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/

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!!

Shalakin My Head

Went to the store tonight to buy some hairspray... well, I ended up asking for whipped cream for my hair instead! You see, the word for hairspray is "Laq" and the way I remember the word is to think about shaLAQ'n my head... but then if you accidentally shorten that word (like I did tonight) you end up asking for "shlak" (шлаг) which is the word for whipped cream. So that's how I ended up asking for whipped cream for my head!

Gotta love language bloopers! They are pure entertainment (especially for my local friends). =)

Poppin' for Shampoo & Toast

Pop! Bang! The sound of sporadic popping of balloons and a crowd filled Ramstore's entry way this morning. There was a lot of popping going on, but it'd never occurred to me that it was on purpose. :)

It's Saturday and normally the day for different promotions: from chocolate and cheese to vita-drink mixes and dishwashing soap. Normally, I just walk on by, but today there was an announcement over the store speakers that if you spent over a certain amount of money you could enter a contest by bringing your receipt to the main entrance. Ah, I thought, the balloons... but as I didn't understand everything being said I'd no clue as to what the contest was and was curious to find out.

I thought perhaps we'd have to fill out a form and submit it for a drawing or something. Nope, this was infinitely better: you get to chose an orange, green or white balloon. Then a girl marks your receipt and then grabs the balloon and a pin and POP! The balloon explodes and a folded piece of paper flies out (or across the room, or hits someone in the head) that tells you what you've won! Ha ha! What fun!... though I'd no idea how the gals didn't jump like I did every time they skewered a balloon. ;)

For my balloon-poppin fun I won some shampoo, soap and a coupon for a free toast at Twiggy's. =)

****

For those who are thinking, "Gee, she won a piece of toasted bread... yipee...," it's actually much much better than that. Here in Macedonia "тост" is actually more like a grilled cheese sandwich with lunch meat ham and optional mushrooms, ketchup, mayonnaise and, of course, oregano.

Leaping into Cold Waters for Luck

The men, about a hundred or so, are gathered in the swim trunks at the base of the Old Stone Bridge and ready to jump in an instant into the swift and frigid Vardar river to retrieve some luck and blessing for the coming year. This is Epiphany Day in Macedonia, an Orthodox holiday to celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and to unite with him in it.

Thousands of spectators bracing against the cold January afternoon gather along the "Kej" (river path) to witness the spectacle. The Pontiff HH Stefan, the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, held a special service from the bridge and spoke a blessing over the river and the people with a cross. Then the cross is thrown into the current and the contestants make their leap. It's believed the one who retrieves the cross will have good health, happiness and luck in the coming year. According to the Macedonian Information Agency, this years winner also received a TV, electric range and fridge among other things.

Soon after this the people who had been watching will then make their way down to the waters edge to dip their hands, to sip and collect some in containers to bring home. It's believed the water is blessed now from the ceremony and so touching, sipping and bringing it home will bring that blessing into their lives and home.

I wasn't able to go today (these pics are from last year), but I am very glad for all those who did attend that the snow and ice has finally melted and the sun was shining brilliantly today, perhaps making things just a bit warmer. =)

Macedonia

Some entertaining, insightful and interesting videos on Macedonian life and culture including:

• reading coffee grounds & superstition
• a deserted village
• life in Macedonian prisons
• betting in sports cafe's
• ghosts riding in taxis
• grave faces

Thanks to a Dutch friend of mine who recently forwarded me the link to this site! They're in Macedonian with English subtitles and I highly recommend checking them out.

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. :)

Some excerpts from today's papers...

Today's newspapers in Skopje were again full with news and commentary on the US election. Here's a peek from three local papers:


"Obama Writes History"
Morning News (Утрински Бесник), p. 1, 6 November 2008:
...then from p. 2:
Obama Abolishes Racial Barriers in America

"With the choice for Barak Hussein Obama, the US completes the most radical political precedent in their history."

