Even the Trees are Confused

October 1st. The city heat gets turned on in 14 days and in years past we've been wishing it were already turned on by October 1st. This year has been so different. Skopje is actually seeming to have a Fall. Shocking because the common sentiment (aka joke) here is that Macedonia has only two seasons: winter and summer.

Just like last year our end of summer church potluck in August came a day after record high 100+ degree weather and in just 3 days it was already about 30 degrees cooler. But then, unlike last year, it got warm again. Sure, it never got over 100 again, but it's been consistently warm and humid.

So here we are at the beginning of October still (shockingly) wearing short sleeves despite the fact the first day of Fall is a week or so behind us. And all this has apparently completely confused some of the trees because they're blooming like it's Spring! Seriously, the site makes me laugh out loud, because it's just so, for lack of a better word, chudno! (Translation: strange.)

Poor trees. They're so confused. But I sure don't mind. It's kinda fun to see the beautiful blooms and bright green signs of life in contrast to all the orange and red signs of death (or winter hibernation).

To be honest, though, I'm not ready for the deep chill of winter to descend yet. Just not quite prepared to put away the capri's, flip-flops and the warmth of the sun on my face. =)

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)....

Gone to the Pigeons!

There are pigeon's nesting on my balcony. For weeks I'd noticed two pigeon's rummaging around and kept shooing them away. They were making a right-old mess on my balcony, but then for whatever reason the pigeon's moved the nest from the floor to this planter pot. Yes, I still tried shooing them away, but then one day I noticed an egg. The next day there were two and the mama and papa pigeons were taking turns sitting on them.

A quick Google of the internet reveals that these birds are a headache and to not be sucked in by the eggs and promise of cute little fledglings.... but admittedly I caved and now am counting the days until they hatch. Can't wait actually. Kinda excited too!


Funny thing is that I've been going to the pet shop for years, wishing I could have one but knowing I can't. Dogs, cats, fish and even birds. I love having pets but it's just not possible in my current living situation and with the life I lead and schedule I keep. So in a small way these little nesting pigeon's are the perfect pet! They feed and care for themselves and I get to enjoy watching them. I find it quite fascinating, really, that they trade off on the sitting duties or that the male with come and go in the afternoons with more items to build the nest. It's pretty cool...

On the other hand, my balcony is really small (about 5'x5') and so I refuse to give it up to the birds. In fact today I did a deep cleaning of it and even planted some lavender and rosemary into the planters... all the while the poor traumatized pigeon hunkered down on her eggs watching me with a wary eye but refusing to fly off. Amazing. Though she better not get too comfortable because as soon as her babies are grown and fly away into their own lives, I will be fully reclaiming my balcony and flowers will be promptly planted in what was her nest. :)

In the meantime, though, I'm going to enjoy watching the new life hatching on my balcony.

The Smell of Summer in Skopje

Freshly cut grass in the early mornings. Hamburgers sizzling on the barbeque. Damp towels drying in the sun. These are some fragrances that always signaled the arrival of summer for me growing up in the Sacramento Valley. Tea. That is the perfume that heralds the official arrival of summer for me here in Skopje.

Tea? I'm sorry, what? Did I really just say that?

When I'd ask the local baker or taxi driver about the силен мирис (strong aroma) filling the summer air the response was always, "Leepa. For tea."

Tea? I'm sorry, what?

Totally confused and convinced that I wasn't communicating well, I took a picture of the trees to show them. Several, actually. "Becky" at the local burek shop just looked at the images, smiled and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Yes, Karolinche. These are the Липа trees... we make tea from them."

Who knew! For some reason it never occurred to me that tea wasn't just made from herbs and such but from actual tree blossoms. She was totally bemused by my mystification but I was happy to learn something new about this special city and culture.

The Linden (aka Tilia) trees line the streets here in Skopje and their heady scent is reminiscent of gardenias, lilacs, lilies or other florist favorite. It envelopes you and its bouquet gets into clothes and hair and stays with you long after coming indoors.

Yes, summer has arrived here in Skopje. And next winter when the ice is thick on the ground and the sky heavy with snow, I'll only have to wrap my hands around a steamy mug of linden tea, close my eyes and breathe in deeply the lovely warm scent of summer and smile.

Скопје

While walking through the center yesterday, after having lunch on the Kej (along the river) with some colleagues and out of town guests, I caught sight of this sign. Sure, the center square is all a mess as the city is in the middle of a transformation with new buildings and statues going up all over. YET... as I came across this sign I thought to myself, "I do love this city," this place that has been home to me for several years now. Everywhere I go carries with it some cherished memory of the time spent here and the people I've spent that time with. I've not blogged much lately, but that sign got me to thinking: perhaps it would be fun over the next few posts to share with you just a few of the things I love about the people, place and culture here.... because, like the sign says, "I love Skopje."

Yep! I must admit that I do! =)

Censored?

Just one of those random things in Skopje that makes me laugh! I mean, where do people get these ideas? lol.

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.

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.

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/

Snow! It just may be a White Christmas this year!

Last night I went to bed very late after a very full day exploring all around Skopje with friends, shopping, enjoying the lights, restaurants and cheeriness of the city bedecked in holiday enchantment. At the end of the day I Twittered that the only thing that could have made it even more picture-perfect was if there were snow. Unfortunately the weather forecast was only for rain.

So you can imagine my surprise (and JOY) to wake up this morning to a fresh blanketing of snow over the city, piling up on rooftops and clinging to trees! This is a site I've come to really look forward to just after the New Year... I was hooked three years ago when it snowed right on New Years Day. Then last year it was January 2nd. This years New Year dusting happened a little later, but JUST IN TIME to fulfil a childhood dream of a "White Christmas." Can you hear my girlish squeal of delight???

