"I wish you were dead!" I said with a smile.

Here in the Balkans we're enduring the latest heatwave... is it too soon to wish summer were over?? Well, yesterday morning after a pleasant chat with my market guy I said "ciao" and then added a "Stay Cool!"

"Остани ладен!"

:::language learning moment alert:::

Apparently that didn't translate the way I'd intended as he responded with hearty laughs and called me back over. He chuckled as he so gently informed me that basically I'd just wished him dead. Doh! The phrase I used, while a literal translation of "stay cool," meant rather "Go to die!" or "Become cold like death!" or "Stay in the ground like a dead man!"

Sigh... and here I thought I was just wishing him a cooler more pleasant day. He said it was better to wish someone Добар живот or "Good life!" So I sheepishly wished him "good health and life" and bade my goodbye.

I'm pretty sure he and his wife will have a good laugh about that language blooper for quite a while. On the other hand, I'm so thankful for locals like them who have such a keen interest in me learning their language and learning it right. :)

Picture source: http://snoopygift.com... click on picture for link. :)

The Tongue King: a little tongue-in-cheek

In honor of Euro 2008 and with tongue firmly planted in cheek, I'd like to share with you about Lällekönig (aka The Tongue King of Basel, Switzerland)... Basel being one of the venues for the football (aka soccer) finals.

"And there is the tongue king," Val stated proudly while gesturing towards the figure prominently perched upon the "Greater Basel" building with its' gaze and... er... tongue projected across the Rhine towards "Lesser Basel."

Seriously?? I thought she was kidding at first, but, no, there he was looking like a cat with a hairball or rather a dog with peanut butter! Apparently there's quite a rivalrous history between two sides of Basel... obviously... I mean, one side went so far as to mount a mechanical head in 1640(!) that uses a clock mechanism to constantly roll its' eyes and stick it's tongue out at the other side. I wonder if the designers snickered mischeviously? I wonder if they had any clue that it would still be there almost 400 years later?!?! (See video at end of blog... ok, it's a replica, but the original is in a museum.)

Oh please... :::gasping for breath::: give me a moment while I have a laughter break and can't type.

OK, in honor of Euro 2008, let's take it out of the historical city rivalry realm and put it onto the soccer... er... football field... Each night I hear the passionate "YEEAAAAHHH!!!" cheers or disappointed "ohhhh!!"s from the dozen or so coffee/sports-bars around my apartment building... and I can always tell who the locals are rooting for and who they are... uh... sticking their tongue out at.

Last night they were disappointed that Russia lost to Spain... and before that when Turkey lost to Germany (yet they cheered for Croatia against Turkey... hmm..). Makes me wonder who they'll cheer or jeer for this Sunday at the finals.

Anyways, thanks for joining me in the stretch of an attempt to tie the "Tongue King" to the Euro Finals. Now enjoy the video of the Lällekönig and laugh with me. :)

The Spin Cycle and a Deutsch Mark

Guess what the meister (aka handyman) found in my washing machine last night? A 1978 Deutsch Mark! Apparently this explains why my washer never really worked well and was the cause of it failing this week (and the laundry subsequently piling up... eeek).

When I first moved into this apartment 4 years ago the machine wasn't working right and so a call to the landlord brought a meister to look at it and "fix" it. It did work a little better after that, but in 4 years there have been several meisters to come and none found this coin... until last night.

And boy was it battered an bruised... the picture detail is thanks to my camera and Picasa, but in reality the etching is almost completely worn away. My guess is that this coin must have been stuck in the machine causing all sorts of havoc for at least 6 years because Deutch Mark's haven't been in use in Kosovo since 2002.

The washing machine's not fixed yet... he will be back sometime tonight... I hope he comes soon enough so I can go to my colleagues birthday party. It's CQ's first here on the field. Though to finally have a working washing machine I think she'll understand if I'm a little late. ;)

Learning to be content one $7.86 gallon at a time

Well, just in time for summer, the price of gas is now upwards of 80 denars a liter (aka $7.86/gallon). That's up more than 60 cents in less than a month! Yikes.