"'Will President Barak Obama be a modern Franklin Roosevelt who will lead America out of the economic crisis or will he be a dismayed copy of Herbert Hoover', asks a British 'Independent' yesterday in light of the new boss of the world's superpower."

"This decision demolishes the racial barriers in the US and shows that the world is rapidly moving towards change, even though sometimes there's no time to carry into history... Barak Obama definitely is a part in this history. He is the new John Kennedy for the Americans [and] the new Martin Luther King for African-Americans... "

*******

"Obama Accomplishes the American Dream"
The Times (Време), front page, 6 November 2008
...then in the article on p. 2:
"Barak Obama Realizes the Dream of Martin Luther King"


"Obama's win is a huge message to all multi-ethnic countries that values need to be expressed that don't belong to a particular community."

"Will he continue the advocacy of Bush for Macedonia"
"The Balkans remain on the American agenda"

*******
Here's a couple of links to Balkan Insight for articles completely in English: "Macedonia Hails Obama Amid 'Name' Woes" and "Balkan Leaders Praise Obama Victory"

*******
Anyways, that's just a clip but you get the idea. The local news as well as the international news is saturated with commentary on this historic election. Additionally, all day yesterday I was peppered with questions by locals: "So who did you vote for?" "Who did you want to win?" "Are you happy with the result?" And chatted with local friends from other European countries who joyfully exclaimed, "I was really quite ecstatic that he won actually." It truly is amazing this sense of excitement that those here and around the globe have.

The News (Вест) summed it up by saying, "The World Gains New Hope."



"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Tim 2:1-3 NIV

Today's Headlines

I thought perhaps it would be interesting for you to see this mornings frontpage headlines here in Macedonia:

The Times (left) reads:
"Obama with one foot in the White House"
The article below it refers to the continuing name issue with Greece

New Macedonia (the paper on the right) says:
"What is there to say to the new US President: Don't Forget Us"
The inset in the middle is a letter of congratulations to the President-elect, gives best wishes for the future and then urges him to continue the US's policy towards Macedonia and the name issue.

Because of the continuing name dispute with their neighboring country most Macedonians supported McCain and now that there will be a change of party and leadership they are very concerned that the US's policy towards them and the name issue will change.

***

Note: With this post and the previous one my intention is not to make political comment but to simply tell you what people are talking about and what concerns they have at this time.

Election Day - "So who did you vote for?"

When the "Terminator" won the "Total Recall" election in my home state of California, I was in Croatia. There and back home in Macedonia the news of the "Governator" was met with bemusement. In 2004 the world was watching but the contest between Bush and Kerry was couched in appropriate measure amidst the rest of the daily news. 2008, however, has been a much different experience. The interest is keen and dominates the news both locally and internationally. Everyone has a strong opinion on this election and most are quick to share it--especially as today, November 4th, 2008, loomed on the horizon.

In this past year I cannot tell you how many conversations I've had with locals and internationals about this election. They happened in cabs, corner stores, old town streets, hair salon, church, cafes, homes, etc... Politics is a favorite subject of most Balkan people--especially American politics. My colleagues have had similar experiences as well. These were not conversations we ever sought out, yet inevitably when someone finds out or knows that you're an American they take the opportunity to express their opinion and then are anxious to extract from you your thoughts about who is going to win and who you are going to vote for.

My hairstylist, for instance, knew I was a Californian and so considered it his mission to "convert" me to the "right" party, Republican, and to support McCain. Conversely there were others who were determined to persuade me from my wayward Republican ways and to be a faithful young Democrat and to vote for Obama. When I went to the post office to airmail my official absentee ballot, the workers handled it with such care, with a sense of great import, and then they too began to pepper me with questions as to who I voted for.

Tonight as I locked up the office and headed home I could not help but reflect upon all this and the keen interest this election holds worldwide. Some countries, like Bulgaria, even held mock elections today while people in other countries are having all night parties to watch the election returns. It's a bit strange to see such great international interest in the US Presidential election and then a bit humbling to realize that I actually had the privilege to cast a ballot. The world seems so small at this moment and no matter who wins there is a sense that we are all living in a vastly historic moment, a world moment, and the excitement of all is palpable.