White Christmas??? Yes, I did say Christmas. That's because Macedonia celebrates the holiday according to the Julian calendar, so January 7th is the day. You might find it interesting that "Santa", Christmas trees and gift-giving happen for New Years. I've recently learned that this transition happened during communism where New Years, being smack in the middle of the "Catholic" Christmas and the "Orthodox" Christmas, seemed the right compromise. The happy by-product of this is that Christmas is just about Jesus' birth, which is pretty cool.

Christmas in Macedonia is celebrated a bit differently as well. I've shared some of the celebrations and traditions in previous years' blogs and so will try to take a different perspective this year. The festivities start tonight with the Kolede bonfires, which have their roots in old Slavic folk religion, but like the Christmas tree, have taken on new meaning over the years ("Christ's light coming into a dark world."). Still, though, the locals tell me they go just for the fire, dancing, food, rakija and visiting with friends and neighbors. With the new layer of snow today, it should make the fires a bit more inviting. :) Anyways, as the tradition unfolds this year I will try to share some stories and pictures along the way.

Until next time, here's a pic of the pile of fuzzy snowflakes that I awoke to this morning....

Freaky Rain-Coated Children, Fish & Painting in the Lines

I had a really hard time picking just one of these "gems" to share today, so it seemed prudent to simply share them all!

When I first saw this "street" art exhibit it totally creeped me out! Freaky rain-coated children! As I drew closer I thought for sure the faces would be skeleton's or something. Thankfully, they weren't! Then, as I looked more intently, it seems that they could be adults slogging their way through the, er, pavement. Coupled with the sinking car behind them it seems to fit. Maybe they were in the car when it began to sink and they're wading out? What do you think??

This exhibit is just a block or so off the center square and is part of the outdoor display of a funky art gallery... Seriously, that gallery is full of very odd, different and "can't help but gape at" art. Worth a look-see for sure!

This little guy, whom I lovingly refer to as "Sebastian" (my favorite name for a fish), popped up recently near the old train station. One of the gals I was with commented that it would be cool if there was a machine underneath it that blew up bubbles. Now wouldn't that be fun?!?! If you're the artist, take note of a great idea! :)

Finally, this painting on the side of a wall took me by surprise. The ladders looked SO REAL at first glance that I took a double-take (and triple and quadruple). It's really quite simple but there's just something I really like about it. The quote says, "Современа подлога за современи конфликти." Roughly translated as: "Contemporary background for modern-day conflicts." The key words can be translated as: advanced, contemporary, modern-day.... I'd be interested in any insights to this that my Macedonian friends can give... particularly with my very rough translation. :) For those interested, this wall painting is right around the corner from the freaky rain-coated figures (across from Soul-Pub).

With sites like this around town, and new ones popping up all the time, it makes taking a walk through the city center an adventure into what new quirkiness awaits! :) Come visit (hint hint hint) and I'll be happy to show you some of my favorites!

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!!

Happy New Year!

2010. Wow! When I was a teenager I'd wonder what the year 2000 would be like as I listened to Prince's "1999." But 2010? It was so hard to imagine... first, because I'd be 40... yes, I did that F-O-R-T-Y. Funny, though, I'm sitting here on warm and sunny New Years Day 2010 in Skopje and can't help but feel the best years are ahead. Honestly, it kinda boggles my mind what I've seen in the last 40 years.... and I can only imagine what amazing things are ahead. One thing is for sure, though, I'm happily taking each day as they come. So enjoy last night with me as you peruse some of the photos from the celebration in the Плоштад (Skopje's center square).

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. =)

Presenting..... A Random Sight in Skopje!

The other night a colleague/friend and I headed down towards the river for dinner. Upon entering the square we were greeted by a sight of true randomness: A performance curtain set up at the base of the Old Stone Bridge. No signs or anything indicated what on earth it was there for besides just being a testament to the occasional and always entertaining randomness that comes with living in the Balkans. =)

Thoroughly enjoyed the peek-a-boo view of the square from the bridge perspective. As there's many new art statues around town maybe this is related? Who knows. ;)

Meeting Friends at Enriko's

It's hard to believe I've been back in country for only 2 weeks... my time in the US seems so long ago already. One of the things I missed while in the US was meeting friends for coffee or breakfast/lunch at a little place called "Eriko's." It's tucked away in the Leptokarija shopping center, around the corner from "Gringos" (lol) and on the opposite end from Tutunska.

For you Californians, I'm sure this name makes you imagine all sorts of Mexican cuisine. Sorry, this restaurant, though it's decor and menus boast African/tribal themes, the food is all Italian... Macedonian-style. :)

The atmosphere is quaint and inviting with seating both indoors and outdoors and the servers always polite and helpful. The food... well, let's just say that they make the BEST pepperoni pizza on the PLANET! (No, I'm not exaggerating.) Not too much sauce or cheese, lots of real pepperoni and the most amazing crust ever.

Other favorites include what's called the "Enriko Breakfast" and is the perfect blend of flavors; the fruit salad that's always changing according to the season, but always flavorful; and rich coffee that always comes with a small piece of homemade chocolate. I've never tried their pastas, but as the pasta itself looks like it's made from scratch I imagine it's great too!

The best thing about Enriko's, though, is to enjoy this atmosphere and meals with friends. I've had the pleasure of going a couple times now with two different friends. One friend & colleague and I had a "girls days" that consisted of a trip to our favorite hair-stylist and then heading out to lunch. We enjoyed a great time catching up on each others lives and continuing to build on the friendship. The other friend is a relatively new one. I'd met her just before I went to the US and this was out first day hanging out since I got back. Enriko's was again a great place to go and hang out and chat, while enjoying some of the best food Skopje has to offer. =)

It's great to be back in Mac!

[My apologies for how much like a commercial this sounds! That was so not intentional!]