Unexpected Visitor

Sunday at church as I was listening to the message on work ethic out of Titus a slight movement distracted me. At first I thought perhaps it was a cockroach (as it's the season and they seem to be invading everywhere), but once my eyes focused to the far corner of the gym I saw that it was a lizard slowly making it's way from behind the speakers and towards the front row of seats. When it reached the bright orange extension cord it paused for quite a while and I imagined it contemplating the words it was hearing.

Well, by now several people were distracted with really odd looks on their faces... so odd that the speaker was wondering if it was their message! Nope... we were just all waiting to see where this guy would go and if it would catch a few people by surprise that they let our a shriek. That didn't happen, thank goodness. After a few minutes the guy set out on his way again, but not before a friend got this picture to document the event. ;)

Empty Nest

This morning I woke up to find that the pigeon's had abandoned their nest on my balcony. Between mom and dad they'd dutifully incubated the eggs for over 23 days and were never away from the nest more than a few minutes.

When I looked outside this morning the pigeon was hovering nearby and looking down at the nest, but after an hour it was clear they'd given up on them hatching. So that left me with the sad duty of disposing of the eggs. =( I did candle them and found that one was never fertilized and the second was only half-developed. Sad day indeed.

A couple of hours later the mama pigeon came back, hopped into the nest, rummaged around a little bit and then flew off and didn't return. Now comes the big decision for me. Do I destroy the nest and plant a couple varieties of mint in the planter.... or do I wait and see if the pigeon's decide to try again. Honestly, after almost a month of watching and waiting to see the little baby pigeons hatch, grow and fly off I'm tempted to do the latter.... hmm.... what to do with the empty nest.... what to do.... (rhetorical)....

Perfumed Football Edition - Ready for World Cup

It seems even the toilet paper companies are excited about World Cup starting this weekend! I'm sorry, but this just made me laugh! I especially liked the "Football Edition - Perfumed" in the lower right corner... but I'm not so sure I'm eager to open it as the package beckons... I mean, what exact perfume would a football edition have?? The only thing that comes to mind is dirt, grass and, er, sweat! But then pushing that aside there's the complete irony of a perfumed football edition to begin with. Then again, I suppose it does makes sense, though, appealing to both the gals (perfume) and guys (sports of any kind). But really, we're talking about TP of all things! lol. I just love this place. :)

April Fool's Day Macedonian Style!

This morning some ladies and I met for breakfast at a favorite restaurant in the mall and periodically would see unusually dressed people and munchkins walking by outside. At first I didn't think anything of the two ladies that were dressed in the white and blue Mother Theresa style habits (you see them occasionally as this is where she was born)... but then a guy with Bozo hair passed by.... then a class full of little munchkins dressed up in everything from a princess to a cowboy with wands and guns waving.

Then it hit me.... Aha! That's right! It's April 1st and "Maskinball" here in Macedonia.

On my way back from breakfast this morning I stopped into my local burek place just to say "hi" and just in time for the owners daughter to arrive in her costume. So after taking a picture of mom and daughter, the little girl persuaded me to put on her mask and hat for a photo of my own!

Ha ha... I stopped writing for a moment because I heard a large group of teenagers passing by on my street.... they were gathering together to line up in formation so that they would arrive at school in "style"... several were dressed up as professionals in suits, others as flight attendants, a soldier, a "tourist" wearing a huge sombrero, a couple flamenco dancers, a beach bum, lady bug, Tweedle Dee and so many others.... I wish my batteries hadn't chosen this moment to die because it would have been a pretty funny picture to share!

Welcome to just another interesting day here in the Balkans! =)

Switzerland, Starbuck's and Silence

This morning a colleague and I took off for a conference in Switzerland! I love Skopje, but I'm SO GLAD to get outta "Dodge" for a while.

