Oh, Happy Spring!

I am completely enamored with Spring, and so completely distracted. I can't seem to focus on anything! The grass is high in the park and on the river bank, and there are wild flowers, bushes and trees blooming all over the place. The frogs are croaking their little hearts out in the pond. I'm glad my students got to see that when we were out walking, because we've been learning about how animals change shape for survival purposes, and so it's necessary to watch actual frogs puff out their cheeks as they croak to attract mates. I was reviewing the meaning of the word "attract" with Eric the other day. He hadn't understood the concept of animals trying to attract mates, so I told him that magnets attract one another, so when I asked him what the word means, he said, "That means when you try to stick together like magnets." I just grinned. Love that kid.

Since it's so nice and Springy, I have been able to ride my bike more. My super cool guitar teacher has decided to leave for America, so I'm afraid my rock star days are over. I am excited that our group will get together for the last time next week. We will order take out and play our guitars, just for fun! I can't wait! I love those ladies!

Last week, we had an international food festival at school. Many countries were represented with decorative displays. My class was responsible for the American display, and I have included the photo here. The U.S. Embassy donated all the decorations! It's good to have connections. It was wonderful to try recipes from all over the world! You should have seen the spread! I would have taken a photo, but this is Europe, so it was utter chaos trying to even get food for myself among that crowd pretending to be a line, much less herd my students and take photos! I was so thankful to have so many parents there helping my little ones choose food. All of it looked strange to 5 and 6 year-olds. At one point, in an effort to get one kid to eat, I had to pick him up so he could see everything I offered him. Of course, he still didn't want anything but dessert, and as I am a mean teacher, I did not let him have more than one chocolate chip cookie. It's a hard-knock life, I know.

I got to celebrate two Easters this year! My mom sent me a plush Easter bunny, which joined my NASA bear on my window (see photo). I celebrated typical Easter with a service at the international church and then joined a group of ladies for an Easter potluck lunch and egg dyeing. I got to dye brown eggs for the first time, and learned how to mix dye with olive oil to get a marbled effect.

Orthodox Easter was the following week, and I was in Greece for the holiday weekend. Since most of the other people in the town and even in the hotel were Greek, I was able to witness and participate in some Greek Orthodox Easter traditions! Saturday between eleven and midnight, everyone gathered at the big church in town. Rachel and I were lost trying to find the church at night, and had started trying to follow elderly people in church clothes when thankfully, the church bells started ringing! It was easy to find the church then! We walked past a crowd of people at the front door and took our place against the wall, because there were so many people walking around, kissing portraits of saints, etc. Soon all the seats were taken and people were crowding into the standing space. All the time, the priests were singing liturgy in Greek, and everyone seemed to know when to cross themselves, but we didn't, and we were the only ones in the whole place not holding fancy candles. It's OK. I'm used to being stared at as a foreigner, and it doesn't bother me anymore.

Just before midnight, the lights went out in the church and everyone rushed to the front of the church to light their candles! Then the lights came back on and everyone rushed outside! We thought the service was over and just hung back and waited for the church to empty so we wouldn't have to compete to get out, but then there were firecrackers going off outside and everyone was cheering!

The courtyard in front of the church was completely packed by the time we got out there, the clergymen were standing on a stage looking all official, and people were re-entering the church! This was a little confusing. We followed some other people out the gate and started walking home. Everyone carried their candles, still lit. They take them into their homes and keep them lit for awhile, I think. We saw one family stop at the doorway of their home and use the candle to trace a cross on the top of the door frame before entering. Later, I asked a Macedonian about this, but she just shrugged it off as some weird Greek tradition.

The whole weekend, restaurants had baskets of red eggs available. The Orthodox in Greece and in Macedonia, dye their eggs red and then take them from home to home when visiting friends and family. They crack the eggs together, and whoever has the egg that doesn't break receives a blessing!

In case you didn't know, Macedonia and Greece are not too fond of each other, so when the Greeks asked me where I lived, I just said, "I'm American." It's funny they accepted that so easily though, because I don't know any Americans who would travel to such a tiny little beach town in Greece just for the weekend! It seems to be a booming tourist town in the summer, but it was very quiet when we were there, and there was nothing to do but hang out on the beach, walk around, read, shop and eat. There wasn't even internet! Lovely.

Tomorrow I'm going to Prague. My family hosted a missionary from Czechoslovakia when I was a little girl, and I imagined it must resemble a huge checkerboard. I need to go find out for myself. :) Below are a few random photos from my house.

I live here!

Yesterday, I jumped on a motorbike with a man I had just met.

I had been on the river bank, riding my new bicycle for the first time. It was a lovely, sunny, blue sky day and the river was sparkling. Lots of people were out walking and biking. I rode farther than I have ever cared to walk in this city, into the city center and beyond. I held my breath while passing under the overpasses. Why are they so smelly? I saw some men fishing in the river. I wouldn't want to eat those fish!

I found a cute little area with benches and swing sets surrounding a deteriorating, but pretty replica of a typical 13th century Macedonian church. These are found on the sides of roads and in other seemingly random places around the country. I'm not sure why, but they are small and cute and intriguing. I road until I started passing gypsy camps. I could see other people on the path beyond that point, but something told me to turn around. So I turned around and went back to the benches beside the church replica, where I could watch the river rapids and children racing each other on bikes and roller blades.

