Приатно Куманобо и Здраво Кратово!

I'd like to start this blog off with an awesome mural that I walk past everyday in my current city of Kratovo. These are the two flags of Macedonia, however, the one to the left was forced into retirement due to a dispute with Greece that remains to be resolved due to 'ownership' of the name 'Macedonia.' However, I have noticed the Vergina Sun flag (left) used very frequently to promote nationalistic Macedonian ideology. I am very eager to learn more about this symbol and how people still use it today. It is very very interesting and it makes me want to put together a mural/public art project wherever I am placed to promote unity and tolerance through street art and activism.

After one week in Kumanovo, we are finally assigned to our towns/villages for the remainder of our pre-service training. This is very exciting for two reasons. The first is that it determines with whom we will be spending the next three months with and where. My site, along with eight other PSTs (Pre-Service Trainees), is Kratovo. Kratovo is the epitome of a picturesque Mediterranean town, nestled in the mountains of eastern Macedonia. I was very excited to learn that Kratovo is one of the oldest settlements in Macedonia, and the official founding date (which is plastered on crests all over the ‘Општина’ building) is 1213. Which means that around the time that Vikings landed on the North American continent, as well as about 200 years before the CHINESE discovered America (as some scholars may say); this city was a lively mining community.

So this is the view from our hotel window outside of Kumanovo. Anyone former trainees will recognize Hotel Satelit. Kumanovo is in the distance, about a 15 minute walk to the town center.

The second exciting part of learning our sites is meeting our host families. Part of Peace Corps policy is to put trainees in villages to live with host families for approximately three months (11 weeks) of the pre-service training. This serves two very important purposes. The first is that it allows us to integrate into the community more smoothly; which, so far, has certainly been true. My host family has been absolutely wonderful and gracious enough to introduce me to many people in town and take me to a few places for events and ‘na-gosti’. Now, the concept of ‘na-gosti’ is probably a strange concept to many Americans. It involves showing up at the house of friends or family (sometimes announced, sometimes not) and sitting with them, talking loudly, eating absolutely delicious food, and drinking rakija. It’s a great way to get into the community and to meet people! However, I am also very fortunate to have a host brother and sister whom everyone in town also knows. Usually I just say ‘Јас сум брат Американец на Кише!’ (I am the American brother of Keshey) and instantly everyone knows who I am.

The other reason we are paired with host families is to ensure that we get plenty of language practice outside of the classroom. For some PSTs, this is more of a challenge. For myself, my Мајка и Тетко do not speak any English. At all. Although my father repeats some of the simple words I try to teach, and it is always hilarious to randomly hear ‘THANK YOU!’ in the middle of our otherwise Macedonian conversations. My host sister speaks much more English, and sometimes she is my savior to get some things accomplished as she translates phrases for me. However, I know some volunteers who do not have this luxury. And since most of us just started to learn Macedonian 10 days ago, this can be extremely problematic.

Here is the view from my bedroom window at my homestay in Kratovo. I have an absolutely fantastic family, and a lovely home. However, there is a small café across the street can be kinda noisy when people are out celebrating with too much Пиво и Ракија.

Other problems that I never imagined having in my life is Internet. While I realize how vain it is for me to bitch about Internet while some volunteers live in places where there is НУЛА internet, I should be thankful that I at least have it at the café across from my language classroom. However, being in a home without access to internet is something I have not experienced since probably 1999. Remember those days when people used ‘Netscape’ as a web browser? Yeah? Those were the days. So luckily there is a nice outdoor café (great in the summer and fall!) that plays ‘Gangnam Style’ quite possibly more than the clubs in Korea did. There is good internet access and inexpensive Turkish coffee. I am actually sitting at the cafe drinking a tea as I type this.

Overall, so far this has been a very great first week in Kratovo. Slowly, very slowly, but surely I am learning the language more and more to communicate with my host family. This upcoming weekend, I am going on an all-day trip with my host sister, the women’s handball team (yes handball is a sport, and it is huge in Macedonia) and ‘Татко’ all the way to Кичево. That should be an interesting adventure. Then the following week we have our first hub day back in Kumanovo. 

