Thessaloniki, Philippi, and Kavala

standing in the water at Lydia's Well--the first European convert. This is where she was baptized by Paul!

at the stadium in the ancient ruins of Philippi--this is where the lions, etc. were released

the prison thought to have held Paul when he was in Philippi

the beautiful beach in Kavala where I spent many an hour

Three days jammed packed with all sorts of Greece goodness! My lifelong dream of visiting Greece has officially been accomplished. On Friday, my entire group plus three Macedonian friends piled into 2 vans and drove the 4 hours to Thessaloniki. It would have only taken three hours to Thessaloniki but we got stopped at the Macedonia/Greece border. A guard thought our friend Mafa was an illegal taxi driver trying to take Americans out of Macedonia--that silly guard. After an hour, we finally got our passports back and was able to continue our drive.

Thessaloniki was our first stop. We drove through the heart of the city. The traffic was horrible as we scoured the streets for parking. European cars are so small which leaves no room for big vans to park. We almost side swiped some cars. Eventually we found parking and made our first stop a gyro cafe for lunch. Then, we split into groups and roamed around the city. There are a bunch of churches in the city, but most of them were closed. The girls couldn't have gone in even if we had wanted to. All females must have something covering their shoulders, and no one is allowed to wear shorts--which I think is an unreasonable rule seeing as though no one in their right mind would be wearing pants at this time of the year. It was so hot walking through the city. At one point, a group of 4 of us girls went shopping. One of the stores we went into had a big air conditioner. I pretended to search through the same stack of clothes for 15 minutes just so I could stand near the cool air. The neat thing about Thessaloniki is that it is very modern with a lot of buildings, but archeologists have started to dig up ancient ruins in the middle of the city. Major sections of the streets have been blocked off due to ancient buildings being uncovered. It's modern technology meeting history in a very real way.

Eventually we got tired of the heat and decided to say goodbye to Thessaloniki so that we could drive another 2 hours to Kavala. We stayed at the cutest condominiums. The company is called The Blue. They have a huge lot of apartments to rent along with a cafe and a beach front where we laid out for most of the weekend. They were so friendly! Once we got there and dispersed into our designated rooms, we searched for a restaurant to eat our very late dinner. We ate at this restaurant right on the water. I forget the place, but they had the nicest people. No one in our group speaks Greek and our waiter didn't speak English--but he did speak Italian and so did one of the girls in our group. So, a bunch of Americans ordered our Greek food in Italian.

On Saturday, we woke up early so that we could go to Philippi before it got really hot. It only took us about 45 minutes to get there. Our first stop was actually Lydia's Well. It's a quiet place right next to a church. Someone had build seating around the stream along with a couple bridges and what not. This is the place where Lydia was baptized by Paul. Lydia was the first Christian convert in Europe. A group from North Carolina was visiting the well at the same time we were. They were sitting reading Acts 16 which talks about Lydia. Our group joined their group and we had ourselves an impromptu devotion time. I'm so glad we ran into them, because having that devotional really put that place in perspective.

Once we finished exploring there, we drove on to the ancient ruins of Philippi. Archeologists must have had a field day when they started uncovering these ancient ruins. There is a massive amount of history in this one area. The second picture at the top is of a stadium. We climbed all the way to the top to take a group photo. This is where the gladiators fought. I actually saw where they kept the lions that were released into the stadium. I really wouldn't have wanted to be the person in the front row. It's almost as if you were on the stage fighting the lions!

I learned that several centuries ago there was a plague that wiped out most of the Philippi population, and then there was an earthquake that came along later that really finished off the city. Despite the thousands of years and natural disasters, some of the columns were still standing. We marveled over their technology to build such tall and long lasting columns. I got to see the prison where historians believe Paul was held when he came to Philippi. I also got to see the government court where he was tried and beaten. I have a lot of pictures from this place--most of them are of rocks and rubble--but ask me about them in person and I'll show you the pictures and tell you a bit about them. There's just too much information to try to describe without pictures.

