political and financial will to suck it up and do it. I read an interesting study about non-Roma and Roma attitudes about dependency on the State. Interestingly, a strong majority of non-Roma believe that they are not remotely to blame for the situation of the Roma and that the Roma need to get more proactive and help themselves. Sounds familiar...I think this is what having good anti-discrimination policies does to societies, in a way. It allows the majority population to think the problem of discrimination is solved and therefore absolving the majority population of all responsibilities to participate in offering a hand up to minority populations, women, etc. I am in NO WAY advocating we rid ourselves of anti-discrimination legislation - it is very important- but we need to figure out a way to monitor the implementation of this legislation. Equal opportunity and anti-discrimination legislation/policies does not ensure equal treatment, access to basic needs, education or access to the labor market. Thank you, Captain Obvious...

Somebody Told Me

This is Dubrovnik. I selected this picture completely randomly as I could not see the preview :) While Dubrovnik was insane with tourists, I enjoyed my time there. These are the walls of the old city (stari grad) and a small harbor.

I am reading a draft report on social inclusion and what the UN Country Team can do to effect change in this area through the UNDAF process (I honestly have no idea what the UNDAF process is, but I believe it has something to do with the Millennium Development Goals). I had this 'duh' realization. To have high unemployment (try 35%, oh yeah) means more dependency on the State for social services. High unemployment means less tax collection, not just from individuals, but businesses as well, which means less money to provide services, which are in high demand due to the high unemployment rate. You see the cycle? Even if many of these reported unemployed are in the grey economy, these peeps are still registering for the State to provided health insurance, but no taxes are being collected to help pay for said insurance. Unemployed/economically inactive people are at higher risk of being social excluded, which is why it is important to know the demographics of the employed, unemployed and economically inactive. Hmmm, time to get creative to break the cycle...

Now, I'll write something cute. My beautiful Street Dawg continues to greet me and protect me from the evil buses that pass by on the street. Her vicious warning barks at the buses are the only thing protecting me from the bus' predatory ways. I am still trying to figure out if she has an owner because it looks like the hair around her feet was trimmed. I also realized that while Street Dawg speaks Macedonian, she seems to understand my English fairly well. She glows when I thank her for protection and trots next to me almost all the way to my flat. She does not heed my warnings about crossing the street, however. Today, there was a Pekingese in the yard with her. I wonder if the Pekingese is as wonderful as my Dawg. I've decided that if I get a job here in Macedonia after the end of my internship, I'm getting a dog. The program that I wrote about surrounding women's political involvement in the upcoming municipal elections does not have a job for me. At least I know and I tried :)

Oh, in other good news, my sister is engaged! They are getting married on paper this December in Italy so if I end up in Italy for Christmas (which is the plan if I am still here in Macedonia), I can be one of the witnesses! How cool. Their wedding wedding in Colorado will be this summer and I am going to be the Maid of Honor. My friend, Andrea, is getting married in October 2009 and she asked me to be a bridesmaid so you can see that my vacation for 2009 will be spent at various weddings. I could not be happier for my sister and Andrea!

Roads

This is from a couple years ago and it doesn't even look like me! I miss my cowgirl hat. It waits for me in Philly or Denver. Who knows when I will be reunited with this hat.

TGIF! Do you like my new layout? Let me know your thoughts. I needed to spice things up so I thought I would fool around with the template. Additionally, I added links to websites in my post that are relevant to what I blog about so enjoy!

We had quite a week in the office and I have not left before 6:30 for the past couple evenings. Today I start my research on Roma and Albanian women and social exclusion. I am so excited to be researching again :) I like to go from international to national to local in my research and presentation. So first, a quick review of CEDAW Concluding Comments which are available for your review here.* After that, on the the EU/Council of Europe websites on the Roma, the European Roma Rights Center, then to the, you guessed it, National Action Plan on the Decade of the Roma, to a study commissioned by UNDP to figure out what Roma NGOs are working on here in Macedonia (still waiting for the email). There are considerably more documents that I have not listed plus interviews that I need to do and then draft a concept note. After drafting the concept note, I'll meet with some Romany and Albanian women then develop a project proposal. The key here is I am focusing on the most vulnerable women and simply being a woman of a certain ethnic community does not make you automatically vulnerable. We want to find and hold up the most isolated, ignored women regardless of ethnicity, age or municipality. What is exciting about all of this is it is going to be grassroots level. We are going to see if there is a way we can make a difference on the ground, not just in legislation. If things go well here in Macedonia, we might be able to start to bring similar programing to other countries in the region. But let's not put the cart before the horse. First, research.

