The Village of Lozovo: A Journey Through Paint

Things are still going great in Lozovo. The 9 of us Americans here have embarked on a new project.... We are painting a pretty intense 3-walled mural on the inside. We have been working nightly on a mural of Lozovo, a traditional Macedonian feast, the journey to the neighbouring village of Milino, and possibly even attempting Skopje and part of America. We have been working from about 4pm-10pm the last couple nights. Or I should say, working and enjoying the fabulous hospitality Mama and Tatko are providing us all with. Our wine glasses are never empty, multiple shots of rakija are passed around, and we have been served two very delicious meals as well as constant snacks (I swear every time I turn around, Mama is bringing out a new plate of something delicious). This is the Macedonia everyone should experience- the extreme graciousness and hospitality.

This is the Lozovo wall. Claire and I are working on the цирква (church) and the winery.

Trend, the local coffee bar. It is wood paneled, so I used a fork to give it a wood-like texture.

Andres, Me, Julie, and Claire painting away.

While blending the many greens in the grass, I found it much more effective to use my hand.

Shannon used the one colour effect on her camera. 

The Lozovo wall.

The Wednesday Night Painting Crew with Julie's Mama:
Julie, Mama, Andres, Me, Claire, Shannon, Amy, Kenzie

Language is going extremely well. It is fast paced, but I am certainly learning a lot. On days when I am frustrated either because I can't understand what my family is saying or I am unable to communicate something to them, or I am overwhelmed by everything we learned in class, I just take a step back and remember I have been in this country for just over a month. I came not knowing the entire alphabet even and now I am able to have a decent conversation in Macedonian. I know my sentence structure is lacking, but I am able to put the words I want to use together. Even if the words aren't in the correct order, the Macedonians understand what I am trying to say (i.e. Yesterday I with other Americans paint Lozovo picture Julie's house- It doesn't make sense grammatically, but you certainly know what I am trying to say!). At the end of October we have a practice LPI (language assessment) to see where we are at. At the end of PST, Peace Corps requires us all to achieve at least an intermediate low level of language. If we don't reach it, we are required to have tutoring during the start of our service and then take the test again a few months later. I am not too worried as I have seen I can communicate on a very basic level already and we still have a month and a half of PST.

Tomorrow we have another Hub Day in Kumanovo with all 36 of the PCTs. Last time we talked a lot about STDs, this time, we are talking about the History and Politics of Macedonia. Then starting next week, we have one week of Practicum. Since Lozovo only has one elementary school, most of us are traveling to the nearby large city of Veles. I will be working with an English Language teacher who teaches 1st and 5th grade, so it will be nice to see two different ends of the spectrum age/language wise. I am with my teacher Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday I shadow another English Language teacher who travels to the small villages around Lozovo. Then Thursday and Friday I am back at my original school teaching a few lessons (potentially). The following week is a big week for us....we find out our site placements a.k.a. where we will live for the next two years! 

Многу Убави Слики!

Just two more reasons why I love this country (and why you all should come visit).

The radio tower shown transmits the strongest signal in the Balkan area. It apparently transmits signal all the way to Australia. Who would have thought such a thing would exist in Lozovo.

Walking to the Стар Железничка Станица (old train station) on Friday night.

Јади, Јади, Јади, Земи, Земи, Земи

Јади: to eat

Земи: to take

All of the food (Храна) here has been absolutely amazing. I have been in Macedonia for three weeks now and I have only eaten a few things I didn't like. The first was паштета. If you decide to come visit me, I may ask you to bring some canned cat food with for comparison. Although my guess is that it will, without a doubt, be better than the canned meat known as паштета. I knew I wouldn't like it just by looking at it, smelling it, and knowing what exactly it was. However, my philosophy here is try everything I am offered. If I don't like it, I don't eat it, but try. When my host mother opened a can of it one of my first days in Lozovo, the smell was astounding. I could feel my taste buds running for shelter as I started to breath a little faster in anticipation of what was to come. She was very "nice" and gave me 1/4 of the can (lucky me!). I slowly picked up my fork and very delicately scraped a dime-sized piece onto my fork. Taking a deep breath, I put it into my mouth and even without a mirror, I know I made a horrific face. Let's just say, I am pretty sure that face guaranteed that I will never be offered that again!

Паштета: Avoid if at all possible!

A lot of the meat I am hesitant about, but I will usually eat a bite or two of it, since we have been told that the families normally don't eat a lot of meat since it is expensive, but they are doing it just for us. This morning I passed on the supposed salami, that was a pale pink and looked somewhat spreadable. I also just barely touched the sausage from the other night that had lots of hard chunks in it. Oh and I can't forget the American style hotdogs. They look like uncooked, extra soft, Fun Dogs. I try to avoid these, but sometimes it isn't possible, so I just take a deep breath, go to a happy place, and eat quickly, but not too quickly or I will get served more. (*I should mention thought that I have had some very delicious meat here as well. Not all of it is as sketchy as the types I have mentioned.*)

On a more delicious note, I have had some AMAZING meals here. I wish I had grabbed my camera every meal so I could take a picture of how delicious most of the food is. My host mother and sister do most of the cooking and it is одлично (wonderful)! The food is very fresh and almost everything is homemade as many fruits and vegetables grow right in my frontyard or backyard. My mother makes homemade plum jam and both she and my баба (grandma) make a dessert called слатко, which literally means sweet. My mother makes a plum version and my баба makes it using figs (смокви). Figs aren't super common in Minnesota, but they are a fruit I have learned to enjoy here and are plentiful. I discovered a few days ago that my family has a pomegranate tree and in one month, we will have многу (many) pomegranates. I am looking forward to this.

Pomegranate tree in my frontyard 

One of my favourite meals that I am served fairly regularly, usually for dinner (which tends to be served around 9:00 or 10:00pm) is eggs and peppers. The dish is usually about 75% peppers with some scrambled egg. So delicious (especially considering I didn't really eat eggs in the States). Another delicious meal is called мусака. It reminded me of a classic, hearty, Minnesotan hotdish. It was potatoes, a ground meat combination (that tasted amazing despite how sketchy it sounds), egg, and peppers. And of course I have to mention ајвар. Ајвар is a homemade пиперки (pepper) spread. За појадок јас сакам да јадам леб со ајбар (For breakfast, I like to eat bread with ајвар). I have not had the opportunity to help my family make ајвар, but I have certainly helped them eat it!

Another delicious item that is often served with a meal is tomatos, cucumber, and onion, either all together or the tomatoes alone. I wasn't a huge tomato fan previously, but I have had some mighty delicious tomatoes here. They also make really good cabbage and cucumber salad with a little oil and salt.

My host sister makes fabulous homemade cookies and I have asked her to teach me how to make them. My host mother made палачинки (they call them pancakes, but they are actually crepes) the other night and let me practice flipping them. I did pretty well if I do say so myself, and I learned how to make them, so I can make them on my own. It is a very basic egg, water, flour recipe, but I am very excited to experiment with that basic idea when I get to site. I might even try making an apple cinnamon version for my family here, since I am missing apple season back home.


Summary: No need to worry. I am eating quite well.

Goal #2

During PST, we are told that we will work a lot of Peace Corps Goal Two: Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served. I have certainly done that recently.

Last night, my brother and I worked on it. After spending some time with Shannon, Andres, and Anna at Trend (the local coffee bar), we walked Shannon towards here house on the other side of town, then went home around 1am. Здравче and I then stayed up until 3am talking via Google Translate. He asked me what I thought was the funniest about Macedonia/what I didn't understand and I told him three things: 1) If a female has wet hair, she will get sick, 2) If a female sits on the floor, she will become infertile, and 3) промаја (pro-mi-ya).