As I write this I confess that I've got CNN International humming in the background, and no, I'm not going to divulge who I voted for. My answer to you is the same as it was to all those previous askers: it's between me, God and my ballot and I ask you to please respect that. I will, however, say this: Let us be in prayer for our President-elect, no matter who he may be, to be a strong, wise, grace-filled and discerning leader. Likewise, as this election does hold such worldwide interest, let us remember that in broadened prayer as well.

An Autumn Day in Skopje

Saturday is usually my day to cook, clean and do laundry, but I got a bit distracted on the way to the market because it was simply a gorgeous day. It seems most of the city got sidetracked as well as the walking street and surrounding restaurants and cafes were literally teaming with people enjoying the warm "Gypsy Summer" day. I found myself enchanted by the activity:

• the light cool breese sending colored leaves descending towards the cobblestone
• fathers carrying their young children on thier shoulders
• friends walking arm-in-arm and laughing about some inside joke
• the young couple stealing a kiss underneath a majestic tree colored in greens, yellows and oranges
• a group of young adults carrying signs offering "Free Hugs" to passersby
• the strains of the theme song from "The Last of the Mohicans" giving melody to days activity by men in native dress
• the venders selling fresh roasted chestnuts, mini-krofni (aka "American" donuts) sprinkled with powdered sugar and chocolate surrip, or hand-crafted jewelry, belts, or tourist items
• a little girls surprise when her balloon pops and her mothers reassurance that she'd get her another one
• the news crew setting up to interview the "Free Hug" kids and to take video of the general activity of the day

What a beautiful day is was here in the city.

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.

The Great Pepper Debate

One of the big debates that we had while making Ajvar was whether or not to core and de-seed the peppers before or after roasting. Talking to locals you find a wide range of passionate opinions as to the "correct way" to do it. We each had experience doing it both ways and since we had 75 kilos of peppers to work with over two days, we decided to do a compare and contrast. So here's what we found out, and at the end is the verdict and an opportunity for you to throw in your two-denars.


Day 1: We cored and de-seeded the peppers before roasting.
Coring wasn't so bad if you had fingernails as you could simply push the nail in at the base of the stem and pull it out. The seeds are then easily shaken out by tapping against the side of a bowl.
Roasting was a little tricky as it was harder at times to grab hold of the peppers in order to turn them. Additionally, it seemed to take a long time to roast the pepper until it was peel-able (meaning black).... more often than not the burn would extend beyond the skin and into the "meat" of the pepper.
Peeling was very difficult as we'd left them in the plastic bags overnight. The upside was that there were few if any seeds to deal with, and the peppers stayed drier (a key thing is to keep the water level down for cooking)



Day 2: We washed the peppers and placed them directly on the stove to roast complete with stems attached (and seeds inside).
Roasting was much nicer as the stems made for good handles in turning. Additionally, as the steam built up inside the peppers they were easier to smoosh down with tongs to obtain a more even burning of the skin. Finally, the peppers seemed to cook faster and so there was less burnage and loss of the meat (unlike on day 1 where several peppers simply disintegrated in our hands from overcooking/burning).
Peeling was by far much easier when the peppers were still warm. We let them sweat in plastic bags for at least 2 hours before beginning peeling and the peels simply slid off! The downside were the numerous seeds that seemed to get everywhere. People resorted to dipping the peppers in water to get rid of the seeds (a big NO NO according to every Macedonian domakinka). I found the scissor method worked quite well (put the meat between your fingers and simply slide down, removing any seeds).

The Verdict: Having to deal with the seeds after roasting was headache enough that the general concensus was to core/de-seed before roasting, but to peel while still warm.

Personally, I agreed that dealing with the seeds was a big pain, but in my opinion the benefits of roasting with the stem on far outweighs the seedy inconvenience. It has everything to do with the steam held inside the pepper with the stem on.

