Taxi Conversation #1: Spring is like a woman

This morning the air was filled with the sweet musky fragrance that only a Spring rain can bring... the rain had past and it was now sunny with a mix a puffy and ominous clouds filling the sky as I hopped into a cab to head to various destinations... After the usual conversational pleasantries I commented on how spring-like the day was.... it began with beautiful warm sun, then clouded over, becoming dark and ominous as a downpour was unleashed, only to clear up a little when a strong wind blew through....

His comment? "Ah, yes! Spring. Just like a woman, always changing her mood and completely unpredictable! Spring is the time of the woman!"

It took me a moment to grasp that he was really saying what I thought he was saying... and then busted out in laughter, to which he joined me, quite pleased that an American woman got his joke and enjoyed it. lol.

A-4 Paper and the GCF

This morning on my way to work I dropped into an office supply store to purchase some A-4 paper. When I asked which brand was the least expensive they suggested the yellow one at 220 denars. When she said this I was mid-reach to the brand that I usually buy as it has, until now, always been the cheaper one.

With my hand paused mid-air I asked her how much my usual brand was. When she responded with 260 denars I simply couldn't hide my shock and blurted out, "Seriously??? I remember when that same paper was only 190 denars!" Of course she was not basking in the same glow of disbelief as I and simply blinked and looked at me with a blank unmoving stare as if to say, "so?" Pause.... "Yeah, you're right," I said to myself, "it is what it is..." And then I purchased the yellow one...

Perhaps the price of paper is standing out to me more simply because we've tried to go as paperless as possible at the office. So it tends to be a while before I have to buy more paper.... Though it seems like we still use a shocking amount! Anyways, to help you understand my shock this morning as the realization of inflation and exchange rates dawned anew for me, let me translate this into dollars and cents.

Seven years ago when I first arrived, $1 was equal to 61.4 denars and a ream of paper cost only 190 denars. AKA $3.10

Today, that same ream of paper at 260 denars and an exchange rate with USD of 43.75 translates to $5.94.

That's a $2.84 price hike per ream! And that's just paper.... this makes me wonder what sort of percentage price increases there have been on other items.... items that our budget has to cover.... Sigh.... let's leave those thoughts for another day... All that said, though, it is a strong reminder to be thankful for the Lord's provision and to remember to thank everyone who's given to the GCF so that we can make these types of purchases that are a basic but necessary part of ministry. Thank you.

Epiphany

"I live in the Balkans." Sometimes that realization makes me catch my breath.... or pinch myself. Standing on the bank of the Vardar River with a few thousand of my neighbors to watch a cross be thrown into the river on a chilled January day known as "Epiphany" I was again caught up in the wonder of it all.

This California girl who took high school Spanish with Mr. Marelich, but never really applied it, was now bundled up listening to the priest bless the river in Macedonian... and actually understanding more than a fair bit. Most of my days are spent communicating in a strange mix I refer to as Makaenglish: Macedonian in stores, taxis, on the street, with friends and English just as often.

Then there's the cultural learning... somehow after living here for several years I've learned to live with the constant state of cultural stress and ambiguity, knowing that there will always be things, cultural subtleties, that I won't understand. To be honest, there are some days that the stress really wears on me and I'm tempted to pack up and go back to the familiar of "home" in the US...

But then there are conversations over turkish coffee, shared meals, the human connections that happen in the sharing of lives, hopes, dreams, joys, fears..... and days like that cold one two weeks ago where I find myself simply soaking it all in: the people, the language, the culture, the.... the unfamiliarity of this place where East and West converge that somehow has become so familiar in my heart. My personal epiphany I suppose you could say. Yes, I love the people here, the place, the culture.

I live in the Balkans.