In addition to my new research project, we are also contemplating holding a series of workshops surrounding parental leave and EU Accession in Macedonia. There is a general framework that all EU countries follow when it comes to parental leave laws, but their parental leave laws/policies are not all the same. Macedonia is going to have to review their parental leave laws. It sounds mundane, but look at how parental leave can positively or negatively impact the balance of work and family life. For example, women in Macedonia are entitled to up to 9 months paid leave surrounding the birth of a child. I am not sure how much time the father is entitled to, but he can transfer his paternal leave to the mother. And does transfer his leave. So, what ends up happening is you have women leaving their job for 9, 10, 11 months while men don't take anytime, thus reinforcing traditional gender roles, making hiring young women a disincentive, etc. One option for Macedonia is to do what the Nordic countries have done and that is give father's 3 months paternal leave (or so) and make that leave non-transferable so they take it or lose it. What this does is allow fathers to develop relationships with their children and balance the effect of women being out of the workforce during the time surrounding childbirth. Firehouses in Sweden now experience what schools have always experienced: staff being out for long periods of time surrounding the birth of a child. What a concept!! There are other practices surrounding this issue throughout EU countries and so what we want to do is start that discussion for Macedonia. What option would work well for Macedonia? This is what we seek to distill, assuming we have our workshops!

I leave you with this thought: Why is it that my brother, in the States, gets 2 weeks paternity leave for the birth of his child and his wife gets 2 months? Is he not equally entitled to spending time with his child? I know my sister-in-law needs to physically recover from giving birth, but are we not just encouraging traditional gender roles and unpaid care-work being the responsibility of the women of our families by having parental leave set up this way? My brother is an excellent father. He wants to spend time with his child. Why is he not entitled to that just because he has a Y-chromosome?

*Do not try to find CEDAW concluding comments on the US because the do not exist. The US has failed to ratify CEDAW. I believe I do not have to comment on this since it speaks for itself: shame.

Wrecking Ball

The sculpture on the left is in one of the fountains in Sofia, Bulgaria. Look at the balance! It was beautiful to look at. I love public art, even if it is just a giant clothespin like the sculpture in Philadelphia, pictured right.

Our meeting yesterday was very interesting and included the Ambassadors from the Netherlands and the Hellenic Republic, and a US organization that trains governments in how democracy works, i.e. holding committee meetings/parliamentary procedure (desperately needed, I might add), developing political parties that can actually compete with each other, etc. As it turns out, there is a women's political participation initiative coming up in time for the municipal elections in 2009 and I think I would do an excellent job helping out on this project. I introduced myself to the Director of the organization and he gave me his card so hopefully he will respond to my email (which I will send later today). Keep your fingers crossed. I imagine I would travel around to the rural parts of Macedonia to meet with community leaders and women as part of the job that I have created in my head. I also think it is important to get the youth involved in politics in order to bring some changes to how the parties work. I can completely understand why people are so disenchanted with politics and political parties here. The parties are perceived as corrupt and only out to serve/protect their own members. I don't know if the parties are ideologically based the way they are in the US. I guess I have some research to do. At least I know the 4 largest parties (2 Macedonian, 2 Albanian) and I understand, on a surface level, the split within the Albanian community. So we'll see what happens.

Today our manager from Bratislava comes, hurrah! Tomorrow is when my office and the regional manager actually discuss my baby, the women's economic rights program. I was walking with my new supervisor, Asya, to the meeting yesterday and we were talking about women's issues (surprise!). I told her about what I want to do, what I believe, etc. and she told me I am in the right place, working for UNIFEM. I know I just wrote about the women's political participation job, but if I could have it my way, I would just be hired by my office to continue to develop and manage our women's economic rights program. I know that is impossible, but I really like it here. I feel like full-fledged member of UNIFEM and our office team, even though I am a temporary intern.