1. The peppers plump while you cook them
2. The meat benefits from the flavor of the seeds (according to one of the Macedonian babas)
3. The meat says thick and flavorful as it's steamed rather than baked (the steam builds up inside the pepper)
4. The pepper cooks faster thanks to the benefit of the steam
5. The peel comes off more easily also because of the benefits of the steam
6. Less blackened pepper makes it into the final mix because less meat is burned

At this point I'd like to open up the comment section of this blog to hear from all my Balkan friends or others who have made Ajvar. Do you prefer to core and de-seed the peppers before roasting or after??

Kilt's in Skopje

"Gledaj gledaj!" the taxi driver said while gesturing to the group of men on the sidewalk this morning as I was on my way to the gym. "Scottie." He was pointing out something you don't see every day here in Skopje: a group of men wearing kilts! And so the World Cup qualifier's begin here in Skopje with a match between Scotland and Macedonia.

OK, quick question for those of you "in-the-know." Why are qualifiers starting now?? Call me a futball ignorant (even though I did play center half for 4 years when I was younger) but isn't the next World Cup, like, 2 years away??

After working out at the gym this morning I went to Ramstore to do some grocery shopping, but first I stopped in the food court to get some lunch (1 hr interval walking on the treadmill and 20 laps in the pool and I'm hungry!). I'm also here with my laptop taking advantage of the internet free zone to update my laplop. Frankly, I'm finding it quite entertaining to be here as the Macedonia-Scotland game is on the big screen at the sports bar next to the Finger Food restaurant where I'm at (simply the best burritos in town).

[Don't you just love the "Coke-Light" served in a "Pepsi" glass??]

"Makedonija..." sung out as the anthem opened the game and just about 6 minutes later the crowd errupted "YAAAAAAHHHHHH!" and "GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!" for Macedonia. You know, a couple days ago I talked about cultural moments? Well, this is another one. Can you see the smile on my face?

Uh oh, the crowd is whistling and growing agitated... sounds like the Scot's are close to a goal of their own. Well, no matter who wins this game I must say that it was entertaining to see dozens of kilts around town. It's just not something you see every day here.

Oops, there goes the crowd again in excited cheers... ::::taking a sip of Coke-Light:::: maybe I'll go take a look. :)

Update later from an Internet Cafe: The City Stadium errupted in cheers as Macedonia just won the game 1:0! "Beep beeeeeep beeeeeppp!" go the car horns now down the main street (Partizanska) as the football fans cruise the streets, hanging out their windows, cheering and waving their ball-clubs flags and scarves to celebrate the victory. Likewise the sidewalks are now full of fans returning from the game and blowing their horns and waving flags as well. I think my neighborhood just may be a little noisy tonight. :)

Recipe: Breakfast Bundt Cake

This weekend I made a type of bundt-cake that I first watched a Macedonian lady prepare for Alpha several years ago. She wrote the recipe on the back of an envelope for me and it's since become one of my favorites.

It's name, Куглов, refers to the pie pan (a bundt) more than it does to the type of cake. As this particular recipe includes breakfast items like ham and eggs, I've decided to give it the English name: Breakfast Bundt Cake. I like this recipe a lot because the cake can be cut into individual servings for breakfast-on-the-go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


Breakfast Bundt Cake

5 Eggs
15-20 T Flour
25g Ham, finely diced
25g Feta, finely chopped (use a plain, crumbly, cheese like Greek Feta but with low sodium)
3-4 Carrots, finely diced
1-1/4 T Baking powder
1 T Parsley

Mix eggs with blender until smooth. Add baking powder and mix well. Add the flour evenly and until the consistency is a bit thicker than cake-batter. Add ham, cheese, carrots and parsley. Blend well. Batter should be chunky and slightly sticky. Put into a lightly greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 20-25 minutes at 292F. Remove and place on wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

*******

Carolyn's California-girl-who-misses-Mexican-food variation: Substitute salsa ingredients, cheese, cilantro and a bit of jalapeno for the ham, feta, carrots and parsley.