I was getting more and more confident. I rode up a bike ramp beside some stairs, stood up on the pedals to give some extra oomph, and the seat of my bike popped up. I thought I could just push it back down, but no dice. When I stopped to fix it, I found that it had detached completely. So...I grappled with it for a few minutes, but there was really nothing I could do. I started walking the bike home. Denial returned. I stopped and sat on a bench and tried again to figure out a way to fix it. Three guys my age walked by. One of them was wearing shorts. They were speaking English. They were foreigners like me! Maybe they could help me!?

I caught up with them and when I was right behind them, said, "Hey, are y'all American?" I know. I am so polite. They weren't American. They were tourists. One was English and the other two were Canadian. The English guy took charge. I asked if they knew anything about bikes. He looked at it and said I needed a wrench. Darn. Who carries a wrench? Oh well. But they had been in town less than a day and were looking for a music festival in the park, so I offered to show them where that might be, and walked with them for awhile and answered their questions about Macedonia until we found the festival. I probably should have accepted their invitation to go to the festival too, but I knew I couldn't hang out there with my bike. It was nice to have their company for a few minutes, anyway. I can just hear Shawn B-H in my head, scolding me for this. I know, I know. Hush. :)

As I walked away, I called Sondra to see if she and Mike might have a wrench. They didn't, but wanted to see if their pliers would work. So I walked over there. It wasn't far. They live in the apartment below Mia in her family's home. The pliers wouldn't work, of course, so Sondra and I walked upstairs to see if someone there could help. Mia's brother was home (they all live with their parents until who knows when). He had a wrench, because their family is into bikes, but he couldn't fix it and said the parts were bad.

I bought the bike on Thursday with Mia at the shop of one of their family friends, so her brother told me we would go there and get new parts. I just had to hop on his motor bike and trust him, so I thought, "Why not?," because that seems to be the motto of every Macedonian I've met so far. I don't know why this didn't make me more nervous. I didn't even argue with him. I just got on the motor bike and did what I was told. I had just met him, but I trusted him completely, because he's Mia's brother, and I trust her completely. It was just a couple of blocks to the shop. They had closed, but they let us in and gave us the new parts and Mia's brother fixed my bike for me when we got back to his house. I bet Mia thinks this is really funny. We will talk about it tomorrow at school, I'm sure.

Mike and Sondra were having Mark and Patty and their kids over for pizza later that evening, so they invited me. Mike makes really good pizza, and I was glad to spend time with everyone, because Mark and Patty are moving to Strasbourg in less than two weeks and I will miss them.

I went out on my bike again after church today. It was another beautiful day, and I rode in the other direction, away from the city, toward the snowy white mountains in the distance. I rode to the end of the trail and turned around. It was a lovely ride. I stopped a few times to sit on the stairs and watch the river and ponder things. Biking is a good time for pondering. There were so many people out on bikes and roller blades. There's a left side and a right side of the path and everyone makes room. There was even a guy sitting under an overpass with a cooler selling bottled drinks. Great idea!

I love this new hobby! Maybe I'll even get in better shape! I have to carry my bike up and down stairs every time I ride. I ride on the paved path for bicycles and roller blades running along the river, but there's another path on top of the river bank for walking. The hill between the two paths is steep, and there are many sets of steep stairs connecting the two. Bikes are not allowed on the top path, which is good, because if you went off course, you'd be in big trouble. So I have to go up and down those stairs with my bike.

Also, the elevator in my building had been broken for three months or more. A repairman came, and it was working for about a day, so I was able to turn my bike upright and put it in the elevator yesterday morning. It fits, but barely! Some of my neighbors saw me getting in the elevator with my bike and they were quite impressed with my squeezing-a-bicycle-upright-into-an-elevator skills. "Where there's a will, there's a way," said my American neighbor. :) But now the elevator is broken again, so my arm muscles will thank me eventually. It's only two flights of stairs, and they're not nearly as steep as the ones by the river.

I feel like I might actually live here now. I have a Macedonian ID card, a Macedonian bank account, a steady job, an apartment, a guitar and a bicycle. I'm not sure why I waited so long to buy a bicycle here. It may have something to do with the fact that buying such a thing is an investment, and something like making a commitment to be here for awhile. In the Fall, I wasn't ready to admit that I had made that commitment. In the winter, I still wasn't ready, and it was too cold to ride a bike anyway. Now I'm OK. It's Spring. The snow is melted and the white witch has been defeated. I am ready to admit that I will be living her for awhile. Thanks be to God. :)

welcome home

Today is the first day of Spring, and it's snowing. It snowed all day yesterday, too. My students were very confused by this. How can it snow in Spring time, they all wondered. True, it is lovely to see snow collecting on the trees and rooftops, but it's time for snow to be finished. I was out walking in it today, and the streets make it seem as if someone spilled a big slushy all over the city. Splash, splash, crunch, crunch.

