If You Build it, Rain Will Come

This Autumn has been an especially wet one here in Skopje and my taxi-driver this morning informed me as to why that is. The conversation went something like this:

"How do you like all this rain? We are like London now."

"Oh, it's wonderful. I actually enjoy it very much." [Yes, I did say that and actually mean it!]

"Well, it's because of the two new lakes that we have all this rain."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes! We've had Lake Matka for many years, but now they built two new lakes on the Treska River."

Thinking to myself: I've seen at least one of them and it's not much more than a glorified puddle. And the Treska isn't big like the American River... or the Sacramento... For my Folsom Lake friends: Lake Matka is a tad bit bigger than one of the lakes in Hidden Lakes Estates... ie: a stone-throw-and-a-half across and maybe a quarter mile long.


But I responded, "Really? Honestly, I have a hard time buying that. There's more rain all over, not just in Skopje."

To which he replied with authority, "Oh yes, but it's true! My father is a meteorologist and he did a study on this and he told me this is why we are having more rain. Before 5, 6 years we had maybe 175 days of rain and now we have about 200, but with the new lakes we will have more like 260 days of rain this year!"

"Oh, so that's why they built the lakes?"

"Yes!"

So there you go! "If you build it, Rain will come!" =)

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.

Perfumed Football Edition - Ready for World Cup

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

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! =)

Среќен Осми Март! Happy Int'l Women's Day!

It's Осми Март and the annual celebration of women young, old, single and married. As a colleague mentioned earlier today, she likes this holiday better than Mother's day because it includes her too (she's single like me). It's funny, but according to Macedonia language rules (and thus cultural) you're not a жена (woman) until you're married... so even though I'm 40, I'm still referred to as a девојче (girl). So, I must confess that I'm liking this holiday as well because even us девојчиња get to celebrate it along with all the жени! ;)

The fun thing about days like today are that the men around town are more likely to be courteous and open doors and such. Infact, a colleague up in Kosovo was given a ride home by her language teachers husband in honor of the day. It's a distance she normally walks, even in the snow and ice, but not on this day! It's also typical that various parties or celebrations be held around town. It's International Women's Day (IWD)!

An interesting tidbit about this day is that it's not a strictly "American" or "Macedonian" holiday. It's actually celebrated all over the world. Infact, it's been around for 99 years! Here's some text from the IWD website: "International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday."

OK, so all that said, I must confess that I didn't even really celebrate it today! Yeah, shocker! But it was snowing all day and I just didn't want to go out. Yes, I do admit to having an irrational fear of falling on the slippery uneven sidewalks. I did get a couple of surprise phone calls, though, from some Macedonian friends. It'd been a while since we'd talked and so it was really nice to hear their voices and to make plans to see each other when I get back from Switzerland at the end of the month.

Anyways, to celebrate International Women's Day, I've posted this picture of some Springish daisies that I bought to cheer up my apartment a couple of weeks ago. And yes, that IS snow in the backdrop.... gotta love the contrast... =)

Happy International Women's Day!

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.

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!

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! =)

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. =)

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!]

Billboard... of Death!

Sometimes a billboard is so striking that I just can't resist taking a picture and sharing it. This one, complete with "death" holding not only the sickle but a checkered finish-line flag, is no exception. The message?

"Drive rashly, arrive prematurely!"

Wow, that makes for quite the billboard statement as well as a comment on driving in Skopje. Just maybe defensive driving is in our future, then, rather than offensive. That'd be a nice change. =)

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.