We made it back from Philippi around 1pm. We spent the rest of the day laying on the beach and playing in the Aegean Sea. One of my fondest memories is laying on those blue cushioned beach chairs in the sun listening to the water hit the shore and feeling the warm wind cover me like a blanket--this will forever be my happy place.

On Sunday, my apartment woke up around 9am and were the first ones in our group to make it to the beach. Our goal was to leave for home around 2pm which meant soaking up as much sun as we could before then. Eventually everyone else joined us on the beach. We played with Kayla and Brianna (the Neals' daughters) and tried to get them to like the water--but I think we just traumatized them instead. A group swam out to the island that resided a little ways away from the beach. The rest of us just laid on the beach and soaked up the sun. It was so sad when we had to go. I definitely went reluctantly. I have yet to revisit a country, but I think visiting Greece again is something I will have to do.

This was definitely a quick version of my weekend in Greece. I have many more details of this trip. If you want to know more or learn a bit more about the ancient history, I would love to tell you in person. The four pictures at the top is only a hint of the pictures I took!

7 hours later...

Today was certainly a day for adventures. This morning Hannah, Zach, Edwin, and I met up with some of our Macedonian friends (an English student and his girlfriend and best friend). They hiked with us to the top of Mt. Vodno. It is one of the tallest mountains in Macedonia: 6 miles up and 6 miles down. It was a beautiful hike--hot and very sweaty but beautiful nonetheless. We started from my apartment, walked to the base of the mountain, and then started our ascent. Mt. Vodno is divided into 2 halves. The first half is much easier and shorter than the second half. When you get to the middle point, there are picnic benches, water fountains, and a cable car that can take you up the second half of the mountain if you so choose. But, I did not choose that option. Despite how hot it was today (we started much too late and it was blistering hot), the paths were mostly covered by the trees. It was actually quite pleasant. The trees and nature life made it fairly cool to walk through...despite the nearly vertical climb at some points.

I did well until the last third of the mountain. Hannah is a super climber and a speed walker, so she flew on before us. Zach followed her aimlessly, Edwin ended up taking the cable cars, Goran (the English student) and his girlfriend were way behind, and Vlasko (Goran's bff) stayed back with me as I struggled to the top. By that point my legs were exhausted and I really, really just wanted to be at the top already. It reminded me of that time I was climbing the Grand Canyon with my family. My sister and brother were way ahead of the rest of us while my dad (and mom too) stayed behind and encouraged me to finish. Oh family flashbacks...

It took us about 2 hours to climb all the way up. We spent about an hour at the top waiting for Goran and his girlfriend as well as resting. Then it took us over 2 hours to descend the mountain. It took so much longer because I have 4 blisters on each foot (two of which popped while I was walking down Mt. Vodno). I was in so much pain and that made everyone go slower. Plus, our Macedonian friends accidentally took us the longer way down. That was kind of frustrating especially since my hike had turned into a hobble.

By that point, we had been gone for 7 hours. It was extremely hot, and I kept envisioning me flagging down a car and pleading with them to drive me home. Praise the Lord the hike finally came to an end. I'm so glad that I went, and I am really proud of myself when I look up to the cross on Mt. Vodno. Now, I can say I've hiked all the way up and all the way down. But let me tell you, my feet sting so bad.

When we got back to the apartment, we had to quickly change into our swimsuits, flag down a taxi, and drive to Julia's house. Julia is the U.S. ambassador's daughter. She was having a birthday pool party this afternoon, and we were all invited. I spent no time hobbling to the pool, taking off my clothes, and jumping in the beautifully cool water. We met so many of Julia's friends at this party. Sorry dad, but this party was swimming with attractive Macedonian men. We played football in the pool and ate some wonderful American cook out food (and fun fetti cake). We learned that the ambassador's family is allowed to bring 3,000 lbs. of American food with them. So, we had a wonderful American meal this evening.

