Muslim appreciation day

We went into Kumanovo today to visit a church built hundreds of years ago, a museum, and a mosque.  The frescos were amazing, though we weren’t allowed to take pictures (I wanted to soooo bad, it was so incredibly beautiful in there).  The museum was interesting, and I was excited that I could actually read some of the inscriptions. But the mosque…  oh the mosque.  What a beautiful building. See pictures here:  http://picasaweb.google.com/enger.emily/Macedonia915#

After we came out of the mosque, the call to prayer began.  This was the moment that I truly felt like I was in a foreign country, a foreign culture, and having a foreign life experience.   I can’t describe the chills that flowed from my feet to my forehead hearing the song and chant of prayer rolling through the air from the mosque as we stood in the street.  So much so, that the others around me verbalized their chills as well. Traffic rolling by, women in scarves walking their children, and 40-some white Americans crowded in the middle of it.  The prayer echoed through the air until we were far enough away to only hear the traffic and people around us.   

On tomorrow’s note, we find out which town we are going to be placed in for training and meet our host families, and go home with them in the evening.  I’m very excited as well as nervous for this.  I’ve heard nothing but good and amazing stories about the host families and how loving, giving and kind they are, and how much they love having us in our homes.  I’m also super excited for home cookin’ and being able to be immersed in the language.  I’ve eaten more potatoes in the last week than I have in the past year, and I think my insides are lubed up with enough sunflower oil to host the next Olympic luge event out my ass.   

Did yoga for the first time in a couple of weeks on a sliding towel on the hardwood floors and definitely was sore the day after… and today.  Also looking forward to getting to homestay so I have time to get some regular physical activity. 

Very tired today, couldn’t get to sleep until about 2am… ta for now :)

Much love,

Em

Still hungry.

Things from home I crave already: spicy mustard, romaine lettuce (cabbage is for more prominent here), Luna bars (I said this already I know), tuna melts, wheat sourdough.  There will be more later I’m sure, as I’m only on day 3. It feels like weeks already, so much has been crammed into our brains.  Today was another language lesson (greetings and introductions), the multi-ethnic community informational session, the safety and security intro, and some other random stuff.  Regarding the multi-ethnic situation, I came to Macedonia excited about the idea of learning two languages.  After more info and hearing about the experiences of others, I have decided that just sticking with the Macedonian only will be better for me.  I feel like I will be more comfortable focusing on one language and getting a better grip on it than getting a not-as-strong grip on two separate languages, and I feel like I would be able to be more successful in my work position being able to communicate better.  Plus its hard enough learning one new language man.

Back on the food note, I have decided that I am going to ease off a bit on my vegetarianism for the next three months while I’m living with my host family.  This is a very heavy meat consuming country, and added vegetarian to my dietary needs along with the insulin resistance (no white bread, pasta, rice, sugar), well… I could possibly starve to death.  Once I’m in my own place and can shop and cook for myself I will have more control and will be able to eat more in tune with my needs and desires again.  Regardless, everything I’ve eaten here so far has been delicious, and I’m excited to get a bigger variety and learn how to cook local dishes once I’m living with my host family (I move in with them this weekend!)

Apologies for no pictures yet, I haven’t had much opportunity to take any yet.  The terrain and weather here is very similar to Montana, which is great because that means I’m not in for any surprises with the weather.  We were warned about occasional natural disasters however… flooding and earthquakes…rare but in our safety handbook for sure.  Also in our safety handbook is the emergency procedure for civil unrest and evacuation of the country.  This is new for all of us of course, and an interesting and surreal concept to have to think about. 

Anyway, I’m starving as usual… off to din :)

Much love,

Em

EmaЛи џo Ингp

Ok. I’m going to be honest here. It is day two and I’m scared shitless. We had our first language lesson today, and they taught us the Cyrillic alphabet in two hours it was insane and I was sweating like a little piggy. But I think I’m doing ok with it.  We walked the 30 min. into the city and I could actually read most of the signs on the way, so I was very hopeful.  We also went to a store, went to an outdoor bar and ordered wine (they serve their red wine chilled here and it is very good) and then took a cab back. The cab driver was very excited to have us and to gain approval on his English pronunciation. This also alleviated some of my anxieties about transportation. 