I handed my vehicle off to another colleague who then dropped us off at the airport... of course it was as I was pulling out my passport for check-in that I'd realized I'd forgotten to give him the car documents! So I franticaly called him and luckily it wasn't too big of a hassle for him to turn around and come back... thank goodness, because he needs those documents to get some work done on the car while I'm gone! :)

Aside from that our travels went really smoothly. The skies were clear for quite a while and as you can see from above, the view was breath-taking! We also met a really nice couple of Macedonians who were sitting in our same row. Then once we landed I got separated from my colleague in the shuttle bus and so ended up having more time to chat with the couple who were quite delighted and surprised that I spoke Macedonian. Actually, it was quite amuzing to watch the faces of the Macedonians around me as they too were intrigued by this American who could speak their langugage! Fun stuff.... there's just something about being able to communicate with people in their own language... I find that I'm more aware of how comforting and encouraging that is especially now that I'm in a land where I know NADA... or neight (or however you spell that... in my defense, I took Spanish in high school instead of German...).

Anyways, it won't come as any surprise to those who know me well that after we purchased our train tickets our first stop was at Starbuck's! Three years ago this particular Starbuck's was just a teaser behind a barrier as it was just being built... so I was SO happy that it was open! "Hello, my name is Carolyn and I'm a coffee addict." Frankly I've been craving good coffee for several weeks... so you can imagine that I savored each sip!

Down on the train platform two other ladies arrived that we knew and who were going to the same conference! Due to unforseen circumstances (delayed flights, missed train) we all ended up on the same train. That was really nice! Especially as we had the next hour to catch up with one another. Thanks to Swiss timing, our ride was there waiting for us as our train arrived and then ferried us up the mountian to where I now sit typing this blog and looking out at the wonder that is a snowy Switzerland.

And I LOVE how quiet it is!! I'm a country girl at heart and so the noise of the city has always been something I've had to work to get used to. Something deep inside me relaxes when I'm in beautiful and peaceful places like this... been like that since I was a kid and we'd go camping every summer.... ::::exhaling:::: I'm so looking forward to this week. Yes, it will be some intense and deep training... but it's also a retreat... and I'm really looking forward to spending long and uninterrupted time with my King as I learn and He teaches me. =)

Thank you for praying for me during this time... I will update things as I can along the way.

Simple Pleasures

It's always exciting when something new appears on the shelves here in Skopje. Things like: M&Ms, brown sugar, tortillas, Brita filters and so much more! Well, the newest item to show up was celery stalk! Frankly, I couldn't hide my excitement when I saw them! I snatched one up and held it too my chest, smiling like an idiot and dreaming of all the wonderful things that can be done with celery. Sure, we've been able to get celery root here all along, but it's JUST NOT THE SAME as the snappy, crunchy wonder that is a celery stalk (especially in soups, stuffing, stir fry, etc).

The next purchase I made was some peanut butter.... mmmm..... celery sticks and PB... a favorite snack. It's amazing how something so simple can bring so much pleasure. :)

Hope is Shattered but Peace Remains

In the process of taking down the Christmas tree today.... Hope just slipped from my fingers and, in a flicker of caught breath, shattered at my feet! Crash! I just stared in disbelief as the sounds of small shards of glass spun and tinkled across the floor boards. "Hope" was part of a set of Christmas decorations that were given to me by a roommate several years ago when she moved back to the US. All that remains now is "Peace". I am so grateful that the hope I have in Jesus is not so fragile as that glass ornament. And like the Peace that remains, so remains peace in my heart because of Him. No matter what things may shatter at my feet. :)

The Incessant Buzz Buzz Buzz of a Christmas Eve Morning....

This morning started really early. 6am to be exact. Buzz! buzz! buzzz! as a finger incessantly pushes the button for my apartment so I'll get up and buzz them into the building. I sleepily looked at my watch, turned over and pulled the covers over my head.

Then the sound of young voices began to echo up the stairwell and down the hallways of my building, in ever increasing volume, "...Kolede lede padnalo grede.... ke koleme tele tele vika 'le le'..... Kolede!" (a really horrible song, btw). Over and over they sang the song as they trolled each level of my building and ringing everyone's doorbells just hoping for someone to open their door and give them nuts, fruit, coins or candy.

Yes, in the past I've gotten up and handed out tangerines or chestnuts, but this year I decided not to. As a foreigner here, learning about the culture and traditions is important.... and I must say very interesting. The tradition of the children going door-to-door does have it's roots in pagan folk religion, most similar to Halloween, but still it's a part of the culture and important for a guest like me to learn about. And to be honest, I really enjoy learning about other cultures. And the traditions around Christmas are definitely something to experience. However, having experienced it several times since living here, I decided this year that I'd not answer the door and sleep in instead.