This increase in fuel cost is also trickling down to the every-day items that we purchase to live and work here. It's affecting the types of things I'm willing to buy (sandpaper-ish TP) and what I'll simply go without (cheese). Even the usual low prices of seasonal fruits and vegetables are not as low as usual.

The rising local prices reflect increasing fuel costs, yet they also reflect rising inflation as well as the exponentially decreased buying power of the USD. Now you can imagine how that affects the regular persons pocket book, yet it also plays out significantly in the office and in ministry costs.

Here's one small example: The cost of the "cheapest" copy/printing paper has increased by $1 a ream in the last year. If you factor in the severe drop in the US dollar, the price has actually chomped into our budget by an additional 65 cents... aka $5.64 a ream! If ever there was a reason to go paperless, that's a pretty strong one!

The cost of ministry is even more keenly felt when we face a significant cut in budget for this next year. We are finding that we are having to cut things pretty severely to balance out. This is a reality not only for us, but across the board. Perhaps even you are feeling the pinch in the US.

Spending some time in Philippians has given me some important perspective as I've been learning to adjust and adapt to the new financial pinch that we all are facing. One verse in particular has challenged me deeply:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Phil 4:12 NIV)

Like Paul, can I say with confidence that I have really learned this lesson? Call it "Learning to be Content 101." If I'm honest with myself, I must acknowledge that this is a class I've had to take many times in my life and am again re-enrolling in as we speak. I am glad, though, for the encouragement that comes with the next verse:

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13 NIV)

This current situation is a lesson in trust as well as an opportunity to grow. I'm learning that as I trust in the Lord for everything, He gives me the strength to face anything.

Melancholy Moment... missing family

I just got off the phone with my nephews, 9 and 13. I was missing them and decided to call... and was rewarded with a long conversation with both of them on the line.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about their plans for the summer, working at Dad's shop for some spending cash, learning about mountain bikes, what they liked about the new Indianna Jones movie and what they thought was weird, and how they enjoy riding bikes but not for competition, and why is it that adults always think babys are so cute... and their mischevious teasing about things like my "mouse" hiccups.

"Hey, Aunt Carol.... EEEK! Eeek!"

Can you see my smile?? It's pretty big.

Sigh. Sitting here at an Internet cafe having just enjoyed a wonderful connection with two very special boys it's hard to believe I've missed so much of their lives. They were 4 and 8 when I first came to the Balkans.... now one will be turning double-digits this summer while the other one spends his last lazy summer before freshman year of high school.

I never intended nor wanted to be an out-of-state Aunt. I had out-of-state Aunts and grandmother and felt like I never really got to know them as well as I wanted... now here I am, not only out-of-state, but out of country and across the pond on the other side of the planet. Oh how grateful I am for Skype and simply being able to have connections with my beloved nephews like I just did. Even though I'm far away I still want to know them, what makes them happy, sad, to see them grow into young men and to be an encouragement to them if even far away.

Incidentally, despite the distance I am blessed with a dear relationship with my own Aunt. Why just this morning Auntie M emailed me to say that she was praying for me and proud of me and encouraged me to keep doing the work I've been called to. Can't tell you how much that means... especially now when feeling the ache of missing the nephews and again remembering the cost and sacrifice that this calling has meant. Yet that email from my Aunt, so well timed, encourages me so much.... especially to keep praying for my nephews (much like she has prayed for me), knowing that prayer knows no distance and that I can trust them completely to the Fathers hands.

I would ask you, though, to please remember to pray for me and other overseas workers who have left family behind, especially those who may not completely understand or be on board with us being here in the first place.

Now I'm off to go reminisce over nephew photos and spend some "knee-time" on their behalf. Thank you for sharing with me in this moment of melancholy.

Friday the 13th: All Souls Day

This RSS feed arrived in my box today from Makfax:

"The Macedonian Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare announced that Friday 13, All-Souls' Day a day before Pentecost, has been declared as non-working day for the Orthodox believers in Macedonia."

Is it just me or is it quite ironic that "All Souls Day," which commemorates the faithful who have died, falls on the ultimate superstitious day of Friday the 13th?