Last weekend was beautiful. It was chilly, but the sky was blue and the sun was shining. Rachel and I took a taxi halfway up the mountain and hiked the rest of the way to that huge cross that lights up at night and can be seen all over the city. That cross is as much a reference point for me here as the Wachovia building is in Winston-Salem.

Spring break was two weeks ago. I had high hopes for finding answers to some big questions during my time in Berlin and at the Swiss L'Abri, and I did find some answers, but mostly I rested, watched and listened. I came back feeling well rested, peaceful, and loving my students more than I did when I left.

My first night in Berlin, Carol and I had dinner at her house and stayed up talking until two in the morning! It's so good to sit and talk to someone from Redeemer, because we know many of the same people and believe many of the same things...and we both know something about being unquestionably called to live overseas and loving it, but at the same time missing our friends and family.

I flew to Geneva the next day. The train station is right at the airport! Isn't that genius!? It was so easy to get off my flight and find the counter to buy my train ticket. It was a little trickier figuring which was the right train, but I just asked the conductors. My ticket told me I had to change trains at one of the stops, so I got off the train there, but the sign beside the train said it was going where I needed to go, so I asked the conductor just in time to hop back on the train before it left. Whew! That was close! I mean, I would have just had to wait a few hours for the next train. It wouldn't have been the end of the world if I hadn't gotten back on the train in time, but I sure would have been grumpy about it.

When I got off the train in Huemoz, Switzerland, the bus that goes up the mountain was sitting right there waiting, like it knew I was coming. Awesome. So I climbed the stairs, spoke baby French to the driver, and smacked a few people with my backpack as I walked down the aisle to find my seat. Minutes later, four Americans climbed on the bus, asked the driver in English to go to L'Abri, and walked back to their seats. I was glad they were there so I would know where to ask the driver to stop the bus, and how to get into the right building once I got there, because it was already dark and everyone at L'Abri would already be at dinner. One of the guys even saw the fifty franc note that had fallen out of my pocket and gave it back to me. Thank goodness. It would really stink to lose fifty francs.

I was delighted to find that everyone removes their shoes when entering the buildings. This is one of my favorite European rules. We shuffled into dinner late and I tried to be as talkative as I could, and then they showed me to my room on the bottom floor of Chalet Bellevue, where almost everyone else was staying too. There were three beds, but I had the room to myself. It was really cold down there, so I was glad to have the extra blankets.

They only allow two showers a week, and you know how much I love to be clean! Thankfully, I was able to be clean most of the time, because I was only there four nights. Everyone staying there has daily obligations. There are two shifts during the day: one for working and one for studying in the library/chapel. I did some cleaning and ironing during my work shifts. It was fun talking to the other people on assignment with me. I worked in the home of one of the Schaeffer granddaughter one day. Her chalet is down the mountain a bit, so to get there, you have to walk down a precariously icy, steep path. The girl leading me there was much better at this than I was! I felt like such a wimp.

Lunch was served there that day and the group of about fifteen people had a formal lunch discussion about whether love necessarily expects to be returned. It was interesting how those leading the discussions never referenced the Bible. I know that must be because the people there who don't believe probably don't want to hear what the Bible says, and truth can be reached without using scripture, because it's written on our hearts. But it was a little hard for me, because I always want scripture to help me understand everything.

The library where everyone studies is full of high-quality books and recordings of lectures. I tried to get there early enough to grab one of the armchairs on the bottom floor. It was so cold down there the first day! The heat was broken, and it was already a cold day, so it was extra frigid. Everyone studied wearing several layers of everything, as well as winter coats and blankets. Thank goodness there was hot tea to drink! When I finally stepped outside, I found that the temperature was warmer outside than inside! The next two days were a little warmer in the library after the heating was fixed. I had some topics of study in mind and chose a really good book by Larry Crabb. I finished it in three days, which is a record for me! It probably took me a total of six to eight hours to read. Everyone seems to take breaks from studying to snooze or chat.

After dinner, a lot of people hang out in the lounge. I was there every night, reading, journaling, playing games or playing guitar. I even read a second book: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. The bookshelves there were full of good books in many genres, but not religious books like the ones in the library. Two books in four days is amazing for me!

The lounge is a big room, so there are lots of different things going on at the same time. People play the piano or guitar, paint, draw, write, read, talk or play games. It's such a great environment! I found that everyone there seemed to be very intelligent and talented in some way. Everyone had interesting stories. I can't say I made any friends in the short time I was there, but I did enjoy everyone's company. I actually felt kind of old. I was one of the oldest people there, but I am also in a different stage of life than most of the people there. They have taken four months or more out of their lives to study at L'Abri, but I have a full time job and lots of responsibilities. In some ways, I am jealous of those who can stay there for a whole term or more, but I don't know if I could do it. They were very nice to include me, even though I was only there a short time.

L'Abri is in a little dairy village in the Swiss Alps, so the view is amazing. The first two days were cloudy so I wasn't able to see the mountains at all. The third day was clear and beautiful! I was so excited and thankful to see the mountains! And there had been a misunderstanding about the length of my stay, so instead of being assigned a job to do, I was given a whole day just for studying! I had extra time to sit and read and gaze at the mountains, and even took a walk into the forest. It was soooo beautiful! Who needs to read books about the Gospel when you can gaze at the mountains and appreciate the beauty God has created?