Sleep.... well.... I didn't get much of that regardless of how hard I tried. However, I was luckier than others whose doorbells rang and streets were filled with children's voices singing the verses in a sing-songy melody reminiscent of "Ring Around the Rosie" as early at 3 and 4am!!! Eventually, though, sleep eluded me enough that I simply got up and began the day.

On another note, it's Christmas Eve and it looks like it won't be a white Christmas after all. The snow melted today. =( The bit we did have, though, made for an ironic sight yesterday that had me laughing when I was in the city center. It's one of those random pieces of art that have gone up around the city. This one is called, "Chance meeting." Take a good look at the picture and try to guess what I found so funny. I'll give you a hint... that puff of white is NOT a hat on her head! ;)


Doorbell image credit: http://thesophisticated.wordpress.com/2008/03/

40 Years of "Adventure"

In keeping with my fascination of city graffiti/street art, my celebration of 40 years AND the looking forward to the next 40, this picture seemed an appropriate and timely one to share. It showed up on the wall of an abandoned building near the city center this past summer and originally said, "40 years of global lies." Now that's a social commentary that I won't even touch... instead, I've "photo-shopped" it with the sentiment that I find much more preferable and fitting to a wrap up of the previous decade(s) and forging forward into the adventure that lies ahead! =) Bring on the next adventurous 40!!

Brass Band

This statue piece was one of my absolute favorites in Skopje.... always sure to inspire a joyful smile on my face! That is until one by one each piece dissappeared! It was so sad to see the lone trumpetman playing without his buddies... little old ladies would pass by and shake their head and tsk at the shame of the loss.... then just a few months later all that was left was the concrete slab. =(

I think the one I missed the most was the guy in front with the big puffy cheaks blowing with all his might... kind of reminded me of the guy in the picture below from a local concert of the Philharmonic orchestra (guest musicians pictured):

Well, in the past few months several new statues have been appearing all over Skopje (pics and blogs to come).... and so imagine my joy to see that they replaced my favorite statue with the same basic "Brass Band." It's definitely not exactly the same, but that's OK, because like an old friend it's good to see it and it always brings a smile to my face when I pass by. =)

Bugs o Buggin'

This was the site that welcomed us after one worship team practice last month, when it was still quite warm and muggy outside.... They were everywhere and you just couldn't slap them away... There's a reason they're called "bugs"! Funny thing is that just 1/2 mile away and 15 minutes later at my home the street lamps were clear of these bugs... barely any at all... I'm thinking that this phenomenon must be related to proximity to the city park.... Who knows! I'm just glad that the seasons have changed and so no more bug 'o buggin!

Gorilla in our Midst!... Say What?!?!

Driving to work the other morning I nearly had a car accident at this intersection as I and several other drivers and some pedestrians were seriously distracted (and quite a bit amused) at this site! I just couldn't believe there was a mangled gorrilla on the side of the road and so took a double take (or two)! Ironically, he's only a block from the City Zoo. Buster (ya, I had to name him) was only there for one day, but it sure was a sight to see (and, YES, I just had to pull over, park and get out my camera). Just another day here in the Balkans! =)

Walking to Work -- the unintended circuitous route

This morning I headed out into the muggy warm morning with no particular route planned, just that I'd head in the general direction of the new office and then see what I'd find. What I found was that I'd stumbled upon an area of town I'd never been in before. Honestly, it was quite shocking and a little disorienting! Here less than 1/2 mile from my place are some streets I'd never explored before.

At one point I was almost convinced I was lost... and I found I wasn't the only one either as I passed an older gentleman with hand on chin looking from building to street with a confused look that must have mirrored my own. We joined into an unspoken pact as we determinedly put one foot in front of the other looking for the glavna ulitsa (main street). Eventually he found another older gentleman who was obviously an old friend who pointed him in the right direction... and I surreptitiously followed! =)

Back out on the main street I was dismayed to find that I'd essentially been walking in a zig-zag pattern that zagged more than zigged and ended up parallel to where I needed to be. And here I thought I was walking on a diagonal line! Oh well. I found some new places, fun graffiti and interesting nooks and cranny's that deserve further exploration. But I decided to leave that for another day and purchased some bananas and peaches (amazing, btw, as they are in season) and walked the remaining five minutes to the office.