The actual holiday is on Saturday, but it's typical for people to get either the Friday or the Monday closest to a holiday off from work.
Interestingly, the holiday (1 of 7 All Souls Days) is always on Saturday. In the Orthodox church, according to Wikepedia, it's considered the typical day for prayers for the dead because Jesus rested in the tomb on Saturday. To pray for the dead, Orthodox faithful will light a candle and place it in the lower section of the candelabra at church. It's believed that as long as the candle remains lit the prayer continues to rise before God.

Pictured is an example of the ornate candelabras. The fresco behind it is of the Archangel Michael and is in the only section of the church that you're allowed to take photos. [In the interior of the church there is a famous fresco of the "pieta" where Mary shows emotion... a herald of the Renaissance that was to come. Here's a link to a Macedonia FAQ site that has a photo of it... simply scroll to the bottom of the page to see it.]

For many, this "All Souls Day" and the days that follow will likely be full of sorrow as they grieve again for loved ones who have died, especially for those who've lost someone in the last year. Gravesites are visited to pay respects on Pentecost as well. Therefore, as the locals commemorate this day on Saturday with prayers for those who have died, would you please join me and pray for those who are living with hearts sorrowed by grief? Thank you.

Another day in my life...

Today is Friday and I'm glad it's the weekend. This week my head has been so in the books that I think I've got numbers permanently tatooed to my eyes... at the very least I'm really tired. So it should be no surprise that I woke up late this morning. It was late enough that I just washed up, threw on clothes, checked my hair and face for presentableness and rushed out the door... still wiping sleep from my eyes.

Once at the office my computer hadn't even finished booting when someone came looking for one of my colleagues. A quick phone call later and he was out the door to go meet that colleague for coffee. By this time my computer had finally finished booting... yeah, it's been running slow lately.

Todays work began with a check of email to find the last two reimbursement reports in the inbox, thus enabling me to do some more prep. As two of the 3 team leaders are out of town (seeing their kids graduate and/or to bring them home from boarding school) and won't be back to work until mid-month I prioritized the reports for the one team who's leader is still in town.

That said, this month is the first month of the transition time and I'm finding that I only had a SMALL clue of how complicated and detailed this change would be. You see, last month at Forum the field decided to move towards having three autonomous teams rather than one field. That means that instead of a Field Director we have three team leaders with whom I coordinate the bookkeeping for those specific teams... then I coordinate with a Team Coordinator for the final sign-off for the field books as a whole (the three teams combined).

In other words: 4 financial reports instead of 1, 3 different reimbursement reports (catered to each team), working with leaders via email rather than in person... and that's just the start for closing this month...

Also on the "to do" list for me right now is the preparation of the field books for the next budget year. That means completely re-doing the trial balance and account numbers so as to accomodate the three-team-in-one model... which means designing new upload reports, petty cash reports, procedures manuals as well as check-lists for the TL's who are new to the approving process.

Even as I write this, I haven't even scratched the surface of the details... and I'm pretty sure this blog is quite choppy... but it's an attempt to give you a brief window into my bookkeeping life right now. :)

These are a lot of details to juggle... and in the midst of this I'm also singing on worship team, reviewing the center books, saying goodbye to colleagues headed home for HA (and closing out thier accounts for the year) and visiting with church peoples.

Needless-to-say, I covet your prayers during this time and as I seek to support these teams as their bookkeeper in the best and most efficient way possible... even more so, to use the skills God's given me to bring Him the most glory. To give Him my best. Thanks for your prayers. More updates to come.

Image source:
Cat: http://emmathehumblekitty.blogspot.com/2007/09/my-day.html
Desk dude: http://www.aerohead.com

Macedonian Folk Dancing

The drum boldly beats out the base rhythm, horns join in with tone and fill, then voices sing out a strong and joyful yet dissonant melody... enter the dancers, dressed in embroidered red, white, black, brown, purple and gold: Macedonian folk dancers treating us with a special performance before the Lord of the Dance last Saturday.