So I may have mentioned that I live in a picturesque Mediterranean town nestled in the mountains of eastern Macedonia; but also, this town is very old! These towers pictured here are at least 600 years old and date back to when this area was under control of the Ottomans.

 Here is another lovely photo of Kratovo. In the center is one of the main bridges in the center of the city. Today we decided to climb a small hill that provided excellent views and was well worth the trip.

 

А Warm PC Welcome

Good news everyone! So it would appear that I have made it safely to my home country and what an excellent adventure it has been so far. Since I am not an experienced blogging person, I am just going to sum up each leg of this journey so far for all of your viewing pleasure.

So Friday morning I departed from the lovely Cleveland Hopkins Airport, flying solo, to Washington D.C. for our Peace Corps staging... overall it was a really nice flight, but I was shocked when I asked for a can of pop (or soda, depending on wherever the hell you're from) and they said no because it was not included in my flight... So I am thinking, "uh... excuse me, what?? You mean to tell me that my two hour flight has no snacks, and no beverages? Why was my ticket $340 dollars then?" I'm legitimately shocked about the quality of service from American based airline companies. It really saddens me to see them so worried about their cost to cut these kinds of services.

I know I know, FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS!

So upon arrive at DC, we begin setting about going through all the checking in, paperwork, and all that jazz. However, I was pleasantly to be handed a pre-paid Visa card for $120 dollars to cover all 'traveling and incidental expenses incurred while in DC and traveling to our host country.' Score. Luck would also have it that I met some very cool people at staging, including my awesome roommate from Missoula, MT, who all have the same life philosophy about good beer, good bars,  good company, and no judgement.

So our flights from the states were relatively painless. Normally flying gives me extremely terrible anxiety... One of the few ways I cope with it is being able to look out the window, however sometimes that can make it even worse during patches of turbulence. I know the wings are designed to take crazy amounts of stress and are flexible, but I would rather not test the limits of that flexibility.. So we flew from Dulles International airport to Vienna, Austria... and lucky for me I was able to grab a cozy window seat for the 9 hour flight. Of course, unlike normal folks, I could not sleep at all on the plane so I just started out at the nothingness, that is the Atlantic Ocean at night for the duration of the flight.

Anyways, I digress. So we made it to Skopje's Alexander the Great Int'l Airport. So there's that, which is always great when you make it to your destination with no mishaps. I was relatively surprised at how absolutely beautiful their airport was. It is very small, only 14 gates at the maximum, but its been completely remodeled, and is very clean. We felt very special upon arrival as there was a small contingent of Peace Corps volunteers waiting for us at the airport with signs. It was all very nice!

So from the airport, we traveled to where our orientation week will be taking place, which is a lovely town called Kumanovo (Куманово), where we are hosted in a great hotel. Some grace of the Gods has granted my roommate and I to have the largest hotel room in the entire place, so I suppose I should feel spoiled by all these added luxuries.... but I must tell myself to prepare for future hardships to come. There is no doubt that they are out there, plotting to come down on me at exactly the worst possible time. There was a dinner provided and some beverages, tea, and of course our first taste of Macedonian beer. Скопско! Overall, it resembles a Heineken, but tastes significantly less like an ass. In fact I may love this beer because of its hilarious website that states all the positive health effects of drinking a glass of beer including but not limited to reducing blood clots, protecting against thrombosis, and lowering cholesterol. My favorite line however must be:

"A glass of good beer is an excellent solution for all those who wish to relax!"

Well played Skopsko, well played.

Tomorrow begins a fun week of training, and I hope I can update this fancy internet word document during that time and upload some photos. I also  hope to be able to go out and explore the town! Today was pretty wasted because I felt on the verge of collapse due to severe jet lag and minor alcohol withdrawal. However, I like to leave you all with this lovely picture courtesy of one of the current Macedonian volunteers of our arrival to Kumanovo!

Workin' that crowd! Such a friendly welcome after the long, stressful, and exhausting journey that has been the past few days. I hope this upcoming day I will be more alive and able to socially interact with more of the volunteers to learn about all the great things they have experienced and gain some great wisdom!