In the end, what should have been just a 20 minute walk turned out to be almost an hour instead. LOL. Gotta love the self-guided tours.

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I didn't have my camera handy to take a pick of the new and interesting graffiti, so the one up top is from last years GCF walk.
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Yes, it's the start of the new budget year and so I'm back on my feet and walking to work. It helps, though, that the new office is half the distance of the previous one. =)

Buying Time

Heading down the detergent aisle I spotted what looked like a bottle of "Tide" only it was actually a bottle of "Time." Ha! I must confess, I simply LOVE the irony of "buying time" and how fitting it is to apply it to doing laundry in the Balkans...

For almost 7 years now I've washed my clothes in a washer that doesn't clean too well and takes up to 3 hours to run a cycle. The clothes are then hung either on a drying rack in my living room in the Spring and Fall, on the balcony in the Summer and, my personal favorite, on the radiators in the Winter.

Hung on the racks it can take up to three days for clothes to dry... and it's hard to escape that musty smell and always wondering about potential mold growth (some colleagues have had this experience, not on the clothes, but on the walls of their apartment!). In the summers, which, just like my hometown in Sacto, are always blistering here in Skopje, clothes can be dry in less than an hour for cottons, two for thicker fabrics. The next fastest drying time is on the radiators in winter, which depends upon how much the heat has been cranked up on the water pumping through them from the central station.

Trivia:
The reason why the last one is my favorite is because it's the closest my towels ever get to the fluffy soft ones that come out of the WONDERFUL dryers in the US. The rest of the year I have to settle with rough stiffness (as evidenced in the picture)... and no, fabric softener doesn't help with that much. (Oh how I miss dryer sheets too!)

The thing about doing laundry here is that it takes planning ahead. There are no quick loads of laundry. It takse time, sometimes days. That's why I love the irony of buying "Time" to do my laundry. =)

This irony deepens for me, however, because I realize how my concept of time has changed since being here... the rhythm of time in the Balkans is so much different than in the US. Sigh.... I'm really tempted to discuss these differences here, but I'm thinking it is best explored in a blog entry all on it's own. So for the moment I will simply leave you with the fascinating image of being able to literally buy some Time. =)

The Calf Yells "Le Le!" Kolede!

It's 6:45AM on Christmas Eve, January 6, 2009, and I am awakened by the first batch of children making their way through my neighborhood singing the Kolede Song. This year there is lots of icy snow on the ground and the children are bundled up like Ralfie's little brother.

Oops, there goes the doorbell. Hmm... it seems this group of children has added a drum to give the song a beat lively beat. lol. I must go answer the door and hand out this years treat: mandarins and chestnuts this year. =)

Here's a VERY rough translation of the song:

One icey Kolede

a tree limb fell on grandpa

grandpa was in agony.

Grandma incubates [sits on] 4 goose eggs.

Crazy happenings, Kolede!

Today is Kolede
tomorrow is Christmas

We're going to kill a calf
but the calf yells, "lele!"

I won't kill the calf
I'll give you veggies

and we'll make pita
for all of us to eat. Kolede!

It still gets me that the children are bundled up and out the door so early in the morning. My friend on the other side of town had them ringing her doorbell at 5AM this year. When my language teacher first told me about this I'd assumed that the children would come in the early evening like in the US for Halloween. So you an imagine my shock my first year here when my doorbell rang and children were singing this Grandma-got-run-over-by-a-reindeer-ish song at 6:30AM! It took me 7 years, but I was awake, dressed and ready for them this year! (See last years post for more on Christmas Eve in Macedonia.)

Quote of the Snowy Day

"Tato! Tato!" cried the young boy sitting on a sled in the snow being towed by his father. "Prvo levo," the boy called and then continued with the mixture of excitement and wonder that only fresh falling snow can bring. "i [ee] sega... Pravo! Pravo! Pravo!"