Ok, back to the National Action Plan for Gender Equality. Do you see a theme? National Action Plan on...all these NAPs (National Action Plans) remind me of Stalin's five-year plans a bit, at least in terms of the time period and how there is a NAP for everything...I applaud the efforts to lay out plans, however, I am not sure how helpful the plans are when the indicators are vague. That being said, I have yet to see a NAP on Gender Equality or something similar in the US. We can debate if the NAPs provide some level of accountability or just provide the government with the answer of "we're working on it, we have a NAP" at a later time.

Are You Gonna Go My Way

Thai food in Sarajevo! Yum-bo! It was delicious, albeit not so authentic. This dish seemed to resemble tandoori chicken with Thai seasonings. Regardless, you can see how happy I am to have this deliciously ethnic cuisine.

I am sitting in the office this Monday wondering why it went from Summer to Winter in a matter of a day or two. It all started last week and now, it is pretty darn chilly. It is in the 10s here, which is around 45 Fahrenheit. I am sure you don't want to read about the Skopje weather so I will move on.

There was Pivo Land in Skopje this weekend, the first ever beer festival in the City. Pivo Land is not to be confused with Pivo Fest, which is in the city of Prilep. I went on Friday and Saturday evenings and froze. The reason I went both nights is because I went with 2 different groups of friends. Nora was here on Friday and so I went with her Habitat for Humanity group to experience Pivo Land. Saturday night, I went with Dominika and her husband, after we went to the basketball game. Macedonia qualified for the European Championships in basketball on Saturday night and it was a fun game, all and all. Dominika laughed at my cheering for Macedonia and I was, once again, one of the more fervent supporters in our section. It is fun to react to whatever is going on down on the court. I am not particularly into basketball, but I enjoy the entertainment. Both nights, I met up with the guy I am seeing here and my friends seemed to like him so this is good.

In other news, I cooked delicious lentils with sausage so I can finally have my friends over for dinner since I know what to prepare for them. More excitement.

Finally, we finished our brainstorming session on women's economic rights and the next steps we would like to take. My colleagues and I remain despondent about the new government program for stimulating the birthrate but we know if we sponsor research surrounding this issue, in connection with women's economic rights, the chance of the government remaining one of our implementing partners and maintaining a positive relationship with them is slim. Oh the dilemmas...I have more information on the birthrate stimulation program. Basically, as a woman, if you have 4 children, you qualify for a full pension of the average wage from the government at retirement age. You get a certain percentage of pension for 3 kids, 2 kids, etc. It is targeted to municipalities with low birthrates, which also happen to Macedonian ethnicity majority. I am not sure if the woman's marital status or the paternity of the father matters in terms of receiving said pension benefits. Regardless, this seems to fly in the face of gender equality legislation and to be somewhat xenophobic. The only thing that gives me hope is the study in conducted in the US finding that welfare benefits/cash assistance does not influence reproductive decisions. However, there are serious attitude differences between the countries in terms of what the government is expected to provide its citizens. Maybe Big Nikki's birthrate enhancement program will flop. I think my secret crush on Big Nikki is waning. I can tolerate differences in opinion, but there is a limit and a line must be drawn. Maybe I'll move on to Lenny Kravitz for secret crush material. The only problem with that is it is highly unlikely that I will be 6 feet away from Lenny in a cafe.

New dish and my holiday plans

This is a ram from when I went to the Macedonian mountains a couple weeks ago. He was super friendly, despite being continuously head-butted by the other ram, which you can see his legs in the background.

I forgot to write that I learned how to make a delicious, refreshing "soup". Damjanka and I had a great time cooking together on Sunday. She taught me how to make the soup from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and a bit of oil. Boban informed me this was not a soup, but a salad. Whatever it is, I like it and it is very refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. Damjanka made baked beans, which is a very traditional Macedonian food, an eggplant spread and vanilla creme for dessert. It was a wonderful afternoon. Once I can get my computer to recognize my flash drive, I will up load the photos.