He then clarified a few things. He said yes, I can't have wet hair or I will get sick. I then told him that at home, in America, lots of girls go outside with wet hair and in Minnesota if you do that in the winter, you're hair will freeze into icicles. The concept of just how cold Minnesota can be is hard for some here to comprehend.

He said in his house, it is fine to sit on the floor, but why would you do that when you can sit on the couch. I told him, sometimes it is comfortable to sit on the floor. He said, "ok, you can try, but my mom and dad will make you sit on the couch instead." (paraphrased the awkward Google Translate version)

Finally, on the topic of промаја, we could not come to an agreement. промаја is the belief here (and I believe other places in the area as well), that if you have a cross breeze in your house, you will get sick. It is fine for the wind to blow on your outside, but not inside. If you have one inside, you will get sick and possibly die (which is why even in the summer, on super crowded busses, you can't open your windows). I told him that in America, we don't have промаја (which that alone blew his mind). I then asked him if he had ever gotten sick from промаја and he said yes. He had промаја in his car once and got a headache and then later his back hurt, so he hasn't opened multiple windows since. I then told him that I like the breeze and am willing to chance getting sick from it and he shook his head and finger at me and made the disapproving clicking sound and said Не. Apparently, I am not allowed to try it here, so I am glad that it is getting cooler here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For dessert today we had the Macedonian equivalent of Oreos. We could have just eaten them and enjoyed them, but then I wouldn't have fulfilled goal # 2. Instead, I taught my host mother, sister, and brother about the ancient American tradition of using the "Oreos" to determine who you are going to marry. We spent the next 15 minutes twisting our "Oreos" open and determining which side of the cookie had more frosting, thus selecting our future husband/wife. They loved it and after the first time, they did it with every cookie. My brother then decided to use his "Oreos" as first a monocle, then using two to make himself a pair of glasses. I finally was allowed to take a picture, but I know if I post it and he saw it, I would be in trouble (he laughed at the pictures and said, "глупи слики", which means stupid pictures.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am starting to feel much more at home here. I am comfortable sitting on the couch relaxing, rather than sitting straight up with my feet on the floor and my hands in my lap. I will, to some extent, get food from the fridge if I am hungry (although I am very rarely hungry here as my family is still trying to feed me as much as a 18-year-old football player). I am fine making a fool out of myself with my limited language.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I jump back and forth from being the middle child in the family and the youngest in the family (despite actually being the oldest age-wise). Здравче really is my big brother now, despite being 3 1/2 years younger than me. He is always looking out for me and it is clearly his role to be my security here. He is like the ideal big brother. He told me yesterday when we were Google Translate talking that if I ever need anything, let him know. If any of the Americans need anything or have any problems, let him know as he wants to help all 9 of us. Growing up, I sometimes wished I had an older brother (nothing against you Anna), and now I have it, for a few months anyway. Sometimes I am the next oldest child in that my host parents let me stay out late and I can drink and I am an adult. That leaves Бојана as the youngest (which at 14, she is quite young still). Other times, I am treated like a two-year-old, not capable of doing anything for myself. The lack of language and cultural knowledge is the main reason for this. I definitely prefer it when I am the middle child. I am ok having my "big" brother take care of me, but I am not a huge fan of being treated like a child when I haven't lived with my real parents for quite some time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I asked Здравче the other night if he liked living with his parents (last year he lived 20 minutes away at college, but this year he is living at home) and he said he did. His parents give him money when he needs it and take care of him. I told him that in America, most people don't live with their parents after age 18 and he knew that from a previous volunteer. I said I liked living on my own. That concept isn't really seen here. You live with your parents until you get married, then the bride moves to her husbands house, sometimes in the same house as his parents, sometimes in a house nearby.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Language learning is going really well, in my opinion. Later this week we all meet individually with our LCF to get his interpretation on our abilities. I was finally able to figure out the conjugations (thanks to Shannon's magic memory trick) and I already have a fairly large Macedonian vocabulary considering I've been here for three weeks. Јас се викам Сара. Јас сум од Америка. Јас живем од Лозобо. Јас имам дваесет и четири години. Јас имам една сестра. Cестра ми се викате Ана. Таа живее од Калифорнија. Маијка ми се викате џуди. Татке ми работи како професор по компjутери. Јас сакам да јадам леб со ајвар за појадок. Jас одиме школо со куче ми, Бени. (I am called Sara. I am from America. I live in Lozovo. I am 24-years-old. I have one sister. My sister is called Anna. She lives in California. My mother is called Judy. My father works as a professor of computers (I have yet to learn how to say Technology Coordinator). I like to eat bread with ajvar (a Macedonian specialty- red pepper spread) for breakfast. I walk to school with my dog, Beni.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am still trying to figure out how to:

• Say stop feeding me. I am not hungry. Actually, I know they understand what I am saying because they understand the word "full" and Јас не сакам де јадам сега (I dont want to eat now), but they pretend not to understand so they can keep feeding me. I was told this morning that chocolate will build muscles.
• Explain that I am learning Macedonian at school and while I appreciate their help at home, I can only handle so much. I can't remember 100 new words a day and my text book from Peace Corps is correct, it is just a different dialect than they speak here.
• When I can shower. You have to heat the water up here, so there isn't always hot water. It takes a few hours to heat up. I have been able to shower a few days in a row and I have also had the opposite. The last time I showered was on Wednesday...its Sunday (I did just shower like 20 minutes ago and it was one of the best showers I have ever had since it had been so long). I have tried to ask when I can shower and establish a routine, but it has yet to happen. I much prefer showering daily to showering every 4 days.

When I start to get frustrated with the above things, I just tell myself, I only have to deal with this until the end of November, then when I move to site, I can do things how I want to do them (or I better be able to!).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All in all, life is still good. I am still in the "honeymoon" phase. It has yet to hit me that I am in Macedonia for two years. We've been told, for some people, it will hit during PST, for others, it won't hit us until we have been in our site for a few days/weeks.

Hub Day!

Enid, Michele, Dan, Kenzie, Dan, Shannon, and Me
eating dinner at the Irish Pub in Kumanovo

Yesterday we had our first Hub Day, where all 36 PCTs from the four training communities met together in Kumanovo for training. It was great to see everyone else, since we haven't seen them in 2 weeks. It was like seeing old friends. The interesting part about it though, was even though there were some people from other communities that I really wanted to see, many of us hung out with others from our training communities, as those are the people we have really bonded with. For the most part, everyone is having a great time. The only real negative I heard was of one person who has either fleas or bedbugs at their home stay, but they are enjoying it despite that minor inconvenience. The statistics say that we will most likely loose at least two people from the MAK-16 group before Swearing In the end of November, but so far, everyone is holding up strong.

Shannon, Hana, Enid, and Me

It was kind of weird being back in Kumanovo after being in Lozovo since there is such a dramatic size difference. Those of us from the two small villages were a little overwhelmed at first. There was so much going on- people everywhere, lights everywhere.

Going back a few days, on Thursday we had our site placement interviews. They went really well. We met individually with the Program Managers, the Program Specialist, and the Program and Training Department Head. They asked questions about our previous experiences, our ideas of what we hope to accomplish in our time here, how we make friends, what our hobbies are, etc. I expressed interest in not caring if I am with a host family or not, I just want to be able to cook for myself and I would like to work with younger children. They were really excited that I have had experience with curriculum development and said the English curriculum for the youngest children (1st/2nd grade) needs a lot of work and is where English teachers are struggling the most, so hopefully I will get placed at that age level. Peace Corps anticipates us finding out our site placements on October 26th, so in one month I should know where I will be living for the next two years!

