Category: Uncategorized
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A Third Year
It has been a while since my last blog update, and a lot has happened! In April and May, my parents and sister visited, and we embarked on a tour of the Balkans. We spent the first few days exploring the country and visiting Lake Ohrid on the Albanian and North Macedonian border, where we…
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Istanbul
Thankfully, a long cold winter is coming to a close. The winter break for school in North Macedonia is a long one and this year began on December 29 and ended on January 22. With school out, I spent time with my host family celebrating the Orthodox Christmas, which was on January 7, along with…
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Biography: Lazar the Veterinarian
I have always enjoyed learning about other cultures. As a history major at Colorado State, I was drawn to learning through reading firsthand accounts. Having resided in North Macedonia for over a year, I have had the privilege to listen to the life stories of my host family and others in the community. Each person…
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Classroom Revival
I’ve been back in the classroom for almost two months since the school year kicked off on September 1st. While the summer provided a welcome break, I hadn’t fully realized how much I missed teaching English to my students. Summertime, with its sweltering heat (consistently ranging from 90-105 degrees) and my village location, didn’t always…
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The Pearl of the Balkans
One of the great things about Peace Corps is getting to travel within your host country during downtime. Having been in the country for almost a year, my travels have taken me to Lake Ohrid, known as “The Pearl of the Balkans,” twice. Lake Ohrid straddles the border between North Macedonia and Albania and is easily…
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Homeward Bound
Nearly seven months ago, in January, I started preparing for a trip back to the United States. Luckily, I was able to plan the trip to visit both Alabama (where I grew up) and Colorado (where I spent four years in college). At this point in my Peace Corps journey, I had been gone for…
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Golden Rice, White Storks, and Good Luck
A few weeks ago, the rice fields that encircle my village began filling. My town appears to float on top of a lake from a distance. I have read that rice fields cover about 18% of my region in North Macedonia, but that seems low to me. Everywhere I turn, there are rice fields. My…
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We Have Time
My time in North Macedonia continues to pass quickly as work has picked up, and there were a few back-to-back long weekends. As of today, I have a couple of weeks left of teaching for this school year. Every day I look forward to classes, and I am now accustomed to my hectic schedule of…
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Getting in the Groove
The past month has been spent getting into the groove of teaching. I am beginning to build strong relationships with my students even though we sometimes struggle to understand each other. The kids are eager to learn and catch on very fast. In addition to teaching, I also bring a basketball to school each day.…
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Tradition
One of the goals of my Peace Corps service was to experience and participate in as many of the Macedonian traditions as possible. The month of January was filled with events and celebrations – more than I thought possible. Most of the January holidays and celebrations are centered around the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which celebrates…
To MAK and Back 