no rules for sock drawers, no smoking in the EU

My socks are in the wrong drawer. I put them there when I moved in a year and a half ago, and every time I open the drawer, I think a different drawer would be a more suitable place to keep my socks, but I have never rearranged things to match my logic. That's kind of how it is with my teaching sometimes. Maybe I see that some method I'm using isn't working, and maybe I know what I could do differently, but I just don't, because the routine is already established, or I don't want to waste more paper making more copies, or I really just can't deal with that kid right now, or whatever. It's amazing how laziness can squash potential for success, or organization, in sock drawers, teaching, and every other aspect of life.

It snowed again today, without sticking. It was magical, as always, watching the snow fall from my classroom windows. It was lovely to look down at the sleeves of my black coat and try to discern the various shapes of the snowflakes. But really, I've had enough snow for now. If Winter would just retire, that would be great. I'm ready for Spring to swoop in and make me happy. Then there will be green grass, flowers, frogs croaking, birds singing, and sunshine. I'll be content just to see the snow on the distant mountains. I would love snowy days so much more if they weren't so cold. I really am tired of wondering whether my eyeballs will freeze. I wear long-johns and undershirts every day, and every day I freeze walking between work and home. This is just a little much. I really don't know how the stray dogs and cats survive the Winter, living outside with no more insulation than what they have all year. Poor dears.

My roommate, Rachel, made a delicious Thai dish for supper tonight. Very exotic with coconut milk and gluten-free soy sauce. I love that she always sticks to a healthy diet, because it means I eat healthy too most of the time. I am generally healthier in this country. I wonder how I will manage to avoid butter, grease and high-fructose corn syrup when I am living in the states again. I wonder how I will stay reasonably in shape when walking everywhere isn't practical anymore. Rachel should move to Thailand so I can visit her there.

The problem with Macedonia trying to get into the European Union is that Macedonians don't like to follow rules. They run red lights and park on the sidewalks. My theory is that, historically, they've almost always been conquered, and they never really enjoyed that, so they don't like being told what to do. They're sick of it. They're like Johnny Cash: "Don't give me rules. All I got are rules." There are laws here, but you don't have to obey them if you have the right connections.

Connections are EVERYTHING. Everywhere in the world, connections can help you get a job, but here, you absolutely, positively, CANNOT get a job without connections. You can't get an apartment or a doctor's appointment either, for that matter. If you don't have people, you're nobody. And politics, oh my goodness. When you apply for a job, you have to present a card that states the political party with which you are registered. If the employer belongs to the same party, then you might have a chance. But then, if there are elections and another party comes into power, you could lose your job, because your political party is no longer the top dog! If you want a job badly enough to switch political parties, you have to prove your loyalty to your new party, doing things like hanging posters around town and holding up signs in protests. There are lots of protests.

The coffee bars were on strike one day last week because the requirements for admission to the EU are just not considered reasonable. The EU says there should be a ban on smoking indoors, but this has been bad for business. People want to smoke, and they don't want to leave their food and drinks to go out into the bitter cold to do it. And that, my friends, is why a popular coffee bar on the main stretch in Skopje was closed when I wanted to get a hot chocolate before my walk home from Pilates class. I couldn't have hot chocolate there because other people can't have cigarettes there. So I was cold, because they didn't want to be. Personally, I think hot chocolate is MUCH healthier than cigarettes. But what do I know?

It might just be a miracle that I am alive. God really does love me. Rachel smelled electrical smoke in our kitchen. I have a cold, so I might not have noticed. The people in charge of our apartment repairs didn't believe us at first. They told us it was just a bad food smell. Nope. They took out the boiler under the sink. Nope. The pulled out the dishwasher and said, "Oh, you have a BIG problem." Yes. The outlet and the plug were melted and smoked. There is a hole burned into the wall beside the outlet. Again, it is a MIRACLE that the apartment did not burn down. They will replace the plug and all, but we suspect a much larger electrical problem, considering it took four trips for them to replace the fourteen light bulbs that were burned out in our ceilings because there were several different voltages installed. For now, we will hand wash our dishes and pray. Prayer works, and Jesus loves us.

Kyle should be visiting Skopje soon. Yaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOOOOO excited that he can come and see my world. I can't wait to show him everything! I can't wait to show him that Macedonia does, in fact, exist. I can't wait to travel elsewhere together! I am just indescribably excited and impatient! I don't think I'm going to let him go back when the vacation is over. Marriage sort of binds people together, ya know? What is all this deployment nonsense anyway?

It's a strange existence here...the epitome of time moving both too quickly and too slowly. I don't want life in Macedonia to be over, but I DO want this deployment to be over. I just have to remember to actually live, not just exist. I am learning, But I will probably never move my socks.