Gazing at those mountains, I started to wish I could fly over them on Aslan's back. Lucy rode on Aslan’s back in one of the books! Then I thought I'd be too scared...but I remembered that Aslan always gives courage to his followers when he asks them to do something frightening, and I was thankful. I knew that if Aslan offered to fly me over those mountains, my fear of heights would melt away and I would love every minute of the flight. It doesn't seem to be so simple in real life, when I'm asked to trust God to guide me through something frightening, but I know He does, at times, give me courage and strength and peace beyond my understanding. Grace for the moment.

The food is really good at L'Abri! Different people have the job of using L'Abri recipes to prepare the food for each meal. They even make fresh bread for some meals! The morning I left was a free day, so everyone could leave and go exploring Switzerland. Breakfast was an informal spread of leftovers from several days of breakfasts. So there were two different cereals, fruit, granola, oatmeal, muesli, toast with nutella, jam and peanut butter and milk, juice, coffee and tea. It was wonderful!

It was snowing hard all that morning, so when it was time to wait out at the bus stop, I ended up standing in the snow for more than an hour! I was cold, but I didn't really mind because I don't have many chances to stand out in the snow in such beautiful scenery. Towards the end of my wait, one of the girls came to talk to me while I waited. It was so nice of her, but I'm afraid she was not well rewarded for her kindness. A big truck drove by too fast and splashed us both with muddy snow! I burst out laughing. It really was quite funny, but it didn't matter as much for me because my coat is black and the mud doesn't show up. Her coat is white, so it was much more of a problem for her. I hope she didn't hate me for laughing!

The bus ride back down the mountain was beautiful. Everything was completely covered in white. I was glad not to have to drive on those windy, steep roads at all, much less in such snowy weather! But I trusted the bus driver. When we started coming into the valley, I could see a clear distinction on the mountains between the part being snowed upon and the part closest to the valley. It seems the snow cloud didn't quite get down into the valley. It was interesting to see the difference. When the bus was out of the snow, I saw many, many vineyards on those hills leading down into the valley, and lovely old buildings. I wish it were possible to take nice photos out the windows of buses.

Back in Berlin, Carol and I talked hours and hours more over our shared meals. On Friday, Carol was busy all day shopping and cooking for her Bible study group that night, so I ventured out into the city alone and was able to tour the Berlin Zoo, where I was able to meet Knut the
polar bear, about whom I have read so much. There were many other interesting animals there, including two baby hippos and their parents, zebras, giraffes, pandas and penguins. There is even a house just for nocturnal animals! It was cool to have a chance to see animals that are usually hidden in the dark!

I got to see one of the churches bombed during WWII, which has been stabilized and preserved to serve as a reminder about what happened then. I explored a little in a huge store called Ka Da We. I didn’t make it past the food section, with all the beautiful breads, candies and everything else you can imagine. I only bought Reese’s cups and vegetable seasoning. I could have bought a lot more, but that would have been silly. I don’t want to end up like those bad kids in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory!

I was happy to meet a group of Carol’s friends at the Bible study that evening! We shared a meal of lasagna and salad and then sang lots of Redeemer Church songs. She even has little songbooks for everyone! Then we listened to a sermon on forgiveness, which was really good to hear, and afterward discussed it. Everyone in the group is so nice! I can see why Carol will miss them when she leaves Berlin.

The next day, Carol and I got a famous Turkish kabob, found a store where I bought a nice guitar case, and went to an antiquities museum to see some incredible treasures! There is a reconstructed front of a temple mentioned in the book of Revelation and the reconstructed walls of Babylon, under which Daniel and his men are said to have marched in the book of Daniel! Very cool. Later that night, we went to a praise concert at the International Church.

It was sad to leave L’Abri and then Berlin, but I was ready to be back in my classroom, in real life. Vacation is not real life.

At passport control back in Skopje, the officer asked me if this were my first time in Skopje. “No,” I said, “I live here.”

“You live here? Then welcome home.” I was pleasantly surprised to have a passport security officer say something so kind, to me, the foreigner. I suppose this is a sort of home for me now. I have many homes.

butterflies

Amir will be here in about an hour to take me to the airport. Mike, Sondra and I have the same flight to Berlin this afternoon, but we're going for different reasons. It will be nice to have travel companions for at least part of the trip. Carol will meet me at the airport and take me to her apartment via public transportation. I'll stay the night with her and then catch a flight to Geneva, and a train and bus to L'Abri tomorrow. A few days there, and then a few days back in Berlin. I am excited about this trip, but I really don't know what to expect. I have butterflies.

There are five pairs of black shoes by my door. Three are mine: one pair of boots for ice and snow, one for skirts, and one pair of shoes for standing on my feet all day. I only want to take the pair I wear. Should I take the synthetic fur-lined ice/snow boots? What if my feet get hot? Maybe I will have to take two pairs. I am packing lightly so I can take only a backpack to L'Abri and leave my suitcase in Berlin.