We were given our Macedonian bank accounts yesterday and will be getting our next months allowance put into them any day. One of the best parts about being in a village is you really don't spend much money because 1) there aren't places to go that cost money and 2) things are pretty cheap. Many of us still have a sizable chunk of our first walk-around allowance from Peace Corps, which is nice because right now we are getting 125 dinari, the equivalent of $2.75, a day. For the village trainees, that is a lot! That would buy us 8 coffees, or 3 bottles of Coke, or 5 large candy bars, or 2 1/2 bottles of Ckopcko.

Starting next weekend we can travel on our own for day trips. I don't know how much I will do that, but it will be nice to have the option. Next Saturday we have a training workshop in Probistip, so we will get to see everyone again.

5 Days in Review

Writing blog posts now is hard, not because there is nothing to report, but because everyday there is so much that is new. I guess I will write about the highlights since my last post.

Saturday

Jori was still at my house (she was here all weekend). We had a great talk Friday night about my host family, TEFL, and PC in general. She had a lot of great advice that, along with what I have been told by other PCVs, has given me a much better idea about what I will be doing until 2013.

Julie, Boban, Zdravche, Anna, Jovan, Me

A group of us went to Pastrmailijafest in the neighbouring town of Shtip. There were 8 of us total (Julie, Andres, Morgan, Anna, and I for the Americans and Jovan, Zdravche, and Boban for the Macedonians). There had been much discussion trying to figure this all out because PC has a policy regarding travel for PCTs and you are not allowed to travel out of your village during the first three weeks unless you are with your host family. Well, Julie had Jovan and I had Zdravche, so we were fine, but no one else's family was going. However, after quite a few phone calls to the PST director and the Homestay Coordinator, everyone got approved to go. Pastrmailija is a Macedonian pizza-like food without cheese or sauce, just dough with seasoned pork. It is very good. At Pastrmailijafest, we ate, drank, listened to the bands playing, and of course people watched (which included watching some young boys dancing in the street and trying to hit each other in inappropriate places- lets just say 9 year old boys are the same everywhere!).

Morgan, Julie, Me, Jovan, and Andres is laying in front

After a little while, Anna, Zdravche, Boban, and I went to a disko. Anna and I felt incredibly underdressed as we were wearing just regular clothes, but one thing we have learned about Macedonian girls is they dress up to the 9's. My LCF said that even if a girl doesn't have 200 denari in her purse to buy a drink, she will look like she is dressed for the Academy Awards. We talked for a while, participated in more people watching, then once the others joined us, we decided to take the opportunity to work on PC Goal #2 (Helping promote better understanding of Americans on the part of peoples served) and busted out some of our best American dance moves (which really just meant we actually danced as Macedonians, as a rule, don't really dance at bars/clubs). We even got our Macedonian counterparts to join in with us.

Sunday

I hung out at home with my family and Jori until Jori's bus left. Then Bojana and I went to watch Zdravche's football game. There, we met Julie and Jovan, Morgan, and Andres. Lozovo won and Andres managed to catch the winning goal on camera and later played it back for the man who scored the goal. We hung out at the motel for a little while, before parting ways. Shannon then came over to my house to work on homework. She and I ended up having a 45 minute conversation with my host mother in Macedonian and legitimately understood like 75% of it. I have learned that I feel so much more comfortable with my knowledge of Macedonian and using it when I have another American with me and I have heard others say the same. It is so much easier to tag-team it as we all have learned some different words and phrases.

Monday

Monday wasn't too eventful. We had class until 4:00, then I did homework, ate, went to my host Baba's house to visit my host cousin who was there, did homework, then played cards with my host sister and brother.

Tuesday

We had class until around 1:30 on Tuesday. After class, Shannon and I went to her house to work on homework, but ended up spending our time there making small talk with her family. We also ate lunch there. Shannon had been bragging up how good the food was at her house (which I still think mine might be the best...just sayin') so she was excited to see her host mom and sister preparing spaghetti as the last time they had it, it was absolutely amazing I guess. Well, this time, we were served tuna spaghetti. Neither one of us likes canned tuna, but we ate it anyway (I think we all have this desire to always be polite, which sometimes makes us stomach things we don't really enjoy) and although I didn't enjoy it, it wasn't the worst thing I have ever eaten.

After lunch, it was such a nice day that we decided to go find somewhere in the village to sit and do our homework. On our walk towards the train tracks, there was a man with a herd of goats walking down the street in front of us. We both had seen goats before, but never really up close and personal, and we certainly did get more personal with them than either one of us ever hoped we would. The goats were dropping pellets everywhere (if you haven't seen a goat poop up close, it is in a very very odd way, kind of interesting) and peeing (you do not want to be anywhere within 3 feet of a goat when it pees or your feet will be soaking wet). We were trying to be polite and have a conversation with the herdsman while walking, but it was quite hard with all of this going on, however we were doing pretty good. Then one of the goats mounted another one and we lost it. I mean really, how can you have a conversation with someone when two goats are getting busy right in front of you?

After we left the goats on one side of the train tracks, we sat down to do our homework and were literally 2 minutes into it when three children approached us, curious about us, so we used our limited Macedonian to talk to them. We discovered their names, ages, grades in school, and that one of the girl's dad works at a restaurant in Florida that is NOT by the ocean. We also found out where they live and told them where we live (in terms of the word there and pointing in the general direction).

Julie called right when we were exhausting our small talk and invited us to go on a hike with her and Jovan, so we put our homework away and went to join them. Now last time I went hiking with Julie and Jovan (when we went to Milino), we were walking along a road and the train tracks, so it was more walking, less hiking. I figured it would be about the same, so I threw on my TOMS and Shannon her sandals. We then took off on our hike, that Jovan said was to another village (with a much longer name, so I don't remember which village it was). Well this time, instead of walking along a paved road, we ended up trekking up a mountain through lots of tall plants and lots of burs. You're all smart people so you have figured out already that TOMS are not the best shoes for such an adventure. I got pricked and poked with every step, but it was amazing none-the-less. We got to see Lozovo from the top of the mountain and just look out over the beautiful countryside. Macedonia really is a gorgeous place. If you are up for an adventure, I would certainly recommend coming here.

Some highlights along the way include, finally really understanding what Goce (the PC Safety Coordinator) meant about the vicious wild packs of dogs (but don't worry, we were very vigilant, Goce's favourite word) and managed to come out unscathed, although one did almost bite Jovan. He was very nice and put himself between the dogs and Shannon, Julie, and I. We also saw some beekeepers in the village and were invited in to check out their bees. We even got to sample some fresh, sticky, honey, straight from the comb. Delicious!

Once we returned from our adventure, Shannon and I decided to continue our visiting of the American's houses and this time it was Andres's house. We were offered homemade wine that was delicious. Julie and Jovan came over a little later, and the five of us, plus Andres' host mom, Vera, played the game Pit. It was so much fun. Very fast paced, but enjoyable. Andres ended up narrowly beating both Jovan and me.

We left Andres's around 10:15 and Shannon and I went back to my house to quick do our homework, which proved to be slightly more difficult than we anticipated as my whole family was there watching us do it. When we finally finished, we were served dinner at like 11:15, even though neither of us were that hungry.

Wednesday

Today I haven't done a whole lot. I was at school until 1:30 and have been working on homework/pictures/this blog since then.