New Adventures

Good evening all, or shall I say "Добар вечер," or perhaps "Mirenbrema"! As I write this post it is technically Thursday, which means that tomorrow I will be flying off to Washington D.C. for the pre-staging with our Peace Corps group, MAK17. Ladies and gentlemen, the day of reckoning is almost upon us..

As I sit in my bed restlessly typing this memoir, starry-eyed and wide awake, I am reminded of a great quote from one of my favorite stories. The quote comes, of course, from Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings:

       "I think I'm..... quite ready for another adventure."

To me, I think this quote holds very true for how I am feeling right now. After being with great friends and family in Ohio and Kentucky over the past few weeks, I think its time to set sail for another great journey. Mind you, this is one month to the day that I returned from Korea and Japan, and my brain is still trying to process all the things I have learned and experienced.

Yet here we are, on the eve of another great adventure, this time flying east across the Atlantic rather than west across the Pacific. Needless to say, it is with heavy heart that I must bid farewell to friends and family; but there is always the silver lining, and that will be the great next step to Macedonia. Soon the dawn will break on my final day here in Ohio, and then onward to what the future holds!

So, despite the amount of shit I will most likely receive for posting such an 'emo'-looking picture. (Is emo still a word people use to describe this? It is? Okay.) I feel that this picture is a (relatively) accurate representation of my rambling. Where one journey ends, another is bound to begin. Often our days pass by without much change, and we as a species avoid risks in life in order to make it safely to death. Why? Sometimes the changes are the risk, and sometimes the risks need to be changed so that we may truly feel alive.

So... This is a Thing

So my name is Daren and this is a thing. Before I begin, I must warn everyone reading this blog to bear in mind with me. This is my first blog attempt ever and I am not the most fluent nor coherent author out there. So welcome and enjoy the show.

At this moment, I am one week away from officially beginning my Peace Corps journey to Macedonia. Seems pretty crazy that I started my application almost a year ago, and time is already up. I’ve been trying to spend as much time with friends and family as possible before leaving the country for the next two years. Also, I have spent countless hours trying to learn about my new home, new language, and new culture which I will have to adapt to. I will be working in the ‘community development sector’ of Peace Corps, hopefully on projects that I have some experience, such as higher education or economic and tourism development. I am sure the next two years will be full of many rewards and challenges. Right now however, I feel my biggest challenge is to answer questions from friends and family. So far I’ve gotten a number of humorous responses and questions, such as:

“Macedonia? Where is that? Is that the island near Africa?”

Me - “Ah… no no no, you’re thinking of ‘Madagascar’, and a Disney movie. Sorry”

“Peace Corps? What in the hell is that? Sounds like a bunch of liberals.”

Me - “Well, I suppose you could say that? Not really? I don’t think only registered Dems are allowed in. But Maybe!”

“Peace Corps!? That’s like the ‘military without guns!’ Aren’t you worried about safety?”

                Me - “What? No. I am sure it is very safe! No worries!

Yikes… What have I gotten myself into! Perhaps these are legitimate well-founded thoughts and fears, but to be honest, I am really not worried about it. I have been planning on doing the Peace Corps for several years now and luckily for me, I found a wonderful Masters Degree program at Oklahoma State University that provides a degree, and Peace Corps experience! What an excellent find, if I do say so myself. Anyways!  I started the application process for Peace Corps around last September (2011), but since then it has been such an exciting and life changing experience… filled with lots of pictures and fun events that I would like to spend some time covering.

A month ago today, August 7, I was sitting in Osaka Airport, about to embark on a trip across Japan through three cities to complete one of my childhood dreams. I traveled alone for 8 days, visiting temples and taking lots of pictures, staying in very ‘interesting’ hostels, and of course, drinking copious amounts of Asahi. Here are just a few of the memories I was lucky enough to snap pictures of:

Welcome to Kyoto! Although it looks abandoned, I thought this was a pretty awesome picture on my first day there.

So this is To-ji Temple, in Kyoto and its about 800 or so years old. Luckily for me, my hostel was located only a few blocks away from here!

 When I arrived in Tokyo, one of the most interesting places I was able to visit was the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda. I would have liked to go inside and see the gardens, but judging by the number of guards everywhere, I think that may have not been an option,.

