I Swear.

“Do you think this is just another day in your life?

It’s not just another day, it’s the one day that is given to you today.

It’s given to you; it’s a gift; it’s the only gift you have right now.
And the only appropriate response is gratefulness.”
–TEDx talk – Louie Schwartzberg, Gratitude

Thanksgiving marked a special occasion for Peace Corps Macedonia. It was the day that 37 of us trainees took an oath to serve our country, affirming our commitment to work in Macedonia for the next 2 years as official United States Peace Corps Volunteers. The swearing-in ceremony took place in the city of Kumanovo with over 200 guests in attendance, including the U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia (Paul Wohlers), a representative from the President of Macedonia, mayors, former/current Peace Corps Volunteers, our host families, Peace Corps staff, and our new Macedonian counterparts/colleagues. The ceremony kicked off with a live performance of traditional Macedonian music and dance, and commenced with a huge pot-luck style Thanksgiving feast, including turkeys flown in from America. I contributed a homemade pumpkin pie (made from a pumpkin from our garden, not a can), my host mom made a Macedonian dish, and my host dad shared a bottle of his homemade wine. My host-parents doted on me just like real parents, taking pictures of me and my friends throughout the whole ceremony and saving me a seat (and plate of food) between them at the Thanksgiving table. Three months of language training and living with a host family has flown by, and I almost cried at the end of the night when I had to bid my parents adieu as they handed me off to the care of my new family – my colleagues Nikolina and Igor drove three hours from the southwestern part of Macedonia to attend the event and to take me to my new home where I will live and work for the next 2 years…

Moving from the northeast to the southwest of Macedonia (approx 4 hours by car), I now live in a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the village of Novaci (pop. 2500), only a stone’s throw from the Greek border. Across a sea of agricultural fields, I can see Greece from the front porch of my cute, little Macedonian house. Ten months ago Peace Corps informed me that I would be serving in Macedonia, and ten months ago when I first googled a map of Macedonia, I envisioned myself living approximately right where I have landed - near-to Greece and only an hour's drive from both Macedonia's beautiful Lake Ohrid and the mountainous Pelister National Park.

Like a true Macedonian, I have a wood-burning stove, thus heating only one room of the house, and my daily exercise routine includes chopping wood (and trying to stay warm). The house is old with a rustic charm, and its only residents the past 10 years have been spiders and mice. Fortunately I made friends fast here, and my colleague Igor heroically exterminated over 50 spiders and 1 mouse (that would poop in my kitchen sink every time I turned my back); I am eternally grateful to Igor. This first month in Novaci has been spent settling into my home, learning to cook with a woodstove, watching Turkish and Croatian soap operas (dubbed in Macedonian), working, making friends, and frequent shopping sprees for household goods in nearby Bitola, Macedonia (pop. 100,000), which served as a hub during the Ottoman occupation and is known as the present-day “style-capital” of Macedenia. With some new furniture covers and picture frames for the wall, my house is becoming more cozy and more “me” everyday.

More to come on work and friends…
All is well. I am happy.


Хана Т.