I just walked to the corner store to pick up a few things, including snacks for the trip. Who knew you can't buy just a few strawberries here? Why do you have to buy a whole box? They're not sealed like the ones in America. Too bad. I was going to bring those strawberries home and put nutella on them for part of my lunch. Instead, I went to the bakery and got a rectangle of pizza and a chocolate criossant. I am packing a mix of nuts and dried cranberries for the plane.

Yesterday, the staff of my school took a bus to a nearby winery for staff development hours. The owner gave us a tour that reminded me of similar tours I've taken at wineries in North Carolina. It sure was cold down in the cellars! I was glad when we got to the restaurant part, where there's a big fireplace and a bar for wine tasting. We could have as many wine samples as we wanted. Some silly people took full advantage of that. Don't they know anything about anything? Hah. :) I didn't even have a whole glass, thankyouverymuch. There was a nice spread of meats, cheeses, bread and paella for us to have with our wine. There were plates with little wine holders clipped on so people could walk around with both plate and wine glass. I camped out on the ledge of the fireplace. After awhile, there was Macedonian folk music and some of the Macedonians taught us foreigners some of their traditional circle dances, including calling out "Opa!" at appropriate moments. It was fun!

The power was out when Rachel and I got home from the wine tour. Luckily, the hallways in my apartment building are lit by a generator when these things happen. I was glad I had a flashlight by the front door so we could find the matches and candles. The power came back on soon, but went off again within an hour, so I did everything I could by candlelight and reluctantly went to bed. Otherwise I probably would have stayed up all night worrying about what to pack. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to find that the power hadn't come back on 'til after midnight.

It has been an eventful couple of weeks at school, and based on the way the children have been treating each other, I know everyone is ready for a break. The last straw for me was coming in Friday morning to learn that someone had been in my classroom the night before, during a community event, and knocked over the bird cage, which made all the eggs fall out of the nest and break. Thankfully, the mama and daddy birds are OK, and the young birds had already been adopted. I suppose it could have been a cat, but I have my doubts. There is a long, attic-like storage area running behind my classroom and the one next door, and the kids love to play back there when they can get away with it after hours, so they're always trying to get into my room for access to that. The door to the upstairs is supposed to be locked after hours. The kids were so sad when they found out we wouldn't be having baby birds again, as expected. One of the little girls almost cried. Grrr.

But...now it's time to stop thinking about school and my virtually empty lesson plan pages for the week after the break. If I don't have time to plan more before next Monday morning, it won't be the first time I've successfully taught from the top of my head. There's always time to plan on Monday night. No problem.

oocheetelka

Oocheetelka is the Macedonian word for female teacher. It's one of my favorite Macedonian words.

I'm glad February is on it's way out. I have had a nice enough February, so I won't complain. There has been a good variety of weather this month...snow and sunshine, temperatures ranging from below zero to the 60s, which is quite unusual. This variety of weather has agreed with me much more than it has with the Macedonians, who blame most ailments on weather or air pressure. March just sounds so much nicer.

My first birthday in Macedonia was lovely. My students were all very excited about the day, and talked about it for weeks before it actually happened. They brought me cards and gifts, including two baskets of flowers, some expensive perfume and a pretty necklace, because someone's mother "doesn't like this one so much." :) In the mail, I got a birthday package with dangly earrings from my parents and six birthday cards! After work, I had a fun guitar lesson and then met some friends, including Vaneta, my Macedonian language teacher, and Mia, my Macedonian classroom assistant, at the yummy Mexican restaraunt for dinner. The Macedonians had never tried Mexican food before, but they loved the burritos and quesadillas we shared. One of my favorite things about that restaurant is their variety of fruity, non-alcoholic cocktails. I drank two Cinderellas! Rachel gave me a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard and made me a fabulous strawberry cake with chocolate frosting! And of course, Skype voicemal and facebook messages are great on birthdays!

The weekend after my birthday, I went with a group of colleagues for sight-seeing and shopping in Thessaloniki, Greece. Rachel and I had planned to spend the day there exploring with Mike and Sondra, but Sondra got sick and couldn't make it, so it was just us girls and Mike, who knew a lot more about the historical sites, since he has spent more time there than I have. The three of us wandered through the little streets of clustered houses, up to the city wall. On our way up, we met a German speaking Greek, who stopped us to point out a sign leftover from WWII, warning citizens that only German soldiers were allowed up the hill past that point. The man then told Mike, who speaks German, his life story.

When he was a child, the man was sitting in a train car, eating potatoes with his friend. Not knowing the boys were there, the soldiers closed the car and the train started moving. The boys ended up in Austria, where they were sent to an orphanage. That man didn't return to Greece until forty years later! That is how he learned to speak German. Fascinating, isn't it?

Then the man asked us to come see his sheep, goats and chickens. I made friends with the animals while Mike and Rachel listened to the man talk about a trunk he is making. It was a lovely trunk, but the baby goats were just so darn cute. I picked one up for a picture and got an unexpected kiss! Are American goats so friendly?

