Hello from Macedonia!

The living room. Our landlord just put in this new TV. He said the other one was too old so why not get us a flat screen.

Me drinking the best juice ever in our fully functioning kitchen (it's blueberry juice...how cool is that?!)

My days and times are all shumishing together. I keep forgetting that today is Friday, and it doesn't seem real that I've already been here for 2 days. Already I feel so acclimated to the culture. Josh and Rachelle Neal are the two missionaries who are taking care of us while we're over here in the Balkans. They are the ones who got us this sweet apartment. 

Today we had our first Macedonian lesson. We learned some basic phrases such as zdravo which means hello or falla which means thank you.

So far I know how to take the buses, how to order certain foods, how to navigate to and from the apartment, and how to spell using the Cyrillic alphabet. Sometimes I feel like a 1st grader trying to sound out the letters on billboards and whatnot--but it has helped me a lot.

I'm also trying to get used to all the staring my group and I get whenever we go anywhere. Rachelle and our Macedonian friend Mafa took us on a tour of the city. We got to see several museums, farmer's markets, shopping areas, historic sites, and statues. This city seems to constantly be under construction. The reason for that is because there was a huge earthquake in 1967 that destroyed many buildings, sidewalks, and homes. They are still trying to repair Skopje. I also learned that Macedonia has only been an independent country since 1991.

This tour was almost like a crash course in Macedonian history. The coolest part was realizing that we could come back whenever we wanted! I definitely felt like a tourist today, but it's good to remember that it's not always going to be like this. Eventually I'll start working in the school (like next week). It's been so nice to have the chance to get used to the city and get a feel for where I am. I can't wait to feel like a part of this city and to be able to navigate like a native:)