Things to Look Forward To

Tomorrow we have our site placement interviews, where we will be meeting with quite a few of the Peace Corps Coordinators to discuss what our preferences are for our permanent sites as well as talk about our skill sets so that they can match us with the best placement possible. Friday we are leaving Lozovo bright and early to drive back to Kumanovo for our first Hub Day. Hub Days are when they bring all of the trainees from the four communities together for a training session. I think we all are excited to see everyone else and hear how life in Macedonia is going for them. It has been two weeks since we have seen the others.

Pictures

To mention again, I am uploading pictures to Facebook, but including links under the Photo Albums tab at the top of my blog. Check them out. Another great place for pictures is my friend Shannon's blog.

I would love any updates from home that anyone has. You can Facebook message me, Leave me a comment on here, Email me: sara.scholin@gmail.com, or Snail Mail me: Sara Scholin, Peace Corps Macedonia, Oslo 6, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, Eastern Europe. I think it takes about 10 days for a letter to come, which isn't too bad.

Greetings from Lozovo (Title Courtesy of Shannon)

I have been in my PST placement for one week now and all is good. We have been quite busy, so I haven't updated yet. Lots of information to share though.

My Host Family
My host family consists of my mom, Жаклина (Jacklina), my dad, Томе, my 21-year-old brother, Здравче (Zdravche), and my 15-year-old sister, Бојана (Boy-ana). Oh and of course my dog, Beni (Macedonians typically do not have animals as pets. Dogs run wild in the streets and most people try to avoid them. However, Beni was the dog of a former PC volunteer, Jason, a MAK-12 and my family has agreed to take care of Beni until Jason comes from the US to Macedonia in November to bring Beni back to the US- an idea I don't understand). My family is great. They are very hospitable and are always trying to make me feel at home. My sister speaks English quite well and has been studying it for years. My brother also studied English in school, however, his teacher apparently was horrible and his speaks only a little English. Бојана was doing most of the translating between the family and me, however, just in the past two days, she stopped and I found out from Здравче that she doesn't want to translate anymore. Luckily in this technical age, there is Google Translate. While it isn't perfect, it usually gets the point across. Здравче is going to college in another town starting in October, however he will still be living at home, which I am very thankful for. Once Бојана stopped translating, Здравче has become my main life-line for communication, which is great. I like all of my family members a lot, but Здравче is amazing. I definitely have more in common with him (since he is 21) as opposed to my 15 year old sister. Здравче has become a favourite of the Americans and I can't wait until I can have more of a conversation with him.
more.

Lozovo
Apparently it is ok to say the name of our town, so I am in Lozovo. It is a small village of about 900 people. My friend Shannon described Lozovo as very Beauty and the Beast-esk (think the opening scene when Belle is walking in town and everyone says "hello", there are small shops, and animals freely roaming the streets) and I couldn't agree more. Every morning as Benny is walking me to school, I pass by chickens, other dogs, and cats all freely wandering. There are goats in a large field across from the school and as we look out our classroom (which is actually just a closet) at school, we can usually see some cows, maybe more goats, and maybe some sheep. Lozovo has a school, a motel (which coincidentally does not have any rooms to sleep in) but is more of a restaurant/bar, a post office, a few small markets, and a coffee bar, which is the hang out place for the local youth on Saturday nights. Despite all the small, quaintness of the town, I discovered last night that the Google Earth images are much more detailed for Lozovo than they are for Pine City. There is even a photograph of our school on there. My family was entertained that Lozovo's Google Earth is better than somewhere in America's.

Americans
There are nine of us PCT's here in Lozovo and we are all good friends. Our entire MAK-16 group of 36 was split between four different towns for training. There is one group who is learning both Macedonian and Albanian. One group is composed only of CD (Community Development) volunteers. My site is only TEFL volunteers, and the last town is a mixture of TEFL and CD volunteers. The Americans here in Lozovo with me are:

Julie, who was my roommate in Philadelphia and Kumanovo. She is from Washington D.C. and full of energy. Morgan, who is from Nashville. She is our expert video maker. I will certainly post some of her videos on here so you can see life in Macedonia. Kenzie, who is from Chicago. He actually went to college with one of my friends from elementary school. Shannon, who is the first MAK-16 I met. We met in the Philadelphia airport (pretty easy to spot other PCVs since we all were struggling with our massive amounts of baggage). She is from Kansas and has spent a lot of time at my host family's house. Claire is from Oklahoma, but went to U of C, so we have had some Hyde Park talks. Amy is from near Philadelphia. She and I have both been told we are the least athletic person people have met, so when we played soccer with some of the locals one day, we were clearly outmatched. Andreas is our other boy. He is from Seattle and is fluent in Spanish, having Columbian connections. I learned yesterday he got his digital camera from a lost and found. He is very laid back and loves the hospitality aspect of Macedonia. And last, but not least, is Anna. She is from near Milwaukee and is very into sports. We are all between the ages of 22 and 25, so we share quite a few similarities.

School
At school, we are split into two groups for language learning. We have two awesome teachers, Душко/ Dushko and Voikan. Kenzie, Morgan, Claire, Shannon, and I are with Dushko. He is quite entertaining- full of jokes and we have lots of fun. We have language class every week day from 8-12, which is a lot. Somedays I can handle it, other days, my brain just wants to shut off. Today was one of those days. We were talking about how to make the definite singular and plural forms of fruits and vegetables. That involves first knowing the what the word is in Macedonian, then making it plural, then making it definite. An example would be: the word for watermelon is лубеница. The plural would be лѕбеници. And the definite plural would be лубениците. However, whenever I get frustrated with it, I think, wait, we have been in this country for only two weeks and I this is where I am at. Two weeks ago, I couldn't even tell you the entire cyrillic alphabet. My host dad said the other day that he thinks we have learned about 10% of the Macedonian language so far (I think he is a little optimistic). My family helps me learn lots at home as well, however, their pace for making me learn things is much faster than I can comprehend. Last night I was given about 50 new words that they wanted me to know by today. Let's just say, it is not going to happen.

We also have technical sessions, cross-cultural sessions, and medical sessions. Our technical sessions involve us learning how to teach ESL. We had our second technical session this past Wednesday and, while I understand the purpose, I don't feel like I have learned a whole lot. I think partially it is because the Gustavus Education Department is so amazing! Our cross-cultural sessions so far have been mostly answering questions about things we have seen and why Macedonians believe/do certain things that aren't typical in the US. A few examples would be promiya, which, in short, is the idea that a cross-breeze is ok outside, but inside a house it can cause you to die, become infertile, or have a whole assortment of other problems. Another is that if a female goes outside with wet hair, they will become infertile. Some things that we have witnessed are not a cultural phenomena, but rather our families individual beliefs. We have a medical session in just a few minutes to teach us basic first aid.

Pictures
I am hoping to post some pictures soon. I am still debating whether to post of Facebook, Picasa, etc. However, I have created a page on my blog so keep checking, I will hopefully get some up soon. Others have already posted some (if you check out the Fellow MAK-16 Blogs section, both Shannon and Morgan have posted pictures on theirs).

Posh Corps
Eastern Europe placements for Peace Corps are often jokingly called the Posh Corps. We have electricity, houses, supermarkets, hospitals, my family even has wireless. We have many American comforts here, but don't get me wrong, it isn't perfect. Earlier this week the power was out for quite some time one night (good thing I have the most amazing flashlight ever- it seriously lit up two rooms of the house). At school the power goes out frequently. But overall, we are leading a good life.