The three of us made it up to the wall, visited a monastery (where a bunch of teenagers wanted to practice their English with me), saw some peacocks, ate a nice lunch, visited Starbucks twice, walked along the sea as the sun was setting, and then took the city bus to the IKEA shopping area, where our fellow travelers had spent half of their day. I got in and out of IKEA pretty quickly, acquiring a very cute lamp and some kitcheny things, but no salad spinner, unfortunately. I suppose I will have to go on drying my spinach leaves by leaving them spread out on a towel on the kitchen counter. Quel dommage.

Then there was Valentine's Day. My nine 5-year-olds worked hard for days, using all their spare class time to make valentines for their friends. They all had mailboxes to be filled by their friends and opened after school on Valentine's Day. Some of them were making lots and lots of valentines for themselves, stuffing their own boxes. They seem to have missed the point. I tried to explain. Little ones are usually unrepentantly self-absorbed, it seems. I suppose I should be happy if ever they think of someone besides themselves. :) They didn't forget me, though! I got lots of valentines cards, a box of chocolates and a long-stemmed red rose...also lots of hugs and kisses! They are really very sweet.

After Valentine's Day, we got a new student! The class has been hoping for a new student all year! Every time a child visits the class with his or her parents, all the kids talk about how excited they are that we might have a new student. Finally, she came! She is so sweet and smart and fits right in. Now I have ten kids! Just in time to celebrate the 100th day of school! It's the perfect number for the kids to count by tens to 100. We had a very busy day on the 1ooth day of school. The kids counted to 100 in so many different ways, including painting their hands to make 100 fingerprints, counting out 100 pieces of snack food for a snack mix, and doing 100 exercises for our morning stretch! It was a fun day, since the kids were so wound up, I had to be dragon lady most of the time to maintain order. Somebody has to do it.

Last week, I stopped by the corner store on my way home to pick up a few things. They had strawberries, which are out of season and imported from Turkey I think, so I was super excited and unknowingly picked up a few more things than I had the cash to pay for. I was 52 denars short. That's a little over a dollar. I told the girl I would put something back, but she said I could just pay it next time! I couldn't believe it! When I first moved here, the corner store clerks would come out of the store to stare me down as I looked at the produce outside! Now they're letting me take things on credit! That would never happen in the states! I feel special.

Tonight, I went to a Mardi Gras party hosted by some of the American teachers I work with. Almost everyone from work was there. One of the Albanians played the traditional Albanian instrument. There were masks and beads brought over from the states. Some people dressed up. There were two types of jumbalaya and bread pudding for dessert. It was so much fun to talk to the people there. I work with such nice people!

Mourn with those who mourn

There are times when I need to write before I can do anything else. This is one of those times.

It is a beautiful, sunny day here in Skopje. The sun is shining, the clouds are shining, the river and pond are shining, the mountains are shining. There are little wild daisies springing up in the park. The poor dears think it's Spring. The ducks are swimming their little hearts out. The birds are flying and singing. There are so many people in the park, riding bikes, walking, running, playing, reading, talking, rejoicing.

This all seems so strange to me when something terrible has just happened to members of my church family in Winston-Salem. A little girl died without warning. Karis was only 7 years old. Children are not supposed to die. I have memories of Karis from babysitting her while in college, from the church nursery, and from gatherings of friends. The last time I saw her was on the fourth of July. I didn't know her well, but I think highly of her parents, and she was part of my world. There is something magical about children. You smile with them, you laugh with them, and you are connected for life.

It is like every other great sadness I have experienced. When I first found out, it didn't seem real. I knew it was true, but I could somehow block the truth. I prayed and prayed for her family, but it hadn't sunk in. I talked to Ruthann last night and it seemed more real and I could cry. I woke up this morning and I didn't want to be awake. I wanted to go back to sleep and forget. I felt like I couldn't breathe. The sun was shining and it didn't make sense. It doesn't make sense that a little girl was laughing and playing with her sister last week, and now she's gone. She's laughing and playing in heaven now, of course, and that is a great comfort, but heaven seems so far away when someone you love is gone.

It almost seems strange to feel so sad about this child's death, when children die every day and I don't feel the pain. And I realize that I couldn't handle feeling the pain of every child's death. Jesus has felt every pain in the whole world, and it killed Him, but then He conquered death. He knows I can't handle all that. It would kill me too, so He only gives me what I can handle. It's important that I share in some of the sufferings of others, but I know that Jesus took it all for me, and for all of us. He gives us only a taste of His suffering. And it is indeed only a taste for me, for I have suffered very little even compared to most people in the world, much less the Lord Himself. When I think of the pain Karis' parents must be feeling, it makes every sadness I've ever felt seem entirely minuscule and unimportant.

Please pray for Karis' parents, Monica and Gerald, for her little sister Olivia, and for everyone who loved Karis. Death is not natural. Jesus wept over the death of His loved ones while on earth, and He weeps for us still. Imagine that the Lord of the universe mourns with and for us. His love for us is the only hope there is in life.

Oh, Atlanta!