Something on my wish list for care packages = Luna bars, particularly of the Vanilla Almond and Berry Almond variety.  The more I am with our group, the more I love them. Our staff and trainers and the Volunteer Support Group (Meredith, Amanda and Maggie I heart you!) are amazing and incredibly helpful as well. Went to exchange money today, and it was very interesting exchanging under $100 into thousands of Denars. Still super jet lagged and exhausted, and would LOVE a super deep tissue massage please (babe this means you).  The title of this post is my name in Cyrillic. If you’re interested in knowing how to write anything in Cyrillic, send it to me and I’ll translate it for you, its good practice for me :)

I have my medical interview tomorrow to take care of any vaccinations that I may not have yet, as well as more language, ethnic diversity class and the safety overview. I’m hoping they will pass out mace or something similar. 

They say this is “the toughest job you’ll ever love”, and I know we’re only on day two, but I completely understand already where this statement sprouts from.  I’m enjoying and appreciating every moment so far, but I’m very eager for the day that I get comfortable with the language and being alone and feeling safe in my community.  Can’t wait for visitors too!

I know these blogs sound very robotic at this point, but well… I feel like a robot at this point. It will get better I promise :)

Much love,

Em

Arrival in Macedonia!

So after 4 days in DC, 2 days in Philly, and one whole day on a plane, we have arrived in Kumanovo, Macedonia. We were greeted with giant smiles and open arms, as well as a crew of volunteers and a giant open-ended semi truck to put our endless luggage in... not to mention a sharp feeling of surrealism. At the hotel we were greeted by even more volunteers with giant smiles waving and smiling and eager to help us get our 293847 pounds of luggage up the stairs to our hotel rooms. We were then given a giant buffet lunch of various treats… cheese pie, zucchini, eggplant, soya, chili (which is actually a salsa-like concoction with a deliciously spicy kick), local grapes with seeds, cucumber and tomato salads, and chilled red wine in tall glasses. Jet lag is kicking all of our asses, and after that lunch I’m having much trouble keeping my eyes open… dinner is only 4 hours after lunch today. After that its shower/Ambien/bed time!
The super-packed training agenda begins tomorrow and will continue all week with language, medical, and culture training as well as a trip to the US Embassy and a couple other field trips. On Friday we check out of the hotel and head home with our host families, and will have unknown levels of communication. Throughout lunch, I was told about the joys and amazingness of Macedonian produce. The fruit! The vegetables! The gardens! Oh yes.
My Mak15 team is fabulous, and comes from all over the US. There is a nice sense of camaraderie and support already, which is very comforting. Off to nap until dinner for now, but more soon!
Much love,
Em

Hungry.

Holy EFFFFFFFF I fly to DC on Monday, drive to Philly on the 9th for staging, and depart for Macedonia on the 11th. It has been an amazing year since applying to the Peace Corps. Saying goodbye to my family and friends this past couple of weeks was hard, but I know it’s a ‘see you later’ more than a ‘goodbye’. My friends and family threw me a magnificent going away party, and so many people that I haven’t seen in years came, even some all the way from Seattle just for one night, and one beautiful boy even came all the way from Arizona to surprise me for the weekend :) It was amazing, and I couldn’t be luckier.
I continue to organize, pack and get all my metaphorical ducks in a row. Meanwhile, my immune system decided to take a little shit on me from the mental strain of it all and forgetting to take my vitamins for a week, not to mention the limited healthy food options of a small MT town. The walls of my room are bare, there is no longer an easel and various paintbrushes everywhere, my closet is nearly empty, and I have been to REI even more than usual in the last two months.
There were times during graduate school when I swore that I had broken my brain. I’m feeling somewhat similar today. I should have a million things to say at this point, but I’m blanking. I’m going to miss the season finale of True Blood. This makes me sad. I’m listening to Kaskade, which reminds me of DJ friends in Seattle and the deliciously groovy yet ridiculously overpriced lounges that they played in. It is colder than I would like for September 1st, and makes me appreciate my Smartwool purchases for the winter in Macedonia. I’m hungry. Weird. Want more Panang curry. Right meow! The bulldog just got a shower and now she’s getting blow-dried. I’m definitely going to miss having a dog in the house… hopefully a clean and healthy stray magically adopts me over there. But back to that hunger. Going on a chow hunt.
Later,
EM