Month off of Work

Here in Macedonia, we get pretty much a month off of school and that happens to be late December/most of January. For volunteers, that means we get to travel. I spent most of my break in my host families village. I think the village house is one of my favorite places in Macedonia. It's nice to get out of the city for awhile and just be with family.

I take public transport to get to the village which means Balkan buses. A trip that should have only taken me a little over 2 hours took me closer to 5 hours because of the stops our kombi (small bus/van) made. We stopped along the highway to pick up not only people but car parts as well. It eventually got so packed on the kombi that boxes were stacked up in the middle of the aisle and people had to step/hop over them. When I finally got off the kombi and saw my host sister, I was so happy. It felt so nice to get the house and see the family. Since I was late, they started cooking without me, but I got to help with the best part; the baklava! I was taught the recipe and the tips and tricks to make the BEST baklava ever.

New Years Eve was a party! We went over to my host mom's families house and had mysafir (being a guest) with all the traditional New Years fixings! I also got to have venison a cousin brought from Sweden. I always feel at home with the family. After that, we went back to the village house and watched the traditional Albanian New Year programs and ate some more. Where the village is at, we get a perfect view of the fireworks from the surrounding towns. The next few days were just hanging out with the family before they had to go back to work. My host sister even gave me a haircut!

After my vacation in the village, I came back to Skopje. But then I went with a FullBright friend to Tetovo to hike and hangout with friends we haven't seen in a long time. Tetovo was beautiful! We hiked Kamenjane Waterfalls and it was like a snowy wonderland! We even brought some hike snacks (which may or may not have included shots of mastika) and just stayed for a bit to enjoy the views. After that, we went out and had dinner. I am very lucky to have such a great group of friends that like adventures just as much as me.

To end my month long vacation, a friend and I went to the philharmonic back in Skopje and watched the national symphony play. It was the perfect way to end vacation. As much as I loved the break, I missed my routine and my students. 2024 is going to be a crazy year for me! It's the year I finish service and say goodbye to friends and family here in Macedonia. But I'm not ready to process that quite yet...