Car Trouble & Helpful Neighbors

Yesterday when I got home I noticed this puddle underneath the gas tank of the mission vehicle. It was thinner than oil but thicker than deisel and smelled like a mix of the two. I'd done the GCF Walk to work yesterday and so it was parked in front of a neighbors market. When I asked the gal at the market if she noticed anything she said that it'd been leaking like that all day long.

As I mentioned before, I've been driving it a bit this week (until yesterday) and there was no leakage nor did I hit anything, so I have no idea what caused this. The upside is that it did prompt a very nice conversation with my market guy who was very courteous and helpful. As he was closing up last night he came over to the car to check it out for me. He urged me not to even try to drive it to the service place because it was опасно (dangerous) but that he'd help arrange for a пајак (or "spider" which is what they call the tow-trucks here) to get it to the shop first thing in the morning.

Thus, this morning I got to ride in a really big tow-truck to the car service place clear on the far side of town. I showed them this picture and then they called a taxi for me to get to the office (waaay too far for me to walk if I wanted to get any work done today... about 8 miles). Now at the office, I'm working away on the new budget-years forms while waiting for the shop to call and tell me the damage.

I am very thankful for my neighbors who I've gotten to know over the years and who were so helpful to me. I'm also thankful that this happened this week when it was easier to do something about it than last week when driving all over Albania. Please pray that this is only a minor thing and nothing major. Thanks so much!

*******

Aug 5th Update: Picked up the car today. They put a temporary patch on the holes in the fuel hose and have ordered a new one which will arrive after the summer holiday "godishen odmor." All-in-all it looks like it's a minor thing. Thank you for praying!

Cafe's & Coffee-Bars

This city is a very social city and especially on these summer nights you'll find people crowded around the outdoor tables in the numerous coffee-bars around town enjoying their drinks, conversations and the (sometimes) cooler late evening temps. In fact, there's a whole strip of restaurants and coffee-bars nestled under huge shady trees along the Vardar river where the Povardarska breeze (like the Deltra Breeze of the Sacramento valley) can temper the hot summer nights. There is also at least one coffee-bar that appeals to young families as it has a huge playroom for the kids... and serves a wonderful macchiato and relaxing ambiance for the parents.

My language teacher once commented to me that the coffee-bars tend to have English names and over the years I've noticed the trend. Names like "Hemingway," "Light," "Green House," and "Soho." Sometimes I do wonder at the names given, though, like "Bummerang" and "Pub Porta." Is it just me or does it just not seem right to go sit and have a coffee at the Porta Pub??

:::::Language lesson alert:::::

There is also a bookstore cafe called, "Magor Books." Now for those English speakers, that would be pronounced "major" but here it's spelled with a "g" because in Macedonian that's what makes the "dzuh" sound. The "j" here is pronounced like our "y" or "yuh." Confused yet? Well, lets put that principle to work on the cities name, Skopje. How do you think it's pronounced? Is it Skop-gee (with a short "o") or Skopyeah (with a long "o"). It's the later. No worries, though, until I came here I was pronouncing it the first way as well. ;)

:::::end language lesson:::::

There is one cafe, though, that is most like our Starbucks, imported beans and all, called "Broz." It's a popular place and is named after Marshall Tito. Inside the cafe the urban decor would rival even that of "Central Perk" and comes complete with old-style picture-sketches of ancient heroes on the wall (sadly they wouldn't let me take a picture so you'll just have to imagine it).

As this is one of the few places in town where you can get a cup-o-joe-to-go I made a point of stopping by this morning on my walk to work. Ahh... that chilled mocha in a styrofoam cup was so refreshing. I also purchased some of the imported beans and as I type this I'm sitting at my desk, getting ready to dive into another full day of bookkeeping and enjoying a cup of freshly ground columbian roast.

