Taste of Home!

The local cuisine here in Macedonia is really wonderful, to be honest--especially the skara (aka. grilled meat), bread and shopska (aka. cucumber, tomato and shredded feta salad).  However, there are just some days that I miss a good California club sandwich, a non-mixed meat burger without fries stuffed in the bun, or Cali-Mex flavors.  You know, a taste of home.  Those days tend to pop up more often during the holiday's, btw.

Well, Sunday after church while enjoying macciatos and conversation with friends, one couple mentioned finding a new restaurant called, "Taste of California."  Yes, I admit that my head snapped up and the "where?!" was out of my mouth before I could even fully process the comment.  Then came their description of real nachos, homemade guacamole, salsa, real burgers, sandwiches and, be still my heart, Cali-Mex! They enjoyed it so much they went two days in a row! [Seriously, I must admit that my mouth is watering even as I type this!] 

Yesterday another friend and I decided to track this place down and to give it a try.  Oh my goodness!  Let me just say that it was WONDERFUL.  We ordered nachos and taquitos to share/try and a club sandwich.  It was all delicious, but I must say that so far my favorite is the club: grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, melted cheese, bacon and advocado on lightly toasted, homemade bread... the proportions were perfect and the flavor was.... a taste of home!

Yep!  You guessed it!  This California girl has signed off on this "Taste of California" in Skopje, Macedonia as being pretty authentic and a welcomed taste of home.  For those who are interested, it's located on Ortse Nikolov between DM and Hotel Tim's.

For those who are interested, it's located on Ortse Nikolov between DM and Hotel Tim's.

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! =)

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. :)

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....

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).

Happy September

This is a happy picture: the balloons swirling everywhere in various colors, the wide-open mouth of surprise, delighted flapping arms and wind-tossed hair. I see so much of myself in this picture right now.... but it's more like, "Look at all those things I've got in the air with arms flapping trying to catch hold of them!" Happy September!

Well, OK, it's not so bleak as that. ;) Though it is a good representation of the mix of fun and stress that has been my life for the last three months. The "blog-balloon" was just one of the "delights" that I let fly away in favor of the many other things that have taken priority.

The work balloons: When I got back from the US I had just over two weeks to not only catch up on 2 months of bookkeeping and to prepare for fiscal year-end and the splitting up of the books into two autonomous sets... I had to pack up and move the office. With the move to a new place comes all the little details that aren't so big in themselves, but simply suck your time away like a quickly deflating balloon.

Happy September, though, in that I'm caught up, moved, set-up (mostly), completed with the bookkeeping gymnastics and can finally hunker down and get back to "normal" and re-frying some beans (aka. bookkeeping).

There have been many other balloons swirling around in my life these past few months, some stressful, some sad, but also some joyful and pure delight. Now that some of the extra-swirly balloons from summer have been let go (aka. finished tasks/responsibilities), the picture for me is becoming once more a happy one instead of a stressful one. That is the mix that I see in that picture above entitled, "Среќен Септембри!" (Happy September!)

*******

And just in case I haven't already hacked this analogy to death, there is one more that the picture evokes, and it's related to the weather and seasons:

With September came the turning of leaves, the chilly breezes while the hint of summer heat inexplicably remains in the air, the sweet smell of roasting peppers and the SHOCK of the weather changing from Summer to Fall in a DAY (one Saturday afternoon it was 100+, by that evening it was 50 and hasn't really gotten above 80 since)....

The days of summer floating away like those colorful balloons..... Happy September!

OK enough with with analogies! lol. Frankly, I'm glad it's September with the busyness of summer behind me and the cool and more "normal" days of Fall ahead of me. =)

I'd Rather be Shoveling Snow

As I'm huddled in the new office with no air-conditioning, lamenting the Skopje summer heat (and the sweat that comes with it), I can't help but dream of March in Wyoming and being snowed in for two days by "the blizzard of the season." [The picture below was taken at 5am after the snow had been blowing strongly and horizontally for 14 hours already!]

Oh it was so nice! Nestled in a warm log house with my drukarki (closest friends), cooking chili and cornbread, figuring out a puzzle, swooning over Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice and laughing hysterically at Nacho Libre taking off on his scooter. We also went out to play in the snow... yes, in the blizzard... we can only imagine the neighbors looking at us and collectively shaking their heads at our stupidity and muttering, "city folk."

Being snowed in was not without it's challenges, though. The septic system backed up, but we were able to fix it by finding... er... the poor little mice family that had given their lives to clog it up in the first place. Also, a day after the storm while rushing outside to catch the snowplow before it bypassed our driveway... Whoop! Slip! Clunk! My foot slipped on the steps and Smack! went my back onto the wooden planks. I was up in moments, though, because if we didn't catch him to plow our driveway we'd be locked in for even longer. The driver kindly plowed our driveway and my back turned out to be no worse for the wear. =)
Ah! Good times were those spent with my friends on that road trip to Wyoming.