It felt so good to chill at the pool and just enjoy lounging around. Having friends in high places has it's perks. Today was definitely an eventful day, and I can tell that I'm going to sleep really, really, really well tonight.

Pictures from the hike are soon to come:)

Excursion Day

The main cathedral on the mountain.

My English teacher, Vesna, and her English class. (She's kinda hidden by the tree..boo.)

Some of the flowers and pathways at the monastery

Here are some pictures from today's excursion. The school I teach at had a field trip today, and they invite me! We traveled in 3 large buses to a city called Kumanovo about an hour away from Skopje. Up a mountain we went...and what a beautiful mountain it was. The monastery is located out in the country. From atop the mountain, I had the most spectacular view of the countryside with it's rolling meadows, fields, and trees. The monastery had flower beds, water fountains, benches, open fields, and paths to walk around.

I stayed with Vesna (my English teacher). She and I walked around the grounds, talked with her colleagues, and she introduced me to her class. I really was a perfect day to go on a field trip. I was surprised that they just let the kids roam. The priest was there along with his wife who made sure the kids didn’t ruin the flowers or kick their soccer balls down the hill, but other than that the teachers sat under this gazebo-like thing all afternoon.

I’m pretty sure my lungs now look like smoker’s lung because of all the second hand smoke I inhaled this afternoon. A group of ten or so teachers just sat around drinking coffee and smoking one cigarette after another. I didn't really talk to many of the teachers. I talked to those who tried to talk to me and to those who could speak enough English to hold a conversation with me. It was a bit disappointing that more people didn't try to include me. I understand talking to me in English is hard for almost everyone who came on the excursion...but I already felt insecure enough about what I was wearing that it would have been nice if more people reached out to me.

Oh yes I forgot to mention that my outfit was completely inappropriate for this type of excursion. I was expecting it to be hot and sunny like it was yesterday. I wore a cool dress and even brought a towel in case I sweated a lot! The weather was completely the opposite. It was cooler and not as sunny and definitely not dress-weather. Plus, all of the teachers were wearing jeans or track suits, so I stuck out even more than usual. Oh well, I just tried to keep in mind that this will make for a good story later on.

We stayed on top of the mountain until it started to rain which was about 1pm. We all piled back into the vans and traveled the hour back to Skopje. A sore throat is going around our group, and I was so fortunate to catch it. So, I spent the rest of the day resting and not doing anything. Being sick while at college is one thing, but being sick in another country is a whole different ball game. Please pray that I will get better and fast--and also that no one else would get sick.

If everything went like it was supposed to, we would have a very boring life

This day is definitely one that's going down in the books.

My class didn't start until noon, so I had all morning to relax, do my devotions, and yoga. It was a very peaceful and restful morning as I prepared to teach later in the afternoon. One of my flatmates decided to come with me since our schools are in the same direction. We walked to the bus stop (let me just preface that I have never traveled on this bus or this way for that matter) and waited. And we waited. There was no bus on the horizon and there were no people joining us at this bus stop. So, we did the "logical" thing and kept walking in hopes of finding the next bus stop--hopefully with more people waiting for it.

And so we went...walking and talking and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Then, I looked behind me and saw the bus. The bus that we were supposed to get on was quickly catching up to us. And so what did we do?

We ran.

With our bags clutched in our hands and our hair flying, we tried to sprint to the next bus stop.

Little did we know--the next bus stop was faaarrrr away.

Running in the streets of Skopje is faux pas enough as it is...but having 2 Americans sprinting down to street was just plain hilarious. As I ran, I became very conscious of my bring pink dress that I was wearing. I was like a huge magenta target spot. 

So, we missed the bus; we were running late; and, we couldn't find the next bus stop. Instead, my flatmate and I hopped in a taxi and tried to give the taxi driver directions to my school. My school is not exactly easy to find. It's in a neighborhood which does not have a major road going past it. Our taxi driver had to ask a pedestrian for directions which I found so hilarious.