He then gripped the sides of his sled in great anticipation and complete faith and trust in his father that not only would he pull him fast and with a sense of adventure, but that he'd also keep him safe. "Dobro, srtse," says the father dotingly as he begins to pull his son first left and then straight, straight, straight on the powdery path in the city park. Smiles all around.

While this interaction was going on between one father and son, another father was helping his son to build a snowman on his sled. In fact, there were several families out adventuring in the snow with snowball fights and sledding down hills. Witnessing such special moments between parents and children always brings a smile to my face and warms my heart. May the memories made today by these families last a lifetime and may there be many many more such special moments in their lives in the future. =)

I was so inspired that later while I was killing some time in a cafe with a coffee I had some fun doodling the event.

11,900 Christmas Boxes Arrive

Last night when I arrived at church for worship practice there was a GINORMOUS SEMI parked in front and filled to the brim with thousands of Christmas boxes and a flurry of activity as church members and local volunteers pitched in to unload them. After practice I lent my hands as well to unload the last few hundred boxes, becoming one person in a baker's dozen chain passing two to four boxes at a time from the parking lot down into a large room.

And as each box passed through our hands I took special notice of the wrapping. There was fancy paper, snowmen, and Christmas trees, some even had decorative ornaments and while others sported hand-crafted designs and hearts. The one that really stood out, though, was wrapped simply in brown paper, but which contained a child's artistic rendition of the nativity. It must have taken that little girl or boy hours! It was so beautiful. Each present was prepared with special treasures and wrapped with care for children that the giver does not know but wants to give a precious gift. And each one will bring such joy and smiles to children all over Macedonia (and around the world as thousands more are delivered worldwide).

In total between this semi and another one there were 11,900 Christmas presents that will be distributed to children through organizations, churches, orphanages, schools and in villages. Please pray for the children who will be receiving these gifts, and please also pray for the beautiful hands of the givers and deliverers.

It's a Pepto-Pink Christmas Tree, Charlie Brown!

Oh how I miss going to the Christmas tree farms for the annual evergreen. The smell of pine wafting within the chilled December air as you get lost in a forest of trees. :::sigh:::

In the Balkans, Christmas tree shopping is a much different experience. Last year the "pepto" tree was all the rage (as were toxic green & pungent orange). This year it's black with red ornaments and red or periwinkle with white ornaments.


As always, if you're looking for a live tree, you can find some "Charlie Brown" ones, which cost about $30 and come complete with roots!

Personally, I opted for the basic green "Super Cdlorado" that assembles by numbers (and I WON'T mention how long it took me to assemble it!). =)

Snowflakes and Fireflies

I opened my eyes later than usual on Saturday morning, but when I got up and looked out the window I couldn't believe my eyes! The first snow had come! Who knew?? Just the night before it was a balmy 60-ish evening with a wicked-mean wind. While it didn't blow in my windows like I thought it might it must have been what carried in this first winter dusting. :)

Snowflakes and fireflies are two things that simply enchant me, so I was pretty excited about this fluffy surprise greeting my sleepy eyes. There's just something about the stillness and quiet that comes over the city as it is delicately blanketed in white. Smile.

Just today a taxi driver told me that Macedonia has two seasons: Summer and Fall. They used to say, "Summer and Winter," but with the warmer than normal winters over the past few years that's changing. Well, I certainly hope that this wonderful dusting is just a hint at what is yet to come. Ajde, sing with me... "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...."

A Builder's Invention

There is an amazing amount of new and continued building constructions going up all around Skopje. Blink a second too long and a new building will have replaced your favorite store. One day you're buying coffee from a corner shop, the next day the existing building is torn down, and on the next day the foundation for a new one is laid and rebar delivered. Blink.

Living in an apartment building in the city center I get somewhat of a birds-eye view of the construction process. The other day I looked out and saw this nifty invention quickly hammered out to hold the worker's coats, bags and lunches. The guys even have a plastic tarp ready to go if rain is forecasted. Pretty smart... and makes for a fun picture too. :)

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Side note: notice how amazingly close the new building's foundation is to the old one??? yikes!