Two months ago today, July 7, I was sitting in a classroom in Gwangju, South Korea, trying to stay awake as I was enrolled in the last actual class of my Master’s degree career. Gwangju is a sleepy ‘rural’ city, which has a population nearly that of all of Macedonia. However, compared to the 10 million ‘urbanites’ in Seoul, Gwangju may as well be a village. While being in Korea, I got to meet many wonderful people from all over the world and was able to make friends with students from Brazil, Russia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Canada, and of course the United States and South Korea. I sincerely hope that I will be able to see some of you again, as I know you will all be successful and traveling the world.

While in Korea, I attended Chonnam National University, in the South Jeolla Province. This school means a great deal to me, as it is a ‘ground zero’ place for democracy and human rights. During 1980, there were great protests in Gwangju, and more specifically CNU, against the military dictatorship that had seized power. Many students and citizens were killed by government forces, in the ‘fight’ against communism. While the entire event is still a fairly large controversy in Korea, and not all of the facts have been brought to light, the events of May 18 are known very well to everyone in Gwangju and it remains an important national event. In a way, it reminds me of Kent State during the 1970s, yet on a much larger scale. On a more positive note, Korea was a great learning experience and full of fond memories. I have tentative plans to eventually return and work on my PhD but that may be a few years away in the future. 

Revolution! 혁명! This mural was painted on the side of a building on Chonnam's Campus. 'You Control Everything.'

Welcome to Chonnam Dae! This is the tree-lined walkway that leads from the main gate, to the campus. Once the site of massive protests against the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan.

Eventually I was able to travel around the country following the Summer Session at CNU, and visited both Busan and Seoul. This image was taken from atop a rooftop garden in Busan. Overall, it gives me an overwhelming sense of pride in Korea and although I love the US, I am thrilled to one day return to SK and teach.

One year ago today, I was beginning my fall semester at Oklahoma State University as a Master’s student, and meeting many other great and brilliant people whom if not for them, I wouldn’t  have had nearly the amount of fun we did. Before moving from Oberlin, Ohio to Stillwater, Oklahoma; I was pretty nervous and needless to say, had a lot of stereotypes about Okies. However, I turned out being pleasantly surprised and had one of the best and most productive years of my life. 

I know I have lots of people I consider to be my family (especially since I personally come from a very small family and was often alone growing up), but these people are some of the most amazing friends I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.. and in Oklahoma of all places! Our drunken judgement-free debauchery will be sorely missed. On a similar note, I unfortunately don't have any really good pictures of my newest family from Chonnam University, but overall, I have to admit that I am extraordinarily lucky to have met great people, whether in Oklahoma, Korea, or soon-to-be Macedonia. Also, on a side note, I am taking the NJC shirt with me, 100 pound weight limit be damned!

From our class, there were originally five students who were doing the Masters International Program, meaning that they complete one year of graduate schooling, then disembark overseas for two years of Peace Corps. By Spring Semester, we were down to four.  One went to Benin in June, one will be leaving for Azerbaijan later in September, and then there is me… with one week left to prepare for my departure to Macedonia. It seems crazy to think that in a week, I will be sitting in Washington D.C, with other Peace Corps hopefuls, preparing to leave the United States for 2+ years. 

I am extremely nervous about this as I am not very quick to make friends and can be rather shy meeting new people. Very often, my brain thinks quicker than my mouth and I trip over my words like a drunken sailor on shore leave. It is very tragic, I am fully aware of this conundrum. However, I am not too concerned because with those two years abroad together, I am sure we will all become good friends! Hell, by the time we finish service, I will be an elderly man of 27 years, and far too old to worry about that!

I have many high expectations for this myself, as well as this blog, in the upcoming years. Mostly, I am very excited to be able to get out into the field and work in the world of development that I have been studying for what seems like an eternity. Numerous case studies and research, hours upon hours in the classroom discussing theories and implications of development, and of course discussing some of the more negative aspects of the neoliberal model and the dark side of development. I think on that note, I will conclude this first post. After all, there is only seven more days to enjoy all that America has to offer: craft beers, sushi, Starbucks ice coffee, reliable internet service, and most importantly, being able to drive my car. See y’all in Washington!