Sigh... the landlord just stopped by and snapped me back from my daydreaming of cooler days. The phone guys are here to install our landline. It's great to have the landline, but honestly, I'd rather be shoveling snow right now. =)

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!]

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.

Chewing Coffee

"Karolina, in the morning, first thing take a little honey. Because it's sweet all the bad things will be drawn to it in your stomach. Then drink one coffee to make everything dark so that the bacteria doesn't see what's coming. Then you drink a little rakija and it will kill then all."

That was a little story a local told me a while back. I think it was her father's daily routine to keep healthy. It's not surprising that his morning ritual included coffee as this is very much a coffee culture, though the type of coffee is much different than in the states. US coffee is frequently referred to as, "flavored water." One drink of the local brew, commonly known as "turkish coffee," and you would see why. Just be careful not to chew it...

The coffee beans are ground to a fine powder, similar to the consistency of cornstarch. A heaping spoonful for every cup (approximately 1/4C in size) of water is heated together with a lump of sugar (optional) until just boiling and foamy. It's then immediately removed from the heat and served one spoonful at a time so as to evenly disburse the foam between the cups.

My first encounter with turkish coffee was 8 years ago. As I sipped I kept getting mouthfuls of coffee grounds and found myself literally chewing the coffee. I was bewildered that people would actually enjoy coffee that way. Then I noticed that none of the locals were drinking yet... then the 'DUH' light went off in my head and I realized that the cup needed to sit for a while to let the grounds settle to the bottom before drinking. Aaahhaaa!

Those grounds become a finely-packed sludge on the bottom of the cup which some ladies will "read" much like some read tea leaves. When I was in Bosnia our host lady would flip her cup over when she was finished drinking and let the grounds drain down. Later when she was doing the dishes she'd look intently into the cup to figure out what the grounds were saying. Then with a "hmm" and a nod of her head she'd then wash the grounds away. I have no idea what she "saw" but she seemed satisfied.

I can't tell you how many cups of "turkish coffee" I've had over the years, but I can tell you that each cup represents many wonderful conversations and connecting with locals: learning language, hearing their life stories, future dreams and becoming friends. And for the privilege of that I'll happily keep chewing coffee. :)

Recipe: Old World Apple Cake

I've always thought that October is the best month in which to have a birthday. The air is crisp but still carries hints of the summer gone by. The trees, parks and wooded paths are colored in various shades of greens, yellows, oranges and browns. Тhen there are the numerous seasonal items like squash, sweet potatoes and, of course, apples. And with apples comes the best game ever for a kid's birthday party: apple dunking (or bobbing)!

For those who aren't familiar with this, imagine a big barrel or ivar-making-tanger (танџер) filled with water and dozens of bright red harvest apples bobbing on the surface. Then the children hold their hands behind their back and try to pick up an apple with just their mouth. :::giggle:::


[Apple-dunking picture source:
http://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/apple_day/ ]

Unless there's a decent stem, the participants will end up dunking their entire heads all the way in to wedge an apple against the bottom and sink their teeth in. Coming up they send splashes of water onto everyone within a 5 foot radius. They are soaking wet from head to torso but with a triumphant apple-filled smile. Ahhh... memories. :) (My Macedonian friends are probably cringing at this moment at the image of children being outside with wet hair in October.)

Now a days I don't go dunking for apples anymore (though the kid in me would love to!) instead I bake. And that's just what I did this weekend with the big bag of organic apples that a friend gave to me on my birthday last week. It's an old family favorite of mine and a gem I thought worth sharing. It's from my Mom's well-worn and loved 1966 copy of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery (Vol. 1, Fawcett Publications, Inc., New York, 1966, pg. 102).

Old World Apple Cake

Ingredients for Filling
3 Pounds cooking apples
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 slices of lemon

Ingredients for Pastry
2 Cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before you measure)
1-1/3 cups sugar (about)
1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 egg yolks (room temperature)

Method

Peel and slice apples. Cook with sugar, water and lemon until tender but not mushy. Drain and cool. Remove lemon slices.

Mix flour, 1-1/4 cups sugar and baking powder. Cut in 1/2 cup butter with pastry blender or work in with fingers until mixture is crumbly. Mix in egg yolks. Reserve 1 cup four mixtrue for top. Pat remainder on bottom and sides of greased 9-inch spring-form pan. Fill with apples; sprinkle with reserved topping; dot with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350F) for 1 hour. Serve warm or cold. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

OK, now for my Macedonian friends who have asked me for this recipe...сега ке пробам да ви го кажам рецептот на Македонски (благодарам на моите учителки кои што ме помогнаат со овој рецепт).