Eventually I made it and I wasn't even that late. The teacher who is helping me was waiting outside of the school. She walked me to the classroom where most of the teachers were already seated and waiting. One of the good things about Macedonians (in this case at least) is that they are usually late.

I have 11 students/teachers. Once I got there, I introduced myself again and had them each introduce themselves. And from there, I started the lesson and things just started to flow. The teachers were laughing and working together to figure out what I was saying. Because they signed up to take this class, they actually want to be here and learn. I didn't feel any pressure from them to be perfect. They just want to learn, so that's what I'm going to try to help them do.

So...day 2 is done. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring (hopefully no more bus chasing though)!

1st day of teaching solo

Well...this day has finally arrived. In the morning, all of the people who are teaching the elementary teachers met on the bus which took us to the Muncipality. We met all of the English teachers who will be helping us along with their principles and the mayor. First impressions are the worst. As I looked around the room at all the people sitting in chairs, I tried to figure out who was who. Who is my teacher? Who is the person who will be helping me? Who is the mayor? And then, another round of questions flooded my mind. What do these people think of me? How in the world am I supposed to educate educators? What in the world am I doing? Why has everything I’ve learned seemed to have fled my mind? And then of course the usual recorded pep talk in my head--oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, you can do this, you can do this--starts up as I try to assess what is happening.

Despite how much I try to stop worrying and talk some sense into my conscience, I can’t stop the habit. It’s like my mind somehow thinks that by worrying I am some how controlling the situation that is scaring me. It always works out--in one way or another it always works out. Today was no different. I found out that my elementary school is actually very close to the Muncipality. That means no 45 minute trek out to the country--one worry taken care of. Then, I found out that I don’t have to team teach--and just like that the second worry flies out the window. My English teacher’s name is Vesna. She is like the cherry on top of this whole morning. Vesna was so completely supportive and informative and helpful. I am very thankful for her.

She walked me to the school, introduced me to several faculty members as well as her class of students, and showed me the classroom I’ll be teaching in. Only half of my class was present today. I don’t think everyone knew that today was the day that the class was supposed to start. Instead, we introduced ourselves and I explained a little bit about what this next week will look like. I also asked them a bit about their expectations for this class. It was nice to put faces on the people I’m finally going to teach. After that, Vesna showed me to the bus stop and explained the directions from my home to the school. I got on the bus, found my way home, and that was that.

First day of “teaching”=finished.

Please pray for confidence as I teach tomorrow and during the next 4 weeks. Please pray for my relationships with these teachers that I would reflect the light of Christ. And, please pray that I wouldn't worry so much--I have no more safety nets, no more hurdles to jump. This teaching experience has finally arrived and as much as I would like to "not and say I did" I can't and I don't want to. I have so much to learn, and I've been put in the perfect situation to learn--the whole experience is a bit overwhelming. I just hope that I'm cut out for this whole teaching thing.

Ohrid

Ohrid, Macedonia.
A 3 hour drive, 15 people, 2 vans, and an umptin amount of mountains on either side of us.
Thursday morning to Saturday night.

Ohrid is a city most Macedonians have visited. It's a vacation hot spot for natives and for tourists. In the hot summer time, the cool air and cool waters for the lake draw many a people to its' shores. We came a bit too early for the hot weather, so swimming in the frigid waters was not appealing to any of us. It was supposed to rain the entire weekend, but God answered our prayers and kept the rain away until right before we left.

We stayed in a beautiful home located right on the shore. My room was on the third floor with the most beautiful view. That view was worth the cold nights and steep flights of stairs. Is there any better way to spend a morning than sitting on the ledge of the window that overlooks the lake to do devotions? This house is located in Old Town. There is a whole other part to the city, but we stayed in the most gorgeous part of Ohrid. The roads were cobble stones and very steep. There were rocky paths made all the way up the hills. A castle called Samuel's Fortress sat uptop the highest point in Old Town. You can see the entire city, the whole lake, and even Albania from up there. The wind blows ever so gently from the top of the fortress's wall making you never want to climb down.

