Srekna Nova Godina!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Fireworks burst forth and lit up the frigid sky over downtown Skopje and Kaliopi (a popular Macedonian singer) sang her heart out at a concert to welcome in 2008 last night. And for the first time I was there! In years past I've simply watched the fireworks from my balcony or not at all as I've celebrated at collegues homes or even gone to a special church service. This year, though, I was ready to go to the center. And now I'm wishing that I'd gone every year! It was so much fun!















Now I didn't go alone. My fellow merrimakers and I gathered for a wonderful dinner and games at a friends house before heading out to the Center. We'd all been warned to be careful, but there was no trouble and everyone was just having a jolly good time.

(From left to right: Wendy, Christine, Josh, Rachelle and Arnoud)


As I stood there in the square surrounded by a few thousand other celebrators, I reminisced about some of the places I've been for New Years. Besides friends houses or special New Years parties, I've also been in Manilla, Philippines (when I was 13), Seattle, Washington, and even New York.

That New Years Eve in New York was one was on of the more memorable ones. It was in 2001, just after 911, and in Times Square. There were no fireworks that year, super-tight security and a few hundred thousand people smooshed together like sardines in sub-freezing temperatures, waiting for the ball to drop just so we could go home and get warm! Aside from that, though, there was a sense of the profound for us to be there so soon after 911 and to get to know some of NY's finest who gave/give so much. [Side note: The platform to view where the World Trade Center had been just opened up to the public that day... and there were many memorials and walls of flowers and pictures up all over the city... frankly, it was hard for me not to cry sometimes.] It was a once in a lifetime experience, made even better shared with friends. (Amy is on the left her sister, Sunny, is on the right. Below is me... no laughing at the glasses and hat... I was going through a funky stage... though I still pull out the glasses occasionally...)


One thing I did while in Times Square was to call my family back in California. So, last night in Skopje's "Ploshtad" I did the same. It was a fairly one-sided conversation as I was standing right next to a speaker and so couldn't hear my sister-in-law. It was fun, though, to hold up the phone for her to here the sounds of the New Year's celebration here in Skopje... a world away from Sacramento, California. Sacramento... Incidentally, that's where I was this time last year.... (pictured is how I began 2007... with my good friend and fellow trouble-maker (jk) Belle. Doesn't she look great! She's a lot of fun too.

Last night really was a whole lot of fun... but I think that it's celebrating with friends that makes it special (though the location is like a whipped cream topping to the hot fudge sundae). This gets me to wondering just where I will be next year, and with whom I'll ring in the New Year? Oh the possibilities!

Have a wonderful New Year!