за полнење
3 кила јаболка за печење
1/3 шолја шеќер
1/2 шолја обична вода
2 парчиња лимон

Излупете ги и сечете ги јаболката. Ги варете сите парчиња со шеќерот и лимонот ċе додека не омекнат. Исушете ги и се изладете ги. Вадете ги парчињата од лимон.

процедно (за тесто)
2 шолји приближно брашно
1-1/3 шолји шеќер (околу)
1-1/4 мала лажица пециво (прашок за печиво)
2/3 чаша путер или маргарин (околу)
2 жолтчки (соба темпетура)

Загрејте ја рерната на 177°с.

Во среден сад го мешате брашното, 1-1/4 чаши од шеќерот и пецивото. Само 1/2 чаши од путерот го сечете заедно во смесата со вилушка. Додадете ги жолтчките во садот со смесата и мешајте дури не стане хомогена смеса. Ставете една чаша од смесата на страна и ставете го другиот во една тава. Ставете ги јаболките или овошјете од ваш избор и на крајот ставете ја смесата на врвот на обошјето. Сега, со голема лажица, ставете го шеќерот на врвот. Печете ја тортата на 177°с за еден саат.

Prijаtno јадење! And have an enjoyable and color-filled fall season! :)

A Haunted House, Church and Fellowship

This Sunday, after an extra hour of sleep (yipee!), we arrived to find the school where we meet bedecked with a scarecrow and several school childrens' uniquely carved pumpkins. Saturday night had been the schools annual Fall Festival and inside the gym the left-overs from the haunted house needed to be cleared before we could set up for service. No worries because we had several extra helping hands thanks to the "fall back" time change! :)

As usual worship practice was full of last-minute tweaking, laughter over silly little things, vocal warm-ups, guitar tuning, sound-checks and proofing of slides on "One Note." Even with the necessary detail that is "practice", it was an especially nice practice as it seemed this Sunday we got past the logistics more quickly than usual and entered purely into worship, focusing on the One for Whom we sang.

Come beginning of service, the gym that had been a haunted house the night before was transformed into a hallowed house as we prayed, worshipped through song and received a message on Jesus' resurrection and faith. As summer is now fading into memory the seats are fuller each week as expats from all over find there way here, finding a church home. After service the fellowship, laughter and deep and light conversation continues next door in the schools cafeteria that is more like a delightfully quaint cafe.


In breaks between my own conversations I simply took in the sights of candid moments:

• two ladies engaged in light conversation about their week and how their children are doing
• three little girls sitting around a small table, legs swinging in joy as they sipped their milk or juice and mused little girl musings
• a little munchkin perched on the bar (coffee) totally amused by the barrista making silly faces for her
• the box of homemade ginger-snaps disappearing with each blink of the eye
• discussions and planning for the weeks homegroup meetings: when, where and open invite to new attendees
• a ladies easy laughter a something her husband said
• two men in deep discussion of theological import
• a proud father holding his little baby who squeals in pure delight in his daddy
• the group of adults crowded around the counter ordering macciato's, cappuccino's or "sour water" (aka. bubbly mineral water)
• children scampering around and through the adults legs, playing in the school yard or on the schools Foosball table
• people from literally all over the world drinking coffee, eating cookies and enjoying one another's company and fellowship, forging friendships

Little by little the groups disbursed to head home, to other points of ministry, or to continue the conversations over lunch. For myself I walked out with a couple friends to the main street where we mused about the detour down the road and if it was for the motorcycle race and yes we'll see you at class. Bidding them farewell I decided to enjoy the day and walk home rather than hailing a taxi. Just around the corner I ran into one of the people from church who invited me to join their family for a скара lunch (aka. grilled meat... something Macedonia does awesomely). What a lovely time we had talking about all sorts of things (including a little cheer for Liverpool's win over Chelsey)!

Several full and delightful hours later when I set out for home, it was darker than I'd expected for 5:30pm, but then again a time-change will do that. The streets were quiet and colored with fall leaves, the night air a bit chilly... but my heart was full. Yesterday was a great day. A day that started with church in what had been haunted house the night before, and ended with full and candid fellowship moments.

A Night at the Symphony

When I was a little girl my parents used to drag me to the symphony each week... inevitably I'd curl up in my chair and sleep, too young to appreciate the experience. Now almost 30 years later, living in Skopje, I enjoy going to the symphony and I can assure you that there is no sleeping--especially last night.