In other news, I am going on holiday next week for about 2 weeks. I am travelling with a Peace Corps volunteer, Dao. We are meeting in Sarajevo, then going to another city in Bosnia Herzegovina, then up to Croatia. We may head down to Montenegro too. I will try to update my blog as often as I can. The pictures will have to wait because I will not be bringing my computer with me. I am realizing that I am getting older because I don't want to have to share a room in the hostel, except with Dao, if I don't have to. Thankfully, she is very understanding. Nona and I had a great time in Hawaii in our shared rooms, but since Dao and I are moving around so much, it is important to get a good nights sleep!

Finally, I am working on my final paper for my Masters program. I am a bit nostalgic for a year ago when I knew I was moving to Philly and scared about being back in school after 5 years off. I wonder where I will be a year from now! I am also working on brainstorming with my co-worker regarding projects/interventions to combat domestic violence in Macedonia. Duty calls!

Secret Agent

Dominika and I have listened to Secret Agent radio for the last 3 days. What is Secret Agent radio? It is a web based radio station that sounds like something straight out of James Bond movies. It is fun to listen to and makes me feel like I am doing my work in some swankly lounge as opposed to sitting at my desk, which is covered in papers.

This weekend I will be staying in Skopje. I am tired and the weather has been cool and drizzly, making it perfect sleeping weather. On Sunday, I will be going to Damjanka's house for dinner. She is my host-mom/landlady. Hooray for homemade Macedonian food!!! I need to finish knitting Audrey's scarf and clean my flat. I know you are getting jealous of my weekend plans. Just look at the title of my blog - it explains all!

It looks like at least part of my holiday will be spent in Croatia. My friend and I are supposed to plan our trip this coming week. I will update the blog on my plans.

In other news, I received feedback on my draft for recommendations for UNIFEM regarding entry points for women's economic rights. Audrey and Dominika were very supportive of my ideas and liked my paper so I am happy! Most likely, nothing will come of my recommendations until September when my new supervisor starts and everyone gets back from holiday. When I say everyone, I mean the entire country of Macedonia. So, in August, I will be working on a domestic violence funding proposal of sorts. More details to come when things are a bit more official.

Busy Busy Week

This week, we had visitors from Bratislava, our Regional Headquarters. I never knew there could be so many meetings in one day. Thankfully, I have not had to attend all the meetings, but for my poor cohorts who do, it's enough to drive one to drink. They have handled it well and I am sure they sleep very soundly at night.

So, you probably want an update on what I am doing for the women of Macedonia and their economic rights. Well, I am in the process of coming up with a 3-4 page paper outlining where we are and where UNIFEM can intercede. You are probably thinking that this sounds vaguely familiar and you are right. I have been working on this, on and off, for the majority of my time here. But it is crunch time. Holiday season (holiday is European speak for vacation) is just around the corner (read the entire month of August) so I need to have a plan in place for September, when we hit the ground running. Much to my surprise, I am working with the most senior person in Bratislava on coordinating and figuring out a potential strategy/projects for Macedonia surrounding women's economic rights for 2008-2009 and, maybe, beyond. No pressure.

I am not going on holiday for the entire month of August, nor are my coworkers, just to be clear. It is just that it is hard to get much done because everyone else is on holiday. We might shut the office down for a few days and we are all planning our respective holidays but we will still be around for at least half of the month, one way or another. I will let you know my holiday plans, once I get approval from the Boss for the time off. You know how that goes, it isn't official and the like. I can tell you that if it works out, I anticipate spending a lot of time in various hostels in the Western Balkans. And now for some pictures of Skopje. You have waited a long time for this and there are only 2 but, hey. They mean a lot to me.

The picture with the umbrellas is what a typical coffee bar looks like. Click on the picture itself and you might be able to see it better. This is how many evenings in Skopje are spent, sipping libations (coffee, Skopsko, etc) and chatting. The other picture is of the old stone bridge that is right by the center of Skopje. This river runs through town and the coffee bar in the other picture is located right by the river. I think from this point on, I will try to include random pictures in every post. But no promises.

