Foreign

I was almost tempted to begin this blog post by announcing how many days I have left in Macedonia, partly because I am in the habit of counting down to something and partly because I am in a foreign country. Not just a foreign country, but a strange, highly unfamiliar, frustratingly foreign country. I was correct in guessing that my biggest struggle will be the language – not only can I not speak Macedonian but I cannot read it either. I am not literate here! Do you know how much reading (and therefore comprehension) you do on a day-to-day and hour-by-hour basis? I cannot look at a strip mall at the base of a large Soviet-era apartment complex and identify which stores sell food, paper/stationary products (think Hallmark stores), bicycles, flooring, or clothes, and which are banks or pet stores or childcare. Walking past them I can identify them with greater accuracy, but none of the familiar marketing techniques work for me. There are no advertisements that catch my eye or funny slogans to remember. When I see a billboard advertising what must surely be a singer I cannot tell you which line gives the date, location, or any other pertinent information. Looking at the back of a pudding mix, I can’t identify any word. I know I can make the chocolate pudding in four easy steps, but I don’t know if I need to add milk or water, refrigerate or not. It’s frustrating. The other disappointing part of my stay here (thus far) is the cold! I’ve been told this is unseasonably cool and we all hope that the weather warms up pronto.

Before, upon traveling to other countries, there has always been a step in the culture shock that involves enchantment with the country or culture I’m visiting. Not so here. I’m not sure why. Maybe I didn’t have the “honeymoon” period here because I was absolutely exhausted upon arrival or because I didn’t know much about Macedonia before arriving. Although, Mafa (Josh’s Macedonia friend who picked me up from the airport) was impressed that I knew the name of the river that flows through Skopje (the Vardar River) and that I knew what the Millennium Cross was (thanks John!). I am looking forward to quickly moving through some of these negative aspects of culture shock and onto more positive feelings about this truly beautiful country.

As I write this (the first draft at my dining room table), I can see a mosque out my window and to my left. The minaret is so exotic to me and so familiar at the same time. I’ve informally studied Islam and taken two or three classes in which we briefly cover to discuss in-depth this religion. The call to prayer (adhan) is beautiful – though it woke my roommate up early this morning. I hope that at the end of my stay here I can use the terms “exotic” and “familiar” to sum up my experience here… along with other adjectives such as “incredible,” “educational,” “fun,” and “worthwhile.”

I did have a conversation with two of the girls here (fellow IWU TESOL majors) and their differing viewpoints both matched my opinions completely. I asked them both, “What are you initial impressions of Macedonia?” The first girl answered, “It’s a groutier version of Western Europe.” She and I have both traveled in Western Europe more extensively than the other girls have and we are accustomed to large, clean cities with many monuments or public locations (malls, plazas, parks, museums, etc.). The second girl describes those cultures (Western Europe) as “pristine” cultures and I have to agree with that description. I are struggling today (but hopefully not tomorrow) with the lack of exchangeable culture that I so value: I can’t get much from Macedonia when I live in a residential area and have no public locations to go to – not to mention how cold it would be to spend large amounts of time outside! – nor anyone from Macedonia with whom to interact! The second girl however, reminded me of many of the positive things in Macedonia I have already taken for granted (oops!). For instance, we get to walk everywhere! I don’t have to rely on my pobre coche to get me from A to B; I also wouldn’t want to drive in this city. Public transportation is CHEAP (ten bus rides for the equivalent of $5.75). Also, I can look out of any window in my apartment and see mountains! That sure is different from Indiana or Illinois. There is also a farmer’s market (located in a warehouse-type building) a few blocks from where I live so food is easily accessible… and there is an Aldi-like store across the street and two groceries stores quite close. To me, Macedonia is a weird combination of Latin America and Western Europe/America. While I haven’t seen overt sights of poverty, I have also not seen a single symbol of excess wealth. Streets are clean, but haven’t been updated or repaired for many years. The apartment building I live in was built during Communism and would be in a very poor section of town in the United States but is in the average, middle class neighborhood here. Graffiti is EVERYWHERE here, but it isn’t the pretty graffiti that I’ve seen in parts of Barcelona, Madrid, or Chicago.

But let me provide you with some fotos of my life here... all one day of it thus far...


This is my apartment building. I live on the fifth floor (sixth floor up from the grass... the ground level is counted as 0 - just as in Spain and France).



The bus stop right outside my apartment building. We have ten-ride tickets at the moment so I don't have to find any cash right now. There is nothing remarkable about the transportation system except that I don't have to worry about the mufflers on the buses like I do my coche.


View from the living room balcony. There is a mosque a block away and you can see the Millennium Cross from our living room (very tiny on the mountain in this picture).


The lunch Linda and I split today. I don't know its Macedonian name but it wasn't very good. I thought it would be light and fluffy and delicious; instead it was heavy and oily and the cheese was a tad too pungent.


The lunch I wish I had had - this one was light and fluffy and tasty. However, both were about $1.


Linda struggling to open our notoriously difficult door.