I'd only ever seen this dancing in full folk costume once before (at the Galichnik Wedding) and so was thrilled to get to see it last weekend. If you look at the pictures you'll notice that the outfits are different. This is because each region of Macedonia has their own unique style/pattern of dress. I assume that some of the dances are region unique as well, though I may be wrong. These outfits were the common daily dress of locals not too long ago (well, ok, closing in on 100 years now maybe) though even today in some villages and remoter places you'll see the ocassional baba (grandma) wearing her outfit headed home from the market. Ah. Culture.

One of the coolest thing about these dances is that some are still danced today: at the Christmas bonefires, weddings or any special occasion really. Old or young, it does not matter, everyone knows how to do these dances. I can understand why---> because they're so much fun! (It's easy to dance your feet off.) If only we had such dancing in the US... there's no emphasis on couples and everyone can participate. The closest thing we have is country line dancing... and that's not the same (still fun, though).

It was a joy to see this special dance performance, especially as those performing looked like they were having such a great time! :) Here's a video clip sample of the dancing from that night.

Balkan Balkon...Come join me on my balcony

The Balkans may be gray, cold & uninvitingly dismal in the winter, but now that it's almost summer they're transformed. First came spring and the riot of colorful blossoms and trees. Now locals have transformed their balcony's into delightful and fragrant gardens.

Pictured left are some examples of balcony gardens that have begun to spring up all over town. Then there is that cottage with the full flower garden in Bosnia. Aren't they gorgeous!?!

In some ways it's not surprising that balconies and gardens are such a cultural thing here. With the hot temperatures during the summer these places become the centers for community and relationship. People will have their meals there, coffee and juice with friends, or sit and read the local paper and enjoy the gardens and shady temps. In the heat of summer neighborhood balcony's will be centers of activity well past midnight. So why not make this busy place beautiful and enjoyable? [As you can see they're also used for drying laundry, but I'm sure they're not made pretty just for that.] ;)

This year, heading into my 6th year in the Balkans, I finally decided to get onto the bandwagon and to transform my 6x6 balcony a little. There are two fragrant petunia plants with pink and purple flowers hanging down over a foot now. Oh they smell so good! And blended with the fragrance of the rosemary and (unedible) lavender plants is amazing. There are a couple of other small evergreen type bushes as well as a couple houseplants that thrive outside in the current weather. I've completed the transformation by adding a chair and a small fold-up table with an aloe plant in the middle. It's a little crowded and not as gorgeous as the locals' but I love it. :)

So, if you want to come and visit me sometime, I'll be happy to serve you some Balkan garden hospitality, turkish-coffee or juice if you prefer on my balcony. Then we can spend time like the locals and converse for many quality hours about life and everyday things, enjoying the fragrant warm evening summer air. :)

*******

Now the downside... Of course (!) the local turtle-dove pigeons have decided they really like my balcony as well and have made several attempts to build a nest... leaving branches and other... uh... stuff all over. Everyday I have more mess to clean up. :( Maybe I should get a plastic snake like my friend in Paraguay used to scare off her pigeon problem? But that's another blog.

Lord of the Dance in Skopje

Lord of the Dance (LORD) came to Macedonia this past weekend. It was held before a 6000+ audience in the newly inagurated sports hall named after the former President of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, who was killed in a plane crash several years ago. (Incidentally, the first event held in the center was the Harlem Globetrotters... sadly it was VIP-invitation only. Maybe they'll come back.) Our seats were the "cheap" ones but as we were just 10 rows back from the front they seemed pretty primo to me--especially for taking photos (see collage above). As always, the Lord of the Dance troup was amazing and deservedly received a full Standing-O (rare here) by the appreciative Macedonians who were rewarded with 3 encores!

Here's a sampling:

Mac Elections

Horns honking, people & flags hanging out windows of cars cruising the streets, groups of people young & old carrying Macedonian & political party flags (or wearing them) heading towards the center square to celebrate the leading parties electoral victory... this is what greeted me when I came home from a friends house on Sunday evening.

The ruling party won re-election yet the victory was overshadowed by the violence that broke out, including an area just about a mile from me on the other side of town. In several places voting was even suspended. This news even made it to CNN as well as some other mainstream news agencies.

Thank you for your prayers for Sunday, but please do keep praying as who knows what the political fallout will be and what it means for future security and stability here. Mostly, though, please pray for the people. Thank you.