Fanny Pack Update and My Current Project

Zdravo (hello) from ridiculously hot Skopje. Apparently, the heat intensifies in July. Awesome. So, you remember my post about the man and the fanny pack? Well, I was talking with my co-worker about this fashion blunder and I was informed that, most likely, the fanny pack contains a gun. What?! My fashion victim is, potentially, an undercover cop or the like and, since it is too hot to wear a jacket to conceal a weapon, a fanny pack is used. This brings to mind a couple issues. First, if everyone knows that when you, as a man, wear a fanny pack on the front, are most likely an undercover agent of sorts, does that not blow your cover? Would it not be smarter to figure out a way to actually maintain your undercover identity that does not resort to an obvious fanny pack? There are other possibilities to this situation. He could be a thug carrying a gun in a fanny pack or the fanny pack could contain no weapon whatsoever and he could just be a mere, civilian fashion victim. Regardless, I think I will do what I did on Saturday - just keep walking.

So, you are probably wondering what I am actually doing for UNIFEM at this point. Right now, I am editing a study surrounding current legislation and policy framework with respect to gender equality and women's economic rights in Macedonia. We hired a consultant to put it together prior to my arrival in Skopje. English is her second language so I am making sure the report flows. This is actually quite more labor intensive than I imagined. It is difficult to re-word things in the way the author intended, but in a way that makes sense. Last night, I was so tired at 9, I just went to bed (after reading a chapter in my book). I think editing, coupled with my language lesson wore me out. Doing this project will help me with my next step in my internship - identifying entry points for UNIFEM on the subject of women's economic rights. I have a few thoughts, but I will wait to share them with you. I need to conceptualize them further.

Finally, I know if you are wondering if I am writing this post from my home. No. I still do not have internet at home. I will save my venting for another day. Recent update: they some how think they installed the internet in May. Um, no, the first time they came to my house was June 9. That was the first 3 hours and 4 men. A week and a half later was the next 3 hours and 4 men. Now, they will probably want to charge me for June. I will see if I can get someone who speaks Macedonian to advocate on my behalf that I have not had connectivity for June so, until I can get on the internet, I don't pay. They will charge me for June. I just know it. Welcome to Macedonia. This is me waiting for my internet.

Domestic Violence in Macedonia

Hello! It has been a while since I gave you a proper update about what I am studying/learning so here it goes. Last week in Stip, the UN Human Rights Gender Theme Group (HRGTG) of Macedonia went to meet with the leaders of the municipality, NGOs and other interested parties to discuss domestic violence in their community. According to the department of Social Work (one of the government institutions), there were 8 cases of domestic violence (DV) reported. Eight. For the whole municipality. An NGO said they had seen something like 157 cases of DV. Over 50 of those were repeats - at least 3 times. Stip has close to 47,000 residents. As you can see, DV is grossly under reported. There was a big discussion as to why there was such a number discrepancy and that highlighted the lack of good data. There were many things discussed and I wanted to give you my reactions to the information provided. I believe the discussion was successful because I don't think all of these people from the Mayor to the Commission on Gender Equality to the other government institutions to the NGOs had ever been in the same room together to discuss issues surrounding domestic violence in their community. The Mayor did an excellent job summing up the discussion and suggested sending a team to Western Countries to learn from their experience. He realizes that they do not have to re-invent the wheel in Stip! So, who knows what will come from our discussion, but if they ask me who to visit, I know who I would suggest - Victim Outreach Information (VOI) in Colorado where I was a volunteer victim advocate. I feel silly even admitting this, but I realized how far we have come in the States in terms of domestic violence. We have shelters, laws specifically categorized as domestic violence, victim advocates (whoop whoop!), restraining orders, etc. Sure, we still have things to work on, but my goodness. The Ministry of the Interior (that's right, the Macedonian FEDERAL Government) determines if the DV case is severe enough to warrant sheltering the victim. Can you imagine how long this takes?! That is because the government provides the shelter. I could go into a whole other post to explain NGO involvement in Macedonia and I will, but not right now. I am sticking to the topic! So, long story short, my eyes were opened in Stip. If you are interested in reading our official minutes (taken by yours truly), let me know. I think I can share them with you. They are just over 2 pages. Brief.