I also got to see several sites being excavated. A church is being uncovered, a plaza-like space is being dug up, and I can't help but think...one day long ago this place used to be a regular place, a site that the townspeople were used to seeing. Then, over time, it disappeared, and people forgot it's meaning, and all of the sudden it's being recovered and the memories are trying to resurface. Being amidst a history that goes back so far can only make one pensive.

Josh and Rachelle took us to several other places around town. We went to a monastery, a village on the water, and downtown to the festival for Cyril and Methodius Day--it was a first to be in a place where we weren't the largest group visiting. I guess there are perks to going to a tourist hotspot if you don't want to stick out as a tourist. But, if I must be completely honest, the scenery completely outdid the attractions Ohrid had to offer. Nothing could beat the view of the mountains, the contrast of the rich green land to the brick red terra cotta roofs, or the fog that crept down the mountain side, or the rippling of the lake as the various sail boats rocked back and forth.

A beautiful weekend, simply beautiful.

Life is Becoming Normal

Life is becoming normal here is Macedonia. I'm starting to orient myself in the city--streets are now recognizable, certain cafes are becoming favorites, grocery ladies are becoming my friends, and I am beginning to recognize people in the streets.

Today is the 3rd day of teaching in the elementary schools. I love being with the kids and getting to know them for an hour. I love watching their faces as I'm teaching them something new and seeing them soak up the information. And, I love how excited they get when I ask a question and they know the answer to it.

I give some serious props to the seasoned teachers out there. After three hours of teaching each day, my throat hurts and I'm exhausted. My endurance is seriously lacking. In these last three days of teaching, I have learned so much about what it means to be a teacher and what it all entails. I have never paid more attention to how slowly and clearly I speak. Using simple English is much harder than you would think.

I challenge you to spend part of the day speaking and describing things as simple as possible--don't use any big words--use adjectives like big or small instead of gigantic or tiny. Even filler words such as um, uh, or well are words that you should eliminate from your speech.

There is so much to learn as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. Oh goodness gracious.

Fortunately, my fellow classmates are good at relieving some of this stress and overwhelming feelings. Today after class, it started raining. Part of our group hopped on a bus to avoid the falling water drops, but the rest of us took on the rain. Huddled under two umbrellas, we laughed our way to an icecream cafe before making our destination. For a couple of hours, we all crammed into the living room of some of our classmates to plan for our next phase of teaching. I'm looking forward to what this next stage will bring...but more details on that later.

The girls all came over to my apartment later this evening. We had started an all girls movie night a couple nights ago but was cut short on account of the late hour. Therefore, we were inclined to finish it--and the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies was just a plus in our wonderful evening. Ten of us shushed ourselves next to each other as we feasted cookies, decaf coffee, and the second half of Stardust. Chick flicks in foreign countries are just plain good for the soul. I may or may not have eaten one too many cookies, but if you had had a hand full of warm, gooey, chocolatey goodness I bet you would have been right along side of me stuffing face.

As Monday closes and Tuesday begins, I ask that you would pray for me and my group. We will be traveling to a city called Ohrid. It's known for being a vacation hotspot for Macdonians. Please pray for safe travels as well as creativity, organization, and patience as we continue to plan lessons. This next segment will be focused more on adult learners which is a bit intimidating since I've only ever taught people younger than me. Being on the go all the time really is exhausting--prayer for that would also be much appreciated.

I'm nearing that 2 week mark that I've grown so accustomed to. After Wednesday, I will be wading in waters I've never experience before. I guess whether or not I like it, I'll get to see if I can do this whole long term overseas thing...oh boy.