Communication
Communicating with people around here is still very difficult. I know a fair number of words, but I don't know how to use them. I can tell you the Macedonian words for fork, spoon, knife, winter, family members, foods, school supplies, colours, etc., but I don't know how to use those words in a sentence or communicate very well on a basic level. A few nights ago, we visited some of my host family's relatives in a village not too far from Lozovo. Very little English was spoken and Бојана was not in the mood for translating, so there I sat, awkwardly trying to figure out what people were saying, focusing on the words I know (all while trying not to look bored and tired). There was a cute five year old boy who was playing and I kept trying to interact with him, but he was very shy. Finally, I was able to play with him, and I have to say, that is probably the most I have ever felt on the same level with a Macedonian. I could understand much of what he said and use my very broken Macedonian to ask him questions. Keep in mind we probably only said like 20 words to each other the whole time! But, it was nice to be able to communicate with him without needing to use words. My family commented that I am on about the same level as him. I took that as a compliment!

PCVs
I have been lucky enough to have been able to talk to quite a few current PCVs about their life and get tips and suggestions from them. There is a MAK-14, Ricky, living here in Lozovo until he COSs in November and it has been great having him here. He is definitely all of our biggest advocates. If we need anything communicated to our host families, we can talk to him about it and he will help us. Last weekend two other MAK-14s, Jason and Dan, were visiting Ricky and so we got to hear about their experiences. Now this weekend Jori and Chris (both MAK-15s who trained in Lozovo last year) are back for the weekend. I have been given lots of good advice from them, mostly about how we should interact with our host families. It has also been a lot of fun to see the difference in language abilities. With three different years of volunteers here, you can tell the difference. However, it was great to see that they can all communicate very well in Macedonian. One day I will be there.

Experiences
There is a lot I could write here, because everything I have done has been an experience, but there is no way I can ever write it all, so here are a few:

Last Sunday Julie and I went to tour the local winery where Julie's host brother, Jovan, is a security guard. He explained the process and told us about the winery. It is apparently the third largest winery in Macedonia and they ship their wine all over Europe and Asia. He said the wine is cheap to buy in Macedonia, but if you buy the exact same stuff in Germany, it is much more expensive. Jovan took us up a set of stairs up above the outdoor tanks and we had an amazing view of Lozovo and the surrounding area from there. As I said before, I am going to try and post pictures soon.

I also went with Julie and Jovan on a walk to a neighbouring village, Milino. It was about an hour walk, but it was absolutely gorgeous. That is one thing I have learned about this country, there are breathtaking views everywhere. We climbed up on top of the old abandoned train station and could see so much.

I experienced my first earthquake just this morning. Jori (the PCV who lived with my family last year who is visiting for the weekend), Здравче, Бојана, Tome and I were sitting down eating breakfast and all of a sudden there was a huge rumble and shaking and Jori and I were ushered out of the house. It took us a few seconds to realize what was going on because neither one of us had been in an earthquake before. Apparently it was a magnitude 4, which isnt that strong, but it was located just 10km away from Lozovo, so we certainly felt it. It left us feeling a little unsettled for a few minutes. Apparently the last time they had an earthquake anywhere near as strong was five years ago.

When we didn't have electricity this past week, Shannon and Ricky were both over at my house. So the two of them, Здравче, Бојана, and I played two different card games. They were both Macedonian versions of American card games, and despite having Ricky translating the rules, the three of us were quite lost with them. However, we had lots of fun making fools of ourselves. After Ricky left, Shannon and I showed Здравче and Бојана some American dances (such as the chicken dance) and I also taught them how to play the Minute to Win It Game, Face the Cookie. We all thoroughly enjoyed laughing at ourselves and each other.

Questions
If you have any questions about my life, how to write your name in Macedonian, Peace Corps or anything at all, send me a message/leave a comment and I will do my best to answer it.

Summary
Life in Macedonia is good. It is very relaxing and there is a much slower pace than life in America. It is Saturday morning and I have done nothing except eat and finish this posting that I started like 3 days ago. My next goal is posting pictures.

Ciao!

PST Placements

A quick update as we are packing and meeting host families in half an hour. We just got our PST placements and I am very excited.

First, my training group is amazing- Kenzie, Morgan, Claire, Shannon, Julie, Amy, Andreas, Anna, and I. We are very well matched as a group. And, we have awesome LCFs (Language and Cultural Facilitators).

Second, we are going to a small village near Veles. Veles is in the center of the country. We are not supposed to publicly disclose our exact location for safety reasons, but if you really want to know, send me a Facebook message. We will meet our families soon and we have to read a sentence in Macedonian to them. Our sentence tells us something about our family. Mine sentence sentence says Ќепката на Томе се вика Бојана. Which you would pronounce Kyepkata na Tome say vika Boy-ana. It means: Томе has a daughter who is called Бојана.

Hopefully more info soon. Because I will be in a small village, we do not have an internet cafe, but we were told the school where we will be studying has free wireless. We just received Macedonian cell phones, but they are pay as you go and its not exactly cheap, so I don't really plan on using it outside of my Macedonian/Peace Corps friends.

Macedonia is playing Spain in EuroBasket today at 4:30 our time, you should check out the game (or at least the results as I can't imagine it will be a highly publicized game in the US).

Ciao!

Здраво oд Македонија!

So I know I posted last night and not a whole lot to update on. However, I will have internet today, tomorrow, and then I may not. It all depends on my home stay family and their accommodations. We find out who are families are on Friday, which is very exciting.

A few highlights/things I haven't mentioned yet.

• If you come visit, do not flush the toilet paper. Only the most soiled piece may be flushed. The pluming infrastructure here is not able to handle toilet paper, so every bathroom has a small garbage can next to the toilet where you place your used paper.
• Pictures are to come. I am still investigating what is the best option to share photos.
• Macedonians and Americans have some very different body language sometimes. In language class today, the whole group of Americans thought we were being taught how to say, "I am not good" when asked "How are you?" because our language instructor swung her fist and was not smiling. She intended it to be a happy gesture, however, we all misunderstood.
• Macedonia plays Lithuania tonight in the EuroBasket Final Round tonight. It is a huge deal here and everyone is super excited to see if they move on. Needless to say, many of us will be venturing from the hotel outside of Kumanovo into town to enjoy some скопско, a Macedonian beer brewed just a few miles away in Skopje, and cheer on Macedonia. We were even taught the cheer to use- "Go Bo Go" for the most popular player, Bo McCalebb.
• We met with the US Ambassador to Macedonia, Ambassador Paul Wohlers, the sixth U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia. He was sworn in on August 11th of this year by Hillary Clinton.

Македонија!

I have arrived in Macedonia (or Македонија in Macedonian). It has been a great experience so far. We were the first group ever to arrive in the new Alexander the Great Airport (opened only days before we landed) in the capital of Skopje and there were lots of current PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) and Peace Corps Staff there to meet us. Our luggage was loaded into a semi-truck and the 36 weary travelers onto a school bus and driven to our first training site, approximately half an hour from the capital. We are staying at a hotel here in Kumanovo until Friday when we leave for our training communities and our host families.

We have had trainings on medical (same diseases as USA), safety and security (stay away from the dogs and don't pet them and stay vigilant), language (I can now introduce myself in Macedonian), and ethnically diverse Macedonia (home to Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma as the main groups) to name just a little of what we have learned thus far.

My fellow MAK-16ers are amazing. Everyone comes from a different background and brings lots of unique skills and experiences to the table. Our group has people from Washington, Kansas, Washington D.C., Georgia, Texas, California, Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon, New York, and many other states. We collectively speak 13 different languages (or around that number). We have top business executives who quit their jobs and people fresh from college. The age of our group ranges from 21 to people in their 60s. However, we all are here with three common goals (and they happen to be the Peace Corps goals): 1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, 2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, and 3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

One of the girls in our group has been creating a series of short videos about life in Macedonia so far. There is one video from the airport and one from the first few days in Kumanovo. For some of the new followers, there is an awesome YouTube video that was created by a former volunteer, but its content has excited many of us.

