Well life here
in Kamenica keeps ticking along. School days are a little long some days since
I am still trying to figure out what my job is/where I am useful. In talking
with previous/current volunteers this often takes 3 months to a year, so I
guess I have lots of sitting and observing left to do. However, I am going to
try a new approach and try to figure out just what the school wanted when they
requested me. I have yet to figure out who exactly did- whether it was a
specific teacher, the director, or just a general thought that I could be a
useful addition for a while. Once I get this figure out hopefully I can figure
out more what I should be doing. I have been
emailing with an RPCV who lived in Kamenica and he has been a good resource. He
was a MAK 7 back in the early 2002/2003, however was only in Kamenica for about
8 months due to the mine flooding/pollution incident everyone here seems to not
talk about at all.
I have learned
though that in this country, I can’t be passive and unopinionated like I was in
US. If I don’t like something, I can’t just go with it/hope it will change. I
need to address it right away and be blunt. This is really hard for me to do
since it isn’t my way. If I am tired and just want to go home and relax, I need
to say I am tired instead of sitting at one more na gosti not enjoying
myself/thinking about how I wish I could be home sleeping. I would like to
think this will a) get easier over time and b) get easier when I have more
stuff going on. I think I need to be blunt and after observing a little more,
tell the teachers that I am not a decoration for their classroom. If I am not
going to be used by a certain teacher/grade, there is no point in me being
there.
Despite not
having language class anymore, I can tell my Macedonian is still improving.
When I introduce myself to new classes, I do it in English first, then
Macedonian and between that and a few other things, I have been doing lots of
translating, which is good practice. My task now is translating my chocolate
chip cookie recipe into Macedonian for the teachers who have been asking daily
for it after I brought in some cookies. As soon as I get internet I will start
Skype tutoring with my Macedonian Language Teacher from Lozovo, Dushko, and he
sent me a message yesterday in Macedonian and I understood it and responded
back in Macedonian, to which he said he was impressed because I was 90%
accurate on it all. I still don’t quite know when to use which prepositions and
direct and indirect objects are still the bane of my existence, however I am
using over half of the long form direct objects on a regular basis now.
Highlights of
Today:
· Built a
second fire all on my own! It still takes me a while (longer than a Macedonian)
and a lot of paper (I was scolded today for using plain paper, but that’s all I
have right now- you don’t just walk into a store and buy old used paper, so I
don’t exactly know where to get other stuff this time of year), but I
eventually get it. It is amazing
how natural hauling wood several times a day is now and its only been a week
and a half.
· Watched
fish being scaled and gutted (Yeah I know I am from MN, but believe it or not I
have never been fishing). It was gross as is, but I kinda freaked out a little
when they started scaling the fish that were still alive. Please can someone
start cutting off my outer layer of skin while I am alive!
· Met the
final English teacher at the school today and she is AMAZING! She teaches the
first, second, and fifth graders. She had me working with them from the start,
helping the first graders cut shapes to make masks. A huge plus with her too is
that she has experience working with the last few volunteers, so she
understands much more than most why I am here. I am hoping to work with her a
lot.
· I killed a
bug (like a giant box elder bug) with my bare hands and only slightly flinched.
· I messaged
back and forth briefly with my host brother and host sister and Kenzie’s host
father in Lozovo and I am very excited to go back and visit in January. While I
know Kamenica is my new home, right now Lozovo is still my Macedonian home to
me.