Today, we had a presentation of some research we funded surrounding how much DV costs Macedonia, in economic terms. This presentation was tremendously successful. The panel consisted of Audur (my supervisor), Dominika (my co-worker who specializes in Gender Responsive Budgeting), the researcher and an Official from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. The audience had over 50 people present (even some men showed up!), one of which was the Ambassador from the Netherlands. Only recently has DV been discussed in Macedonia and I think having some ridiculously high financial costs, which are on the conservative side, shows people, in a logical way, why we need to deal with the issue of DV. There is an arguement that DV is a family matter, a private matter and this study shows that indeed this issue is of public concern. While this study was very preliminary (the researcher did a great job, considering the data issues), it starts a discussion. Afterall, in the end, unfortunately, what people mostly care about is the bottom line and this presentation shows how much DV takes away from the bottom line. Hundreds of thousands of Euros, even at the underreported level present in Macedonia. If the estimated number of victims came forward for services, we are in the hundreds of millions of Euros. Nevermind the human rights side of the argument. That is for a different post :)

The following jobs are considered exceptionally difficult...

I am reading the Macedonian Labor Relations Act of 1993 and in Section 32, it outlines what jobs are considered exceptionally difficult, strenuous and detrimental to human health. I want you to see some examples: exceptionally difficult physical labor, work in water or high humidity, surgical work in operating rooms, psychiatry work, work with harmful chemicals, ballet dancers, wind instrument musicians, folk dancers and opera singers. This section says, if I am understanding things correctly, that these employees can work reduced working hours (but not less than 30 hours a week) and cannot work more than the agreed upon working hours. Hmmmm. Interesting. Employees are entitled to a minimum of 18 working days of vacation per year. Sweet! Oh no, I just found out I was not reading the updated version of the law. It turns out, it was updated in 2005. Here's to hoping the folk dancers are still included in the 2005 version.

In other news, Bea is out of town until Sunday (which also happens to be her birthday). I finished knitting a scarf for her and I really hope she likes it and will actually wear it. I think it is cool, but I am not sure if our fashion sense match :) I hope to go to a yarn store with Damjanka (my host mom) tomorrow. The intern who was here prior to me is in town as well so we may meet up. My, how things change! Just a week ago, I was actually ironing my shirts. Now, I almost have a social life.

One more thing. I had my final training in security today, with the actual security department of the UN. I got to see where the dangerous parts of Macedonia are on a map and I asked the nice man what Kisela means. Kisela Voda is the name of my neighborhood. As it turns out, kisela literally means acid, but what you are really asking for is mineral water - that is how Macedonians say mineral water - kisela voda. Acid water, mineral water, it's all the same. I know we have funny names for things in English too, I just can't think of them right now. So, now I can order a beer (Skopsko, which is a pilsner made here in Skopje and delicious), Nescafe (coffee with milk) and kisela voda. Oh and Schweppes, which is a sour lemon carbonated refreshing deliciousness.

What does UNIFEM do, anyways?

I have often been asked what my internship entails. Now that I have been here almost two weeks, I can explain things better (not perfectly, but better). Here is what I sent to my Alumni person at Penn describing UNIFEM and me:

My MSSP internship is with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in their Skopje, Macedonia office. UNIFEM provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programs and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality. UNIFEM focuses on reducing feminized poverty, ending violence against women, reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls and achieving gender equality in democratic governance in times of peace as well as war. Personally, I am working on a project surrounding women's economic rights in Macedonia. I am reviewing Macedonian legislation and policy to see where UNIFEM can support a project to further women's equality in the work place.