Vienna, Austria!

A quick update from the Vienna Airport where we have access to free wireless.

I left Pine City on Friday morning around 4am. Thanks to my lovely parents for getting up early and bringing me to the airport. I flew from Minneapolis to Philadelphia to meet everyone else who is going with to Macedonia. I had planned to meet up with another girl to travel to the hotel together, however her plane was delayed. As I was attempting to find my way to the shuttle, I ran into a girl from Kansas who had lots of luggage and we figured out we were going the same place. We met two other fellow PCT (Peace Corps Trainees) on the shuttle. We had a few hours of training in the hotel (focusing mostly on the Peace Corps Goals and Expectations) before heading out in Philly for dinner and to enjoy our last night in the U.S.

We awoke early this morning to catch a bus to JFK where we sat around for 6 hours until our flight to Vienna. Very little sleep was had on the plane (it was like a sauna in there), but we were fed lots and given free wine.

Our group of 36 is currently sitting in the Vienna airport waiting for our 10am flight to Skopje. Once one person discovered the airport provided free internet, lots more computers appeared and Facebook statuses were updated immediately (gotta love technology).

We have no idea what to expect once we arrive in Skopje, other than we will be getting on a bus and heading to our hotel for the first week.

31 Hours

First of all, after a few days of back and forth, I finally officially obtained medical clearance again. Nothing like doing things last minute!

In only 31 hours I will be leaving to start my journey. It has been a busy few days with packing, packing, and more packing. I finally got my bags to where they should be ok without any overweight charges.

My bags weigh in at:
- Large Check: 50 lbs
- Slightly Smaller Check: 48.5 lbs
- Carry-on-18 lbs
- Personal Item- 16 lbs

I will try to add pictures soon because with the MAK-16s, packing and baggage size was the most hotly talked about topic on our Facebook Group.

For anyone who would like more information on Macedonia, here is the link to the Peace Corps Macedonia Welcome Book

The next time I post, I will probably have started my adventure!

OMS Called....

A new lady at OMS called me today around 1:30 to tell me they had received the information my doctor sent over. Here's the gist of the conversation:

OMS: The medical officer reviewing your file had a few questions he wanted me to ask.
Me: Ok
OMS: Have you ever had a prolonged reaction to any sort of allergen or viral infection in the past.
Me: No
OMS: Oh....
Me: (thinking: crap- wrong answer clearly).
OMS: Ok, well are you going to be able to go see the doctor you saw before?
Me: Probably not. He is 3 hours away.
OMS: Hmmm... Well the Medical Officer saw the numbers from the peak flow test that was performed and he wants it done again.
Me: Ok. I have the peak flow meter with me. I can do that no problem.
OMS: Well, see, the Medical Officer isn't here today, but he really wanted a doctor's follow-up and the same doctor. I mean I can check with him later to see if he will take you doing it at home. Hmmm.... Well, how about this, you give me a call back on Monday or Tuesday and let me know the numbers you got when you did it at home and I will let you know if he is ok with that or if he needs the doctor to sign off on it.
Me: Um, ok, but I leave on Friday.
OMS: Yeah, I see that. Well, let's hope we can get this squared away by then.

So, perfect. Just when I thought I had made it through all of the hoops, this comes up. However, I am choosing to just forget about it now, there is nothing I can do until Tuesday (since Monday is Labor Day), so there is no point in worrying about it. It just may mean six hours of driving for literally a 10 second test that I can do at home.

I get that they need to be thorough and are just doing their job looking out for the health and well-being of their volunteers, but that doesn't mean it is any less frustrating. I guess at least they called today rather than on Tuesday. See...a bright side can be found anywhere if you look for it.

I am going to just forget about it all as much as I can and enjoy my last weekend in Minnesota complete with trips to the Minnesota State Fair, Mall of America, Como Zoo, and a Twins Game. What an eventful weekend it is sure to be.

Finger Crossing Worked!

I finally got ahold of OMS and I think I am in the clear. I need to fax over doctor's notes and get a letter from my doctor saying he is still clearing me to go, but I was told that, providing nothing is way crazy and I don't get worse, if my doctor here gives me clearance, Peace Corps will go with what he says. Hopefully I will have full clearance to go by the end of the week, but just knowing there is a good chance is a huge relief.

Now I feel like I can move forward and start packing. That will be quite the process I'm sure: 27 months, 2 bags, 100 lbs. Doable certainly it will just take some creativity.

Keeping My Fingers Crossed!

Just over 3 weeks until I leave and I still have an absolutely horrible cough. It is now going on a month that I have had it and the doctor's don't know what is causing it. My lungs are clear. My breathing capacity is only slightly diminished. I have no fever or other symptoms of anything, except a runny nose. I am on two new meds, including a very strong antibiotic, in hopes that it will kill anything I could have.

The coughing and being sick is no fun, but what will be more than no fun will be calling OMS (Office of Medical Services) and informing them. I am required to update them on any changes to my health prior to departure. However, after some advice from a good friend, I am going to hold off telling them until Monday. By then, I will have been on the antibiotics for five days and should have an idea if its helping or not. If I am better, I call OMS and tell them I had bronchitis, but the antibiotics are clearing it up. If they aren't helping, I call and notify OMS and discuss what this means for me. Ultimately, it could mean a medical deferment (i.e. no Macedonia). I am trying not to think about that possibility, but its hard not to. Peace Corps tells you from the start, to basically not put all your eggs in one basket, but how can I not when I am leaving in 3 weeks!

All I can do now is hope that the antibiotics kill whatever is haunting me and OMS doesn't put a hold on me.

Things to Do Before Leaving the Country for 27 Months

One thing I have noticed lacking when I have been scouring Peace Corps blogs and even PC literature is a comprehensive list of what needs to happen before I leave. While I know I am not capable of providing such a list (especially since everyone's situation is different), I am going to attempt to keep a somewhat running list of things I have come across in hopes of at least creating a list. Please leave comments with things I may not have thought of (and I know there are quite a few things I will miss)!

- Register to vote overseas (this is one PC tells you to do). I can only speak on behalf of the lovely state of Minnesota, but its a little more confusing than it should be. I went to the Overseas Vote Foundation, followed the directions, and submitted my form. A few days later I received an email from my local County Auditor's office asking for clarification because this form is only for federal elections, not state/local elections. The Auditor's Office then gave me an email like where I can fill out a form for all elections. Great. The kicker....it is the same form I already filled out. Thus, when I move back home with my parents in a couple weeks, I am going to stop in and chat with the Auditor's Office to see what I really need to do.

- Renew your driver's license. If your driver's license will expire while overseas, renew it if at all possible. In Minnesota at least you can renew up to 12 months in advance. If you are late renewing it, you are subject to extra fees and if it is over a year, you need to take the road test again. They may make special exceptions for RPCVs, but I am choosing not to chance it.

- Double check that you still have medical/dental clearance. My dental clearance expires one week before I leave. After talking with someone at PC about it today he thought I could maybe slip by without it, but after checking with the staging supervisor, I do need to submit forms and bitewings again, but not the Panorex.

- Decipher through the horrible student loans paperwork. Serving with the Peace Corps does qualify you for an Economic Hardship deferment, however, you can't submit it until you have documentation provided to you at staging. Therefore, my plan is to consult with my father (as I don't understand all of the jargon used by loan companies) and then consult with my loan provider to make sure everything is squared away.

- Figure out how to say good-bye to everyone you want to. Perhaps the hardest thing to accomplish. There is no way I will ever be able to say good-bye to everyone. Being a few years out of college, many of my friends have spread out across the country, so seeing them isn't an option, however I have great plans of Skyping.