Ahhh. Now I'm ready to jump into the books. :)

Speaking of coffee, ordering a coffee here is not as complicated as in the US. Here there is one size, only a handful of choices and shared space (meaning no lines). A friend in Paraguay blogged quite eloquently about her recent re-entry experience in the US and the "simple" task of ordering a coffee. Judging by the number of comments there's a lot of us who can relate! :) [She's a great blogger to, so I thought I'd share.] :)

Thank you again for walking with me as we live this call together.

Day 16: $46.51 and counting.

Driving & Bookkeeping Change

Normally I don't drive a mission vehicle even if I have access because where I live it's near a miracle to ever find a parking place. It's gotten worse over the last year as well due to new buildings and police barricades for the embassy there.

However, the end of July and August are the exceptions as the city has emptied out for the people's "Годишен Одмор" or "Annual Vacation." Most people get a month off so right now the city's really really quiet... so much so that I can actually hear the "call to prayer" in the mornings and evenings from all the way across town.

Having access to the mission vehicle is a decent and welcomed option this week (and saves $2 a day) as since returning from vacation in Albania I'm buried in work and staying very late at the office each night working on on the accounting details associated with the changes to our field leadership structure. Having the option to drive home has been such a blessing... and your giving to the GCF makes it possible for me to drive it. Thanks!

Yesterday marked a huge milestone for me and the field books and I'm very excited to see things coming together. As you know, we are still one field but now made up of three teams. We still submit just one field report that includes all the details, however, each of the teams desired to have individualized reports specific just for their team. The most important one being the budget reports. We've been given a budget amount for our field from the GCF and that number subsequently gets divided between field-wide expenses (like for the field office) and then to team-specific expenses. Well, to make a long tedious Balkan-bean-counter story short, I was able to get all the budget information in yesterday and balance all four budgets! And thanks to QuickBooks (shocker that I'm admitting this, I know) the reports came together perfectly and I'm excited to share them with the team leaders!

Thank you for your prayers for me, the field and for this whole process that began back at Field Forum. The revised trial balance (sub-dividing things by team) and the individualized budget are significant steps for the field and the teams as they move forward and consider autonomy in the future. With these individualized budget reports they will now have a team-specific, accurate and detailed monthly reporting of their budget and expenses and how they are doing with regards to the bottom line. This information will be key in the budget planning for next year.

Thank you again for all the ways that you live this call together with us. And thank you for your giving to the GCF that makes all this possible. Thank you also to those who have committed to matching my GCF savings with giving. If you've not already, please let me know via comment (anonymous if you like) that you are pledging to match my savings with giving... it's a big encouragement to me to keep walking. :)

Day 15: $42.21 and counting

Bananas & Cultural Differences

1 week and 922 kilometers later I'm back from Albania having had a terrific time with my friend who showed me all around where she grew up. I have many fun things to share over the next few days, but first up is an object lesson in cultural differences via the peeling of a banana.

How do you peel a banana? Until this week I only knew and practiced one way: grab the "handle" at the top and flick downward. Snap! goes the peel and viola! it's opened. Simply peel the remaining flaps and enjoy.

Well, on the trip to Albania I learned that's not the only way to peel a banana. As I was driving and didn't have hands free, my friend peeled a banana for me... by turning it upside down (or right-side up from her perspective.) Really? I'd never seen a banana peeled that way. And when I mentioned that to her she was just as surprised to find that I peel from what she considers the bottom, the handle to hold on to while eating.

It was a bit strange for me to eat this banana from the "wrong" side but I found it tasted just the same. :) Funny that. Cultural differences can sometimes turn your perspective upside down. The plus side, though, is that you learn there's more than one way to peel a banana. :)

Here's a fun video I found on YouTube showing that my friends way of peeling a banana is actually the easiest (and correct) way:

*******

I finished driving the mission vehicle today, so the tennies will be strapped on again tomorrow and will be walking all the way through August. Will you join me?