The Macedonia Philharmonic opened the season with a night of Beethoven's Fives: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 and, my all-time favorite, the famous Symphony No. 5 in C-Minor (aka. Dah dah dah daaaaahhh.... or "fate knocking at the door."). It was a wonderful concert! Of course it was even more fun because one of my friends is one of the musicians (though I confess I'm a little envious that she gets to be literally in the middle of the music.) :)

The pianist featured for the Concerto was Tzimon Barto of the US. He didn't look like a typical pianist... in fact we thought he looked a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger... and the way he played! He was on fire pounding away at the ivories with such force that I thoroughly expected to see strings fly! (And apparently they did in practice!) Yet at the times his touch was so light and flowing it was as if the piano whispered... amazing. Bravo.

And as far as Beethoven's Symphony No. 5?? Words escape me. Bravo seems too inadequate. The conductor, Janush Pshibilski of Poland, was quite enjoyable and did a wonderful job. And what a joy it was to finally hear my favorite symphony live! I got chills and caught my breath several times!! And by the final movement I wanted to jump to my feet and cheer! Alas, I held back my ovation until the end, joining many others. :)

After the concert some friends and I went to the local Mexican restaurant, Amigo's, and enjoyed a great meal with great company. :) Ah, such was a wonderful night spent with friends at the symphony.

Making Ajvar for a Team Meeting

Yesterday Christine and I drove down to Bitola to hang with some colleagues and to make a local specialty called Ajvar (pr.. "Aye-var"). When we left Skopje it was sunny with a kiss of warmth in the air, but halfway to Bitola the sky opened and it began to rain. And rain. And rain. I also realized it was high time I changed the windshield wipers as the harder it rained the harder it was to see!

Arriving in Bitola we got right to work on coring and roasting 75 kilos (aka 165 lbs!) of vibrant red peppers. Oh! Wish you could smell the wonderful fragrance that they make as they're sizzling on the stove. We enjoyed some great conversation and laughter under a patio umbrella as the rain continued to come down. (Cracking walnuts for roasting also in pic below).

Their landlords would pop in one and another at different times to say hello and to watch us Americans try our hand at a Balkan specialty. Mark let me take over roasting while he and his landlords son chatted over by the apple tree (while sampling a few fresh from the tree as well). I really enjoy roasting the peppers, though usually it's the men who do it. At one point I was roasting and Christine and Becky were coring as Mark brought us more peppers. I can only imagine how odd that must have looked to the locals! ;)

About 6:30 the gals and I left Mark to the roasting and headed to the church for women's bible study. Christine and I were put a little on the spot to lead the song-time... um.. in Macedonian. I must say that was a first for me. Usually I'm leading songs in English for the International Church, but this was a really great experience. Afterwards we all had some great discussion times about living our lives as lights to those around us. We ended with prayer for our families and then the gals and I returned home to find that Mark had just finished roasting the second bag of peppers.

Today we have 25 kilos left of peppers to roast as well as a bag of eggplant. This batch of peppers will be a bit different, though. You see, one of the discussions we had yesterday was if coring the peppers before roasting is better than leaving the stems on for roasting and coring and de-seeding afterwards. Every Macedonian will tell you something different (even about peeling... sweat the roasted peppers in a plastic bag but peel them while they're warm vs. sweat them overnight). Anyways, today we roast with stems and will compare our experience with yesterday. :)

Mark and Pattie are joining us today as well and we'll be having a team meeting while roasting and peeling peppers. I must say, this will be the funnest team meeting I think we've ever had. ;)

The Last Day of Summer

They say there are just two seasons here in Macedonia: summer and winter. Boy do I believe it!

Just two weeks ago we enjoyed the late summer warm air next to a river to celebrate a baptism. It was warm and wonderful in all aspects of the meaning. And you can see from the picture that Macedonians really know how to grill well! And nothing surpasses the summer produce either--those locally grown tomatoes were simply delicious! Picnics are also a big thing here--starting with Picnic Day (or May 1st) through to the last days of summer. :) And as it turned out, this picnic was indeed on the last day of summer.


The next day, Sunday, it rained most of the day but cleared up just in time for the wedding at church. Then by Tuesday I was digging out a suitcase full of winter clothes from my closet, retiring open-toes shoes and capri's to a storage box and wearing long pants for the first time in months.

Now, two weeks later, I have a cold, my lungs are dry and my throat scratchy and as I drink the last of my Alka Seltzer cold medicine I'm remembering that lazy joyous picnic and baptism by the river with a bit of wistful longing for a little more summer. As it is, city heat doesn't normally get turned on until October 15th (just missing my birthday btw)... though it would have been nice if it were turned on yesterday... It's hard to believe how quickly the cold embraced us. I mean, from upper 30s (90s) to single digits (40s & 50s) in literally days!

Oh how I miss California's Indian Summer. Sigh... Welcome to the Balkans and to living in the land of two seasons! :) Then again, each new season has it's joys. The cold weather means it's time to roast peppers and make Ivar! Also, since the cold came so early this year... maybe they'll be lots of snow this winter too. Now wouldn't that be fun! ;)