- Buy a second pair of glasses (if you wear them). Peace Corps says you should bring two pairs with you. Because I want to save money wherever I can, I believe I am going to go with Zenni Optical, which has pairs starting at $6.95 with $4.95 shipping. You can't beat that!

- Talk to your bank. I have yet to do this, but many others on the MAK-16 Facebook site have. I am planning on upping my credit limit on my credit card, giving them a list of countries I think I might be in so not to suspect fraud, and checking on ATM fees while overseas.

- Figure out travel insurance. Through Clements's Peace Corps policy I was able to insure a good chunk of my belongings for $150 for the year. Not too shabby.

- Filled out and notarized Power of Attorney forms. I just Googled "power of attorney minnesota" and on the Minnesota Judicial Systems website they had a pdf I could download, fill out, get notarized and be done with it. You can pay to have a lawyer do it or buy a kit at office supply stores, but in my case (since I am giving power to my parents), I didn't really care too much that it was extremely formal.

- Pack, pack, pack. This has taken me days. Check out my packing list if you want to see what I packed. Double checking (who am I kidding- Octo-checking at least) your linear measurements as well as weight can be quite the challenge.

Who does this?

Most of my life now is focused on Macedonia. However, in all of my thinking, I sometimes just pause, shake my head, and think, "What am I doing? Who does this? I mean really, who just packs up and leaves the country for 2 years?" I think most of that comes from the stress of trying to figure out what all I have to do in such a short amount of time and I know it will be great, but really, who does this! And then, I grab my computer, watch this video, and all of my fears/questioning disappears!

7 days until Heidi and Dale's Wedding

10 days until Washington D.C.

20 days until Anna comes home

28 days until Chris and Erin's Wedding

41 days until Staging

Bittersweet

I finished work on Wednesday. It was definitely a bittersweet moment (I feel like that will be the theme of the next 6 weeks). It is great to be done and have some time to get everything in order before I leave, but it is also very sad. I have been at the St. Peter Recreation Department for almost 6 years. That may not seem like a long time to some, but for someone my age, thats a long time to be at one job. I have definitely done a lot of growing up there over the years. And I know I owe a lot to my coworkers there. I was helping up at football camp and when I came back down, the girls had decorated the office in streamers and had a sign up saying "Good Luck Sara" in Macedonian. It was awesome. At the end of the day Jane and Heidi brought over a card that everyone had signed. Then Annika, Emily, Liz, and I went out to Patties for happy hour and had quite an eventful time. Great night!

Now the realization of how much I have to do in only 6 weeks has hit. Its kind of hard to know where to even start.

The Thriftiness of a Peace Corps Invitee

I have....

- 5 days until Jake and Sarah's wedding.

- 13 days left of work.

- 19 days until Heidi and Dale's wedding.

- 31 days until my sister visits.

- 52 days until I start the next 27 months of my life.

I have been spending lots of my free time figuring out what to buy/pack. There are lots of discounts available to Peace Corps Volunteers, and while there are many great ones, I have noticed sometimes the company I am looking to buy something at, isn't on the list. I have learned, it doesn't hurt to ask. SmartWool said no, unless I wanted to order like 100 pairs of their socks. However, Columbia was super generous and despite not having a deal for Peace Corps Volunteers, they offered me a one-time purchase discount at their friends/family store, which saved me over $200. Plus, Columbia has a lot of really amazing products- I've always been a fan! Other amazing companies, Teva, Eagle Creek, and Keen. And although the don't offer a discount for PCV, the staff at REI are super helpful! (Ok, enough product placement for one post!)

Since work is starting to wind down a little (side note: why can't little boys keep their hands to themselves?), I am able to start focusing more on Peace Corps and what I need to do before I leave. I am working hard on trying to figure out my insurance estimates for my travler's insurance and of course all of the paperwork that came with my invitation (never really thought at 24 I would be deciding what percentage of life insurance my dad, mom, and sister are to each receive if I die).

I also need to get dental clearance again. I still have it, however, it expires after 1 year. I gained dental clearance on September 2nd. I leave September 9th. Wah wah. I miss having clearance by one week. At least I got lucky. I called the dentist today at like 10:20 and they just had a cancellation and could get me in at 11:00 today. Plus, I actually never saw the dentist- the hygienist did all the work and the dentist just reviewed her work, so it was pretty quick and painless. The only thing I need is for the dental liaison to call me back in regards to whether I need new Panorex x-rays, since the hygienist said they are good for 5 years. She hoped Peace Corps wouldn't require them because she wanted to save me the $120 (she was so focused on saving me money that they didn't charge me for an exam, just the cost of the bitewing x-rays).

I also need to start practicing my Macedonian. On the MAK-16 Facebook site there is mixed reviews from current PCVs about whether you should start learning the language before you leave. Some say, do it now while you are excited- you won't be by your 2nd week of PST. Others say, don't bother now, spend time with friends and family as you will spend lots of time on language during PST and its easier when you have a set way of doing it instead of trying to figure it out on your own. At this point, I know how to say "hello", "I", "one", "good morning", "good afternoon", and "good night". That certainly will take me far, right?!

And the Winner Is..

...Macedonia

I receive a wonderful surprise at work in the mail today- my Big Blue Packet! My suspicions were correct- Macedonia. I will be a Primary School English Language Resource Teacher. So excited! One of my coworkers, Liz, took a video of me opening it up. Actually, she took two videos- the first was the real deal, however after the fact, Liz and my boss, Lance, decided I didn't act excited enough, so we staged an over-the-top-corny opening and it is incredibly fake and cheesy- like a bad sitcom.

I am happy its Friday, because that gives me all weekend to read through the information and formulate my acceptance email.

INVITATION!!!!

Skip the story for now, jump to the good stuff...

My invitation is in the mail! Eastern Europe leaving Early September for Primary Teacher Training. According to every anxious applicant's favourite website, Peace Corps Wiki, that means Macedonia leaving September 9th. Super excited! I had my PO change the address my invite is being mailed to my work address so I can get it sooner. Plus some of my biggest supporters have been a few of my coworkers (well besides my family of course!).

Now the longer story:

On Thursday morning I flew to California for my sister's graduation from Stanford Law (yeah, I'm pretty proud of her for that!) That morning, right after my plane left and I was without internet for the rest of the day, I received an email from my Placement Officer (PO) wanting to check in since we hadn't talked since February. He told me to call him back or email him with times he could call. I didn't get the message until Thursday night though, so I couldn't call until Friday and in negotiating the now three hour time change and not really knowing what time it was in San Francisco, I called, didn't get and answer, and left my PO an incredibly awkward message where I told him way the wrong time. Ooops! I didn't hear back from my PO on Friday. Sunday I had access to internet, so I sent him an email just letting him know that I would by flying all day Monday, so it probably wouldn't work to talk then, but Tuesday I would have my phone in hand all day.

Today, my PO called me around noon and we chatted for a few minutes. I was hesitant about placement at first because of my dietary restrictions. He was unaware until he pulled up my file and really looked at it. He wanted to check in with Office of Medical Services (OMS) and said he would get back to me when he heard from them. I was on the phone with my parents for literally under 5 minutes and he was calling me back. He said OMS didn't think it would be an issue and I have been in the Peace Corps "playpen" waiting too long, so he was going to mail out my invitation. (I really liked his phrasing of calling it a playpen because you do feel trapped many times, just waiting for someone to rescue you and let you move on with your life).