There I was in France, a place I love, having such a lovely time with Aude and her family, but my family was in Alabama. So Christmas night, after talking to my family on Skype, I lay in bed and argued with myself and prayed. Should I try to find a flight home? I decided I should. I got up the next day, ate lunch with Aude's mom, dad and Etienne, and got on the internet. I found a flight for half the price it would have been before Christmas, so I asked Aude what she thought about it, agonized over the question a while longer, and then booked the flight to Atlanta. It was all so strange. I continued to argue with myself about this decision well after having arrived in the states, but I think it was the right thing to do.

In the afternoon after I bought the ticket, we had to go to Vendome to run some errands, including buying my TGV ticket to Paris for the next morning. Aude's dad, brother Etienne, Aude and I all rode together. The countryside was lovely and I was glad to have another scenic tour of the area before I left. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures outdoors, because I thought I would be there longer. We stopped at one store and looked at lots of travel books. Etienne showed us a book about Sweden, where he lives. Sweden is now on my list of places I'd like to go. Stockholm looks like such a cool city!

When we got home, we had the yummy raclette again for dinner and then made a picnic of the Christmas treats from America to snack on while watching a famously funny French movie. Our picnic included key lime pie candies, oreos, dried cranberries and peanut butter. It was nice to relax with the family. Aude and Etienne looked on the internet with me to determine which airport terminal I should find for my flight and wrote down everything I needed to know to take the right metros and trains to get there. I was so thankful for their help. I was so nervous about doing it all on my own! I would have liked to stay up longer watching TV with them, but I knew I had to get some sleep for the LONG trip ahead.

The next morning, I ate a little breakfast and Aude's mom gave me some tangerines and cookies to take with me. We drove to the train station to catch my 7AM train. It was still dark and quite cold. We walked down the tracks to where my section of the train would be stopping. They have these things marked in Europe, and it's quite practical! Aude, her dad and I stood shivering in the cold, waiting for the train to come. I tried to make jokes to lighten our emotions. When the train arrived, there were hugs, kisses and goodbyes. I hurled my bag into the baggage storage and found my seat. The car was almost empty, and I was glad for the chance to doze a little during the 45 minute ride to Paris.

There was not a minute to lose between arriving at the train station in Paris and getting to the airport. I had to switch metros a couple of times, lugging my suitcase up and down flights of stairs in the tunnels. I kept giving myself pep talks about how if Ruthann and I could do this in Beijing, I could do it in Paris, and that I should "just keep swimming," and "slow and steady wins the race..." I needed those pep talks. And I thanked God for every escalator I came across.

I finally bought my train ticket to the airport, but when I put it in the machine that would open the bars to allow me into the station, the ticket didn't work, and didn't work, and didn't work. I was not going to panic. Instead, I spotted two French girls entering beside me and used my baby French to ask if I could go in with them. They agreed, and I started through, but the bars closed again before my backpack made it through. I was stuck.

Then, without any warning, I felt myself being pushed through. It was two nice French boys, helping me out without even being asked. Knights in shining armor. :) I love the French.

But then, once I got down where the tracks are, I couldn't figure out which train to take, even though Aude had explained it to me thoroughly, because the signs seemed to be misleading. After letting several trains pass in fear of boarding the wrong one, I finally got up the nerve to ask someone. I was still nervous when I got on the train. My bag was in the way of almost everyone. I asked someone if I were on the right train for CDG. She said it was. I hoped she was right. I practically held my breath the whole trip. Thankfully, the nice lady on the train was right, and I arrived in one piece at CDG airport, one of the most dreaded airports in the world. Once again, I was thankful for escalators.

I found the right line and waited for about 30 minutes before reaching the check-in desk and being interrogated about my reasons for having been in Paris, for having booked my ticket to the states the day before, and for returning to Paris so soon, as indicated by my reservation. Nosy airport people. Then I could have upgraded to first class for 70 euros, but I thought that was ridiculous, when there are lots of other things I could do with that money. I waited another 15 minutes in line to check my bag. I was so worried that it would be overweight, and it was, slightly, but they put a heavy bag tag on it and let it slide. Thank goodness.

I rushed to security, waited another significant amount of time to go through the x-ray machine, and made it to the gate just in time to board with everyone else. I wasn't even able to stop to call Aude and let her know I had made it safely until I got on the plane and sent her a text from my Macedonian phone.

The plane ride was uneventful and I arrived in Atlanta, after a long delay in D.C., without a hitch. My mom picked me up at the airport. It all felt like a dream. As I pulled my enormous suitcase off the conveyor belt, the handle broke. After all that. I thanked God it hadn't broken earlier, like in the metro tunnels.

I was so sleepy as we waited for the shuttle to the hotel, but I just chattered away in my jet-lagged state-of-mind. When we had settled into the hotel room, we drove to Chick-fil-a, where I required extra pickles on my original chicken sandwich with fruit on the side and a Dr. Pepper. It was nice to hear the English dialect spoken by the employees working inside.

I woke up at 6 AM the next morning and couldn't sleep any longer. Don't you love jet lag? So I went down to the lobby to use the internet to write Aude and read my Bible and journal and try to figure myself out. :)

Soon, Jamie and Amy came to meet me and Mama for brunch! I was super excited about the oatmeal with lots of toppings, like brown sugar and pecans. There were strawberry waffles, but I couldn't eat them after all the other things I ate. It had been awhile since I'd seen a breakfast buffet. After we ate and caught up on life, we went outside to say goodbye and see my furry niece, Zoe, who had been waiting in the car. She's so small and sassy!