As you are aware, I turned in my first paper yesterday and I think Audrey (my supervisor) liked it. Now, I just have to hope Dean Gelles and Ms. Cassie do as well. Today, I am learning about the Human Rights Based Approach to development. It deals with Duty Bearers and Rights Holders...so within this framework and based on the paper I just wrote, I have to figure out an entry point for UNIFEM surrounding women's economic rights. I keep hearkening back to my Poverty, Welfare and Work class (Hi Dr. Iversen!) where we discussed many items, one of which is whether there are actually jobs available to people once they complete their training (this is in America, but applies here as well). As you may know, Macedonia has high unemployment, for both men and women. As you can imagine, there is also lots of underemployment because individuals need a job, period. So the government of Nikolai (that is the first name of the Prime Minister and, as you can see, we are on a first name basis) is trying to make Macedonia a Business Heaven so jobs and industry can grow (from foreign investors), thus helping alleviate some of the unemployment and raising the standards of living for all Macedonians. Which goes back to job training and job availability, oh and women. I want to make sure that women have equal access to the training and hiring processes, especially if the much desired foreign investment comes in. I want women to know that it is illegal for their contract for employment to be based on whether they are going to have children in the near future. Potential employers frequently ask if young women plan on having children and make it a condition of their contract that if they become pregnant, their contract is terminated. I know the same thing goes on behind closed doors in the States - let's hire the young man instead of the young woman because we don't have to worry about maternity leave. How am I going to do this? I am not sure, but this is what is swirling around in my head at the moment.

Sour Water and Women's Economic Rights

You will be happy to know that the name of my neighborhood translates to Sour Water or Acid Water or Mineral Water...I am not sure. Kisela Voda. Here is a picture of the flag with the emblem of my municipality. Despite the questionable meaning of the word before water, it is actually a great area and I am happy with my place. I just wonder why it is called Sour Water. My water is not sour nor acidic.

In other news, I finished my first paper discussing the policy issue I am focusing on - women's economic rights. My supervisor is reviewing the paper and we are about to discuss it. I am so nervous. What if my writing is horrible or disappointing?! I lack confidence in moments like these. This is when I must trust the firm foundation given to me by Penn. I figure my program would not want me to represent them if they thought I was a horrible writer! This fear comes from illogical Ems. No doubt, with positive self-talk and lots of deep breaths, I will get through this initial moment of stress. This happened to me when I turned in my first paper when I started my Masters program. I am so nervous, I can't eat or hardly drink coffee. That is how you know things are serious - lack of ability to consume coffee. Once the meeting is over and the paper "returned" from my supervisor, I can deal with the results. If you want to read my paper (it is only 7 pages), please let me know and I will email it to you.

Last night, I met up with Jessica, another Peace Corps volunteer and some women from the Roma area of Topaana, which is also part of Skopje. Last week, I went to Topaana with Jessica - she lives and volunteers there - and it is like a completely different Skopje. This little girl is Jessica's landlord's niece. I met her last week and although we did not speak the same language, we were able to communicate pretty well! The Southern Baptist Church has two women who work in Topaana with the Roma women surrounding reproductive health and education. I was surprised the Southern Baptist Church talks about sexual health! Any how, once a year the Southern Baptist ladies treat the Roma mothers they work with a trip to a coffee bar on the main square of Skopje. Last year, when they started the trip, some of the women had never been to a coffee shop the main square in Skopje. And to think, I spend most of my evenings there with my friends! It is truly a treat for all the women and children involved - they looked beautiful all dressed up and just seemed so happy. It is yet another reminder of how privileged I am. I talked to Ms. Betty (one of the Southern Baptist Ladies) about my wanting to do a knitting/craft circle. Jessica is going to talk to Fatma, the visionary Roma woman who runs Sumnal, an education center in Topaana. Many Roma children drop out of school, some even during the primary education years. Fatma runs a center, Sumnal, that is similar to an after school program. Sumnal is also doing a project in conjunction with UNIFEM surrounding domestic violence. It is estimated that 70% of Roma women experience domestic violence (I am not sure if this definition includes verbal/psychological abuse or not). I am so grateful for my friendship with Jessica and my time with the Roma. It grounds me and reminds me of what is important.

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.

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.