After the phone convo, he emailed me to reiterate the info we had talked about and double check the address he should mail the invite to. I had him switch it to my work address so that I can get the coveted Big Blue Packet (BBP) as soon as it arrives.

Now it is just waiting for the BBP to come in the mail and then I have one week to accept or decline.

For those of you who are waiting for the invite/contact from Placement, hang in there. I was always happy for those who posted saying they received an invitation, but still wished it was me.

For those who received the emails about placements being tough, I talked to my PO about that today and he said, yes, placements are tough right now and Peace Corps has become even more competitive than it was even a few months ago, but he said, things are still moving along. I know the process can be long and tiring, but I really do believe it will be worth it in the end.

My newest obsession.... and the evil that is Sketchers

I don't really obsess over things ever. I maybe get excited about something, but very rarely does it reach what I would consider an obsessive level. However, I am proud to admit, I am obsessed with TOMS shoes. I have had one pair of TOMS for quite a while, but I just got a second pair and a TOMS shirt and I want to spend my entire paycheck on TOMS. I have already decided that TOMS are going to be a footwear staple wherever Peace Corps sends me. If I can't wear TOMS, I won't go!

Someone asked me what's so great about the shoes, I mean they are simple canvas shoes. I love the shoes themselves, they are very comfortable and I love the way they look, but its the mission of TOMS that I am obsessed with. I love the One for One concept. Paying $45 for a pair of shoes is no big deal for most Americans. Why not be able to help someone out while getting some retail therapy (as a side note, I really kind of hate shopping, so retail therapy isn't a big one for me). I love that there are companies out there who are so focused on social change. That is exactly the kind of company I would LOVE, and hope to someday, to work for.

So I started writing this post earlier and this past weekend my obsession has become even more clear. I was up in the cities with a friend and we went to Mall of America to look around. I was, of course, wearing my TOMS and even had one my TOMS shirt. As we are perusing the shoes, I come across a pair of Sketcher's BOBS. I look at the shoe for a moment, then drop it on the floor next to my TOMS to check it out. The shoe is identical in almost every way. The fabric is cut the same, there is the same style of tag on the side of the shoe, and even a blue and white striped label on the back of the shoe by the heal. I immediately become infuriated. Is Sketchers really that lame of a company that they can't come up with their own idea- they have to copy another company's work? My friend pulls me away trying to diffuse my anger. As we walk a littler further down the aisle, I can't get it off my mind. I keep commenting about it. I look back- stupid shoes. We walk a little further in the store and my eyes drift back to those shoes again. I give them the evil eye (for some reason I must have thought the people at Sketchers would know I was mad at them if I did that and that no one would ever buy a pair of BOBS). I see a lady approach them and is giving them serious consideration. I tell my friend that I want to go over there and tell her not to buy them. How can she even consider buying them- they are clearly a knock off? Lindsay grabs my arm and tells me we need to leave. I think she knew there would have been a fight and those shoes wouldn't have won.

There have been lots of articles about how Sketchers copied TOMS. One article sums it up nicely, saying that its great that more companies are considering the One for One model of business, but the only "why" behind this that I can think of is its a corporate gimmick; try and sucker people into believing its the real deal when really, BOBS are nothing but impostors. I doubt Sketchers has people as passionate as Blake Mycoskie and the rest of the TOMS family working for them. Look at the shoes and tell me BOBS isn't a fraud/copycat.

Peace Corps On My Mind

I find not a day goes by when Peace Corps doesn't enter my mind at least 20 times.

• I check out PCJ daily to see what's new with other applicants and those serving. I still check up and read the blogs of those in Tonga which I started reading when that's where I thought I was going.
• I debate daily if I am making the right choice. One day I know I am, the next day I question the decision. However, the reason I question is I am scared that something will go wrong. I know it is the right decision for me and I will have the experience of a lifetime, but right now, I am scared- which I know is normal.
• I check up on PC Wiki to see if any new staging dates have been added and if so, check my Excel spreadsheet and see if that country listed has the right programs. (As neurotic as this sounds to anyone not considering PC service, I know I am not the only one!)
  
• I question if I made the right choice in changing my earliest departure date from now to August. Maybe I gave up an amazing opportunity in Romania. I will never know and just have to trust I made the right choice.
  
• I find myself checking my phone more frequently to see if I have service or if I missed a phone call from (202).
• I go shopping and see something and think, I would consider get that if I knew where I was going to be in a few months.
  
• I think about where I could be going and debate where would be my first choice, while not trying to get my hopes up. At this point, I would love SE Asia or the Pacific Islands (although I am glad I am not there right now). I can pretty much rule out Central/South America because I don't speak Spanish and parts of Africa since I don't speak French. But overall I tell myself, I know I will enjoy anywhere I am placed and I trust my Placement Officer's decision.
  

I know I will find out more information soon enough and I need to be patient. It would just be nice to know so I can start preparing (I am an over planner, so preparing for Peace Corps service will be no small, or quick, feat).

MEDICALLY CLEARED!!!!

I am a little behind on updating and announcing this- its been a busy weekend with my birthday and all, but on Thursday, I received notice that I have been medically cleared and....even bigger news- I received a call from Placement. They had a placement for me leaving in late April. Ahhh.....so soon!

The whole conversation and the rest of Thursday was quite a blur. I didn't expect to hear from Placement so soon and to have them want me to leave so soon. I told the PO I needed the night to think things over. I wasn't able, at that moment, to tell him if I could leave in April or not. I had been planning on August/September/October. April was a lot sooner than even August.

I immediately called my mom and tried to explain to her what was going on, but I was in kind of a fog. Everything had happened so quickly.

To make a long story short, after much deliberating with family and friends, including a friend currently serving in the region where I was going to be placed, I decided 1) the placement maybe wasn't the best fit for me, and 2) I am not ready to leave so soon. I have would like to finish out the school year with my kids and I really would like to spend my last summer in the US working at the Rec Dept- a place that is quite special to me for many reasons.

Anyway, I emailed my PO early Friday morning and said my preference would be to wait, however, I realize the importance of finding a good fitting placement for each volunteer and so, if a placement arose sooner than August that was a good fit for me, I would be ready to go.

While I still don't know location or departure time, or when I will find those things out, it was a wonderful birthday present to receive medical clearance and hear from the PO at the same time.

Next update will hopefully contain even more information, however, this update is huge for me!

Mr. Mailman, Please Come Quick

Complete. A decision has been reached regarding your medical review. Please look for a letter in the mail.

I thought they would make me have one more doctor's appointment in March before I received this news. There is no reason it should be bad news, but I am very anxious for the mail.

One step closer!

Lots of people on Peace Corps Journals talk about RAS (Restless Applicant Syndrome). I definitely have it- even more so now after getting through a medical hold up yesterday- one that has taken months to figure out- and from that, I can say, good doctors make all the difference! Anyway, hopefully I will be receiving medical clearance shortly. Because of this, I am becoming more and more restless.

At this point, I don't plan on leaving until the end of August at the earliest so that I can be at Heidi and Dale's wedding, however, I would love to have an invitation sooner rather than later so that I know what my future holds. I have decided though, I think if/when I hear from placement, if they tell me an invitation will be in the mail, I kinda don't want to know the region. I have concluded that I am fine with anywhere. Every location would be an adventure. I want to know approximate departure date, but if I know location too, I will be on Peace Corps Wiki immediately trying to figure out where. The more I have thought about it, the more I kind of want that element of surprise.

Hopefully next time I update, the title will be MEDICAL CLEARANCE!!

Say Yes to the Dress!

I guess there is one other thing I have been involved in....

http://www.stpeterherald.com/content/wedding-dress-quest-drifts-east-big-apple