I drove home to Madison, Alabama from Atlanta! I was relieved that driving was just like getting back on a bike. I like driving. I like to be in control.

I arrived in Madison to be greeted by two joyful weenie dogs named Maple and Annie Belle, and my grandmother with her dogs. Daddy came home from work later that evening and we had supper. Annie Belle and I had to do our friendship dance. She always barks until I dance with her. Maple barked at me until I chased her around and around the wall between the kitchen and the hallway. This is also a welcome-home tradition. It's funny. My mom bought me some grapes and blueberries, since I can't get out-of-season fruits here in Skopje and I miss that...even though out-of-season fruits are never as good as in-season fruits, no matter where you go. It's just a fact of life!

We visited my sister, who was at a conference in Nashville, and ate some yummy food and walked around a ridiculously big mall and watched some really cool fish outside this aquarium restaurant where you can watch fish swim over your head while you eat fish. Kinda creepy, right? Isn't that traumatic for the fish? I believe so.

My other grandmother and uncle came to visit us from Kentucky and stayed a night. That was fun. I got to eat fajitas at Applebee's and a yummy sandwich and swirled frozen yogurt at Jason's Deli...one of my favorites! I went shopping and bought more clothes and a bunch of other things, like I needed them or something. Hah! Got to go to Target. Love target. We went to see that new Adam Sandler movie, which is awesome because it's geared toward kids. I bought groceries to take back, like wheat thins (best ever), granola bars, canola oil and oatmeal packets. I probably should have left some weight allowance for a spring coat, but I just didn't listen to April. What was I thinking? I never listen.

We drove to meet my grandfather and aunt and her fiance for supper at a famous steakhouse one night. I think I got fish...or was it a steak? I don't remember. But it was good. And my sister and I were completely ridiculous and silly and giggly in the parking lot, which was the best part. Oh! And there was a tank full of really cool fish!

So I got to see almost everyone in my family! Amazing.

Hmmm...so then on my way back, since I had two separate trips booked, I had to fly Atlanta to D.C. to Paris to Belgrade to Skopje. Crazy long trip. My dad and sister took me back to Atlanta, where we met Jamie and Amy for dinner at Chili's and I ate salmon and then that chocolate cake with ice cream in it that I like to get at Chili's when I'm being bad, and it's OK because when do I have a chance to eat something that terrible for me in Macedonia? Yeh. My point exactly. My mom had to work. Silly work...requiring people to be there when they'd rather be somewhere else. Anyway. It was a crazy trip.

I had to wait a few hours in Atlanta, and then five hours in D.C. and 6 hours in Paris and 6 hours in Belgrade. Good thing I had cross-stitching to work on, a coloring book to color and good books to read...and my ipod. Love my ipod. In D.C., I lay down in a mostly empty gate area and got to see some police officers training a young German Shepherd to be a drug dog. It was fun watching him search the area, find the hidden bag of drugs and sit still and point. Good dog. I wanted to play with him, but I figured they would say no. Sad.

On the way back, I had two suitcases, so it was a little complicated getting them through the Paris airport. Luckily, another nice French guy offered to roll one of them for me until he got to his destination in the airport. Did I mention that I love the French?

Once at the gate area, I bought a panini and a box of my favorite French cookies and a huge bottle of water and some prints of paintings of Paris. Then the lady who checked my bags in (after I had sat with them in the gate area for 4 hours) told me I had excess baggage. I told her I had checked the rules in the states and so did not have excess baggage. She believed me and let it slide. Praise the Lord. I was already weighted down with carry-on stuff. I had even taken a few things out at the last minute, in the waiting area, just in case they said the bags were overweight. It was ridiculous how much I was carrying. I really didn't need all the stuff I brought back from the states. It's amazing how stores full of stuff can make you think you need all the stuff they have. Think of stuff-mart and Madame Blueberry, in Veggietales, and you'll see what I mean.

I should have listened to April and used my weight allowance to bring a coat from home instead of all those packets of oatmeal and granola bars and oreos. Do I ever listen? No. But it's OK. The coat I have is just fine, and I'll just wear extra sweaters when it's still cold, but too warm for my winter coat.

I got back to a very snowy Skopje just fine, and slept a lot. It was snowing all over Europe, and I had to crunch through snow on runways and up airplane stairs! But no delays, amazingly!

It was interesting slipping and crunching all over the city in the snow and ice for a week. I'm not used to that. I thought the yellow snow around the trees was funny. And the park was just lovely! I loved making deep footprints in the snow along the river! So much fun! I even cautiously ventured out about a foot onto the frozen pond!

When school started back, the kids got to play in the snow a few days before it all melted. There were two snowmen on the playground! Such a delight for a girl from Alabama and North Carolina.

Now I am in my fourth week back at school and just now recounting the rest of my holiday trip. Goodness gracious. What do I do with all my time?



This is with Jamie, Amy and "the Zoester" outside the hotel in Atlanta.

These are some snowy trees outside my school when I returned to work.